The Boot News Roundup: Bonnie Raitt + More Support BYOBottle Initiative + 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.
Bonnie Raitt, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, the Lumineers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, the Infamous Stringdusters, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Steve Earle and more have pledged their support to the BYOBottle initiative. Spearheaded by the Sustainable Concerts Working Group, the campaign "encourage[s] artists, venues, festivals and fans to reduce plastic pollution in the music industry by promoting reusable water bottles and water refill stations both backstage and front of house at music events." At the BYOBottle website, artists, fans, and venues can sign on to the initiative, and find resources to help go green while rocking out.
Blake Shelton will help Musicians on Call celebrate its 20th anniversary with a concert at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The show, set for May 31, will also feature Cale Dodds; during the event Lauren Alaina will receive the Music Heals Award in recognition of her volunteer efforts with Musicians on Call's Bedside Performance Program. Musicians on Call is a non-profit organization that brings live and recorded music to patients in healthcare facilities around the country.
Jimmy Fortune is releasing a new solo album on May 24. God & Country, due out via Gaither Music Group, features 14 spiritual and patriotic classics, including "Softly and Tenderly," "It Is Well With My Soul" and a medley of "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful." The project will be available via streaming platforms and at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations.