It seems Kenny Chesney has won so many accolades over his 30+ year career, they’re having to create new ones. Next month, when the singer headlines Tortuga Music Festival 2026, he’ll be honored with the first ever Ocean Legacy Award. In a statement, Kenny said, “To me, when people can come together to learn about the ocean, how to treat it and have a great time with their friends, that’s a total win. Even though we’re not touring this year, I do love playing on that beach, seeing all those boats in the water and fans having the best time on that beach. To be given an award for doing what I love somewhere that brings every bit of it together almost feels wrong, but I’m honored if I could be part of bringing how we treat the ocean into focus.” The award recognizes Chesney’s efforts to promote and protect the ocean over the course of his career.

Thomas Rhett surprised fans yesterday by announcing he’s hitting the road. His 20 date “Soundtrack of You Life Tour” kicks off July 9 in Nashville, with stops in Dallas, Sacramento and more before a final show in Omaha October 24. Ernest, Kashus Culpepper, Zach John King, Vincent Mason and Conner Smith will join throughout the summer in rotating support slots, with Emily Ann Roberts kicking off each night of the tour. Presales start tomorrow, with the general onsale beginning on Friday at 10AM local time. For a complete list of dates and ticket information, visit Rhett’s website. See the first ten dates of the tour below. 

• July 9 – Nashville, TN – TBA
• July 11 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
• July 16 – Hartford, CT – The Meadows Music Theatre
• July 17 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
• July 18 – Hershey, PA – TBA
• Aug 13 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
• Aug 14 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
• Aug 20 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center
• Aug 22 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
• Sept 10 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center

Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas” continues to establish itself as her career record (so far). The song was the first to simultaneously top Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs and the all-genre Billboard Hot 100; it revisited the top of the Hot 100 as Megan Moroney ruled Top Country Albums with her “Cloud 9,” marking the first time that two women who primarily record country music have led those charts in the same week. And now, the song pulls off a new trick. Since 1990, only 20 songs (including “Choosin’ Texas”) have dropped out of the top spot on Country Airplay chart, only to return to #1. Langley did that, but she did it in a way never done before. “Texas” was #1, dropped out for three weeks, and is #1 again this week…the first time a song hit the top of the chart, fell out or three weeks, then mounted a comeback to return to #1.

A new Johnny Cash documentary is set to air on A&E. “Johnny Cash: The Man Comes Around” is being described as “an intimate family portrait, a true crime thriller, and a revelatory deconstruction of the Man in Black, examining the legendary artist through his profound connection to the island of Jamaica.” The documentary investigates the 1981 Christmas Day home invasion during which the Cash family was held hostage by masked gunmen. The story is told for the first time by Cash himself, in never-before-heard audio recordings, alongside rare photos, home video, and interviews with his son John Carter Cash, who was present during the robbery, as well as family members Rosanne Cash and Carlene Carter, and musicians and collaborators including Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Will Oldham. No word yet on when the documentary will debut.