This week felt like a family reunion where the old-timers finally got the good seats. The biggest country music news this week came from Morgan Wallen, but look closer and you’ll see the same thread running through everything: the legends aren’t being shuffled offstage anymore. Here’s your ACountry Friday Roundup.
Morgan Wallen’s Last Time I Checked Tour Brings Brooks & Dunn Along
Wallen announced the 2027 Last Time I Checked Tour on Nov. 12: 14 shows at seven stadiums, two nights at each, running from June 11 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to Aug. 28 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Brooks & Dunn open the second night of every stop, with HARDY and Thomas Rhett on other dates, and Cole Swindell and Stella Lefty on every show. Presale registration runs through Nov. 19 at 10 p.m. ET, and the public on-sale is Friday, Nov. 20, at 10 a.m. local time. Fans should also know scalpers were already listing seats for over $1,000 before a single ticket was sold.
Why it matters: The biggest draw in the genre chose a Country Music Hall of Fame duo as a nightly co-pilot, which tells you exactly where the generations stand right now: side by side.
Sources: Taste of Country, Whiskey Riff
The CMA Says Sorry, and Sammy Kershaw and Rodney Atkins Will Walk the Carpet
Last week Sammy Kershaw said he’d been denied red carpet access for the 60th CMA Awards. On Nov. 7 Rodney Atkins said the same had happened to him and his wife Rose, and that they’d skip the show. The CMA responded on Nov. 9, saying it was “deeply sorry anyone felt excluded.” By midweek both men said they’d received apologies and would walk the carpet on Nov. 18. Atkins joked he now has to find “a red-carpet-worthy ball cap.” Clay Walker weighed in too, saying ’90s artists deserve respect while calling the CMA’s position a “catch-22.”
Why it matters: Fans spoke up for the artists who built their record collections, and the industry’s biggest night changed course in under a week.
Sources: WSMV, Stereogum, Whiskey Riff, Taste of Country
Garth Brooks Buys a Nashville FM Signal
Garth Brooks‘ Sevens Network is buying 100.1 FM in Nashville from the owners of Lightning 100, pending FCC approval. The new FM-100 will play country plus local news, community events and severe weather alerts, and Garth wants more airtime for women artists from the 1960s on. Lightning 100 isn’t going away; it moves to 106.3 FM once the sale closes. Meanwhile, his 2027 Ireland stadium run sold over 300,000 tickets within hours of going on sale Nov. 12, and a third Belfast night was added.
Why it matters: Garth isn’t just asking radio to play the classics; he’s buying a tower to do it himself.
Sources: NewsChannel 5, MusicRow, Whiskey Riff
Remembering Mark McGuinn, the Indie Voice Behind “Mrs. Steven Rudy”
Mark McGuinn died Oct. 26 at 58, according to his obituary, with the news reaching fans this week. His 2001 hit “Mrs. Steven Rudy,” released on the independent VFR Records, became his signature song, and his obituary calls it the first Top 10 single by an indie-label artist in about 40 years. He also wrote Lonestar’s “Unusually Unusual.” His family has asked for memorial donations to MusiCares.
Why it matters: Long before streaming made indie success common, Mark proved a little label and a great song could crack country radio.
Sources: Taste of Country, FOX 13
Moe Bandy Lands the Ameripolitan Master Award
The Ameripolitan Awards named Moe Bandy, 82, its 2027 Master Award recipient, the organization’s highest honor, to be presented April 16-18 in Austin. Bandy joins past honorees like Charley Pride and Jerry Lee Lewis, and his 1979 No. 1s include “Just Good Ol’ Boys” with Joe Stampley.
Why it matters: Bandy’s honky-tonk run never got the big-trophy treatment, and this is a long-overdue thank-you.
Source: Saving Country Music (quoting the Ameripolitan Awards announcement)
Miranda Lambert’s Songline Arrives Today
Miranda Lambert releases Songline today, Nov. 13, a nine-song live album recorded with an orchestra, with a companion concert film following Nov. 20 with Amazon Music. Fun timing, since our Monday history post celebrated her Nov. 10 birthday.
Why it matters: Twenty years in, Miranda is still choosing the riskier, more musical path.
Sources: Music Times, The Music Universe
Your Turn
Catch up on last Friday’s roundup if you missed the CMA performer news. Now tell us: if you could grab one Wallen ticket, are you going night one or the Brooks & Dunn night? And which ’90s star do you want to see on that CMA red carpet? Drop it in the comments.
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