Longtime Country hitmaker, Sara Evans, joined award-winning broadcaster and podcaster, Candy O’Terry and Music City Mentor, Jacy Dawn Valeras on their current episode of their joint podcast project, Country Music Success Stories with Candy O’Terry. They say you should never meet your idols because you might be disappointed, but when Candy and Jacy pulled up to Sara Evan’s home just outside of Nashville, and she greeted them with a warm hug and a welcoming smile at the door, they knew that their time together with Sara would be very special. Country Music Success Stories with Candy O’Terry is well on the way to becoming a success story on its own. Subscribe to the podcast here and listen on all podcast platforms here.

“I loved welcoming Candy and Jacy into my home to talk about my life and career,” shared Sara Evans. “They were the sweetest!”

“This might be my favorite interview so far,” says Candy O’Terry. “With five #1 songs, an ACM Award for Top Female Vocalist, a CMA for Video of the Year, Grammy, Billboard, BMI, R&R, CMA & ACM nominations, and 10 studio albums, Sara Evans is a success story by any standard, but it is her personal story that really blew us away. Turns out, the girl next door who sang Suds in the Bucket really did grow up on a farm in Missouri, with the clothes hanging out on the line.”

“Having the opportunity to sit down and talk with Sara, an artist I have personally admired for so long, was truly a career highlight for me,”  shared Jacy Dawn Valeras. “The wisdom and advice she graciously and honestly gave me to pass along to our listeners has been one of my favorite moments in the podcast so far.”

Future guests will include Jim Messina, Bill Anderson, John Schneider, Jim Vest, Chris Lindsey, Pam Lewis and many others, including surprise guests along the way. Past guests have included Collin Raye, Aimee Mayo, John and Robin Berry, Steve Dorff, Naomi Judd, Jeannie Seely, Crystal Gayle, Lori McKenna, Karen Staley, Kent Blazy, Larry Strickland, T.G. Sheppard and Kelly Lang.

The popular podcast is the 2021 winner of two Awards of Distinction recognized by the Communicator Awards for Best Host, and Best Music-based Podcast. The popular podcast made its debut on in the top #25 on Apple Podcasts USA Music Interviews Chart and has been picked up by iHeartMedia, the #1 commercial podcast publisher globally and RADIO.COM which is powered by Entercom, the 2nd largest radio group in the country and the top podcast producer which includes 800+ streaming stations across the US.

In this Nashville based podcast, radio legend & master interviewer Candy O’Terry goes straight to the pros to hear their stories. From singers to producers, songwriters to record label executives, radio programmers and DJ’s to PR and marketing pros, every episode is a deep dive into what it takes to succeed in the country music industry. If you want to make it in Nashville, you need a roadmap. Music City Mentor and Founder of Platinum Circle Media, Jacy Dawn Valeras provides valuable advice about everything from writer’s rounds to online marketing and building a network that will go the distance

After spending a week together in Nashville with the idea of doing a 4-part series for O’Terry’s award-winning podcast and radio program The Story Behind Her Success, the two realized that the city was rich with stories to tell and that a platform for music industry stories, combined with the rich content Valeras had accumulated through her YouTube series, might be a hit.   As life-long singers and country music fans, Candy & Jacy have a clear vision of the guests they seek.  “We’re on the lookout for women and men who aren’t afraid to tell the world how they got to where they are today in the music business, including the good times when they were riding high, and the bad times when they were on the verge of giving up. These stories are meant to teach and inspire others to take a chance on living their dreams.”

