One day after revealing his COVID-19 diagnosis on March 31, Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson, 69, released a statement via his publicity firm on April 1 to provide additional details and thank fans for the outpouring of support.
You can read Ray’s new statement below.
Wow, I am filled with so much love and gratitude right now. Thank you so much for the calls, texts, emails, notes on social media from concerned family, friends and fans from all over the world. I appreciate it more than you know and I apologize if I haven’t responded, but I am responding as much as I can with what my energy level allows!
To clear up any confusion or questions, I have tested positive for the COVID 19 Virus. I had become bed ridden with headaches and extreme fatigue/dizziness. I made an appointment with my doctor on Saturday, March 21st to see what was up. Got tests for flu, influenzas etc.. All came back negative. I then asked for a COVID 19 test. They said they didn’t have any! So I just went back home and hunkered down to see if it went away. Unfortunately, the same symptoms kept occurring/progressing. Being extremely fatigued, just falling asleep all the time, headaches were getting worse. Went back to doctor on Monday the 30th to do some bloodwork and other tests to try and figure out what was going on.
After not finding anything through those, I was finally given a COVID 19 test and was sent home and said they’d call me with the results. So I got a call Tuesday morning saying I tested positive! Luckily for me nothing has progressed any farther and feel very lucky and optimistic about my current situation. I am still very fatigued/dizzy and in bed for now. Doctor says if nothing further comes up like elevated temperature, respiratory, cough etc., I should be in the clear in the coming weeks.
What I’d like to get out there is I am and was very frustrated with the lack of testing available. It took basically testing for everything else to acquire a COVID 19 test. Luckily, I wasn’t around that many people within this time frame and was practicing the standard things like washing your hands/sanitizer, wearing a mask at the doctors, keeping proper distance etc.. So I’d like everyone to know the “symptoms” that are out there as ways to know if you have it or don’t have the virus, doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone. They didn’t for me!
So, please take this virus seriously! It’s for real. Please follow the safety guidelines out there. If you think or subscribe to those folks whose opinion is that this virus isn’t that big of a deal, please consider otherwise. Please use your voice to demand getting testing out to everyone NOW! Please send your thoughts and prayers out there to all the wonderful people putting their health and their families at risk defending ours. We all know someone or somebody who has lost their life to this virus and we have lots of folks currently fighting the virus and their families need your thoughts and prayers as well.
Please love each other and treat everyone with respect in this time of crisis. This is real and needs to be treated as such. Be safe, wash your hands, STAY OUT OF THE PUBLIC, hunker down and I look forward to getting out on the road and playing music with my band and seeing everyone ASAP!
Celebrating their 50th year as a band in 2020, Asleep at the Wheel has earned 10 Grammy Awards, ACM Touring Band of the Year and the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A revolving cast of musicians has powered Asleep at the Wheel over the past half-century with the band’s alumni now numbering more than 100. From inception, the band has been inspired by the Western swing format pioneered by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With hopes of making its 17th consecutive postseason run and prepared to celebrate the program’s 25th anniversary, the Lady Vols 2020 season began with a lot of anticipation.
With just five seniors on the roster, the team expected to rely heavily on its freshman class, which was ranked the sixth best recruiting class in the nation by Softball America. Headlined by Woodinville, Wash., native Kiki Milloy, daughter of NFL Pro-Bowler Lawyer Milloy, the freshman class stepped up with six of the eight newcomers making multiple starts. Milloy made an early case for the underclassmen, becoming the first freshman since at least 2012 to go yard in her first collegiate at-bat while in Tempe, Ariz., in a 6-3 win over Northwestern. Defensively, the Lady Vols were anchored by freshman Callie Turner who took charge as the team’s ace, while sophomore NFCA All-Region pitcher Ashley Rogers was temporarily sidelined due to injury. Turner finished sixth in the SEC retiring 72 batters in her first season while finishing with a 2.67 ERA.
