By Melinda Newman

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Dennis Leupold

As Amazon Music gears up for October’s Country Music Month, the streamer will go someplace it hasn’t ventured before: the Grand Ole Opry.

The streamer’s flagship country brand, Country Heat, will host its own themed evening at the Nashville landmark on Oct. 21, featuring performances by Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Russell Dickerson, Lauren Alaina and Carter Faith. For the evening, which will be hosted by the Country Heat Weekly podcast’s Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton, the Opry will be bathed in Country Heat’s signature orange instead of its usual red.

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Additionally, Amazon Music is getting a jump on Country Music Month by releasing the first of four new exclusive originals on Thursday (Sept. 25). Kane Brown has reimagined his current hit “2 Pair” with a Game Day version that includes a marching band. “I love that my fans have made ‘2 Pair’ the song of the summer — so how about a version for the football season with a drumline and marching band?” Brown said in a statement. “Hope this gets you pumped up. Go Dawgs!”

Out Oct. 3 will be Noeline Hofmann’s cover of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues,” Tucker Wetmore’s remake of The Georgia Satellites‘ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” on Oct. 10 and Faith’s version of Addison Rae’s “Fame Is A Gun,” which she will debut at the Opry on Oct. 21.

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“Country Music Month at Amazon Music is about honoring our genre’s rich heritage while pushing into exciting new territory. From Kane Brown bringing marching band energy to ‘2 Pair’ to lighting up the Opry barn in Country Heat orange — we’re creating moments that celebrate where country music has been and where it’s headed,” said Michelle Tigard Kammerer, Amazon Music’s global head of country music, in a statement. “When I think about emerging artists sharing that historic stage, it reminds me why we do what we do, bringing fans closer to the music they love in ways they’ve never experienced before.”

Country Music Month arrives as Country Heat, which launched in 2016, surpasses 30 billion streams in the U.S.

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“What amazes me most about country music’s incredible growth on Amazon Music is how it reflects the deep connection between artists and fans,” Kammerer added. “When we launched Country Heat, we dreamed of creating a home where listeners could discover their next favorite song or artist, but seeing it reach 30 billion streams shows just how passionate this community truly is. From our weekly podcast to exclusive live events, we’re not just streaming music — we’re helping write the next chapter of country music history together.”

October was designated Country Music Month by a presidential proclamation in 1973 after Johnny Cash sent a letter to then-President Richard Nixon in 1971 requesting the initiative.

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