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Picture of Hudson Westbrook - Photo by Ian Noah - Maverick

Hudson Westbrook Brings Texas to the Circle at Grand Ole Opry Debut

River House Artists / Warner Music Nashville rising Texas star Hudson Westbrook marked a major milestone in his career last week as he made his Grand Ole Opry debut. A nearly sold-out Opry house watched as he stepped into the Circle for the first time and shared a captivating three-song introduction. Playing “Take Your Time,” “Sober,” and his on-fire debut country radio single “House Again” for the packed out crowd, Westbrook brought Texas with him as he stepped center stage. His “blend of grit, twang and Lone Star State confidence” (Billboard) connected, with fans from the front row to the rafters giving Westbrook a standing ovation at the close of his set. “It was one of the great honors of my life,” Westbrook shares of the moment. “To perform in the Circle and become part of the 100-year history of the Opry was surreal.” Last week, Westbrook headlined a sold-out Marathon Music Works in Nashville. His set was broadcast live on SiriusXM’s The Highway at 10:15p ET / 7:15p PT, including a live pre-concert interview with host Buzz Brainard. Westbrook also released his 17-track debut album Texas Forever last Friday, July 25. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Picture of Luke Combs - Photo by Robbie Klein - Maverick

Luke Combs Returns with Highly Anticipated New Single “Back In The Saddle”

Multi-platinum global superstar Luke Combs’ highly anticipated new single, ‘Back in the Saddle,’ is out now. The song’s official music video also debuts today, which was directed by Tyler Adams and features NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty. “So much work goes into making these songs, so much time we spend making them, from the studio writing them to the videos. I got to make the video with Dale Jr. and Richard Petty, which is a total dream come true. My grandpa would be rolling over in his grave in a good way if he knew that I got to hang out with Richard Petty and Dale Jr,” says Combs about the song he wrote with Dan Isbell and Jonathan Singleton. Produced by Combs, Singleton and Chip Matthews, the new release adds to another monumental year for Combs, who is in the midst of an extensive festival run, headlining major all-genre events through this fall. Following historic sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo and New Orleans JazzFest, Combs will perform at Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits this year, making him the first country artist ever to headline both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. A Grand Ole Opry member and 11x CMA, 4x ACM, 6x Billboard Music Award-winner from Asheville, NC, Combs continues to enjoy a historic career. He recently became the second most RIAA certified country artist of all time (155.5 million RIAA certified units), was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame, became the first country artist to have two songs reach a billion streams on Spotify and the first with four singles certified RIAA Diamond. Furthermore, Combs’ Grammy-nominated single, ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,’ reached #1 at country radio, leading him to spend 53 cumulative weeks atop the Billboard Country Airplay chart throughout his career. These achievements follow Combs’ latest album, Fathers & Sons, which reflects on his own experiences as a dad and the unique bond between parents and their children. Released to critical acclaim, NPR Music praises, “he’s going beyond the country realm now and really has become a pop star, a global popstar,” while The Wall Street Journal declares, “filled with unexpected warmth and vulnerability…a perfect match for Mr. Combs’s warm and engaging style.” Combs has also recently collaborated with artists such as Post Malone (‘Guy For That’ + ‘Missin’ You Like This’), Bailey Zimmerman (‘Backup Plan,’ the official anthem for the 2025 SEC Network season) and Jon Bellion (‘WHY’) and partnered with Opry Entertainment Group to open Category 10—a multi-level entertainment complex in downtown Nashville. Combs also performed an unforgettable duet of ‘Fast Car’ with Tracy Chapman at last year’s Grammy Awards and joined forces with Eric Church, Billy Strings and James Taylor to headline Concert for Carolina, a special benefit show at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, which raised over $24.5 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Picture of Trace Nixon - Photo by Robert Isacson - Maverick

