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Todd Snider’s Arrest: Footage Shows Tense Hospital Encounter

The Americana singer tells police he’s “not homeless,” “famous” and “in a band” — and pleads to be let back inside. Continue reading…

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Caroline Jones Plots Deeply Personal New Album, ‘Good Omen’

The new songs reflect great changes in her life. Continue reading…

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Kenny Chesney’s Mom Thought He Was Sleeping With Grace Potter

If you thought Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter were an item back when they released ‘You and Tequila,’ you’re not alone. Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

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After 24 Years Mr. Pibb Returns to Stores – With One Big Change

After a long hiatus, the beloved Mr. Pibb is making a comeback! Continue reading…

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Why Trisha Yearwood Chose This Christmas Song for Her Wedding

Yearwood also recorded her own version of his song for her new holiday album, ‘Christmastime.’ Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

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Todd Snider’s Arrest: Footage Shows Tense Hospital Encounter

The Americana singer tells police he’s “not homeless,” “famous” and “in a band” — and pleads to be let back inside. Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

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Jelly Roll Hits Emotional Low After Touring Alone Abroad: WATCH

The country superstar says his solo tour overseas left him isolated, sick, and mentally drained. Continue reading…

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Ashley Cooke Gets Cozy With Adoptable Puppies While Discussing Her Most Personal Project Yet, ‘ace’

It’s the perfect fall-like day in Nashville when Ashley Cooke joins us in the studio for the latest edition of the Country Now Pupdate. As she walks through the door, her smile lights up the room. After greeting everyone, her attention quickly shifts to the family of puppies from Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Within seconds, she’s on the floor, surrounded by wagging tails, ready to soak up all the puppy cuddles she can get.

As the three pups – Kobe, Karl, and Kaleb – bounce around in playful chaos, occasionally stopping to curl up in her lap, Cooke opens up about her life over the past few years. In between laughter and puppy kisses, she reflects on how much has changed and shares insight into her upcoming project, ace, arriving Friday, November 14.

Ashley Cooke; Photo by Osprey Media
Ashley Cooke; Photo by Osprey Media

The nine-track collection finds Cooke diving deeper than ever before, revealing her most personal moments and emotions while pouring her heart into the lyrics. The project is aptly titled ace, a name that carries a special meaning for her, one that traces back to her childhood.

“My dad nicknames everything, I think most dads do,” she says with a smile. “He nicknamed me Ace when I was younger, and it’s always stuck with me. It just makes me feel like my kid self whenever I hear it from him.” 

She pauses for a moment before continuing. “And ace… it’s a really personal story about a lot that happened with my family over the last two and a half years: my dad’s cancer diagnosis, my mom’s heart attack, my own heart stuff… a lot went down.”

Cooke explains that everything she went through led her to create this project, and naming it after her dad’s nickname “felt fitting.”

With nine tracks, including five brand-new songs, ace gives fans an intimate look at what will eventually lead into her sophomore album. As Cooke describes it, the project is “bridging the gap” between her debut record and what comes next.

Every detail of ace was intentional, from the emotional lyrics to the carefully arranged track list, which unfolds in chronological order.

Ashley Cooke; Photo by Osprey Media
Ashley Cooke; Photo by Osprey Media

“[It’s] all about my life over the last two and a half years since my debut record came out,” she 

shares. “It captures the hardships and the amazing moments. It’s a story you can listen to from top to bottom and really hear my heart in it. Honestly, it’s probably the thing I’m most proud of in my career so far.”

Among the track list are fan-favorite titles like the highly anticipated “baby blues” and her current country radio single, “the hell you are.” Another standout moment comes at the very end of the project with the powerful closing track, “my worst fear.”

Ashley Cooke; Photo by Osprey Media
Ashley Cooke; Photo by Osprey Media

“I’ve become a little more bold with being vulnerable,” she admits. “The last song, ‘My Worst Fear,’ is written from the perspective of if my worst fear actually came true — what it would feel like to live through that. You’ll learn through the project that my worst fear is being alone, experiencing all of this and having no one to share it with. It’s really raw and vulnerable and talks a lot about my breakup with my ex of two years.”

Reflecting on the full body of work, Cooke declares, “It just feels like me in an EP, if that makes sense.” 

Ashley Cooke; Ace
Ashley Cooke; ace

Ashley Cooke will celebrate the release of ace with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, followed by an appearance on NBC’s TODAY show on Monday (Nov. 17), and a special performance of “God Bless America” at Madison Square Garden for WWE Raw.

Kobe, Karl, and Kaleb are still looking for their forever homes. Those interested in adopting should contact Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue, a foster-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Middle Tennessee and run primarily by volunteers. Proverbs is fully dedicated to the care and well-being of every animal they rescue. To learn more or make a donation, click HERE.

The post Ashley Cooke Gets Cozy With Adoptable Puppies While Discussing Her Most Personal Project Yet, ‘ace’ appeared first on Country Now.

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Darius Rucker Taking a Laid-Back Approach to Wedding Planning with Emily Deahl

Darius Rucker recently surprised fans with an engagement announcement, revealing that he popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, Emily Deahl, in a sweet, unexpected proposal. Now, he’s opening up about their wedding plans…or, more accurately, the fact that they don’t have many just yet.

