18-year-old Lucas Leon wasn’t even alive in 1997 when Tim McGraw and Faith Hill released “It’s Your Love,” but he delivered a performance that made it feel like he lived every word during American Idol’s 90s Judges Song Contest episode on Monday.
For the round, the judges each picked a song for Leon to choose from, including “It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Toby Keith, and “Ain’t That Lonely Yet” by Dwight Yoakam. While he originally planned to sing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” he ultimately decided to go with “It’s Your Love.”
Lucas Leon; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Taking the stage with his guitar in hand, the Gallatin, Tennessee native showcased a raspier side of his voice while fully leaning into the emotional lyrics. The crowd could be seen nodding along, while fellow contestants, including Hannah Harper, sang from their seats.
Leon correctly guessed that Lionel Richie had selected the song for him, with Richie saying, “Your voice with that song, resonated to the point of believability. I love what you did.”
Carrie Underwood also admitted Leon “surprised” her with his choice, adding that she had a “hard time” deciding which song to pick for him. She shared, “It felt believable, it felt genuine, I liked your voice on it.”
Luke Bryan was equally impressed, saying, “I’m so glad you picked that. The last two times we’ve seen you perform, you really grew into a more artistic mindset. You’re working the room and it’s really working for you.”
Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Leon’s performance even caught the attention of “It’s Your Love” songwriter Stephony Smith, who praised him on Instagram and encouraged Tim McGraw to check it out.
“@lionelrichie thanks for choosing my song for @lucasleonofficial to sing! It means the world to me. @thetimmcgraw check out this young gun killing his version of your version of “It’s Your Love” on @americanidol wow,” she wrote.
Lucas Leon; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Lucas Leon has been a standout from the start. He began the competition at just 17 years old and impressed with each performance, including covers of “Georgia On My Mind” by Ray Charles, “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert, and “Just To See You Smile” by Tim McGraw.
American Idol returns next Monday, April 13, as the Top 11 take on iconic hits from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees while America votes live to determine the Top 9. The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will also be revealed during the episode.
Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Stevens, 87, suffered a fall in Nashville on Sunday, March 29 that resulted in a broken neck. According to a statement from his team, the two-time GRAMMY winner was briefly hospitalized and is now at home recovering.
Doctors have instructed Stevens to wear a neck brace for the next four weeks. Despite the injury, he remains mobile and in good spirits as he heals.
This health setback comes after Stevens suffered a mild heart attack in early July 2025. At the time, he was hospitalized after experiencing chest pain and later underwent a minimally invasive heart catheterization procedure at a Nashville hospital. He subsequently had a second procedure a few weeks later, during which doctors placed two stents to treat additional blockages. After spending several days in a Nashville rehabilitation facility, he returned home to continue his recovery.
Photo Courtesy Ray Stevens
Stevens and his team are welcoming thoughts and prayers during his recovery.
Cards and well wishes can be sent to: Ray Stevens 5724 River Rd Nashville, TN 37209
New Album Releasing This Week
Stevens is scheduled to release a new album, Favorites Old & New, via Curb Records this Friday, April 10. The album will be released as planned.
The 13-track collection mixes timeless classics with brand-new material, highlighting Stevens’ signature charm, humor, and versatility. Favorites Old & New brings together a thoughtful blend of beloved standards and fresh cuts from a range of songwriters, delivering a project that feels both nostalgic and new.
Ray Stevens – Favorites Old & New cover
“I had a lot of fun creating this album, ‘Favorites Old & New,’” Stevens shares. “It really does contain a few of my favorite old songs as well as favorite new ones penned by some talented writers. I just hope Ray Stevens fans enjoy it as much as Ray Stevens!”
On Favorites Old & New, Stevens brings new life to timeless classics like “The Look of Love,” “It Had To Be You,” and “Come Rain or Come Shine,” all delivered with his signature humor, charm, and musical style. The project also features new songs such as “I Guess You’ve Never Been in Love With the Moon,” “Moving Out is Easier Than Moving On,” and “Time Machine,” blending modern songwriting with the nostalgic feel fans have always loved from him.
