Justin Moore has reached the top of the charts for the 13th time with his current single, “This Is My Dirt,” the title track of his just-released album which came out on October 11. “This Is My Dirt” has reached the top spot on the Country Mediabase chart, while also topping the Country Aircheck Chart, and currently sits at No. 4 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Moore co-wrote “This Is My Dirt” with his frequent collaborators Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana, and Jeremy Stover, and it marks the songwriting team’s second No. 1, joining their 2021 No. 1 hit, “With A Woman You Love.” Moore celebrated the news with a post on Instagram on Monday (October 21), writing, “Proud to celebrate our 13th #1. Huge thanks to the fans and country radio for your support over the years! Hats off to my team, co-writers, band, label, and family. Couldn’t have done it without y’all’s hard work. Cheers to number 13!” (Music Row)

Bailey Zimmerman has been out on the road supporting Morgan Wallen for two years. After the final show on Wallen's 2024 One Night At A Time world tour on Saturday night (October 19) in Charlotte, North Carolina, the young musician took to Instagram to pay tribute to Wallen and thank the country superstar for everything he taught him during their time on tour together. “@morganwallen I’ve looked up to you since I was 15 years old buddy… To say that I’ve been on tour with you for 2 years now is absolutely mind blowing,” Zimmerman wrote. “You’ve brought me alongside you to arenas and stadiums all over the world… you’ve taught me not only how to rock peoples faces off… but also how important it is to be yourself no matter what people think and for that I will always be grateful… Thank you for believing in me… words could never express the gratitude I have for you… You’re a freaking legend.” (Holler)

A selection of previously-unreleased George Jones songs will be shared for the very first time on the forthcoming collection, George Jones: The Lost Nashville Sessions. The album is set to be released on November 15 via Country Rewind Records. The tracks were originally recorded for artist promotion on radio airplay in the 1970s, and were recorded quickly in just one or two takes with an announcer’s voice coming in between songs. Country Rewind Records President and the album’s Executive Producer Thomas Gramuglia discovered the original master recordings, and wanted to share these timeless recordings with country music fans. “Even after all these years, we’re still releasing new music from George,” says the country legend’s widow, Nancy Jones. “This collection features 16 songs, and while some may be familiar hits, these versions are ones you’ve never heard before. I’m thrilled to share them with all of his devoted fans.” (Music Row)

Morgan Wallen took to Instagram on Monday (October 21) to reveal the stacked lineup for his newly announced music festival, Sand In My Boots. The festival will take place on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama between May 16-18, 2025. In addition to a headlining set from the host himself, Wallen will be joined by fellow country headliners Brooks & Dunn, Post Malone, and Hardy. Other country stars on the lineup include Riley Green, Chase Rice, Ernest, Ian Munsick, Nate Smith, Ella Langley, Paul Cauthen, Kameron Marlowe, Josh Ross, Morgan Wade, Hailey Whitters, Lauren Watkins, John Morgan, and Laci Kaye Booth. The lineup also features hip-hop stars like T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Three 6 Mafia, Moneybagg Yo, and BigXthaPlug, as well as indie rock bands the War on Drugs, 3 Doors Down, Future Islands, Real Estate,  and Wild Nothing. Ticket options for Sand In My Boots include a three-day general admission pass, Party Pit, VIP, Super VIP, and “Livin’ the Dream” options. (Billboard) 

Things got emotional during the 2024 induction ceremony for the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday night (October 20). The event honored new inductees James Burton, John Anderson, and the late Toby Keith. To pay tribute to Keith, Post Malone did a rendition of “I’m Just Talkin’ ‘About Tonight,” Eric Church covered “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” and Blake Shelton played “I Love This Bar” and “Red Solo Cup.” “He didn’t just sing those songs. He was those songs,” Tricia Lucus said of her late husband.

Shawn Camp, Del McCoury, and Lucinda Williams paid tribute to Anderson’s musical legacy by covering three of the Florida native’s country classics. Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, and Emmylou Harris honored the legendary guitarist Burton, who played with everyone from Buck Owens, Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, and Gram Parsons. Keith Richards made a surprise appearance during Burton’s tribute, with the Rolling Stones’ guitarist performing “I Can’t Dance” alongside Harris and Gill, while Elvis Costello joined John Jorgenson to perform Nelson’s 1958 song, “Believe What You Say.” (Billboard)

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” claims the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 15th week. Shaboozey’s crossover hit has now tied Harry Styles’ 2022 smash, “As It Was,” for the second-longest chart-topping reign this decade, trailing only Morgan Wallen’s 16-week run at No. 1 with his 2023 hit, “Last Night.” Elsewhere in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” remains at No. 2, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” moves up a spot to No. 3. Carpenter once again places three songs in the Top 10 for an eighth consecutive week, as “Taste” drops one spot to No. 8, and “Please Please Please” slides down one spot to No. 10. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” moves up one spot to No. 4, Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Wallen, drops two spots to No. 5, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” jumps up two spots to No. 6, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” dips one slot to No. 7, and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” moves up one spot to No. 9. (Billboard)

