Garth Brooks’ 14th studio album, “Time Traveler,” will be released as a stand-alone album on September 6th, exclusively on Amazon Music. Previously, the album was only available as part of Brooks’ seven-disc box set, “The Limited Series,” sold at Bass Pro Shops last fall. The album features guest appearances by Kelly Clarkson, Ronnie Dunn, and his wife Trisha Yearwood, whose vocals are throughout the album. Brooks recommended starting with the song “Me Without You,” calling it a beautiful and hooky track. He also highlighted other songs like “Neon Neighborhood,” “Only Country Music,” and Ronnie Dunn’s “Rodeo Man.” In addition to the album release, Brooks will be inducted into the Austin City Limits (ACL) Hall of Fame on September 5th. This milestone event will be held at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, with Brooks and his band performing. Highlights from the ceremony will be part of the 50th season of Austin City Limits, premiering on PBS on September 28th.

An old interview just resurfaced featuring Julia Roberts talking about what it was like working with Dolly Parton on the set of 1989’s “Steel Magnolias”.

They shot the film in Louisiana during the middle of the summer, so it’s safe to say it was terribly hot.  But Julia was amazed that Dolly wasn’t complaining, because everyone else on set was.

Julia said, “Everybody had ice on their wrists, doing the whole thing.  And Dolly never said anything.  And finally, I just had to say, ‘Dolly you’ve got a wig, and the wool . . . It’s hot, just say it’s hot, you know.  This is a drag.'”

To which Dolly calmly replied, “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be famous and I wanted to be rich, and now I’m both of these things.  I’m not going to complain about it.”

Then Julia said, quote, “[Now] every time I go to complain, or just kind of moan, I always hear Dolly sitting on the porch saying that, and it kinda keeps you quiet.”

Beautiful words from a classy lady.   However, I think this gives you free rein to complain if you aren’t rich or famous yet.

The 2024 resurgence of Sugarland continues. The duo, who reunited with a new single and tour earlier this year, have now announced their first new collection of new music since 2018’s “Bigger.” A new four-song EP, “There Goes The Neighborhood,” will be coming out this Friday. No word on if this is truly new music or music the duo had recorded pre-pandemic, which Kristian Bush had said was in the can back in 2019 – or whether their joint single with Little Big Town, “Take Me Home,” is one of the four songs included on the EP.

Baskin, Louisiana had a grand total of 210 people living there in the 2020 census. It would have had at least one more, but the town’s most famous resident, Lainey Wilson, left to make a name for herself in Nashville several years back. Now that that mission is accomplished, her hometown is honoring her. Last week, the Mayor of the Village of Baskin, George Curtis, announced they’d be naming a portion of Louisiana Highway 15 in Franklin Parish the “Lainey Wilson Highway.” Over the next few months, the town will install six signs in recognition of Wilson and her accomplishments. A ceremony will also be held at some point in the coming months to celebrate the official unveiling of the new signage, which both the country star and her family have been invited to.

“The Man In Black” will be the “Man In Bronze” – or, whatever they make statues of. Johnny Cash is getting honored with a statue to be erected in the nation’s capital next month. Five years ago, then-Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson announced that a statue of Cash would be added to the National Statuary Hall Collection, which is located in the US Capitol and features two statues from each state to honor notable natives. The statue of Cash will be replacing the current statue of James P. Clarke, a former Arkansas governor and US Senator whose statue has been in the Capitol Visitors Center since 1921. Clarke’s statue has become problematic in recent years, as he was a notable supporter of white supremacy; even his great-great-grandson, an Arkansas state senator, had called for his statue to be removed. So…Johnny Cash – a far superior Arkansas native to be honored. The unveiling ceremony takes place September 24.