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Chris Young Leaves RCA For New Record Label

Chris Young is joining the artist roster at Black River Records. With nine studio albums, 14 career number one singles, and numerous ACM, AMA, CMA, and GRAMMY nominations, as well…

Chris Young is posing in a black t-shirt.
Photo - John Shearer

Chris Young is joining the artist roster at Black River Records. With nine studio albums, 14 career number one singles, and numerous ACM, AMA, CMA, and GRAMMY nominations, as well as wins for "Performance of the Year" and "Collaborative Video of the Year" at the CMT Music Awards, the singer is one of country music's top stars.

Chris told us of the move, "I’m so excited to announce my new partnership with Black River Entertainment! RCA Nashville was an amazing home for me since 2006 when Joe Galante signed me to work with the Sony team, but it is time for my next chapter."

The country star added, "I couldn’t be more excited about the new music that’s on the way or my new home. Black River is an amazing company, and they have truly impressed upon me how much they believe in me and my future. I can’t wait to continue to add to my legacy with them as a Black River Entertainment artist."

Black River’s President and CEO Gordon S. Kerr said, "With 14 number ones under his belt, Chris has made an undeniable impression on country music. His songwriting and vocal excellence make him a leader in the genre, and I can't wait to see all we can accomplish together on this impressive journey."

Black River Records is also the home of Kelsea Ballerini.

Young won the USA TV competition Nashville Star in 2006, making him a star now for 18 years. He has consistently scored number-one songs, is now headlining arena tours each year, and has a handful of awards.

He recently hit the top spot on the country charts with "Young Love & Saturday Nights."

We talked with Chris not long ago about his latest album and his career success. He told us, "I would love to give you whatever there is for me being around this long and still putting out some amazing music and I know that it's mine, and take that with a grain of salt. I have to have that proven by the people that are listening to it."

He added, "I'm putting out some really good music, so until I feel like I can't anymore, I'm lucky to have the platform."

Young concluded, "You can put out great music but maybe it doesn't get to the people. That's not up to me."

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.