Music

Thomas Rhett’s dad, Rhett Akins, will officially become a member of the Grand Ole Opry later this year, after Jon Pardi extended the surprise invitation on Sunday. 

It came during a special Opry Celebrates ’90s Country show. It’s important to remember that before he became famous as TR’s dad, Akins topped the chart with “That Ain’t My Truck” and “Don’t Get Me Started.”

Of course, he’d go on to write 36 more number ones for other artists, including Pardi’s “Dirt on My Boots.” 

“All I do every day is write words and I can’t think of any words right now except, ‘Thank you, Lord Jesus,’” Akins said from the Opry stage.

“I have been listening to the Grand Ole Opry since I was a little kid with my grandparents,” he added. “Anytime they’d ask me to play, if I was in Alaska, I’d fly home immediately. I love country music with all my heart and all I ever wanted to do was meet Hank Jr., meet George Strait. I never dreamed I’d be in this circle right here with Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Garth, and Alan [Jackson] and Jon Pardi. This is just unbelievable.”

TR was there to witness the moment, reflecting on it later on social media. 

“I don’t have many words except for the fact that my dad has had a dream to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry since he was boy,” he said. “He is a country music encyclopedia. … Dad I’m so proud of you. I love you. You deserve this! Can’t wait to celebrate this huge accomplishment.”

Akins will be officially inducted as an Opry member during a special ceremony later this year. 

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Don Toliver’s Octane tour returned to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for its second night on Monday, where he was joined by surprise guests Ye and Travis Scott.

Ye was the first to take the stage, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. According to setlist.fm, he performed “Runaway” and “Father,” during which Travis made an appearance and was also greeted with a standing ovation. Travis remained onstage as Ye closed his set with “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” before he performed “FE!N” twice.

Don’s Octane tour supports his latest album, Octane, and wraps its first leg on July 5 in Denver. The second will begin on Aug. 4 in Sacramento and run through Sept. 6 in Brooklyn. Don will then travel across Europe and the U.K., with those dates kicking off Oct. 25.

Meanwhile, Ye has a few shows planned for 2026, with the next taking place in San Antonio on the Fourth of July. 

Travis has one upcoming concert on July 17 at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

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Ice Nine Kills has scared up a career-first with “Twisting the Knife.”

The song, which was recorded for the movie Scream 7, has jumped to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. It gives the horror-inspired metallers their first-ever leader on the ranking.

Scream 7 actress Mckenna Grace, who’s featured on “Twisting the Knife,” also earns her first #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay hit.

Ice Nine Kills previously peaked on Mainstream Rock Airplay at #9 with the songs “A Grave Mistake” and “The Great Unknown.” Frontman Spencer Charnas also hit #1 as a featured artist on the Funeral Portrait song “Suffocate City.”

The most recent INK song is “Play Dead,” which dropped Friday. The track is inspired by the video game Dead by Daylight.

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More than 80,000 fans turned out to see the final touring show of Alan Jackson’s career Saturday night in Nashville; watch parties on Broadway, at Belmont University and at the Country Music Hall of Fame added to the sold-out crowd at Nissan Stadium.

If you missed it, however, you’ll have your chance to experience it in December as both a TV special and a live album. 

“We’re going to have a good time is what we’re going to do!” Alan promised the fans as he kicked off his nearly two-hour set with “Gone Country.”

He’d go on to do two dozen songs, including “Here in the Real World,” “Remember When” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”

George Strait joined Alan onstage for a toast, before launching into their duets, “Designated Drinker” and “Murder on Music Row.”

The historic set closed with “Chattahoochee,” before Alan returned for an encore of “Mercury Blues” and “Where I Come From.”

“This has just been incredible,” he said afterward. “I don’t even have words – it’s just been completely overwhelming.”

The night included nine entertainers of the year aside from Alan, with Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett and Lee Ann Womack all coming together to do the ultimate version of Alan’s hit “Pop a Top” cover. 

It’ll air in December as part of Alan Jackson: The Last Show on NBC.

You can preorder Alan Jackson – Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale (Live from Nashville, TN) now, though both the album artwork and the release date are still being finalized. 

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A cassette tape containing a demo of Coldplay’s Chris Martin recording a song called “The World is Not Enough” is up for auction.

As you might’ve guessed from the title, Martin recorded the track as an attempt at a theme song for the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough, which was released in 1999. 

“Presented on an original Parlophone reference cassette, the recording features a stripped-back acoustic guitar and vocal performance by Martin, capturing the song in a raw demo form before any studio production,” the auction site reads. “Unlike the final Bond theme, which was ultimately recorded by Garbage, this version offers a fascinating glimpse into an alternative direction.”

The tape comes from the archives of producer Chris Allison, who worked with Coldplay during their early days.

“To the best of current knowledge, this recording has never been commercially released or publicly circulated, making it one of the most intriguing and potentially significant items within the collection: it is not known if this demo was ever submitted to the film for consideration,” the auction site reads.

The auction is open until July 19 via the site WaxPoetics.com.

Of note, Martin told NME in 2021 that Coldplay has “kept trying to write [a Bond theme] for 20 years, but never submitted them.”

“We have Bond themes for about five movies, but they’re not very good, to be honest,” Martin said.

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After attending Clive Davis’ funeral on Monday, Usher took to social media to share some words about the late record executive.

“Rest in peace to the legendary Clive Davis,” he wrote in a post that included photos of them together over the years. “There are people who hear music… and then there are people who hear destiny. Clive heard something in so many of us before the world ever did. His vision, his belief and his commitment to artists helped shape the sound of generations and for me, he will always be part of the foundation of my journey.”

Usher added that Clive’s “impact is everywhere,” as “he didn’t just help build careers, he helped build legacies.”

“Thank you, Clive, for your wisdom, your ear, your belief, and the doors U opened,” he continued. “Your influence will live forever in the music, in the artists, and in every dream U helped make real. My prayers are with your family and everyone who loved you.”

Usher’s music career was launched on LaFace Records, which was founded by L.A. Reid and Babyface, with backing from Clive and his label at the time, Arista Records.

Usher maintained a relationship with the executive over the years, attending many of his star-studded events.

Clive died on June 22 at his New York home while surrounded by family. He was 94 years old.

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Keith Urban will kick off the 2026 Good Morning America Summer Concert Series July 10 on ABC, with Dan + Shay set to follow on July 31.

Keith released his new yacht rock covers album, flow state, on June 12, while Dan + Shay’s new record, Young, comes out Aug. 21. 

Stars from across the world of music, including rock band Sublime, R&B singer Coco Jones and K-pop star YEONJUN, will headline the shows, which take place at GMA‘s downtown New York City studio.

Look for more performances to be announced in the coming days. Here’s the initial GMA Summer Concert series lineup:
Keith Urban: July 10
Coco Jones: July 24
Dan + Shay: July 31
YEONJUN: Aug. 7
Sublime: Aug. 14

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