Nashville Songwriters Association International will give Riley Green its Songwriter-Artist of the Year honor Sept. 22 during the ninth annual Nashville Songwriter Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium.
The news comes on the heels of "Change My Mind" becoming Riley's seventh #1 earlier in June.
Blake Pendergrass will pick up the Songwriter of the Year award. He notched his first chart-topper in July 2025 with Morgan Wallen's "Just in Case" and went on to grab three more.
As previously announced, Vince Gill will get the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award, with Paul Williams picking up the NSAI President's Keystone Award.
Tickets go on sale July 17 for the night, which will also unveil Song of the Year winner(s), the much-anticipated Songs I Wish I'd Written and the 2026 Legendary Song honor.
Blake Shelton, Shaboozey and Post Malone are all set to perform on NBC's Macy's 4th of July Fireworks special.
The lineup also includes Noah Kahan, Bebe Rexha and Salt-N-Pepa, alongside a fireworks display from New York City.
"This year's broadcast will be especially meaningful as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of America and the 50th anniversary of Macy's 4th of July Fireworks," says NBC and Peacock executive Jen Neal in a statement. "This beloved live event creates a shared moment for viewers across the country while showcasing the powerful reach of both NBC and Peacock."
Since Posty's collab'd with Blake on "Pour Me a Drink" and Noah on "Dial Drunk," it seems there could also be an opportunity for some special performances on July Fourth.
Macy's 4th of July Fireworks will air Independence Day starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will stream live on Peacock.
What's Kelsea Ballerini been up to? Well, it seems she's been in the studio — and at the bar — with Marshmello.
On Tuesday, the "half of my hometown" hitmaker posted a video lamenting the behavior of the opposite sex.
"It's like every guy in the world just thinks every girl in the world goes to a bar to just like, what, like get hit on?" Kelsea says, making a gagging sound for effect. "If one more guy comes up to me and says that he has a truck parked outside, like that's like, good job," she continues, feigning applause this time. "Like, when's the last time you called your mom?"
"Do you want another drink?" she adds, as the next shot reveals she's been talking to 'Mello the whole time, who nods affirmatively.
Wednesday's post reveals a snippet of Kelsea performing the song that seemed to be playing in the background of the previous clip.
"boy, you're outta luck, @marshmello," the caption reads, revealing the title is likely "Another Drink."
Stay tuned to see what's next.
In April, Marshmello released "Where We Go" with Thomas Rhett, following 2025 collabs with Hudson Westbrook and Jelly Roll. He previously claimed two country number ones with Kane Brown with 2024's "Miles on It" and 2019's "One Thing Right."
Chris Stapleton's set to perform at an upcoming America250 concert in Los Angeles celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States.
The show, dubbed America's Block Party, takes place on July 4 at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The lineup also includes Smashing Pumpkins and host Queen Latifah.
Tickets are on sale now and cost $17.76. Proceeds will benefit Feeding America, and 5,000 complimentary tickets will be donated to first responders, veterans and active-duty service members.
Established by Congress in 2016, America250 is described as "the only national, nonpartisan organization charged by Congress to help lead the celebration and commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence," according to the website.
A different organization, Freedom 250, previously announced the Great American State Fair concert series taking place in June and July in Washington, D.C., to similarly mark America's 250th anniversary. However, many of the announced artists have since dropped out, including Martina McBride, Poison's Bret Michaels and The Commodores.
Cody Johnson's "Horseback" (COJO Music/Warner Records Nashville)
Newly crowned ACM entertainer of the year Cody Johnson laid the foundation for his win with life-affirming songs like "'Til You Can't," "The Painter," "Dirt Cheap" and "The Fall."
Now that he's clinched the coveted title, the Texas cowboy is ready to have some fun with his next album — and especially his new radio single.
"'Horseback' was probably one of the most fun songs to cut on Banks of the Trinity, and it’s actually not about the horse," Cody says. "When I figured out that this is just about an old country boy that went through a divorce and she took his horse and he went and stole his horse back, I laughed until I cried, and it was so fun."
"[One of the song's writers] Wyatt McCubbin sang the demo and I fell in love with it," he adds.
Once his most recent hit peaked at #1, choosing "Horseback" to lead the way was a no-brainer.
