The Grand Ole Opry will register its 4,923rd consecutive Saturday night broadcast on May 9 with a stacked lineup consisting of Opry members Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins and Dustin Lynch. In addition, Gwen Stefani will make her Opry debut, joining boyfriend Blake to sing their new No. 1 hit, “Nobody But You.”
Trace and Dustin will perform onstage at the Grand Ole Opry House, after which Blake and Gwen will perform via a remote broadcast performance from Blake’s farm in Oklahoma.
The show will air at 7 p.m. CT on 650 AM WSM and be broadcast live on Circle Television, as well as streamed on Circle’s Facebook and YouTube.
On May 2, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will take the stage for the 4,922nd consecutive Saturday night Opry show, which will air at 7 p.m.
For the past seven weeks during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Ole Opry has aired without an audience present. The Opry has aired every Saturday for more than 90 years. Opry fans are invited to contribute to the Opry’s #UNBROKEN charitable campaign, which raises money for the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund to benefit artists and musicians struggling through the pandemic.
NFL great Terry Bradshaw has always been a little crazy—now, he’s gone full-on “Quarantine Crazy” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Terry, who is quarantined at his home in Thackerville, Okla., co-wrote and recorded a new country song, “Quarantine Crazy.”
The current co-host of Fox NFL Sunday revealed to Chuck Wicks and Tricia “TJ” Jenkins of the Ty Bentli Show that his wife, Tammy, inspired the lighthearted ditty.
“I was on the phone talking football and my wife all of the sudden hollers out, ‘Terry, I’m going quarantine crazy,’” says Terry to Chuck. “I said, ‘I’ve got to get off the phone, I just heard a country song.’ So I got off the phone and I said, ‘Babe, that’s great, we’ve got to write a song about that.’ So I laid out the song for her, the whole idea. A guy never spends time with his family, always has an excuse. If it’s not football, it’s fishing or golf. Now, he has to stay home because he quarantined. I said, there’s only one guy who can write this song, so I called Jimmy Yeary and laid it out for him. Two days later, he calls me back and plays it over the phone. It was so good.”
Terry flew to Nashville on his small plane and recorded the song in a studio in “about nine takes,” which Jimmy then produced. While the twangy new tune is a good-natured jab at quarantine life, Terry is optimistic that a return to normalcy is in our future, including watching NFL football in 2020.
“I do believe there will be football—it may start out unlike what we’re used to, but I do believe we’ll have football,” says Terry. “There may be some abbreviation to it, but right now, we’ve got until September to get this thing where we can protect ourselves from it, or be on the way. And I think we might start off with empty stadiums, I don’t know. Our people may have to wear a mask and rubber gloves, I don’t know. But we’re going to have football. Rest assured, there will be football, and it’ll be on Fox. Okay, so don’t worry about it. You heard it from me.”
Terry’s full interview from the Ty Bentli Show will air on May 4.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee athletic department was well represented on the list of 2020 Chancellor’s Honors Banquet award recipients, as the Office of the Chancellor recognized students, faculty, staff and friends of the university for their extraordinary achievements Tuesday afternoon.
52 student-athletes from 16 different teams were honored by their respective colleges with the Extraordinary Academic Achievement Award, while dual-sport standout Maya Neal was one of four individuals chosen university-wide for the Extraordinary Community Service Award.
Extraordinary Academic Achievement honors are awarded to undergraduates who exhibit extraordinary scholarship. To be eligible for nomination, a student must have completed 90 credit hours with a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0. Award winners were determined by each college.
The Extraordinary Community Service Award honors students and student organizations that exhibit the Volunteer spirit in the community. A captain for both the soccer and track & field teams, Neal has worked with numerous campus and community service initiatives as a member of the VOLeaders Academy and community outreach co-chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Neal has used her platform as a Tennessee student-athlete to impact the community on a local and global scale. Last semester, she hosted a shoe drive as part of the UTAD’s Week of Giving — collecting more than 100 pairs of athletic shoes to donate to children in Puerto Rico. As the community outreach co-chair for SAAC, she also helped organize and oversee multiple community service events hosted by the athletic department.
On the field of competition, Neal enjoyed a well decorated collegiate career on Rocky Top as a four-time All-SEC soccer player and an All-American heptathlete. She recently signed a contract with Le Havre AC, a professional soccer club based in Le Havre, France.
Chancellor’s Honors Award recipients are typically celebrated during the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet each spring. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the banquet was canceled and awards had to be presented remotely.
Chancellor’s Honors Banquet Award Recipients – Tennessee Athletics
Extraordinary Community Service Award Maya Neal – Soccer/Track & Field
Extraordinary Academic Achievement Award (sorted by sport)
Baseball (2) Landon Gray – Haslam College of Business Nico Mascia – Tickle College of Engineering
Men’s Basketball (1) Jacob Fleschman – Haslam College of Business
Women’s Basketball (2) Rennia Davis – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Kasiyahna Kushkituah – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Football (4) Paxton Brooks – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Andrew Craig – Haslam College of Business Trey Smith – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Jake Yelich – Haslam College of Business
Men’s Golf (4) Rhys Nevin – College of Arts & Sciences Chip Thomas – Haslam College of Business Sean Wilcox – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Hunter Wolcott – Haslam College of Business
Women’s Golf (1) Mariah Smith – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Soccer (3) McKinley Burkett – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Katie Cousins – College of Arts & Sciences Erin Gilroy – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Softball (6) Tianna Batts – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Cailin Hannon – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Aubrey Leach – College of Arts & Sciences Treasuary Poindexter – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Chelsea Seggern – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Katie Weimer – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Men’s Swimming & Diving (3) Kyle DeCoursey – Herbert College of Agriculture Matthew Garcia – Haslam College of Business Nathan Murray – Herbert College of Agriculture
Men’s Tennis (1) Luca Wiedenmann – Haslam College of Business
Women’s Tennis (1) Ariadna Riley – College of Arts & Sciences
Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (3) Nate Harper – College of Arts & Sciences Joseph Maxwell – Haslam College of Business Tristan Slater – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country (5) Nicole Adams – College of Arts & Sciences Brooklynn Broadwater – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Megan Murray – College of Arts & Sciences Sarah Reeves – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Alaina Riordan – College of Arts & Sciences
Volleyball (2) Alyssa Andreno – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Asha Phillips – College of Education, Health & Human Sciences
I was thinking about Gwen Stefani’s career today . . . and something dawned on me:
From fronting No Doubt to her solo career, Gwen’s collective body of work across multiple genres is impressive, to say the least.
