Latest / Country Weekly / 10.10.25
Transcript
- 0:05Speaker 1: Now it's time to catch up once again with Country Weekly,
- 0:08where we dive into news and gossip from the world
- 0:11of country music. I'm your host as always, Ken Dawkins,
- 0:16and I will be reading from various sources found online.
- 0:19As a reminder, RADIOI is a reading service intended for
- 0:23people who are blind or have other disabilities that make
- 0:25it difficult to read printed material. We'll begin today with
- 0:29the first article, dated October seventh, from countrynow dot Com.
- 0:36Cody Johnson forced to cancel all remaining twenty twenty five shows.
- 0:42Cody Johnson has announced that he's been forced to cancel
- 0:44the rest of his twenty twenty five tour dates due
- 0:47to a serious medical issue. In a heartfelt statement shared
- 0:51across social media, the country superstar opened up to fans
- 0:54about the health problems he's been facing that ultimately led
- 0:57to his ear drum bursting, causing him to need surgery
- 1:00right away. It is with a very heavy heart that
- 1:03I have to share the remainder of this year's concert
- 1:06performances that they will not happen. While battling a severe
- 1:09upper respiratory and sinus infection, I burst my ear drum.
- 1:13The severity of the rupture means I must undergo immediate
- 1:16surgery he began. According to the Texas native, the healing
- 1:20process is projected to take many weeks. As a result,
- 1:23he won't be ready to return to the road, let
- 1:25along sing while he recovers. Johnson hopes that by moving
- 1:29forward with the procedure, he will avoid having to take
- 1:31even more time off from performing and potentially doing further damage.
- 1:36He continued, Without the surgery, my downtime could be months.
- 1:39I pray for full healing so I can get well
- 1:41and return to doing what I love. Thank you Cojonation
- 1:45for the love and support now and always. Any fans
- 1:49who had previously purchased tickets to see their cheap singer
- 1:52on stage in the coming months should please stay tuned
- 1:55for an email from your ticket providers for further details.
- 1:59This news comes to sh shortly after Johnson posted an
- 2:01image of him in the studio with the teaser. Been
- 2:03working on something for you all. However, as of right now,
- 2:07it seems that everything's been put on pause as he
- 2:10focuses on getting better. Cody Johnson was originally set to
- 2:14continue his tour with the next stop October eighteenth in Pittsburgh,
- 2:18followed by dates through Alabama, Louisiana, Arizona, and Nevada. He's
- 2:23already announced free scheduled dates for two previously canceled shows
- 2:26in Columbus, Ohio. These back to back shows will now
- 2:29take place July eleventh and seventeenth next year. While it's
- 2:34unclear exactly when he will be ready to return to
- 2:37the road, Johnson's first performance of twenty twenty six is
- 2:40currently set to take place on Valentine's Day in Louisville. Additionally,
- 2:44he was announced as the headliner for next year's highly
- 2:47anticipated Stagecoach Festival, alongside Lania Wilson and Post Malone. And
- 2:53it says here. There was an update that Cody has
- 2:55returned to Instagram with a new video, just hours after
- 2:58breaking the news to fans of the upcome in cancelations.
- 3:01Speaking from his home in Texas, he shared a positive
- 3:03post surgery update and discussed what his next steps are. Hey,
- 3:08y'all just got home from my surgery in Houston. Got
- 3:10the nice little patch on my ear, he said, turning
- 3:13to the show fans, his bandage won't doctor said the
- 3:16surgery went great. Should make a full recovery with the
- 3:18proper rehab. I've got a lot to follow up with
- 3:21doctor appointments to go, yet he once again expressed the
- 3:24utmost gratitude for all his friends and fans. He just
- 3:27wanted to say thanks for all the texts, the calls,
- 3:30the prayer requests, all the good wishes. I've really felt love.
- 3:33So I'm going to do my best to recharge and
- 3:35can't wait to see you guys in twenty twenty six. Next,
- 3:40Megan Moroney joins Ed Sheeran for surprise performance in New York. Usually,
- 3:46when fans hear about a country artist doing a pop
- 3:48up show on a random weekday, it happens in Nashville.
