Give us a minute, and we’ll give you five things to know in country music. It’s your new favorite fix for all the latest news headlines in one place. Here’s what you need to know for Thursday (April 11):
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It’s NHL playoff time in Nashville, and that means the return of a Predators’ tradition in which the city’s top musicians sing the National Anthem. Big & Rich’s “Star Spangled Banner” on Wednesday night (April 10) was the first to open Stanley Cup playoff time at the Bridgestone Arena. The performance coincides with the news that John Rich will expand his Redneck Riviera bar and venue to the neighboring Cotton Eyed Joe’s building on Lower Broadway. According to the Tennessean, the property’s $18.5 million purchase was closed Thursday (April 11).
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Grand Ole Opry Reveals Initial CMA Fest Schedule
Carrie Underwood, Chris Janson and Travis Tritt will headline a special Grand Ole Opry June 4 to ring in Nashville’s CMA Fest week. A free Opry Plaza Party will begin earlier in the afternoon with live music and activities. Opry performances scheduled for CMA Fest Week include shows running June 6-8, as well as a June 8 matinee performance of Opry Country Classics featuring Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers and Charley Pride at the Ryman Auditorium. The Opry’s CMA Fest schedule will be updated in the coming weeks at the show’s website.
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The Cadillac Three has new music just in time for the summer. The beloved Nashville trio’s “Crackin’ Cold Ones with the Boys” is the first piece of music since 2017’s Legacy. A new album is in the works for a release set for later this year.
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Wilson and rising artist Jessie G. sound just like Nancy and Annie Wilson on Heart’s “Dreamboat Annie,” and it’s the jam.
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Tortuga’s 2019 Sustainability Initiatives
Rock the Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival starts tomorrow (April 12) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. with headliners Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Thomas Rhett. This year’s Conservation Village will showcase 30 worldwide leaders in ocean conservation including Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP), Oceana, Surfrider and Sharks4Kids. The groups are divided into 5 tents, each representing one of Rock The Ocean’s five core issues: overfishing, shark conservation, coral reef degradation, marine pollution and turtle conservation. Since its inception, Tortuga raised more than $1,200,000 to support ocean conservation.
