Artist Updates: Martina McBride, Battle For the Bones, Merle Haggard, Rainey Qualley, Pentatonix

Martina McBride Surprises Guests on Ellen

Martina McBride and internet star McKenna.

Martina McBride joined a young girl named McKenna to sing “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” on Ellen today (Oct. 20). Last week, a touching video of McKenna singing the song to her mother, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was posted to Ellen’s website. Host Ellen DeGeneres brought McKenna’s mother and grandmother to be interviewed on today’s episode and surprised them with an appearance from McBride, who had a Top 10 hit with the song in 2011.

Artists Line Up For Battle For the Bones

Bobby Bones

The third annual Battle for the Bones concert will be held Oct. 30 at Nashville’s Cannery Row. This Halloween concert is hosted by Bobby Bones with performances by Charles Kelley, David Nail, Jerrod Niemann, Maddie & Tae, Chris Janson, Old Dominion, Mickey Guyton, Kelsea Ballerini, Dan+Shay, and more.

A portion of proceeds from this concert benefit the FTL Sarcoma Fund in memory of Warner Music’s Lindsay Walleman. General admission tickets are $50 and VIP options are available as well. Tickets can be purchased at www.wsix.com.

Merle Haggard Drops By The Opry

Photo: Chris Hollo

Merle Haggard made a surprise appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (Oct. 17) while passing through town in between gigs. Because he had the night off, he decided to make an appearance to honor the Opry’s 90^th anniversary. The Country Music Hall of Fame member performed “Big City,” “Silver Wings,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink,” and “The Fightin’ Side Of Me.”

Rainey Qualley Visits ACM

Rainey Qualley

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Cingle Records recording artist Rainey Qualley to the office while she was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, she performed her current single, “Me and Johnny Cash,” and signed up for professional ACM membership, as part of the Academy’s complimentary one-year membership offered to support emerging artists.

Pentatonix Announces Partnership With Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Grammy Award-winning vocal group Pentatonix today announced a partnership that brings the band’s debut self-titled studio album to all Cracker Barrel locations and online at crackerbarrel.com.

To celebrate the album’s release, the band will host a live Facebook chat on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. EST (subject to change) presented by Cracker Barrel to talk with fans and answer questions about the new project. To participate in the live chat, visit Pentatonix’s Facebook page at that time and ask a question on the group’s wall.