- 3:52But on October sixth, the surprise came in New York City,
- 3:54where Megan Maroney and Ed Shearon treated some lucky locals
- 3:57to an intimate performance at Brooklyn's Kit. The moment, first
- 4:02shared on Sharon's Instagram, was held in the dimly lit
- 4:05home of the Brooklyn based fashion brand, a creative hub
- 4:08that doubles as a retail store, art gallery, screen printing
- 4:11in photo studio, and library. This week's surprise performance with
- 4:15Maroney follows a string of recent solo pop up shows
- 4:18from the Halifax, West Yorkshire born artists across New York.
- 4:22Throughout the show, the pair of artists took place trading
- 4:25off songs that followed the sole rule of the night,
- 4:27which had Sharon later revealed on social media he wrote,
- 4:31played a secret show with Meg Maroney tonight at kid
- 4:33Super in Brooklyn. The rule was deep cuts song for
- 4:36song until the end, where we played some of our hits.
- 4:39I loved it so much. Thank you Megan for your
- 4:41time and being up for the idea. I'm such a fan.
- 4:44You rock, The songstress replied to Sheeron's post, matching the
- 4:48excitement over Unforgettable night and sharing her thanks for being included.
- 4:53Loved every minute tonight, thank you for putting this all together.
- 4:57With their one ruling place, they dug it into deep
- 5:00cuts from their catalog, including Maroney's Hair Salon from her
- 5:03early EP Pistol Made of Roses, and Sharon's Don't which
- 5:07appears on the twenty fourteen album X. As the night
- 5:11went on, they slowly began adding in a few of
- 5:13their well known hits. The Georgia native performed mi I
- 5:16Ok No caller Id, her latest fan favorite six months later,
- 5:20and more. In between those songs, fans got to hear
- 5:23ed Sharon sing a track from his newest play album, Camera,
- 5:26as well as You and I Perfect, among others. This
- 5:31isn't the first time Maroni and Shearon have teamed up
- 5:33to perform in a more intimate setting. Back in March,
- 5:36they also appeared together at Nashville's iconic Bluebird Cafe. Maroni
- 5:40previously told Odyssey's Katie Neil that their Music City show
- 5:44came together unexpectedly, but the chance to perform with one
- 5:47of her self proclaimed dream collaborators was something she couldn't
- 5:50turn down. I was supposed to go on vacation that
- 5:54weekend to the beach, but I got a call saying
- 5:56that Ed Sheeron wanted me to play with him at
- 5:58the Bluebird on Sunday night. I was like, well, I
- 6:01won't be going on vacation. You don't tell Ed Sharon, No,
- 6:03she recalled his team was just going on about how
- 6:06he's such a fan and he did know my songs
- 6:09at the Bluebird. When I played them, I was like, Oh,
- 6:11he wasn't lying. That's just crazy. She also shared that
- 6:15they have maintained their friendship by sending emails back and forth,
- 6:18since Sharon notably does not have a smartphone. The Country
- 6:22Star is also holding out hope that they will end
- 6:24up in the studio together in the future. Sharon has
- 6:27hinted at moving forwards the country genre on several occasions.
- 6:31He's on the list now from my dream collaborators. I
- 6:33think that would be really cool. I saw that he
- 6:36said he wanted to come to country, so I was like,
- 6:38email me back, Maroney said. So far, no official confirmation
- 6:42that a collaboration is in the books, but fans and
- 6:45Maroni can continue to hope that that day will come eventually.
- 6:49Moving on, Hardy plots the Country Country Tour across North
- 6:53America next year. Hardy is fired up and ready to
- 6:57get back on the road in the new year. The
- 6:59Country Star just anounced that his new Country Country Tour
- 7:02is set to kick off February fifth in Ontario and
- 7:05run through August, hitting arenas and amphitheaters across North America.
