Three country music up-and-comers who are riding high on the ACM Award hog | Music City Minute

Grand Ole Opry might get new owner | Music City Minute

Country music's most sacred stage might have a new owner. This is a big one. According to a report from Bloomberg, Ryman Hospitality Properties is exploring the sale of its 70 percent stake in Opry Entertainment Group, the company that owns the Grand Ole Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium. They've hired Morgan Stanley to find a buyer, and this comes during the Opry's 100th anniversary year. The sale wouldn't just include those two iconic venues. Opry Entertainment Group also owns WSM Radio, the station that launched the Opry back in 1925, as well as Blake Shelton's Ole Red locations, Luke Combs' Category 10 bar in Nashville and ACL Live in Austin. The remaining 30 percent of OEG is already held by NBCUniversal and a private equity firm. Ryman Hospitality confirmed they're "evaluating potential opportunities," but stressed no agreements have been reached and there's no guarantee a deal will happen. Executive Chairman Colin Reed pointed to the rise in global popularity of country music as a reason for the timing. No matter what happens, this has Nashville paying very close attention. The Opry isn't just a venue. It's the heart of country music. And whoever ends up owning it will be holding something that can't be measured in dollars.   I'm Brailey, and that's your Music City Minute.

Kane Brown gets 23 stitches | Music City Minute

Kane Brown had a rough Tuesday. The 32-year-old country star was out golfing in Nashville when his own buddy hit a shot that caught him right in the head. The result? 23 stitches and a concussion. Brown shared photos of the gnarly injury on Instagram, showing blood on his ear and a row of stitches, with the caption, "Just a scratch." He followed that with another post saying, "They said it will prob get worse in the next 48 hours, but I'm alive and that's all that matters. Holy crap." His wife Katelyn added some context of her own, saying the ball hadn't been losing momentum in the air he was standing right off the side of the shot. "It could have been so much worse," she said. The injury forced Brown to miss his scheduled performance at Travis Kelce's Tight Ends & Friends charity concert Tuesday night in Nashville, where Taylor Swift and Lainey Wilson ended up stealing the show. Former NFL player Will Compton broke the news to the crowd, joking, "He says concussion, the football guys probably don't buy it." Brown says he's recovering and plans to be back on stage soon, just maybe not back on the golf course for a while.   I'm Brailey, and that's your Music City Minute.

Taylor Swift sings 'Love Story' with Lainey Wilson | Music City Minute

Taylor Swift just showed up in Nashville and sang "Love Story" with Lainey Wilson, and the internet is losing its mind. Last night in Nashville, Lainey Wilson was closing out her set at Travis Kelce's annual Tight Ends & Friends charity concert when she told the crowd, "I don't think y'all are ready for what's about to happen." Out walked Taylor Swift. The two proceeded to duet on Swift's 2008 classic "Love Story" as the crowd erupted. Before the song, Wilson shared that years ago she came to Nashville for CMA Fest and watched a 16-year-old Swift perform at the Riverfront Stage to about 30 people. "Four of them were me, my mama, my daddy and my sister," Wilson said. "I knew watching that day that it was something really special." The moment got even sweeter during the song's bridge when Swift sang "he knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring" and flashed her engagement ring from fiancé Kelce to screaming fans. Kelce hosts the event each year alongside George Kittle and Greg Olsen to raise money for charity, and the night also featured performances from Dan + Shay, Nate Smith and Chase Rice. This is the second year in a row Swift has made a surprise appearance. Last year she performed "Shake It Off" with Kane Brown. The performance also comes on the heels of Swift's new country-leaning song "I Knew It, I Knew You" from the "Toy Story 5" soundtrack, fueling speculation that a return to country could be on the horizon.   I'm Brailey, and that's your Music City Minute.

How 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' and 'Free Bird' have taken over US sports | Music City Minute

2026 has been the year country and Southern rock became the soundtrack of American sports on the global stage, and we need to talk about it. First, let's rewind to February, when Team USA used Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" as their goal song at the Winter Olympics in Milan. Every time the U.S. scored, that iconic guitar riff echoed through the arena, and it became one of the defining sounds of the Games. By the time it was over, both the men's and women's hockey teams had won gold, with the men capturing their first Olympic hockey gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. "Free Bird" played a lot in Milan. Now fast forward to this weekend. John Denver's 1971 classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads" has unofficially become the anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the U.S. Men's National Team beat Australia 2-0 on Friday night in Seattle to clinch their group, nearly 67,000 fans didn't head for the exits. Instead, the stadium speakers kicked on "Country Roads" and the entire crowd, American and Australian fans alike, belted it out together as the players did a victory lap. The clip went viral instantly, and it's happened at every U.S. match so far. The Guardian even wrote a whole piece about why the song has struck such a chord, calling it a story about "a united America." From "Free Bird" in Milan to "Country Roads" in Seattle, country music is proving what we've always known: nothing brings people together quite like it.   I'm Brailey, and that's your Music City Minute.

German soccer fan meets Ella Langley in OKC | Music City Minute

Last week we told you about Freddy, the German soccer fan whose World Cup road trip through the American South accidentally turned him into a country music fan. Since we last checked in, his following has exploded from 11,000 to nearly 700,000 with everyone from J.J. Watt to the mayor of Houston rolling out the red carpet. But the moment everyone was waiting for finally happened Thursday night in Oklahoma City. Freddy and his crew drove overnight from Houston to make Ella Langley's sold out show at the OKC Zoo Amphitheatre, and Ella's team made sure they got the full country music welcome. When they walked into their hotel room, it was loaded with gifts: brand new suitcases, cowboy hats, Tacovas boots, full country outfits, Ella Fellas t-shirts and tickets to the show. Freddy posted a photo in his new boots and jeans and wrote, "This is the most American I've ever felt." That night, he watched Langley perform "Choosin' Texas" live, the song that had been playing on every country radio station they tuned into since day one of the trip. He called it, "The soundtrack of our road trip. A full circle moment." After the show, the whole travel group met Langley backstage for photos, and Freddy posted, "The travel group with Ella Langley, our new favorite musician." Ella called the Oklahoma City crowd the best of her entire tour so far. A German soccer fan came to America for the World Cup, discovered country music on the radio and ended up backstage with one of Nashville's biggest rising stars. If that's not the American dream, I don't know what is.   I'm Brailey, and that's your Music City Minute.