Latest news with #CountryMusicAssociation
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2025's CMA Awards announce date for event at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena
The Country Music Association and broadcast partner ABC have announced the date that the 59th CMA Awards will occur at Lower Broadway's Bridgestone Arena. "Country Music's Biggest Night" will return to Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 19, airing live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.n. CT. Details on the show's host and ticket on-sale will be shared in the coming weeks. The ceremony will also be available to stream on Hulu the next day. As previously announced, the eligibility period for the 2025 CMA Awards is July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. "The CMA Awards celebrate excellence in Country Music across 12 categories, honoring artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, mix engineers, and music video directors who significantly impacted the genre during the eligibility period," notes the CMA in a press statement. 2024's awards honored multi-platinum-selling pop-crossover country superstar Morgan Wallen as Entertainer of the Year, while Lainey Wilson won for Female Vocalist of the Year, Chris Stapleton won for Male Vocalist of the Year and Cody Johnson won Album of the Year for "Leather." During the 2025 CMA Awards voting cycle, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and Morgan Wallen have been the most dominant as far as chart-topping performers are concerned. Jelly Roll and Wallen are essentially in a dead-heat tie for weeks on top of Billboard's country radio charts over the past year. Insofar as sales, the pop dominance of Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" has extended into 2025, as for more than 80 percent of the 2025 CMA Awards voting cycle to date, he's had Billboard's highest-selling country song. Insofar as female artists to watch for 2025's CMA Awards, it's chart toppers Ella Langley and Jessie Murph — a pair of Alabama-born breakouts — whose surging acclaim will likely be highlighted. For more information about the CMA Awards, visit This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 2025 CMA Awards: Date announced for Nashville's Bridgestone Arena
Metro
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Country singer's husband reveals she once shot at him after discovering affair
The widow of country music singer Naomi Judd has confirmed she once shot a gun at him after finding out he'd cheated. Judd was best known for being part of the duo The Judds with her daughter Wynonna. After forming in 1980, they went on to win five Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Association awards however stopped performing in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis. In 2022, the day before The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, she died by suicide. A few years on her widower Larry Strickland – whom she married in 1989 – has spoken about their at-times tumultuous relationship. This week a new documentary titled The Judd Family: Truth Be Told has been airing on the United States. Recalling their first meeting, Strickland said it was 'almost love at first sight' however Judd once said that while they were 'wildly, madly, passionately in love', he was never home. In her 2016 memoir, River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged With Hope, Judd detailed how she once received a phone call from a woman who said she 'loved and missed' Strickland. Realising her husband had been unfaithful, Judd cut up all of her photos of him and threw his belongings into their garden in trash bags. 'Oh, it was hell. I heard everything,' her daughter Ashley Judd recalled in the series. 'I heard Mum's phone calls to him on the road, I heard them fight, I heard them not fight, I heard it all. In 1995, Judd produced a TV movie about her life called Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge, which included a scene where she shot at her husband after accusing him of infidelity. After being asked about the incident in the new documentary, Strickland added: 'Well, it really happened, that's all I can say,' Strickland said in episode 2 after watching the clip. 'That's all I wanna say. It happened.' Despite their marriage troubles, the couple stayed together until her death. Speaking about Judd taking her own life, Strickland said she was struggling behind the scenes. 'There was a couch, and in the latter days, she laid on that couch. She just couldn't get off of that couch,' he recalled. 'Toward the end, the last year of her life, it was just about every night she would be in a panic mode.' When announcing Judd's death in April 2022, her daughters shared that she had died 'to the disease of mental illness'. 'Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered,' the statement read. More Trending 'We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.' Judd was struggling with bipolar at the time, with her family revealing she was also grappling with post-traumatic stress. A month later her autopsy revealed she'd died from a gunshot wound which was self-inflicted. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Nicolas Cage calls famous Terry Wogan interview 'obnoxious' 35 years later MORE: Miley Cyrus emotionally breaks silence on 'feud' with parents Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus MORE: The little known musician richer than Taylor Swift and Beyoncé with $1billion net worth
Metro
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Johnny Rodriguez, first ever Hispanic country music star, dies aged 73