- 7:10Following the lead of his latest studio album, which shares
- 7:12the same name. The Live Nation Presented tour will lean
- 7:15heavily into Hardy's country roots. Joining him on the road
- 7:19will be a stacked line up of support from Cameron Whitcomb,
- 7:22Tucker Wetmore, Mitchell Tenpenny, Muscadine Bloodline, Jake Worthington, McCoy moore
- 7:27and others. We won't let you down. It'll be a
- 7:30good time, he promised in a new video on Instagram.
- 7:32I can't wait to get back on the road already.
- 7:34I love you guys. Thank you. In the same post
- 7:37he announced the news, Hardy revealed that he attempted to
- 7:41make a more intentional tour announcement video, but things didn't
- 7:45quite go as planned, so instead he shared a brief
- 7:47snippet of what the clip would have entailed. The video
- 7:50found him grabbing a mic after stepping off stage of
- 7:53his previous Jim Bob tour and doing his best to
- 7:56share the details of his next run. Few of hardy
- 7:59soon to be tour mates jumped into the comments section
- 8:01to share their excitement. Tucker Tucker Wetmore wrote, you all
- 8:06don't know what this one means to me. Honored man.
- 8:08Let's party, McCoy moore boasted due, let's go. So pumped
- 8:12to be part of this brother, and Muscadine Bloodline added
- 8:15see you all. In June. Tickets for the Country Country
- 8:19Tour will be available starting with a Hardy fan club
- 8:21presale beginning this week. Additional pre sales will run throughout
- 8:25the week ahead. He will be near us in Cincinnati
- 8:29on May twenty first, next year. The news follows the
- 8:32highly anticipated release of his Country Country Project and its
- 8:35deluxe version, Country Country Country. With his latest run of albums,
- 8:40Party embraced the country rocker sound in full force, but
- 8:43this time he's tapped into his Mississippi roots to deliver
- 8:46a heavy dose of true country music. Fans have already
- 8:49gravitated towards the standout tracks like bottom Land Release, Good
- 8:53Old Boy Dog Ears, as well as collaborations with Ernest
- 8:56and Stiff, Stephen Wilson, and Rising Radios his favorite favorite
- 9:01country song. Last month, Hardy closed out his Coast to
- 9:04Coast Jim Bob World Tour. Before he launches the newer
- 9:07run in twenty twenty six, he will make an appearance
- 9:09at Country Versus Cancer, a special show benefiting the American
- 9:13Cancer Society. The Weight in the Truck singer is set
- 9:16to headline the event alongside Miranda Lambert, Tork spent Lee,
- 9:19Landy Gardner, and McCoy moore at the Pinnacle in Nashville.
- 9:23The charitable show is presented by ACS has recently launched
- 9:28charity endeavor The Hearty Fund and Whiskey Jam. Next, Laura
- 9:33Elena gets emotional remembering her late father on what would
- 9:37have been his sobriety anniversary. Laura Elena gets vulnerable with
- 9:42fans in an emotional new video that captures her reflecting
- 9:44on the loss of her father, JJ Sudeth on what
- 9:48would have been his thirteenth year of sobriety with tears
- 9:51in her eyes. The songs were submitted that although this
- 9:53was an incredibly hard post for her to make, she
- 9:56wanted to do it to honor her dad, who unexpectedly
- 9:59passed away July of twenty twenty four to day would
- 10:03have been his thirteenth year of sobriety if he had
- 10:05made it. He passed away a little over a year ago,
- 10:07but he didn't make it to his twelfth year either,
- 10:09and I'm not even sure about his eleventh. He relapsed
- 10:12and it's a major contributing factor to why he's no
- 10:15longer here with us carrying his weight of knowing how
- 10:19much her dad struggled and the tragedy that came as
- 10:22a result. Laura Elena goes on to offer encouragement to
- 10:25anyone facing similar challenges. I just wanted to say that
- 10:29if you're struggling, there are so many people who love you,
- 10:31and for you to love yourself and to get help
- 10:33that you need and surround yourself with people who love
- 10:36you the all my exes. Singer choked back tears as
- 10:39she shared that she was choosing to spend this difficult
- 10:42day going through a few of her dad's things. She
- 10:44decided to pick out a few of his clothes to
- 10:46keep and make into a blanket for her daughter, Benny Dahl,
- 10:49who will unfortunately never get to meet her grandfather. The
- 10:53rest of his clothes will be donated to a veteran
- 10:55organization with the intention that they might bring comfort to
- 10:58some one and offer the hope that her father never found.
