Aaron Watson was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame on Jan. 16 at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.
The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame—which includes members such as George Strait, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson and more—was created to honor individuals who show excellence in competition, business and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in Texas.
Aaron, a native of Amarillo, Texas, has released more than a dozen albums over his 20-plus-year career, including his 2015 No. 1 album, The Underdog.
“Getting inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame is a huge honor,” says Aaron. “Many legends and a lot of my heroes are on that list. I am humbled by their recognition and it was a wonderful evening getting to celebrate it with my wife, kids and parents attending. Texas and cowboys have had a huge impact on making me the man, artist, and businessman that I am today.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The No. 24/25 Lady Vols picked up their third-straight SEC win on Thursday, defeating the Gators in Exactech Arena, 78-50.
Junior Rennia Davis, playing in front of family and friends who made the drive over from Jacksonville, led the effort for Tennessee (14-3, 4-1 SEC), finishing the day with 18 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Rae Burrell was also in double digits with 11 points.
Freshmen Lavender Briggs and Brylee Bartram led Florida (11-7, 2-3 SEC) with 11 points each.
Florida scored on its first three possessions to jump out to a 6-2 lead, but Davis and Jordan Horston combined to tie it up at six by the 6:39 mark. Rae Burrell converted on a three-point play to give the Lady Vols the lead at 9-6, but Florida countered with a layup by Williams to pull within one heading into the media timeout. Davis poured in six points coming out of the break and Burrell knocked down a pair of free throws, while UT held Florida without a field goal for the remainder of the quarter. Zada Williams hit a free throw for the Gators in the final minute to end the dry spell and cut Tennessee’s lead to 17-9.
The Lady Vols picked up where they left off in the second quarter, extending their run to 11-1 off a Massengill old-fashioned 3-point play on their first possession. Davis and Brown also got in on the action, hitting jumpers on back-to-back possessions to put UT up 24-9 with 8:29 remaining in the period. Nina Rickards broke the slump for UF, knocking down a jumper just under two minutes into the quarter. Six different Lady Vols poured in buckets to help their squad lead by 20 with three minutes remaining, but Florida knocked down two long-distance jumpers to close out the half down 16 at 40-24.
The second half started out slow with neither team finding success offensively until Lou Brown hit a jumper two and half minutes in. UF remained scoreless, while Horston and Brown each hit treys to put UT up 48-25 by the media timeout. Bartram ended the drought for the Gators with 4:15 left in the period, hitting back-to-back buckets for five points to pull UF within 19 at 48-29. UT answered with an 8-0 run to lead by 27 with 1:41 remaining in the quarter. The Gators countered with four fast points to enter the fourth quarter down 56-33.
At the start of the fourth, Burrell and Kasiyahna Kushkituah combined for four quick points, putting UT up by 27 just over 30 seconds into the final stanza. Midway through the period, Bartram hit back-to-back threes to give UF a spark, but the Lady Vols stayed hot offensively, closing out the game 78-50.
Up Next: The Lady Vols return home for a Monday match-up against Alabama. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Who Says You Can’t Go Home?: Junior Rennia Davis, a Florida native from nearby Jacksonville, put on a show for her home state, knocking down 10 points in the first quarter alone. She went on to finish with 18 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes of action.
Turning The Tables: After falling behind 6-2 in the opening minutes of the game, Tennessee put together a 26-5 run over 10 minutes to lead 28-11 by the 7:19 mark of the second quarter.
Cashing In On Turnovers: Tennessee forced 16 turnovers against UF, turning them into 27 points to account for more than a third of the UT’s total points on the night.
Thunder From Down Under: Freshman Jessie Rennie continued her sharp-shooting ways, going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc against Florida. She is averaging 60.9 percent over the last nine games. Her season 3-point shooting average of .447 leads the team.
Owning The Line: UT hit nine of 10 free throws against Florida and is 57 of 71 in SEC play, shooting 80 percent from the free-throw line in conference games.
Potent Offense: The Lady Vols shot 53 percent on the night, marking the eighth time this season and the third time in SEC play they have hit at least half of their shots. That occurred only three times during the 2018-19 season.
