Hillbilly Live!

As a native Texan, I enjoy waking up to a surprise like this.

It’s Monday, March 2, 2026, and Cody Johnson just dropped a brand new song today called “Blame Texas”. The first verse is strong too y’all. It opens up with a lot of Texas pride.

”If I chase my tequila with an ice cold beer, blame Texas. If I swear there ain’t no better place than here, blame Texas. If you think I say a few words wrong, And find a way to put a fiddle in every song…If I take George Strait over Elvis, Blame Texas.”

Now I do love Elvis…but in Texas…George Strait is the damn King. And I don’t make the rules. I just try to follow them and act accordingly. This song is basically a break up song that’s also not technically blaming Texas, because he’s only blaming Texas for being the way he is. Which apparently she couldn’t handle.

Once Cody gets to the course it’s clear that he screwed up, causing his better half to leave…but you really can’t blame Texas for it. Mainly because it’s his fault for her leaving. Texas is innocent in here.

“But if you wonder why she packed all her things…Left me back here alone in the Lone Star State, Yeah, I messed up a good thing again. Guess I just can’t help it. She loved the wide open skies. No, she didn’t want to leave. Did her wrong, now she’s gone, And it’s all on me. Comin’ back, no she ain’t. Wish I could, but I can’t blame Texas.”

Dolly Parton is once again showing up for her home state.

It was recently announced that the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital will officially become the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.

Dolly said, “being fortunate to have grown up in the mountains of East Tennessee, I learned early on what it means to take care of one another. Every child deserves world-class care, wrapped in kindness and love.

I’m so honored to stand alongside this hospital and do my part to help bring more hope, more comfort and more healing to children and families.”

Dolly really is the best of us. She went on to say, “when we come together for our children, there’s no limit to what we can do.”

(Country Now)

These two Georgia boys lit up there home state.

Zach John King joined Vincent Mason on stage this past weekend to perform Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” at the Georgia Theatre. It was a full circle moment for these boys since both of them are actually from the great of Georgia.

Zach is from Fayetteville, Georgia and Vincent calls Roswell, Georgia home. So, when two Georgia natives get a chance to play the Georgia Theatre…it’s basically going to be a hell of a welcome home party. Their performance of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” was pretty damn impressive.

And God rest Tom Petty’s soul. Well done on the cover boys.

A new class is stepping into the spotlight at the Grand Ole Opry.  They just announced their 2026 Opry NextStage class during a special event at the Opry House in Nashville.

This year’s artists include Alexandra Kay…Carter Faith…Emily Ann Roberts…Graham Barham…Hudson Westbrook…Jake Worthington …Tyler Braden…Vincent Mason…and Willow Avalon.

The program highlights some of the brightest rising stars in country music and gives them mentorship and performance opportunities throughout the year.

Vince Gill even stopped by to offer advice and told the group, “what’s beautiful about this place that I’ve been able to witness over the years is regardless of what your career is doing, has done or will do…they never turn their back on you at the Opry.” Wouldn’t it be nice if mainstream country radio never there backs on country artists? Maybe that’s just me.

Ella Langley also shared that being part of NextStage gave her “community” and “friendship.” 

(People)

Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins announced they welcomed their first son last week.

His name is Brave Elijah Akins…and he made quite the entrance. Even though he was two weeks early, he still weighed close to 10 pounds.

Lauren wrote in an Instagram post, “Thomas was my biggest champion in labor and delivery…He helped deliver him, was the first one to see and tearfully, mixed with a bit of shock announce to us all in the room ‘It’s a BOY.'”

Brave joins his big sisters Willa Gray, Ada James, Lennon Love and Lillie Carolina. Lauren said, “your four sisters are smitten and we are completely over the moon in love with you, big Brave boy.”

View this post on Instagram

(Billboard)

Nobody will ever deliver this Townes Van Zandt song as good as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard did. But these two men definitely didn’t disappoint in their performance of it.

This past Saturday night (2/28/26), a capacity crowd packed into Moody Center in Austin, Texas to see Eric Church on his “Free the Machine Tour” stop there.

Eric has consistently reminded his audiences on this tour, he wants it to be all about the music. And on Saturday night, that’s exactly what it was. While the world was still going insane outside of that arebea, it was all about the music inside and a perfect way to forget about the insanity for at least a few hours.