Stay current with Country Music Success Stories on the website countrymusicsuccessstories.com and stay up to date on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Stay current with Candy O’Terry on her website candyoterry.com and follow her on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Stay current with Jacy Dawn Valeras on her websites jacydawnvaleras.com and  platinumcirclemedia.com and follow her on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Sara Evans: 
Multi-platinum entertainer Sara Evans is at the top of her game. As the fifth most-played female artist at country radio in nearly the last two decades, her five No. 1 singles include “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket, “A Real Fine Place To Start,” “Born to Fly,” and “A Little Bit Stronger,” which spent 2 weeks in the top spot and was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. Sara’s “stunning, country voice” (Rolling Stone) has earned her the prestigious Academy of Country Music Top Female vocalist accolade as well as numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Association, CMT and Grammy Awards nominations. In addition, the CMA awarded Video of the Year honors for her hit chart-topping single, “Born to Fly” from her landmark double-platinum album of the same name.  Evans’ discography also includes the platinum-selling studio albums Real Fine Place and Restless as well as the gold-certified projects Stronger and No Place That Far. Sara has continued to forge her bold, creative path with Copy That, which opened at #1 on the iTunes Country chart, released on her own Born To Fly Records on May 15, 2020. The 13-song collection, spanning six decades, showcased Evans’ distinctive creative stamp on some of the most iconic songs in country and pop music, songs that have inspired her life and career, as well as shining a spotlight on some little-known gems. Copy That follows her critically acclaimed Words, which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart in 2017. Last year brought album and touring collaborations with her children, Avery and Olivia Barker, for The Barker Family Band.  Sara released her memoir, Born To Fly, on September 8, 2020 through Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Named after her landmark double-platinum album, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, Born To Fly finds Evans opening up and sharing stories not only about her career and what it is like living in the spotlight, but about what inspires her and how her faith keeps her strong. For more information on Sara Evans, visit  SaraEvans.com and engage with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Candy O’Terry:
Candy O’Terry is an award-winning broadcaster and podcaster.  Known as Boston’s Beloved Radio Voice, she spent 25 years on the air at Magic 106.7/WMJX.  As the Founder of My Dove Productions, the Candy O Radio Network co-founder of the newly formed Two Dreams Entertainment, Candy’s lens is focused on storytelling.  She is the host of The Story Behind Her Success weekly podcast and radio series, The Speaker Coach podcast, 16 Life Lessons Motivation Monday feature, and the Nashville-based podcast series Country Music Success Stories featuring business partner, Music City Mentor, Jacy Valeras. Chosen by her peers as the 2015 Massachusetts Broadcaster of the Year, Candy is the winner of 52 local and national awards.  Known for her unique ability to turn any interview into an easy conversation, she has interviewed 800 women from every walk of life, and counting. A lifelong singer, Candy’s full-length CD Dream Come True includes songs heard around the world. She’s no stranger to TV and film, having served as the center judge for 7 seasons on the Emmy Award-winning TV talent show Community Auditions, and as an actress in 4 independent feature films. Born in New York City and raised in Connecticut, Candy came to Boston as a 1-meter diving champion for Boston College.  The Co-Founder of Boston Women in Media & Entertainment, she is a sought after public speaker, communications coach, emcee, voice over talent, influencer and endorser. The consummate performer, Candy O has never met a microphone she didn’t love!

Jacy Dawn Valeras:
Jacy Dawn Valeras has spent her entire career focused on both the performance and the business side of country music.  Born and raised just outside of Boston, she started singing professionally at 13 and by 19, Jacy Dawn was opening for country music legends like Reba and Willie at iconic venues like Madison Square Garden, the Bluebird Café and the Texas Troubadour Theatre. When vocal issues caused her to press pause on her singing career, Jacy Dawn knew she could combine her experience as a performer with her love of social media marketing, graphic design and content creation.  In 2012, she launched her Nashville-based company, Platinum Circle Media with a client roster that includes country music superstars, record labels and Fortune 500 companies who come to her for what she does naturally:  create star power. As the creator and host of the popular YouTube series Music City Mentor, Jacy Dawn shares her wisdom with rising artists and has developed a unique platform devoted to mentorship with over 250 thousand views and counting.  In 2020, she joined forces with Boston radio legend Candy O’Terry to create the award-winning Nashville-based podcast series Country Music Success Stories where music industry icons open the doors to their homes to share firsthand how they got to where they are today. In 2021, Valeras and O’Terry formed Two Dreams Entertainment, LLC with a vision to expand their brand through the creation of a robust website:  countrymusicsuccessstories.com, YouTube channel, vlog, and educational summits for the next generation of country music stars.

Exhibit opens July 30 with artifacts including her many CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year awards

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is set to explore the music and legacy of influential vocalist Martina McBride in the exhibition Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice. The exhibit encompasses the singer’s journey from performing in her family’s band as a child to becoming an award-winning country music artist with an enduring career delivering substantive and socially aware hit songs. Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice opens July 30, 2021, and runs through Aug. 7, 2022.

McBride—known for hits including “Independence Day” and “A Broken Wing”—has ranked as one of country music’s most powerful voices, owning four CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards. The Kansas native released her major label debut in 1992 and had her first Top Ten single on Billboard’s country charts in 1993 with “My Baby Loves Me.” Inspired by forerunners such as Linda Ronstadt and Country Music Hall of Fame members Reba McEntire and Connie Smith, McBride brought her own unique voice and style that helped further modernize the image of female artists in country music, choosing material that often highlighted women’s strengths. In 2019, the Academy of Country Music presented her with the Cliffie Stone Icon Award for her contributions to country music.

