Thomas Rhett’s current single, “Beer Can’t Fix,” featuring Jon Pardi, became his 15th No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week.
“Beer Can’t Fix” is Thomas Rhett’s ninth consecutive No. 1 single, the longest ACTIVE streak on the Airplay chart, ahead of Luke Combs (7) and Old Dominion (6).
However, contrary to reports from multiple media outlets, TR’s outstanding accomplishment is NOT the all-time chart record for consecutive No. 1 singles.
That honor goes to Blake Shelton, who scored 17 consecutive No. 1 singles on the Airplay chart from “Hillbilly Bone” in 2010 to “Came Here to Forget” in 2016.
Billboard created the Airplay chart in 1990.
And if you really want your mind blown . . . Alabama scored 21 consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, starting with “Tennessee River” in 1980 and ending with “You’ve Got the Touch” in 1987.
Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum made a virtual appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 11 to perform their new single, “Champagne Night.”
Penned by Lady A, Shane McAnally and Madeline Merlo, “Champagne Night” is the first song from the prime-time series Songland to become a radio single. Lady A served as the guest artists on Season 2/Episode 1 of Songland, which gives four songwriters the chance to have one of their original tunes produced by a mentor—Shane McAnally, Ester Dean or Ryan Tedder—and recorded by the guest artists. Madeline Merlo was the episode’s winning songwriter.
Lady A shipped the new single to country radio on April 20. The tune is currently No. 50 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after three weeks.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith added another accolade to an illustrious Vol career, as the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame announced he will be presented with the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award at the 39th Annual Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
The induction ceremony is set for Thursday, July 21, and will air on WBXX-TV in Knoxville. The event’s guest speaker is Charles Davis, VFL and analyst for the NFL on CBS.
“I’m extremely thankful to accept the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award,” Smith said. “I take a lot of pride being a Tennessean. My sister was a manager with Coach Summitt’s team, and I grew up watching her teams as well. To receive an award in Coach Summitt’s name is just a tremendous honor. I appreciate the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame for this incredible recognition.”
Smith, a native of Jackson, Tennessee, has established himself as an All-America and national honors candidate. The owner of 31 career starts, Smith elected to come back for his senior season to obtain his degree, improve his draft stock and continue to lead the program back to national prominence.
Smith garnered first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2019, appearing in all 13 games with 12 starts and leading the Vols on a six-game winning streak and a victory over Indiana in the Gator Bowl. Off the field, Smith has been a leader in the community. He was named the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year and was the inaugural recipient of the Fritz Pollard Trophy, given to the collegiate player who has exemplified extraordinary courage, community values and exceptional performance on the field.
The Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award was established in 2012 when the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame presented the award to its namesake, legendary coach Pat Summitt. To ignite greatness is to believe that every person has limitless potential that we must discover, ignite and foster. No one better exemplifies this idea than Summitt.
Past Tennessee Vol recipients of the award include: Tamika Catchings (2013), Inky Johnson (2014), Jason Witten (2015), Eric Berry (2016), Gus Manning (2018) and Peyton Manning (2019).
Garth Brooks released four new songs—“That’s What Cowboys Do,” “The Road I’m On,” “Courage of Love” and “Party Gras”—via Amazon Music on May 12.
The new tunes will be featured on Garth’s upcoming studio album, Fun.
Garth hinted that he may release new music during his Inside Studio G Facebook series on May 11 after a fan named Jack asked Garth the status of the upcoming record, which was tentatively slated to be released in spring 2020.
“We’ve had this discussion,” said Garth. “I don’t want to be the guy that tries to do something in the midst where everybody is hurting. So, it’s like…damnit. The album’s ready to go. It’s just how do you get out and promote and be happy and jolly while everybody’s out there fighting for their lives not only physically, but fighting for their lives financially.”
The new tunes follow the release of “All Day Long,” “Stronger Than Me” and “Dive Bar” from Fun.
Tim McGraw released his new single, “I Called Mama,” on May 8. Penned by Lance Miller, Marv Green and Jimmy Yeary, “I Called Mama” is about the special connection mothers share with their children, especially when times are tough.
Tim experienced his share of tough times growing up in Louisiana in a broken home, where his mom worked multiple jobs to provide for him and his two sisters. In many ways, “I Called Mama” is a tribute to Tim’s own mother, Betty, who he says is his “hero.”
In a video conversation with Blair Garner of Westwood One’s The Blair Garner Show, Tim opened up about his hero, expounded on the importance of the message in his new song, shared an emotional story of domestic abuse and more. Below is a brief excerpt from the interview.
Blair Garner: “Was there ever a moment with your mom where it was like, ‘Mom, you know what? I didn’t know how strong you were. I didn’t know what all you did for me until now at this point?’”
Tim McGraw: “Well, you’re going to make me cry. There was a lot of moments because my mom was a strong woman and she raised us three kids and went through a lot of abuse in her marriages. So we saw a lot of that growing up and saw a lot of the black eyes and bloody noses and all that thing around our house. But I remember being on our own and being at our home—and I was around 13 maybe—one night. And I got up late at night, it’s about two in the morning, and my mom had worked like three jobs at a time to try to keep the bills paid. And I remember specifically getting up one night to go get a glass of water and she was at our kitchen table, and she had bills spread out everywhere. She had her head down, she was crying and she didn’t see me walk by. I didn’t know what to say. It was just so heartbreaking to me and it’s sort of . . . I don’t know that I really got it at that point. But older in life, I reflect on that a lot. I reflect on that scene and seeing my mom and how she hid that from us. And I just happened to catch that moment.”
