Kenny Chesney has made the incredibly difficult decision to do the one thing he hoped he would not need to do: postpone the 2020 Chillaxification Tour. After exhaustive conversations with everyone involved, getting the best possible input available on how and when, the humble man from East Tennessee is moving his tour into 2021.
“With so many tours needing to move and wanting to make sure we are in the best possible circumstances for No Shoes Nation, I think – and I hate saying this – it’s best to move everything into 2021,” Chesney says. “In the best interest of everyone – No Shoes Nation, my road family, the staff at the venues – we have decided to quit moving the dates around on the calendar, trying to make a chunk of this year work and go to where we believe we can roll out the entire Chillaxification Tour.”
For Chesney, the only country artist on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Past 25 Years, hitting pause was not his expected outcome when the first leg of his Blue Chair Bay Rum Presents Kenny Chesney’s 2020 Chillaxification Tour Fueled by Marathon was postponed. But with new information arriving daily, the man who was already well into rehearsals for this year’s tour remained hopeful he and his band would get to play for No Shoes Nation in 2020.
Instead, there are still too many unknowns. He and his team made the decision and are locking down the schedule for when it’s believed issues surrounding COVID-19 will be more resolved. Committed to No Shoes Nation, arriving at this decision allows his team to concretize the best possible line-up of venues and dates when the tour finally kicks off.
Original tickets are automatically valid for a rescheduled show date. If you have tickets to a postponed show, refund options will be available at the time a rescheduled show date is announced.
55th ACM Awards To Take Place In Nashville For The First Time In History
The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced today that the 55TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™ will take place in Nashville, TN for the first time in the show’s 55-year history. In an unprecedented move, the 55th ACM AWARDS® will be the first awards show to broadcast from three iconic Country Music venues including the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe.
The announcement was made this morning during Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s daily press conference. Hosted by reigning ACM® Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award winner Keith Urban, the 55th ACM Awards will be broadcast on Wednesday, Sept. 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will stream live and on demand on CBS All Access.
“While we were disappointed to postpone our April show in Las Vegas, we couldn’t be more thrilled to host the rescheduled 55th ACM Awards in the home of Country Music for the first time in the Academy’s history,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “First and foremost, we want to ensure the safety of our artists and industry, and to ease the burdens of traveling large teams; therefore, we decided to bring the ACM Awards to them this September in Nashville. Now, more than ever, is the time to bring our community together to honor the best in our genre, and there is no more special place to do that than three of the most revered venues in Country Music – The Grand Ole Opry House, The Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. A huge thank you to these historic venues and to the state of Tennessee and city of Nashville for all of the support in making this a reality!”
“Tennessee is honored to be a part of this historic event,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “Showcasing the talent and musical heritage of our state is always a source of pride, and it couldn’t be more valuable than this year. On behalf of all Tennesseans, I want to thank the Academy of Country Music for bringing this event home.”
“Country music has been our voice and our companion through so many difficult times and now it is our comfort as we confront and defeat the coronavirus,” said Nashville Mayor John Cooper. “I’m excited to join country music fans worldwide to celebrate with the Academy of Country Music and artists that uplift and inspire us all in these extraordinary times. And I look forward to the day when we can safely welcome visitors back to enjoy all that Music City has to offer, including over 160 live entertainment venues with the best country music shows in the world.”
“We are delighted to host the 55th ACM Awards and make history alongside the Academy of Country Music as the show comes to Nashville for the first time,” said Scott Bailey, President of Opry Entertainment Group. “We look forward to sharing this moment with our friends at The Bluebird Cafe and are pleased that fans will have the opportunity to experience the most famous stages in country music in such a unique way.”
As always, the health and safety of the artists, fans, industry, staff and partners is of the utmost importance. All guidelines set forth by national, state and local health officials will continue to be closely followed and implemented during the production along with additional safety measures to be instated by dick clark productions and the Academy of Country Music.
The 55th ACM Awards, honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in Country Music, will feature exciting performances, unprecedented collaborations, surprising moments and more to be announced in the coming months. For more information, visit ACMcountry.com. You can also like Academy of Country Music on Facebook, follow on Twitter at @ACMawards, follow on Instagram at @ACMawards and sign up for the FREE ACM A-List for more immediate updates.
As previously announced, the 55TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS was originally scheduled to air on Sunday, April 5 and was postponed due to COVID-19. ACM Lifting Lives® the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music, created the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund to assist individuals working in the Country Music industry who are suffering a financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. Since April 1, the Fund has contributed $1.4 million thanks to the generous support of the Academy’s corporate sponsors FirstNet, Built with AT&T, Amazon Music and other individuals. For more information about the Fund or to donate, visit ACMLiftingLives.org.
Dolly Parton Digitally Re-Releases 93 Of Her Classic Songs
Globally beloved entertainment icon, Dolly Parton, surprised the world with the digital re-release of six classic albums on Friday, April 10th. The largest-ever digital catalog drop of Dolly Parton songs now includes the albums Little Sparrow (2001), Halos & Horns (2002), For God & Country (2003), Live & Well (2004), Those Were the Days (2005) and Better Day (2011).
Featured on these albums are the superstar’s Grammy-winning vocals on “Shine,” the poignant “Little Sparrow” and fan favorite “I’m Gone,” among many other now-classics.
In 2002, Parton originally released “Hello God” from Halos & Horns as a prayer in response to the terror attacks of 9-11 and she made it available again now with the hope that it would again bring healing and help.