Luke Bryan announced he will release his seventh studio album, Born Here, Live Here, Die Here, on April 24. The new offering follows Luke’s 2017 No. 1 album, What Makes You Country.
In addition, Luke announced he will hit the road for his Proud to Be Right Here Tour, which kicks off on May 28 in Cincinnati. Additional stops include St. Louis, San Diego, Nashville, L.A. and more. Morgan Wallen, Runaway June and Caylee Hammack will serve as support.
“‘Proud to be right here’ is a phrase from my new album’s title track,” said Luke. “From the moment I first heard it, I loved that this song related so closely to how I grew up and how I still have so many ties to my hometown. It’s a connection I feel is so important in country music. I am truly so thankful to have the opportunity to make music for my fans and to look out into the crowds each night from stage and be proud of what we’ve created. And I’m excited to get on the road with these guest artists too. I’ve been watching what Morgan is building with his fans and it has been so fun to watch! I know with him, Caylee and Runaway June on this tour it’s going to be such a high energy night for everyone.”
Proud to Be Right Here Tour
May 28 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center
May 29 | St. Louis, MO | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
May 30 | Brandon, MS | Brandon Amphitheater
June 5 | Orange Beach, AL | The Wharf Amphitheater
June 18 | Darien Center, NY | Darien Lake Amphitheater
June 19 | Hartford, CT | Xfinity Theatre
June 20 | Columbia, MD | Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 25 | Milwaukee, WI | Summerfest at American Family Insurance Amphitheater*
July 16 | San Diego, CA | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre**
July 17 | Mtn View, CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 18 | Sacramento, CA | Toyota Amphitheatre
July 23 | Bend, OR | Les Schwab Amphitheater
July 24 | Bend, OR | Les Schwab Amphitheater
July 25 | Portland, OR | Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
July 30 | Nashville, TN | Bridgestone Arena
July 31 | Little Rock, AR | Simmons Bank Arena
Aug. 4 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden
Aug. 5 | Gilford, NH | Bank of NH Pavilion
Aug. 6 | Gilford, NH | Bank of NH Pavilion
Aug. 14 | Bangor, ME | Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
Aug. 21 | Virginia Beach, VA | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Aug. 23 | Bristow, VA | Jiffy Lube Live
Aug. 28 | Charlotte, NC | PNC Music Pavilion
Aug. 29 | Raleigh, NC | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Aug. 30 | Charleston, SC | to be announced….
Sept. 24 | Des Moines, IA | Wells Fargo Arena
Sept. 25 | St. Paul, MN | Xcel Energy Center
Sept. 26 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center
Oct. 1 | Bossier City, LA | CenturyLink Center
Oct. 2 | Lafayette, LA | Cajundome
Oct. 8 | Fresno, CA | Save Mart Center
Oct. 9 | Los Angeles, CA | Staples Center**
Oct. 10 | San Bernardino, CA | Glen Helen Amphitheater**
Morgan Wallen on all dates except **
Morgan only*
Caylee Hammack May 28- July 31
Runaway June August 4- October 10
Tennessee sophomore linebacker Jeremy Banks was dismissed from the team last fall after a video surfaced of him making inappropriate comments in the back of a police vehicle.
Since then, Banks has done well in class, saying he had a GPA of over 3.0.
After the dismissal by the previous football staff of Jauan Jennings in November 2017, UT coach Jeremy Pruitt and athletic director Phillip Fulmer reinstated Jennings and he performed at a high level the past two years.
Could UT also reinstate Banks?
During an interview on The Sports Animal WNML radio, Pruitt initially said he would only comment on the current players “because we have a whole lot of them that have done a lot of really good thinks over the past three or four months.’’
But then Pruitt talked about Banks.
“You know, Jeremy Banks is a guy I believe in and I think has a bright future,’’ Pruitt said. “Can he learn from his mistakes? Sure he can.
“You know, we’ve all make mistakes. Just in this day and time with social media, the mistake Jeremy made was something that will never go away. It’s something that hopefully he’ll learn from and he can use it as motivation and possibly impact other people so they don’t make the same mistakes he made.’’
Whether Banks gets a second chance at Tennessee remains to be seen.
