Willie Nelson News

A Country Night in Nashville recreates the scene of a buzzing Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, perfectly capturing the energy and atmosphere of an evening in the home of country music

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association today announced the following updates to the 2018/19 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  

The Acting Company announces the full cast of its one-night-only benefit reading of The Night of the Iguana, Tennessee Williams' feverishly poetic 1961 drama,at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues), on Monday, June 11.

Songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, composers of some of the greatest blues, jazz, R&B, and rock and roll hits of all time, will be inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame in Kansas City, MO today, June 2.  Their names will be embedded in a bronze medallion on the sidewalk near the Jazz Museum. 

"Vince Gill is quite simply a living prism refracting all that is good in country music. He uses the crystal planes of his songwriting, his playing and his singing to give us a musical rainbow that embraces all and spans all seasons." - Kyle Young/Country Music Foundation on Vince's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Steps Beyond Foundation, Steps on Broadway's non-profit arm which connects artists and community through dialogue, performance, and artistic collaboration, will present two dynamic evenings of dance, June 1-2, at New York Live Arts. Moving Pieces,a benefit performance, will raise funds for their Performance Lab Series and Artists Talks, dance scholarships and community programs at the Hudson Guild and Henry Street Settlement.

At long last, Kinky Friedman's second musical act begins. With the proclamation that here “is what music was, before it came homogenized, trivialized and sanitized,” Kinky is dropping his first all-new CD of original tunes in four decades. Called Circus of Life, it presents a side of Kinky that few would have suspected in the halcyon days of his Texas Jewboys, laying perhaps legit claim to the title “The Leonard Cohen of Texas.” On July 3, 2018, he will release it on his own terms and on his own Echo Hill Records.

Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist Of the Year, Grammy nominee and multi-million selling '80s icon Sylvia will greet her CMA Fest fans with new music this year. She will be performing songs from her brand-new CD, SECOND BLOOM - The Hits Re-Imagined, during the festival. The disc, on Red Pony Records, hits store shelves June 8. Fans the world over can catch three exclusive song premieres from the CD this week: Billboard.com ('Tumbleweed'), The Boot ('Drifter'), and Roughstock ('You Can't Go Back Home'). A compelling remake of her #1, 'Nobody,' will be available to radio programmers tomorrow via PLAY MPE. SECOND BLOOM includes 10 fresh interpretations of Sylvia's # 1 / Top 10 hits from the RCA years (1979 to 1987).

Since opening on April 1, 1981, with a kick-off week of concerts that featured Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Willie Nelson, Janie Fricke, and Waylon Jennings, Billy Bob's Texas has been named the Academy of Country Music's “Nightclub of the Year” ten-times. Now, in 2018, the concerts continue in June with performances by many Texas favorites and some of Country music's finest artists.

Off the back of wowing the audience and selling out his biggest headline London show at The Jazz Café last night, the highly acclaimed singer/songwriter Dan Owen has today announced the largest headline tour of his career so far.

General on sale begins Wednesday, May 30 at Noon for award-winning actor and piano virtuoso Hershey Felder in his wildly acclaimed one-man show, HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN at 59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director). The production, featuring music and lyrics by the great American songwriter Irving Berlin, book by Hershey Felder and directed by longtime Felder collaborator Trevor Hay, will play from August 24 through October 28, 2018, with opening night scheduled for Wednesday, September 5. Felder returns to 59E59 Theaters, where he recently played a sold out engagement of MAESTRO (Leonard Bernstein) and adapted, directed and designed the sold out THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE.

The Steps Beyond Foundation, Steps on Broadway's non-profit arm which connects artists and community through dialogue, performance, and artistic collaboration, will present two dynamic evenings of dance, June 1-2, at New York Live Arts. Moving Pieces,a benefit performance, will raise funds for their Performance Lab Series and Artists Talks, dance scholarships and community programs at the Hudson Guild and Henry Street Settlement.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has extended its worldwide deal with UK hit songwriter, artist and producer Ben Ash who works under the name Two Inch Punch.

Today Glow Music Group announces the sixth solo release from singer-songwriter Kari Kimmel. Gold & Glitter is a powerful pop album that embodies the singer/songwriter's unabashed emotion and unwavering do-it-yourself independence that has driven her career since day one. Kari recently shared 'High,' her second single, via Keyboard and kicked off the project with Blackbook. In an interview with Billboard Magazine, Kari told the story behind the making of her album. Another highlight of this release week, Kari was honored at the 33rd Annual ASCAP Screen Music Awards for her work on THE FOSTERS.

As Terra Lightfoot's New Mistakes tour continues to roll onward around the world, the artist released the third single from her critically acclaimed album, “Ruthless”. The single is paired with a video directed by Lightfoot's trusted creative collaborator, director Dustin Rabin (Foo Fighters, Eagles of Death Metal, Billy Talent), who previously directed the videos for Lightfoot's singles “Paradise” and “Pinball King”, and was also responsible for the album photography on New Mistakes (Sonic Unyon).

On the eve of their Blues & Bayous tour launch, John Fogerty and Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top, have joined together on a new song! “Holy Grail” was written by Fogerty and features the distinctive guitar licks and additional vocals from the Reverend himself.

 On the eve of their Blues & Bayous tour launch, John Fogerty and Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top, have joined together on a new song!  “Holy Grail” was written by Fogerty and features the distinctive guitar licks and additional vocals from the Reverend himself. 

Nelly, Joe Nichols, David Nail, Jana Kramer and Parmalee have all been added to the lineup of the First Annual TAILGATE FEST (LATailgateFest.com) headlined by country music super star Toby Keith, taking place Saturday, September 1, 2018 (Labor Day Weekend) on the outdoor grounds of the Forum in Los Angeles (Inglewood). As a one-day country music and tailgating extravaganza, TAILGATE FEST caters to the fans who show up hours before to turn the preshow into the party. It brings the stage outside to the tailgate. No packing up the party to head inside, no need to stop that game of cornhole, no need to stuff all your belongings in your pockets to last you the evening. Fans will fire up those barbeques, crack open those coolers, play games and tailgate in the hot California sun while they listen to their favorite country stars from their own tailgate as TAILGATE FEST brings the stage to the tailgaters!

Guitar slinger Jesse Dayton has released his new protest song “Charlottesville” via Rolling Stone Country today. The track was written in the wake of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA in August 2017 that tragically saw counter-protestors injured and killed.  The track appears on his forthcoming album The Outsider, out June 8, 2018 on Blue Elan Records. Listen and share “Charlottesville” here. Preorder The Outsider here.

SiriusXM has announced that 50 year Grand Ole Opry veteran, Jeannie Seely, will be joining the Willie's Roadhouse family as an on air personality on Willie Nelson's exclusive classic country channel.