- 11:02She ended with another message of resilience, pleading with her
- 11:05followers to be kind to yourself, be kind to others.
- 11:07Life too short, take care of yourselves. There are people
- 11:10that love you. Don't ever forget this is a reality.
- 11:14Within the caption, Elena admitted that this day made her
- 11:16heart ache even more than his birthday or Father's Day,
- 11:19because she's left with the reminder that this would have
- 11:21been a particularly celebratory event at his pain not taking
- 11:25his life too soon, she wrote, today, I choose to
- 11:29honor him still. He was a proud father and papa.
- 11:32He was a proud Army veteran. He was smart, he
- 11:34was kind. He was the funniest person I've ever met.
- 11:37He always had the answer to any question I had.
- 11:40He so missed. Love yourself and others. Prioritize your mental health. Lastly,
- 11:44Elena asked that if anyone seeing the post knew of
- 11:47any veterans organization that could benefit from her dad's belongings,
- 11:50to share them in the comments section. Just as she was.
- 11:54The day she announced his death, Laurena was surrounded by
- 11:57loving and supporting messages from members of the country music
- 12:00community who attempted to lift her up on this heartbreaking day.
- 12:05Now we move over to parade dot com, of course,
- 12:09with the article dated October eighth, I will deeply miss
- 12:12the joy. Dwight Yocum's tribute to his friend will break
- 12:16your heart. Country music icon Dwight Yoakum is paying tribute
- 12:20to his tour mate Raoul Mollow after the Mavericks frontman
- 12:24revealed that his cancer battle has taken a serious turn.
- 12:28On October seventh, Yoacom took to Instagram to express his
- 12:30love and admiration from Mallow, who recently announced that the
- 12:33Mavericks were canceling all remaining twenty twenty five tour dates
- 12:37so he can undergo additional treatment. Sadly, the Mavericks will
- 12:41no longer be able to join us on the remaining
- 12:43twenty twenty five tour dates as Raoul focuses on his recovery.
- 12:47Yokum wrote, Raoul, I will deeply miss the exuberant, enormous
- 12:51musical joy that you and the rest of the Mavericks
- 12:53brought to the stage every night that we played on
- 12:56our shows together. I know that I speak for the
- 12:58thousands of fans you touch with each of those performances
- 13:01when I say we are holding you in our thoughts
- 13:03and sending our prayers for healing. Fans immediately filled the
- 13:07comments with encouragement, writing sending prayers for Raoul and yes,
- 13:11we hope for a full recovery. Malo first revealed his
- 13:15cancer diagnosis back in early September, prompting the Mavericks to
- 13:19postpone several dates while he recovered from surgery, but on
- 13:23September twenty fourth, the beloved singer shared that his condition
- 13:26had progressed. Mallow added that all shows moving forward were
- 13:30canceled except for something special plan for the Riemann Auditorium
- 13:33in December. Despite the news, he assured fans he remained
- 13:36surrounded by love and positivity. I want to let everybody
- 13:40know I am in no way alone or scared, he wrote.
- 13:43I have an amazing wife and boys, wonderful family, team,
- 13:46road crew, band, friends, and fans. Yocum and The Mavericks
- 13:50spent much of twenty twenty five sharing the stage on
- 13:53a co headlining tour that celebrated both acts decades of
- 13:56country and Americana innovation. The pairing delay lighted longtime fans
- 14:01of nineties country, uniting Yokom's Bakersfield twang with the mavericks
- 14:05blend of classic pop, rockabilly, and Latin influences. Now we
- 14:10move onward to join the effort to save country music.