Eric has had Stephen Wilson Jr. out on his “Free The Machine Tour” to help open shows. And on Saturday night in Austin, Texas he invited him back on stage during his set for something special.

The two performed a flawless cover of “Pancho and Lefty”. The song was originally written in by Townes Van Zandt in 1972 about a Mexican bandit, Pancho, betrayed by his associate, Lefty. The song was then made famous in the 1983 by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, which was featured on their album of the same name. And it did in fact hit #1 in 1983 as well.

Eric said, “we’ve never done this, and the great thing about music is we’re just going to fucking do it.” They need to go ahead and record this song together. And then release that thing…because this is a damn fine performance of “Pancho and Lefty”.

I don’t where you know where you live, but I’m already sick of the winter weather we didn’t get much of here in Colorado and 5pm sunsets. I’m personally ready for some cold beer and live country music outdoors now.

The Carolina Country Music Festival is set to return to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 6, and this year features a nice powerhouse lineup. They’ve tapped some of the biggest names in country music, including headliners Post Malone, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Riley Green.

In addition to the headlines on this festival, they will be joined by Cole Swindell, Tucker Wetmore, Justin Moore, Chris Janson, Lauren Alaina, Tracy Lawrence, Flatland Cavalry, Chris Lane, Rodney Atkins, Ashley Cooke, Dasha, LOCASH, Drew Baldridge, Drake White, Emily Ann Roberts, Zach John King and a lot more.

If I counted correctly. the Carolina Country Music Festival will feature over 40 artists performing across multiple stages, in the heart of downtown Myrtle Beach. Southern Entertainment CEO Bob Durkin praised the wide range of artists who will be hitting the stage too. He said…

“We’ve got two of the hottest artists in country right now…Post Malone and Riley Green…alongside two of the genre’s biggest mainstays, Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton.

From global superstars to artists on the rise, we’re bringing together an incredible mix of talent for four unforgettable days on the beach.”

General admission tickets start at just $79 per day for four days of non-stop country music. And tickets for the festival are on sale as of now too at carolinacountrymusicfest.com

View this post on Instagram

March Madness is switching things up in 2026. 

They’re going country y’all. Last year their intro song was “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga. But this year, it’s the Zac Brown Band.

Their song “Give It Away” will be played before every tip-off…from the first game, all the way through to the Final Four. And in a 68-team bracket, you’re going to hear that song a whole lot.

I ain’t complaining…because March is about to sound a lot more country. And I’m here for it.

"Give It Away" by Zac Brown Band will be this year's anthem for March Madness coverage on CBS/TNT.

Last year's song was "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga. pic.twitter.com/vpAwFPaBU5

— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) February 24, 2026

(Saturday Down South)

We’ve got another tour announcement here y’all!

Jason Aldean announced his “Songs About Us Tour” for 2026, which is a 22-city summer and fall trek across North America in support of his upcoming album of the same name. The tour officially kicks off on July 16, 2026, in Bangor, Maine, and wraps up a with a two-night stop in Gilford, New Hampshire, on September 25th and the 26th.

He’s getting support from Chase Matthew, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Dee Jay Silver on this tour too.

Aldean Army Presale: Begins Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. local time. Then the general on-sale starts Friday, March 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. local time via Live Nation and Ticketmaster. For everything Jason Aldean, please visit jasonaldean.com.

View this post on Instagram

The new tv series “Marshals” premieres Sunday March 1, 2026 and the cast kicked off the “Yellowstone” spinoff with an event at The Autrey in Los Angeles.

The star of the show, Luke Grimes, who is reprising his role as Kayce Dutton, was joined on the red carpet by the shows co-stars Ash Santos, Moses Brings Plenty, Brecken Merrill, Arielle Kebbel, Gil Birmingham, Tatanka Mean, and country star Riley Green. The man will be making his acting debut in the new show too.

In a video shared on the “Marshals” official TikTok page, Luke introduced Riley, who played a few songs at the event, and he poked a little at his mustachioed friend. It’s what friends do.

Luke said, “well, I had this whole bit I was going to do, where I met this struggling country musician in Nashville and he needed a job, so I gave him a job on our show. But he’s sitting here already so I can’t do that.”

Riley then chimed in with, “want me to leave and come back?”

I can’t wait to watch this new show. Mainly because I’m a fan of watching law enforcement arrest or kill violent criminals. We need more of that in real life too. Let’s be real.