"It was an easy choice for me as the flagship single from Banks of the Trinity because we had just come out of 'The Fall,' and it was such a serious song that I kind of wanted to change the channel a little bit and show you guys a little bit of my humorous side," Cody says. "And it’s really freaking fun to sing."
He's set to perform "Horseback" June 24 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, before the arrival of the 16-song album on June 26.
Carly Pearce's fifth annual Carly's Closet event during CMA Fest raised $20,000 for the CMA Foundation to support music education.
Lee Brice commemorated the six-year anniversary of hitting #1 with Carly and "I Hope You're Happy Now" with a post that includes a flashback video of the arrival of the socially distanced news during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can check out Jo Dee Messina's cover of Aerosmith's "Dream On" as part of the Academy of Country Music's Our Country series on YouTube.
Twenty years ago, an album came out that delivered firsts for both Chris Stapleton and Josh Turner: Chris wrote the title track of Josh's second record, Your Man.
It would go on to give Josh his first #1 song and #1 album, and offer Chris his first #1 as a writer. This summer, their record label's celebrating with multiple 20th Anniversary Editions of the collection, which also features the hits "Would You Go with Me" and "Me and God."
"I’m moved at how it has continued to gain new fans,” Josh reflects. “I still play all three singles from that record because you fans won’t let me out of any venue until I do!! Thank y’all for your support and enthusiasm over the past two decades! Let’s keep it going!”
Your Man will be available in two vinyl variants, in 180-gram black and turquoise versions that add a coveted bonus track. "Hard Headed" was originally an iTunes exclusive that will now be making its streaming debut on all platforms.
The digital version also includes live recordings of "Your Man" and "Me and God" captured at Nashville's Hermitage Hotel in 2021. You can check them out on YouTube now, before the audio streams on release day, Aug. 14.
Taylor Swift & Ella Langley (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
The era of Ella Langley continues at country radio, as "Be Her" tops both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay rankings for the first time.
While it's new to the pinnacle on Mediabase, it's currently taking its third victory lap atop the Billboard ranking.
Of course, it continues Ella's unbroken streak of chart-toppers that started with "you look like you love me" and "Don't Mind If I Do" with Riley Green, and continued with "weren't for the wind" and her cross-genre smash "Choosin' Texas."
After 28 weeks at #1, however, Ella's song about the Lone Star State falls from its long-held peak atop Hot Country Songs. Ironically, it's fellow country/pop queen Taylor Swift reclaiming the spot as she returns arm-in-arm with Sheriff Woody Pride and "I Knew It, I Knew You," from Toy Story 5.
Taylor's also #1 on the all-genre Hot 100, with "Texas" still flexing its staying power at #2.
'Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward' (Courtesy Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum)
Kenny Chesney was officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2025, and in 2026 he'll get his own exhibit.
Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward is set to open July 23 at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.
"When you’re so busy living life – literally in fast forward – you rarely pause to think about all the miles traveled, the faces you’ve met along the way," Kenny says. "Trying to decide what things to send to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum that represent a whole lot of dreams, living, songs, the work and things you don’t dare imagine was as hard as anything I’ve ever done."
"But in the end," he continues, "I feel like every piece of who I am is represented – and I hope that for someone who’s thinking about chasing their own crazy dreams, this may be the spark to get them on their way."
The artifacts Kenny delivered may make it seem like a trip to Mecca for members of his devoted No Shoes Nation: There's the varsity jacket and jersey he wore in the mid-'80s while playing football as one of the Gibbs High School Eagles, as well as the guitar he played in college at East Tennessee State University.
The mythic "Old Blue Chair" that's inspired so much in Kenny's career will also be on display.
Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward will run through June 2027.
The singer-songwriter, born Jason Bradley DeFord, filed for divorce from the podcast host, born Alisa Andrea DeFord, on May 18 after nearly 10 years of marriage, according to court documents filed in Williamson County, Tennessee, last month.
The court documents were filed May 18 and cite "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.
The pair initially tied the knot in August 2016 in Las Vegas. They returned to Las Vegas in 2023 to renew their vows.
The "Need a Favor" singer and his wife have spoken publicly about their marriage over the years, sharing details about their relationship on social media, including its ups and downs.
