The first round of performers for the 2024 CMA Awards has been announced, and it showcases the diversity of today’s country music. Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Sierra Hull, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Ashley McBryde, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Teddy Swims, Thomas Rhett, Molly Tuttle and Lainey Wilson will all be performing at the awards show. Bryan, Wilson and Peyton Manning will serve as hosts. The 58th Annual CMA Awards airs on Wednesday, November 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

“Fast Car” is one of the biggest country music covers of all-time.  And it’s well-known that Luke Combs was such a big fan of Tracy Chapman growing up, that all he wanted to do was make her proud with his version.

So, what do you think Luke was thinking when Tracy let him know he screwed up the lyrics on the studio recording?

To be fair, it was a small mistake.  Instead of saying “WE gotta make a decision” . . . he said, “STILL gotta make a decision.”

At a recent concert, Luke talked about the blunder.  He was reliving the moment when Tracy asked him why he switched the lyric and said, “And that was the first time that I knew that I recorded the song incorrectly.  Because I remember when she said it, I wanted to crawl in a hole.”

Luckily, he said she was awesome about it, but that he will think about it every single time he sings the song for the rest of his life.

He closed his speech by saying, “So tonight I will probably sing ‘WE gotta make a decision’, because Tracy Chapman told me to . . . and I’m gonna do it.”

Post Malone. Darius Rucker. Jelly Roll. Beyonce. Shaboozey. Country music has increasingly welcomed artists from other genres into the country genre. But how do the old school country artists feel about the influx of non-country stars? Brooks & Dunn sat down with “American Songwriter” and were asked specifically about this. If you were thinking they’d be upset or outraged, think again. Ronnie Dunn was clear. “I don’t see the negative dynamic to it…I’m going to come at it as an artist and a creative type. At the same time, I grew up in West Texas and Oklahoma. There’s rock music out there, too, and different slants on what country should be,” he explained. “Let it eat. It’s all going to come back,” he added. Kix Brooks agreed. “That’s always been the way that this wheel turns…people who are throwing rocks at some artist that is not classic, hasn’t been here forever, artists today that may have their start on TikTok or whatever. It’s like, ‘Stop throwing rocks. We have millions of fans out there. Let them decide.”

If Zach Bryan‘s recent breakup is what’s putting his creative engine into high gear, we’re hoping his latest unreleased song, “Motorbreath,” isn’t referring specifically to ex Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia. Zach teased the song on his socials yesterday, and it’s the third “work in progress” song he’s performed online since he and LaPaglia split last month. While the lyrics may (or may not) be based on real life, we’re hoping the title, “Motorbreath,” isn’t.

Reba McEntire is not only a successful singer but a successful actress as well, with frequent film appearances as well as her own sitcoms “Reba” and “Happy’s Place.” But there’s still a goal she has when it comes to being on camera. Reba visited SiriusXM’s “Hits 1” to chat when host Ben Harlum asked about her dream role. The answer was kind of surprising. “I’d love to do a Marvel comic. I wanna be a like, female Reba McEntire Power Ranger or something like that in a Marvel movie.” And as for her superpower? “My superpower would be able to talk to animals. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Not sure that would be much use against Thanos, but it’s worth a shot.