The world renowned Gruhn Guitars music shop in Nashville has reached a personal milestone as the store recently turned 50, doing so on January 2. The guitar shop is a must visit destination for anyone who is interested in the playing side of music, with its extensive library of classic guitars and with the amount of knowledge, experience and know-how the staff have. Speaking about reaching the milestone in a statement, George Gruhn – Owner and CEO of the shop – and Eric Newell – President and General Manager – recapped their journey and thanked everyone who has helped them get to where they are now. “It all started 50 years ago with 22 instruments and a storefront in the heart of Nashville’s downtown,” Gruhn and Newell said. “Our first name was GTR for George Gruhn, Tut Taylor and Randy Wood. While our instruments were not considered vintage, as they were at most 40 years old, we knew those “Golden Era” instruments were special. “Through 50 years of business, there have been times it seemed like an emotional and economic roller coaster. We can certainly say there have been times of great challenges, but our love of finely crafted instruments never wavered. Today, we have an inventory of over 2000 fretted instruments housed in a space of 18,000 square feet. “One aspect of being in business for 50 years that we would not have foreseen in 1970 are the amazing people we have met along the way. The joy of working with customers who share our passion for fine fretted instruments has inspired us to maintain a place where we can enjoy these beautiful instruments together. “Today marks a milestone for all of us. We, at Gruhn Guitars, with you, want to raise a glass to 50 years of preserving the tools that aid in the creation of music in our homes to stages across the world.” You can find Gruhn Guitars in Nashville on 2120 8th Ave S.

Robert Vincent has shared the third single from his upcoming album ‘In This Town You’re Owned’, due on February 14, in the shape of Conundrum. You can listen to the song on Spotify here. The song follows in the footsteps of This Town and My Neighbour’s Ghost as Vincent shares another track off of his soon to be released third album, which is his first to be put out under the label Thirty Tigers. Vincent’s previous albums – ‘Life in Easy Steps’ and ‘I’ll Make the Most of My Sins’ were released by DB Industries and by himself respectively. Speaking about the somewhat delicate subject matter of the song, Vincent explained that the track is about trying to do more to save the planet and the issues that come as a result of the lifestyle changes involved, with many having to sacrifice certain aspects about the way they live in order to benefit everyone moving forward. “We are faced with a conundrum about whether or not to remain as consumers and continually take from the world we live in, or to start looking after our planet,” Vincent said.  “We all have a responsibility as individuals to try to fix the damage we are doing.” Later on this year, Vincent – who received the inaugural Emerging Artist Award from ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris back in 2016 at the UK Americana Awards – will embark on a seven-date tour around the UK, which will end with what is sure to be a memorable homecoming show in Liverpool. Tickets are available here. Robert Vincent will be playing: March 23 – The Lexington, London, England March 25 – Greystones, Sheffield, England March 26 – Lending Room, Leeds, England March 27 – St Lawrence’s Church, Biddulph, England April 1 – Louisiana, Bristol, England April 2 – Night and Day, Manchester, England April 3 – Jimmy’s, Liverpool, England

January 5 marked the seventh anniversary of Maren Morris moving from Texas to Nashville and she marked the occasion with a reflective Instagram post. In that time, Morris has grown to be one of country music’s leading female artists, with her two albums ‘Hero’ and ‘GIRL’ receiving critical and fan acclaim, while she also has two CMA Awards to her name – one for New Artist of the Year in 2016 and now for Album of the Year for ‘GIRL’ last November. Morris also won a Grammy Award in 2017, taking home Best Country Solo Performance for My Church. Also since she moved to Nashville, Morris met and subsequently married Ryan Hurd, with the two now expecting a baby in the coming months. Speaking about the occasion, Morris – who posted two pictures, one of her moving in 2013 and one of her giving a speech for winning Album of the Year at the CMA Awards – explained how she would write with anyone in order to try and get some momentum behind her, which also helped her improve her craft. “7 years ago today, I had short hair, some okay (alright, crap) demos in my pocket and moved into a Craigslist house sight unseen for $350 a month,” she wrote. “I wrote with anyone + everyone who’d sit in a room with me. I got better and I found my tribe of people I loved to create with and we’d geek out over The Cardigans and Sheryl Crow records. “Looking at the gap between these photos, I actually do know where the time goes. It gets encapsulated in each fantastic, mundane, life-changing, soul-crushing, mediocre, hallelujah song in my catalogue. “Cheers to 7 years, Nashville, and to the friends here I now am lucky to call family.” Given her pregnancy, it is expected that Maren Morris will be taking a break from music in 2020 to focus on her family life.

