STREAM THE SHOWTIME® ORIGINAL SERIES GEORGE AND TAMMY

Five at Five: Carly Pearce and Michael Ray Share CMT Music Awards Nomination + Wynonna Judd Advocates for Criminal Justice Reform

Five Things to Know in Country Music for May 8

Give us a minute, and we’ll give you five things you need to know in country music. It’s your new fix for all the latest headlines in one place. Here’s what you need to know for Wednesday (May 8):

Carly Pearce Shares CMT Music Awards Nomination with Michael Ray

Pearce is the main event in her “Closer to You” video. But that shadowy figure she’s snuggling with is her fiancé Michael Ray, and the video is nominated for Female Video of the Year at the 2019 CMT Music Awards. Pearce is the reigning Breakthrough Video of the Year winner for “Every Little Thing.” Voting to determine your favorites in each category is underway through CMT.com. The Video of the Year finalists will be revealed the morning of the show June 5. Little Big Town host the event live from Nashville June 5 at 8 p.m. ET.

Maren Morris, Lindsay Ell and Tenille Townes’ Free All-Female Show

Morris, Ell and Townes are the initial artists announced to perform at an all-female concert June 3 at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works during CMA Fest week. Free tickets are limited through the event’s website.

Wynonna Judd Advocates for Criminal Justice Reform

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 02: Wynonna Judd and her husband Cactus Moser (R) attend a National Day of Prayer service in the Rose Garden at the White House May 02, 2019 in Washington, DC. The White House invited leaders from various faiths and religions to participate in the day of prayer, which was designated in 1952 by the United States Congress to ask people "to turn to God in prayer and meditation." (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

According to Politico, Wynonna Judd met with the White House Office of American Innovation on Wednesday (May 8) to discuss criminal justice reform and ways the administration can enhance reentry programs for inmates and reduce the return-to-prison rate. This is an issue that is close to Judd, whose 22-year-old daughter, Grace Pauline Kelley, was given an eight-year prison sentence last summer for violating the terms of her probation stemming from a drug-related conviction the previous year. Judd was also in Washington, DC Thursday (May) to participate in the National Day of Prayer.

Garth Brooks’ Stadium Tour Adds Boise State University

Richard Gabriel Ford/Getty Images

NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 08: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) SingerGarth Brooks performs at Nissan Stadium during day 1 of the 2017 CMA Music Festival on June 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Richard Gabriel Ford/Getty Images)

Brooks will headline Boise State University’s Albertsons Stadium on July 20. This is the first time Brooks played a show in the Idaho capital in 20 years. Tickets go on sale May 17 through Ticketmaster.

Alabama’s 50th Anniversary Tour Grows

Frederick Breedon IV/WireImage

NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 05: Jeff Cook, Randy Owen, and Teddy Gentry of the band Alabama take a bow after a performance at LP Field at the 2014 CMA Festival on June 5, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon IV/WireImage)

The Beach Boys, The Charlie Daniels Band, Scotty McCreery, The Marshall Tucker Band, John Anderson, Restless Heart, Exile, John Michael Montgomery and Canadian artist Charlie Major will join Alabama for 28 new shows that have been added to the beloved band’s 50th anniversary tour. The concert with The Beach Boys is to be announced, but all other new shows start May 9 at Orange Beach, Ala.’s Wharf Amphitheater. A complete schedule and ticket information are available through the band’s website.

Latest News