- 14:13With Saving Country Music with news and commentary. First articles
- 14:17date at October seventh. The Mempho Music Fest twenty twenty
- 14:21five features top names in insurgent country. When you hear
- 14:25about the National Guard deploying to Memphis, you might get
- 14:28the wrong impression. Sure, just like any major American city,
- 14:31there are issues in certain parts of Memphis, and in
- 14:34some cases those issues are serious. But Memphis doesn't just
- 14:38remain a cultural epicenter of America. It's a musical mecca.
- 14:42Nashville might be music city and Austin might still try
- 14:45to boast about being the live music capital, but neither
- 14:49of them have Sun Studios, Graceland, Beale Street, and the
- 14:52kind of music legacy that has allowed the Memphis influence
- 14:55to permeate throughout music in the United States and beyond.
- 14:59Memphis is where the soul of America music emanates from,
- 15:02says Saving Country Music. Memphis is proud of its musical legacy,
- 15:07and that's on full display at the city's annual Mempho
- 15:10Music Festival. Held at a park in the east part
- 15:13of the city, far from a field, festival, old growth,
- 15:16shade trees and art installations invite you into the grounds,
- 15:20with botanical gardens bordering the festival on one side and
- 15:23a small lake on the other. Mempho is a big
- 15:26festival talent, big crowd energy, but small festival vibes. Friday
- 15:32and Saturday, October third and fourth featured a big slate
- 15:34of performers in twenty twenty five, with Widespread Panic headlining
- 15:38both days, along with folks like Galactic, Leftover, Salmon Father,
- 15:43John Misty, Mabus Staples, Lucas Nelson and The Flaming Lips
- 15:47performing as well. The excuse for a country music fan
- 15:50to finally take the plunge and explore Mempho Music Festival
- 15:54in twenty twenty five was the line up on Sunday,
- 15:57October fifth. To be able to see Seerra Ferrell, Charlie
- 16:01Crockett and Tyler Childers all on the same bill and
- 16:04not at some fifty thousand person megafest is incentive enough.
- 16:09Add John R. Miller and Memphis legends Amy Levie and
- 16:12Lucero to the lineup, and it was worth traveling from
- 16:15two states over if necessary. John R. Miller isn't the
- 16:19most lively performer on stage, spending maybe half the time
- 16:22with his back turn to the audience, but his performances
- 16:25come with an allure and charisma all their own from
- 16:27his beat, poet pentameter and unpretentious delivery of songs intentionally crafted.
- 16:33He's the perfect specimen of Appalachian authenticity to open a
- 16:36day of music that also included Sierra Ferrell and Tyler Childers.
- 16:41Better Chance than Not. Lucero is your favorite country songwriter's
- 16:45favorite rock band. That's thanks to the incisive songwriting of
- 16:48Ben Nichols and their sound that is not afraid to
- 16:51veer into the alt country realm at times. There's also
- 16:55just something about seeing an artist or band perform in
- 16:57their hometown. The energy's up that much more, the moments
- 17:01carry that much more meaning, the audience is more familiar.
- 17:04Memphis based Lucero walked out on stage like hometown heroes
- 17:07and were greeted as such. Sierra Ferrell is an Appalachian
- 17:12roots revivalist, a traditional country queen, a four time Grammy winner,
- 17:16and a larger than life mythical being fever dream apparition
- 17:19sent down to Earth to remind us there's more to
- 17:22life than what physics and natural science can explain. She
- 17:26dazzled the audience, helping to restore faith in life and
- 17:29in humanity. Sierra officially now welcomes a fifth member of
- 17:33her backing band, allowing steel guitar to be featured on
- 17:37her live sound. These days, Farrell is also sporting a
- 17:40fantasy inspired stage set up complete with vines and toadstools,
- 17:44aligning with how many of the top names in independent
- 17:47country are stepping up their stage presentations thanks to healthy
- 17:50audience sizes. That's certainly the case for Charlie Crockett as well,
- 17:54whose name is emblazoned in lights on the back of
- 17:56the stage, with footlights and vintage spotlight on the side
- 17:59of the stage, all lending to the larger than life
- 18:02presentation he puts on. If nobody else will put his
- 18:05name in lights, well Charlie Crockett will. Another way you
- 18:09can interpret Charlie Crockett's name emblazoned in lights is Gavin Adcock.
