Photo Credit Jim Arndt

Country music superstar Ronnie Dunn is proud to be part of Toby Keith’s Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert to be held Saturday, July 6, at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. Doors open at 1:30 PM, show time is 3 PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 21 at 10 AM; all seats are $25, all inclusive, all seats reserved – eight-ticket purchase limit.

In addition to Keith and Dunn, the list of performers will include Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson and Trisha Yearwood. Proceeds will benefit The United Way Of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund. Updates on the event and lineup will been posted at tobykeith.com.

“The ultimate goal is to put as much money and aid in the hands of the people affected by the tornadoes throughout Oklahoma as we can,” shares Dunn. “Money is no substitute for the horrific loss of life that this disaster has caused but it can rebuild homes and aid in the replenishment of hope that is an indispensable element to recovery in so many ways.

“Even before Toby officially announced that he was going to do a benefit concert, we were working behind the scenes to do everything within our powers to enlist friends from the private and business sectors to join in and participate. The response has been overwhelming. Human compassion and decency has rallied to overshadow the vanity of celebrity. I’m proud to be joining Toby, Garth, Willie and Trisha to use what we do – performing music – to help.”  

Updates on the event and lineup will also be posted on Dunn’s site, ronniedunn.com. 

Maggie Rose recently released her brand new music video for current hit single “Better.”  Filmed at two locations in Nashville, TN, one being the once home of Nashville’s mayor during the Civil War, the video was produced by Yeah Yeah Creative and takes the viewer on a journey of healing. 

The song lyrics  (I just want to move on/ with my life/ put the pieces back together/ I just want to feel better) lend themselves to many different interpretations, so Rose and her creative team decided to play on the ambiguity while creating the video concept.

Rose explained the concept in a recent interview with Country Weekly saying, “I wanted to show someone going through the grieving process and then finding that little light at the end of the tunnel.  So it was just me.  There’s no love interest or anything in the video, but I think that made a powerful statement for what I wanted to do for the song.”

“Better” can be found on Maggie Rose’s debut album, CUT TO IMPRESS, available now by clicking HERE.

Country Music star Lauren Alaina had a busy CMA Music Festival weekend.  Not only did she perform on various stages and meet thousands of fans throughout the weekend, Lauren also assisted in a marriage proposal!!

CountryMusicRocks reader Heather reached out to us and shared her story: So we went to Nashville’s CMA FEST, our 4th year, and found out we won the drawing for meet and greets with Lauren Alaina. She had a performance at HGTV’s The Lodge first, then her meet and greet to follow. As we waited in line, my boyfriend decided to go up to meet Lauren first, then it was my turn! Super excited just to meet her again (we met her last year in Nashville too), I walked up there, Lauren yells “Group shot!”.

So the three of us took our picture together, she then signs my picture and says to me “I have something for you”, as she has the biggest smile, she hold her hands out with a ring laying in them! For a split second, I was confused. Then my boyfriend, Aaron, got down on one knee! I squealed and cried and went crazy! Aaron asked if that was a yes!

After that, my mind had left! I was in my own world and had the most ridiculously big smile on my face! I hugged and thanked Lauren, even asked her to sing at our wedding! She definitely helped make this memorable, not that it wouldn’t be any way! So how did he get the ring to her without me knowing?! Well, after the performance, he told me he was going to see if he could get water bottles from GAC that they had given out for answering questions about Lauren. So I got in line and he really went to talk with the host, Suzanne Alexander. He gave her the ring and wrote a note for Lauren that said, “Lauren, can you give this ring to my girlfriend Heather, she won’t say no to you.” So that’s how my perfect marriage proposal happened. Lauren Alaina even signed “Congrats!” on our picture of her! And we left, I was shaking and still glowing!

Such an amazing and memorable story, thank you Heather for sharing!! Huge Congratulations to Heather and Aaron!! Best Wishes to you both for an amazing future ahead!

*photos courtesy of Heather

The wait is over for fans of Grammy nominated vocalist and hit songwriter Chris Stapleton as he steps out of the pages of other artist’s liner notes and into the spotlight with the release of his debut country single for Mercury Nashville, “What Are You Listening To?”  The song shipped to radio with an official add date of 7/1 and is available for purchase across all digital platforms on 7/2.      

