Cracker Barrel Announces “Southern Family” Compilation Album

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® today announced “Southern Family,” a compilation of songs by some of today’s top artists and produced by GRAMMY®-winning Producer Dave Cobb, is the latest album set to release under the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Spotlight Music program. The deluxe album will be available exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations nationwide and online at crackerbarrel.com on Friday, March 18, 2016.

The deluxe “Southern Family” album, exclusive to Cracker Barrel, features songs from a star-studded line up of artists including Jason Isbell, Zac Brown, Miranda Lambert, Morgane and Chris Stapleton, and Jamey Johnson and recipes from some of the artist’s favorite family staples including John Paul White’s Black Walnut Cake, Anderson East’s Cheese & Sausage Balls, Shooter Jennings’s Shooter’s Sausage Gravy, and Miranda Lambert’s Mama’s Meatloaf. This offering pairs Cracker Barrel’s love of great food with its music program for guests to enjoy a unique collection of songs and recipes.

“This collaboration was such a fun one to be a part of because we know nothing goes better with Southern music than Southern food,” said Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Senior Marketing Manager Julie Ulmer. “What makes this compilation special is the combination of established artists that we’ve been watching for years, with others beginning to receive industry-wide recognition and awards, and that’s all brought together by the great Dave Cobb. It continues to add variety to our music program and create memorable experiences for our guests.”

Cracker Barrel has released albums through its Spotlight Music program with a wide variety of artists, including the brand’s first pop albums with a cappella group Pentatonix and “Fight Song” singer Rachel Platten, and its upcoming album with soul R&B singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton. Cracker Barrel’s music program presents a unique opportunity for the company to connect with consumers through an array of genres and artists.

Southern Family Track List

  1. John Paul White – “Simple Song”
  2. Jason Isbell – “God Is A Working Man”
  3. Brent Cobb – “Down Home”
  4. Miranda Lambert – “Sweet By and By”
  5. Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton – “You Are My Sunshine”
  6. Zac Brown – “Grandma’s Garden”
  7. Jamey Johnson – “Mama’s Table”
  8. Anderson East – “Learning”
  9. Holly Williams – “Settle Down”
  10. Brandy Clark – “I Cried”
  11. Shooter Jennings – “Can You Come Over?”
  12. Rich Robinson (featuring The Settles Connection) – “The Way Home”

Exclusive Artist Recipes 

  1. John Paul White – Black Walnut Cake
  2. Anderson East – Cheese & Sausage Balls
  3. Shooter Jennings – Shooter’s Sausage Gravy
  4. Miranda Lambert – Mama’s Meatloaf

Brett Eldredge and Chris Young with Cassadee Pope To Perform at the ACM Awards

The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced Brett Eldredge and Chris Young with Cassadee Pope have been added to the incredible lineup of artists scheduled to perform at the 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country Music’s Party of the Year®.

The ceremony, co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,  Sunday, April 3 at 8:00PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

These artists join previously announced performers including Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cam, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Florida Georgia Line. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

CMA Music Festival Announces Friday Night Concert Lineup at Nissan Stadium

CMA Music Festival’s Friday night stadium lights will shine on Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, and Hank Williams, Jr. when they perform Friday, June 10 as part of the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium.

They join previously announced Country Music superstars Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and Rascal Flatts, who will perform during the Festival’s opening night. Artists and schedules are subject to change.

Each Wednesday in March CMA will announce the lineup for a different Nightly Concert at Nissan Stadium. Loyal fans who download the CMA Music Festival app learn of the new performers a full 24 hours before the announcements are made to the public.

The 2016 CMA Music Festival runs Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12 in downtown Nashville. While the Festival boasts numerous free stages and unique fan experiences, the most anticipated events are the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium, which sell out long before talent is announced.

This year’s app is now available in the App store for iPhone and Android and includes features that allow fans to create individual concert schedules and be the first to know which of their favorite stars will be appearing on the Nissan Stadium stage.

Funds generated through CMA Music Festival ticket sales benefit music education. Since 2006, CMA and the CMA Foundation have donated more than $13.6 million to support sustainable music education initiatives across the country on behalf of the artists who participate in the event for free.

Fans who were not able to purchase tickets to the Nightly Concerts are still able to enjoy non-stop music, fan engagement, and artist experiences through numerous FREE stages and events across town and by experiencing Fan Fair X in the Music City Center.

Tickets to Fan Fair X are available now at CMAfest.com (Fan Fair X admission is included in four-day CMA Music Festival tickets). Fan Fair X tickets are $10 per day or $25 for a four-day pass.

For the second year, fans will be able to purchase a four-day pass to the Fan Fair X that includes a general admission ticket to the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum that is good for use any day in 2016. The package deal is on sale now through Friday, June 10 and costs $39.95. The combination Fan Fair X/Country Music Hall of Fame tickets are available via the Country Music Hall of Fame website, http://countrymusichalloffame.org, and will also be sold at their box office during the week of CMA Music Festival.

For upcoming announcements and all other info stay connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, Facebook.com/CMA, Twitter.com/CountryMusic, Instagram.com/CMA, and sign up for CMA Exclusive, CMA’s e-newsletter. Fans can also download the 2016 CMA Music Festival mobile app for iPhone or Android to view the latest artist lineups and to plan their Festival experience.

