Editor, Author at Maverick Country

Kimberly Perry confirms divorce from husband

Kimberly Perry from The Band Perry has confirmed filing for divorce from husband J.P. Arencibia after four years of marriage. On Instagram the singer wrote, “Yes, sadly it’s true, my marriage has come to an end. I know that beauty will come from these ashes and, as always, I want to thank you all for your love and support. I’ll be in touch soon.” The two tied the knot on June 12, 2014, in Greenville, Tenn., which is home to Kimberly’s parents. Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher were among those in attendance.

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Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean joins CMA

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AJ McLean, singer from the popular 90’s band Backstreet Boys, has officially joined the Country Music Association. In a statement, the singer said, “I’m kind of a chameleon” and described his membership as a “hint of what’s to come”. A press release read: “There’s the AJ McLean you think you know: the trendsetter and member of one of the most successful groups of all time… Then there’s the real AJ McLean, the ultimate trendsetter and a raw singer-songwriter, an artist dripping with soul and bare emotion.”. McLean made his country debut last year with the Backstreet Boys on Florida Georgia Line’s single “God, Your Mama, and Me”.

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Lukas Nelson announces UK show

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Since forming 10 years ago, the buzz surrounding Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real has been quietly intensifying. During that time, the 28-year old singer/songwriter/guitarist and his bandmates have played hundreds of shows and major festivals all over the world and built a devoted underground following. Lukas’ profile continued to rise when he contributed three songs and heavenly vocals to his dad Willie Nelson’s 2012 album, Heroes, their voices blending with potent DNA. Then two years later, life took another turn skyward when Neil Young decided to make Promise of the Real his touring and studio band. Young has guided the grateful young musicians ever since as they’ve backed the legend on tour around the world and on his two most recent albums. A seasoned veteran at 28, Austin-born Lukas grew up in Maui, while spending much of his time during school breaks in his hometown and on the road with his dad. “I had a lot of passions growing up,” he says. “I played soccer, I was on the swim team, living a Maui lifestyle, surfing and skateboarding. I also loved singing and wrote my first song when I was 11. I became obsessed with guitar, playing eight to 10 hours a day. I knew what I wanted to do from a super-young age, and I made my life about it.” He and his brother Micah played in bands together in high school, and they struck up a friendship with Uruguay-born Tato Melgar, a skilled musician then making his living as a landscaper, who taught the brothers the basics of drumming. In 2007, Lukas headed to the mainland to attend L.A.’s Loyola Marymount University. A year later, after meeting LoGerfo at a Neil Young concert, he dropped out of school and started a band with LoGerfo, Melgar and original bassist Merlyn Kelly; he named it Promise of the Real, referencing a line in Young’s 1973 song “Walk On”: “Sooner or later it all gets real.” When McCormick joined two years later on bass, the POTR lineup was set. The band woodshedded; averaging more than 200 shows a year. Drawing on Lukas’ lineage as well surrogate uncles like Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and the classic rock and roll of J.J. Cale, The Band, Clapton era Delaney and Bonnie and of course mentor Neil Young, they began to develop their own distinctive style of American music. “What’s happened with us feels similar to the career trajectory of The Band,” he continues. “They were already a great band when they started working with Dylan, who lifted them up, which is similar to what Neil’s done for us. He’s also given people a chance to hear what we’re doing and what our own songs have to offer. Then we played the Desert Trip with Neil, along with Paul McCartney, the Stones, the Who and Dylan. That was incredible.” Elated by the way things have come together so beautifully, Lukas is gratified that POTR have earned this moment and seized the opportunities that have led to this album—all perfectly capturing what he’d heard in his head 18 months earlier. “It’s just amazing how things have flowed,” Lukas marvels. “It feels divine in a way.”

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Miranda Lambert shock split from BF

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Anderson East and Miranda Lambert have called it a day on their relationship after two years together. In Touch has reported that the glamourous star, 34, and Anderson, 29, “grew apart” while on separate tours, with the magazine claiming that Miranda “didn’t see it coming.’ It was after Lambert’s divorce from fellow country music artist Blake Shelton that the two started dating and as recently as January 10, Lambert gushed, ‘@andersoneast new record comes out Friday. Y’all get ready! I can’t wait. #badass #he’staken #encore’ on the release of Anderson’s single ‘Boyfriend’. It’s reported that Lambert will now focus on her career. Blake is currently dating former The Voice co-star, Gwen Stefani.