- 18:12Where are you at? As Gavin engages in drunken buffoonery,
- 18:16Charlie Crockett doubles down on class, even if the showy,
- 18:19goodsy nature runs the risk of overshadowing the sincerity of
- 18:22Charlie's songs, but that's one of the reasons he curates
- 18:25solo acoustic songs and opportunities for his band, The Blue
- 18:29Drifters to highlight their skills throughout the performance. The Tyler
- 18:34Childre's presentation is larger than life too, but an entirely
- 18:37different way as opposed to Cock. Sure textan prancing around
- 18:41the stage, Childrens comes out and a mister Rogers cardigan
- 18:44making weird faces and awkward gesticulations, but is still endearing
- 18:49in his own unique way, showcasing songs that have become
- 18:51bedrocks of American roots music at this point, making him
- 18:55an unlikely superstar. Tyler's new album, Snipehunter, might have come
- 19:00with some polarizing production decisions and stirred culture war acrimony
- 19:04with his explanation of why he no longer plays feathered Indians,
- 19:09but tracks like Eating, Big Time, Biting List, and Dirty
- 19:12Audit Trail are big winners live and slide right into
- 19:15Tyler's repertoire, beside White House Road and Jersey Giant, which
- 19:19Childrens finally started to perform recently after so many others
- 19:22found success with it. Sunday Night at Mempho Music Festival
- 19:26featured three of the top acts in independent country and
- 19:28roots music who are all at the top of their
- 19:30game and all able to realize their creative vision in
- 19:33live music space unencumbered by budgetary concerns, and illustrate the
- 19:38blazing creativity and boundless vision alive in this space. It's
- 19:42the same boldness that was brought forward in Memphis by
- 19:45Sun Records and other landmarks that revolutionize music in America.
- 19:49Now it's a new crop of performers looking to define
- 19:51their own era, but not one that tears us under
- 19:54the work of predecessors, but taps for other their legacies
- 19:58for inspiration, builds a upon their work, and tells the
- 20:01great American story and song to keep it thriving through
- 20:04uniquely unsettled times. Next entries to Grammy's new Traditional Country
- 20:11category look very promising, says Saving Country Music. The ballot
- 20:15for the sixty eighth Annual Grammy Awards has been officially
- 20:18released online, with the period between October third and October
- 20:21fifteenth reserved for the initial round of voting to determine
- 20:25who the eventual nominees in the ninety five separate Grammy
- 20:28categories will be. This process takes on special importance this
- 20:32year in the traditional country realm, since the Grammys have
- 20:35added a Best Traditional Country Album category to complement the
- 20:38Best Contemporary Album category. The hope would be that the
- 20:42new category will make a space in the Grammy process
- 20:44for true country artists who often get crowded out by
- 20:47more contemporary performers or move to Americana, where they often
- 20:51feel forgotten. When the Best New Traditional Country Album category
- 20:55was announced, there was some trepidation. Would it simply be
- 20:58just another category to go co opted by the commercial
- 21:01country music industry and pop performers. Looking over the list
- 21:05of the entries of the Best Traditional Country Album sent
- 21:08to Saving Country Music by numerous voters, that doesn't seem
- 21:11to be the case at all. In fact, the Best
- 21:14Traditional Country Album ballot reads like a killer playlist of
- 21:17some of the best country albums released in the last year.
- 21:21Here's a look at the cross section. In previous years,
- 21:24top names in independent and traditional country music felt underrepresented
- 21:27in the Grammy process. Now they feel like front runners.