Chase Rice Performs for Fans and Military Around the World

Every time he takes the stage, Chase Rice has only one goal in mind: to leave every person in the room feeling something different than they did when they walked in. His dedication to reaching each and every fan has led the energetic entertainer over thousands of miles on the road, and for the past 17 days, all the way around the world. Starting with a sold-out debut show at The Republik in Hawaii, Rice made his way through four U.S. military bases in Japan performing for troops and completed his run at the sold-out CMC Rocks music festival in Australia, where his Ignite the Night album had just topped the ARIA Country Albums chart the week prior.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to tour overseas, and performing for our troops in Japan was a life-changing experience,” said Rice. “We are blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to go out and entertain people every night, thanks to the sacrifice that our servicemen and women make to keep us safe. The fact that they knew our songs and sang along at every show is very humbling, and then having the No. 1 album in Australia on top of that – it just blows my mind. We will be back!”

Presented by Armed Forces Entertainment and Stars for Stripes, Rice performed with his full band at military bases in Atsugi, Yokosuka, Yokota and Okinawa. They continued from there to Queensland, Australia for the three-day CMC Rocks music festival, where Rice performed to sold-out crowds and sold the most albums of any artist at the festival’s on-site record store. His U.S. chart-topping album, Ignite the Night, officially debuted via Sony Music Entertainment Australia on February 25 and peaked at No. 1 on both the ARIA Country Albums Chart and the iTunes country albums Australia chart, with the hit single “Ready Set Roll” also securing the top spot on Australia’s iTunes country singles chart.

“I had a suspicion that Chase Rice was going to be the unexpected discovery artist at this year’s festival,” said Rob Potts, CMC Rocks festival promoter. “From topping the Aussie country chart a week before he arrived, to the crazy reaction his live performance slots generated, he was a huge hit at the event. Nothing accentuates this more than him topping CD sales at the massive on-site record store, taking out the No. 1 Seller position even though they sold out of his stock. Chase returns to the USA having made a serious impact with the Aussie fans.”

The ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year nominee will launch his fourth U.S. headlining tour when Campus Events Network Presents College Days, Country Nights: The Chase Rice Back to College Tour kicks off in April and will also perform at select festivals. Upcoming tour dates are as follows:

Sunday, April 3 – ACM Party for a Cause Festival – Las Vegas, Nev.
Saturday, April 9 – North Carolina Azalea Festival – Wilmington, N.C.
Thursday, April 14 – Germain Arena – Fort Myers, Fla.*
Saturday, April 16 – Carmichael Arena – Chapel Hill, N.C.*
Tuesday, April 19 – Erie Insurance Arena – Erie, Pa.*
Saturday, April 23 – SIU ArenaCarbondale, Ill.*
Sunday, April 24 – Off the Rails Music Fest – Frisco, Texas
Friday, April 29 – EGSC Bobcat Athletics Complex – Swainsboro, Ga.*
Saturday, April 30 – Suwanee River Jam – Live Oak, Fla.
Friday, May 6 – Ives Concert Park – Danbury, Conn.*
Thursday, May 12 – Soul Kitchen – Mobile, Ala.
Friday, May 13 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, N.C.
Friday, May 20 – Celebrate Virginia After Hours – Fredericksburg, Va.
Saturday, May 21 – Innsbrook After Hours – Glen Allen, Va.
Saturday, June 4 – Country Summer 2016 – Santa Rosa, Calif.
Friday, June 10 – Country Fest – North Lawrence, Ohio
Friday, June 17 – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Springfield, Ill.
Saturday, June 18 – Country USA – Oshkosh, Wisc.
Sunday, June 19 – Country Fest – Cadott, Wisc.
Saturday, June 25 – Country Stampede – Manhattan, Kan.
Saturday, July 9 – Buchanan County Fair – Independence, Iowa
Saturday, July 16 – Country Fan Fest – Tooele, Utah
Friday, July 22 – Night in the Country Music Festival – Yerington, Nev.
Friday, July 29 – Creekfest – Cherokee, Iowa
Saturday, July 30 – Buffalo County Fair – Kearney, Neb.
Sunday, July 31 – Cape Blanco Country Music Festival – Sixes, Ore.
Friday, Aug. 5 – Buckle Up Music Festival – Cincinnati, Ohio
Sunday, Aug. 7 – Boots and Hearts Festival – Oro-Medonte, Ont.
Saturday, Aug. 13 – Willamette Country Music Festival – Brownsville, Ore.
Friday, Aug. 26 – Dutchess County Fair – Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Saturday, Sept. 10 – York Fair – York, Pa.

*Denotes dates for Campus Events Network Presents College Days, Country Nights: The Chase Rice Back to College Tour.

For ticketing information and more, visit www.chaserice.com or follow on Twitter @ChaseRiceMusic and www.Facebook.com/ChaseRiceMusic.

Britney Spears Surprises Sister Jamie Lynn with Opry Introduction

There was a special guest in the house last night at the Grand Ole Opry for country newcomer Jamie Lynn Spears’ performance. Surprising her sister, Brittney Spears delivered a sweet introduction for Jamie Lynn (watch below).

In the iconic circle, Jamie Lynn featured her hit single, “How Could I Want More,” plus gave fans a special treat by performing some brand new music.

Keep up with Jamie Lynn Spears on Facebook, and Follow her on Twitter & Instagram.