Garth Brooks will give an up-close-and-personal performance of some of his classic songs on Amazon Music today (12/6), to celebrate the release of his Pearl Records collection The Anthology Part IV: Going Home.
Garth will be performing live from Caesars’ Palace in Las Vegas, where he just launched the last of his residency shows before the holidays. The Anthology, which compiles nearly 200 photos and six discs of music, details his years in Oklahoma raising his daughters and his welcoming Trisha Yearwood to the family.
The special performance will air live at Amazon Music starting at 7pm ET.
Girlilla Marketing founder/CEO Jennie Smythe is set to release her memoir, Becoming Girlilla: My Journey to Unleashing Good - in Real Life, Online, and in Others, on 4/15/25, via Resolve Editions/ForeFront Books (Simon & Schuster).
An unfiltered account of her path to becoming a digital marketing trailblazer, the book chronicles Smythe’s rise—from navigating early career uncertainty and battling breast cancer to building her Nashville-based firm, Girlilla Marketing.
Smythe, whose client roster includes Willie Nelson, Dead & Company, Darius Rucker, Blondie, Kristin Chenoweth, Vince Gill and more, blends raw grit with humor as she recounts her journey while offering practical insights on authenticity, resilience and creating meaningful connections in the digital age.
Additionally, Smythe also serves as President Elect of the Country Music Association and is on the boards of the CMA Foundation and Music Health Alliance.
“I bleed passion for what I do, who I represent and who I stand next to. And here’s the secret: there’s no secret. To be successful, you must go to work every day like it’s your first day on the job,” said Smythe. “I hope with my own story that I can save you some hassle. I hope that I can make you think, laugh and see your own story in mine… because we are all connected, online and offline.”
Becoming Girlilla is available for pre-order here.
From covering Country hits on TikTok to climbing DSP charts, 18-year-old Bayker Blankenship is making waves with his breakout debut single, “Maxed Out.” The track hit 100m+ streams, #2 on the Spotify Viral charts and #41 on Apple Music’s Country chart, while its music video—shot in his Tennessee hometown—has earned 12m+ views.
Over the weekend, Blankenship made his TV debut on CBS Saturday Morning, performing the viral hit and “Tennessee Sunset,” as well as debuting his forthcoming single “300 Miles.”
Blankenship will release his Double A-Side release "300 Miles”/"Blame It on Me,” on 12/11 via Lone Star/Santa Anna Records, while his second collaborative single with fellow rising star Waylon Wyatt is due in January. The pair’s recent duet “Jailbreak” is currently taking off on YouTube and TikTok.
“Bayker is one of the rare, special artists who possesses a pure, singular talent, matched only by his unaffected personality and big heart,” said Todd Moscowitz, CEO Lone Star/Santa Anna Records.
And to kick off what will surely be a busy year for the up and comer, Blankenship will hit the road on 1/15 for first national tour, which is nearly sold out.
Watch the music vid for "Maxed Out" below.
by Holly Gleason
Records were broken, startling returns were delivered and first-time Country Music Association winners emerged at the 58th Annual CMA Awards show last night. But even more significantly, Morgan Wallen not only appeared on that first-time winners list but came home with the evening’s highest honor: Entertainer of the Year.
At a time when it seems the pop world has gone country—the show opened with Chris Stapleton and Post Malone, sporting a genteel look, singing “California Sober”—the winners sent a clear message that while Nashville’s CMA voters valued and loved the out-of-format energy, they were intent on recognizing the artists whose roots remain solidly planted in the country space. Stapleton proved that in a big way. Once again winning Song and Single of the Year for his surging “White Horse,” he also took home his eighth Male Vocalist of the Year award. He and wife Morgane also delivered an erotically charged “What Am I Gonna Do” that deftly evoked the earliest days of Waylon and Willie’s Outlaw movement.
Equally stunning was Kacey Musgraves’ woman-alone-with-guitar performance of “The Architect.” After her sojourn into disco-cowgirl territory, her decision to return to her small town Texas roots on Deeper Well netted her three nominations—one for Album of the Year and one for Female Vocalist of the Year. She also got a nod for Musical Event of the year for duetting with BMI’s co-Songwriter of the Year and populist force Zach Bryan on “I Remember Everything.”
Cody Johnson, a hard-scrabble Texas traditionalist in terms of music and values, walked in with a five+two; his nominations including Male, Single and a pair of Video nods, plus “Dirt Cheap” and “The Painter” in Song of the Year. The strength of his overall work delivered him the coveted Album of the Year award for Leather. “There’s very few moments in your life when Ric Flair feels appropriate, but…” and he delivered the iconic wrestler’s “WOOOOO!” The lean into hard traditionalism was also strong enough to hand Brooks & Dunn their 15th win for Duo of the Year. Reboot II, which paired them with many of today’s young turks, established the Country Music Hall of Famers as a strong foundational element for the ‘90s throwback sound embraced by so many. As Kix Brooks said in accepting, “A philosopher said, ‘Time is undefeated.’ Not yet, I guess…”
Ceremony co-host and 2023 Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson won Video of the Year, but more importantly, took her third Female Vocalist of the Year. Her performance of “4x4xU” showed her to be a woman who can lean hard into a song and deliver emotionally, visually and vocally.
