Wes Durham, Atlanta Falcons play-by-play voice and ACC Network host/play-by-play announcer, joined me this week on my Zoom video and radio series during this quarantine period we’re in. Go to the Blogs tab under my name anytime to access my blogs. You can also click HEREfor now.
Durham discussed adjusting to the current climate as a versatile broadcaster, the start of the ACC Network, the considerations for when college football and the NFL play again, what the Falcons may do in the first round of the NFL Draft, he answered my “3 For V” questions and shared praise for legendary Vols voice John Ward.
Here’s one quote from Wes Durham on John Ward: “It always meant a lot when I got a chance to spend time with John because when I got the Vanderbilt job at 26 in 1992, Vince, John and Larry Munson (Georgia) and Jim Fyffe at Auburn, the late Jim Fyffe at Auburn and Eli Gold at Alabama were the first handful of guys to reach out to a young guy doing games. They were just so gracious and we became friends. It always meant a lot.”
For just the fourth time in 14 years, a solo female artist’s debut single has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Gabby Barrett’s debut single, “I Hope,” hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart this week.
Gabby is now the fourth solo female artist in 14 years to score a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with her debut single, following Carly Pearce’s “Every Little Thing” (Nov. 2017), Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It” (June 2015) and Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” (Jan. 2006).
“I can’t believe this is happening . . . this is amazing,” said Gabby. “Thank you to country radio for being so welcoming and supportive. And to my husband, family, fans, label, team and everyone who has supported me along the way—this would not have been possible without you. God is good, all the time.”
Penned by Gabby, Zachary Kale and Jon Nite, “I Hope” was produced by Kale and Ross Copperman.
The Journey Home Project, a nonprofit that supports veterans in their return, rehabilitation and reintegration back into civilian life, has partnered with Code of Vets, a nonprofit that uses social media to raise awareness and funds for veterans in distress.
Charlie Daniels, who is the chairman of The Journey Home Project, announced that the goal of the partnership is to aid veterans who are suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[Founder] Gretchen Smith and the folks at Code of Vets cover the guys below the radar, the ones with immediate needs and no place to turn, with a rapid deployment type response to veterans in desperate circumstances,” says Charlie. “These are the same veterans who put their lives on the line to protect our freedom. Our nation is pretty distracted by the coronavirus pandemic we’re all dealing with, but the need in the veterans world goes on, and the urgent need for funds is truly critical. I would ask you to join The Journey Home Project in supporting Code of Vets in providing for the needs of our most worthy citizens.”
In pre-COVID-19 times, Code of Vets assisted veterans with mental health crisis, unemployment, housing and transportation, among others, but they are encountering new obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pressing issues for vets include:
Unable to pay bills due to layoffs
Spike in food assistance requests
Unable to afford basic needs such as: water, electricity, gas
Increase in veteran suicides
Unable to afford room or board due to job loss
No access to rent, mortgage, car payment relief or deferred payment programs
Unable to reach the VA (by phone/in-person) for necessary mental health appointments
Brad Paisley made a virtual appearance on the Today show on April 20 to chat about his new single, “No I in Beer,” and his new nonprofit, The Store—a free grocery store in Nashville that serves individuals and families experiencing food insecurities and financial hardship.
Brad and wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley teamed up with Belmont University and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to create The Store, which was slated to open in mid-April, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent tornado devastation in Middle Tennessee, the grocery store opened one month early in mid-March.
“We had about a week of operating like we expected when we opened in March, and here we are opening something like this when, basically, all hell breaks loose,” said Brad on Today. “Now we’re already serving three times the amount of people we expected right away. We thought we would soft roll this thing out, like a slow build to what we would become, and all of the sudden we’re kind of thrown into the fire with it, but it’s really going well so far—knock on wood—I think.”
