SUNNY SWEENEY IS JOINED BY VINCE GILL FOR DEVASTATING NEW SONG “MARRIED ALONE”

/in /by
From upcoming album Married Alone, out September 23rd via Thirty Tigers

When Sunny Sweeney’s trusted friend sent her a demo of “Married Alone” in April of 2019, she immediately, deeply connected with the song. “I was coming out of a sticky divorce, and all the feelings were still so raw,” she remembers. “I felt the words, not just heard them.” The weaving, waltzing number is a classic country dagger to the heart made even more lonesome with the addition of guest vocalist Vince Gill. “My initial instinct was to have a male feature, and my mind immediately went to Vince,” says Sweeney. “I then committed to him in my mind, and thought if he was unavailable, then I would just do it alone.” The pair of voices singing the chorus—“There may be rings on our fingers, but we’re married alone”—reflect the beautiful misery captured in the song’s message, adding it to the list of all-time-great heartbreak songs. “I am eternally grateful to [Vince] for lending his gorgeous voice to this, as I feel like it pushed it to another level,” she says.

“Married Alone” is the title track from Sweeney’s upcoming album—produced by Paul Cauthen and The Texas Gentlemen’s Beau Bedford, out September 23rd via Thirty Tigers. Fans can listen to “Married Alone feat. Vince Gill” now on at this link or watch the lyric video on Brooklyn Vegan. check out the previously-released singles, “Easy As Hello” and “A Song Can’t Fix Everything,” and pre-order or pre-save Married Alone ahead of its release right here. 

Married Alone track listing:

Tie Me Up (Sunny Sweeney/Buddy Owens/Galen Griffin)

Easy As Hello (Sunny Sweeney/Lori McKenna/Heather Morgan)

Married Alone ft. Vince Gill (Hannah Blaylock/Josh Morningstar/Autumn McEntire)

Someday You’ll Call My Name (Sunny Sweeney/Brennen Leigh)

How’d I End Up Lonely Again (Sunny Sweeney/Channing Wilson/Josh Morningstar)

A Song Can’t Fix Everything ft. Paul Cauthen (Sunny Sweeney/Lori McKenna)

Want You To Miss Me (Sunny Sweeney/Caitlyn Smith)

Wasting One On You (Sunny Sweeney/Buddy Owens/Monty Holmes)

Fool Like Me (Waylon Payne/Kendell Marvel)

All I Don’t Need (Sunny Sweeney/Lori McKenna)

Leaving Is My Middle Name (Sunny Sweeney/ Buddy Owens/Galen Griffin/Scotch Taylor)

Still Here (Sunny Sweeney/Lori McKenna)

The Six One Five Collective’s Nicole Witt & Michael Logen Journey To Slovenia As Cultural Ambassadors From The U.S.

/in /by
Members of the Nashville Supergroup — Joined by Special Guests Luke Sheets, Cheyenne Medders and Lisa Torres
Deliver Music and Goodwill to the Balkan Country

Pictured L-R: Cheyenne Medders, Lisa Torres, Jamie L. Harpootlian (U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia), Nicole Witt, Michael Logen, and Luke Sheets at Wild West Fest On Fire

Nicole Witt and Michael Logen of the Six One Five Collective, along with special guests Luke Sheets, Cheyenne Medders and Lisa Torres, traveled to Slovenia as United States Cultural Ambassadors. They worked closely with the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia, making an appearance on local TV and performing six shows all over the country, acting as creative goodwill ambassadors.

“The incredible food, the Venetian architecture and the small towns and villages were amazing to visit and breathe in the local culture,” says Nicole Witt. “With visits to Murska Sobota, Wild West Fest on Fire at Lake Zbilje, Lake Bled, the Cultural Center in Trbovlje, the Noordung Space Center in Vitanje & Celje, Slovenia we got to see a lot of what this beautiful country has to offer. Ultimately though it was the people we met and the spirit of Slovenia that we’ll carry with us.”