Favorites Old & New Track Listing:
1. Savannah
2. Something
3. Parakeet Motel
4. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
5. Roger
6. Just For A Thrill
7. Time Machine
8. Come Rain or Come Shine
9. Old Carousels
10. The Look of Love
11. Moving Out Is Easier Than Moving On
12. It Had to Be You
13. I Guess You’ve Never Been in Love With The Moon
Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren recently welcomed their fifth child, and first son. Choosing his name wasn’t easy. In fact, Rhett admits they were still deciding on a middle name when they arrived at the hospital. Eventually, their baby boy’s full name, Brave Elijah, came to them in an unexpected spark of inspiration and quickly became deeply meaningful for the couple.
Back in January 2025, the couple had planned to pack up their family and move to Uganda for a year, and they were also considering adopting another child. However, over Father’s Day weekend that year, they received a positive pregnancy test, and suddenly all of their plans changed. Rhett recently co-hosted a weekend of Country Countdown U.S.A.with Lon Helton, where he reflected on the unexpected news and shared the story behind the name Brave Elijah.
Thomas Rhett and family
He explains they had been procrastinating on choosing what to call their first baby boy. Then the idea for Brave came to Rhett while enjoying a glass of wine.
“The name of the wine was Mount Brave. So I asked Lauren about the name Brave for a boy. We loved what that word meant for a boy or girl,” he revealed.
Once they agreed on the first name, the next big decision was the middle name. Again, Rhett happened to find himself come across a name that struck a chord with him and felt just right as it held a deep connection to something the couple values highly in their life: faith.
“We were in the hospital, they gave us the birth certificate, and we still didn’t have a middle name. I was reading Elijah’s story in the Bible, and he led an incredible life. So we settled on Brave Elijah,” Rhett told Helton.
Brave is the couple’s fifth child, joining their four daughters: Willa Gray (10), Ada James (8), Lennon Love (6), and Lillie Carolina (4). The “After All The Bars Are Closed” singer says they were trying to get pregnant one more time, but he never imagined that after four girls in their home, he would finally get a son. This time, the couple chose not to find out the baby’s gender until birth, and when their child was born in February, he was truly surprised.
“It’s surreal. I thought after our 4th girl, it wasn’t in the cards for me to have a boy,” he admitted. “When we were in the hospital, I thought it was gonna be another girl. Having that surprise was one of the coolest moments in my life. He’s a big baby, he was ten pounds, my wife is a super-hero.”
Rhett also stated that being a family of seven has “been a blast” and jokingly added that they are lucky to have so many “built in big sister babysitters.”
When Helton asked if they are officially done having children now, Rhett responded that five kids has always been Lauren’s “magic number” so they don’t currently don’t have plans to add any more to the bunch.
“I don’t think we’re gonna have any more kids. But it was the coolest thing in the world not to know if it was a boy or girl. I have never been more surprised. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but so worth it.”
For now, Thomas Rhett has been finding a balance of soaking up the newborn snuggles at home and spending time at the studio to work on his next record. He shared his hopes to put out a song or two sometime between April and May and then release an entire album by the end of the year.
“I’ve been writing for a year and a half for this project. I feel the word on this next project is timeless. I’m thinking on making a short record, only ten songs, and let’s go with that,” he shared.
Plus, he’s set to embark on THE SOUNDTRACK TO LIFE TOUR, kicking off July 9 in Nashville, TN.
Merle is such a big deal in Johnson’s family, his two daughters each have their own special Merle Haggard song. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Merle is such a big deal in Johnson’s family, his two daughters each have their own special Merle Haggard song. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Founded by the Charleston native and three-time GRAMMY Award winner, the two-day event will once again bring a mix of established acts and rising talent to the waterfront.
This year’s lineup stays rooted in country while incorporating hip-hop and various styles, reflecting the festival’s evolving sound.
Darius Rucker Riverfront Revival; Photo by Stu White
Rucker will be joined by Gavin Adcock, Old Dominion, BigXthaPlug, Nelly, Charles Wesley Godwin, Chase Matthew, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Austin Williams, Atlus, Dani Rucker, Gullah Collective, Karley Scott Collins, Saluda Shoals, Mel Washington, Whiskey Run, and AC Scar.