Trace Nixon Unveils “Secondhand Hold On Me” Debut Video

The debut music video by Trace Nixon, “Secondhand Hold On Me,” premiered this week, showcasing the neo-traditionalist talents of the driving force behind the Richmond, Virginia-based band Gone Country. Filmed primarily at The Station Inn (Nashville) and directed by William Gawley, the clip was produced by Michelle Robertson. Director of photography Wayne Taylor caught the camera’s love for the 6’2” singer/songwriter and captured his ease on stage. Trace has an honest voice with a touch of vulnerability that lays the groundwork for playful glances and bashful smiles as he leads the band on stage and connects with one special audience member. Heartbreaking reflections are captured as dream-like close ups highlight love lost. Intimate shots, moody lighting and drone footage are utilised to offer a fitting introduction to one of Country’s most impressive newcomers. Written by Trace and his fiancée Ashley Grant (who plays his love interest in the video), the idea for the song came from a line in the movie Forrest Gump. “I saw a Facebook clip of the New Year’s Eve scene from the movie,” Nixon says. “Gump says, ‘she tasted like cigarettes,’ and I started thinking how funny it would be if Forrest was into that. Inspired by some of my wilder days, the song came together pretty quickly. I’ve always been a big fan of wordplay and lines with double meanings, so it was a fun one to write.” The video is a companion to his “Secondhand Hold On Me” single, released in June for Charlotte Avenue Entertainment. The track will be on Trace’s upcoming EP, due this Fall. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com  

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Zac Brown Band - Photo by Tyler Lord - Maverick

Zac Brown Band Announce Additional ‘Love & Fear’ Tour Dates

Multi-platinum, 3x GRAMMY  Award-winning group, Zac Brown Band have announced two additional Sphere shows scheduled for Friday, January 9th and Saturday, January 10th as part of their limited engagement. These newly added shows mark a highly anticipated extension of their original run, giving fans additional opportunities to catch the band’s one-of-a-kind performance at the groundbreaking Sphere venue. The new dates reflect the overwhelming fan demand and further amplify the band’s status as one of the most versatile live acts in the industry. Tickets to Love & Fear are available to the general public beginning Friday, July 25 at 10am PT at ZacBrownBand.com. Travel VIP packages, which include a concert ticket and two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the resort connected to Sphere. The limited engagement will celebrate the release of Love & Fear, Zac Brown Band’s seventh full-length studio album and their most personal to date. Blending their signature harmonies and musicianship with raw emotion and introspection, the project explores duality, healing, and the human experience – themes that come to life in powerful new ways within Sphere’s fully immersive environment. The 13-track album features special guests Snoop Dogg, Dolly Parton, and Marcus King and will be available at all DSPs and streaming services on Friday, December 5. To commemorate Fenway Music Hall of Fame inductee Zac Brown Band’s incredible legacy of concerts at Fenway Park, including 14 sellouts and the record for most tickets sold in Fenway Concert history, and to celebrate their monumental Sphere Las Vegas announcement, Zac made a surprise appearance today at the historic venue during an exclusive tour of the facility. Brown thrilled fans and with an intimate acoustic performance and meet & greet. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Nashville Artist Kat Velasco - Maverick

Nashville Artist Kat Velasco Launches New Single “Breaking My Own Heart”

Nashville country-pop artist Kat Velasco has released her new single. “Breaking My Own Heart”, billed as a melancholic, emotionally raw track about the fear of things falling apart, even when they seem perfect. The single blends wistful acoustic guitar with rich vocals to explore the tension between hope and heartbreak. Co-written with Claire Douglas, Hannah Ellis, and Jason Massey, “Breaking My Own Heart” is about that gut-deep anxiety of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s vulnerable, self-aware, and painfully relatable for anyone who’s ever felt like their own worst enemy. “Many of us can be self-sabotaging… existing somewhere in between hope and heartbreak,” Velasco says. Velasco has opened for acts like Love and Theft and BRELAND. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Picture of Josh Ross - Photo by Lance Wilson

