Latest / Country Weekly / 8.15.25
Transcript
- 0:05Speaker 1: Now we get together to catch up with Country Weekly,
- 0:08where we check out news and gossip from the world
- 0:10of country music. I'm your host, Ken Dawkins, and I'll
- 0:14be reading from various sources found online. As a reminder,
- 0:18RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
- 0:21blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
- 0:24read printed material. We'll begin with the first article, dated
- 0:28August eleventh from parade dot Com. First up, country music
- 0:33icon Garth Brooks announces breaking news. Garthbrooks marked his thirty
- 0:38fifth anniversary of the hit song Friends in Low Places
- 0:42on August eleventh. The country music icon took to his
- 0:45Instagram stories to share a breaking news update celebrating the
- 0:48song and its popularity. Friends has become a classic in
- 0:52the American songbook. A raucous sing along that everyone knows
- 0:55the words too, the song is sung everywhere from football
- 0:58stadiums to frathouse dive bars to upscale lounges, summer camps
- 1:03to college campuses and black tie weddings to backyard barbecues,
- 1:07reads brooks website. Easily one of Brooks's most popular songs
- 1:10and maybe the most recognizable. He called the tune the
- 1:13anthem of the underdog. It's one of those songs that
- 1:16feels like it belongs to all of us, Brooks was
- 1:18quoted on his website. It's the anthem of the underdog.
- 1:21I think that's why it feels so right to sing,
- 1:23no matter who you are. In March of last year,
- 1:26Brooks and his wife Tricia Yearwood opened Friends in Low
- 1:29Places Bar and honky Tonk in Nashville. The fifty four thousand,
- 1:33seven hundred and fifteen square foot venue offers food, beverages,
- 1:37and live music. In his tribute to Friends in Low
- 1:40Places on August eleventh, Brooks made mentioned of his year
- 1:43old hotspot and discussed why he had Yearwood choose its name.
- 1:48A great song outlives the artist, he said, it's why
- 1:51it's not the garth bar. Brooks and year would have
- 1:54done a few business ventures together, who have been married
- 1:56since two thousand and five and are each other's biggest fans.
- 2:00Just last month, Brooks celebrated the release of Erewood's new album,
- 2:03The Mirror. I've never been more excited for you, Tricia.
- 2:06You've outdone yourself. The Mirror is my favorite album you've
- 2:10ever made. The world is lucky to hear your voice,
- 2:12your stories, and your soul in this way, this album
- 2:15Like You is a gift to all of us. He
- 2:17captioned in an Instagram post, Well, I'm not sure that
- 2:20was breaking news, but always good to get an update
- 2:23on Garth Brooks. Next, Brooks and Dunn make bold claim
- 2:27about the state of the country music industry. To make
- 2:31it in the music industry, you need talent, luck, and
- 2:34an unstoppable drive, And according to Ronnie Dunn, lead singer
- 2:38of the legendary Brooks and Don, you also need a
- 2:40thick skin. The country music icon surprised fans during an
- 2:44interview when he shared his candid take on the competitive
- 2:47world of country music. Much like social media, everything isn't
- 2:51always as picture perfect as it seems. Although it may
- 2:54look like our favorite country singers treat each other like family,
- 2:57that's not always the case, Ronnie Dunn explained. As friendly
- 3:00as they say, the world of country music is, it's
- 3:02so darn competitive. Everyone hates one another. He even recalled
- 3:06an interview with Dolly Parton years ago where she famously
- 3:09said there was room for everyone. Dunn challenged that statement, adding, no,
- 3:14there's not. This competitive nature isn't unique to country music,
- 3:18as it's common in any industry where success is hard won. Still,
- 3:22Dunn's perspective sheds light on the realities of the industry.
- 3:25Fans of the country star shared their thoughts viewer. One
- 3:29viewer pointed out theirs human jealousy maybe, but I know
- 3:32lots of them really like each other as well. Another
- 3:35said he's absolutely telling the truth, and another said Brooks
- 3:38and Dunn let their music do the talking. For over
- 3:41thirty years, Brooks and Dunn dominated the country music scene
- 3:44with their hits like boot Scute and Boogie and My Maria.