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Stapleton leads in Academy of Country Music Awards Nominations

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Chris Stapleton is in the lead in nominations for the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards, airing live on CBS on April 15. The well loved country artist has been nominated for eight awards in five categories including Entertainer of the Year. Reba McEntire will host the show, which is held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Thomas Rhett has six nominations while Keith Urban follows in five categories, including contender for Entertainer of the Year, along with songwriter Shane McAnally, whose credits include Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road” and Keith Urban’s “Female,” Old Dominion’s “Happy Endings” and Midland’s “Drinkin’ Problems.” Miranda Lambert, ACM’s reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, has four nominations. Maren Morris has received four nominations, including her second in the Female Vocalist of the Year category. Full list of nominations below: Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean Garth Brooks Luke Bryan Chris Stapleton Keith Urban Female Vocalist of the Year Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Reba McEntire Maren Morris Carrie Underwood Male Vocalist of the Year Jason Aldean Thomas Rhett Chris Stapleton Keith Urban Chris Young Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line LOCASH Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum LANCO Little Big Town Midland Old Dominion New Female Vocalist of the Year Lauren Alaina Danielle Bradbery Carly Pearce Raelynn New Male Vocalist of the Year Kane Brown Luke Combs Devin Dawson Russell Dickerson Brett Young New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year High Valley LANCO LOCASH Midland Runaway June Album of the Year “Breaker” – Little Big Town Producer: Jay Joyce Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville “California Sunrise” – Jon Pardi Producers: Bart Butler, Jon Pardi Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville “From A Room Vol. 1” – Chris Stapleton Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton Record Label: Mercury Records “Happy Endings” – Old Dominion Producer: Shane McAnally Record Label: RCA Life Changes – Thomas Rhett Producers: Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett Record Label: The Valory Music Co. Single Record of the Year “Better Man” – Little Big Town Producer: Jay Joyce Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville “Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt Producer: Zach Crowell Record Label: MCA Nashville “Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton Record Label: Mercury Records “Drinkin’ Problem” – Midland Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne Record Label: Big Machine Records “I’ll Name The Dogs” – Blake Shelton Producer: Scott Hendricks Record Label: Warner Bros. Song of the Year “Body Like a Back Road – Sam Hunt Songwriters: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne Publishers: Universal Music Corp./Sam Hunt Publishing, Highly Combustible Music/I Love Pizza Music,/Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing/Who Wants to Buy My Publishing/Atlas Music Publishing, Anderson Fork In The Road Music/Smackville Music/Smack Songs LLC, Smack Hits “Female” – Keith Urban Songwriters: Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon and Shane McAnally Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music Inc./Rezolant Music/Plain Jane Songs, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./A Girl Named Charlie (BMI), Smack Hits/Smack Songs LLC (GMR) “Tin Man” – Miranda Lambert Songwriters: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert Jon Randall Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Beat Up Ford Publishing (BMI), BMG Platinum Songs (BMI)/SWMBMGBMI/Lonesome Vinyl Music “Whiskey And You” – Chris Stapleton Songwriters: Lee Thomas Miller, Chris Stapleton Publishers: WB Music Corp./New Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./New Sea Gayle Music (BMI) Video of the Year “Black” – Dierks Bentley Director: Wes Edwards Producer: Max A. Butler “It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne Director: Wes Edwards, Ryan Silver Producer: Tiffany Davies “Legends” – Kelsea Ballerini Director: Jeff Venable Producer: Ben Skipworth “Marry Me” – Thomas Rhett Director: TK McKamy Producer: Dan Atchison “We Should Be Friends” – Miranda Lambert Director: Trey Fanjoy Producer: April Dace Songwriter of the Year Rhett Akins Ashley Gorley Hillary Lindsey Shane McAnally Josh Osborne Vocal Event of the Year “Craving You” – Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris Producers: Julian Bunetta, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett Record Label: The Valory Music Co. “Dear Hate” – Maren Morris featuring Vince Gill Producers: Brad Hill, Maren Morris Record Label: Columbia Nashville “Funny (How Time Slips Away)” – Glen Campbell And Willie Nelson Producer: Carl Jackson Record Label: Universal Music Enterprises “The Fighter” – Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood Producers: Busbee, Keith Urban Record Label: Capitol Nashville “What Ifs” – Kane Brown Featuring Lauren Alaina Producer: Dann Huff Record Label: RCA Nashville