“Martina McBride has been creating powerful, socially conscious country music for more than 25 years,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “Her anthems of personal empowerment have addressed the challenges women face and contributed a much-needed perspective to the genre. The empathy at the core of her music informs her life offstage, where she advocates for female artists.”

Born July 29, 1966, Martina Mariea Schiff was raised on a dairy and wheat farm in Sharon, Kansas, population 200. By age seven, she began performing with her family’s band, the Schiffters. After moving to Wichita, Kansas, she performed in rock bands in area clubs and met recording engineer John McBride, whom she married in 1988. After returning home to sing with the Schiffters at a battle of the bands, she decided to move to Nashville and sing country music.

The McBrides moved to Nashville in January 1990, as country music exploded in popularity. John started working as a sound engineer on concert tours and, in 1991, became production manager for Garth Brooks. So that the newlyweds could spend more time together, Martina took a job on Brooks’ tour selling T-shirts. She made a demo recording of five songs to pitch to record labels. To get the demo to the talent scouts at RCA Records, she got past the company’s strict rules about submitting new material by writing, in large letters, “REQUESTED MATERIAL” on a bright purple package, even though RCA had not asked for the tape. The strategy worked. RCA signed McBride to a recording contract in 1991.

Focusing on traditional country music, McBride’s debut album, The Time Has Come, was released in May 1992. The album received critical accolades, but it wasn’t until the release of her second album, The Way That I Am, that she began achieving commercial success, with songs focused on what she described as “melody and message.” The song “My Baby Loves Me” reached #2 on Billboard’s country charts and depicts a woman reveling in her partner’s love of the traits that make her different and distinctive. “Independence Day,” an anthem portraying an abused wife and mother reaching a breaking point, was named Song of the Year in 1995 and Video of the Year in 1994 by the CMA.

The Way That I Am crossed the million-seller plateau in May 1995 and began a streak of platinum albums stretching into the 2000s. McBride ranked among country music’s most acclaimed stars of the era. She won four CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards, three consecutively (1999, 2002-2004), and three consecutive ACM Top Female Vocalist honors (2001–2003). In November 1995, she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

After years of crossover pop success, McBride returned to her roots in traditional country music with her 2005 album, Timeless, the first album she produced alone. She has continued as a commercial force: Each of her albums from 2007 to 2016 reached the Top Five on the country album chart. She continued as a cultural force, too: In 2015, she became a lead voice in combatting the dwindling airplay given to female country artists.

Martina McBride, who will mark her thirtieth year as a recording artist in 2022, epitomizes how country artists can find success as they reflect their changing times and address social issues in songs.

“Postponing the exhibit opening last year due to the pandemic was a difficult decision but the right one,” said McBride. “It did, however, allow us more time to plan and dig through my archive to find several truly special artifacts. I’m excited to finally be able to let everyone see what we’ve created. Having an exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is something I’ve had on my dream list for a long, long time. Being able to share moments and mementos from my life and career with my fans and country music fans from all over the world is both humbling and exciting. I’m so grateful to be a part of country music.”

Items featured in Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice include awards, stage wear, handwritten lyrics and personal artifacts. Some highlights:

• Shirt, vest and pants ensemble worn on stage by McBride, when she performed at age seven with her family’s band, the Schiffters
• McBride’s 1984 Sharon High School yearbook
• The beaded headband and tulle veil worn by Martina at her wedding to John McBride, May 15, 1988
• Songwriter Gretchen Peters’ original handwritten manuscript for “Independence Day”
• Letter from Dolly Parton to McBride, congratulating her on being named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 2003
• Jenny Packham dress—embellished with rhinestones, beads and sequins—worn by McBride on the cover of her 2007 album Wake Up Laughing
• CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards presented to McBride in 1999, 2002-2004
• ACM Female Vocalist of the Year awards presented to McBride in 2001-2003

Available Everywhere This Friday, June 18, Pre-Save HERE

Celebrated by The Washington Post for his “deafening country rock that has earned him a loyal fanbase,” truth-teller Brantley Gilbert took to social media with his friends turned collaborators Toby Keith and HARDY for the first taste of “The Worst Country Song Of All Time” – the Georgia-native’s highly-anticipated new single, ready for release on Friday, June 18, via The Valory Music Co. Pre-save the song, which will impact Country Radio on Monday, June 21, HERE.