- 3:48Their success isn't just because of their incredible talent, but
- 3:50also their ability to withstand the competitive pressures that come
- 3:53with it. Despite the challenges, the country legends continue to
- 3:58let their music speak for itself, staying true to their
- 4:01roots and to their fans. Next Country Icon vows never
- 4:06to return to a major city after fan confrontation. Country
- 4:11superstars act Brian Is clashed with fans over the years,
- 4:14but his latest feud has resulted in an entire city
- 4:18being banned from his tour stops. The Pink Sky singer
- 4:21may be a massive country star, but this second passion
- 4:24in his life lies with the Philadelphia Eagles, an allegiance
- 4:27he takes extremely seriously. Following a heated exchange with a
- 4:31Kansas City Chiefs fan, Brian made a vow to never
- 4:35perform in that city again. Despite spending some of his
- 4:38childhood in Oklahoma, the twenty nine year old artist is
- 4:41a devoted Philadelphia Eagles supporter. This means Brian has enjoyed
- 4:45six months of bragging rights after the Eagles shut down
- 4:48Kansas City's three peat hopes in February Super Bowl. However,
- 4:52six months of boasting seemingly isn't enough for Brian. Where
- 4:56are all the three peat people from last year? The
- 4:58country performer wrote on Friday, August eighth. His jab quickly
- 5:02ignited a wave of criticism from Chiefs fans online. Still
- 5:06rent free even after you win? Absolute loser, one fan wrote.
- 5:09Another annoyed Chiefs fan slammed Brian for what they saw
- 5:12as double standard, since he keeps booking concerts in Kansas City.
- 5:16Just tired of his dude always talking stuff but has
- 5:18no shame in coming and taking these people's hard earned money.
- 5:22Brian didn't hold back in his response, telling the user
- 5:24please understand, I will never play in Kansas City. Taking
- 5:27it one step further, he added, I'll be about to
- 5:30finish my show and then get a taunting call if
- 5:32I play at that stadium. Great news. The Chiefs fan responded,
- 5:36take us off your live album too, gun brother Brian replied,
- 5:40Brian has a history of changing recorded material over personal disputes.
- 5:44Just this year, he re recorded his track Memphis the
- 5:47Blues without John Morland, who had previously taken a shot
- 5:50at him, calling him an off brand version of me.
- 5:54Whether Brian actually follows through with his Kansas City band
- 5:57remains unknown. However, one thing's certain. You can can't question
- 6:00his loyalty to the Eagles. More news on canceled concert
- 6:05issues we move over now to countrynow dot com with
- 6:08the first article dated August eleventh. Ashley McBride cancels shows
- 6:12amid vocal issues. Ashley McBride is experiencing vocal issue and
- 6:17has been forced to cancel her concert appearances this week.
- 6:20She took to social media to share the news with
- 6:22fans Monday afternoon. My voice has been struggling over the
- 6:26past few weeks, and as much as it pains me,
- 6:28I won't be able to play my shows this week.
- 6:30She wrote, my doctors have made it crystal clear my
- 6:34voice needs complete rest to heal. She concluded her post
- 6:37by thanking fans for showing her grace, writing there's nothing
- 6:41I want more than to be back giving you one
- 6:43hundred percent. Thank you for understanding. I'll see you soon.
- 6:47The Grammy winner has been battling vocal issues since last week.
- 6:50During this time, she revealed she was on vocal rest
- 6:52and encouraged fans to communicate with her using American sign language.
- 6:57In a recent social media video, McBride held up some
- 7:00with written messages to share her update. Adding a fun twist,
- 7:03someone off camera humorously voiced her words as she held
- 7:06up each sign. Hi, guys, so I hurt my throats?