Her latest feat? Gwen topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week for the first time with “Nobody But You,” her duet with boyfriend Blake Shelton. Gwen has now scored No. 1 singles on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, Billboard pop chart, Billboard rap chart and Billboard country chart.
Take a look at a partial list of Billboard chart highlights from Gwen’s career.
No. 1 Singles with No Doubt
Billboard Mainstream Top 40: “Don’t Speak” (12/13/1996)
Billboard Mainstream Top 40: “Hey Baby” feat. Bounty Killer (3/1/2002)
Billboard Mainstream Top 40: “Underneath It All” feat. Lady Shaw (11/1/2002)
No. 1 Singles as a Solo Artist
Billboard Rap Airplay: “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” by Eve feat. Gwen Stefani (7/6/2001)
Billboard Mainstream Top 40: “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” by Eve feat. Gwen Stefani (8/24/2001)
Billboard Hot 100: “Hollaback Girl” (5/6/2005)
Billboard Mainstream Top 40: “Hollaback Girl” (5/20/2005)
Billboard Country Airplay: “Nobody But You” with Blake Shelton (5/1/2020)
Over the course of her 30-plus-year career, Gwen has built a remarkable résumé, especially when you think of it in terms of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which isn’t just for “rock” acts anymore. In fact, you can make a compelling case that No Doubt deserves to be in the HOF now.
Performers become eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first record. No Doubt released its self-titled debut album in 1992, while Gwen released her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., in 2004. Criteria for the Hall of Fame include the “influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.”
With No. 1 singles that span more than 23 years across multiple genres, Gwen’s musical catalog is gaining more and more “significance” every year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Vol offensive guard Trey Smith has been tabbed as the Tennessee Co-Amateur Male Athlete of the Year, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday.
Smith shared the honor with Vanderbilt baseball’s Kumar Rocker. The awards are scheduled to be formally presented as part of the Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony on Aug. 1 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Smith is the first Tennessee football player to receive the award since Eric Berry won it three years in a row from 2008-10.
Smith, a native of Jackson, Tennessee, has established himself as one of the greatest offensive linemen in Vol history. 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.
This is the fifth straight year in which a Tennessee student-athlete has captured at least a share of the TSHF’s Male Amateur Athlete of the Year, as men’s basketball’s Grant Williams (2019, 2018) and sprinter Christian Coleman (2017, 2016) each won the honor in back-to-back years.
Established in 1966, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame honors figures from every sport including basketball, baseball, football, golf, soccer and track & field, along with coaches, teams, sports writers and others who made an impact. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development oversees all operations along with the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
Tenille Townes announced she will release her debut album, The Lemonade Stand, on June 26.
Produced by Jay Joyce, The Lemonade Stand features 12 songs, all of which were co-penned by Tenille, including her major-label debut single, “Somebody’s Daughter.”
“The Lemonade Stand is a collection of songs that mean so much to me and are the way I see the world in this season of my life right now,” says Tenille. “I want this music to be like a gathering place, where people can come and be filled up. I hope this record reminds people of who they are, that they are not alone, and reminds them of their dreams. This record is the dream that I had when I was a seven-year-old kid singing along in the backseat of the car. She would really be freaking out right now.”
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line have released collaborations with some of music’s biggest stars, including Luke Bryan (“This Is How We Roll”), The Backstreet Boys (“God, Your Mama and Me”) Bebe Rexha (“Meant to Be”), Justin Bieber (“Yummy Country Remix”) and more.
On Feb. 25, the duo made a public plea via Instagram for a collaboration with Carrie Underwood: “@carrieunderwood whether you know it or not, we are huge fans of you and we have always wanted to do a song with you we’ve just been waiting on the right one……We think this is [hot].”
During the Instagram video, Tyler and Brian reveal they co-wrote a new song with Julia Michaels as it begins to play in the background.
“We think it would be a massive collaboration,” said Tyler. “We’d love to send it to you, but we don’t have your email or your phone number, so we’re just gonna play a little [of the song].”
Tyler and Brian shared a laugh with a good-natured response:
“No, we got turned down on that one, you don’t win em all, Cody,” said Tyler. “I guess she didn’t love it as much as we did, but that’s alright.”
“I think she said it was amazing and she’d love to, but it was right around her book tour release and so she was super busy and didn’t really have time, but who knows, who knows where it will go,” added Tyler. “Now it’s just open game.”
Toby Keith paid tribute to the Statler Brothers’ Harold Reid by covering the quartet’s most popular tune, “Flowers on the Wall.” Harold, who passed away on April 24 at the age of 80, was the longtime bass vocalist in the Statler Brothers.
Toby covered “Flowers on the Wall” during his YouTube quarantine series, The Furniture Store Guitar Sessions.
“Boy, we lost a good one . . . Harold Reid of the Statler Brothers, what a legend,” said Toby. “Great guy, great entertainer, great singer. What a career. Rest in peace, Harold. Let’s do a Statler Brothers song today.”