The program was implemented in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, The U.S. Embassy in Slovenia, and American Voices.

Public Engagement Specialist Mateja Jurič (Public Affairs Office, U.S. Embassy Ljubljana, Slovenia), says, “Cultural programs like the one we just did with Six One Five Collective in Slovenia are extremely important and crucial as they foster mutual understanding between the United States and Slovenia. Music helps bring people together and has the unique ability to represent a culture as a whole, especially in times of uncertainties. It was a true pleasure and a great honor to work and spend time together with such an amazing group of musical talents and wonderful people. A profound thank you to Nicole, Michael, Lisa, Luke and Cheyenne, on my behalf and on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Slovenia, for making the Six One Five Collective tour around Slovenia such a success. In one of their songs they sing: ‘share a little kindness, share a little light.’ Well, from the reactions we received from everyone who had met them, it is clear that Six One Five Collective shared a lot of kindness and a lot of love around Slovenia! Najlepša hvala (thank you very much)!”

Chargé d’Affaires Melania Arreaga says, “What an awesome opportunity to spend an afternoon with Six One Five Collective at the Wild West Fest in Slovenia. From seeing all the enthusiastic line dancers on the dance floor it was clear that I wasn’t the only one. Music unites the global citizens of the world under one rhythmic flag. The U.S. Embassy in Slovenia is proud to have supported this creative endeavor, especially during these challenging times when we need unity and mutual understanding more than ever.”

“To host the Six One Five Collective at the festival Izrekanja this year was an immense pleasure and great honor,” says Kristian Koželj, who hosted the Six One Five Collective in Celje, Slovenia. “Since the festival’s main goal is to explore and present the ways poetry connects to other arts and resonates through them, the experience of Six One Five Collective music was an overwhelming journey into poetic language that presents itself in the form of lyrics. The authenticity and genuinity of Nicole’s, Lisa’s, Michael’s, Luke’s and Cheyenne’s art is a shiny reflection of its creators and their warm and humble characters. It’s as if their performance on the opening night of the festival opened the hearts of everyone present and that feeling expanded throughout all following days. They made the festival and everyone attending it better with their music. Thank you, Six One Five Collective, we can’t wait to have you back!”

Now stateside, Witt and Logen will celebrate the Six One Five Collective’s upcoming single “Coastin’” (Sept. 9) with a show at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley on Sept. 1 — tickets available here.

CHEAT CODES JOIN THE COUNTRY MUSIC SCENE WITH THEIR DEBUT COUNTRY MUSIC ALBUM “ONE NIGHT IN NASHVILLE”

/in /by
THE FIRST SINGLE  OFF THEIR ALBUM I REMEMBER WITH RUSSELL DICKERSON ARRIVES AUGUST 26

Multi-platinum hit-making trio Cheat Codes, popularly known for their smash single “No Promises” (feat. Demi Lovato), are diving into the country music scene with their debut country music album “One Night in Nashville- Presented by the Cheat Codes”   This album is an entierly new endeavor for the genre bending trio who have put out many records in the electronic dance, pop and alt rock genres.  Coming off the success of their independently released Hellraisers trilogy, making a county album was something that was the next natural step.

While making HELLRAISER PT, 3 one track in particular needed vocals and the band sent the song off to Little Big Town. When the track was returned and the vocals were rich with a soulful sound the groundwork for the country album was set. The band says “ we had set out to make a dance song and the vocals were so right it just made sense.  We didn’t know if anyone would want to do this with electronic artists but we found that they were just as keen to work with us as we were to work with them and that comfort set the tone for the type of album we wanted to make and who we wanted to work with moving forward.

Ever since they started as the Cheat Codes they have never liked the idea of being kept in a box of one genre. “We’ve always wanted to be able to experiment, push the envelope, and blur the lines between different types of music.”