- 7:10No talking. If I want to be able to sing
- 7:12to you, this would be a good time to practice
- 7:14some ASL, she wrote, say things like Hi, nice to
- 7:17meet you, Good to see you. That way we don't
- 7:19have to cancel meet and greets. Let's try together. She
- 7:23proceeded to communicate using ASL and caption the clip Tribe
- 7:27doc says, I'm working on busted up vocal cords. The
- 7:30last thing I want to do is cancel my meets
- 7:33and greets or Heaven Forbid shows, So let's try this
- 7:36for this week. According to her website, Asthley, McBride's next
- 7:39scheduled shows are set for the weekend of August twenty
- 7:42second and twenty third in Tampa and Orange Beach, Alabama.
- 7:47McBride recently shared plans to open Redemption Bar inside Eric
- 7:51Church's Chiefs on Broadway in Nashville. It will serve as
- 7:55a welcoming space for those who are sober, serving up
- 7:58na drinks, including creative mine mocktails. As someone who is
- 8:02three years sober, the typical response to do you have
- 8:05anything non alcoholic is either why did you come to
- 8:08a bar if you aren't going to drink? Or you
- 8:10can have a soda water in a lime. I guess
- 8:13some of my favorite places to socialize become wildly unaccommodating
- 8:16when the only thing that changed was what was in
- 8:19my cup. She shared with Rolling Stone, it was vital
- 8:22that I create space where not drinking. It's the forethought normalized.
- 8:26You can get alcohol drinks and Redemption too because everyone
- 8:30is welcome. The concept will open up this fall next
- 8:35end of an Era Buck Owens's Crystal Palace in Bakersfield,
- 8:39California announces closure. The famous Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, opened
- 8:44by the late legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist Buck Owens,
- 8:48will soon close its doors after nearly three decades. The
- 8:52Owens family took to social media to share the disheartening
- 8:54news with fans, and in doing so, express their pride
- 8:57in the venue's special legacy. We are extremely proud of
- 9:01the legacy of Crystal Palace. For over twenty eight years,
- 9:04we brought the best of local and national entertainment to Bakersfield,
- 9:07served great food, and hosted thousands of special occasions for
- 9:11thousands of special people and their families. Although Buck left
- 9:15us in two thousand six, we continued to maintain the
- 9:18excellence that he expected, striving to carry out his dream.
- 9:22According to the family, a challenging business climate, paired with
- 9:25their desire to step back from management, led to the
- 9:28difficult decision. They shared their hope that a new owner
- 9:31will take over so that the beloved venue can live
- 9:33on until its final day. The establishment plans to honor
- 9:37as many existing commitments as possible now a challenging business climate,
- 9:41plus the wishes of the Owens family members to step
- 9:44back from their responsibilities of management require finally shutting the doors.
- 9:49It's our hope the new owners will step forward to
- 9:51utilize this beautiful venue. Meanwhile, we'll do our best to
- 9:54fulfill scheduled commitments that we've made in the coming months.
- 9:58The statement closed with great tude for the Bakersfield community,
- 10:01as well as Bucks fans all over the world for
- 10:04the years of support. News of the closure marked or
- 10:07sparked an outpouring of emotion from fans, many of whom
- 10:10shared cherished memories of the venue and expressed their hope
- 10:13that it will continue to be preserved under new ownership.
- 10:16Some urged the city to step in and keep the
- 10:18Crystal Palace alive, suggesting it should be declared a landmark.
- 10:23Crystal Palace opened in October of nineteen ninety six and
- 10:26quickly became an esteemed country music venue on the West Coast.
- 10:30With this establishment, which served as a nightclub, restaurant, and museum,
- 10:34Owen's dreams of booking well established acts and rising stars
- 10:37came true. He himself even played there many times alongside
- 10:42his band The Buccaroos. The popular act would take the
- 10:44stage Friday and Saturday nights in a more laid back
- 10:47fashion that resembled his early part of his career, when
- 10:50he took requests from audiences simply who enjoyed the act
- 10:53of performing the My Heart Skips of Beach. Singer made
- 10:56his mark on the venue until his very last day.
