Hard to believe, but Reba McEntire is 70 years old! Over the weekend, on her birthday, the legend performed in Uncasville, Connecticut and the crowd serenaded her with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Part of that crowd, unbeknownst to Reba, were several family members, including her son Shelby Blackstock and daughter-in-law Marissa Blackstock. Reba had no clue they were there until she came backstage after the show and saw them in the green room, where they once again sang “Happy Birthday” to an emotional McEntire.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Marissa Blackstock (@rissablackstock)

For the second time ever (and first since December 2020), Morgan Wallen was the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.” The singer performed the title track from his upcoming album “I’m The Problem,” following that up with a performance of “Just In Case.” Then, interestingly, he didn’t hang around for the traditional cast farewells, instead walking off the stage after sharing a brief word and a hug with the night’s guest host, Mikey Madison. Immediately after, he posted a shot on his Instagram Stories of his private jet with the caption, “Get me to God’s Country.” A source close to the singer told “TMZ” that his walking off stage was an error, and he meant nothing by it. Reportedly Morgan entered and exited the studio the same way the entire week of rehearsals, so he just headed that way when he thought it was time to go.

While their “Alabama Jam” was called off this year, that doesn’t mean the boys in Alabama won’t be out there playing the hits. The band announced their 2025 tour itinerary yesterday. The first leg of the tour consists of 14 shows; Lorrie Morgan, Pat Green, Eddie Montgomery, Lee Greenwood, Jamey Johnson, Ned LeDoux, BlackHawk and Alex Miller have all been tapped to open, depending on the date. See the band’s website for complete tour and ticket information, and check out the first ten scheduled dates below:

Apr 17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center with Lorrie Morgan
Apr 19 – Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino Resort with Lorrie Morgan
Apr 27 – Wichita, KS @ Intrust Arena with Eddie Montgomery
May 23 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Azura Amphitheater with Lee Greenwood
May 25 – Ridgedale, MO @ Thunder Ridge Nature’s Arena with Pat Green
June 5 – Windsor, Ontario, Canada @ The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
June 7 – Bradley, IL @ Bradley 316 Festival with Eddie Montgomery
June 14 – Creighton, PA @ Iron City Stage at Pittsburgh Brewing Company with Jamey Johnson
June 18 – Redding, CA @ Redding Civic Auditorium with Eddie Montgomery
June 20 – Sparks, NV @ Nugget Event Center with Ned LeDoux

Jelly Roll takes great pride in his work ethic, and he comes by it honest. During a visit to “The Pivot” podcast, he explained that his grandfather instilled that in his entire family. “My uncle Beuford used to tell me this story. He called his father, which was my grandfather, one time, and he said, ‘I can’t come into work today, I’m sick.’ All my grandfather said was, ‘That’s good. Working sick builds character,’ and hung up the phone.” Jelly went on to say, “So I pride myself on sick shows, especially if I’m really sick.” So how is it that the singer missed the historic live broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary celebration? Jelly explained, “I’ve canceled one show in the last five years because of an ailment, and it was the Grand Ole Opry 100. It just broke my heart, man. I just couldn’t break this fever, and I never had a fever that kept me down like that. I probably slept like 20 hours.”

The Country Music Association revealed the 2025 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame yesterday. The three stars chosen to join the very exclusive club are June Carter Cash, Tony Brown and Kenny Chesney. Vince Gill hosted the announcement, introducing the inductees in three categories. Awarded every third year in rotation with two other categories, Carter Cash will enter as the “Veterans Era Artist,” Chesney as the “Modern Era Artist” and producer Tony Brown as the “Non-Performer.” The group will officially become members during the Medallion Ceremony at the Hall’s CMA Theater later this year. See the Hall induction announcements below; Kenny takes the stage at the 35:40 mark.