Each one of the guys was influenced earlier on in their lives by Country music to some degree.  Having been influenced musically by many different acts in the space it wasn’t until the trio went to Nashville where it all started to come together.  The band says
“ Going to the coolest city ever after us making one song turned into us wanting to make an entire album.  We knew it was a different world musically from the one we lived in but we knew we wanted to be a part of it.”   Shortly after the guys did a song with Lee Brice and Lindsay Ell. “We felt so comforted and welcomed by them and their audience our collaboration was just so natural.  We were invited to play with them at the 2022 Stagecoach Festival and being embraced by not only them but their fans was such a special feeling we knew we had to do more.”  Collaborations started coming together and the official album was born.

This month Nashville also sent a warm welcome as the LA based DJ Trio were invited to play the famed Nashville Grand Prix, an experience that was both exciting and fun.  Being in Nashville also allowed for them to reconnect with multi-platinum recording artist Russell Dickerson with whom they share their first single.

“Working with Russell Dickerson was like that first sip of an ice cold beer as the suns going down. Jesse Frasure and Russell set the stage perfectly, the second they sent over the chorus we fell in love and knew exactly what we needed to bring this to life.”

Of the partnership Russell Dickerson shares “ Jesse Frasure sent me this song and as soon as I heard the chorus I was in.  I got together with the writers to finish it and it came together perfectly. Then enter Cheat Codes and these dudes took it to the moon.

KENNY CHESNEY CELEBRATES HERE AND NOW 2022 TOUR WITH OLD DOMINION + “BEER WITH MY FRIENDS”

/in /by
Pop-Up Single Drops to DSPs and Radio Tonight –
LIVE Debut Friday Aug. 26 @ Gillette Stadium’s Closing Double

 It took three stops, countless routings and re-routings, two names and a whole lot of patience; but in the end, Kenny Chesney’s record-shattering Here And Now 2022 Tour was one coast-to-coast stadium-sized revival. Having shared the stadium experience with the reigning five-time Academy of Country Music and four-time Country Music Association Group of the Year Old Dominion, Chesney thought their multiple stadium summers should be celebrated.

“There are people you meet and just click,” Chesney says of the five-piece who share his good vibes feel. “Matt (Ramsey) and Brad (Tursi) have been singing ‘Save It for a Rainy Day’ with me on all these tours, and that’s always – every single night – one of the highlights of the show for me. You can feel the energy, so I started thinking we better catch that while we can.”

“Beer With My Friends” embodies that kicking back, letting go reality with a thumping back beat and the kind of savor-the-revel chorus that’ll have fans singing along from the second round. Opening with a big electric guitar riff, Chesney and Old Dominion directly drop into a gang-chorus to kick-off what’s destined to be a working class, whistle blowing anthem.

“We’ve all been there,” Chesney offers with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter if it’s four years or yesterday, there’s nothing like hitting that local bar with your friends. That’s what this whole tour has felt like – every city, every face, every song – as we’ve taken it back out to No Shoes Nation. It’s so much more than a show or a concert, it’s really letting go –  and I wanted to capture that in a song. ‘Beer With My Friends’ is all of it.”

With fist-pumping exuberance, the David Lee Murphy/Shy Carter/Bryan Simpson industrial shuffle promises, “We’re gonna get that old jukebox working hard / Before it’s over I’ll know everybody in this bar…” as it slides into the happiest kind of happy hour. Life affirming, the opening verse stacks all the good things in life, but when the chorus swings around, Chesney confesses, “Sometimes I need to slip away and get a different view / There’s really something to that honky tonk attitude / It pulls me out of that everyday sinking sand…”

Ramsey gets his own turn to witness to the redemptive glories of drinking with buddies, confessing, “After I work my poor fingers down to the bone / Last thing I wanna do is go home and drink alone.” Then the all-sing chorus swoops back in, as the tourmates raise their voices in praise of fun, fellowship and a few cold ones.

With Chesney showing up semi-regularly at Old Dominion’s surprise pop-up shows along the Here And Now 2022’s stadium cities, “Beer With My Friends” was almost inevitable. More than the memories, jamming onstage and backstage mischief, “Beer With My Friends” distills coming together, hanging out and forgetting about what bothers you – the feel that’s defined this entire summer’s reality.