- 10:59It was only fitting that Crystal Palace would be the
- 11:01last place he ever performed in his career. On Friday,
- 11:05March twenty fourth, two thousand and six, despite feeling unwell,
- 11:09a couple of excited fans gave him the energy to
- 11:11deliver his typical ninety minutes set. He returned home to
- 11:14his ranch that evening and died in his sleep in
- 11:17the early morning of March twenty fifth. His family and
- 11:21foundation have continued to honor buck Owen's legacy by managing
- 11:24the Crystal Palace in a way that reflects how they
- 11:27believe he would have wanted. The influence of his image
- 11:30and career has never faded thanks to their efforts. When
- 11:34asked several years before his passing how he hoped to
- 11:36be remembered, buck humbly said, I think I'm going to
- 11:38be remembered the same way that people remember me today.
- 11:41There's going to be those that liked me and those
- 11:43that didn't like me. I'd like to just be remembered
- 11:45as a guy that came along and did his music,
- 11:47did his best, showed up on time, clean, ready to
- 11:50do the job, wrote a few songs, and had a
- 11:52hell of a time. The exact timing of the closure
- 11:55is yet to be shared, but a few upcoming events
- 11:58are still scheduled on the official website, including buck Owen's
- 12:01weekend birthday celebration on August eighth and ninth. Moving along,
- 12:07Dolly Parton on turning her life into a musical, It
- 12:10was a good story to tell. Dolly celebrated the premiere
- 12:15of Dolly, a True Original Musical in Nashville on Friday,
- 12:18where the star studied red carpet event and surprise appearance
- 12:21on stage following the show's finale. The musical tells the
- 12:25story of Parton's life from a young girl in the
- 12:27smoky mountains of East Tennessee to be becoming one of
- 12:30the world's biggest stars. The show features some of Parton's
- 12:33biggest hits like I Will Always Love You, Jolene Coat
- 12:36of Many Colors in nine to five, as well as
- 12:39new songs she wrote specifically for the musical. Ahead of
- 12:43the premiere at the Fisher Center the Performing Arts on
- 12:46the campus of Belmont University, Parton spoke with Country Now
- 12:49about her decision to bring her life story to the stage.
- 12:53I just thought it was a good story to tell,
- 12:54and I wanted to tell it while I was still
- 12:56living and I could get it out the way I
- 12:58wanted to, and so I thought it was a good
- 13:00good story, she explained. And since I write songs, I thought, well,
- 13:03I could write a lot of music for the show
- 13:05rather than just having it done as a movie, which
- 13:07we may still do later. But I thought it would
- 13:09make a good Broadway show. Dolly, a true original musical,
- 13:13features a terrific cast, including Katie Rose Clark as Dolly Parton,
- 13:17Carrie Saint Louis as Dolly, and young Quinn titcom as
- 13:21Little Dolly. Clark tells us she grew up listening to
- 13:24Dolly Parton and says that landing this role was an
- 13:26honor of a lifetime. When it came to preparing to
- 13:29portray an icon like Parton, she says it felt as
- 13:32though her whole life had been leading up to this role.
- 13:35It was sort of just a lifelong preparation of My
- 13:37best friend growing up is from Smoky Mountains, so I
- 13:40even kind of knew that region and the dialect, and
- 13:43so just sort of like everything in my life had
- 13:45prepared me for this unknowingly. I mean, I think God
- 13:48just used everything in my life leading up to now
- 13:51to sort of be able to equip me to do this.
- 13:54Saint Louis deemed this moment's dream come true and real.