“Riverfront Revival has always been about bringing great music and great people together in a place that means everything to me,” Rucker said. “Getting to build this in Charleston year after year has been incredible, and this lineup shows how much it’s grown while still staying true to what the festival is all about.”
Presales are now open, with general tickets going on sale Wednesday, April 8, at 10 a.m. local time via RiverfrontRevival.com. Two-day passes will be available in General Admission, GA Plus, and VIP tiers, with single-day passes also offered.
Darius Rucker Riverfront Revival 2026
A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit the Carolyn G. Rucker Nursing Scholarship at the Medical University of South Carolina and Rock ‘N Roll Rescue, which supports music education locally.
In addition to Darius Rucker’s Riverfront Revival Music Festival, fans can also catch the superstar on his Songs of Summer Tour 2026, kicking off June 4 in Toledo, Ohio.
The trek will make stops across the U.S., including Atlantic City, Cincinnati, and Boston, and will feature a rotating lineup of special guests such as George Birge, Lauren Alaina, Robert Randolph, Old Crow Medicine Show, Evan Honer, and Austin Williams.
Dan + Shay have returned from their latest hiatus and this time, they’ve got a something really powerful to say. With heavy hearts and a mission to bring hope to others, the 3x GRAMMY winning duo has released what they claim to be the “most important release of our career so far,” “Say So.”
The single arrived just a few days after the country stars announced that they were ready to kickstart their next musical chapter. Fans knew that they were up to something big when their official Instagram account was wiped clean except for a post that featured a snippet of their harrowing music video and its correlating release date.
Dan also confirmed in the comment section stating, “WE ARE BACK.”
Photo Courtesy of Dan + Shay
The following post contained a heartfelt letter addressed to the fans, explaining where they’ve been, the deeply personal meaning behind their newest single and what’s coming next.
“As you know, we’ve been quiet for a while, and we just wanted to start by saying thank you so much for being patient with us. No, we didn’t almost break up again lol. In fact, our friendship is stronger than ever, and we’re really proud of that,” the message began.
They went on to say that they have spent more time in the studio together over the past year than they have since their Where It All Began album in 2013. This came as a result of “the most inspired burst of creativity” that they have experienced in their entire career thus far. Knowing they had so much to say through their music, the duo took their time to make sure they captured it all as well as possible.
Penned by the duo Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, alongside Jimmy Robbins, and David Hodges, and co-produced by Smyers and Scott Hendricks, “Say So” marks the first taste of all the new music that has come from this period of hard work and creativity. Within the very first line of the track, it was clear that Dan + Shay had stepped away from their fun, upbeat sound and signature romance ballads to reflect on a very real moment of heartache.
They sing, “I got a call from a friend who don’t call very often/ Broke it to me, and I couldn’t believe that we lost him/ Really felt like it came out of nowhere/ But it never really comes out of nowhere/ It’s crazy the pain that we carry when nobody’s watching.”
According to an interview with Variety, the loss they are referring to in the song captures the emotions that stirred up following the 2025 death of their mutual friend and mentor,Ben Vaughn, head of Warner Chappell Music Publishing.
“We were talking about what we wanted to write that day, and we got to talking about Ben Vaughn….[a] big part of our career and a close personal friend,” Smyers told the outlet. “This happened a week or two after we had been hanging out at a little party at my house, celebrating ‘Bigger Houses’ going No. 1 and ‘10,000 Hours’ hitting a billion streams on Spotify. It was one of those things where no one saw it coming. At least we didn’t.”
This incredibly devastating hit on the Nashville community as a whole got the duo reflecting on mental health. Together, they dove headfirst into that heavy topic to put forth lyrics that feel like a reminder that it’s okay to not be okay and an invitation to reach out for help when times get dark. With pain running through their soulful vocals, the duo offers a heavy realization that people carry so much silently, and sometimes that struggle goes unseen until it’s too late.
The chorus opens into something bigger. Suddenly, the song isn’t just about loss anymore, it becomes a promise that unconditional, no-questions-asked support is out there. The way they repeat the line, “If you need somebody, say so,” feels as if they are trying to convince anyone who hears it that they are not alone, and there is help out there.
