We Are Country Music - The Morning Hangover

CHEERS

Congrats to Carrie Underwood who has been named a member of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2017. Happy Birthday to iHeart’s Houston Gaither

TOP SHELF

During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Lindsay Ell revealed the title and artwork of her first full-length album THE PROJECT, due out in August. The rising star delivered a slew of guitar-soaked performances including current single “Waiting On You” and new album track “Champagne.” Teaming up with iconic Jimmy Kimmel Live! house band Cleto and the Cletones, Ell also performed rollicking versions of “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz and “La Grange” by ZZ Top

SOUND-CHECK

Little Big Town invades GMA’s Summer Concert Series today
CMT will premiere the first-ever ever outdoor “CMT Crossroads” with Earth Wind & Fire tonight at 10pm ET/PT.
Tune in tonight to the AT&T AUDIENCE Network concert special “Justin Moore: Live From Phoenix” airing tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT via DIRECTV Ch 239, AT&T U-verse Ch 1114 and on-demand through DIRECTV NOW
Russell Dickerson performs on the July 10th edition of the Today Show

WITH YOUR HAIR-OF-THE-DOG

Watch Justin Moore perform “Somebody Else Will” from his Audience Network special airing tonight

ON THE JUKEBOX

Adam Doleac has just been named as SiriusXM’s latest Highway Find artist with his lead single “Whiskey’s Fine.” Doleac debuted the song on-air with morning host Storme Warren, where he also performed two other songs from his self-titled EP.

HOUSE PLAYLIST

Stout, twangy guitar tones, honky-tonk pianos, and swirling pedal steel lay the framework for ALEX WILLIAMS’ debut album BETTER THAN MYSELF, out August 11th on Big Machine Records. The 12-track blend of vintage Country and southern Rock reflects the Pendleton, Indiana native’s lived-in baritone that breathes genuine life and depth into his based-on-a-true-story brand of songwriting.

FRONT OF THE HOUSE

Kalie Shorr could not have been a better ambassador for country music and the #NextWomenOfCountry the other night at the Congressional Women’s Softball Game here in D.C. It was amazing to see Congressional leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi interact with Kalie and even more memorable watching breast cancer survivors react to her “Fight Like A Girl” performance. Read more about the event in this New York Times piece which also includes a nice mention of Kalie.

TAILGATE WATCH

Looking forward to spending this weekend hanging out with WMZQ team for WMZQ Festat Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA!

AT THE BAR

Smithfield performs “Hey Whiskey” at AUDIENCE Nashville

BAR TALK

Lady-A talks “Think About You”

CRUSHIN’ IT

Stars of “Nashville” played two sold-out shows at Manchester’s O2 Apollo and teamed up with Opry Entertainment to donate £10,000 to the British Red Cross “UK Solidarity Fund” on behalf of the touring cast, Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Charles Esten, Sam Palladio and Jonathan Jackson. The fund was set up by the British Red Cross to help victims of terror attacks throughout the UK.

BUZZIN

chrisstapleton: “On my way to Tulsa where this will come OFF & it will be ON!”

NEAT

When it was time for a video for Kenny Chesney’s “All The Pretty Girls,” from Cosmic Hallelujah, Kenny Chesney could’ve gone the usual route. But in thinking about the song’s spirit and his own wild college days, it dawned on him: take “All The Pretty Girls” to the people living it, and have them make the video. Knowing how many young people come to Tennessee trying to get close to the dream, Chesney decided to reach out to the students at Nashville’s Belmont and Middle Tennessee State Universities, both schools with strong engagement in the music industry and invite them to create his next music video. And the winning entry will receive a $5000 scholarship, as well as having their videoworld premiere on CMT. Belmont and MTSU students can visit www.KennyChesneyAllThePrettyGirls.com. Contest deadline is July 23. Winner will be announced July 31.

BACKSTAGE PASS

Go BTS of Dustin Lynch’s new music video “Small Town Boy”

ON THE BAR WALL

Pictured L to R: Ambassador Nicholas Taubman; Kenny Rogers; John Gray, National Museum of American History Director. (Image Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History)

Country Music lcon Kenny Rogers set the tone during The Nation We Build Together gala opening at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Performing in front of the gallery that houses The Star-Spangled Banner, the actual flag that inspired what is now the national anthem, Rogers sang his song “’Merica” illustrated with his photo images of the landscapes and people of “the land that I love…America.” Following the six-song set, which also included “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” “Lucille,” “The Gambler,” “Islands In The Stream,” and “You Can’t Make Old Friends” to a capacity crowd of 600 guests, the museum acknowledged Rogers’ “unique contribution to American music.”