Blair: “During this time of isolation, I do know that there are a lot of women, particularly, who find themselves having to be quarantined with someone who may be abusive toward them. Thank you for being so candid about your mom’s challenges in the past. Was there a point during all of that that you felt it necessary for you to try to intervene?”
Tim: “Oh yeah. I got beat up a couple of times trying to get in the middle of it. Yeah, for sure.”
The Highwomen—Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby—will officially ship new single, “Crowded Table,” to country radio on May 26.
Penned Natalie, Brandi and Lori McKenna, “Crowded Table” is featured on the foursome’s 2019 self-titled debut album, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
“‘Crowded Table’ has taught me a lot,” says Brandi. “It’s taught me that we can go out in the world and be who we need to be to help the world do the best that we can while we are here. But at the end of the day, there’s too many things keeping up from getting along with other people—keeping us from getting along with our families over the dinner table. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to come to the table with each other and break bread. Hearing the audience sing that song back to me has become probably one of the most healing parts of my night.”
The Highwomen dropped a new video for “Crowded Table” on April 30. Filmed throughout the making of their debut album, the video features appearances by Brandi, Amanda, Maren and Natalie, as well as other artists who contributed to the album, including Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Yola, Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth, producer Dave Cobb and more.
Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation helped raise more than $75,000 to assist animal shelters and organizations that were affected by the tornadoes that swept across Middle Tennessee on March 3. The devastating twisters killed 25 people and cause more than $1 billion in damage.
“We knew people needed to come first, but MuttNation is here because we have to watch over the animals, too,” says Miranda. “My heart is filled with both sadness for everyone who suffered—and with gratitude for everyone who has stepped up.
Almost 1,000 donations were matched by Tractor Supply Co., Nashville-based donation platform Generous, and MuttNation to raise more than $75,000 that has been allocated to the following organizations: Agape Animal Rescue, Crossroads Campus, Friends of MACC, Nashville Humane Association, the Pet Community Center, Putnam County Humane, the Putnam TN Disaster Animal Relief Team (DART) and the Wilson County DART.
With 15 rescue animals between them—including dogs, cats and rabbits—it’s no secret Miranda and mom Bev Lambert have a soft spot in their hearts for fury, four-legged friends. That’s why in 2009, Miranda and Bev started the MuttNation Foundation, an organization with the mission of ending animal suffering and homelessness on every front. The foundation has successfully raised millions of dollars to aid organizations, government institutions and entities that build animal shelters for better care and increased pet adoption.
CMT announced the second slate of performers for its two-hour TV special, CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special, on June 3 at 7 p.m. CT.
Brandi Carlile, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Kristen Bell, Lauren Daigle, Luke Combs, Sam Hunt and Tim McGraw will join previously announce performers Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett. The special will feature one-of-a-kind tributes and performances as the stars perform from their own homes.
The show will highlight stories of unsung heroes who have done exceptional things for their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal stories of those who have positively impacted their community, state and nation can be submitted directly to CMT for potential inclusion in the special.
In words and music, participating artists will recognize the following categories of COVID-19 heroes, including but not limited to:
Healthcare Workers: Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ambulance drivers and EMT’s fighting the heroic battle to treat the sick and dying while putting their own health risks aside.
Food Industry: Farmers, distributors, migrant workers and truckers helping to provide the food that restaurants and grocery workers put on our tables.
American Ingenuity: Big industry and small businesses who are retrofitting their production lines to provide ventilators, personal protective equipment and hand sanitizers, along with the scientists who are racing the clock to develop effective treatments that will stem the tide until a vaccine is perfected.
Infrastructure: Educators, delivery drivers, sanitation workers and utility laborers who are necessary to maintaining our way of life.
U.S. Military: Active and reserve military personnel who have answered the call to step up for any duty large or small, and their families who are left to navigate these uncertain times alone.
First Responders: Fire departments and law enforcement officers who continue to protect our homes, families and our country.
The 2020 CMT Music Awards—originally slated for June 3—will take place on October 14.
The fan-voted CMT Awards hand out trophies in a number of categories, including Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year, Breakthrough Video of the Year and more.
photos: Luke Combs by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com; Carrie Underwood by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
Thomas Rhett scored his 15th No. 1 single as “Beer Can’t Fix” topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week. The tune features vocals from Jon Pardi, who tallied his fifth No. 1 single with the achievement.
“Today we celebrated my 15th number one,” said Thomas Rhett via Twitter. “Thank you to my amazing team, country radio and the folks who listen to our music. It truly takes an army. Huge shout out to @jonpardi for your amazing talent and for having a blast with me creating this song! Here’s to beer can’t fix.”
Penned by TR, Julian Bunetta, Zach Skelton and Ryan Tedder, “Beer Can’t Fix” was inspired by a golf outing.
“I was playing golf with one of my producers, Julian Bunetta, in Knoxville and we were both playing terribly, so we decided to drink a beer and suddenly we both started playing much better,” Thomas Rhett says. “Julian looked at me and said ‘Well, ain’t nothing a beer can’t fix’ and we both were like, ‘We have to write that.’ As soon as it was done I knew I wanted Jon on it. It’s basically about not taking life too seriously, and I just knew Jon’s voice would be the perfect addition to the song.”
“Beer Can’t Fix” is featured on Thomas Rhett’s 2019 album, Center Point Road. The 16-song album takes its name from the street in his Tennessee hometown that shaped much of TR’s life experiences.
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