BRYAN RETURNS TO CHARLESTON: Luke Bryan will hit the road soon after “American Idol” wraps this spring. The country star just announced 30 dates on his 2025 “Country Song Came On Tour.” The new tour begins May 29 in Bethel, New York, and ends in late August in Indiana. Locally, Bryan will play the Charleston Coliseum on Aug. 14. Along the way, he’ll play amphitheaters and arenas familiar to country music fans, as well as a few festivals. Tickets for Luke Bryan’s 2025 “Country Song Came On Tour” go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at Bryan’s website. This new tour follows last fall’s “Farm Tour” and his 2024 “Mind of a Country Boy Tour.” Bryan’s last album was “Mind of a Country Boy,” released last fall.
BOUNCING BACK: Even a heart attack hasn’t slowed Colt Ford down. The 54-year-old country music hitmaker is making a major move after suffering a near-fatal heart attack in April 2024: He’s going back on tour. Ford just shared the exciting news with fans on Instagram, stating that despite the serious health scare, he is going to be busy soon, greeting fans face to face. “The devil couldn’t keep me down, baby!” the “Dirt Road Anthem” songwriter says excitedly in a video. “I’ll see y’all on the road.” Ford is scheduled to play Ashland’s Paramount Arts Center on April 26 at 7:30 pm. Ford’s heart attack happened after a performance at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in Arizona — he collapsed shortly after texting his fiancée. He was rushed to the ICU, where his condition gradually improved, and was later transferred to another hospital. During this transfer, Ford briefly “died on the way,” but was revived and had three stents inserted. His recovery was a long journey, and he admits that he did not remember much of the events surrounding the heart attack.
DONALD OR DOLLY? Opposing initiatives have been launched to rename Tennessee’s Nashville International Airport after two very different public figures: President Donald Trump and Dolly Parton. It all started on Jan. 17, according to the Tennessean, when Republican state representative Todd Warner introduced a bill proposing that the city’s airport be renamed the Trump International Airport. Others had thoughts on who should be the namesake of a potential rebrand. On Jan. 21, a Change.org petition was created to instead change the airport’s name to the Dolly Parton International Airport. As of Monday, the petition has more than 1,300 signatures and climbing.
MOST REQUESTED: The Top 5 most-requested songs this week on 93.7 The Dawg are: 1. “I’m Gonna Love You” by Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood; 2. “Good Day to Leave” by Riley Green; 3. “Liar” by Jelly Roll; 4. “What You See is What You Get” by Chris Janson; 5. “Whiskey Drink” by Jason Aldean. This week’s “bubbling under” song is “Weren’t for the Wind” by Ella Langley.
Big John and Bill Cornwell host the “Big John and Company” Morning Show, 5-10 a.m. Monday through Saturday on 93.7 The Dawg.
