Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 8 July 2026
NEWS
Nissan Stadium in Nashville contained a sold-out crowd on June 27 to see Alan Jackson host the final performance of his career. Country Now reports that the farewell concert was witnessed by more than 80,000 fans across Nashville, with livestream viewing events at Belmont University’s Fisher Center, the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater, and on screens in the center of Broadway Avenue. Others gathered on the pedestrian bridge that connects Nissan Stadium to downtown Nashville, to watch and listen from across the Cumberland River. George Strait was one of the many performers who joined Alan onstage; they sang “Designated Drinker” and “Murder on Music Row.” The show was filmed for an NBC special, Alan Jackson: The Last Show, which to air in December. A live album of the concert, Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale (Live from Nashville), will also be released.
Alan Jackson at Nissan Stadium. Photo by Sam Shapiro Media. June 27, 2026.
Alan Jackson’s Last Call: One More for the Road Tour helped raise more than $2.25 million for the CMT Research Foundation. Alan Jackson lives with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a genetic neurological condition he inherited from his father. There are no approved treatments or cures for CMT, which affects three million people. Since revealing the diagnosis in 2019, Alan has supported CMT research, donating portions of his ticket sales to the CMT Research Foundation. According to Country Now, his final tour inspired an outpouring of additional support through fan donations and matching contributions.
Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Tommy Hunter died July 2 at age 89, reports MusicRow. The Tommy Hunter Show, one of the most enduring music programs in North American television history, aired weekly on CBC for 27 years (1965–1992) and was later carried in the U.S. by TNN. Over the years, it showcased top Canadian country acts and Nashville stars. Tommy was once honored with a Canada postage stamp. Following the TV show, he became a top concert attraction until he retired from touring on his 75th birthday in 2012. He is survived by three children and their families. Funeral arrangements and a public memorial will be announced later.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, both 36 years old, tied the knot at Madison Square Garden on July 3, reports The New York Times. Taylor’s brother, Austin, was “man of honor” and the groom’s brother, Jason, was best man. Adam Sandler officiated. There were approximately 1,000 guests. “JUST&T MARRIED” flashed on giant screens outside the arena. Crowds of Swifties stood along the metal barricades. They chanted “windows down” as vehicles took celebrities away in the middle of the night. By four a.m., the police were removing the barricades. The Grammy-winning musician and the Kansas City Chiefs star football player met in 2023. According to Taste of Country, guests were asked to turn in their phones before entering the venue, and they signed NDAs to prevent them from posting snapshots of the event. Many from the superstar guest list shared pictures of themselves getting ready for the wedding, and groups carpooled to the ceremony.
In the week before their wedding, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated $26 million to at least 20 charities. PEOPLE reports they donated $2 million to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Dolly launched the free book gifting program for kids in 1995 and has donated more than 200 million books worldwide. Dolly Parton posted an Instagram reel to thank them for their donation. She joked, “Now, it’s evident that you have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey, when you have your firstborn, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!” Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley also received a generous donation (Taylor’s second of this year) to The Store, which they founded in March 2020 with Belmont University to provide free groceries and offer health and legal aid. Taylor Swift opened for Brad Paisley on tour early on in her career.
Clint Black, 64, was forced to cancel his July 3 appearance at Pearl River Resort Casino in Pearl River, Mississippi. According to an Instagram statement from his staff, Clint was admitted to the hospital on June 28 with infected tonsils requiring emergency intravenous antibiotic treatment. He was expected to be discharged from the hospital within a week.
SteelRadio, the broadcast arm of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame (SGHOF)—a non-profit 501(c)(3) based in St. Louis, Missouri—announces the Austin Steel Guitar Fest for October 1-3 at the Austin Marriott South. After a pause on inductions of 10 years, the Hall of Fame will induct three new members. Two of them, Junior Brown and Lucky Oceans, will perform at the Fest.
Here’s a late report on the death of the last surviving child of the original Carter Family. Janette Carter, 82, the daughter of A.P. and Sara Carter, died January 22 in a hospital in Kingsport, Tennessee, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Born in 1923 in Maces Spring, Virginia, Janette eventually dedicated her life to preserving her family heritage and country music’s roots. In 1976, she and her brother Joe founded the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia—where old-time Appalachian music continues to live on. Playing the autoharp and singing, she carried forward her family’s timeless sound. For her passion and commitment, she was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship in 2005. CORRECTION: It’s a really late report. She died in 2006, not 2026.