- 21:31Charlie Crockett, Dollar Day, Cody Jinks in My Blood, Margo Price,
- 21:35Howard headed Woman, Turnpike, Troubadours, The Price of Admission, and
- 21:39Jesse Daniel son of the San Lorenzo. Granted, the Grammys
- 21:43have always been better at making sure country legends don't
- 21:46go overlook than the CMAS and ACMs, giving big awards
- 21:49away to Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker recently, but now
- 21:52they have a category where they can compete among themselves
- 21:55and other traditional country Performers, Asleep at the Wheel, Riding
- 21:59High in Texas, Willie Nelson, Oh what a beautiful world,
- 22:02Tricia Yearwood, The Mirror, George Strait, Cowboys and Dreamers, and
- 22:05Dwight Yoakum Brighter Days. The women of traditional country are
- 22:10coming on strong. This has been a landmark year for
- 22:12the women of traditional country. Really, it feels like all
- 22:15five of these women deserve a nomination themselves. And there's
- 22:18more where this came from. Sunny Sweeney, Rhinestone Requiem, SHAWNA. Thompson,
- 22:23Lean Out, Neon Kristin Murray, Little Blue, Kelsey Walden, Every Ghost,
- 22:27and Hailey Witters Corn Queen. Mainstream traditionalists are not overlooked.
- 22:32It's important we don't think of the new Grammy category
- 22:34as just exclusively for independent or less commercial artists. If
- 22:39a big name artist on a major label releases a
- 22:41traditional country album, they should be allowed to compete too,
- 22:45similarly to an independent artist in Best Contemporary Country Album
- 22:48if they release a worthy one. So that would be
- 22:51Zach top Ain't in It for My Health, The Costello's Homecoming,
- 22:55Cameron Marlowe, Sad Songs for the Soul, Ashland, Kraft Dive Bar,
- 22:59Beauty and Parker McCollum. Parker McCollum, Underground Country is in
- 23:05the mix. You're also heartened to see country artists who
- 23:08are not big, undependent labels and don't always get big
- 23:10spreads in major media outlets receiving an opportunity to be
- 23:13considered in this category. It's not rare at all for
- 23:16critically acclaimed artists too, receive nominations and even win Grammy Awards,
- 23:21so as long as you're in the mix, you have
- 23:22a chance, such as Benjamin Todd, Shooting Star, JP Harris,
- 23:26JP Harris Is a trash Fire, Joshua Way, Ray Walker, Tropicana,
- 23:30Khaleb Clouder, and REEB Williams, Gold in Your Pocket and
- 23:33the dew Hickeyes All Hat No Cattle. Western artists are
- 23:37not forgotten the new Grammy category. Also make sure to
- 23:40state the traditional country subgenres like Western, Western Swing and
- 23:44outlaw country are also considered. Mercedes Carol, We Lost Track
- 23:47of the Stars, Ian Munsick, Eagle Feather, Tris Munsick and
- 23:51The Innocence, Big Medicine, Moon Stirling Drake, The Shape I'm
- 23:54In and Ned Ledoux Safe Haven for artists to be
- 23:58considered for a Grammy. They have to submit their work.
- 24:00They're not just automatically entered. Though there were actually more
- 24:03entries to the Best Traditional Country Album sixty eighth and
- 24:06Best Contemporary Country Album sixty two according to Billboard, there
- 24:10could be way more. If you're a traditional country artist,
- 24:13make sure when your next year comes, your album is
- 24:17in the mix. Now we tiptoe over to the boot
- 24:20dot com with the first article published on October eighth,
- 24:25Dolly Parton's sister sets the record straight on country legend's health.
- 24:30Dolly Parton's sister, Freda Parton, is setting the record straight
- 24:33after sparking concern among fans with a post about the
- 24:36country icon's health. On Tuesday night, Freda returned to social
- 24:41media to clarify her earlier message, which asked fans to
- 24:44join her in praying for Dolly and left many fearing
- 24:47the worst. I didn't mean to scare anyone or make
- 24:50it sound so serious, she wrote, Dolly's been a little
- 24:53under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because
- 24:55I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It
- 24:59was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers
- 25:02for her big sister, she added. Freda also thank fans
- 25:05for their outpouring of support, saying your love truly makes
- 25:08a difference. Earlier in the day, Freda had posted a
- 25:11more emotional message that quickly triggered concerns across Dolly's fan base.
