Category: Entertainment

Rhonda Vincent Releases ‘Destinations and Fun Places’

Bethany Bowman
Rhonda Vincent

Rhonda Vincent is one of my favorite Opry performers, whom I had the privilege to interview back in 2021. Not only is our “Queen of Bluegrass” full of energy and light, but she is exceptionally talented and can play any stringed instrument, especially her beloved mandolin, like nobody’s business. And when she is surrounded by her amazingly gifted band, The Rage, you have one of the best performances at the Opry if you are lucky enough to attend on the evening they are playing.

Right before the pandemic in February 2020, Vincent was asked to join the Opry by long-time mentor and friend Jeannie Seely. She knew that 20 years ago, Seely had written a song about her called “I Miss Missouri,” which is where Vincent and her talented family are from. The only problem was when the great Nashville flood of 2010 hit, the song and lyrics were lost because Seely’s house was on the Cumberland River.

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Music Spotlight: Taylor Sanders

Bethany Bowman
Taylor Sanders

When I met singer/producer Terran “T-RAN” Gilbert of 22Visionz Entertainment last year, he mentioned a remarkable artist he worked with, Taylor Sanders. It took nearly a year, but I finally had the opportunity to interview this powerful artist.

Sanders has been performing most of her life. Since age five, she has been involved in singing, piano, dance, and gymnastics. She loves anything related to the performing arts.

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T. Graham Brown Releases ‘From Memphis to Muscle Shoals’

Bethany Bowman
T Graham Brown

You may remember the legendary T. Graham Brown and Opry member who has recorded 15 studio albums and charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard charts. He has had multiple No.1 hits in country, gospel, and blues. Though released well before streaming was a thing, hits such as “Wine Into Water,” “If You Could See Me Now,” and “Hell and High Water” have had millions of views and plays.

But you may not know that Brown got his start in R&B. He and his buddy would play on his college campus, where they had quite the student following.

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Author Spotlight: Cleo Childs

Bethany Bowman
Cleo Childs

Not too far removed from singers/songwriters are poets. Songs are just poetry set to music. Author Cleo Childs debuted her first spoken word project in May. The work entitled Moving With is a collection of 14 poems set to music. It was written throughout her personal, emotional journey as she witnessed her mother’s brave struggle through the stages of Alzheimer’s.

Childs’ mother passed in 2021 from early onset Alzheimer’s when she was just 28 and it sent her into a deep depression. She tried to “intellectually” get over it by learning everything she could about grief.

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1990s Country Legends to Headline the Ryman

Bethany Bowman

Sammy Kershaw, Collin Raye, and Aaron Tippin, collectively known as Roots & Boots, are playing their first show together at the Ryman on July 31st.

The trio, the brainchild of Kershaw, started playing together more than 10 years ago when Joe Diffie initially held the spot now occupied by Raye. The show is a collaborative event to celebrate 90s country music, with all three on-stage together using one band, and trading hit songs and stories.

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Music Spotlight: Jet Jurgensmeyer

Bethany Bowman
Jet Jurgensmeyer

Nashville native Jet Jurgensmeyer has been performing all his life. At age 19, his resume is longer than that of many who are three times his age. Jurgensmeyer has been acting since he was a small child and has recently done a lot of voice-over work. He can be seen in everything from Last Man Standing to Bubble Guppies.

When I met Jurgensmeyer at the 2024 Country Radio Seminar, I discovered that his passion for singing and songwriting may almost be greater than his affinity toward acting. Growing up in Nashville, his parents are the former owners of the Nashville Palace, a long-time popular music venue across from the Opryland Hotel and Grand Ole Opry.

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Music Spotlight: Tiffany Woys

Bethany Bowman
Tiffany Woys

Tiffany Woys has always wanted to be a performer. Her mother was a huge Celine Dion fan, and when she was five, her mother took her to her first concert. Even though she was so young, it had a profound impact on her. She wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but she knew she wanted to hold a microphone and sing.

A few years later, Woys heard LeAnn Rimes sing the National Anthem at a Dallas Cowboys football game, so she started singing the National Anthem whenever she could. Her parents finally started taking her desire to sing as a career more seriously. However, they insisted that she attend college and get a degree. She could become a singer later on.

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Music Spotlight: Danielia Cotton

Bethany Bowman

Danielia Cotton has made a name for herself in the Americana/Roots Rock world. When I heard that voice, I knew exactly why. She has opened for Gregg Allman, Bon Jovi, Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, Cristone “Kingfish” Ingram, Derek Trucks Band, and Aimee Mann.

Cotton comes from a musical family. Her mother was one of ten children, four boys and six girls. The girls formed a capella band. (Her aunt Jeannie Brooks also has a remarkable jazz solo career and is quite popular in Philadelphia.)

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Country Music Hall of Fame Celebrates New Luke Combs Exhibit

Bethany Bowman

The Country Music Hall of Fame® (CMHOF) and Museum on Wednesday celebrated the opening of its newest exhibition Luke Combs: The Man I Am. The exhibit traces Combs’ story from singing with his school choirs in North Carolina to headlining stadiums worldwide. The exhibit, which opened on Thursday, is included with museum admission. Combs’ exhibit will go til June 2025.

Besides the CMHOF staff and Sony executives, Luke Comb’s wife and parents, his high school choir teacher, and his pals from Town Tavern in Boone, North Carolina, where he first began performing, were in attendance for the unveiling.

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