Country Music Hall of Fame group Alabama has just announced the initial dates on their upcoming ‘Live in Concert 25 Tour.’ The series of 14 headlining shows will feature founding members Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, with the tour set to kick off in Phoenix on April 17, hitting various cities throughout the US and Canada, before finishing in Allentown, Pennsylvania on August 28. Opening acts on select dates of the tour will be Lorrie Morgan, Pat Green, Eddie Montgomery, Lee Greenwood, Jamey Johnson, Ned LeDoux, BlackHawk, and Alex Miller. “There’s nothing I look forward to any more than performing the songs our great fans have made hits,” Owen said in a statement. While Gentry added, “We are eager to get back on the road and make more cherished memories with each of you,” Gentry added. “We can’t wait to reconnect and share the music that brought us all together.”

• April 19: Lincoln, Calif. – Thunder Valley Casino Resort (w/ Lorrie Morgan)
• April 27: Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Arena (w/ Eddie Montgomery)
• May 23: Bonner Springs, Kan. – Azura Amphitheater (w/ Lee Greenwood)
• May 25: Ridgedale, Mo. – Thunder Ridge Nature’s Arena (w/ Pat Green)
• June 5: Windsor, Ontario, Canada – The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
• June 7: Bradley, Ill. – Bradley 316 Festival (w/ Eddie Montgomery)
• June 14:Creighton, Pa. – Iron City Stage at Pittsburgh Brewing Company (w/ Jamey Johnson)
• June 18: Redding, Calif. – Redding Civic Auditorium (w/ Eddie Montgomery)
• June 20: Sparks, Nev. – Nugget Event Center (w/ Ned LeDoux)
• July 19: Old Washington, Ohio – Old Washington Music Fest
• July 25: York, Pa. – York State Fair (w/ Alex Miller)
• Aug 9: Galva, Ill. – The Back Road Music Festival (w/ BlackHawk)
• Aug 28: Allentown, Pa. – The Great Allentown Fair

In a new interview with Billboard, Alison Krauss shares the motivation behind reuniting with Union Station for their first album together in nearly 14 years, Arcadia, which is released on Friday (March 28) via Down the Road Records. Krauss – a 27-time Grammy winner – admits that it was never their intention to take such a long hiatus. “We didn’t mean for it to take so long, but it did,” Krauss said of the group, which has won 14 Grammys of their own. While the departure of vocalist/mandolin player Dan Tyminski was an initial blow to their reunion plans, Russell Moore of IIIrd Tyme Out stepped in to breathe new life into the project. “I can’t even believe we got to play with Dan for 30 years and now we get to play with Russell, too,” Krauss says. “It’s just amazing, the fortune of this band.” This spring, the group will hit the road together for the first time in a decade, embarking on a sprawling 75-date North American tour to support Arcadia. 

Hailey Whitters recently shared a TikTok video that documents her frightening ordeal of finding a bat in her toilet. The scary encounter eventually caused the 35-year-old country star to receive a series of rabies shots, after she unknowing used the toilet where the bat was hiding. Whitters wrote over the video clip, "She doesn't know it yet, but she's about to get five rabies shots from peeing in this toilet before she knew there was a bat in there." The singer-songwriter's video has since gone viral while amassing over 400,000 views, with a fan commenting, "this is a nightmare I don’t wanna have." As to how the bat got there, Whitters shared, "The pest removal guy said it came through the chimney in the middle of the night, not sure how it found the toilet." Despite the bizarre encounter, Whitters reassured her followers that she received the necessary treatment and is doing well. 

On March 27, the Academy of Country Music unveiled the full list of 2025 ACM Awards nominations, led by singer Ella Langley with eight total nods. Six of her nominations are for “you look like you love me,” her hit collaboration with Riley Green, which is up for both Single and Song of the Year. Langley is also up for Female Artist and New Female Artist of the Year. Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson are close behind with seven nods, while Chris Stapleton has six, Green and Post Malone each have five, and Kelsea Ballerini has four, including her first nod for Entertainer of the Year. Other nominees for Entertainer of the Year include Luke Combs, Johnson, Jelly Roll, Stapleton, Wallen, and Wilson, who took home the honor last year.

Muscadine Bloodline is nominated for Duo of the Year, while The Red Clay Strays are nominated for Group of the Year, alongside frequent nominees Old Dominion, Little Big Town, and Rascal Flatts. Stapleton received his 10th consecutive nomination for Male Artist of the Year, and Kacey Musgraves received her ninth nomination for Female Artist of the Year, which she won in 2019, while Ballerini is nominated for the eighth time, though she has yet to win in that category. The 2025 ACM Awards is taking place on May 8, with host Reba McEntire and featuring performances by Wilson, Blake Shelton and Eric Church. 