- 13:56She has spent lots and lots of hours preparing to
- 13:59step into Martin Shoes. Directed by Tony Award winner bartlet
- 14:03Sure and choreography by Emmy Award winner Mandy Moore, The
- 14:07musical also features John Georgeski as Porter Wagoner, Grammy and
- 14:11Outer Critics Circle Award nominee John Bellman as Carl Dean,
- 14:15Jacob Fisher as Sandy Gallan, Tabitha Lewing as Little Judy Ogle,
- 14:20Tony Award nominee Beth Malone as Judy Ogle, and Danny
- 14:23Wollahan as Uncle Bill. The musicals produced by Parton Danny
- 14:27Nozell ATG Productions and Gabt Klein Productions, and is expected
- 14:32to make its Broadway debut next year. Fans can catch
- 14:36Dolly a True Original Musical in Nashville through the end
- 14:40of August. Next, Ella Langley makes hard decision to cancel
- 14:45remaining August concerts. Ella Langley is taking a break from
- 14:49the spotlight. The ACM New Female Artist of the Year
- 14:52shared an update with fans on Monday, revealing plans to
- 14:55step away for the rest of August. And this is
- 14:58from her previous tour commitments, including opening spots with Riley
- 15:02Green and Morgan Wallen, to focus on her mental and
- 15:05physical health. I'm so sad to be posting this. The
- 15:08past several weeks have been tough. I've been fighting sickness
- 15:11and feeling more run down than ever. After a lot
- 15:14of thought, I've made the hard decision to take a
- 15:16couple of weeks off to rest and focus on my health, mind, body,
- 15:20and heart. I want to be fully present for all
- 15:22the moments ahead. I know I can't do that without
- 15:25first taking care of myself. Her statement began. While she
- 15:29states this was a difficult decision, Langley stressed the importance
- 15:32of taking the necessary break to focus on her own healing.
- 15:35She expressed gratitude for all the fans who show her
- 15:38understanding during this time. Sometimes we have to listen when
- 15:41our bodies and hearts are telling us to slow down.
- 15:44I'm so grateful for your understanding and your love. It
- 15:47truly means the world to me, Langley added, before writing
- 15:50a scripture verse from Matthew eleven twenty eight that reads,
- 15:54come to me all you are who are weary and burdened,
- 15:57and I will give you rest. Luckily, the songstress won't
- 16:01be away from the stage too long, as she revealed
- 16:03she will return to the road in September ready to
- 16:06give you all, she wrote. So she's going to be
- 16:09stepping away from shows in Cleveland, Nashville, Nashville, a Bonner West,
- 16:14Riverside in Montana, Idaho Falls, Napa, Idaho, and Morrison, Colorado.
- 16:20I know we're months away from Halloween, and yet now
- 16:22we're going to mention Christmas. Hallmark's A Grand Old Opry
- 16:27Christmas featuring music by Brad Paisley, premieres this year. Two
- 16:32of our favorite things, Hallmark Christmas Movies and The Grand
- 16:35Old Opery are coming together for what is sure to
- 16:37be an epic holiday event. On Monday, the Hallmark Channel
- 16:40and The Grand Old Opry announced the brand new original
- 16:43holiday movie, A Grand Old Opry Christmas starring Nicky, Nila Roach,
- 16:48Christopher Polaha, and the movie will premiere this year during
- 16:52the Hallmark Channel's sixteenth annual Countdown to Christmas. Production for
- 16:56a Grand Old Opry Christmas launches later this month and
- 16:59will include any iconic locations, including the Grand Old Opry House.
- 17:02Of course, the movie will also feature a few familiar
- 17:05faces from the Opry cast, who will be announced at
- 17:08a later date. As the Grand Old Opry celebrates its
- 17:11one hundredth birthday this year, this is the perfect time
- 17:14for us to partner with this beloved, iconic American institution
- 17:18and create Christmas magic together. Darren Abbott, chief Brand Officer
- 17:21of Hallmark, shared, Nicky and Chris are fan favorites, and
- 17:25we know they will beautifully bring to life this emotional
- 17:28and heartfelt story that are sure to become an instant classic.
- 17:32Our goal in this milestone year is to put the Opry,
- 17:35its artists and rich songwriting traditions that have made country
- 17:38music a global sensation in front of more people than
- 17:41ever before. That's from Colin Reid, Executive Chairman of Ryman
- 17:45Hospitality Properties. Our partnership with Hallmark brings these elements to life.
- 17:49This holiday season through a creative and uplifting take on
- 17:53a uniquely Nashville story. Along with a movie announcement, it
- 17:58was revealed that longtime Grand Old Opry member Brad Paisley
- 18:01will not only write original music for the film and
- 18:03perform during it, but also penn and record the official
- 18:06anthem for the network's twenty twenty five Down to Christmas campaign.