Josh Ross Earns First U.S. Country Radio #1 “Single Again”

Hot on the heels of announcing his full-length debut album, Later Tonight, due September 19, global country force Josh Ross has even more to celebrate, earning his first-ever #1 at U.S. country radio last week with “Single Again.” Topping the Mediabase Country chart after a 71-week trek, the historic chart-topper puts Ross in elite territory, making him the first Canadian male to king the chart in nearly 30 years, and joining Paul Brandt and Hank Snow as the only three Canadian men to ever reign atop the U.S. country radio charts. Ross has achieved three #1 singles at Canadian Country radio: “Single Again,” “Ain’t Doin’ Jack,” and “Trouble.” “Possibly the biggest news to date in my career – I woke up having the #1 song at U.S. country radio,” Ross shared on his socials last night. “I started coming to Nashville in 2018 with a dream of writing songs and maybe hearing some of my own on the radio one day. Today it’s the most played song in the country.” “I can’t thank Brad Rempel and Joe Fox enough for writing this hungover idea with me,” he continued, “Matt Geroux for crushing the production, and all my team members at The Core, MCA / Mercury, UMC, The Neal Agency, Feldman Agency, Damon Moberly and his incredible promotion team, Warner Chappell Music, and many more – it takes a village. We all work so dang hard. To the fans, love y’all. This is just fuel being added to the fire.” Adding to over 1 billion global career streams, the success of “Single Again” at country radio paves the way for a batch of fresh hits out Sept. 19 via Ross’ full-length debut album, Later Tonight. The 15-track collection promises to double down on the emotive, rock-tinged country that has defined Josh’s worldwide ascent. Last week, Ross also earned six 2025 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards nominations, tied with Cameron Whitcomb as this year’s most-nominated artist. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Picture of Lauren Watkins - Photo by Luke Rodgers - Maverick

Lauren Watkins Follows Oprey Debut with “Marlboro Man” Release

Big Loud songstress Lauren Watkins leans into western nostalgia with the release of “Marlboro Man”, a slow-burning track that captures the longing for an old-school cowboy – part myth, part memory – painting a romantic portrait of a love that never stays but always leaves a mark. Written by Watkins, Natalie Hemby and Jeremy Spillman and produced by ACM and CMA winning producer Will Bundy (“you look like you love me”), “Marlboro Man” offers the timeless country storytelling that listeners have come to expect from Watkins, delivered with a modern edge. A cinematic nod to the rugged westerns and unattainable romance, the track evokes a bygone archetype that still lingers today. “I’d had the idea for ‘Marlboro Man’ in my back pocket for a while,” shares Watkins. “I’m a pretty nostalgic person by nature – I’m always reminiscing, missing how things used to be. I brought the idea to Natalie and Jeremy because I knew they’d go there with me. I’ve always been drawn to this image of the ‘Marlboro Man’ — not necessarily for the cigarettes, but for what he stood for. He was rugged, masculine, quiet and kind of untouchable. There’s something romantic about it, and I wanted to write a song that felt like that.” The new music comes amidst a big summer for the rising artist, with “Marlboro Man” joining the no-nonsense anthem “I’ll Get Through It” and April’s “Lose My Cool” – her first since her 17-track critically acclaimed debut album The Heartbroken Record. Now happily married, Watkins is moving on from heartbreak and on to greener pastures in her new chapter, with Country Now tapping “Lose My Cool” as “the perfect introduction to Watkins’ next project as it perfectly encapsulates what she is feeling right now,” while Holler praised it “as bright and breezy as a fresh spring morning.” Last month, Watkins fulfilled a lifelong dream by stepping into the coveted Grand Ole Opry circle for the first time. She’ll continue to build momentum on the road, touring with Riley Green this summer before joining Lainey Wilson and Kameron Marlowe in the fall. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Picture of Vincent Mason - Photo by Patrick Tracy - Maverick

Rising Country Artist Vincent Mason Turns up the Summer Heat with “Damned If I Do”