Jelly Roll scores his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, as Beautifully Broken debuts on top of the chart this week. Beautifully Broken is Jelly Roll’s second album to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, joining Whitsitt Chapel which reached No. 3 in 2023. This marks the fifth different country album to top the Billboard 200 chart in 2024, the most in a year since 2014. Elsewhere in the Billboard 200 Top 10, Rod Wave’s Last Lap debuts at No. 2, Charli XCX’s Brat jumps from No. 14 to No. 3 following a deluxe reissue, GloRilla’s Glorious premieres at No. 5, and BigXthaPlug’s Take Care debuts at No. 8. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet drops two spots to No. 4, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess drops 3 slots to No. 6, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slides down two spots to No. 7, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time drops 5 slots to No. 9, and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department slides down four spots to No. 10. (Billboard)

Luke Grimes and his wife Bianca Rodrigues Grimes have recently welcomed the birth of their first child, a baby boy. Bianca made the initial announcement with an Instagram post of her tenderly cradling her new baby, writing in the caption, “Welcome to the world little man. 💙” She followed that up with a new Instagram post featuring a photo of the Yellowstone actor and country music star putting his arms around her and their little bundle of joy, captioning the recent post, “And then there were 3 🫂” The Grimes family is doing their best to keep their young son's life private, by not revealing his precise birth date or his given name in their birth announcement. Luke and Bianca have been married for over five years, and they currently reside in Montana. Grimes portrays Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone, and the show’s fifth and supposedly final season is set to air in November. (Taste of Country)

Rising country star Carter Faith has considerably raised her profile by being featured on Bon Iver’s highly-anticipated new EP, SABLE, the first new collection by the Grammy-winner in over five years. Faith is credited as a backing vocalist on “Awards Season,” one of the emotional standouts on the brief four-song EP. “Getting asked to sing on this Bon Iver song is definitely the craziest thing to happen to me so far,” Faith said. “I got a call that Justin [Vernon] wanted to try my voice on a song because he loved my song ‘Greener Pasture.’ It was such a whirlwind magical experience.” Faith’s personal connection with Bon Iver goes back a while, too. “I am obviously honored to be on the song because Bon Iver is one of the greatest artists of our generation, but personally it feels very full circle,” she says, before revealing, “The very first song I ever sang with me and my guitar on a stage in front of people was ‘Skinny Love.’” (Holler)

Garth Brooks has submitted photos of his anonymous rape accuser as evidence in the case, following the country star’s previous decision to controversially name her in a recent court filing. The photos were submitted alongside a motion by Brooks’ legal team to dismiss Jane Roe's efforts to seal or redact his earlier complaint that identified her. Brooks’ lawyers argue that their decision to identify Roe is in response to her own actions to publicize the case. Roe sued Brooks in early October, accusing the musician of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions in 2019. Roe’s lawyers have declined to comment on Brooks’ recent actions, but when he named her in the court filing, her legal team responded, “With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him. On behalf of our client, we will be moving for maximum sanctions against him immediately.” (Rolling Stone)

On Friday (October 18), Riley Green had two big reasons to celebrate. The country star not only turned 36-years-old that day, but he also released his third studio album, Don’t Mind If I Do. In a new interview with Audacy’s Rob + Holly, Green talked about the themes of the record, and the significance of releasing it on his birthday. “It feels fitting that this album is out on my birthday because this project feels very true to who I am, where I come from and what I’ve learned along the way,” Green shared. “I learned to play guitar to my granddaddy’s favorite country songs from back in the day and this new album is a throwback to the era when I first became a fan.” Green has Australian dates scheduled at the end of October, before returning to the U.S. for a handful of shows to close out 2024. His Damn Country Music Tour starts March 27, 2025, with frequent collaborator Ella Langley opening all dates. (Audacy) 

Ringo Starr has revealed that he is releasing a new country album, Look Up, on January 10, 2025. The forthcoming 11-song record was produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett, and was recorded earlier this year in Nashville and Los Angeles. Look Up also features guest contributions from Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, and Molly Tuttle. To promote the upcoming release, Starr has just shared the album’s lead single, “Time on My Hands.” The collaboration between the two music legends dates back to a Los Angeles event in 2022, where Starr asked Burnett to write him a song for a project that he was working on. Burnett got back to him with nine country-flavored songs that formed the early foundation of the album. “I’ve always loved country music,” Starr said in a statement. “And when I asked T Bone to write me a song, I didn’t even think at the time that it would be a country song — but of course it was, and it was so beautiful.” (Consequence of Sound)

A star-studded tribute concert for Robbie Robertson took place on Thursday (October 17) at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Eric Clapton, Mavis Staples, Van Morrison, Trey Anastasio, Eric Church, Bobby Weir, Taj Mahal, Warren Haynes, and Bruce Hornsby were just some of the high profile musicians who took part in Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson, which was filmed for eventual release by legendary director Martin Scorsese. The nearly five-hour concert featured 37 songs performed by a wide array of guest artists, who were joined by the house band for the evening led by Don Was and including Mike Campbell, Jamey Johnson, Ryan Bingham, Benmont Tench, and Shannon McNally. Noah Kahan and Elvis Costello were both advertised as taking part in the tribute show, but were not  in attendance. (Variety)

The Class of 2024 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Saturday night. Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, and Kool & the Gang officially joined the Rock Hall in the Performers Category during the 5+ hour ceremony. Cher opened the show, dueting with Dua Lipa on “Believe” and proclaiming, “I changed the sound of music forever” in her speech. Ozzy received his award in a black throne befitting the Prince of Darkness, while an all-star band featuring Billy Idol, Jelly Roll, Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Zakk Wylde, and Wolfgang Van Halen played a medley of metal hits from his solo career.

