The Boot News Roundup: Swampers Session Musician Jimmy Johnson Dies + More

Welcome to The Boot's News Roundup, a morning rundown of the news country music fans need to know. Read on to learn more about the latest goings-on in the country, Americana, bluegrass and folk genres.

Jimmy Johnson, guitarist for the famed Muscle Shoals Swampers, died Thursday (Sept. 5), at the age of 76. His son, Jay Johnson, confirmed the news on Facebook, but did not offer a cause of death. As a member of the iconic group of session musicians, Jimmy Johnson played on songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan and many more. In more recent years, he was producing and engineering music at his own Muscle Shoals, Ala., studio, Swamper Sound Studio.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley's third annual '80s Dance Party to End Alz will feature performances from her husband, Brad Paisley, along with Hunter Hayes, Ashley Campbell, Shenandoah and more. The event, which is set for Sept. 29 at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon and benefits the Alzheimer's Association, will feature each artist performing their favorite hits from the 1980s; a silent auction will also be part of the night. Tickets for the event are available at Alz.org.

Jon Langston will release a new EP on Oct. 25. Titled Now You Know, the project features six original songs, all co-written by Langston with, among others, Brad Clawson, Jody Stevens and Monty Criswell. The song's title track is Langston's current single.

Eric Paslay is a newly appointed JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) of Middle Tennessee Board of Directors member. The singer is living with Type 1 diabetes and joins a board comprised largely of healthcare professionals. “JDRF is an incredible organization that has always been on the front lines of T1D research. I know I’ve benefited from those who have served before me on the JDRF Board of Directors, and I hope to do the same for the T1D community,” Paslay says in a press release.