Author: Lauren Zimmerman

Multi-platinum entertainer Chris Young returned to the road with his “Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour” over the weekend, headlining sold-out arena shows in Las Cruces, NM and Tulsa, OK along with Lubbock, TX.

“…It may be not only Young’s voice, but his ever present sincerity, that keep this recording artist a fan favorite.” Lubbock Avalanche Journal

Chris also partnered with Military Warriors Support Foundation to present two Purple Heart recipients and combat wounded heroes with the keys to beautiful, mortgage-free homes. Former United States Army Sergeant Michael Williams was welcomed during Young’s headline set at Lubbock’s United Supermarkets Arena and Retired United States Army Specialist Cody Derryberry joined Young onstage from Tulsa, OK’s BOK Center where both were recognized and honored for their service and sacrifice to our country. The military heroes were greeted with thunderous applause from the appreciative crowd.

21 dates remain on the 55-city “Chris Young Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour,” including the ACM and Grammy nominated singer’s first-ever hometown headlining appearance at Bridgestone Arena (9/22) in Nashville this weekend. Tickets and VIP packages for the “Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour,” promoted by AEG Presents and Concerts West, may be purchased at ChrisYoungCountry.com.

In yet another unprecedented milestone, Luke Combs sold out venues in 23 out of the 28 cities on his “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour” since tickets went on sale this past Friday. Sold-out venues include Greensboro, NC’s Greensboro Coliseum, Greenville, SC’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Columbus, OH’s Schottenstein Center, Charlottesville, VA’s John Paul Jones Arena, Omaha, NE’s CHI Health Center and Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre among many others.

His second headline tour, the “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour” follows Combs’ record-breaking, 55-city sold-out “Don’t Tempt Me With A Good Time Tour”—completed earlier this year—and will be preceded by a series of fall U.K./European headline shows—which sold out months in advance. See below for details.

The tour culminates a massive breakthrough year for Combs following the release of his Platinum-certified debut album, This One’s For You, released on River House Artists/Columbia Nashville. The album is currently #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for the 14th week—the most weeks of any country album released since Chris Stapleton’s Traveller.

Combs also recently earned two nominations at the 2018 CMA Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year and, most recently, a nomination for Favorite Album—Country at the 2018 American Music Awards.

This One’s For You is currently the most-streamed country album of 2018, achieving over 1 billion streams and was also the largest album debut from a new country artist in 2017. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and #5 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Additionally, Combs has had three consecutive #1 radio singles—3x Platinum “Hurricane,” 2x Platinum “When It Rains It Pours” and Platinum “One Number Away.”

In addition to his breakout debut album, Combs released the deluxe edition, This One’s For You Too, earlier this summer, which landed at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #4 on the Billboard 200 Chart.

Since the release of This One’s For You, Combs has been named Billboard’s Top 100 Artist and Top New Country Artist of 2017, “Best New Country Artist” at the iHeart Radio Awards, Music Row’s “Breakthrough Artist Of The Year” and 2017 Artist To Watch by Amazon Music, Billboard, Bobby Bones, CMT, HuffPost, Nashville Lifestyles, Pandora and Rolling Stone.

This One’s For You was produced by Scott Moffatt (except for “One Number Away,” which was co-produced by Sammy Mitchell and Jackie Boyz) and recorded in Nashville, TN at Gold Cassette Studios and Direct Image Recording Studio

RCA Records Nashville noteworthy new artist Rachel Wammack commanded the Grand Ole Opry stage during her debut performance Saturday (9/15), receiving a standing ovation from the enraptured crowd. Wammack introduced the audience to her autobiographical debut single “Damage,” which she co-wrote with award-winning songwriters Tom Douglas and David Hodges, and recounts her real-life experiences working as a bartender. She also performed a vulnerable rendition of “Closure.” Both tracks are available on her self-titled EP that showcases “a strong woman who knows how to tap into her emotions and create something authentic,” (Taste of Country). 

“The Grand Ole Opry gave me the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m so humbled and honored to have performed where so many Country music legends have stood before,” said Wammack. “I’ve always known Nashville is where I’m meant to be and sharing my story and music on that stage is a moment I’ll never forget.”

24-year-old Muscle Shoals native Rachel Wammack is a “dynamic new Country voice for the genre” (Rolling Stone) with her “deep-rooted, classic sound” (Wide Open Country) influenced heavily by the rich music history of her hometown. Throughout her adolescent years, Wammack expressed her art in her songwriting, storytelling, later playing in the High school band, and pursuing a college degree in professional writing. At the age of 17 she was discovered by a Sony Music Nashville executive while Wammack was performing at a fine cuisine, piano restaurant in Muscle Shoals. Five years and many written songs later, Wammack received a record deal from Sony Music Nashville. In April 2018 she released her self-titled debut, giving her growing fan base a taste of the music that’s on the horizon. Named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” and selected for Bobby Bones’ “Women of iHeartCountry,” her wildfire momentum continues this fall as she embarks on a series of radio shows across the U.S. Additionally, she will join Brett Young on his CMT ON TOUR: HERE TONIGHT, launching Nov. 16 in Royal Oak, MI. For more information and tour dates, visit www.rachelwammack.com

Netflix has acquired the film “Dumplin’,” which features collaborations and original music from entertainment industry icon Dolly Parton.