- 18:11The Hallmark Channel, to me is a major part of
- 18:13finding the joy and the spirit of the holidays. Paisley shared,
- 18:16We turn it on, leave it on at our house
- 18:18like Christmas tree lights or decorations. It's a major part
- 18:20of the atmosphere for us. I love the challenge of
- 18:23creating that same magic with this music by letting it
- 18:26take you to the same place that these movies in
- 18:28this world Hallmark has built. Can't wait for you to
- 18:31hear what we've done. Also, knowing the Opry is setting
- 18:34up for one of these movies is very inspiring. Additionally,
- 18:38Hallmark is debuting an exclusive line of Hallmark and Opry
- 18:41co branded products of course, from greeting cards and apparel
- 18:45to accessories, jewelry and gifts, offering fans the perfect way
- 18:48to celebrate Christmas with a Country Flare. The collection will
- 18:52be available later this year Hallmark dot Com, Shop Opry
- 18:56dot Com, the Opry Shops, and the Hallmark Christmas Experience
- 18:59in Kansas City. A premier date for a Grand Old
- 19:02Opry Christmas will be announced at a later date. Meanwhile,
- 19:06as we move over to Yahoo dot com with an
- 19:08article I meant to include last week, this is actually
- 19:11from July thirtieth and originally from Southern Living magazine. These
- 19:14are the greatest country songs ever, according to the Grand
- 19:18Old Opry. The Connection well as we know, The Grand
- 19:21Old Opry celebrating one hundred years as the home of
- 19:24country music legends and rising stars, and is the world's
- 19:27longest running radio show. Now it's fitting that The Opry
- 19:31is marking a century of making music magic with a
- 19:33list of the one hundred greatest country songs of all time.
- 19:37The songs on the list, which were revealed throughout the summer,
- 19:40were chosen not by experts but by fans. The results,
- 19:44ranging from Can the Circle Be Unbroken? By the Carter
- 19:47Family to The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert,
- 19:50includes some of the most iconic country songs from the
- 19:53past one hundred years, along with colorful insight from Opry
- 19:57team members. Here's a few of the song songs that
- 20:00are on the list. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
- 20:03from Hank Williams. Mama Tried from Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette,
- 20:06stand By Your Man, Rocky Top, the Osborne Brothers, I
- 20:10Walk the Line Johnny Cash, Kenny Rodgers, The Gambler, Dolly Partons,
- 20:14I Will Always Love You, Delta Dawn from Tanya Tucker,
- 20:17Coal Miner's Daughter, Loretta Lynn, Forever and Ever a Men,
- 20:21Randy Travis, George Strait's All My Exes, Live in Texas,
- 20:25on the Road Again, Willie Nelson, go Rest High on
- 20:28That Mountain, Vince Gill Neon Moon from Brooks and Dunn,
- 20:31Reba McIntyre's Fancy Jesus Take the Wheel from Carrie Underwood,
- 20:36Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying Lea Ane Walmack,
- 20:38I Hope You Dance in Tennessee. Whiskey from Our Own
- 20:41Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and George Strait were
- 20:45featured most on the list, with each appearing five times.
- 20:49Fans can vote for the best all time Great Country
- 20:51song starting on August fourth, The Opry is marking its
- 20:56one hundredth anniversary, as we mentioned, by releasing an exclusive,
- 20:59one of a kind album called Opry one hundred Country's
- 21:02Greatest Songs, set for worldwide release on November seventh. The
- 21:07album features twenty never before released live performances that took
- 21:11place on the Opry's legendary stage over the decades. Now
- 21:15we jumped down the steps to the boot dot com
- 21:18with the first article published on August twelfth. Reba McIntyre
- 21:22breaks her silence after step son Brandon Blackstock's death. Reba
- 21:27McIntyre has broken her silence after the death of Brandon Blackstock,
- 21:30her step son. The country music superstar shared a touching
- 21:34message to her various social media platforms on Tuesday. As
- 21:38you may have heard, Brandon died on August seventh, Thursday
- 21:42last week after a three year cancer battle. He was
- 21:44the father of Kelly Clarkson's two kids, River and Remington,
- 21:48as well as two adult children from a previous marriage.
