Kenny Chesney Experiences A Career First

It’s rare for Kenny Chesney to have a career first, but today, he does. When “Get Along,” the first single from Songs for the Saints, hit Billboard’s #10 slot and MediaBase’s #9 position, it joined “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” his duet with old friend and songwriter David Lee Murphy, which is sitting at #7 on Billboard and #6 on MediaBase. It marks the first time the East Tennessean has had two songs in the Top 10 at the same time.

“I never take anything for granted when it comes radio,” says the 8-time Entertainer of the Year. “They are the bridge between this music and the people who live inside these songs. For all the awards and #1s, I’ve never had two songs in the Top 10 at the same time, and it’s a pretty special rush. Having grown up listening to the radio, there’s something about a song coming out of the speakers that’s exciting…”

Especially heartening is being able to share the moment with Murphy, who’s been popping up at a few of the Trip Around the Sun stadium shows to sing their duet. As Chesney says, “David Lee really is the last of the hillbilly rock stars… and this song, even on the nights he’s not with us, has plugged the No Shoes Nation into something they need and want to feel. It’s amazing the energy we get when we play it and the way people sing along.”

“Everything” offers a strong sense of finding grace in a tough place. The mid-tempo, with its drop-down shuffle that flows into a reggae undertow on the chorus, is the perfect bookend to Chesney’s own “Get Along,” which suggests finding the common ground between people in a world of heated divisiveness.

Of their duet, Murphy says, “You watch the news, it’s rough. You can get caught up in that, or step back and trust life. Sometimes, a deep breath changes everything.”

Co-produced by Chesney, Murphy and Buddy Cannon, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” feels good when you hear it. As does “Get Along,” which continues Chesney’s undertow of empathy, awareness and recognizing the toxicity in so much of the churn around us.

“We were making Songs for the Saints literally between the eyes of the storm, and ‘Get Along’ came along and fit into the album in such an unlikely, but great way,” Chesney marvels. “I didn’t even think about how this song speaks to ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ when we cut it, but it sure does create a great combo message when you hear them on the radio. In a world where we can get so lost in the rage, it’s nice to remember what really matters, and having the ability to put your faith in — as ‘Trip Around the Sun’ says — that cosmic Hallelujah makes all the difference in the world.”

Mason Ramsey Shares His Journey with “Famous” Music Video

Take a peek as 11-year-old internet sensation MASON RAMSEY offers a personal glimpse into his whirlwind past month with the video for his breakout single “Famous.”

From signing his record deal with Atlantic Records and Big Loud Records, to stepping into the recording booth for the first time, not to mention hearing directly from Ramsey’s grandparents, watch his journey with “Famous” here.

Penned by hitmakers Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder (Chris Young, A Thousand Horses), Sarah Buxton (Chris Lane, Keith Urban), and Canaan Smith (Florida Georgia Line, Love & Theft), plus produced by studio aces Joey Moi (Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen) and Crowder, “Famous” debuted at #1 on the iTunes Country Songs chart and has sold an impressive 100K+ copies. Top-charting as the #1 global streaming Country song on Spotify, he also launched into Billboard’s all-genre The Hot 100 and is Top 5 (and climbing) on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

For more information about Mason Ramsey and upcoming appearances, please visit Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Dierks Bentley To Celebrate THE MOUNTAIN Album Release Late Night Show at The Ryman

On the eve of the release of his ninth studio album, award-winning entertainer Dierks Bentley will perform a late night album release show on Thursday, June 7th at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium with all money raised from ticket sales benefitting the Opry Trust Fund.

In a rare one-night-only event, Bentley will perform all thirteen tracks from THE MOUNTAIN which Entertainment Weekly called “both earthen and majestic.” Bentley’s 2018 tour opener LANCO will also join the lineup. Pre-sale tickets are available with a public on sale set for this Friday (5/18) beginning at 10:00A CT.

“This album started as the smallest seed of an idea,” said Bentley. “It was inspired by where I am in my life right now, but also by the people I meet out on the road who triumph over hardship every day. We all share this underlying sense of gratitude and hope, which really became the base of THE MOUNTAIN, so I wanted to introduce it as a whole story for the first time with all the fans in town for CMA Music Fest. Doing it at the Ryman and to help out the Opry Trust Fund makes the night even more special.”

The Ryman is the ideal room for sharing THE MOUNTAIN’s “textures of mandolin, banjo, fiddle and flatpicked guitar,” (NPR). Touted as a sonic mix of UP ON THE RIDGE’s bluegrass soul and the modern-rock polish of BLACK, THE MOUNTAIN ranges in style from its rock essence to acoustic folk. Reaching a new creative high, Bentley co-wrote ten of the thirteen songs that are unified by themes of presence and positivity while feeling both rooted and expansive at the same time.

After his 2017 tour claimed the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Tours selling over 750,000 tickets, Bentley will fuel arenas and amphitheaters throughout the summer with his 2018 MOUNTAIN HIGH TOUR launching this weekend in Columbia, MD (5/18), Holmdel, NJ (5/19) and Camden, NJ (5/20). For more information visit www.dierks.com.