“Dumplin’” is the story of the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, who signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.

Parton, who is an acclaimed songwriter/storyteller and one of the most honored female country performers of all time, contributed newly-recorded collaborations of some of her most popular songs in addition to six new original compositions co-written by Parton and Grammy nominee Linda Perry. Produced by Perry and Executive Produced by Parton, the soundtrack will be released worldwide on Nov. 30 on Dolly Records/RCA Nashville (Sony Music).

The soundtrack’s partial list of exceptional guest vocalists includes Sia, Miranda Lambert, Mavis Staples, Elle King, Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Danielle Macdonald, and Jennifer Aniston.

The debut track from Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is “Here I Am” performed by Parton and Sia. The song will be available for download and streaming on Sept. 14. This self-penned song was originally recorded by Parton and included on her Coat of Many Colors album (October 1971). This brand-new recording of “Here I Am” captures Parton and Sia’s striking vocal re-imagination of this classic album cut.

“Dumplin’” stars Macdonald (Bird Box, Patti Cake$) and Aniston (Upcoming Murder Mystery, Horrible Bosses, Marley and Me), in addition to Odeya Rush (Lady Bird, Goosebumps), Dove Cameron (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Liv and Maddie, Descendants), and Harold Perrineau (Claws, Lost). “Dumplin’” is directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses).

Screenwriter Kristin Hahn wrote the adaptation of Julie Murphy’s No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. Producers include A Cota Films and 50 Degrees Entertainment Presentation – Michael Costigan (American Gangster, A Bigger Splash, Brokeback Mountain, Ghost in the Shell), Hahn (The Switch, Cake), Mohamed AlRafi (Above Suspicion, Lying and Stealing), and Trish Hofmann (Gringo, Get On Up). Executive producers are Aniston and Danny Nozell.

The film will be released later this year on Netflix in the U.S. and select international territories, and in select theaters in the U.S

Multi-Platinum entertainer Kane Brown received three 2018 American Music Awards nominations this morning for Favorite Male Artist – Country, Favorite Album – Country for his Platinum-certified multi-week #1 self-titled debut release and Favorite Song – Country for the Double-Platinum multi-week #1 smash “Heaven.” He is the most-nominated artist in this year’s AMA Country categories.

Earlier today, Brown revealed the AMA nominations along with chart-topping artists Bebe Rexha, Normani and Ella Mai live from YouTube Space LA on the official American Music Awards YouTube channel (YouTube.com/TheAMAs). The “2018 American Music Awards,” the world’s largest fan-voted awards show where music enthusiasts watch their favorite artists and pop culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Kane Brown will release his forthcoming album entitled Experiment on November 9 and is available for pre-order here. Brown’s highly-anticipated follow-up to his multi-week chart-topping Platinum-certified RCA Nashville/Zone 4 debut album is produced by multiple-award winner Dann Huff. Experiment will feature several tracks co-written by Brown including his current single, “Lose It.” Already Top 20 and rising on Billboard and Mediabase country airplay charts and Nielson’s Country Core On-Dem and Audio and Video Streaming charts, “Lose It” continues to gain momentum and critical-praise, with the New York Times calling it “urgent and saucy…broad-spectrum ecstasy.”

Brown’s “Lose It” is spotlighted in Amazon Music’s brand-new advertising campaign, A Voice is All You Need. The ads highlight the powerful vocals of notable songs by Brown and superstars Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Queen while demonstrating the simplicity of voice with Alexa. See the animated video for “Lose It” HERE.

The “Lose It” track and music video are available now. Additionally, the Georgia native recently released “Weekend” from his new album as a track and music video, which earned raves as the “perfect jam” (Taste of Country ). To view the video visit HERE.

Cypress, Texas-bred singer/songwriter Carlton Anderson returns to his roots with an acoustic music clip for his rising single, “Drop Everything.” The video, which features Anderson playing in the downtown honky-tonk, where he collected tips and caught the attention of Nashville’s music industry elite, premieres exclusively on HollywoodLife.com today. See it HERE.

The music video was shot at the Swingin’ Doors Saloon, where Anderson got a gig after moving to Nashville to pursue a music career and degree in Music Business from Belmont University. Anderson no sooner dropped his bags in the dorm and he was driving to the famed honky-tonks of Broadway to find work and a way to pay the bills. Swingin’ Doors was the first club he entered and he asked the manager if he could play a couple songs. Five years later, he was still playing weekly sets for a devoted following of regulars and enthusiastic tourists from around the world.