“I’ve never seen anything like this summer,” Chesney marvels. “Before it’s over, I wanted to give everyone something to remember it by, a song that we can all sing wherever we are – and know there’s nothing like these moments we’ve shared. All you gotta do is put it on, turn it up and we’ll all be right back there; bringing OD in reinforces it all. So, here’s to kicking it all off at Gillette Stadium this weekend.”

A LIVE ALBUM CHRONICLING CHARLIE DANIELS’ FIRST VOLUNTEER JAM ARRIVES AUGUST 26

/in /by
PREVIOUSLY-UNRELEASED ORIGINAL LIVE RECORDINGS OF
FIRST CHARLIE DANIELS VOLUNTEER JAM SET TO DROP THIS SUMMER

On October 4, 1974, country and southern rock icon Charlie Daniels held the first Volunteer Jam at the War

Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Now, nearly 50 years later, the complete performance from that evening will see the light of day for the very first time. Charlie Daniels & Friends: Volunteer Jam 1 – 1974 – The Legend Begins drops on August 26, 2022, via Blue Hat Records and BFD / Audium Nashville.

The 12-track album includes live performances from The Charlie Daniels Band with special guests or “volunteer” musicians Toy Caldwell and Paul Riddle of The Marshall Tucker Band, The Allman Brothers’ Dickey Betts, and Jamie Nichol. The previously unreleased project includes “Tennessee Waltz,” “Whiskey,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” “Caballo Diablo,” “Jambalaya,” “The South’s Gonna Do It (Again),” and more.
“The Volunteer Jam was a magical evening,” says Daniels’ longtime manager and Blue Hat Records president David Corlew. “There was no other event like it. There has never been and will never be. This is the first one. The beginning, where it all started. So let this first Jam be your melodic introduction to a musical legend like no other.”
Charlie Daniels & Friends: Volunteer Jam 1 – 1974 – The Legend Begins Track Listing:
1. Tennessee Waltz
2. Whiskey
3. Way Down Yonder
4. Long Haired Country Boy
5. New York City, King Size Rosewood Bed
6. Caballo Diablo
7. Jambalaya
8. Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)
9. No Place To Go
10. The South’s Gonna Do It (Again)
11. Orange Blossom Special
12. Don’t You Lie to Me
~Originally recorded by Johnny Rosen / Fanta Sound / Nashville, Tennessee
~Recorded live at the War Memorial Auditorium, October 4, 1974
~Remix and mastering Casey Wood
~Produced by Charlie Daniels and David Corlew
~Compilation producers: David Corlew / Bob Frank / Charlie Daniels Jr.

TAYLOR SWIFT AND ASHLEY GORLEY TO BE HONORED WITH NSAI DECADE ACHIEVEMENTS AT 5TH ANNUAL NASHVILLE SONGWRITER AWARDS PRESENTED BY CITY NATIONAL BANK

/in /by
Jordan Davis, Little Big Town, Luke Combs, Parmalee, Alana Springsteen Added To Stellar Line-Up of Performers

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has revealed their Decade honorees, announcing TAYLOR SWIFT as the ‘Songwriter-Artist of the Decade’ and ASHLEY GORLEY as the ‘Songwriter of the Decade.’ Their achievements will be honored at the Ryman Auditorium on September 20, 2022 with special segments during the 5th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards presented by City National Bank.

With nearly 20 previously announced performers set to take the stage to honor their favorite writers and award-winners, the line-up continues to grow with the additions of JORDAN DAVIS, LITTLE BIG TOWN, LUKE COMBS, PARMALEE, and ALANA SPRINGSTEEN. Previously announced performers include: Pat Alger, Tony Arata, Babyface, Kent Blazy, Jacob Davis, GAYLE, HARDY, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins, Matt McGinn, Thomas Rhett, Matt Rogers, Jenn Schott, Nathan Spicer, Matthew West, and more to come.