Songwriter and artist Vincent Mason turns up the emotional heat this summer with his newest release, “Damned If I Do,” available now everywhere. Mason doesn’t just sing about heartbreak; he lives in it, which allows him to curate a song that sounds more like a journal entry than a record. Written by Vincent with Jacob Hackworth and Lauren Hungate, the trio concoct a country confessional anchored by an unforgettable hook. He continues to carve out his place as one of the most compelling voices in the country music scene. “Coming off of my first year of touring, I wanted something different musically that I could look forward to playing every night, shares Mason. “I wrote it with Lauren Hungate and Jacob Hackworth, two of my favourite writers in town. This song is one of my favourite moments on the new record, and I’m sure it will be one of my favourites on the road.” Mason spent most of 2025 so far on his first-ever headlining run, the Hell Is A Dance Floor Tour, which sold out in presale and expanded with a second leg due to overwhelming demand. He’ll stay on the road throughout the year, joining Riley Green, Luke Bryan, Jordan Davis, and Parker McCollum as an opener on select dates, while also hitting major festivals across the country. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Sammy Sadler New Single cover - Maverick

Sammy Sadler Releases New Single “If I Had A Cheating Heart”

Country singer Sammy Sadler continues to honour the legacy of ’80s and ’90s country with the release of his latest single, “If I Had A Cheating Heart”. Originally a Top 10 hit for Mel Street in 1978, the song was later re-recorded by Ricky Lynn Gregg in 1993, reaching the Top 40. Written by Wayland Holyfield (Anne Murray, Don Williams, Ronnie Milsap) and Al Turney (Mel Street, Don Williams), “If I Had a Cheating Heart” has become a favorite among country traditionalists. Sadler’s take on the classic track proves that his timeless style continues to resonate with fans of authentic country music. “Country music has been the number one passion of mine since I was a little boy,” shares Sadler. “I remember my family bringing me to the Grand Ole Opry and being amazed by the stars who took the stage, their stories, and their songs. Also my journey hasn’t gone as planned in many ways, I am thankful that God has allowed me to keep singing and putting out new music. Here’s to the next chapter!” With a career shaped by determination and raw talent, Sammy Sadler has carved out a story all his own in Nashville. He first gained national attention in 1989 with his charting rendition of Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is,” followed by “You Made It Easy.” But his momentum was cut short when he was seriously wounded in the same shooting that took the life of Cash Box chart director Kevin Hughes—an incident that became known as the “Murder on Music Row.” After several years away from the spotlight, Sadler returned with ‘Hard On a Heart’ in 2004, earning recognition in Texas and internationally. He continued his comeback with ‘Heart Shaped Like Texas’ in 2009. Sadler will perform select shows with singer-songwriter Dave Gibson (Tanya Tucker, Alabama, Joe Diffie) on their ‘Hits & History Tour’ with their first show in Nashville, Tennessee at Chiefs on Broadway later this summer. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Photo of Billy Currington - Photo by Noah Sanford - Maverick

Billy Currington Launches Latest Song “King of the World”

Multi-Platinum country star Billy Currington has dropped his latest song “King of the World”, written by Troy Jones and bringing back the fun summer feeling of his biggest chart-topping hits. With more new music coming soon, fans can catch Currington on the road all summer on tour. Stopping in 16–cities across the US, Currington, along with Kip Moore, is hitting major markets including Los Angeles, Austin, Boston and more. The tour also features artist Marlon Funaki. Currington has spent nearly two decades topping the country charts, parlaying his rich, emotion-laden tenor and unerring song sense into some of the format’s most memorable hits. Across multiple Platinum-certified albums, the Georgia native has tallied 12 No. 1 singles, including 4X Platinum hit “People Are Crazy,” 4X Platinum “Good Directions,” 4X Platinum “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” plus Double-Platinum “Do I Make You Wanna,” Platinum “We Are Tonight,” and more. To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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