While the freshman made early noise, the return of Ally Shipman, the leadership of senior Chelsea Seggern, and the command of junior Amanda Ayala connected the dots for the Lady Vols on both sides of the ball. Seggern secured the middle infield beginning at shortstop, before filling in at second base where she was able to turn 14 of the Lady Vols 17 double plays, which ranked second in the nation. The Thrall, Texas, native individually ranked sixth in the nation in hit-by-pitches per game (0.47) after being pegged nine times at the plate and moved to seventh all-time in career HBP (28). Seggern also ranked 18th in the nation with a .560 on-base percentage and tied for 37th with a .863 slugging percentage.
Shipman was coming into form by Week 5 as the Lady Vols went 4-1 to win the annual Tennessee Invitational. The sophomore catcher recorded 12 hits, seven runs and 6 RBI to the tune of a .750 hitting percentage through the weekend stretch. Seggern and Shipman co-led the Lady Vols with a .403 overall batting average, seven doubles and a pair of triples, while each recording 25 hits. Ayala found herself atop of the UT ledger with a team-high 27 hits and 18 RBIs, as she made her way to the two-spot in the lineup during the season.
Tennessee, which started the season ranked 12th/11th nationally, packed on a tough early schedule which pitted them against six Power-5 teams in the first two weekends of competition, including No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 Texas and No. 22 Arizona State. The Orange and White suffered a difficult stretch in nonconference play however, falling out of the rankings for the first time since 2004 after dropping four consecutive games, two by run rule to UCF and a pair of one-run decisions to USF. UT also ended its 100-game win streak over in-state opponents after falling to ETSU for the first time in program history 4-3 in Johnson City, Tenn.
A culturally-enriching softball tournament out of the country saw the Lady Vols battle with the 2020 Mexican Olympic Team at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, falling 2-0 in late innings in the first of two national team exhibition games. UT was also scheduled to host Team USA on April 8 at Sherri Parker Lee as a part of the Red, White and Blue’s “Stand Beside Her” Tour, but the entire season came to an abrupt finish due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on March 12, just 23 games into the season.
The Lady Vols earned their 19th consecutive winning season with a 14-9 overall record, but had not yet begun their conference slate. UT was headed to its SEC opener at Texas A&M, when the team was informed by co-head coach Karen Weekly that the season had been suspended, and ultimately cancelled, as the team was about to board its flight to Houston at the Knoxville airport.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Lady Vols defense made a case for itself after recording 17 double plays in 2020. That number along with their 0.74 double plays per game rank second in the nation.
Offensively, UT recorded a .403 on base percentage, which ranked 33rd in the country.
Bill Wither’s 1972 No. 1 hit, “Lean on Me,” has often served as a soundtrack of hope during charity events and times of need.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we are in a time of need.
Tenille Townes recruited a handful of her musically gifted friends—Abby Anderson, Kassi Ashton, Keelan Donovan, Alex Hall, Adam Hambrick and Caylee Hammack—for an at-home cover of “Lean On Me.”
“These crazy times right now make me so grateful for my friends, for music and the way we are still all connected,” says Tenille. “It brought me so much joy hearing everybody’s voices come together on this song and it’s my hope that it brings people a little joy and comfort out there when they hear it. We really all do need somebody to lean on, especially right now. It was really fun to sing this song together across the distance!”
Dolly Parton revealed via Twitter on April 1 that she is donating $1 million to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center for COVID-19 research.
“My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure,” said Dolly. “I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.”
I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.
The Country Music Association—through its philanthropic arm, the CMA Foundation—has pledged $1 million to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which was created by The Recording Academy to help people in the music industry affected by the coronavirus disease outbreak and subsequent cancellation of music events.
The funds will be used to provide support to those in the music industry whose employment has been impacted by the effects of the virus and will specifically assist in covering mortgage and rent costs to help keep out-of-work industry professionals in their homes.