- 25:16Last night, I was up all night praying for my
- 25:18sister Dolly, she wrote. Many of you know she's been
- 25:20feeling not at her best lately. I truly believe in
- 25:24the power of prayer, and I have been led to
- 25:26ask all of the world it loves her, to be
- 25:27prayer warriors and pray with me, Freda continued. She ended
- 25:31that post with a hopeful note. She's strong, she's loved,
- 25:34and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I
- 25:36know in my heart she's going to be just fine. Godspeed,
- 25:39my sissy, Dolly. We all love you. Just last week, Dolly,
- 25:43who's seventy nine, announced that she would be postponing her
- 25:46Las Vegas residency to focus on her health. I've been
- 25:49dealing with some health challenges and my doctors tell me
- 25:52that I must have a few procedures, she shared in
- 25:54a heartfelt Instagram post. The Joline singer continued, as I
- 25:58joked with them, it must be time for my one
- 26:00hundred thousand mile check up, although it's not the usual
- 26:03trip to see my plastic surgeon. While Dolly didn't offer
- 26:07specific she made it clear she's pressing pause so she
- 26:10can come back strong. You pay good money to see
- 26:13me perform, and I want to be at my best
- 26:14for you, she wrote, don't worry about me quitting the business.
- 26:17God hasn't said anything about stopping yet, but I believe
- 26:20he is telling me to slow down right now. The
- 26:23Vegas shows, originally slated for this December at the Coliseum
- 26:26at Caesar's Palace, have been rescheduled for next year. Next
- 26:32Vince Gill will release new songs once a month for
- 26:35the next year. Vince Gill's gearing up to do something
- 26:39unprecedented in the music industry, as he will be releasing
- 26:42new songs once a month for the next year. The
- 26:45Country Music Hall of Famer just signed a lifetime record
- 26:48deal with MCA Records, meaning he and his work will
- 26:51be part of that family for the rest of his
- 26:53life and beyond. As part of this monumental agreement, Gil
- 26:57will release an EP featuring new music every month for
- 27:00the next year, giving fans a consistent stream of original
- 27:04material from one of country music's most celebrated voices. The
- 27:08president of MCAA Records, Mike Harris, says, Vince has been
- 27:11a major part of the MCA family for decades. This
- 27:14lifetime agreement reflects our unwavering commitment to supporting his artistic
- 27:19vision and providing him artistic freedom while ensuring his legacy
- 27:23continues to grow. Gil commented, I'm feeling the most creative
- 27:27I've ever felt in my career. These last few years,
- 27:30I've collected a treasure trove of songs, and with my
- 27:32friends and partners at MCA, We've come up with a
- 27:35way to release all this new music. It's a partnership
- 27:38that's lasted thirty six years, and I'm grateful for it.
- 27:42The first EP release is in this monthly batch of
- 27:44new music will come on October seventeenth, when Gil will
- 27:47drop fifty Years from Home. I gave you everything I had.
- 27:51Even with all of his success, Gil has only four
- 27:54number one songs on the country charts. Vince Gill is married,
- 27:58of course, to fellow country music superstar or Amy Grant.
- 28:01The two have been married since March of two thousand
- 28:05and Finally, Kelly Clarkson returns to the Vegas stage with grace, strength,
- 28:09and of full heart. Kelly Clarkson is stepping back into
- 28:12the spotlight and back on to the Las Vegas stage.
- 28:15Just two months after the death of her ex husband
- 28:17Brandon Blackstock. The country pop powerhouse is picking up where
- 28:20she left off, announcing the next leg of her studio
- 28:23session's residency at the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace. She's set
- 28:27to perform November seventh through eighth and November fourteenth through fifteenth,
- 28:31finishing out her twenty twenty five shows before returning to
- 28:35Vegas in July and August of next year. Well, this
- 28:38concludes the reading of Country Weekly for this week. If
- 28:41you have any comments or suggestions about our program, kindly
- 28:44call us at eight five nine four two two sixty
- 28:47three ninety. Thanks for joining me and on behalf of
- 28:50every one here at RADIOI. This is Ken Dawkins, wishing
- 28:53you a great day.