You can find out what it sounds like when Midland covers Chris Stapleton on their latest track, one the ACM male artist of the year co-wrote with his SteelDrivers bandmate Mike Henderson. 

“‘Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey’ is a seminal honky tonk up tempo classic that Stapleton wrote and fine artists like Gary Allan and The SteelDrivers have cut and performed,” lead singer Mark Wystrach says. “We liked the song as it provided us with an opportunity to do a bluegrass arrangement on the chorus that really soars!"

"It’s catchy as hell, up tempo and a lot of fun to play and sing," he adds.

"Drinkin' Dark Whiskey" follows "Marlboro Man," which came out in January. 

Look for Midland to sing both when they play the American Championship Rodeo Weekend May 22 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, ahead of their European tour in June.

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Megan Moroney slides into Dolly Parton's 1974 cover of the Jolene album for PEOPLE's new World's Most Beautiful Issue.

Sporting a blue-striped pajama-esque outfit with white sleeves, Megan steps into the graphics for the classic album and assumes the same position as Dolly in a moment you can only see on the PEOPLE website. 

The "Beautiful" hitmaker can't remember a time the global superstar wasn't part of her life.

“I must have learned the songs in the womb,” she told PEOPLE. “I don't remember an age where I learned these songs; I feel like I was born and I knew them. So I blame my mom for playing a lot of Dolly Parton in the car. I grew up in a household where it was like, ‘In this house, we respect Dolly Parton.’”

Beyond smashes like "I Will Always Love You," which appears on the Jolene album, Megan's influenced by Dolly's fashion.

“I think Dolly has inspired my style because she's always thought more is more, and I'm right there with you, girl — I love dressing up,” Megan says. “She's always been super confident, knows exactly who she is; she's kind and gracious, talented, over-the-top in some ways, but she really embraces it, so that's always been inspiring to me.”

While Megan often wears hair extensions, she admits it took multiple wigs pinned and braided together to achieve Dolly's mega-hairstyle from the mid-'70s. 

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Cody Johnson is ready to rock ahead of his headlining set Friday at Stagecoach. 

His new Amazon Music Original, "Rabbit Gets the Gun," features Jay Buchanan, lead singer of Rival Sons.

“Rival Sons has always been my favorite rock band,” Cody says. “I loved the chance to write with Jay, and being in the studio with him was an out-of-this-world experience."

"He has so much soul and grit, and an unmistakable voice," Cody continues. "We are so excited about our recording and want to get it out as soon as possible. Maybe I’ll add it to my Stagecoach set list.”

If you want to check out Cody's set, you can watch via Amazon Music, the exclusive livestream destination for Stagecoach. 

You can access the feed starting at 3 p.m. PT Friday through Sunday via Prime Video, Twitch or the Amazon Music app.

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Morgan Wallen's planning to give $1.2 million to his alma mater to revamp its baseball field, according to ABC's Knoxville affiliate, WATE. 

The 2011 graduate of Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee, was on the baseball team when it made it to the national championship in 2010. In 2025, the school renamed the field after the "Don't We" hitmaker.

The money would be used to transform Morgan Wallen Field into a "versatile, state-of-the-art multi-use athletic field," with plans to build a softball hitting and pitching facility on campus, as well. 

Morgan's previously made donations to the band program, basketball, Gibbs Youth Sports and Jefferson City Little League.

Next up, the Knox County Commission just needs to approve the donation from the Morgan Wallen Foundation at its upcoming April meeting. 

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Dylan Scott secures the seventh #1 of his career, as "What He'll Never Have" tops the Mediabase country airplay chart. 

This is the first one co-written by his brother, Logan Robinson, alongside Ricky Rowton and Robbie Gatlin.

“Grateful to notch another No. 1 in the belt," Dylan says. "Country radio and the country music fans have been too good to me. To the kid who grew up in Bastrop, Louisiana that dreamed of having a No. 1 plaque on his wall, we got seven now buddy!”