Last month, Brantley Gilbert asked BG Nation a burning question on TikTok: “What is the worst country song of all time?” With nearly 500K views, over 7,500 opinionated fans left their thoughts in the comments, with the debate making its way into a writer’s room containing Gilbert, HARDY, Hunter Phelps and Will Weatherly.

“HARDY threw t

he idea on the table, and he said, ‘Guys, I know this is crazy, but I had a title I put down in my phone: ‘The Worst Country Song Of All Time,’” Gilbert elaborates. “We all laughed it off because obviously it was a joke. Then we all were throwing out lines we thought were funny. The next thing you know, we’ve got this song written, and the rest is history in the making.”

I hate beer and honky-tonk women
I don’t eat deer and I can’t stand fishing
And I don’t know the words to Family Tradition
Folsom Prison or Walk The Line
And I think sweet tea is overrated
And all dirt roads were made for paving
Yeah this is worst country song of all time

And the chorus goes
I love cities and traffic jams
I don’t want a house on a piece of land
I deserve a bunch of money and a minivan
But I don’t wanna earn a dime
Old Yeller didn’t make me sad
I think we should change the American flag, yeah
This is the worst country song of all time

“We were listening to the demo after we finished it, and I said to HARDY, ‘Man, if we get a wild hair and decide we’re actually going to cut this, would you be cool with cutting it with me?,’” Gilbert shares of his co-writer. “I’ll never forget, he looked at me and he said, ‘Absolutely.’

“As far as Toby goes – it’s freakin’ Toby Keith!” Gilbert praises of the hitmaker. “He’s written some of the best and put out some of my favorite country songs of all time. So having him on it is kind of like that final seal of approval.”

With seven No. 1’s under his belt, Gilbert has been back at it, writing and recording during his time off from the road, readying his fans for more new music later this year.

“We’ve had a lot of great writes over the last few months,” Gilbert says. “We got outside of our box a little bit. As artists and writers, we have a group of people that we’re extremely comfortable writing with, that we know we’re going to be productive with and we know what kind of song we’re going write. But we branched out a little bit and wrote with some folks we haven’t written with before, just to see what would happen and what would come out of it. I have to say, I’m extremely proud of what we got on the way,” he concludes.

“The Worst Country Song Of All Time” follows the release of Fire & Brimstone (Deluxe Edition), an extended version of his fifth studio album which explores love and family, redemption and life in a small town, with all 17 tracks written or co-written by Gilbert. Lead single “What Happens In A Small Town” featuring Lindsay Ell marked his fifth No. 1 as an artist, seventh No. 1 as a songwriter and earned nominations for the 2019 CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year and 2020 ACM Award for Music Event of the Year.

Earlier this year, Gilbert held his inaugural trail ride with partners including Polaris, Gander Outdoors, Camping World, Brimstone® Recreation, Traeger Grills, Whiskey Jam and Appalachia Made Co., raising $75,000 to benefit ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund to support those in the entertainment industry who lost work due to the pandemic.

Gilbert continues to raise funds for the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music with the “Garage-full of Awesome Giveaway.” Fans who donate $10 or more will be entered to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to meet Gilbert in person for a trail-riding adventure; a RZR Trail S 1000 Ultimate in Ghost Gray, courtesy of Polaris; 2021 Heartland Fuel 362, courtesy of Camping World; and $5,000 cash. Donate HERE.

GRAMMY® award-winning Zac Brown Band launched “Same Boat,” their Warner Music Nashville/Home Grown Music debut single, on Friday, garnering overwhelming enthusiasm and praise from radio, press and fans.

The poignant track, written by front man Zac Brown along with Ben Simonetti and Jonathan Singleton, begins the week as the most-added song at country radio and debuts at No. 25 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart as well as No. 34 at Country Aircheck/Mediabase.

Music Choice Manager of Country Programming Jim Murphy raved, “Zac Brown Band knocks it out of the park with ‘Same Boat’. Fun, up-tempo and perfect for our times. I can’t wait to play it on Music Choice!”

Rolling Stone said, “Zac Brown Band makes an upbeat plea for peace and coexistence in the new song ‘Same Boat,’” adding it “welds that message to an uplifting melody and pristine layered harmonies,” while Taste of Country claimed it will “take fans back to the good-time vibes of ‘Chicken Fried,’ and ‘Toes,’” also offering “poignantly timely themes of unity and hope.” American Songwriter also raved about “Same Boat,” adding “The beauty of the single lies in the universal message behind the words, and while it’s an upbeat and catchy tune, it’s also a feel-good song that can serve as a positive mantra.”