The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) reschedule Nashville’s Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival for Oct. 19–24. Tin Pan South was originally scheduled for March 23–28 in Nashville.
The NSAI noted that “every effort will be made to bring as much of the originally scheduled programming back as possible.” Additional details regarding performers, venues and more will be announced in the coming weeks.
More than 400 artists were scheduled to descend upon Nashville for the 28th annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival. During the six-day festival, 10 Nashville venues were to host 100 shows, featuring some of the industry’s best singer/songwriters, including Hayes Carll, Jamey Johnson, Allison Moorer, Mindy Smith and more.
Rhett Akins and wife Sonya welcomed a baby boy—Brody James Akins—to their family on March 13.
Sonya shared the news via Instagram, saying: “Friday the 13th is a pretty magical day. Our little angel arrived at 7:49 p.m. weighing 7.2lbs and 19 inches. He is perfect in every way!!!! Welcome Brody James Akins.”
Rhett and Sonya married in September 2017. Congrats to the happy family.
Rhett Akins has two children from his first marriage—country star Thomas Rhett, 29, and Kacey Lee, 27.
Here’s an updated list of players in the National Football League that started at the University of Tennessee but transferred and finished playing elsewhere or are from East Tennessee, but did not play at the University of Tennessee.
For perspective, you’ll see a recap of their 2019 seasons, along with free agents, notes and more.
In a separate blog post on 991TheSportsAnimal.com, you’ll find the current list of 32 VFLs in the NFL that played, and ended their careers, at the University of Tennessee.
Look for updates here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.
One-Time Vols That Transferred To Other Schools On NFL Rosters (5) as of 3/24/20
TE – Lee Smith TE (85) Buffalo Bills (Powell HS/U. of Tennessee/Marshall)
2019: 17 GP, 5 starts, 5 rec 39 yds 1 TD
QB – Nathan Peterman (3) Las Vegas Raiders (U. of Tennessee/Pitt)
2019: DNP; Spent the season on injured reserve with an elbow injury
WR – Preston Williams (18) Miami Dolphins (U. of Tennessee/Colorado St)
2019: The rookie was impressive in the first half of the season; 8 GP, 7 starts; 32 catches, 428 yds (13.4 yds per) and 3 TD; Missed the 2nd half of the season due to a knee injury
TE – Daniel Helm (43) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Duke)
2019: DNP; Spent season on the practice squad
WR – Jalen Hurd (14) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Baylor)
2019: DNP: Spent the season on injured reserve with a back injury
Knoxville Area Players That Didn’t Play At UT on NFL Rosters (3)
P – Chris Jones (6) Dallas Cowboys (Carson-Newman)
2019: Played in 16 games; 50 punts for 41.6 yds per punt which was the lowest average among regular NFL punters
WR – Randall Cobb (–) Houston Texans (Alcoa HS/Kentucky)
2019: 15 GP, 6 starts with the Cowboys; 55 catches for 828 yds (18.1 yds per) and 3 TD
S – Harrison Smith (22) Minnesota Vikings (Catholic HS/Notre Dame)
2019: 18 GP, all starts; 103 tackles, 6 PD, 4 QBH, 3 sacks, 3 INT, 2 FR, 2 FF; Named to his 5th Pro Bowl
Notes and Numbers for One-Time Vols & Knoxville Area Players (as of 3/24/20)
*There are 5 players that were once at U. of Tennessee but then transferred
*There are 3 players that didn’t attend UT, but have Knoxville/East TN ties
Free Agents To Watch Among One-Time Vols and Local Players
DE – Dewayne Hendrix (U. of Tennessee/Pitt)
Garth Brooks has rescheduled two upcoming stops on his 2020 Stadium Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Garth’s show in Charlotte, N.C., which was originally slated for May 2, will now take place on June 2.
Garth’s show in Cincinnati, which was originally slated for May 16, will now take place on June 27.
All previously purchased tickets will be honored.
“Like so many people right now, I just want to get back to what I do,” said Garth. “Knowing these shows are eventually going to happen makes me happy.”
Garth’s upcoming stop in Las Vegas is still scheduled for Aug. 22.
Garth’s Stadium Tour visited 10 cities in 2019: St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis (x2), Pittsburgh, Denver, Eugene, Boise (x2), Regina (x2) and Knoxville. Garth performed his first 2020 Stadium Tour show in Detroit on Feb. 22.
Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey have become a captivating tandem, as of late.