That stark bar-room “thing” also vaulted Ella Langley and Riley Green’s more Western than Country “you look like love to me” to the Vocal Event of the Year award. Their from-the-audience performance carried a certain swag, especially Langley, giving off very Jessie Colter vibes.
Old Dominion, the earworm farmers who’ve also crafted hits for Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, accepted their seventh Group of the Year title from fellow veterans The Oak Ridge Boys, cementing the special place vocal groups hold in the genre.
First-time winner Megan Moroney, in a massive mermaid custom Cristian Siriano dress, was so shocked when she won Best New Artist that she didn’t have a speech. Believing people resonating with her lyrics may have helped give her the win, she told HITS exclusively, “I go to country music to feel less alone, and now I think people come to me the same way. I came here just happy to be here. And this? It’s a shock.”
Equally shocking for some was Wallen finally winning Entertainer of the Year, even as he skipped this year’s show, citing feeling used for ratings but continually shut out. His win signals the more traditional voters recognizing not only his commitment to making the music and doing the work, but also his drive and hunger to keep taking that music to the fans. This massive sign of recognition feels far more meaningful than just “most tickets sold.”
Beyond the winners, because only 20% of the nominees receive awards, there was a real spirit of music in the house. Luke Combs’ triple guitar assault on “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma” showed what a powerhouse vocalist he is, with a vocal churn that cuts through the arena country ballast with ease.
Jelly Roll, always grateful, happy and free, was sanctified dueting with Brooks & Dunn on their 2006 Single of the Year winner “Believe,” pressing into a vocal exchange culmination with Ronnie Dunn that pitched both men to the rafters and salvation, bearing witness to the power of gospel, storytelling and country music. He returned with Keith Urban for the cautionary addiction tale “Liar.”
The George Strait tribute that set up his receipt of the prestigious Willie Nelson Lifetime Award genuflected at the high altar of classic Texas country. After Lainey sang a bit of “Amarillo by Morning,” modern outlaw Jamey Johnson stepped in to deliver a searing take on his 2007 CMA Song of the Year “Give It Away,” which was also the #1 country song of the year. Two more Texas icons, Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum, delivered the life statement “Troubadour,” which pivots on the landmine refrain “I was a young troubadour when I rode in on a song, and I’ll be an old troubadour when I leave…”
The segment peaked when Strait, joined by stadium tourmate Stapleton, kicked into the wink ’n’ industrial shuffle “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” before giving the evening’s most moving speech. Visibly moved, he thanked Jesus Christ first, the artists who’ve performed, the songwriters, MCA Records, the fans, his band and “my manager, Erv Woolsey, my tour manager, Tom Foote, and fiddle player Gene Elders, all resting in peace with the Lord.” He ultimately thanked his whole family, but especially the support of his wife Norma “just shy of 53 years this December.”
Post Malone’s joy at just being in the room was palpable, and Shaboozey‘s performance of “Highway”/“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” showed the same, proving he’s bigger than just his 18 weeks at #1. In a genre where Godzilla-sized hits—like that scored by Billy Ray Cyrus, for one—often don’t yield a career, his performance and the rest of his Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going album steep his hip-hop influences in a country authenticity that pulls equally from Kenny Rogers, Marty Robbins and Merle Haggard.
At the other end of the spectrum, Dierks Bentley brought rising bluegrass queens Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes for a show-closing “American Girl” from Scott Borchetta’s Tom Petty tribute project. Robust and quick-picking, it’s Appalachia stretched across a rock canvas, showing another effective and roots-forward country music hybrid.
Biz heavies and top artists got fancy for the flashbulbs around CMA night, and then sent the pics to us so we could supply our ridiculous captions. Dive into the winners here.
Why are Mercury boss Tyler Arnold, Post Malone and Republic’s Monte Lipman standing in this shower? It's because a clause in Posty's contract stipulates that his beard must shampooed by senior executives at least once per fiscal quarter.
Warner Music Nashville and Warner Records keep the party going as Cody Johnson celebrates taking home Album of the Year for Leather. Seen brainstorming the follow-up volume, Ultrasuede, are photo op are WMN’s Co-Chair/Co-President Gregg Nadel, Johnson, Co-Chair/Co-President Cris Lacy and labelmate Ashley McBryde.
WMN’s Nadel and Lacy gather for this photo op with Bailey Zimmerman and Warner Records’ Co-Chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck and Co-Chairman/COO Tom Corson, both of whom erroneously believed they could handle the "authentic" hot chicken. They are said to be recovering nicely.
Republic bro-bosses Monte and Avery Lipman are pictured at Big Loud HQ with Stephen Wilson Jr. Word has it the gifted young photographer who captured this tableau goes by the improbable moniker S.A. England.
Photo credit: Keith Griner
Seen backstage at the Brooklyn Bowl for BBR Music Group/BMG’s 14th Annual Pre-CMA Party on 11/19 are (l-r) BMG’s Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Thomas Coesfeld and Jon Loba. Later, Loba's bowtie got its own Instagram account and was liked by a Kardashian.