“We have heard firsthand the many ways the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted not only our CMA members but the music industry at large,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO. “Our goal is to be a resource and support system for those in the music business who are currently struggling, and we’re incredibly grateful for MusiCares’ commitment to serve music industry professionals, especially right now. Our business does not exist without these hardworking individuals who make up the touring industry as well as our artists, songwriters and musicians, and we hope our pledge can provide a bit of comfort during these troubling times.”
Music industry members in need of assistance can click here.
Unlike Jeff Bridges’ character The Dude in The Big Lebowski, Morgan Wallen loves the Eagles, man.
Morgan has been turning heads with music, mullet and easygoing manner since bursting on the scene two years ago. The 26-year-old native of Sneedville, Tenn. (population 1,346) scored back-to-back No. 1 singles with “Up Down” (June 2018) and “Whiskey Glasses” (June 2019). His current single, “Chasin’ You,” is Top 10 on the Mediabase chart this week.
While he’s finding plenty of favorable results on the country charts, Morgan tells Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown that it’s his roots in classic rock that have helped fuel his country success.
“I didn’t necessarily grow up on traditional country music,” says Morgan to Kix. “I grew up on a lot of classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Bad Company—the Eagles [are] my favorite band of all time. But, I really appreciate the sound of country music. I’m from Sneedville, Tennessee, so I know what country music is. There’s just something about it that really hits home with me, so I hope I can always have that sound somewhere ingrained in my music.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Athletics is now recruiting members for Smokey’s Select, an elite group of UT fans who will attend select on-campus events and enjoy behind-the-scenes experiences during the 2020-21 athletic seasons.
Ideal candidates for Smokey’s Select will be passionate, knowledgeable about UT’s rich athletic history, and skilled at virtual competition.
Membership in Smokey’s Select is gained solely through winning a Smokey’s Select competition. Competitions will include, but are not limited to, online trivia, virtual scavenger hunts and video games. There will be a total of 25 opportunities for fans to gain entry to Smokey’s Select. Once an individual has been named a member of Smokey’s Select, he or she is no longer eligible to win future Smokey’s Select competitions. Competitions will be announced on social media using the hashtag #SmokeysSelect.
Smokey’s Select competitions are open to individuals of all ages. However, due to NCAA regulations, UT reserves the right to substitute prizes as necessary for individuals considered prospects or prospect coaches under NCAA guidelines.
Nashville’s 2020 CMA Fest on June 4–7 has been canceled. It will not be rescheduled.
The Country Music Association issued the following statement on March 31:
After careful deliberation, and in following the latest guidance from national, state and local authorities, we are sad to announce that CMA Fest will not take place in 2020.
Whether you planned to attend CMA Fest for the first time, or you have attended many times throughout the last 48 years, we know how special this festival is for Country Music fans around the globe and that many will be disappointed by this decision. As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19, we cannot in good conscience risk the health and well-being of our fans, artists, staff and Country Music community.
We will honor four-day passes purchased for this year’s event for CMA Fest 2021. However, if you prefer a full refund, we will provide one upon request if your passes were purchased through Ticketmaster or the CMA Fest Box Office. Those who purchased passes through non-official channels should contact the seller directly. Within the next 24-48 hours, all four-day pass purchasers will receive an email with further instructions.
We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience, as our actions are always in the best interest of our Country Music community. In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to bring Country fans and artists together to celebrate the unique spirit and sense of unity that is at the heart of what CMA Fest stands for. We will also share information about future CMA events and ways to support those within our community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please keep yourself and your loved ones healthy and safe, and we hope you will join us for CMA Fest next year, June 10-13, 2021.
Each year, hundreds of artists performing at CMA Fest donate their time and talent so a portion of ticket proceeds can directly help enrich and sustain music education programs across the country through CMA’s nonprofit arm, the CMA Foundation. CMA Fest 2019 featured 11 official stages with more than 300 acts, including Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Maren Morris, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and many more.
![Tenille Townes Enlists Abby Anderson, Kassi Ashton, Adam Hambrick & More for Friendly Cover of “Lean on Me” [Watch Video]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/04/01133703/Tenille-Townes-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