In addition to teaming up for the 70th episode of CMT Crossroads, which will air on March 25 at 9 p.m. CT., the cross-genre stars collaborated on a new song, “The Other Girl,” which is featured on Kelsea’s new self-titled album.
While Kelsea, 26, has scored five No. 1 hits on the country charts since dropping her debut album in 2015, Halsey, 25, has earned a handful on No. 1 songs on the pop charts since releasing her 2015 debut album, including “Him & I,” “Eastside” and more.
As Kelsea told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, collaborating with your friend makes “perfect sense.”
“We are [friends],” says Kelsea to Kix. “I’ve always wanted to do a CMT Crossroads—I love collaborating—but I always wanted to do it with someone that I was comfortable with. You’re doing nine songs with that person, so it’s like you really want to be able to connect to their music and just them as a person, and so Halsey and I have been friends for a couple of years now and, it made perfect sense to kick it off with Crossroads.”
Listen to Kelsea’s new song, “The Other Girl,” featuring Halsey, below.
Keith Urban—and dancing wife Nicole Kidman—returned to Instagram on March 23 to perform another 30-minute live concert dubbed Urban Underground.
Keith treated fans to a number of his tunes, including “Never Comin’ Down,” “You Gonna Fly,” “Somewhere in My Car,” “God Whispered Your Name” and more, as well as a cover of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.”
During the performance, Keith noted that a new video for “God Whispered Your Name” will hit the airwaves “very, very soon.”
Jake Owen scored the eighth No. 1 single of his career as “Homemade” reached the top of both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart this week.
The wistful single, which was penned by Bobby Pinson, Drew Parker, Jared Mullins and Ben Goldsmith, highlights many of the staples commonly associated with small-town living, including pickup trucks, dirt roads, sweet tea, collard greens and more.
“Wow. Just woke up to a bunch of texts congratulating me on ‘Homemade’ going #1!” said Jake via Twitter. “My 8th #1 single. I am blown away and forever grateful to country radio for giving me the most amazing ride over the last 10 years. I’m just getting started. Thanks to my @BigLoud team and friends.”
“Homemade” is featured on Jake’s 2019 album, Greetings . . . From Jake, and follows the album’s previous Top 10 single, “Down to the Honkytonk,” and No. 1 lead single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).”
Orlando, FL – January 26, 2020 – Camping World Stadium: Alvin Kamara (41) of the NFC New Orleans Saints during the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl (Photo by Heather Harvey / ESPN Images)
Here’s an updated list of University of Tennessee players in the National Football League as 2020 free agency in the NFL is underway.
For perspective, you’ll see a recap of their 2019 seasons, along with breakdowns by position, list of teams without a VFL, free agents to watch and more.
In a separate blog post on 991TheSportsAnimal.com, you’ll find the list of players that were at UT at one time before transferring and finishing theor careers elsewhere. In that other post, you’ll also see other players that have local ties to the Knoxville area that did not attend the University of Tennessee.
Look for updates here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.
Tennessee Volunteers On NFL Rosters as of 3/23/20 (32)
QB Matt Simms (9) Atlanta Falcons
2019: DNP; Hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2014
LS – Morgan Cox (46) Baltimore Ravens
2019: Played in all 17 games including one playoff game; Another rock-solid, reliable year as one of the league’s best
TE – Jason Croom (80) Buffalo Bills
2019: Spent the entire season on injured reserve with a severe hamstring injury
P – Michael Palardy (5) Carolina Panthers
2019: Averaged 46.0 yards per punt, which was 12th among regular punters
WR/KR – Cordarrelle Patterson (84) Chicago Bears
2019: 11 rec 83 yds; Led NFL in KR (29.5 yds per) and 1st team All-Pro as KR; 2nd all-time in NFL history in KR avg at 29.9 yds per, trailing only Gale Sayers (30.6)
P – Trevor Daniel (–) Denver Broncos
2019: Punted 11 times in 2 games at 43.6 yds per before being released by Texans
OT – Ja’Wuan James (70) Denver Broncos
2019: Started (RT) and played in a career-low 3 games due to injury in his debut season in Denver