Bill Anderson writes in his fan club newsletter: “Our country is celebrating its 250th birthday, I am personally celebrating being a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 65 years, and all of us should be celebrating simply being alive for another day here on God’s magnificent earth. . .. Our big 65th Opry celebration is Saturday night July 18th. I’m looking forward to sharing this milestone occasion with so many of you. I hope you know how much it means to me that you want to be here.” Alana Young and I will be Bill’s guests that evening, I’m excited to report. (My next newsletter may be a day or so late getting out.)
The highly anticipated Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop has officially opened, reports PEOPLE. The one-of-a-kind roadside rest stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, held its ribbon cutting ceremony on June 24, and Dolly Parton, 80, surprised fans by attending the event. The general store contains apparel, gifts, souvenirs and road-trip essentials, along with featuring a glittery chandelier made of guitars. The menu includes barbecue dishes and “Cup of Ambition” coffee. A partner at Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stops says Dolly’s years of life on the road helped her decide how to create a place built on “Tennessee hospitality, worth stopping for, not just stopping at.”
Nashville’s Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event drew a record-breaking estimated crowd of 400,000 downtown to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, reports MusicRow. The many performances anchored a three-hour live TV special, Disney Celebrates America: Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash, with host Ryan Seacrest. The broadcast included performances by Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, and Tim McGraw. The largest fireworks and aerial drone light display in Nashville history was synchronized to a live performance by the Nashville Symphony. It included more than 1,000 floating flares, creating the illusion of lights suspended above the Cumberland River, and the two-minute finale featured thousands of fireworks.
Donna Stoneman, the last remaining member of the famous Stoneman Family, has died at the age of 92. Saving Country Music calls her “The First Lady of the Mandolin.” She was also known as “Little Dancin’ Donna” for the way she bounced around onstage. Born in 1934, Donna was one of 13 children in the musical family of Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman and Hattie Frost Stoneman. Ernest was already a recorded musician before becoming part of the group recorded at The Bristol Sessions in 1927. I remember him sitting in a rocking chair when his children performed on TV as the Stoneman Family Band in the 1960s. Donna and little sister Roni (on banjo) continued to perform almost until Roni’s death in 2024, at age 85.
Indiana Feek, 12, daughter of Rory Feek, 61, and the late Joey Feek, recently underwent open-heart surgery and has been discharged from the hospital. According to PEOPLE, she was overwhelmed to receive letters and cards from people all over the country. Her parents were married for nearly 14 years and performed together as Joey+Rory. Joey died of cancer in March 2016 at age 40. In 2024, Feek married Indiana’s teacher, Rebecca.
Reading the Whiskey Riff headline, “Ronnie Dunn Clears the Air on Recent Hospital Visit,” I thought it might be newsworthy. Brooks & Dunn are touring with Morgan Wallen before returning to their own tour. Kix Brooks, 71, and Ronnie Dunn, 73, posted a video on Brooks & Dunn’s Facebook page, which opened with Ronnie saying, “I don’t feel too good tonight. Went to Vanderbilt yesterday. I struggled a little bit last week. Thought I maybe injured my vocals cords. They said I didn’t, but I’ve got a touch of bronchitis.” He powered through the evening, and many concert goers said they couldn’t tell he was sick. I have a pretty good idea how he’s been feeling. I’m recovering from bronchitis myself, I went to the ER, and I gave a speech while managing not to cough. I’m glad I didn’t have to sing.
Taste of Country reports that Radney Foster ended up in the intensive care unit (ICU) last month after a serious infection led to sepsis. “While he is improving and has been released from the ICU, his doctors have advised him to take time away from the road to focus on his health,” his staff wrote in a statement on social media. His shows in the first half of July are being rescheduled, and he hopes to make the ones later in the month. The Texas-born singer/songwriter was one half of the duo Foster & Lloyd in the late ’80s. They split up to focus on solo careers. Radney is a prolific songwriter whose songs have been recorded by numerous artists.
The Academy of Country Music will celebrate its 19th annual ACM Honors on August 19 at The Pinnacle in Nashville. MusicRow reports Carly Pearce will host for the sixth time, with new co-host Parker McCollum. The ACM Poet’s Award, which recognizes exceptional lyrical and musical contributions, will go posthumously to both Brett James and The Carter Family. Bill Anderson and Mike Curb will each receive the ACM Icon Award, inspired by Cliffie Stone. The ACM Spirit Award, inspired by 20-time ACM Award recipient Merle Haggard, will go to Kacey Musgraves. Numerous other awards will be presented, including the ACM International Award inspired by Jim Reeves and the ACM Film Award inspired by Tex Ritter.
