Blake Shelton and Kenny Chesney represent country at the iHeartRadio Music Festival

Blake Shelton and Kenny Chesney will represent country music at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Festival.  The fifth annual event will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas September 18th and 19th.  Highlights will air as a two-night special on The CW Network on September 29th and 30th.

Garth Brooks tops Forbes list, Thomas Rhett's new release coming

Garth Brooks tops the Forbes list of country’s top earners for the past year.  Garth’s take was $90 million, making it the richest single year Forbes has ever calculated for a country act.  Following in a distant second is Toby Keith, who made $53 million.  Jason Aldean comes in at third with a $43.5 million haul.  In fourth place, it’s Luke Bryan with $42.5 million banked, followed by Kenny Chesney’s not too shabby $42 million paycheck.

Thomas Rhett says his upcoming album “Tangled Up” was influenced by all the music he’s been into over the past couple of years including soul, R&B, old school country and rock.  He actually wrote eight of the songs on the album.  Tangled Up is set to drop on September 25th.

Little Big Town off the road a little while longer

Little Big Town is being forced to cancel more dates to allow Jimi Westbrook to fully heal after surgery on his vocal cords.  After announcing the cancellation and postponement of some dates over the weekend, they cancelled more yesterday.  With that, it appears the tour will resume August 22nd in Canada.

Were the records for Blake and Miranda's divorce illegally sealed?

A former state rep in Oklahoma is complaining that the judge who granted Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s divorce acted illegally when he sealed the records.  According to state law, court records can be sealed only if there is a compelling reason to do so, and the judge must make public any such decision.  The judge in their case has been accused of ignoring both elements of that law.  The average citizen doesn’t get their case sealed.  Their records are made public.  So the argument is that this judge was doing a favor for celebrities.

Brantley Gilbert Scores Number One, Little Big Town on the Heal - MUSIC CITY MINUTE

Brantley Gilbert scores his fourth number-one with “One Hell of an Amen”.  Brantley just wrapped the first country concert ever at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as part of Kenny Chesney’s Big Revival tour.  He’s still excited about the opportunity to open for one of the biggest artists in the world.

Little Big Town will be taking a little more time off from the road to give Jimi Westbrook’s voice enough time to heal from vocal surgery.  The band made the announcement in a video message on Facebook yesterday.  They said Jimi still isn’t talking and needs a little bit more time to heal so he’ll be 100%.

2015 Celebrity Breakups

Hard to believe about some of these, especially Blake and Miranda! Check out all of them here: http://www.949thebull.com/photos/pop-pics/2015-celebrity-breakups-425587/#/0/24226339

Luke Bryan Announces Lineup for 'Crash My Playa'

Luke Bryan will heat the beach again early next year for the second Crash My Playa – his very successful four-day, all-inclusive concert vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  Next year’s lineup includes Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell, Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch, Brett Eldredge and Chris Stapleton.  The dates for Crash My Playa are January 22nd through the 26th.

Luke says his first Crash My Playa was a blast.

"That experience was amazing. For me as an artist and for the artists that were involved had a blast. And the fans truly had a great time. Odds are that will be something you can count on us planning and doing every year."



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/luke-bryan-announces-lineup-for-crash-13767278/#ixzz3g6wNuRXa

Kenny Chesney Reveals Secret to Being Successful: Make a List

Kenny Chesney went one-on-one with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts before his sold-out shows in Philadelphia last weekend.  Among the things they discussed were his year off to recharge his batteries, performing at stadiums and an epiphany he had one night.  He told Robin he wrote down about 35 things he wanted to do to make his career take off.

"Just trying to be a better creator, trying to be a better musician. It was about being better. It was about getting up every day and being better. That was when I became so pinpoint focused."



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/kenny-chesney-makes-a-todo-list-13767354/#ixzz3g4AbEMWe

Keith Urban Sued for a Million Dollars

Last month, Keith Urban was slapped with a lawsuit from Peter Beckett, a member of the 70’s rock band Player who accused Keith of stealing the band’s name to use on his Keith Urban Player line of guitars and guitar-playing aids that he regularly sells on The Home Shopping Network.  The lawsuit was dismissed and Keith didn’t have to pay a dime.  Beckett had been asking for a million dollars, so this was definitely a good outcome for Keith.



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/keith-urban-sued-for-one-million-13763361/#ixzz3fz23qE4m

Zac Brown Band Honors the Beatles with 'Let It Be' Cover

While the 10-piece band have dished out their share of covers of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" throughout the trek, their tribute to The Beatles is a show highlight that happens on nearly every stop of the tour, which is scheduled to hit Boston's Fenway Park for three nights in early August.