ILB – Alexander Johnson (45) Denver Broncos
2019: 51 tackles, 2 FF, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT in 15 games (12 starts) in a breakout 2nd season with the Broncos; Once he got a start, he played well and locked-up an ILB spot
CB – Justin Coleman (27) Detroit Lions
2019: Played all 16 games for the 2nd season in a row; Started a career-high 13 games in his first season in Detroit; Totaled 51 tackles and a career-high 13 PD; 1 INT, 1 FR, 3 FF
OLB – Jalen Reeves-Maybin (44) Detroit Lions
2019: Played in all 16 games for the first time in his career; Started the first 3 games of his career; Recorded career-high 36 tackles, 1 FF and 1 FR
OG – Zach Fulton (73) Houston Texans
2019: Played and started at RG in all but one game (injury) totaling 17 games; Started both of Houston’s playoff games; Watch “My Football Story: Zach Fulton”
QB – Joshua Dobbs (1) Jacksonville Jaguars
2019: DNP; Traded by the Steelers to the Jaguars after Week 1
P – Dustin Colquitt (2) Kansas City Chiefs
2019: Lefty punter capped off his 15th NFL season as a Super Bowl champion; Averaged 44.1 yds per punt; Only punted 8 times in 3 playoff games; Had a 50 yds per punt average in the Super Bowl
DT – Kendal Vickers (–) Las Vegas Raiders
2019: DNP in NFL; Played 18 games in CFL for Edmonton Eskimos tallying 12 tackles, 2 sacks
TE – Jason Witten (–) Las Vegas Raiders
2019: Started all 16 games for Cowboys; Caught 63 passes for 529 yds 4 TD
RB – John Kelly (42) Los Angeles Rams
2019: Played in 4 games; 3 car 9 yds
TE – Ethan Wolf (84) Los Angeles Rams
2019: DNP; Spent training camp and practice squad time with the Panthers, Jaguars and Packers
P – Britton Colquitt (2) Minnesota Vikings
2019: 17 GP; Punted in all but one game (45.8 yds per) including two playoff games
FB – Jakob Johnson (47) New England Patriots
2019: 1 rec for 5 yds; Played in 4 games with 3 starts before going on IR with a shoulder injury
DT – Shy Tuttle (99) New Orleans Saints
2019: Played in all 17 games with 1 start in an impressive rookie year for the undrafted free agent; 21 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 PD and 1 spectacular INT and return vs. Falcons
DB – Rashaan Gaulden (–) DB New York Giants
2019: 3 tackles; Played in 10 games – 9 for Carolina and 1 for NY Giants
WR – Josh Malone (83) New York Jets
2019: Played in 2 games; 0 catches
DE – Kyle Phillips (98) New York Jets
2019: The undrafted free agent rookie stood out as he played in 15 games with 4 starts; Recorded 39 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1 PD
DE – Derek Barnett (96) Philadelphia Eagles
2019: 15 GP, all starts; 43 tackles, 11 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 2 FF, 32 QBH&P
TE – Alex Ellis (85) Philadelphia Eagles
2019: 3 GP, 0 catches
DT – Malik Jackson (97) Philadelphia Eagles
2019: 1 GP that was a start with 1 tackle; Missed the rest of the season on IR with a Lisfranc injury
NT – Dan McCullers (93) Pittsburgh Steelers
2019: 16 GP, 0 starts, 8 tackles, 1 PD
DB – Cameron Sutton (20) Pittsburgh Steelers
2019: 16 GP, 0 starts, 16 tackles, 1 sack, 5 PD, 1 INT
DE – Jonathan Kongbo (–) San Francisco 49ers
2019: DNP in NFL; Won the Grey Cup title in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; Played in 12 games with 12 tackles and 1 sack in CFL
CB – Emmanuel Moseley (41) San Francisco 49ers
2019: Had a breakout year in his 2nd NFL season; 19 GPs with 11 starts, 63 tackles, 12 PD and 2 INT; Started the Super Bowl with 5 tackles and 1 PD
OLB – Jordan Williams (40) Tennessee Titans
2019: DNP; Spent the season on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury
Free Agents To Watch from University of Tennessee
S – Micah Abernathy
S – Eric Berry
QB – Tyler Bray
LB – Colton Jumper
OG – Kahlil McKenzie
TE – Luke Stocker
Notes and Numbers – Vols in the NFL (as of 3/23/20)
*32 U. of Tennessee players on expanded NFL rosters
*Philadelphia and Denver have the most active UT players with 3 each
*DL is the largest position represented with 7
*21 of the 32 teams have a UT player on active rosters
UT Players In The NFL By Position (32)
QB – 2
RB – 2
WR – 2
TE – 4
FB – 1
OL – 2
DL – 7
LB – 3
DB – 4
P – 4
PK – 0
LS – 1
Teams Without Any Players From UT On Rosters (11)
Arizona Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Redskins
Recently Retired
OG – Ramon Foster – Pittsburgh Steelers
