Grand Old Opry Launches “Country Cares for St. Jude Kids” Performances Series To Benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

The Grand Ole Opry® will celebrate Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® during a special show Wednesday, September 13 as the Opry launches its first-ever series of fall Wednesday shows. Artists scheduled include Randy Owen of Alabama, four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, who will perform his brand new single “Light It Up,” and Clare Bowen of the hit series NASHVILLE.  
Throughout the show, photos and videos of inspirational moments from Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® will be shared, and a St. Jude patient will take the stage as a special guest announcer for the night. During the month of September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, supporters are encouraged to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® in its efforts to end childhood cancer.
 
When guests purchase tickets for the evening at the link below, $5 from each ticket sold will be donated to St. Jude, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to more than 80 percent today. Purchase tickets HERE.   
 
Other performers scheduled for the Wednesday series, which runs through September 27, include Darius Rucker, who will mark five years as an official Opry member during an Opry visit September 20. Vince Gill, Brothers Osborne and Jacob Davis are scheduled to join Rucker. Bobby Bones and Chris Janson, whose sophomore album Everybody is set for release in September, will help round out the series September 27.  

Country Artists on the Rise To Reveal Nominees for the 51st Annual CMA Awards

Reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne and rising Country Music stars Lauren Alaina and Dustin Lynch are slated to announce the final nominees for “The 51st Annual CMA Awards,” Country Music’s Biggest Night, live from New York’s Times Square Monday, Sept. 4 on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“The CMA Awards are my favorite time of the year. It’s exciting to honor Country Music’s legacy, celebrate today’s artists, and reveal the superstars of tomorrow,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Unlike any other awards show, we represent a rich history of one individual music genre. And to have these three acts unveil our nominees on a national platform signifies a new era of talent and the continued growth of the industry, a core pillar of our organization.”

Nominees in select categories will be announced in the 8:30 AM/ET half-hour segment of the top-rated morning news program. The highly-anticipated announcement will also be available via livestream on ABCnews.com/live. Brothers Osborne will close out the Labor Day show with a performance of the anthemic “It Ain’t My Fault.”

Immediately following the show, the remaining categories, as well as the CMA Broadcast Awards nominees will be revealed live on GoodMorningAmerica.com on Yahoo as well as via “Good Morning America’s” Facebook page through Facebook Live and simulcast on “Good Morning America’s” YouTube channel.

Danielle Bradbery’s Latest Single “Sway” Impacts Country Radio

Danielle Bradbery’s “Sway,” the lead single off her forthcoming 12/1 album, I DON’T BELIEVE WE’VE MET (BMLG Records), is officially spinning on Country radio. After releasing the “infectious” (Billboard) song to streaming services and digital retailers in June as the first taste of new music, Bradbery’s “breezy summertime jam” (Rolling Stone Country) hits airwaves.

After taking four years to hone her writing skills and find her approach to making music since the whirlwind of winning NBC’s The Voice Season 4, Bradbery steps out with “Sway” as the first introduction to her story. Written by Bradbery along with Johan Fransson as well as her good friend and GRAMMY® Award-winning Emily Weisband, “Sway” shows the unique style that was produced when Bradbery played a hand in the creative process this time around.

“When you step off that stage, it’s crazy,” Bradbery recalls of winning The Voice at age 16. “I love that first record for what it is, however the process this time around was so different. There was zero pressure from the label, my management, songwriters I would write with, we all just wanted the same thing — to focus on the music.”

Bradbery’s fans recently got another taste of what’s to come off her album when on August 11 she released the “honest, hurt and heartfelt” (Rolling Stone Country) instant grat track “Human Diary.” “It was important to me that we didn’t skirt around the vulnerabilities everyone has, and so I had to start that process with myself,” she adds. “It’s exactly what I wanted to display on this album, especially since it serves as a re-introduction.” The video for “Human Diary” can be viewed HERE.

I DON’T BELIEVE WE’VE MET will be released December 1 on BMLG Records; the album is available for pre-order HERE.

