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 cywcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. 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