Table of Contents

FEATURES
departments
27
44
cover story
Georgia Stars
What’s going on in the Peach State?
For one thing, Georgia is producing
country artists by the bushel basket,
from superstar acts like Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan to a fresh new
crop of singer/songwriters. We take
a look at these Georgia-born stars
and why the state is a hotbed for
diverse musical sounds.
2
24 | Old Crow
50 | George Jones
56 | Ones to Watch
Go behind the scenes of
Old Crow Medicine Show’s
new video.
George’s wife, Nancy, unveils plans
for a new museum in Nashville
honoring the late country legend.
A look at the new acts who are
ready to make a splash in 2015.
26 | Jason Aldean
52 | Country Cares
He rises in Phoenix to give fans
an electrifying pre-Super Bowl
concert with Dierks Bentley.
When it comes to supporting
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, country stars are all in.
Her new album, Blackbirds,
captures complex emotional
moments of life.
COUNTRYWEEKLY.COM
64 | Gretchen Peters
KIP BY CHRISTOPHER POLK/ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC; JENNIFER BY JOHN RUSSELL/CMA; BRANTLEY BY JASON MOORE; OCMS BY LAURA E. PARTAIN/ALL EYES MEDIA
on cover: JASON BY MJT/ADMEDIA/CORBIS; LUKE BY DEBBY WONG/CORBIS; GEORGE COURTESY WEBSTER PR; connor & randy COURTESY ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
NASH
Rascal Flatts launches a
Vegas Riot with a series of
residency shows in Sin City,
the first of its kind for the
trio. Like savvy card players, they’re not tipping their
hands too much about the
details of the show, but
there’s no secret about their
opening act—hot newcomer
and winner of The Voice,
Craig Wayne Boyd.
24
4 | Letters
6 | The Big Picture
8 | The Mix
Miranda Lambert and Ram trucks
make a powerful pair; Sam Hunt
celebrates a No. 1 single at a
Nashville bash.
16 | Behind the Song
“Just Gettin’ Started.”
18 | Border Sounds
Zane Williams.
20 | Country Style
Little touches add a lot.
22 | Get Cookin’
Celebrate National Cherry Pie
Month with Loretta Lynn.
43 | Hot Spots
Castilleja.
66 | Reviews
Our views of new singles from
Kip Moore, Frankie Ballard and
Mickey Guyton.
68 | On the Edge
66
46
Don’t miss a
single issue!
70 | Stars Up Close
72 | Flashback
74 | Charts
76 | Puzzles
80 | Fill In the Blanks
Troy Gentry.
Subscribe at
CountryWeekly.com
SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER SERVICE: e-mail us at [email protected].
NASH Country Weekly (ISSN 1074-3235) Vol. 22 No. 8, is published weekly by Nash Country LLC, 506 2nd Ave. South, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37210. Periodical rates of postage paid
at Nashville, TN, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial offices located at Country Weekly, 506 2nd Ave. South, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37210. Copyright © Nash Country LLC. 2015.
All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $110.00 a year in U.S. only. Subscriptions not available outside the U.S. U.S. POSTMASTER AND SUBSCRIBERS: Send all UAA to CFS (See DMM
707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL and MILITARY FACILITIES: Send subscription address changes and adjustments, write to Country Weekly, P.O. Box 37463, Boone, IA 50037-0463 or call
1-877-566-5832. SUBSCRIBERS: If the postal service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.
From time to time we make our subscriber list available to companies who sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such
mailings, please send your current mailing label to: Country Weekly, P.O. Box 37463, Boone, IA, 50037-0463. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
COUNTRYWEEKLY.COM
3