LETTERS
Danney Yates says, “I was delighted to read of your attending bio conference and that Robert Caro is still working on his final segment of his outstanding LBJ series. I’ve read all of them thus far and keep hoping he will complete it. Can’t wait for your Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins bio. I heard an interview of him describing going on tour with Neal Young. I’ll bet there were some great stories to come from that. As always, thanks for all you give to us and hope your ghost-writing pursuits come to fruition.”
Doug Lippert writes from Greater Indianapolis, Indiana, “I was so sad to learn of Bill Cody’s passing. Bill’s was a voice I will always be able to ‘hear’ in my head. Not unlike former ABC Sports announcer Keith Jackson’s or, of course, Eddie Stubbs. I’ll always be able to recall the sound of their voices. While we focus on Country Music, many readers will know of the progressive Canadian band Rush. They have a song called Spirit of Radio for which the opening line is ‘begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive.’ For those of us who grew up with terrestrial radio and the morning DJs we came to know and love—but probably never met—turning on the radio in the morning was how we started our day. At one time, I lived in a spot in Michigan that could receive Chicago AM signals well. Larry Lujack (WLS) and Clark Weber (WCFL) were how I started my day. Later, while living in Southern Indiana, it was Bill Cody. Also acknowledging the passing of Clive Davis, who was so influential in what we used to call ‘the ‘record’ business.’ There’s a great documentary about him called The Soundtrack of our Lives. I think it’s on Netflix and should be interesting to those who follow music. Thank you for always keeping us informed.”
Michael Green says, “Thanks for another great newsletter. As I recall, when Bill Monroe had financial troubles and was going to lose his ranch, Bob Whittaker submitted the winning bid for Gaylord and Opryland, and then they told Monroe the house was his. After Monroe died, Whittaker ended up living there.”
Carol Grace Anderson writes from Nashville, “Another informative newsletter. Thanks for all your research.”
Bobby Fischer says, I really enjoyed reading your descriptive story about Faron. I can certainly verify some of those details, as I shared quite a few good times and plenty of laughs with him back in the day. I’ll always remember running into him once and mentioning I had three songs to show him. We went into his office, and after the first one, he jokingly told me not to show him any more if they weren’t better than that. It all worked out wonderfully, though, as I eventually had a song on the charts with him called ‘The Great Chicago Fire.’”
Martha Moore of so much MOORE media sends this report: “American Blonde spent last Thursday at the Grammy Museum Mississippi in their hometown of Cleveland, Mississippi, as a part of the week-long Grammy Summer Camp. The five-piece band shared their musical story and gave the students (ages 9-12) a behind-the-scenes look at their music, songwriting and entertainment industry. They wrapped up the day on the museum’s Sanders Soundstage with a six-song evening performance for hometown fans, which included their current single, ‘Mississippi Moonshine,’ and other songs from their upcoming EP.”
Nobuhiko Ogino writes from Kobe, Japan, “My heartfelt congratulations on your Randy Travis bio.”
Richard L White in Hartsville, Tennessee, writes, “I read your current newsletter and want to add some information to weekends the Opry has missed in its history. The first time the Opry was off the air entirely was for the period following the first Saturday night broadcast of the Opry in December 1926, until returning on the air beginning with the Opry on January 8, 1927, with 5 kilowatts of power (it had previously been broadcasting at 1 kilowatt). That’s four weeks that WSM was off the air entirely – the transmitter was being replaced, so there was no Opry show of any kind at all for those weeks. I spent thirty years researching Opry history and got into the National Life files in 1985-6. I was hoping to write a book with the information but that seems out of reach for now. Great newsletter!”
Donald Ewert says, “I read about Donna Stoneman’s passing. I wrote the Stonemans a fan letter years ago and heard back from both Donna & Patsy. I realize Pop Stoneman is in the Country Music Hall of Fame, but I personally think the entire Stoneman Family should be as well.”
Dale Eichor writes from Fort Dodge, Iowa, “The other day I realized I have not been receiving your newsletter. HELP! I use your newsletter almost daily on my shows on 540 KWMT Fort Dodge. Currently voice-tracking afternoons 2 – 7 and Saturday morning 8 to 12 noon. I fill in ‘live’ when needed, usually on the Midday shift. Evidently, I got dropped from your email list as the last issue I received was dated May 26. Would you check on this for me? Could you email me your newsletters for June? And get me back on your regular list? I have been a long-time reader of your newsletter and using it on the air at KWMT. I met you at Bob & Sheila Everhart’s NTCMA Festival in Fremont, Nebraska, a few years ago.”
Diane: And I wrote about you in the first newsletter you missed—as an inductee in the 2001 Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame. Good to hear from you.