Dylan grabbed his first #1 with "My Girl" in July 2017, followed by "Nobody," "New Truck," "Can't Have Mine (Find You a Girl)," "Boys Back Home" with Dylan Marlowe and "This Town's Been Too Good to Us," which made it to the top in April 2025. 

On Friday, he'll release his first new music of 2026 with "Slow Down Ol' Son," a song inspired by something his mom used to say to him.

Currently on his Till I Can't I Will Tour, Dylan will hit Chicago, Fort Worth and Las Vegas before he wraps May 30 in Texas. 

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Darius Rucker hasn't put out a new album since 2023's Carolyn's Boy, but there's new music on the way, he revealed at the recent #1 party for Scotty McCreery and Hootie & the Blowfish's "Bottle Rockets." 

"I['ve] got a single coming out soon, as soon as we figure out what it is," he told reporters. "We have a couple of songs we love. So we're trying to figure out which one [will be first], how we're gonna go one and two."

Scotty and Darius share a producer, which led to the American Idol winner accidentally revealing the Hootie frontman — who's been living in London of late — has been in the legendary studio associated with The Beatles. 

"Frank [Rogers] and I recorded some stuff at Abbey Road, and it was great," Darius confirmed, before going on to answer a question about his October 2025 engagement to Emily Deahl.

"I'll be married probably by the end of the year," he said. "We're just gonna do it. We're not gonna have a big thing. We're just gonna go do it. So I'm sure by the end of the year, I'll be married."

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Vincent Mason's new track, "Don't Ask Me," is out now. The ACM new male artist of the year nominee currently has a top-20 hit with his debut single, "Wish You Well." 

The Bellamy Brothers are celebrating five decades of hits like "Let Your Love Flow" with their new song and video, "50 Years On."

You can check out ACM new female artist of the year nominee Dasha's performance of "She's So Gone" from The Kelly Clarkson Show on YouTube. It's from Disney's new Main Street Country EP. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Walt Disney Records.

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Bailey Zimmerman will park his metaphorical "Chevy Silverado" in Sin City for one night during the 2026 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo week. 

The "Rock and a Hard Place" hitmaker will bring his show to PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Presales are underway now, with tickets becoming available to the public on Friday. 

Next up on Bailey's concert agenda is a Friday stop at Stagecoach, before he resumes his Different Night Same Rodeo trek April 30 in Huntsville, Alabama. 

His latest single from the DNSR album, "Chevy Silverado," is currently a top-20 hit. 

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Shaboozey will preview his new album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales, with a "pop-up saloon experience" starting Friday at Stagecoach. 

The fourth record from the "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" superstar is a concept album that is set to arrive July 31. 

"It’s a western about revenge told continuously through every song, centered on the character Cherie Lee," he explains. "It explores so many themes, as many timeless westerns have: revenge, redemption, and romance, through the eyes of a protagonist looking to challenge everything she once thought true about her world."

"I poured all of myself into this," Shaboozey continues, "and I hope people become as immersed in the world and the journey as I have. This album was a promise to myself and something, no matter what, I had to keep. It pushed my songwriting and storytelling to new heights, and I couldn’t be more proud to say it’s done and almost yours.”

We'll get our first taste of the album Friday with the arrival of "Born to Die," which he's set to perform on the Today show plaza in New York City. 

You can also check out the trailer for The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales on YouTube.

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Riley Green rode home with three sell-outs on the first weekend of his Cowboy As It Gets Tour, with stops in Southaven, Mississippi; Louisville, Kentucky; and Nashville, Tennessee. 

Carly Pearce and Jamey Johnson both surprised the crowd at the Bridgestone Arena show in Music City. Carly and Riley recreated their new duet, "If I Don't Leave I'm Gonna Stay," while Jamey delivered his hit "In Color," plus "Where Corn Don't Grow."

The fellow Alabama native was also around to raise money following the second annual Riley Green & Friends golf tournament, playing an acoustic show in Gadsden alongside Drake White. In all, it brought in $650,000 for the Buford Bonds Foundation, which is named after his grandfathers. 