Decade award winners are determined by their cumulative songwriting success between the designated years (2010-2019), where points are given by calculating the percentage of songwriting credit in a Nashville-associated song and tracking each song’s performance on a week to week basis in the Top 20 of the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, Billboard Pop Songs Chart, Billboard Christian Airplay Chart or Billboard Rock Airplay Chart. For the ‘Songwriter-Artist of the Decade’ award, there is the additional requirement that they must be the recording artist as well as a credited songwriter of the song for points to count.

Taylor Swift’s incredible success between 2010-2019 now puts her in the company of previous decade award recipients: Toby Keith (2000-2009) and Vince Gill (1990-1999). This decade honor adds to her long list of NSAI achievements which most-notably includes being named NSAI’s ‘Songwriter-Artist of the Year’ a record-breaking seven times. Swift has also received three ‘10 Songs I Wish I’d Written’ awards (2020: “Lover” [written and recorded by: Taylor Swift]; 2017: “Better Man” [written by: Taylor Swift / recorded by: Little Big Town ]; 2015: “Shake It Off” [written by: Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift / recorded by: Taylor Swift]).

Chart-topping songwriter Ashley Gorley will be honored as NSAI’s ‘Songwriter of the Decade’ an award fitting for the songwriter who has earned the title of NSAI’s ‘Songwriter of the Year’ five times in the past eight years.

In addition to celebrating the aforementioned decade winners, the evening will also honor the 2022 song, songwriter, and songwriter-artist of the year, as well as previously announced recipients, GARTH BROOKS (Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award) and Sony Music Publishing Chairman & CEO, Jon Platt (NSAI President’s Keystone Award).

THE VOICE SEASON 19 FINALIST IAN FLANIGAN TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM ‘STRONG’ SEPTEMBER 2

/in /by
Ian Flanigan’s Latest Singles “Grow Up,” “Under A Southern Sky,” And “Last Name On It” Are Available Now

Country music singer/songwriter and The Voice Season 19 finalist Ian Flanigan will release his upcoming debut album ‘Strong’ on September 2. Flanigan delivers a combination of sweet and upbeat tunes along with powerful soulful tracks that will leave every listener begging for more. He has consistently released fan favorite singles such as “Grow Up” featuring Blake Shelton, “Under A Southern Sky,” and “Last Name On It,” showing not only his versatility as a singer but as a songwriter as well. Flanigan has been featured by Fox News Digital, Cowboys & Indians, Music Mayhem, American Songwriter, Sounds Like Nashville, and more!

Listen/stream/buy visit HERE.

“For me, strength has always come from the support of the folks I hold dear,” shares Flanigan. “I made this record to feel like stepping out of the loud and busy world after a hard day’s work, taking off your boots and having a seat with my loving family in the living room. My family would love for you to be our guest to enjoy this ride with us.”

Flanigan recently made his debut CMA Fest performance on the Maui Jim Reverb Stage, performing fan-favorite original music, and has been traveling the United States performing shows as well as an extensive radio tour. As part of the album release, fans can not only order the album digitally but can also purchase a limited edition vinyl record at ianflaniganmusic.com/strongpreorder.

BLAKE SHELTON RELEASING NEW SINGLE, VIDEO “NO BODY” FRIDAY, AUGUST 19

/in /by

 ‘90s Inspired Video Features a Retro Shelton

Blake Shelton moved to Nashville in the 1990s to follow his country music dreams. With the release this week of his new single, “No Body,” Shelton once again feels like a teenager. “I get excited and feel like a kid every time we release new music,” said Shelton. “But this song in particular takes me back to the ‘90s when I was in high school and first moved to Nashville, because it feels like what the music sounded like at that time.”

Written by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, “No Body” tells the story of a guy who doesn’t want to be with “No Body” but the person he’s with. “The hook confused me the first time I heard it – I’m hoping it’s the same way for everyone else so they have to listen to it a bunch of times to figure it out!” laughed Shelton.”