“We don’t really have any plans. We’re not gonna plan,” Rucker shared during an interview with NBC’s TODAY earlier this week. “We’re just gonna get married. Have a big party somewhere.”

Looking at TODAY’s Craig Melvin, Al Roker, and Dylan Dreyer, he added, “You guys will be invited.”

Darius Rucker, Emily Deahl; Photo Courtesy of Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker, Emily Deahl; Photo Courtesy of Darius Rucker

Additional details about the couple’s nuptials are unknown as it appears they are taking the time to simply enjoy their engagement. 

Rucker did take a moment to praise his fiancée, admitting that she is “an amazing human being.”

On the morning of Wednesday, October 8, the country star shared the exciting engagement news with fans on Instagram. The post opened with a black-and-white photo of Rucker down on one knee on what looks like a beachside boardwalk, while Emily gazes at him lovingly. A second photo shows the couple beaming in their new role as fiancés, with Emily highlighting a side view of her stunning diamond ring.

In the caption, he wrote, “Thank you for showing me a level of happiness I have never known. The day I met you I knew I didn’t want to go another one without you. Now I don’t have to.”

Darius Rucker, Emily Deahl; Photo Courtesy of Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker, Emily Deahl; Photo Courtesy of Darius Rucker

The couple has largely kept their relationship private, rarely sharing moments together on social media. Fans first got confirmation of Rucker’s romance in early September, when the pair went Instagram official with a smiling selfie outside the Sphere arena in Las Vegas.

The South Carolina native’s TODAY show appearance came in support of his new rock supergroup, Howl Owl Howl, formed with R.E.M. co-founder/Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mike Mills and The Black Crowes co-founder/former drummer/lauded media personality Steve Gorman.

Howl Owl Howl; Photo by Steven Cohen Photo
Howl Owl Howl; Photo by Steven Cohen Photo

“It feels great to be singing with a rock band again. It’s like buddies getting together, but also getting to play with your idols,” Rucker, a Grammy winning Hootie & the Blowfish frontman/multi-Platinum country star, previously  “The stuff we’re writing is so different than anything I’ve tried to do before.” 

The band’s debut track “My Cologne,” was released on October 31 and they are currently on tour. 

The post Darius Rucker Taking a Laid-Back Approach to Wedding Planning with Emily Deahl appeared first on Country Now.

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HARDY Delivers Powerful ‘Bottomland’ Performance On ‘The Tonight Show’

Last night, HARDY made his third appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, this time to perform his deeply moving song “Bottomland” from his latest album COUNTRY! COUNTRY!. The special performance took place in front of an audience of veterans and active-duty service members in honor of Veterans Day.

After being introduced by the show’s host Jimmy Fallon, the camera panned to HARDY, who was seated on a tree stump beside a simple wooden chair draped with a camouflage shirt. Dressed in a casual look of blue jeans, a button-down shirt, and a camo hat, he delivered a powerful performance in front of a rustic forest-inspired background. The dim blue lighting and scattered leaves on the floor created a haunting, natural atmosphere that matched the song’s raw emotion.

HARDY; Photo by Todd Owyoung / NBC
HARDY; Photo by Todd Owyoung / NBC

With his band out of site, HARDY belted out the heartfelt country story, capturing the spirit of tradition, simplicity, and pride in where you come from. Told through the eyes of a humble man from small-town roots, the lyrics paint a picture of someone who deeply values the people and place that raised him. He even admits that when his time comes, he doesn’t want a fancy funeral or to be buried in a suit and tie, he just wants to go as he is.

With authenticity and sincerity rippling through his vocals, the Mississippi native sings, “I don’t care which box, I don’t care which stone/ All I care’s what I got on/ Don’t need no suit, don’t need no tie/ I don’t wanna be hard to recognize/ Bury me in bottom land/ With my grandpa’s rifle in my hand/ Lord, just take me as I am/ And bury me in bottom land.”

“Bottomland” is one of 24 tracks that appear on HARDY’s COUNTRY! COUNTRY! projectand its deluxe edition, COUNTRY! COUNTRY! COUNTRY!. With his most past albums, HARDY heavily leaned into his country-rocker sound, but with this collection, he took a step back from the more hard-hitting energy and tapped into his Mississippi roots resulting in some traditional country music storytelling.

Along with “Bottomland,” other standout tracks include “Good Ole Boy,” “Dog Years,” as well as collaborations with ERNEST (“Bro Country”) and Stephen Wilson Jr. (“Bedrooms In The Sky”), and his single, “Favorite Country Song.”

HARDY - COUNTRY! COUNTRY!
HARDY – COUNTRY! COUNTRY!

HARDY will close out the year by hosting Country vs. Cancer. Presented by the American Cancer Society, the charity concert will unite The HARDY Fund and Whiskey Jam on December 2 to benefit the ACS. HARDY will headline alongside Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Lanie Gardner and McCoy Moore at The Pinnacle in Nashville. 

In the new year, the “Truck Bed” singer will kick off THE COUNTRY! COUNTRY! TOUR!, hitting arenas and amphitheaters across North America. Cameron Whitcomb, Tucker Wetmore, Mitchell Tenpenny, Muscadine Bloodline, Jake Worthington and McCoy Moore will join the tour for select dates.

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