Carly Pearce has shared the third single from her upcoming self-titled second album – due on February 14 – with Call Me now being available to all. You can see a lyric video below. [wpdevart_youtube]u8ySA26Wr2c[/wpdevart_youtube] Call Me, which appears to be about her husband Michael Ray, follows in the footsteps of her duet with Lee Brice in It Won’t Always Be Like This and I Hope You’re Happy Now, which is currently doing the rounds on country radio. Speaking about the single on her Instagram page, Pearce said that as soon as the late producer busbee, whose last work was Pearce’s upcoming album, came to her with the track, she grabbed it with both hands as it felt incredibly relevant to her personal life. “From the minute busbee sent me this song that he wrote with my gal Emily Shackleton and the boys from Little Big Town, I knew I had to cut it,” Pearce quipped. “Gimme alllll the sass, because after all…. I DID slide into Michael Ray’s DM’s.” Given that her album isn’t due for another six weeks or so, it is highly likely that Pearce will share another track from her record before it is released – though considering it is 13 tracks in length, it’s worth taking into account that she has already shared basically a third of it with the general public. 2020 is shaping to to be a very busy year for Carly Pearce, who in addition to releasing her second album, already has several American dates pencilled in over the coming months – including a date at the Ryman in Nashville on January 18. All dates are available here. Last year, the Kentucky born/Nashville based artist was a Main Stage act at C2C and was very much warmly received by those in attendance at London, Glasgow and Dublin.

Hot Country Knights – fronted by Dierks Bentley using an alias – have signed with UMG Nashville and are planning to “bring real 90s country music back.” You can watch a video of their signing below. [wpdevart_youtube]t7keuw5uhAY[/wpdevart_youtube] The firmly tongue in cheek group consists of Bentley’s road band, who play a host of 90s country music covers while dressed in wigs and some of the most extravagant clothes from the decade. Bentley himself goes under the name Douglas ‘Doug’ Douglason for the group and a press release from UMG Nashville claimed that the group were going to “bring real ’90s country music back to a format that’s been drowning in male sensitivity, cashmere cardigan sweaters and programmed drum loops.” Speaking about the record deal, Douglason/Bentley said that country music could very much use a shot in the arm and that Hot Country Knights are exactly what the genre needs. “Some artists out there tried to put the ‘O’ back in country, that was a thing for a while…. but what it’s really missing is the ‘T,’” Douglason/Bentley said. “Country music has Low-T right now…it could use a pick me up, if you know what I mean. Those record label people over at Universal finally realised that only the Knights could be up to a task this big and hard.” UMG Nashville work with Bentley on his solo ventures, meaning that both his music and the soon to be released music from Hot Country Knights will all fall under the umbrella of that label.

Luke Bryan has said in an interview with Country Aircheck that he feels he cannot win when it comes to his standing within the genre of country music. The two-time CMA Award Entertainer of the Year winning artist has had a very fruitful career in the genre, with hits like Kick the Dust Up and Strip It Down making him a household name in the States. However, when Bryan was recently asked about where he stands within country music, he said that he will always divide people one way or the other, but said that he will not get involved with calling people out for their musical stance, while also expressing his bafflement that certain legends within the genre believe that we should go back in time to make new music. “One minute I’m the saviour of country music, the next, I’ve ruined it,” Bryan said. “I will never be the guy who criticises and bellyaches about how someone makes music and a living for themselves. I’ve had it happen to me. So I’m never going to be that guy. “I’ve heard legends say, ’I wish country music would go back to…’ – I don’t really understand why we would spend a lot of time trying to sound like people in the 80s and 90s. I get what people are trying to say, but you have to find your own sound.” Bryan already has several dates lined up for 2020 in America and there is a legitimate chance that we could see new music from the American Idol judge soon, given that his last album – ‘What Makes You Country’ – was released in 2017.