Since its beginning in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry has not only been a popular radio show featuring an incredible mix of country music performances, but it has also truly been a family. Often referred to as the home of country music, the Grand Ole Opry provides artists with the opportunity to perform with their mentors, to sit down with a fellow artist and share stories that only artists can relate to, and to walk backstage and feel like they’re at home. This feeling of family is why on the Opry’s 40th Birthday, Opry management decided to start the Opry Trust Fund. Started in 1965, the Opry Trust Fund’s mission is to help those in the country music industry when they need it the most, by offering financial assistance during their time of need. Since its inception, the Opry Trust Fund has distributed more than $2 million. For more information visit www.opry.com/trustfund.

Craig Campbell Gears Up To Release Seven-Track EP

The wait is over for Red Bow Records hitmaker CRAIG CAMPBELL and his legion of Country fans. Five years after the Georgia native last released a new collection of tunes, his SEE YOU TRY EP arrives on June 8.

Featuring seven tracks, which once again show off the smooth, expressive vocals and easy charisma that earn Campbell comparisons to icons like Alan Jackson, SEE YOU TRY finds the singer-songwriter maintaining his reputation for country authenticity – but also looking ahead to the future.

“For the past few years, I’ve created and found some of the best music of my career,” shared Campbell. “I’m beyond excited to release this EP and show the Country music world what I’ve been up to. I’m very proud of the music and can’t wait for everyone to finally hear these songs!”

Leading the project is the flirtatious new single “See You Try,” a hot-blooded barstool anthem that Rolling Stone calls “a big, bold song that shoots for the nosebleed seats of arenas everywhere.” The track is currently rising through the Country charts and has gathered nearly 1 million Spotify streams.

Meanwhile, SEE YOU TRY also includes two versions of Campbell’s “Outskirts of Heaven,” his most sincere and impactful single to date. Open hearted and full of faithful conviction, the uplifting critic’s hit is presented in both electric and acoustic settings.

Other standout moments on the highly-anticipated EP include the regretful romance of “Me Missing You,” the party-ready Tejano twang of “Mas Tequila,” the lusty rock ballad “Upstairs” and the slinky strut of “Kids in the South,” all written by top flight tunesmiths like Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, Jim Beavers, Ben Hayslip and Campbell himself.

Here’s the complete track list for Craig Campbell’s SEE YOU TRY EP:
1. “See You Try” (James McNair, Tyler Hubbard, Bart Butler, Jordan Schmidt)
2. “Me Missing You” (Barry Dean, Jonathan Singleton, Dave Barnes)
3. “Outskirts of Heaven” (Craig Campbell, Dave Turnbull)
4. “Mas Tequila” (Craig Campbell, Jim Beavers, Chris DuBois)
5. “Upstairs” (Kelly Archer, Justin Weaver, Al Anderson)
6. “Kids in the South” (Chase McGill, Ben Hayslip)
7. “Outskirts of Heaven (Acoustic)” (Craig Campbell, Dave Turnbull)

Ryan Griffin Releases Three New Tracks

Electrifying Country singer-songwriter RYAN GRIFFIN fuses the soul of R&B, the honesty of Country and the carefree fun of Pop with the release of three new tracks.

“Good Company,” “Play It By Heart” and “Best Cold Beer” are now available globally for purchase and via all digital streaming services including Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify. Moreover, “Best Cold Beer” is now spinning on Spotify’s prominent New Music Friday playlist.

Produced by genre-defying hit maker busbee (Maren Morris, Gwen Stefani), the Country three-pack highlights a distinctive sonic mix which lands somewhere between Keith Urban and Brian McKnight, and also builds on the Florida native’s acclaimed reputation as a skilled songwriter. As a co-writer of Kelsea Ballerini’s “Dibs,” the PLATINUM-certified #1 tunesmith is ready to show off his own spotlight-grabbing potential.

“This is the music I’ve always wanted to make and I’m grateful to have a team that whole-heartedly believes in it,” says Griffin. “Working with busbee has brought out the best in me as an artist and a songwriter and I’m so thankful the world will get to hear the songs we’ve poured our hearts and souls into.”

“Ryan Griffin represents everything that makes the Country genre a uniquely impactful and diverse musical space,” adds busbee. “His vocal and songwriting abilities convey genuine emotion and a true sense of craft that rival the best artists in the format.”

Griffin previously gained recognition with his SAKE OF THE SUMMER EP, as “Backseats & Burnt CDs” was featured on SiriusXM as a Highway Find in 2017. The EP’s vulnerable ballad “Woulda Left Me Too” has been streamed more than 5 million times on Spotify, landing on the platform’s all-genre Viral 50 – US chart.

Griffin has been named as one of Rolling Stone’s 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know, and is currently featured on 2018 Ones to Watch lists by AOL, AXS, Country Fancast, NY Country Swag, PopDust and Thought Catalog. He’s served as an opening act for chart-topping artists like Ballerini, Lady Antebellum, Old Dominion and more, and will be touring select festival dates this summer, including a stop at Country Stampede in Manhattan, Kansas, on June 21.

For more tour dates and information, visit RyanGriffin.com, and reach out to him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.