Riley made his acting debut on CBS' Marshals Sunday. His character, Garrett, is set to perform his new song, "My Way," on the April 26 episode. 

The next show for the "Change My Mind" hitmaker is Saturday at Stagecoach. 

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If you've been trying to figure out what the "ICLYA" license plate at the end of the "Choosin' Texas" video means, it seems Ella Langley's just answered the question: "I Can't Love You Anymore" is the name of her new duet with Morgan Wallen. 

“Ella wrote this song and sent it me about a month ago and I loved it,” Morgan told Saturday's crowd in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, before the pair debuted the song, according to Billboard. 

"Sweet home & I Can’t Love You Anymore with @morganwallen out Friday!" Ella later confirmed on her socials, adding photos from her home state stop on Morgan's Still the Problem tour. 

The two will have plenty of chances to perform together again, with Ella set to join Morgan for eight more stops on the trek.

Meanwhile, Ella has another reason to celebrate: Her sophomore album, Dandelion, debuts at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, having moved 169,000 equivalent album units in its first week. 

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Miranda Lambert is laying the groundwork for new music, and this time, it'll be on MCA.

As part of the announcement, label mate Reba McEntire presented Miranda with the belt buckle the company gave her when she signed with MCA in 1975. 

“Throughout my life and career, I have found that the common thread in every chapter is finding the right people – songwriters, musicians, collaborators and team members – to match the moment,” Miranda says in a news release. “I am honored to join a roster and a team with such a rich history of championing artistry. I look forward to sharing this new music with the world under their banner.”

2024's Postcards from Texas was a partnership with Republic/Big Loud, following Miranda's two-decade, career-launching relationship with Sony. She'll continue her involvement with Big Loud Texas, which she founded.  

To date, Miranda has seven #1 albums and 10 #1 singles to her credit, and is the most-awarded artist in the history of the Academy of Country Music.

She has 8 nominations at May's 61st ACMs, second only to Megan Moroney's nine.

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Even though he's only 3, Scotty McCreery's son Avery McCreery is already a music buff who loves going on the road with his dad. 

"Avery goes through phases," Scotty explains. "Right now, he is a massive Ronnie Milsap fan. That's all we listen to in the car, to the point where I never thought I'd get tired of Ronnie, but it's getting close."

Scotty's hit "Bottle Rockets" was inspired by the summers he spent listening to Hootie & the Blowfish growing up and includes a rerecording of the band singing the chorus of their huge hit "Hold My Hand." 

Just before the collab came together, Avery discovered the band for himself.

"Probably just a month prior," Scotty recalls, "we got into a Hootie phase with Avery, and 'Hold My Hand' was the song. He was like, 'Can you play this on guitar?' And I was playing it for him. So when he heard Daddy sing, and then he heard 'Hold My Hand,' he was like, 'That's the Hootie song!' So Avery's a big fan."

Of course, "Bottle Rockets" did a lot more than just impress his son. Scotty and the band celebrated its chart-topping success Thursday with a #1 party at BMI in Nashville. 

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Eric Church's July 6-8 shows at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre sold out in just minutes on Friday morning, after his Church Choir fan club maxed out their ticket allotment during the presale. It's the second year in a row the Chief has sold out multiple nights at the iconic venue. 

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum welcomed its 20 millionth visitor at its new location on Wednesday, after relocating from Music Row to Downtown in 2001. Former tour guide Trisha Yearwood surprised the Sagi family from Santa Clara, California, with a photo op. 

Riley Green's new track, "My Way," is out now, ahead of his debut Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Marshals. He wrote the song by himself especially for the CBS/Paramount+ show. 

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Ashley McBryde's trapped in the car with an unhappy family in the music video for her new track, "Lines in the Carpet."

"She keeps pushing that Dyson everyday all over again/ And he’ll come home from work tonight and walk all over them," she sings in one of the verses.

Even though it's a song she didn't write, it's a topic that resonates with Ashley. 