Like Anderson, his debut single, which was co-written by Rhett Akins, Matt Dragstrem, and Ashley Gorley, is about taking chances, going after what you want, and having the juice to back it up.

“Drop Everything” “is a love song about a guy speaking up for the girl that he wants and taking a chance,” Anderson said. “I first heard ‘Drop Everything’ at the last minute when we were cutting our first batch of songs in the studio. It was catchy and sexy, and, if anyone could relate to the lyrics, it was me.”

Anderson is gaining a reputation for his steadfast belief in authenticity before trends. Billboard opined that his debut “matches a masculine, southern voice with an anthemic chorus, a catchy melody, a swag lyric and a tight, retro-fit production.” And Taste of Country summed it up writing that “Drop Everything” is “reminiscent of a lot of things, but not a copycat of any.”

Carlton Anderson’s “Drop Everything” is available now to stream and download HERE.

Follow Carlton Anderson on…
Website: www.carltonandersonmusic.com​
Facebook: facebook.com/carltonanderson
Instagram: instagram.com/carltonanderson​
Twitter: twitter.com/carltonanderson​

Luke Combs will kick off his “ Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour ” in 2019—his first ever headline arena tour, marking another major career milestone for the breakthrough musician. The extensive tour—which will feature special guests LANCO and Jameson Rodgers—will commence January 31 at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena at the BJCC and will span through the spring featuring stops at legendary venues across the country including New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, among many others.

The tour—which was originally announced by Combs earlier this morning on SiriusXM’s The Highway channel—will go on-sale next Friday, September 14 at 10:00 am local time. In an effort to combat scalping, fan club tickets will be sold through the Ticketmaster Verified Fan™ program and all tickets will have fan-focused pricing offered between $25-$50.

His second headline tour, the “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour” follows Combs’ record-breaking, 55-city sold-out “Don’t Tempt Me With A Good Time Tour”—completed earlier this year—and will be preceded by a series of fall U.K./European headline shows—which sold out months in advance. See below for details.

The tour culminates a massive breakthrough year for Combs, which saw the release of his Platinum-certified debut album, This One’s For You, released on River House Artists/Columbia Nashville and two recent nominations at the 2018 CMA Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year .

This One’s For You is currently the most-streamed country album of 2018, achieving over 1 billion streams and was also the largest album debut from a new country artist in 2017. The album debuted at #1, on the Billboard Country Albums Chart, where it has spent a total of 12 weeks at #1 and at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Additionally, Combs has had three consecutive #1 radio singles—3x Platinum “Hurricane,” 2x Platinum “When It Rains It Pours” and Platinum “One Number Away.”

In addition to his breakout debut album, Combs released the deluxe edition, This One’s For You Too, earlier this summer, which landed at #1 on Billboard Country Albums Chart and #4 on Billboard 200 Chart.

Since the release of This One’s For You, Combs has been named Billboard’s Top 100 Artist and Top New Country Artist of 2017, “Best New Country Artist” at the iHeart Radio Awards, Music Row’s “Breakthrough Artist Of The Year” and 2017 Artist To Watch by Amazon Music, Billboard, Bobby Bones, CMT,  HuffPost, Nashville Lifestyles, Pandora and Rolling Stone.

LUKE COMBS’ “BEER NEVER BROKE MY HEART TOUR”
January 31—Birmingham, AL—Legacy Arena at the BJCC*
February 1—Huntington, WV—Big Sandy Superstore Arena*
February 2—Greensboro, NC—Greensboro Coliseum Complex*
February 7—Wichita, KS—INTRUST Bank Arena*
February 8—North Little Rock, AR—Verizon Arena*
February 9—Baton Rouge, LA—Raising Cane’s River Center*
February 14—Greenville, SC—Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
February 15—Knoxville, TN—Thompson-Boling Arena*
February 16—Evansville, IN—Ford Center*
February 21—Hershey, PA—Giant Center*
February 22—Columbus, OH—Schottenstein Center*
February 23—Charlottesville, VA—John Paul Jones Arena*
February 28—New York, NY—Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom†
March 1—Bangor, ME—Cross Insurance Center*
March 2—Worcester, MA—DCU Center*
March 8—Tupelo, MS—BancorpSouth Arena*
March 9—Orange Beach, AL—Amphitheatre at The Wharf*
March 28—London, ON—Budweiser Garden*
March 29—Oshawa, ON—Tribute Communities Centre*
March 30—Kingston, Ontario—Leon’s Centre*
April 11—Duluth, MN—AMSOIL Arena*
April 12—Moline, IL—TaxSlayer Center*
April 13—Saginaw, MI—Dow Event Center*
April 25—Green Bay, WI—Resch Center*
April 26—La Crosse, WI—La Crosse Center*
May 10—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center*
May 11—Omaha, NE—CHI Health Center Omaha*
May 12—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheater*
*with LANCO and Jameson Rodgers
†with Jameson Rodgers