Super Bowl LIV (54) on Feb. 2 will feature a halftime performance by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, with Demi Lovato (pictured) singing the national anthem during the pre-game festivities.
A country artist has not headlined the Super Bowl halftime show since Shania Twain pumped “Up!” the crowd in 2003 with Sting and No Doubt. That’s 17 years of twang-less performances for the more than 100 millions U.S. viewers that tune in each year.
If you go back to 1994, the halftime show—which was themed Rockin’ Country Sunday—featured Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and the Judds.
If you want a really fun fact, Doug Kershaw was one of the performers during the 1990 Super Bowl. Doug had a handful of Top 20 hits on the country charts in the 1950s and ’60s with his brother Rusty as the duo Rusty & Doug.
Luke Bryan performed the national anthem at Super Bowl LI in 2017. In case you were wondering, past anthem performers with a country connection include Charley Pride (1974), Garth Brooks (1993), Faith Hill (2000), Dixie Chicks (2003) and Carrie Underwood (2010).
Running from March 3 to March 22—yes, 20 days—Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest rodeo and livestock exhibitions in the world. Rodeo Houston features a carnival, a bar-b-que contest, 10K race and some of the best live entertainment in the country. The event pulled in more than 2.5 million attendees during last year’s festivities and more than 1.3 million showed up just for the concerts.
And why wouldn’t they? Country music dominates the week’s lineup at NRG Stadium, and this year is no exception with a star-studded cast that includes Midland, Willie Nelson, Maren Morris, Chris Young, Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan and more.
March 3 – Midland
March 4 – Willie Nelson
March 5 – Becky G
March 6 – TBA
March 7 – Maren Morris
March 8 – Ramon Ayala
March 9 – Chris Young
March 10 – NCT 127
March 11 – Kane Brown
March 12 – Cody Johnson
March 13 – TBA
March 14 – Jon Pardi
March 15 – Dierks Bentley
March 16 – Keith Urban
March 17 – Gwen Stefani
March 18 – Khalid
March 19 – Chris Stapleton
March 20 – TBA
March 21 – Brad Paisley
March 22 – Luke Bryan
Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town will drop their ninth studio album, Nightfall, on Jan. 17.
In the lead-up to the album’s release this week, the quartet has been making the media rounds with appearances on the Today show and The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. In both instances, LBT performed new song, “Sugar Coat,” which was penned by Lori McKenna, Jordyn Shellhart and Josh Kerr.
“The new album has 13 tracks—we cut so many songs,” says Karen to Nash Country Daily. “We self-produced this record, so a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this one. I love all of the different vocal moments on the record. Lots of new adventures on this record with co-writing. We’re really proud of it.”
LBT will embark on a 34-date tour—dubbed The Nightfall Tour—which kicks off on Jan. 16 in New York at Carnegie Hall, followed by back-to-back shows at Apollo Theater, before making additional stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Chicago, L.A. Denver and more.
“This will be our first time playing Carnegie Hall on the 16th, then the album will come out on midnight, and then we’re doing two nights at the Apollo,” says Jimi to NCD. “It’s just gonna be a fun time across the country and all these iconic theaters, and an intimate setting, which is gonna be great for this record.”
Watch LBT perform “Sugar Coat” below.
Nightfall Track List & Songwriters
1. Next To You (Hillary Reynolds, Michael Jade, Trevor Jarvis)
2. Nightfall (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Fancy Hagood)
3. Forever And A Night (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Foy Vance)
4. Throw Your Love Away (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna)
5. Over Drinking (Carey Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Steph Jones, Hillary Lindsey)
6. Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
7. Questions (Karen Fairchild, Jon Green, Sara Haze)
8. The Daughters (Karen Fairchild, Sean McConnell, Ashley Ray)
9. River Of Stars (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
10. Sugar Coat (Josh Kerr, Jordyn Shellhart, Lori McKenna)
11. Problem Child (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
12. Bluebird (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
13. Trouble With Forever (Jason Saenz, Marc Beeson, Sara Haze)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee baseball and Tennessee softball will both hold their annual preseason meet and greet events on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Both events are free to attend and will feature opportunities for fans to meet coaches and players as well as tour the facilities of both programs. Those in attendance will also be able to meet with members of the Tennessee ticket office to discuss ticket options for the upcoming season.