The Store operates as a year-round free grocery store that allows people to shop for their basic needs. Clients will be given the opportunity to come to The Store for a one-year period. There is no charge to those referred or to the people and agencies that send them. They may shop for food to supplement their income during times of crisis and as they work toward self-sufficiency. Brad and Kimberly were inspired to get involved in the Nashville project after volunteering at a similar organization, Unity Shoppe, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Store is located at 2005 12th Ave. S. in Nashville.
As part of our 99.1 The Sports Animal 2020 NFL Draft coverage, presented by UT Athletics, we are doing some Zoom Video and Audio interviews. We’re working hard to get you ready for pretty much the only thing going on in sports that happens to be immensely popular anyways, the NFL Draft.
I visited with Tennessee Titans play-by-play voice and director of broadcasting Mike Keith to focus in exclusively on the NFL Draft for our coverage. You can catch Mike weekly on SportsTalk here on 99.1 THe Sports Animal as well as a part of The OTP Podcast on the Titans’ website.
We discussed the specifics on how the league’s draft will operate, how the Titans were already a step ahead of some teams in remote operations, what trends her anticipates in the draft, what the Titans’ needs are in the draft, how GM Jon Robinson approaches the draft, an evaluation of Vols wide receiver Jauan Jennings and much, much more.
Watch that full interview with Mike Keith below.
Visit our mock draft central page here and don’t miss our draft special on our station throughout the entire first round starting at 8pm April 23 here on 99.1 The Sports Animal.
The star-studded broadcast, One World: Together at Home, aired across multiple TV channels and online platforms on April 18.
International advocacy organization Global Citizen and the World Health Organization created the global broadcast to celebrate and support healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lady Gaga-curated event featured actors, athletes, musicians, entertainers and more, including Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Maren Morris, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Burna Boy, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, John Legend, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Maluma, Paul McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and more.
Global Citizen announced via Twitter on April 19 that $127.9 million had been pledged in donations to support the World Health Organization and the global fight to end COVID-19. The broadcast was co-hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.
During the broadcast, Maren Morris teamed with Hozier to perform “The Bones. Maren co-penned the tune, which is featured on her March 2019 album, Girl, with Laura Veltz and Jimmy Robbins. Maren enlisted the talents of Hozier for a new rendition of the single in October 2019. Watch Maren and Hozier’s performance below.
The star-studded broadcast, One World: Together at Home, aired across multiple TV channels and online platforms on April 18.
International advocacy organization Global Citizen and the World Health Organization created the global broadcast to celebrate and support healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lady Gaga-curated event featured actors, athletes, musicians, entertainers and more, including Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Maren Morris, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Burna Boy, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, John Legend, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Maluma, Paul McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and more.
Global Citizen announced via Twitter on April 19 that $127.9 million had been pledged in donations to support the World Health Organization and the global fight to end COVID-19. The broadcast was co-hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.
During the broadcast, Lady Antebellum performed their current single, “What I’m Leaving For.” Penned by Sam Ellis, Micah Premnath and Laura Veltz, “What I’m Leaving For” is featured on Lady A’s 2019 album, Ocean, and follows the release of lead single, “What If I Never Get Over You.” Watch Lady A’s performance below.
Cannabis-loving country music great Willie Nelson, 86, is celebrating 4-20 Day (April 20) by hosting a live-stream variety show, Come and Toke It.
Presented by Luck Reunion and Willie’s Reserve, Come and Toke It will feature “artists, chefs, comedians, educators and more for 4 hours and 20 minutes of cannabis-centric entertainment—all from the comfort of quarantine.”
Participating artists and celebrities include Toby Keith, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Billy Joe Shaver, Kevin Smith, Matthew McConaughey, Jeff Bridges, Tommy Chong, Ziggy Marley, Nathaniel Rateliff, Charlie Starr, Aaron Lewis, Elle King, Jack Ingram and many more.
Come and Toke It will benefit the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit that “is dedicated to repairing the past and continuing harms of the criminalization of cannabis through intervention, advocacy, and awareness.”
Come and Toke It will air across Twitch and Facebook, beginning at 4:20 p.m. CT on April 20.