In March, Bunnie Xo sat down with Nightline anchor Juju Chang to discuss her memoir, Stripped Down, and opened up about the pair's first few years as a married couple, including her decision to continue working as a sex worker during that time.
"I fell in love with my husband because he treated me like no other man had," she said at the time. "He never used my job against me. He never shamed me for it. He just loved me."
She also said the pair were able to overcome infidelity early on in their relationship, which Jelly Roll has acknowledged publicly and expressed regret about.
"Everybody thinks I just got back together with him and forgave him," she said. "No. We had to really do the work. We are going to wake up and choose each other. Even on days I don't like you, I'm still gonna choose you."
The two also previously opened up about their experience with in vitro fertilization.
In June 2024, Bunnie Xo wrote on Instagram that the couple had met with "IVF doctors" and were "exploring all our options to add to our family."
"We had planned on doing this privately, but decided our ivf journey needed to be shared because we've always been so open," she said at the time, sharing a clip of her husband discussing parenthood in a podcast interview.
The estranged couple have no children together. Jelly Roll is the father of two children from separate relationships, a daughter named Bailee Ann and a son named Noah Buddy.
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo for comment.
Dierks Bentley's Off the Map Tour (Courtesy Dierks Bentley/The GreenRoom)
Dierks Bentley's back in the headliner spot after spending most of the spring doing stadium dates with Luke Combs. His own Off the Map Tour is off the ground, after the first two dates Friday and Saturday in Rogers, Arkansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder opened the show, as they'll do seven more times on the run.
"Burning Man" lit the flame for Dierks' set, which continued with hits like "What Was I Thinkin'," "5-1-5-0," "I Hold On” and “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go).”
A cover of Alabama's "Mountain Music" followed, before he delivered the Broken Branches track that inspired the tour name. Skaggs also returned to duet with Dierks on his #1 "Highway 40 Blues."
An off-the-cuff acoustic medley delivered even more hits: "Trying to Stop Your Leaving," "Settle for a Slowdown," "Draw Me a Map," "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)," "Say You Do" and "Every Mile a Memory.”
The Off the Map Tour resumes June 25 in Bonner, Montana, after Dierks plays a couple non-tour dates over the weekend.
Lainey Wilson's "Phone, Keys, Wallet" (BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville)
Lainey Wilson's got her "Phone, Keys, Wallet" and she's getting ready to unlock the new music she's been working on for quite awhile.
And it sounds like her new radio single featuring John Mayer is just the beginning.
"To tell you the truth, we were already in the kitchen cooking it up before Whirlwind was even out," Lainey reveals. "I feel like we're always writing because I don't feel like I'm myself if I'm not creating and writing. I feel that's the thing that like gets me through all the busyness and all the other parts of the job that exist."
Whirlwind came out in August 2024, which would mean she's already been crafting her new music for nearly two years.
"I think people are really gonna love what we've been working on," she continues. "I mean, of course I'm partial, but I think it definitely is gonna like show another side of my artistry while always staying true to myself. But the more life I live, the more experience I have, the more I realize I've got more to say and share, and it's gonna be good."
"Phone, Keys, Wallet" is already a top-30 country hit.
Chris Young's new radio single is the title track of his latest album, "I Didn't Come Here to Leave."
Vince Gill's new EP in his 50 Years from Home series is A Mother's Prayer, which features a title track co-written with Jordan Fletcher and Maggie Rose, who also lends background vocals.
Wade Bowen's 11th studio album will arrive Sept. 25, titled The Version of Me You Get.
ABC's planning a huge party for the 250th birthday of the USA, live from the country music capitol of the world.
"Mark your calendars — this Fourth of July just got a whole lot bigger," the network posted on its socials Monday. "Don’t miss Disney Celebrates America: Nashville's Star-Spangled Bash for a night of live music, fireworks, and celebration like no other."
Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne, Clint Black, Elizabeth Nichols and Emily Ann Roberts are set to play, along with The All-American Rejects, Boyz II Men, comedian John Crist, Lauren Daigle, Nick Jonas, Ne-Yo and Sublime.
Ryan Seacrest will host the show, which airs live coast-to-coast starting at 8 p.m. ET. You'll be able to tune in via ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic, FX and Freeform.