Learn more about Danielle at DanielleBradbery.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Flambeau Fest Announces Daily Lineup

The inaugural Flambeau Fest is thrilled to release the full fest and stage lineup by day featuring renowned country and classic southern rock musicians including Sam Hunt, Hank Williams Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dustin Lynch, Chase Rice, Blackberry Smoke, Jesse James Decker, A Thousand Horses , Clare Dunn, Jacob Davis, and many more.

The two day, multi-stage, family-friendly festival is the new torchbearer for American music in the South – a beacon of music, arts, and family culture taking place on the Ascension Fields at Lamar Dixon outside Baton Rouge, LA on October 7 and 8, 2017.

Two-day tickets are available for $149. Two-day VIP packages are also available at $319 (VIP) and $679 (VIP Platinum). And JUST ANNOUNCED: Single Day Tickets go on sale Friday September 1. For tickets, head over to FlambeauFest.com.

Dreamt up in 2015 by producers Mark Miller, Eddie Pearce, and David Addison, Flambeau Fest is poised to rekindle an area of Southern Louisiana that has not seen the launch of a large-scale music event since the devastating Baton Rouge flood of 2016.

Featuring world-class musical artists, regional breakout performers, local artisans, and the community-orientated hospitality that defines southern Louisiana culture, Flambeau Fest will present 3 stages filled with great music. The MAIN Stage will be loaded with A-list country artists and Southern Rock icons. The Torch Stage will showcase rising stars in country music, including multiple regional breakout talents. Unique to Flambeau Fest, the Songwriter In-The-Round Stage will play host to some of the greatest Nashville #1 hit songwriters. A wide variety of authentic cuisine and libations from the region’s top vendors will also be available, including tastings from local craft breweries, distilleries, and wineries.

In additional to a fun filled weekend in Southern Louisiana, Flambeau Fest will drive tourism dollars to the effort to rebuildan area hit hard by flooding. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Lynyrd Skynyrd Foundation for education and cultural impact.

Midland Celebrates First No.1 with Debut Single “Drinkin’ Problem”

Country’s honky-tonk trinity Midland scores their first career No. 1 with debut single “Drinkin’ Problem,” as the tune tops the Mediabase Country Airplay Chart this week. Written by Midland’s Mark Wystrach (lead vocals, guitar), Cameron Duddy (harmony vocals, bass) and Jess Carson (harmony vocals, lead guitar) along with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, the GOLD-certified song becomes Big Machine Records’ first debut single from a new artist to reach No. 1 on an airplay chart.

The critically-acclaimed “Drinkin’ Problem” reclaims the drinking song for classic Country music, making it less about an endless party and more about self-medicating. “They call it a problem, I call it a solution / just sitting here with all my grand illusions,” sings Wystrach, evoking the best booze ballads of both Gary Stewart and Merle Haggard, two of the trio’s chief influences.

The Texas trio recently performed “Drinkin’ Problem” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! which will re-air this Tuesday, August 29.

“This is a dream come true for us,” said Wystrach. Continued Carson, “Thank you so much to Country radio and all of our fans for the love and support. It still doesn’t feel real.”

With intentional nods to the wild west, sounds reminiscent of Country music of the 1970’s and 80’s, the band’s full-length debut titled ON THE ROCKS becomes available September 22. The freshman album is highly-anticipated with Cowboys & Indians teasing that it “…promises to be as big as their instantly successful first single.” A collection of 13 tracks all written or co-written by Midland, ON THE ROCKS excels at setting a mood, transporting the listener to another place and time. It’s an album made for wide-open skies, endless deserts and wondering where the road is going to take you next.

Midland’s second single and spirited love song, “Make A Little,” is now available for fans who pre-order the album.

Over the weekend, the band opened for Kenny Chesney’s two-day, sold-out stretch at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium and will soon head out with Jon Pardi on CMT On Tour, this fall.

Fans can pre-order ON THE ROCKS now in exclusive autographed bundles, available HERE. For additional information and tour dates, visit MidlandOfficial.com.