Both the song and the official music video will be available on Friday, Aug. 19. Filmed in a country bar in the Los Angeles area, the video harkens back to that ‘90s era when country establishments were filled with patrons line dancing. The video is authentic to the time and finds Shelton wearing a cowboy hat on top of his infamous mullet.

In addition to the new music, Shelton, who is celebrating his 12th year as a Grand Ole Opry member, will return to the Opry stage in Nashville on Saturday, Sept. 10 for performances in both the early and late shows. Shelton will no doubt perform his new single as well as several of his 28 No. 1 singles.

ANNE WILSON SCORES SIX DOVE AWARDS NOMINATIONS

/in /by

Capitol CMG artist and songwriter, Anne Wilson, has just scored six DOVE Award nominations for her major label debut album, My Jesus, including breakout tracks “My Jesus” and “Mamas (feat. Hillary Scott).” The Gospel Music Association’s DOVE Awards honors outstanding achievements and excellence in Christian and Gospel music.

“I am absolutely blown away that I’ve been nominated for SIX Dove Awards,” says Wilson. “God is beyond kind and faithful. I’m so grateful for all who have supported me so far on this journey and especially those in my GMA family. I cannot wait to continue to make music that glorifies God and points people back to HIM!”

Anne has been nominated in the following categories:

Song Of The Year – “My Jesus”

Songwriter Of The Year (Artist) – Anne Wilson

New Artist Of The Year – Anne Wilson

Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song Of The Year – “My Jesus” Anne Wilson

Bluegrass/Country/Roots Recorded Song Of The Year – “Mamas” Anne Wilson, Hillary Scott

Pop/Contemporary Album Of The Year – My Jesus Anne Wilson

Anne’s debut album, My Jesus, hit the #1 spot on multiple charts include Billboard’s Top Christian & Gospel Albums, Billboard’s Top 200 Christian & Gospel, Billboard’s Top Albums. The album’s title track, “My Jesus,” earned Anne her first RIAA Gold Certification and a 2022 Billboard Music Award nomination for “Top Christian Song.” The album also made CCMG history, scoring the biggest debut week in over 15 years by a Capitol Christian Music Group-signed new artist.

Her single, “Mamas,” was released this past Mother’s Day weekend and features one of her personal musical inspirations, Hillary Scott. The moving music video about the importance of a mother’s love has amassed over 8.5 million Facebook views to date.

Anne’s latest single, “Hey Girl,” is out now and impacting Christian radio on September 16.

For additional information on Anne Wilson tour dates, please visit: https://www.annewilsonofficial.com/tour/#/home

THE AMERICANA MUSIC ASSOCIATION PREVIEWS SPOTLIGHT ON ARKANSAS AT AMERICANAFEST 2022

/in /by
Upcoming programming focusing on the music of Arkansas will take place at the association’s 22nd annual music festival and conference event, Sept. 13-17 in Nashville, Tenn., presented in partnership with Arkansas Tourism and Visit Bentonville

This year, the Americana Music Association has selected the state of Arkansas as the regional music focus for its 22nd annual AMERICANAFEST, Sept. 13-17 in Nashville, Tenn. In partnership with Arkansas Tourism and Visit Bentonville, the destination music festival and conference event previews this special programming today that features multiple panels, special events and a music showcase over four days. Highlights include a panel focusing on the life and legacy of Johnny Cash; a special event with the brightest, upcoming Arkansan artists that are pushing the Americana genre forward; and an evening showcase of music with a star-studded tribute to Levon Helm. A full slate of programming can be found below.

“We’re beyond thrilled to spotlight the state of Arkansas at this year’s festival and celebrate its rich musical heritage,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association. “Through this programming, attendees will be able to experience the sounds of delta blues, rockabilly and Ozark folk, as we welcome our friends from the Arkansas tourism, music and creative industries who have built and are expanding the tradition of Americana.”