Steven Curtis Chapmen & Chris Janson's "America the Beautiful" (SCSEE Music/The Fuel Music)
Chris Janson and Christian music superstar Steven Curtis Chapman have come together to create a new version of "America the Beautiful" for the United States' 250th birthday on July 4.
"I've always believed music has the power to bring people together," Chris says. "No matter where you're from or what you believe, we all share this beautiful country and its story. Recording 'America the Beautiful' with Steven was an opportunity to celebrate what connects us and remind people that unity starts with listening to one another."
The two Grand Ole Opry members performed the song together June 12 on the historic stage, along with the children's choir featured on the track.
Chris' latest hit, "Me & a Beer," just peaked at #9 on the Mediabase radio airplay chart.
Keith Urban and Stevie Nicks perform during Jack Daniels Music City Midnight: New Years in Nashville on December 31, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Back in 1978, Stevie Nicks sang backup on a top-10 hit by Walter Egan called "Magnet and Steel," which she also inspired. Now she's miffed that an artist who just covered the song didn't invite her to sing on it.
Country superstar Keith Urban has released a yacht rock album called Flow State, featuring covers of classic songs like Stephen Bishop's "On and On," Ambrosia's "How Much I Feel," Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze" and Robbie Dupree's "Steal Away." He also covered "Magnet and Steel" and invited country group Little Big Town to sing on it with him. And that, he says, caused a problem.
Speaking to Billboard, Keith says, "The full weird story about all of that ... is [Stevie Nicks' guitarist] Waddy Wachtel is a good friend of mine. ... I sent Waddy the record, he played it for Stevie, and he sent me a text: 'Stevie’s very angry that she wasn’t asked to sing on the song with you.'"
He laughs, "I’m like, 'Oh my god, that’s fantastic!'”
While Stevie doesn't sing on the album, the king of yacht rock, Michael McDonald, does. He guest stars on a song called "We Go Back."
The song from Toy Story 5 also makes history, becoming the first song by a woman to debut in the top 10 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. The only other time that's happened was when Garth Brooks emerged at #1 with "More Than a Memory" in September 2007.
"I Knew It, I Knew You" is currently at #8 on the tally, becoming Taylor's 19th country top-10, her first since "Red" made it to #7 in December 2013.
Starting with her career-launching hit, "Tim McGraw," in December 2006, she's landed 40 songs on Billboard Country Airplay, the most recent being "I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)" with Chris Stapleton, which made it to #23 in November 2021.
Taylor's time on the tally includes seven number ones.
George Birge & Luke Bryan (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
CMA Fest 2026 may have wrapped a little more than a week ago, but George Birge is one of many people who are still riding the Fan Fair high.
His euphoria comes from getting to play his top-15 hit "Ride, Ride, Ride" with Luke Bryan during his set on the main stage in Nashville.
"It was my first time performing in a stadium," George reveals. "Seventy thousand people out there and it was just electric. Luke leaned into me right before we walked onstage and he said, 'Man, don't let this freak you out and go out there and get weird or nothing. Just go out and crush it, man.'"
For the "Mind on You" hitmaker, Luke's encouragement helped.
"I gotta admit, I did have a little bit of nerves, but we went out there and it was electric," he tells ABC Audio. "The crowd ate it up, and [it] may be one of the best nights of my life, easily, of my musical journey, getting to play that song with Luke Bryan at Nissan Stadium to close out CMA Fest."
Not only was George part of Luke's closing Sunday night set, he got to be part of the final CMA Fest performance at the original Nissan Stadium. Next year CMA Fest will be in the new home of the Tennessee Titans, which is currently being built.
The 2026 CMA Fest special premieres Thursday, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
Disney is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.
Brad Paisley & Miranda Lambert's "Someone Else's Arms" (MCA)
It's been a month since Brad Paisley launched his new Tacklebox project, and it's time for an update: His latest addition, "Someone Else's Arms," is out now and features Miranda Lambert.
He's added six tracks so far, drawing from his vast catalog of unreleased and unrecorded songs: "Fallin'," "This Town Ain't Small Enough," "Without You," "Hi Ho Silverado (featuring David Lee Murphy)," "Overnight Low" and "Helen Back."
Look for more new additions in the weeks to come.
Brad's currently touring Europe, before he returns to the States to play Provo, Utah, July 4 and resume his U.S. tour.
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