“When Mercury approached me about making a record for them, I was really flattered and humbled, but it also made me do some real soul searching about the kind of record I would want to make,” said Stapleton.  “I’m really happy with the songs we’ve written and how the album is coming together, and I’m excited to finally release the lead single and for what 2013 has in store.  My biggest wish is that people hear these songs and they are moved in some way…that they are reminded of someone they love or someone they lost or even of themselves.”

With over 170 album cuts as a songwriter and one of the most sought after session players and singers in Nashville, artists and critics are already showering praise on Stapleton even prior to single release.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, Chris Stapleton has one of the greatest voices on planet earth.”  Luke Bryan

“There’s nobody on country radio with a voice as powerful and soulful as Chris Stapleton’s.”  Dierks Bentley

“His voice is just incredible…it’s like caramel.”  Adele

Additionally, Music Row’s Robert Oermann describes the debut single as “sublimely soulful” and dubbed Stapleton “the Next Great Vocalist in country music…his powerful singing has always deserved its own spotlight.”  

In the past week, Stapleton played his first-ever solo shows at Bonnaroo and CMA Music Festival.  He has also just been invited to join Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley during the Fall leg of the Locked and Reloaded Tour, starting Oct. 10 in Lincoln, NE with more shows to be announced soon. 

A native of the small town of Staffordsville, KY (pop: 2400) and son of a coal miner, Stapleton made the move to Nashville in 2001 to learn the craft of songwriting and pursue a career in music.  A decade later, he has scored four No. one country hits with songs penned for George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker and Josh Turner, and has racked up over 170 album cuts for artists including Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson.  Stapleton has already had a diverse singing career that includes stints as lead vocalist for GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass band The SteelDrivers and lead vocalist in the howling rock and roll band The Jompson Brothers.   

For updated tour dates and more information please visit ChrisStapleton.com

Fathers Day 2013 took on a whole new meaning for Blaster Records singer and songwriter Jared Ashley and his wife Taylor.  The couple, who have been married since May 2011, welcomed their first child, daughter Georgia McClain Ashley, to the family. The 7 lb. 2 oz. 19” baby girl was born the evening of Sunday, June 9 in Nashville to the first time parents.

“This whole process has been and continues to be such an amazing experience,” confides Ashley to Country Weekly. “I never imagined I could love someone so much in an instant.  I just pray she grows up to look like her mother!”

Jared and his wife Taylor both grew up in Georgia – the namesake of their first-born. Ashley’s just released single, “Last Train To Memphis,” is currently at radio and iTunes now HERE.

Learn more about Jared at JaredAshley.com and engage with him on Twitter and Facebook.

Award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley will live chat with fans tonight from the set of the “Bourbon in Kentucky” music video shoot in Nashville, TN. 

Fans can join the chat beginning at 6:00P CT by visiting dierks.com/stream to stream, ask questions and go behind the scenes on the set as Bentley preps for the overnight shoot.   The lead single that’s garnering early acclaim for Bentley’s breakthrough vocal performance is also now available across all digital platforms.

“Bourbon In Kentucky” is the lead single off Bentley’s upcoming seventh studio album RISER, due this fall. It explores the dark internal emotions of loss and disconnection told through an intense vocal performance by Bentley.  People has already claimed the song one of it’s “Hot Picks” and awarded it handsomely with 3 out of 4 stars.

Get your copy of “Bourbon In Kentucky” on iTunes now by clicking HERE.

For more information on the live stream and for a full list of tour dates, visit dierks.com.

photo via The FARM's facebook page

The FARM rocked Southwest Air Flight #2345 at 35,000 feet as part of the Southwest Airlines Travelin’ Taylor Tour. Passengers were treated to a unique performance as Damien, Krista and Nick performed their debut hit single “Home Sweet Home” and fan favorite “Fresh Of The Farm” to passengers on the Southwest flight from Phoenix, AZ to San Diego, CA.

There’s no nation like the No Shoes Nation, built upon friendship, loving life and music that captures who you are. When Great American Country approached Kenny Chesney about developing a long form piece about where he is in his career, he agreed – figuring he could balance the introspection of the songs on his Life On A Rock with his high energy stadium shows, as well as celebrate the people he loves the most: his fans.