Photo credit: Kaylee Steffel
Sony Music Nashville commemorated its record-setting CMA night with a downtown bash. Seen just before a HITS staffer bum-rushed the pedal-steel and was escorted out by security are (l-) SMN’s EVP and COO/incoming President Ken Robold, SVP of A&R/incoming Chairman & CEO Taylor Lindsey, Director of Digital Marketing and Artist Development Parker Stacey, PunchBowl Entertainment Manager/Owner Juli Griffith, CMAs New Artist of the Year Megan Moroney, SMN Chairman & CEO Randy Goodman, PunchBowl Entertainment’s Hayley Corbett and Columbia’s SVP of A&R Julian Swirsky.
Photo credit: Brett Carlsen /Getty Images for BMLG
BMLG celebrated the 58th Annual CMAs with first-time nominee Riley Green taking home the Musical Event of the Year. Pictured before piling into a waiting Maserati to do some parking-lot donuts are (back row, l-r) Chase McDaniel, Shaylen, Chris Janson, Jackson Dean, LECADE, Green, Conner Smith, Ryan Hurd, Greylan James, Badflower’s Josh Katz, Noah Hicks; and (front row, l-r) Mae Estes, Thomas Rhett, BMLG’s Scott Borchetta and Sandi Spika Borchetta, Carly Pearce and Mackenzie Carpenter.
Photo credit: Erika Goldring Photography
Over at Nashville’s Blanco, CAA’s CMA Awards viewing party, The CORE’s Brittani Johnson, Left | Right’s John Meneilly, The CORE’s Jon Borris and Big Loud’s Tracker Johnson toast to successfully keeping us out of this party.
Seen feeling extra lucky that we weren’t allowed in are (l-r) Swirsky and Moroney.
Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for WME
WME brought the party to Sixty Vines at Fifth and Broad in Nashville to celebrate 13 performances and six award wins, including Female, Male, Single, Song and Video of the Year. Pictured are (l-r) KP Entertainment’s Kerri Edwards, CMA Awards co-host Luke Bryan and co-Head of WME’s Nashville office Jay Williams. Later, Cindy Mabe counted the vines and found that there were only 57, thus securing a sizable discount on the bar tab.
Blake Shelton, who’s no stranger to country radio love, just had the single biggest radio add day of his career with the anthemic “Texas.”
The track, Shelton's first for Wheelhouse/BBR/BMG Nashville, dropped on 11/15 and racked up 156 adds, 149 of which are Mediabase reporting outlets, right out of the box. Shelton will take “Texas” to the stage of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday (11/20) for an interview and outdoor stage performance of the song.
Reflecting on the success, Shelton said, “I moved to Nashville the month after I graduated from high school to sing country music and hopefully get to hear one of my songs on the radio. After all these years, it’s still exciting, and thanks to fans for listening and coming out to shows. I can’t wait to play ‘Texas’ live!”
The star already has a full calendar for early 2025, starting with his Live In Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which is set for 2/ 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15. His Friends And Heroes Tour, featuring support from Craig Morgan, Deana Carter, Trace Adkins and Emily Ann Roberts. will kick off at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on 2/27.
Pictured (l-to-r): BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville general manager Peter Strickland, BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld, Blake Shelton, BMG Americas president Jon Loba amd BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville EVP JoJamie Hahr.
Taylor Lindsey has been appointed chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville, a position she’ll assume in January of 2025.
In a corresponding move, Ken Robold has been named president and COO of SMN, reporting directly to Lindsey and overseeing operations of assets, including the Christian label Provident Entertainment. Meanwhile, Lindsey, who had served as the company’s head of A & R since 2021 , will report to Rob Stringer, chairman, Sony Music Group.
Prior to joining SMN in 2013, Lindsey worked in A&R at BMG Publishing where she represented Grammy-award winning songwriters such as Hillary Lindsey and Tony Lane.
In making the announcement, Stringer said, “I am very excited that we can promote a creative talent from within the company to this top position. She is ideally suited to plot the future for our Nashville team in a chapter where country music is clearly evolving and thriving as a key musical genre.”
Lindsey added, “Along with Ken and the incredible SMN team, we are committed to fostering collaboration with our artists, creators, and fans and will create a vibrant community that not only honors our rich heritage in storytelling but also redefines the sound of country music for generations.”
The Country Music Association has lined up an impressive array of presenter talent for this year’s CMA Awards, from country standard-bearers like Clint Black to decorated athletes like Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles.
Hosts Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning will welcome an array of presenters, including CMA award winners Little Big Town, Mark Collie, Carly Pearce and the Oak Ridge Boys, the last of which are also members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The list also includes standouts from other fields, such as World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Jeff Bridges and Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton.
Performers taking the stage for the 58th annual CMA Awards include of the biggest names in music, “The 58th Annual CMA Awards” is a must-see event. Artists taking the CMA Awards stage include Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Sierra Hull, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Noah Kahan, Ella Langley, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Teddy wims, Thomas Rhett, Molly Tuttle and Bailey Zimmerman.
“The 58th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, at 8 p.m. [ET] on ABC.