As heard in the video, the performance is crowd pleaser that prompts a ton of cheering and even some sing-a-long chanting from the crowd.



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/articles/entertainment-news-104651/watch-zac-brown-band-honors-the-13761442#ixzz3ftIEByPC

Blake Shelton a Movie Star?

Blake Shelton’s movie debut has a release date. The singer stars alongside Adam Sandler in “The Ridiculous Six” which will be released on Netflix December 11th. Blake plays gambler/lawman Wyatt Earp in the flick, which also includes appearances by Taylor Lautner, Nick Nolte, Dan Akroyd, Steve Buscemi and Vanilla Ice.

Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/blake-shelton-the-movie-star-13750825/#ixzz3fgYpBaaY

Why does Thomas Rhett Love Country Music So Much?

Thomas Rhett just loves the fact that country music is just one big community. He says being able to play shows with artists like Brett Eldredge, Luke Bryan, Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch is “so fun,” since they are all “so tight with each other.”

Thomas thinks it’s great that that even though the artists are competing when it comes to album sales, touring dollars and chart placement, they are “all still friends and kind of like a family.”

“I think that’s one of the coolest things about bein’ in the genre’,” he says. “Everybody kinda is rootin’ for the other, whether it’s a friendly competition or whatever it is.”



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/why-does-thomas-rhett-love-country-13747011/#ixzz3fPUgmO8p

Blake Shelton #1 Again

Blake Shelton is number-one on the Mediabase chart this week with “Sangria.” Jason Aldean’s “Tonight Looks Good on You” follows at number-two, while Easton Corbin’s “Baby Be My Love Song” jumps to number-three. Canaan Smith’s “Love You Like That” and Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” round out the Top 5.

Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/blake-shelton-is-1-again-13743069/#ixzz3fJ5b6LKW

FGL's Brian Kelley launches clothing line.

Brian Kelley’s men’s collection for the Tribe Kelley clothing line is available now. T-shirts start at $55 and Tribe Kelley ballcaps are available for $35. Bell bottoms and tops for women are also online at TribeKelley.com.  Brian says this is a great way to be able to work with his wife Brittney.

 “She was running Etsy shops and selling and making custom jewelry and shirts all through college. I figured, ‘Hey, let’s just make a couple different things and see what people think and just get creative with it and have fun. We’ve been inspired by so many places we’ve been on the road and this life that we live. A little different creative outlet for us. Yeah.”



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/brian-and-brittney-kelley-launch-mens-13739056/#ixzz3fEpmbatD

Luke Bryan Adds To His Bucket List

Luke Bryan is adding something huge to his bucket list!  In a new Rolling Stone article, Luke says he’d love the opportunity to headline halftime at the Super Bowl.  Luke will headline Nashville’s Vanderbilt Stadium this Saturday with Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser, Thomas Rhett and Dustin Lynch.

Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/luke-bryan-adds-to-his-bucket-13735349/#ixzz3f7V4ghlZ

Jennifer Nettles Introduces New Jewelry Line

Jennifer Nettles will be featured on QVC this Sunday hawking her new jewelry line.  She teamed up with American West Jewelry for a line that includes sterling silver, brass, leather and suede pieces with vibrant gemstones.  The line, described as bohemian-chic, includes necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings – and range in price from $50 to $349.  You can check her out at 6 PM EST.

Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/jennifer-nettles-introduces-new-jewelry-line-13729707/#ixzz3eynL7rOZ

Sugarland Fans Will Have to Wait

Looks like Sugarland fans are going to be waiting a little longer for a new record.  Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush are both too busy with solo careers to think about a new Sugarland album.  In fact, Jennifer Nettles is in the studio now working on another solo record.



Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/sugarland-fans-will-continue-to-wait-13729801/#ixzz3exFIUrtm

Kenny Chesney Visits the Reefs He Help Build

Kenny Chesney got to see the first of two reefs built through his partnership with Costa Del Mar Sunglasses and The Coastal Conservation Association.  The artificial reefs, which were built in the waters of the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida, provide a habitat for fish and other undersea wildlife.  Kenny says it’s amazing that in only 18 months, these reefs aren’t just alive, they’re thriving with life.  Funding to build the concrete reefs came from the sales of Kenny’s signature sunglasses line.

Read more: http://www.949thebull.com/onair/music-city-minute-32468/kenny-chesney-visits-reefs-he-helped-13721977/#ixzz3epxNgEQo

Big Barrel Country Music Festival: See The Pics

We got all the pics from the Big Barrel Country Music Festival!
Click here to see the entire gallery.