“Hello, God? Can you grant us love enough to make amends?
Hello, God? Is there still a chance that we could start again?
Can you help me go the distance? Hello God?”
The following year, she released For God & Country, which included covers of famous patriotic mainstays and original Parton cuts. USA Today referred to the album “as her personal USO revue.” A call back to a simpler, united time; something she wishes for us all again.
Live & Well was first released in 2004, and is a live album recorded at Dollywood, the world famous 150-acre theme park which is as unique as its namesake and owner.
Those Were the Days (2005) is a collection of cover songs from the 1960’s and 1970’s and features a guest on every track including Norah Jones, Keith Urban, and Alison Krauss.
The most recently recorded album made available again today is Better Day (2011), which features single “Together You & I” and an inspired mix of originals.
Even now, Dolly Parton continues to make a difference, in the good times and the bad. Doing what she does best, she has been uniting generations of fans through love, laughter and music in a time when we need her the most.
For kids out of school due to the COVID-19 Crisis, she is doing a special 10-week series called “Goodnight With Dolly.” A series where she reads weekly bedtime stories from her Imagination Library, the non-profit book gifting program that that has sent 130 million books to children all over the world.
For adults in “Stay at Home” situations, she’s posting humorous poems about “the stayin’ home” on Facebook and light-hearted #squadgoals photos on Instagram.
“If you don’t follow Dolly on Instagram something is wrong with you,” Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon urged his following.
For lifelong fans, the wave of music she’s made available everywhere today is a refreshing respite from the staleness of the same scenery and the heaviness of life’s realities.
Featured Renditions of Merle Haggard Classic Songs
On Monday, April 13, A&E will share a Merle Haggard Tribute Special honoring the music and legacy of the country icon. He has accumulated 38 No. 1 songs, released nearly 70 albums and was awarded a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. To celebrate Merle’s life and music, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite renditions of Merle’s timeless music.
George Strait – “Sing Me Back Home” (1967)
Country music legend, George Strait, took to the stage to share his version of this Merle classic. “Sing Me Back Home” was Merle’s third number one, with the track spending a total of 17 weeks on the country chart.
Luke Bryan – “Pancho & Lefty” (1983)
Luke Bryan recorded his version of “Pancho & Lefty” which was a part of the Working Man’s Poet: A Tribute To Merle Haggard. The song served as the title track of a collaborative album between Merle and Willie Nelson.
Tanya Tucker “Someday When Things Are Good” (1983)
Tanya Tucker put her spin on Merle’s 1983 classic “Someday When Things Are Good,” which was the first single from his compilation album His Epic Hits: The First 11 (To Be Continued…). Ultimately, the track became Merle’s 31 No. 1 song.
Brothers Osborne – “Natural High” (1984)
Brothers Osbourne shared their cover of “Natural High” in 2015. Originally, the song was released in March 1984 as the third single from Merle’s album It’s All In The Game and was subsequently spent 12 weeks on the Billboard country charts.
Amy Jack – “Got Lonely Too Early” (1979)
Amy Jack released her version of “Got Lonely Too Early” as part of her debut album Introducing Amy Jack, which was also produced by Merle himself. The project was one of the last projects he was a part of before his passing.
Ronnie Dunn – “That’s The Way Love Goes” (1983)
Ronnie Dunn gave a stripped down, acoustic version of “That’s The Way Love Goes,” which was the title track from Merle’s 38th studio album. Originally, Merle had recorded the track in the mid-seventies, but was never fully satisfied with it, he revisited the track once again and the rest is history. However, the first version can be found on the box set Hag: The Studio Recordings 1969-1976.
Johnny Meyer – “If We Make It Through December” (1973)
Johnny Meyer shared his rendition of “If We Make It Through December” nearly 46 years after the original release. Additionally, the track was listed as No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles 1974 year-end chart.
William Michael Morgan – “Ramblin’ Fever” (1977)
Country crooner William Michael Morgan covered Merle’s 1977 classic “Ramblin’ Man” which was the second single and title track from Ramblin’ Fever.
Chase Rice To Perform and Make Special Announcement on Good Morning America
Despite hunkering down at home to keep his band, crew and fans safe during this unprecedented time, multi-Platinum entertainer Chase Rice will keep the music playing as he joins ABC’s “Good Morning America” for a special performance this Tuesday, April 14.
Rice will video-conference into the 8 a.m. hour of the show to perform current Top 25 single “Lonely If You Are” – and make a special announcement – live from his farm in Nashville, Tenn.
“We always have such a fun time bringing the band up to Times Square to perform,” shared Rice, “but when it became clear that everyone needed to stay home, our friends at GMA really thought outside the box to still make this performance possible. I’m excited to strip this song back to just me and a guitar, and hopefully bring a little much-needed joy to everyone’s morning!”
“Lonely If You Are” is featured on Rice’s chart-topping The Album Part I, a seven-song project which was surprise released this January. As Rice has teased on socials during the nationwide quarantine, he has used this extra time at home to put the finishing touches on follow-up project The Album Part II, coming soon.
Rice also recently went live from home for a special “Friday Night Happy Hour” presented by Jack Daniel’s, performing a variety of his own hits and some cover songs while raising more than $15,000 for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund’s COVID-19 Fund. Watch a clip of the performance HERE.
For more information, visit www.chaserice.com. Follow on Twitter, Facebook, and on Instagram.