- 21:51A coroner confirmed the case of death was natural causes
- 21:54resulting from cancer. Last week, my stepson oldest son, Brandon Blackstock,
- 21:59went home to be with God, McIntyre writes in an
- 22:01emotional post that includes several photos with Blackstock through the years.
- 22:06His struggle is over and he is an eternal peace
- 22:08in God's presence. There is no one else like him,
- 22:11and I'm thankful for the time we had together. His
- 22:13legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family.
- 22:16Rest in peace, Cowboy, Happy trails till we meet again.
- 22:20McIntyre also responded to her son, Shelby's public statement about
- 22:23his brother on Monday. In that note, Shelby remembered his
- 22:27older half brother as an irreplaceable part of our family. Funny,
- 22:31bright and full of life, and he will be deeply
- 22:33missed very well, said Shelby. Yes, we will miss him
- 22:36so much. The singer and Happy Place star wrote in
- 22:39the comments section of her son's post with several emojis.
- 22:43Brandon Blackstock was Reba McIntyre's stepson, not her biological son.
- 22:47She says she loved and treated him like family during
- 22:50her marriage to Narvel Blackstock. The talent manager's birth mother
- 22:54is Narvel Blackstock's first wife, Elisa Gilbert. Hollywood Life shares
- 22:58that the couple was married from nineteen seventy three until
- 23:02nineteen eighty eight. Kelly Clarkson was Blackstock's second wife. He
- 23:06was married to and has two children with Melissa Ashworth
- 23:09from nineteen ninety nine to twenty twelve. She too took
- 23:13to social media to pay him tribute. Next, Rascal Flats
- 23:17revealed twenty twenty six Life Is a Highway Tour dates.
- 23:22Rascal Flats will hit the road hard to begin next year.
- 23:25The trio just announced twenty one new tour dates, starting
- 23:28January fifteenth in Raleigh. The band's twenty twenty six Life
- 23:31is a Highway tours, named after their two thousand and
- 23:34six hit and their most recent album, Life is a
- 23:37Highway Refuel. Duets Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Kelly Clarkson,
- 23:43and Moore joined them for the re recording of hits,
- 23:46but a different pair of country singers will be on
- 23:48the road next year. Lauren Elna and Chris Lane are
- 23:51set to open Riscal Flats tour together. They'll play three
- 23:54shows a weekend for seven weeks, ending in February twenty
- 23:58eighth in Buffalo, New York. And Yes, They're coming to
- 24:01Kentucky to Rapparina in Lexington on February twenty sixth, next year.
- 24:07Next Jelly Roll teams up with the Grand Old Opry
- 24:10for something big. Jelly Rolls teamed up with the Grand
- 24:14Old Opera to do something big for Nashville. Jelly will
- 24:17be playing two shows on Monday, September twenty second at
- 24:20the Opry to raise money to benefit the Nashville community
- 24:23and some charities that ring close to his heart, the
- 24:26Judge Dinkin's Educational Center and the Buddy DeFord Charitable Fund.
- 24:31Jelly Roll, whose name, of course is Jason de Ford,
- 24:33started the Buddy DeFord Charitable Fund honor his late father
- 24:36Buddy and to support nonprofits addressing some of the most
- 24:40pressing issues facing the community. The Judge Dincn's Educational Center
- 24:44was created by the prosecutor who charged Jelly for crimes
- 24:47when he was a kid, Judge Jim Todd. Since then,
- 24:50they've worked side by side to provide resources that enable
- 24:54youth to change their lives for the better. The Save
- 24:57Me singer is bringing friends to these shows at the Opry,
- 25:00Bailey Zimmerman and Graham Barham. If you're going purchase tickets
- 25:03in advance, that's fine. Everything's already set up and good
- 25:06to go. At Opry's website. But wait, there's more. Anytime
- 25:09Jelly performs at the Opry from now through September twenty six,
- 25:13portions of the ticket sales will also go to the
- 25:15same two organizations. Since cannonballing into country music in twenty
- 25:20twenty one, Jelly is shown that helping America's youth and
- 25:23giving back to communities is one of his very main goals.