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Miranda Lambert donates thousands to animal shelters

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Miranda Lambert has given 50 animal shelters across the country $3,000-$5,000 each, while through the Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation, $189,000 has been granted. Since starting the program, Lambert and her mom Bev have shared $775,000 with 200 shelters. “I am amazed and humbled by the great work these shelters do, and so honored to be able to support their critical efforts on behalf of rescue animals,” Lambert said. One of the recipients, Lisa Pearce from the Charleston Animal Society sent a note to Lambert, reports CMT News: “On behalf of the animals in our care, you have our deepest gratitude,” Pearce told Lambert. “What a wonderful surprise to receive your certificate, letter and generous donation to Charleston Animal Society. We are celebrating five years of being the first no-kill open admission shelter in the Southeast and will make sure your kindness goes toward lifesaving our sweet shelter dogs and cats.”

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53rd Annual ACM Awards nominees coming tomorrow!

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Reba McEntire is to assist in helping reveal the nominees for the 53rd annual ACM Awards on Thursday (March 1).The first round of nominees will be announced during the 8 a.m. ET hour of CBS This Morning. Before her television appearance, McEntire will reveal the nominees for song of the year live on Facebook. Nancy O’Dell will also reveal the additional nominees on Entertainment Tonight‘s website at 8:50 a.m. ET., reports CMT News.

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Unheard Chris Cornell track ‘You never knew my mind’ out now

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In 1996, Johnny Cash recorded a cover of Soundgarden’s hit “Rusty Cage,” written by frontman Chris Cornell, on his Grammy-winning album ‘Unchained.’ Twenty years later, Cornell wrote the next chapter in this unique musical relationship by setting a newly discovered poem of Cash’s to music, to create the stunning all-new song “You Never Knew My Mind.” It was recorded at the historic Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, TN, and marks one of Cornell’s final solo recordings. The song is featured on ‘Johnny Cash: Forever Words,’ out April 6 on Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The album is comprised of Cash’s unknown poetry, lyrics, and letters, now set to music by an all-star array of contemporary artists. Along with Cornell, the album features new songs by Ruston Kelly & Kacey Musgraves, Rosanne Cash, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Kris Kristofferson & Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, John Mellencamp, Carlene Carter, Elvis Costello, The Jayhawks and more. Today, on what would have been Johnny’s 86th birthday, Legacy Recordings is releasing “You Never Knew My Mind.” The song is featured as Zane Lowe’s World Record on his Beats 1 show on Apple Music today. Said Chris Cornell of Cash at the time he recorded the song: “I met the man once or twice in my life, and he was so gracious and he was such an influence on me as a musician. And he also covered a song that I wrote. Since that time, I’ve felt like he’s maybe one of the bigger presences in my life, in terms of artists that I’m a fan of.” When Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash passed, they left behind what John Carter Cash, their son and ‘Johnny Cash: Forever Words’ co-producer, describes as a “monstrous amassment” of things, including a treasure trove of undiscovered material that includes Johnny Cash’s handwritten letters, poems and documents, penned across the entirety of his life. “I met Chris backstage in the early 1990s when my father performed a show in Seattle,” says John Carter Cash. “Chris told me then that he had been a fan of my father even when most of his friends listened to hard rock. When I was conceiving this album years later, I reached out to him and he was excited and honored to be involved. Chris connected deeply with my father’s words, and his finished version of ‘You Never Knew My Mind’ tied his own life experience to my father’s on an honest level.” Recorded primarily at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, ‘Johnny Cash: Forever Words’ is also the musical companion to the best-selling “Forever Words: The Unknown Poems,” a volume of Cash’s unpublished writing edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and curated by John Carter Cash and Steve Berkowitz. Muldoon also contributes liner notes on the album. Many of the songs on ‘Johnny Cash: Forever Words’ were directly inspired by material in the book while others are drawn from different sources of Cash’s unpublished writings.

