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.

As NBC’s The Voice heads into its Knockout Rounds, Kelly Clarkson has been announced as a “key adviser” for the show’s contestants. Clarkson will oversee the artists as they perform songs of their own choosing in order to stay alive in the competition -- experience that will likely serve her well when she becomes one of the TV singing competition's four coaches during Season 14, which will begin in 2018. Clarkson’s episodes of The Voice will air Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 30 and 31) at 8PM ET. -- AM

Rodney Crowell Close Ties
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Rodney Crowell and Kelsea Ballerini will both receive special honors at the 2017 ASCAP Country Music Awards on Nov. 6: Crowell will be presented with the ASCAP Founders Award, which recognizes artists who have made an immense impact on music; according to a press release, "each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of creative genius, which will enrich generations to come,” and past recipients include Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Ballerini, meanwhile, is receiving the ASCAP Vanguard Award, which “recognizes the impact of outstanding ASCAP members on musical genres that are shaping the future of American music.” That award’s past recipients include Chris Stapleton, the Civil Wars and more. -- CC

George Strait SXSW 2016
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
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George Strait will headline the 2018 Bayou Country Superfest, scheduled to take place in New Orleans, La., on  May 27, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. In addition to King George, the festival will feature performances from Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves and Midland. Prior to the show, on May 26, artists including Randy Houser, Michael Ray and Runaway June will appear at a free concert, to be held outside the Superdome, at Champions Square. Tickets for the festival go on sale on Nov. 2 at 10AM CT via  BayouCountrySuperfest.com and Ticketmaster.com. -- AM

Keith Urban Stanley Cup Playoffs 2017
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The 2017 BMI Awards will honor country music star Keith Urban and Nashville songwriter Bob DiPiero. As reported by Music Row, on Nov. 7, BMI will honor Urban with the BMI Champion Award, and DiPiero will be named a BMI Icon Award winner. Urban is receiving his honor in recognition of the work that he has done to help music's next generation through various charity efforts; DiPiero's Icon Award is being bestowed in honor of the impact he has made on the music industry over the course of his career. -- CC

2017 ACM Awards photos
Kevin Winter, Getty Images for ACM
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In 2018, Chris Stapleton will headline the inaugural Innings Festival in Tempe, Ariz., alongside Queens of the Stone Age and the Avett Brothers. Stapleton isn’t the only country act set to play the first-ever Innings Fest, either — he’ll be joined by Luke Combs, as well as the Decemberists, and the Head and the Heart. Tickets for the baseball-themed event, slated for March 23-25, go on sale on Oct. 27 at 10AM PT. For more information visit InningsFestival.com-- AM

Garth BrooksVince Gill, Kelsea Ballerini and more country artists will be featured in a new documentary about Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe. The year 2017 marks the 35th anniversary of the popular listening room, which has launched the careers of countless artists and songwriters, including Brooks. The creators of the film, which is titled Bluebird: The Movie, are currently raising funds to complete production. Fans can donate via Indiegogo. -- AM

Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images
Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images
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Kenny Rogers has been named the first-ever recipient of the International Photography Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The IPHF’s nine other 2017 honorees are Ernest H. Brooks II, Harry Benson, Edward Curtis, William Eggleston, Anne Geddes, Ryszard Horowitz, James Nachtwey, Cindy Sherman and Jerry Uelsmann, who, along with Rogers, are being lauded for their visionary work in the field of photography and the contributions they have made to their art. “Our 2017 awardees are innovators who broke the norm of tradition and conceived their own ways of creatively communicating with the world around them,” says Patty Wente, executive director of the IPHF, in a press release. The IPHF’s 2017 Awards and Induction event is scheduled for Nov. 17. More information about the event and IPHF can be found on the organization’s official website. -- CC

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