Trailblazing country singer Johnny Rodriguez has died aged 73. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Aubry Rae Rodriguez, on social media on Saturday. 'It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Johnny Rodriguez, who left us peacefully on May 9th, surrounded by family,' she wrote. 'Dad was not only a legendary musician whose artistry touched millions around the world, but also a deeply loved husband, father, uncle, and brother whose warmth, humour, and compassion shaped the lives of all who knew him. 'While the world has lost an extraordinary talent, we have lost someone irreplaceable – and we ask for privacy as we navigate this painful moment together.' The legend's death follows reports earlier this week that he had entered hospice care. Born in 1951, Rodriguez was the first major Hispanic artist to achieve mainstream success in country music. His fusion of traditional country sounds with Spanish lyrics and Latin influences helped broaden the genre's appeal and opened doors for future generations of Latino artists. Born in Sabinal, Texas, Johnny was the second youngest of ten children. His teenage years were marred by personal tragedy – his father died of cancer when Johnny was 16, and his older brother died in a car accident the following year. These events led to a troubled period during which he was briefly jailed at age 18. While in jail, he was overheard singing by Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson, who introduced him to promoter 'Happy' Shahan. Shahan hired Rodriguez to perform at the Alamo Village tourist attraction, where he was discovered by country stars Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare. Encouraged by Hall and Bare, Rodriguez moved to Nashville in 1971 with just $14 and a guitar. He soon signed with Mercury Records and released his debut single, Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through), in 1972, which reached No. 9 on the Billboard country chart. His breakthrough came in 1973 with You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me), his first No. 1 hit, followed by Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico, which also topped the charts. Rodriguez became known for incorporating Spanish verses into his songs, a novelty in country music at the time, and was hailed as the genre's first Hispanic star. Throughout the 1970s, he released a string of hits, including That's the Way Love Goes and Love Put a Song in My Heart. His debut album, Introducing Johnny Rodriguez, reached No. 1 on the country albums chart, and he received multiple nominations from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. More Trending In 1979, Rodriguez signed with Epic Records and worked with producer Billy Sherrill. While his chart success waned, he still achieved Top 10 hits in the 1980s, such as Foolin' and How Could I Love Her So Much. In 1998, headlines exploded with news of Rodriguez fatally shooting a man he believed to be a burglar. Rodriguez was charged with murder but was acquitted by a Texas jury, which deemed the incident self-defense. He toured extensively across the U.S. and internationally, playing venues from the Ryman Auditorium to Carnegie Hall. He was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and received the Pioneer Award from the Institute of Hispanic Culture in 2010. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Netflix's latest 'charming' film with 'giant heart' is your ultimate weekend watch MORE: John Legend pinpoints exact moment mentor Kanye West's 'descent' began MORE: Donald Trump to be shown in much 'kinder' light with new $100,000,000 biopic
Epoch Times
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Lee Greenwood Says There Was ‘No Doubt' About Putting God First When Writing Song
Country music singer and songwriter Lee Greenwood said putting God first was a 'conscious thought' with 'no doubt about it' when he wrote the lyrics to his iconic patriotic song 'God Bless the USA.' ''God Bless the USA' represented for me my love of the country,' Greenwood said in a recent He said his belief in the military, as well as his belief that he was a Christian and needed to express that, both played an important part in writing the song. The song was originally released in 1984. That same year, he He said the song took on its own life after it became song of the year in 1985 for the Country Music Association. He sang it Related Stories 4/17/2025 1/15/2025 He said it later lifted up America during the Gulf War and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York in 2001. Then it was picked up by President Donald Trump as his walk-out It wasn't always smooth sailing for Greenwood, though, who came from humble beginnings and was raised on a farm. 'I didn't have much, but I didn't know that I didn't have much,' he said. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II, Greenwood's father joined the Navy, leaving his mother to raise him and his sister, Greenwood said. He said his mother decided to divorce his father because of that and moved the family to his grandparents' farm in Sacramento, California. 'You've got to remember that during World War II, everybody sacrificed. … My grandparents were not any exception to that,' he said. 'Being sharecroppers, we didn't have a lot of land, so there wasn't a lot of money to go around.' But there was a small piano in his family's trailer that he would play at night for fun. With that, 'I had all I needed, and music came easy,' he said. Soon, he was able to play songs from the radio. 'I'm talking 9, 10, 11 years old, and we only had a very small radio that I could get a couple of stations on,' he said. Greenwood said his grandparents, who were his guardians, sent him to the First Baptist Church in North Sacramento when he was around nine years old. There, he sang in the choir. 'I remember my first song that I ever sang in church was O Holy Night, and I was scared to death because the pastor was all full of brim and fire,' he said. He said he enjoyed having faith while singing in the choir and that it gave him a great deal of spirit and harmony, but it wasn't until later that singing became his focus. 'I didn't really become what you would call a commercial singer and stand out in front of the band to sing until I was probably in my 20s,' he said. He said after his mother remarried, he spent a year in Orange County with her and attended Anaheim High School, where he started to learn other instruments. Then he moved back to Sacramento to finish high school at Norte del Rio. He was the drum major for the marching band and played the saxophone in the dance band. 'I worked in nightclubs at 15 years old,' he said, 'because in those days every quartet had a saxophone player, and I was the only one in Sacramento they wanted.' After high school, he got his own band together and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, because that's where the money was, and he ended up staying 20 years, he said. 'I don't believe I had a lot of faith in Nevada; I was chasing my career so very hard,' he said. 'I had a marriage and a divorce, another marriage and a divorce. I could not find the thing that would keep my feet on the ground.' It was when Greenwood moved to Nashville that he met his current wife, who helped bring him back to the faith that he had been missing, he said. He said they met in 1989 and were married in 1992, and at the time he had already written 'God Bless the USA' in a search for that faith, but it was his wife who embraced that part of his career and helped him to have the strongest faith he could possibly have. 