CALVIN GRAHAM: COMBAT VETERAN AT AGE TWELVE
My newly published biography, Calvin Graham: Combat Veteran at Age Twelve, tells the unbelievable but true story of the youngest known combat veteran of World War II. With falsified documents signed by his mother and clothes borrowed from his older brother, Calvin Leon Graham enlisted in the United States Navy in August 1942. Assigned to USS South Dakota (BB 57), he served during two battles in the South Pacific in late 1942. He spent his thirteenth birthday in the naval brig in Corpus Christi, Texas, and was then sent home to Houston with an invalidated enlistment and no military benefits. That experience was later described in the movie Too Young the Hero. The book costs $10 and you can order it from me at di***@**********an.com. I haven’t yet set up online ordering information. It is also available on Kindle and Audible Audiobook. Frank Gerard narrated it for me, as he has done with my three country music biographies. Cal Sharp, former steel player with Faron Young’s Country Deputies, designed the cover.
COUNTRY MUSIC DISC JOCKEY HALL OF FAME – 2002
Lee Arnold began his radio career at WSCR in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. After building a broadcasting career in Norfolk, Virginia, and Hackensack, New Jersey, he joined WHN in New York City from 1971-1988. He also hosted the Mutual Broadcasting System’s “On A Country Road” and served as the voice of in-flight airline music channel “Country In The Air.” He won awards as Major Market Country Disc Jockey of the Year and appeared as announcer on the live country albums, Buck Owens and The Buckeroos’ Carnegie Hall Concert and Country Comes To Carnegie Hall. He joined the Sirius Satellite Network in 2001, retiring from radio in 2010 to spend time with family in Chester, New Jersey. He hosts the podcast Country Music Conversations with Lee Arnold and is active on Facebook at Lee Arnold | Facebook.
J.D. Cannon, born Lynn Schellhammer in 1953, began his Country radio career at WMAD, Madison, Wisconsin, in 1973. He joined WFMS-FM 95.5 in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1979 to become Afternoon Drive air personality and Music Director. He remained there 32 years, until station management fired him for insubordination in 2011 for playing songs not on the station’s authorized playlist. Because he was fired for violating his contract, the company denied him severance pay. He then joined Hank FM 97.1 (WLHK) in Indianapolis. He retired in 2017 after nearly four decades in a career that defined that city’s country music. He is 72 years old and lives in Greenfield, Indiana.
Billy Cole was a pioneering country music disc jockey whose career spanned over 40 years. Born in Short Track, New York, he began his broadcasting journey while serving in the U.S. Air Force at Sondestrom, Greenland, in the 1950s. He became WMMB air personality and music director in Melbourne, Florida, in 1961. He worked at many radio stations around the country in the following decades, including WSM in Nashville, Tennessee, and WHO Des Moines, Iowa. He retired in 2000, from KMGO Centerville, Iowa. Through the years, he served as the national voice for major corporate clients, recorded songs produced by Pete Drake and Waylon Jennings, and had Stonewall Jackson and Webb Pierce record songs he wrote. His daily shows ended with him saying, “The best way to have friends is to be one yourself.” Billy Cole died in 2007, following a long illness.
I remember listening to Joe Hoppel when I lived in Virginia Beach. He spent thirty-seven years (1955-2003) as the morning personality at WCMS in Norfolk, Virginia. Born in Pennsylvania in 1935, he began his broadcasting career at the age of fifteen and moved two years later to Portsmouth, Virginia, where he began playing Country music. His many awards include Country Music Association Music Director of the Year and an award from the CMA for 40 consecutive years in Country music broadcasting. He created “Tell Someone They’re Doing A Good Job” week, celebrated on the last full week before Christmas. He was known for collecting photographs of himself with Country performers putting him in a headlock. He later played traditional country and bluegrass favorites on KICK 106 (WKCK) in Norfolk. Joe Hoppel died in 2023 at age 89.
Buck Wayne Johnston was a Western Swing musician, songwriter, and disc jockey active in Texas, Arizona, California, and northern Mexico. Born in 1923 in Marlow, Oklahoma, he learned to play steel guitar at age eight. While serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, he was shot down over Berlin and imprisoned in Stalag Luft. After the war, he began his radio career while attending College of Mines University of Texas in El Paso. In 1949, he became Country DJ and Farm Editor of KAMQ, Amarillo, Texas, with time out when he was recalled to service during the Korean War. In 1957 he joined XERB, Rosarito Beach, Mexico, just south of San Diego. The New York Times called him “the last of the border radio pitchmen.” He joined KSON in San Diego when it switched to Country and stayed there until throat cancer ended his radio career in 1975. He was inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Pioneers of Western Swing Hall of Fame in 1996. Buck Wayne Johnston died in 2009 at age 86.