“If your light burns out and you’re in the dark/ If you can’t pick up the pieces/ If the world you trusted falls apart/ If your heart’s run out of reasons/ I’ll be there every time you call/ Pick you up every time you fall/ If you’re going through hell, you’re not alone/ If you need somebody, say so,” they continue onto the steady and powerful swell of emotions that break through on the chorus.
“‘Say So’ is a reminder that no matter what you are going through, you don’t have to go through it alone,” the duo explained. “We wrote this song from a very personal place and could not be prouder to stand behind the message.”
The music video that was released alongside the track opens with Shay getting arrested and put into the back of a cop car and pleading guilty for the charges of vandalism and the defacement of public property. The story continues to flash between Shay carrying a coffin of someone he lost and a different character walking across a bridge clearly in distress and considering the choice to leave it all behind.
In the end, his case was dismissed after the judge saw the positive message that Shay had spray painted on the concrete sitting just under the bridge where the other character stood. He saw the words, “if you need somebody, say so,” immediately took a step back and pulled his phone out to do just that, which ultimately saved his life.
A powerful message surrounding mental health was incorporated in the midst of the video. It read, “Every 11 minutes, someone in the United States dies by suicide.” With this song, Dan + Shay hope to provide the world with “strength and encouragement”
“The subject matter is heavy, it is serious and it is timely and it is something we feel is important to talk about,” they stated.
Photo Courtesy of Dan + Shay
“Say So” offers the first glimpse of more Dan + Shay music coming this year. They added that they have “missed seeing everyone on the road” and that that will be changing “soon,” so fans should “stay tuned.”
“Sounds cliché for an artist to say but these songs really are more personal and honest than anything we have ever done before,” they said. “Because the music means so much to us, we have held it close and obsessed over every details but now we are ready to start sharing it with the world.”
Dan + Shay ended their letter to fans with one more mention of gratitude for their ongoing support over the years.
“Thank you again for always being in our corner. We get to do something we love because of you and we we’ll forever be grateful. This officially the start of the next chapter and we truly believe it will be the best,” they added.
The very last clip of the “Say So” music video stressed, “if you or someone you know is struggling, help is available.”
The Suicide + Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting “988.”
Cody Johnson is honoring one of his musical heroes, Merle Haggard, with a cover of “Footlights,” released today, which also marks the 10-year anniversary of Haggard’s passing. The release is made even more meaningful as Haggard was born on this day in 1937.
“Footlights” was written by Haggard, lovingly known as the “Poet of the Common Man.”
The song offers an honest look at life as a touring musician, something Johnson can certainly relate to. It captures the feeling of aging and wear that comes with life on the road, and the sense of being displaced without a place to truly call home. On stage, he masks those emotions, transforming into almost a character as he performs, promising to “try to hide the mood I’m really in/ And put on my old Instamatic grin.”
Footlights – Cody Johnson
He closes the song by reflecting on the reality behind living out his dream: “I live the kind of life that most men only dream of/ I make my living writing songs and singing them/ But I’m forty-one years old and I/ Ain’t got no place to go when it’s over.”
Johnson, the reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, has paid tribute to Haggard many times throughout his career and considers him to be one of his biggest musical influences.
“Merle was a poet,” Cody previously shared. “When I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m frustrated, and everything in between, he has sung the soundtrack of my life.”
In 2025, Cody Johnson was honored with the ACM Spirit Award for his authentic, songwriter-driven country music that carries forward the legacy of Merle Haggard. The award celebrates artists who chart their own course while delivering standout storytelling and songs, marking a full-circle moment for Johnson as he continues to honor one of his greatest musical influences.
Johnson is gearing up for a huge year with more new music on the way following a ruptured ear drum that sidelined him last fall. During an appearance on Dale Brisby’s Rodeo Time podcast, the Texas native revealed that his next album is completely finished and ready to go.
Cody Johnson; Photo Courtesy of Cody Johnson
“I’ve already got the whole gun is loaded. The ammunition’s there. We’re just fixing to start sending it,” he teased.
Cody Johnson is currently climbing the charts with his radio single “The Fall,” written by Bobby Pinson, Jeremy Stover, and Ray Fulcher, from his Leather Deluxe Edition album.
He’s also keeping the momentum going on the road. His headline tour continues this April before heading overseas and wrapping up in Europe this fall