'I believe she's the one that brought me back to the belief that I knew was there; I just was missing it,' he said. He said he's been told several times that the lyrics to 'God Bless the USA' are indelible, but Greenwood noted that he's not necessarily prophetic and that English was not his best subject. 'However, because in my early days I didn't make an awful lot of money and sometimes I had to write letters to people about expressing my sympathy for not paying bills on time, I got pretty good at letter writing,' he said. 'I got better at English because every time I didn't know how to spell a word, I got the dictionary and I looked it up.' He said when he wrote 'God Bless the USA,' he chose to mention various cities because his intent was to encompass the entire country. He said the song has been a major highlight for him because it's his best-known song, but it doesn't encompass his whole career. He has multiple country songs that went number one, with 36 studio albums as a country artist, and he has been employed by five different record companies. He shared about his experience at the RNC in Milwaukee on July 15 last year, The then-presidential candidate had just survived an attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, two days ago, where a bullet grazed his ear. One person in the audience was killed, and two others were critically injured during the incident. 'When I finished the first verse, I'm looking at the president walking in, walking very slow, very deliberately,' Greenwood said. 'I knew at that moment, 'I'm going to have to make this go longer.'' Fortuitously, he said, the Six Wire band that was playing with him had worked for him during the time when the song was new, and it had played USO tours with him. 'The band knew that I wanted to go longer. I didn't have to say it,' he said. The band kept playing until Trump got into the box, with JD Vance, who would later become vice president, standing next to him. 'Then I got eye contact with Trump Jr., and we were friends, and I noticed he had a very solemn look about him, not the jubilant look you would expect for the election now of his father. He was actually scanning the room looking for any possible threat, and I knew that that was the case. I too was a little nervous about that, because he'd just been shot, and so when I got eye contact with him, and he gave me sort of a nod, I knew that was the moment to finish the song. So before I did, I welcomed the president, and the place went crazy.' Greenwood said Trump is a very gentle spirit; he's shaken his hand many times, and he draws him in and gives him a bear hug. After Greenwood sang for Trump's entrance at a Madison Square Garden campaign rally last year, Trump gave him a slap on the back as he left the stage, 'which shows his friendship, his fellowship, his desire to be a friend,' Greenwood said. As a trustee at the Kennedy performing arts center, appointed by Trump, Greenwood said, 'I believe we're going to just go back the way it has always been, and that's inviting any wonderful act, any wonderful live performance, whether it's ballet or symphony or piano player or an athlete, somebody that presents wonderful entertainment for an audience that expects higher achievement.' Greenwood
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Country icon Alan Jackson honored at ACM Awards with lifetime achievement award
Country icon Alan Jackson honored at ACM Awards with lifetime achievement award Country music legend Alan Jackson got a standing ovation during the opening monologue at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards just because his name was mentioned. That explained why the ACM's new lifetime achievement award is named after Jackson, who is also its first recipient. After a simple and sweet performance of his hit "Remember When," Jackson took to the mic during the May 8 ceremony and thanked everyone for the special honor. "Usually one of my fans tells me they named their dog after me, and I thought that was really something," Jackson quipped. "I came to Nashville with a paper sack full of songs and a crazy dream and that all these years later I'm standing here receiving such an honor is mind blowing. "I thank God all the time for all the people that have been a part of my life and career and maintain this all this time." Alan Jackson's legacy previously honored by country industry Jackson is no stranger to lifetime achievement awards. In 2022 and 2024, his extensive body of work was honored by the Country Music Association and Nashville Songwriters Association International. At the 2022 CMA Awards, Jackson was presented with the association's Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award following an all-star tribute performance by Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Lainey Wilson. "The very first concert I ever went to was an Alan Jackson concert," Underwood said. "Seeing him perform helped inspire me to pursue my dreams." She added: "It's been said that country music is three chords and the truth. And in every one of Alan Jackson's songs, there is truth, for his powerful voice speaks to us about hope and heartache, about fun and friendship, about tragedy and triumph. About life, and a little about love." Beyoncé receives nominations at 25th BET Awards for album of the year, more Alan Jackson receives ACM Poets Award At the 2024 ACM Honors ceremony, Jackson received the Poets Award recognizing his songwriting prowess. The event's hosts, Jordan Davis and Carly Pearce, honored Jackson by performing "Chattahoochee" and "Don't Rock the Jukebox." Eric Church also performed a take on Jackson's 1990 hit "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow." "Alan Jackson is an institution and an American treasure. It's my honor to be here and play for him," Church said. Country icons: Lainey Wilson inducted into Grand Ole Opry by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood Jackson's appearance was particularly noteworthy in that it's one of the few he's made in public since his 2021 announcement that he had Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, which has profoundly impacted his ability to balance himself while standing. "There are so many people I can't even begin to thank them all," he said from the stage. "I do want to especially thank one person whose been my best friend since I was 17 years old, my wife Denise out there. She's loved me through the good, the bad, and the happy and the sad and has helped me keep my feet on the ground all these years. I wouldn't be here without her."