Billy Ray Cyrus took to Instagram on Tuesday (March 25) to express his immense pride in his daughters Miley and Noah as they enter new phases in their music careers. The 63-year-old "Achy Breaky Heart" singer shared an emotional outpouring of admiration and support for his two girls, praising Miley's upcoming album, Something Beautiful, and commending Noah's recent release of "Don't Put It All on Me," celebrating both of his daughters’ artistic growth and achievements. “Flesh and blood … completely taking their art to a whole new level,” he captioned his post, which featured promotional photos from both Miley and Noah’s new projects. “Congratulations girls! Well done. I’m so damn proud of both of you. I’m actually crying as I write this. Have fun now and be happy ! 😊 Love Dad.” Last month, Noah celebrated the release of Billy Ray's recent single, "Lost," voicing public support for her dad after her brother, Trace Cyrus, suggested estrangement within their family. 

While on tour in New Zealand and Australia earlier this year, Luke Combs debuted a series of new songs at his shows. The country superstar is now offering fans an enticing update about his next project with a post on X on Tuesday (March 25). “I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks working on what my next record looks like and as it begins to take shape I can honestly say I’ve never felt better about one at this stage,” Combs wrote. “It’s early on but I really do think it could wind up being the best record I’ve ever made.” At the end of January, Combs gave fans a taste of what his new record might sound like, sharing a full live performance of an unreleased track, “Wish Upon a Whiskey,” while revealing that he has “Been playing a new one in each city overseas.” The 2021 and 2022 CMA Entertainer of the Year released his latest record, Fathers & Sons, on Father's Day (June 14th) of 2024.

On Wednesday (March 26), CMA Fest organizers announced over 200 performers for its 2025 lineup, led by Kelsea Ballerini, Shaboozey, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, and Cody Johnson. The festival takes place at six stages located throughout downtown Nashville from June 5-8, with various ticketing options available. Other notable artists scheduled to perform at Nissan Stadium include Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Jordan Davis, Riley Green, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Rascal Flatts, Red Clay Strays, Darius Rucker, Zach Top, and Bailey Zimmerman, with more artists to be revealed in the weeks ahead. Young country sensations Megan Moroney and Ella Langley are set to perform at both Nissan Stadium and on the Chevy Riverfront Stage, which will also feature sets by Dasha, Jackson Dean, Dylan Marlowe, RaeLynn, Austin Snell, Alana Springsteen, Tigirlily Gold, the War And Treaty, and Tucker Wetmore. The nightly stadium shows will be filmed for a network special that will air on ABC and Hulu this summer, overseen by Robert Deaton and Alan Carter. Complete lineup and ticket info can be found at cmafest.com. 

Chappell Roan makes a big splash in the country genre as her new single, "The Giver," debuts at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart this week. The track garnered impressive numbers with 22.3 million official U.S. streams, 2.2 million audience impressions, and 6,000 units sold in its debut week. Notably, this marks Roan's first No. 1 on the country charts, as well as her first time topping the Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales charts. Additionally, "The Giver" lands at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the third Top 10 hit of the Best New Artist Grammy-winner’s career. Roan becomes just the third woman to debut her first Hot Country Songs entry at No. 1, after Beyoncé’s 2024 hit, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and Bebe Rexha’s 2017 chart-topper with Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be,” which went on to reign for a record 50 weeks. 

Photo: Morgan Foitle

Josh Brasted/CMA

John Russell/CMA

After making surprising appearances at Nashville's iconic Tootsie's Bar and the Bluebird Café last weekend, Ed Sheeran's deep ties to Music City have come into focus. The English pop superstar has a decade-long history of songwriting for country music icons including Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Kelsea Ballerini. An unreleased collaboration with Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, as well as Nashville star Ross Copperman, called “Blue Mustang” will hopefully surface someday. “I love Ed Sheeran,” Hubbard said before his C2C Festival 2025 performance in London. “He spent some time in Nashville making music, writing songs, and I was fortunate enough to get in a room with him and write a couple of songs. He's obviously one of the greats, and somebody I admire for many reasons. His creativity and his songwriting skill is next to none.” As Sheeran gears up for his new music project, Play, hopefully he includes these unreleased country-infused tracks.