Kenny Chesney Presents: No Shoes Nation, a 60-minute documentary produced by long-time collaborator and acclaimed music video director Shaun Silva, premieres Wednesday, June 19, 10:00 p.m./EST on Great American Country. The special goes into Chesney’s world, his touring reality and beyond, providing the most comprehensive picture of the 4-consective Academy of Country Music and 4-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.

“When we were finishing Life On A Rock, which was a collection of songs that were never meant to be part of an actual album, it occurred to me how thin the line between the music, me and my fans really is,” allows the songwriter/superstar. “I realized not only were those songs my fans’ lives, too; but that my fans like their lives with every bit as much heart, as much passion as I do — I wanted a special that showed them how they look to me, too.”

Filmed in Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Tampa, Jacksonville, St. John and Barbados during rehearsals, in the islands, at club gigs, stadiums shows and all sorts of places in between, Chesney has created a 360 degree picture of his world: the reflective and the combustive, the disciplined and the all-hung-out. He also worked to draw his long time fans into the realm of how precious life is, the places they’ve all been, moments shared and long summer nights of cold drinks, good friends and great music.

Candid interviews, unbridled conversation, it’s a special that aims at the heart of the people who love this music. Or as Chesney says, “When you’ve got people who plan their summer about coming to your show… friends who see each other once a year, coming together with us… That’s when you realize how powerful that connection is. I don’t think we’d be nearly as strong as we are without those kinds of fans! When I start planning the shows, begin the different rehearsals, all I can think about is, ‘How are they gonna like this?’ The new songs, the way we’re doing the lighting, the videos… everything.

“All these years later, they’re still here, still over a million strong and still living that work hard, play harder lifestyle… It’s why I call them ‘The No Shoes Nation;’ why I had flags made up; why I called this special ‘No Shoes Nation.’ Without them, what’s the point?”

The No Shoes Nation Tour, which plays 19 NFL stadiums, as well as several arenas and amphitheaters, is making summer official for another year. Hailed as “the King of the Road” by The Wall Street Journal, Chesney’s deeply soul-searching Life On A Rock marked his 7th Billboard all-genre Top 200 Albums #1 debut. With raves reviews across the country – The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, USA Today– as well as 3 pages in Entertainment Weekly, the cover of PEOPLE Country, Billboard and a Friday cover of The Wall Street Journal Arts section, Chesney’s connecting more than ever. Tune in and see why.

Great American Country is again a media sponsor of Chesney’s tour. “We’re thrilled to once again partner with Kenny on the tour and to bring the No Shoes experience to even more fans through this exclusive special,” says GAC GM Sarah Trahern.

Photo Credit - Ture Lillegraven:Esquire

Multiple GRAMMY nominated and platinum-selling country star Hunter Hayes sold out both of his Nashville, Tenn. dates at the historic Ryman Auditorium in under one hour. Fans quickly jumped at the chance to see Hunter in his first time ever headlining show at Ryman Auditorium.

Fans will get to see Hunter perform his past hits as well as songs from his deluxe edition (Encore), due out June 18^th on Atlantic Records, including his No. 1 hit single, “I Want Crazy.” Special guest, critically-acclaimed Warner Bros. Records artist Ashley Monroe, will also perform. Additional tour dates go on sale Friday, June 21^st at HunterHayes.com/Shows.

“ONE night at the Ryman is something I’ve dreamed about for a long time,” said Hunter. “It makes it even better that we get to do TWO, and the fact that they sold out that quick is just such a thrill. I’m so excited! This pretty much guarantees it’s going to be crazy!” 

For more information on Hunter Hayes, please visit HunterHayes.com.

Photo Credit Judy Eddy/WENN

Critically-acclaimed vocalist and Black River Entertainment recording artist Kellie Pickler will co-host and perform on ABC Television’s The View on Tuesday, June 18. Fresh off her win of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” the starlet will talk about her own hot topics alongside Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Additionally, Pickler will perform her new single, “Someone Somewhere Tonight,” for the first time on television. The song will be featured on her upcoming new album, which will be released later this year.

Rolling Stone recently reviewed the single, stating, “With ‘Someone Somewhere Tonight,’ her winning streak continues…her big, open-throated singing sells the emotion of every last word.”

During the summer, Pickler is performing across the nation. For tour schedules and more information, visit KelliePickler.com. Follow her on Facebook at Facebook.com/KelliePickler and on Twitter @KelliePickler.