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By minnesotacountry / April 7, 2016

Growing up and trying to find your place in the world isn’t easy, especially these days with social media being a constant reminder of how put together every one else’s lives are. The fact that on her debut album, Black Sheep, Hailey Whitters hits you with lyrics that are telling you it’s ok not to have it all figured out is exactly why it felt like a much needed breath of fresh air the first time I heard it. As you make your way through each song on the album, Hailey makes a pretty great case for why taking a little longer to get to where you’re meant to be and going through some struggles while getting there, isn’t such a bad thing.

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Misc - 2016

By minnesotacountry / April 7, 2016

News of country music legend, Merle Haggard’s passing yesterday, on his 79th birthday, quickly spread through out the music industry leaving family, friends, and admirers of the Okie from Muskogee to take to social media and share their memories of the common man’s poet.  Fans young and old shared stories of how Merle’s lyrics and character influenced their lives and lamented on what an incredible loss this is for the music industry.  Dolly Parton who toured with Haggard in the 70’s said “We’ve lost one of the greatest writers and singers of all time.  His heart was as tender as his love ballads.  I loved him like a brother.  Rest easy, Merle.”  Long time friend Willie Nelson who collaborated with Haggard most recently on last year’s, Django and Jimmie album tweeted, “He was my brother, my friend.  I will miss him.”  And Eric Church who’s fan favorite, “Pledge Allegiance To The Hag” honors Haggard and his legacy simply sent an email to his fan club with the lyrics to the final verse of the song:

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Misc - 2016

By minnesotacountry / April 6, 2016

We’re halfway through the week and it’s been a pretty great one if you’re Tyler Rich! The “California Grown” singer started off the week by taking over Whiskey Jam, a weekly showcase featuring the best and brightest singers and songwriters in Nashville. As if having an already amazing line up wasn’t enough (Filmore, Nick Alligood, Julia Cole, John Gurney, Brandon Spaeth, Josh Phillips), Tyler had a few special guests show up at the end of the night with Lee Brice, Shay Mooney, and Peyton Manning jumping on stage to sing “Rocky Top”. This morning the good news continued with Tyler announcing that he was named TouchTunes Breakout Artist of the Year. Here’s to hoping that things keep getting better not only for the rest of the week, but for the rest of 2016 for this talented artist. Check out the video of the “Rocky Top” performance from Whiskey Jam below and get to know Tyler better from our interview with him back in February.

That moment when Peyton Manning, @leebrice, and @shaymooney crash your @whiskeyjam takeover and join @wardguns on stage for a little #rockytop. Never know what to expect in #Nashville haha what a night! #peytonmanning

A video posted by Tyler Rich (@tylerrich) on Apr 5, 2016 at 7:28am PDT

Misc - 2016

By minnesotacountry / April 4, 2016

The Academy of Country Music held their 51st annual award show last night and there was no shortage of highlights from the night!  Whether you missed the show or if you just want to relive all the great moments again, below is a list of the top moments from last night’s show.

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Misc - 2016

By minnesotacountry / April 1, 2016

It’s an exciting time to be Kelsea Ballerini right now!  The “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer found out last week that she’s already won an ACM Award for New Female Artist of the Year and yesterday released what she has said is her, “dream video” for new song “Peter Pan”, the third single off her debut album, The First Time.  The song starts off soft and builds up to the chorus with Ballerini’s voice gaining in strength as she sings “You’re always going to fly away, just because you know you can.  You’re never gonna learn there’s no such place as Neverland.”  If her track record with previous singles is any indication, “Peter Pan” is certain to be a hit with fans and at radio (“Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dib” both hit number one).  Kelsea is set to perform with Nick Jonas at the ACM Awards this Sunday and heads out on tour with Rascal Flatts later this summer for the “Rhythm and Roots” Tour after coming off Billy Currington’s “Summer Forever” Tour.  She’s one busy lady, but don’t think she’s letting all this good news go to her head.  It’s clear to see from her Instagram post after receiving news of her ACM Win that Kelsea is grateful for the success she’s having and thankful for her whole team and all of her fans for helping her get here.

yesterday, I got a phone call from my friend Bob Romeo who let me know that I won my first ACM award for New Female artist. I don’t even know what to say, so for now I will just say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. For making not only my dreams come true, but for making all of the people around me who work so hard have so many beautiful moments to celebrate. Here is my reaction to the call. Keeping it calm, as always.

A photo posted by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini) on Mar 23, 2016 at 9:13am PDT

Check out the new video for “Peter Pan” here and see iHeart Radio’s behind the scenes look at the making of “Peter Pan” below let us know what you think in the comments.

Written by Jackie Ebnet for MinnesotaCountry.com.

Misc - 2016

Music Videos

By minnesotacountry / April 1, 2016

One of the hottest bands in the region, Maiden Dixie has made some major changes!  See below for the full scoop. Continue reading

Misc - 2016

Music Videos

By minnesotacountry / March 30, 2016

Get ready to reminisce about those younger care free days when all you needed was a two lane road and a radio.  Keith Urban released the third single off his upcoming album, RipCORD (set for release on May 6th) and it’s a complete 180 from his touching last single (“Break On Me”).  The new tune, “Wasted Time” has a funky, electronic dance beat complemented with a heavy dose of banjo that you can’t help but groove to.  It perfectly captures that giddy, excited feeling we all get when the days start getting longer and the temperatures start getting warmer signifying the start to summer!

Written by J. Hart, Greg Wells, and Urban himself it sounds like “Wasted Time” came together almost as easy as those lazy summer days Urban is singing about.  “Greg had this cool chord progression, and I grabbed my guitar and started singing a melody. J. suggested the title, and before we knew it, we were talking about growing up and all the things you do, no matter where you are in the world, and the song just took off from there,” Urban says in a press release.  Give it a listen below and get it on iTunes and Spotify now.

Misc - 2016

By minnesotacountry / March 30, 2016

Yesterday (March 29th) the Country Music Hall of Fame announced it’s newest inductees, Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels, and Fred Foster.  Travis will be inducted in the Modern Era category, Daniels in the Veteran’s Era category and Foster in the Non-Performer category.  The induction will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater with an invitation only Medallion Ceremony that honors the inductees with kind words and songs from their friends and colleagues in the industry.  Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed among those in the industry and the significance of being part of the 2016 class of inductees was not something these three icons took lightly.

The resounding theme of yesterday’s press conference from presenter Brenda Lee and all three inductees was that being part of the Country Music Hall of Fame is a dream come true, something they could have only hoped for.  For more from the conference and to hear about the amazing accomplishments of this year’s inductees you can view the entire press conference below.

Misc - 2016

Music Videos

By minnesotacountry / March 25, 2016

Love and Theft’s harmonies are enough to give us chills on any of their songs, but when you add heartfelt lyrics about addiction to those chill inducing harmonies you get “Whiskey On My Breath”.  It’s a song that basically commands that you stop what you’re doing to listen to it and feel the emotion you hear in Stephen and Eric’s voices.  “Whiskey On My Breath” is definitely a special song and that’s why we’ve given it our Song of the Week honors this week.  Check it out below:

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Concert Information - 2016

Enter To WIN! - 2016

Misc - 2016

By minnesotacountry / March 22, 2016

First off, MinnesotaCountry.com is proud to have partnered with Lakes Jam this year!  We can’t wait to see you all the weekend of June 23 -25, 2016 in Brainerd, MN!  However, most importantly right now, is the contest Lakes Jam is running!  It only goes for a limited time, so let your favorite bands know about it, and be sure to show them your support should they enter the contest! Continue reading