A Tribe Called Quest were honored with a performance featuring hip-hop legends De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, the Roots, Queen Latifah, and Common, while Dr. Dre and Method Man inducted Mary J. Blige after a live performance from the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson honored the music of Foreigner, and Chuck D inducted Kool & the Gang, who played a medley of their hits with the Roots. Keith Urban jammed with Peter Frampton after the Who’s Roger Daltrey inducted the guitar legend, and superfan Julia Roberts inducted Dave Matthews Band, who played some hits before ending the night with a cover of Talking Heads “Burning Down the House,” honoring the 40th anniversary of their iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense. (New York Times)

John Anderson is set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday (October 20), alongside fellow country legends Toby Keith and James Burton. Anderson is proud of his achievement, but he also has some doubts about where country music is going in the future. “One of the main gratifications is I got to live to see it,” says the 69-year-old country star. “Several of my friends were inducted posthumously.” That includes Keith, who died back in February, only days before he was to learn he was being inducted alongside Anderson and Burton. “Toby left us way too soon,” Anderson says. “He and I were friends and went back a long way. I kind of watched him grow into the star that he became, a great writer and a great singer.” In a preview of his induction speech, Anderson says of modern country, “the style has changed quite a bit. It’s hard to say where it goes from here.” (Rolling Stone)

Zach Bryan is taking his music beyond country, as Snoop Dogg disclosed on Thursday’s episode of the Today Show that he and Bryan are collaborating. The reveal came during a segment focused on Bryan’s recent interview with Bruce Springsteen, in which he said doesn’t want to be categorized by only one music style. "I don’t want to be a country musician,” Bryan revealed. “Everyone calls me it. I want to be a songwriter." Snoop then revealed he is working with the country superstar. “Zach sent me a song. I got to put a verse on it,” Snoop Dogg announced. “I’m inspired seeing him with The Boss.” (People)

The Concert for Carolina benefit show has now added a livestream option for fans across the country who want to support the cause but aren’t able to travel to Charlotte to see the event. The cost for the livestream is $24.99, which will go directly towards Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Those in the areas affected by the storm will be able to stream the event for free due to a geo-targeting procedure set up by Veeps that ensures those in the hardest hit areas will not be charged. The Concert for Carolina music lineup has also been expanded, with new additions Chase Rice, the Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, and Parmalee joining headliners Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, and Billy Strings, along with previously announced artists Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, and Bailey Zimmerman. The Concert For Carolina is set to take place on Saturday, October 26, at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Holler)

Dan + Shay have been working on their long rumored Christmas album for ten years now. But this is the holiday season that they are finally going to share their musical gifts with their country fans. The duo shared an Instagram post on Thursday (October 17) that announced that their long-awaited holiday album, It’s Officially Christmas, will be available for streaming this Friday. And to reward fans for their patience, Dan + Shay made it a double album featuring 21 Christmas-themed tracks, with pre-orders for signed copies of the album on vinyl and CD available now on their webstore. “This project has been a decade in the making, and we are so proud of every single note,” the pair wrote in their caption. “We truly leaned into our love for the holiday season and think we found some magic in these songs. Our hope is that you are able to enjoy + share that same magic with your loved ones for years to come.” (Taste of Country)

Morgan Wallen is launching his own music festival on the sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama in 2025. Wallen just announced his plans for a three-day Sand in My Boots Festival that will take place between May 16-18 of next year. Wallen has partnered with AEG Presents and the Hangout Festival to hold his new festival at the same picturesque location that already hosts the annual Hangout Festival. Lineup and ticket information for Wallen’s Sand in My Boots Festival will be disclosed in the coming weeks. Wallen shared the news in a social media video, where he says, “Just wanted to hop on here and share some exciting news with y’all. Me and my team have been working on this for a while. We’re going to be heading south to the beaches and I’m bringing some of my friends with me.” (Billboard)

At Loser's Bar & Grill in downtown Nashville over the weekend, Post Malone and Riley Green got behind the bar and started serving up drinks to the thirsty and star-struck patrons who were lucky enough to be in the pub that night. The two country superstars surprised everyone by tying on aprons and becoming makeshift bartenders, taking orders and mixing drinks for their shocked patrons. According to one fan, Posty whipped up a batch of screwdrivers for her and her friends, while another person said Green took her phone and took a group selfie with their friends. There was even a lucky bachelorette party at Loser’s that night, taking photos and videos of  Green and Malone behind the bar serving up drinks for everyone out for a good time on the town that night. (Taste of Country)