“I see so many women I know in this song,” she reveals. “There’s no promise in the lyrics that things are going to change or get better—it just stays with that feeling of being contained, and knowing that the person you’re with is completely oblivious to everything you’re feeling."

"This record is about getting back in touch with the Wild within," she adds, mentioning her upcoming fifth album. "I think part of that means taking a good long look at what keeps us caged.”

Friday and Saturday, Ashley wraps up her 2026 Redemption Residency at Chief's in Nashville with a show titled Mixed Tape from the Mixed Up Years, featuring deep cuts and covers.

Wild drops May 8. 

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Miley Cyrus' special guest on a new version of her song "Younger You" is someone who used to make a living as a Hannah Montana impersonator: CMA and ACM entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson.

Lainey writes on Instagram, "If I go back and tell myself one thing it’d be…'Hey younger you, you’re gonna impersonate Hannah Montana all throughout high school, playing every birthday party, fair and festival between here and Louisiana and then one day…. you’re gonna have a song with the real Hannah Montana.'”

"@mileycyrus thank you for asking me to join you on this special song," she adds. "If this ain’t a full circle moment, I don’t know what is."

The post included photos and video of Lainey and Miley together in recent years.

Lainey impersonated Hannah at parties and events from the time she was in eighth grade through 12th grade. She tells People in an Instagram video, "It taught me that this wasn't gonna be easy, but it was gonna be fun."

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It's "Raining Whiskey" as Lauren Alaina releases her first new music of 2026. 

“'Raining Whiskey' is what happens when heartbreak meets happy hour," she says of her new song. "It represents a completely different stage of my life than the one I am in now, but it reflects one that I'm glad I lived through."

"I am happy to finally be able to tell the story of my twenties while living a new chapter in my thirties," she adds.

Lauren and husband Cam Arnold welcomed their daughter, Beni Doll Arnold, back in June. 

Saturday, April 25, the Peach State native is part of the superstar lineup for Live Between the Hedges at the University of Georgia's Sanford Stadium with Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Zach Top. 

The American Idol alum currently has a top-30 hit with "All My Exes" with Chase Matthew.

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Corey Kent's "Wannabe" is a "cowboy campfire ballad" that offers a sonic preview of his next album. 

“‘Wannabe' was the first song we wrote for the new record, and as soon as we finished it, we knew it represented the sound we were chasing for this project," Corey says. "It’s simple on purpose, and that’s what I love about it. It’s a song about how the little things and everyday moments in life mean more than fame and fortune ever could."

"Wannabe" follows "Empty Words," which came out in February, and Corey's top-15 hit, "Rocky Mountain Low," with Koe Wetzel. 

Corey's upcoming album follows 2024's Black Bandana, which features his second #1, "This Heart."

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Cody Johnson's new record, Banks of the Trinity, paints a picture of how he grew up. 

“On this album, I wanted to tell the story about my childhood,” he says. “When I heard the song ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ for the first time, it was like this portrait showed in my head of memories that I had honestly forgotten. It just took me back home to Sebastopol, Texas, where I grew up on the Trinity River. I had tears in my eyes when I heard it for the first time.”

The cover photo shows Lawrence Grocery, the store where Cody would ride his bicycle as a child to pick up supplies and enjoy a cream soda and ice cream as a he waited. 

You can check out the track "I Want You" now, ahead of the arrival of Banks of the Trinity on June 26. 

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At Wednesday's #1 party for "Happen to Me" at BMI in Nashville, Russell Dickerson was open about being shut out of the nominations for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards, after having the biggest year of his career so far. 

It's a disappointment made better by the fact that he's up for best country song at the fan-voted American Music Awards.

"Speaking very candidly," Russell told reporters, "there was another award show that was announced the week before and that was kind of like, 'Oh man, that woulda been cool to be in that category.'"

"So this coming out a week later or whatever was definitely like — [it] picked the spirits back up. And it being an all-genre show is what's a little cherry on top. Feels nice," he added. 

The 61st ACMs take place May 17 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, while the AMAs are Memorial Day, May 25, at the same venue. 

You can vote for Russell's song online. 

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