The Natural State has produced some of the most diverse and iconic pioneers of American music and contributors to the American songbook. From Sister Rosetta Tharpe, considered to be the birthmother of rock and roll, to Louis Jordan who ignited the move from rhythm and blues to rock and roll. Directly influenced by these local pioneers, Arkansas gave the world Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Al Green, Levon Helm, Ronnie Hawkins, Glen Campbell, Albert King, Howlin’ Wolf and many more. Two of the most significant artists mentioned in any of the writing about the roots of Americana music are Levon Helm (and The Band) and Johnny Cash, both Arkansas natives.

The Arkansas spotlight begins at the three-day conference portion of AMERICANAFEST on Wednesday, September 14, with music executive, visionary and Arkansas native Al Bell as a featured panelist for “Wattstax Now And Then: Celebrating 50 Years of Wattstax and Americana Music by Black Artists.” Bell, the former owner and CEO of the historic Stax Records, was born and raised in Brinkley, Arkansas before he became a disc jockey in Little Rock. He then propelled his Sunday morning DJ shifts into a lifelong career in the industry, working in promotions and producing records before making his way to the top of Stax Records. Hear from Bell and other contemporaries about the historic ’72 Wattstax festival that restored the Watts community spirit following the neighborhood rebellions outside of Los Angeles, California.

Additionally, Wednesday will include Arkansas musician Rev. Greg Spradlin moderating “Arkansas Creatives,” a discussion on creative influences that developed the Americana sound in The Natural State, with panelists Bonnie Montgomery, Jason Weinheimer (Fellowship Hall Sound) and Arkansas music historian Stephen Koch. The session will focus on how the Arkansas culture spawned the musical creativity that led to multiple influential artists carving a distinct Americana sound.

Peering into the past, industry veteran Sharon Corbitt will lead a history lesson during “Arkansas’ Delta Roots” on the innovators and originators of the southern delta sound. From gospel to country to blues, Larry McCray, Munnie Jordan (King Biscuit Blues Festival) and more panelists to be announced will discuss the artists that had a direct impact on the foundation of Americana.

Thursday is full of musical performances at 3rd and Lindsley. Sponsored by Arkansas Tourism and Visit Bentonville, the day begins with a special day party hosted by The House of Songs. The “Arkansas Extravaganza” will have appearances from Dylan Earl, David Starr, Shannon Wurst and more.

Following a glimpse into the future of Americana, the festivities continue in the evening with Arkansas showcasing acts taking the stage, which includes Willi Carlisle, Erin Enderlin, Larry McCray, Rev. Greg Spradlin and Bonnie Montgomery. The night closes with a special tribute honoring the career of Arkansas native Levon Helm. Backed by an Arkansas All-Star house band, Mike Farris, Allison Moorer, Autumn Nicholas, Webb Wilder, Oliver Wood and more will salute the legendary artist.

Kicking off the festivities on Friday, musician, writer and performer Robert Burke Warren will lead the charge on “Johnny Cash: An Arkansan Icon Endures,” with a deep dive into Cash’s historic career. Nearly 20 years after his passing, the Man in Black’s impact and influence still crosses genres, backgrounds and generations. His legacy as an Arkansan lives on through film, books and social media. AMERICANAFEST brings together Beverly Keel (MTSU), Adam Long (A-State Heritage Sites) and Robert K. Oermann to look at how his legacy has stood the test of time.

Returning on Saturday, September 17, The House of Songs hosts the “Arkansas Explorer Day Party” that will wrap up the week-long celebration and highlight the very best that The Natural State has to offer. Sponsored by Arkansas Tourism and Visit Bentonville, songwriters and Arkansas natives spotlight the sights, sounds and more with performances at InDo Nashville.

Those interested in attending AMERICANAFEST panels can purchase a 2022 Conference Registration (currently priced at $499 / $399 for Americana Music Association members), giving access to over 45 industry panels, more than 175 nightly showcases and close to 65 special events across town in Nashville. Music fans who are just interested in the nightly music showcases can purchase a Festival Wristband at $175, which allows entry into official showcases and select special events.