The Boot News Roundup: Brantley Gilbert Is Playing Matchmaker for Dogs and Veterans + More
Welcome to The Boot's News Roundup, a morning rundown of the news country music fans need to know. Read on to learn more about the latest goings-on in the country, Americana, bluegrass and folk genres.
While out on his The Ones That Like Me Tour, Brantley Gilbert has teamed up with Pedigree to pair companion dogs with veterans of the United States Armed Forces. According to a press release, Gilbert and the dog food brand will connect eight veterans with furry friends on each stop of his tour this spring. "Nothing helps heal like an animal’s love,” Gilbert says in a statement. “These dogs aren’t just good dogs, they’re trained to help their veteran, and new companion, cope with stress, memories and triggers people can’t see and provide them with a sense of solid grounding."
Congratulations are in order for Jessie James Decker, who just welcomed a new baby boy! Decker announced the March 31 birth of her new bundle of joy, named Forrest Bradley Decker, in an Instagram post on Monday (April 2). Baby Forrest is Decker's third child with her professional football player husband, Eric Decker; he joins big sister Vivianne Rose and big brother Eric Decker II in the family.
Country rocker Steve Earle will appear in the final season of CMT's Nashville. According to TVLine, Earle will guest star in an upcoming episode as a songwriting advisor to Gunnar Scott, portrayed by Sam Palladio. It won't be Earle's first time on TV, either: He's also had roles on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and 30 Rock. Nashville's sixth season will return to the airwaves on June 7 at 9PM ET on CMT.
Maren Morris has scored a Top 40 No. 1 hit with "The Middle," the poppy collaboration with Zedd and electronic duo Grey released earlier this year. It's the second major milestone for the song, which also topped the Billboard Dance / Mix Show Airplay chart, making Morris the first country artist to score a No. 1 on that chart. According to Taste of Country, the song has been streamed online more than 300 million times since it was released in January, earning Morris a major crossover success.
Trisha Yearwood will host her own radio show on Garth Brooks' SiriusXM channel. Called Trisha's Take 5, the show will feature four songs chosen by Yearwood according to theme and one listener-selected song. The premiere episode, titled "Auto-Pilot," featured Prince's "Little Red Corvette" and "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. "I love the Garth Channel because it explores such diverse music," Yearwood says in a statement. "No artist is influenced by just one genre of music. But of all the great voices you’ll hear on the Garth Channel, I’m most excited about including the voice of the listener on Trisha’s Take 5." The show premiered on April 2 and will air weekly.
Margo Price and Tyler Childers have been added to the lineup for the 2018 Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, Calif. Price and Childers join a diverse mix of artists that also includes Janet Jackson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jessie Ware and Huey Lewis & the News. The festival is set for Aug. 10-12, and fans can check out the lineup and buy tickets when they go on sale on April 5 at SFOutsideLands.com.