- 25:27And finally we move over to saving country music. With
- 25:30the article dated August ninth, Kathy Mattea invited to be
- 25:34the next Grand Old Opry member. It was just over
- 25:37a week ago that the country music world more in
- 25:39the loss of Miss Country Soul Genie Seely, and a
- 25:42week to the day that the Grand Old Opry remembered
- 25:44the woman that holds the all time record for appearances
- 25:47on the Opry stage with five three hundred and ninety seven.
- 25:51Now country music's oldest institution is making sure the legacy
- 25:55of country music women continues on well into the future,
- 25:59surprising cat Mateya with an invitation to become the Opry's
- 26:02next member during Saturday Night's Opry presentation. Yes Yes, Yes, Yes,
- 26:08and thank you was Matteya's response after fellow West Virginian
- 26:12Charlie McCoy posed the question. McCoy came out on stage
- 26:15while Mateya was singing her iconic Eighteen Wheels and a
- 26:18Dozen Roses with a dozen roses in his hand. He
- 26:21then switched Matteya's speaker off, disrupting the performance. I'm so
- 26:26sorry to interrupt, McCoy said, I want to ask you
- 26:28a question. How would you like to be the next
- 26:30member of the Grand Old Opry. Oh my, I'm here
- 26:34to tell you I will not forget this night, ever, ever, ever,
- 26:37Mattea said later. Of course, country fans know Kathy Matteya
- 26:41well after her major run in the late eighties into
- 26:43the early nineties, minting four number one singles and a
- 26:46pretty incredible string of fifteen top tens, turning songs like
- 26:50eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses into bonafide standards. But
- 26:55when the big radio hits gave out, she didn't give up.
- 26:58She just kept on doing her thing and is considered
- 27:00invaluable to the roots scene in appallateship. In fact, in
- 27:04twenty twenty one, Matteya was named the newest host of
- 27:07West Virginia Public Broadcasting's longtime show Mountain Stage Now she
- 27:12will have another major point on her resume, grand Old
- 27:14Opry member, And finally, Gary Stewart's complete life story can
- 27:19finally be told, whether you revere him as the King
- 27:22of the Honky Talks or just remember him for his
- 27:24iconic country hits like She's Acting single I'm Drinking Doubles.
- 27:28Anyone who knows their way around a vintage country music
- 27:31record collection will tell you that Gary Stewart has to
- 27:33be perhaps the most underrated musician in country music history,
- 27:37says Saving Country Music. His influence was incredible. His top
- 27:40song and albums were unforgettable, but he was always on
- 27:43the outside looking in, falling right after a big rise.
- 27:46Perfected the role of being his own worst enemy. He
- 27:49was a perennial underdog who nonetheless persevered to leave a
- 27:53legacy some performers with many more hits and much more
- 27:56money would like to have rumored for years, we now
- 27:59have details and release date for Gary Stewart I Am
- 28:02from the Honky Tonks. Unfortunately, though it's not right around
- 28:05the corner, the book won't be released to the wide
- 28:08public in hardback, ebook or audiobook until March of next year. However,
- 28:13publisher Wolf and Salmon is making a limited Cadillac Collector's
- 28:16Edition available on November tenth, that will be limited to
- 28:20two hundred and fifty signed and numbered copies. With so
- 28:23many of the greats of country music, their legacies don't
- 28:27diminish over time, they only grow stronger. Gary Stewart is
- 28:30one of those beneficiaries, and this new book will hopefully
- 28:33help cement that legacy even more into the future. Well,
- 28:38this concludes the reading of Country Weekly for this week.
- 28:40If you have any comments or suggestions about our program,
- 28:44kindly call us at eight five nine four two two
- 28:46sixty three ninety. Thank you for joining me and on
- 28:50behalf of everyone here at RADIOI. This is Ken Dawkins,
- 28:53wishing you a great day.