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Australian Country sensation Morgan Evans announces UK performances at C2C Festival 9th – 10th March

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Following the release of his single ‘Kiss Somebody’ and new track ‘I Do’, Australian-born country star Morgan Evans will be returning to the UK next month to perform at this year’s Country 2 Country Festival in London and Glasgow. “I visited the UK for the first time last year and just fell in love with the country and its music fans,” says Evans. “There’s a depth of passion for music there unlike anywhere else. C2C 2018 will be my third visit and I couldn’t be more stoked to return to London and Glasgow.” Already a bona-fide music sensation in his native Australia, and highly acclaimed by the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard in the US – both of whom have tipped him for success in 2018 – his new music is shaped by a love of artists like Ed Sheeran and Keith Urban, alongside many other Nashville greats where he now resides, having signed a global record deal with Warner Music Nashville / Warner Bros. Records. Last year Evans released his debut US single ‘Kiss Somebody’, which he wrote with Chris DeStefano and Josh Osborne. The track has become a major radio hit in multiple countries and debuted on Spotify’s Viral Charts at #15 in the US and #26 globally, with over 19 million streams to date. The visually impressive, one-of-a-kind accompanying video was released in December 2017 and features a nearly single-shot film in extreme slow-motion. His newest track ‘I Do’, pays homage to loved ones and was inspired by his now wife and fellow country artist Kelsea Ballerini. As a result of these two tracks, Evans has made a huge splash in the US and in addition to Rolling Stone’s praise for his “velvety voice rasping in all the right places” he has been crowned as one of CMT’s #18for2018 artists. The upcoming performances at C2C mark his third time back on UK soil after playing a run of headline dates last June, before returning for his acclaimed visit here in October. He’s also set to join James Blunt for three landmark shows in Australia, before heading back to the US for shows in April with Chris Young and Kane Brown. UPCOMING TOUR DATES Mar 1st – Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles w/ Old Dominion Mar 9th – C2C, London Mar 10th – C2C, Glasgow Mar 13th – Star Event Centre, Sydney, Australia w/ James Blunt Mar 14th – Star Event Centre, Sydney, Australia w/ James Blunt Mar 16th – Palais Theatre, Saint Kilda, Australia w/ James Blunt CONNECT WITH MORGAN EVANS AT http://www.morganevansmusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/morganevansmusic/ https://www.twitter.com/morgan_evans

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The Swon Brothers release new self-penned single, "What Ever Happened"

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When Zach and Colton, The Swon Brothers, sat down one night in their home studio last fall, they never planned to write a song. They were just having a conversation but what happened became much more. The brothers wrote their new single, “What Ever Happened,” in about an hour. It was a culmination of their discussion about the world and how much things have changed since they were kids. Longing for a simpler time, they thought others might feel the same and outpoured the lyrics and the melody in a song that defines the times we are living in. Although the message is serious, the feel is upbeat, nostalgic and hopeful. The Swon Brothers co-produced the new single with Brad Hill (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne). https://youtu.be/KdCv8a4LeMo The Swon Brothers gained notoriety as finalists on NBC’s “The Voice,” in 2013 and released their major-label debut, THE SWON BROTHERS, on October 14, 2014, putting their stamp on the 11-song collection by co-producing with award-winning producer Mark Bright. The album’s first single “Later On” was the duo’s first Top 15 HIT. In 2014 Zach and Colton received a CMA Award nomination for “Vocal Duo of the Year.” They received an ACM Award nomination for “Vocal Duo of the Year” followed by a CMT Music Award nomination for “Duo Video of the Year” in 2015 and also opened for Brad Paisley on his Country Nation World Tour earlier that year. In January of 2016 the brothers surprised their fans with a brand new EP called TIMELESS, which hit the #2 spot on the Country iTunes chart just hours after its release, and debuted at #19 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart. On January 30, 2016 they kicked off their first show in Jacksonville, Florida on Carrie Underwood’s “Storyteller Tour,” which toured arenas across the U.S. and Canada and wrapped on November 28, 2016. That summer the brothers played a slate of their own “Swoncerts” nationwide. The debut single “Don’t Call Me” was released on Feb. 24, 2017. On March 17, 2017, Zach and Colton released their EP, PRETTY COOL SCARS, which was produced by Brad Hill (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne). Honored with the Rising Star award by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and just recently inducted into the Rhythm and Routes Oklahoma Music Trail in July of 2017, the Muskogee, OK natives have been charming fans with their incredible sibling harmonies and fun-loving personalities since childhood. www.swonbrothers.com Download ART

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