Softball Meet & Greet Info (2-4 p.m. at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium)
The timeline for the softball meet and greet is as follows:
2 – 2:45 PM – Fans will have the opportunity to choose from all of the following activities:
Open Batting Cages
Tours: Film Room, Locker Room, Team Room, Tennessee Dugout
Kids’ Carnival
Visit with Tennessee Ticket Office staff – One (1) ticket office member will be available in the conference room to answer any questions fans may have about their accounts. One (1) member of our group sales staff will also be available to sell season and single-game tickets as well as group tickets.
2:45 – 3 PM – Head Coaches 2020 Season Preview and Team Intros (Located in Section F of bleachers pending weather)
3 – 4 PM – Team Autographs (players only) will begin in the batting cages
Admission and parking is FREE. Parking is available in all areas surrounding Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
After three straight weekend tournaments on the road to open the season, the Lady Vols will welcome UT Martin to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. for their home opener.
UT is slated to host 22 home contests throughout the year, including four SEC series (Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Ole Miss). The Lady Vols will be looking to make their 16th consecutive postseason appearance in 2020 as they also celebrate the program’s 25th year.
Baseball Meet & Greet Info (3-5 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium)
The baseball team’s meet and greet will run from 3-5 p.m. ET at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Fans are also invited to watch the Vols’ practice beforehand. Immediately following its conclusion fans will have the opportunity to meet the 2020 Volunteers while touring the baseball facilities.
The Lindsey Nelson Stadium facility tour is set to include stops through all of the Vols’ facilities and end in the batting cages, where all kids ages 12 and younger will have the chance to take batting practice. Throughout the tour, Tennessee players and coaches will also be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures.
Those who attend the event will receive a free admission voucher to one of Tennessee’s opening-weekend series games against Western Illinois (Feb. 14-16).
For those looking for season ticket assistance, the Tennessee Athletics ticket office will have representatives available to help secure seats for the fast-approaching 2020 season.
All fans planning to attend Tennessee Baseball’s Meet & Greet and practice are encouraged to park in lots GF1, GF2, GF3 and GF4, which are located along Todd Helton Drive behind the right field foul pole of Lindsey Nelson Stadium. View the stadium parking map by clicking HERE (PDF).
Tennessee opens its 2019 season with a home series against Western Illinois (Feb. 14-16). The Vols are schedule to play 37 home games during the regular season, with 12 against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year, including nine contests against opponents that made it to the Super Regionals and six versus foes that made a trip to Omaha for the College World Series.
Reba McEntire is adding another acting credit to her résumé with a guest appearance on the third season of Young Sheldon in February.
Reba will play June, the “fun and fiery” ex-wife of Coach Ballard (Craig T. Nelson), who is dating Meemaw (Annie Potts). June and Meemaw form an unlikely friendship, according to the press release. The episode will air in February on Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBS (official date hasn’t been announced yet). Young Sheldon, which is a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory, follows the exploits of 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper and his family in East Texas.
In addition to her Hall of Fame country music career, Reba has carved out a successful career in TV and film, including starring in sitcoms Reba and Malibu Country.
Reba will hit the road in March for a dozen tour dates.
Reba McEntire 2020 Tour
March 20 | Evansville, Ind. | Ford Center
March 21 | Huntsville, Ala. | Von Braun Center Arena
March 26 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | PPG Paints Arena
March 28 | Toledo, Ohio | Huntington Center
April 24 | Rosemont, Ill. | Allstate Arena
April 25 | Green Bay, Wisc. | Resch Center
April 26 | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 1 | Biloxi, Miss. | Mississippi Coast Coliseum
ATHENS, Ga. – Two first-half runs and a hot-shooting touch from 3-point range in the opening half from Georgia were the difference on Wednesday night, as the Tennessee men’s basketball team fell, 80-63, in Athens.
Tennessee dropped to 10-6 and 2-2 in the SEC, while Georgia improved to 11-5 and 1-2 in conference action.
Senior Jordan Bowden paced the Vols in scoring, tallying 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field.
Freshman Josiah-Jordan James finished with 11 points, marking his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring output.
Junior Yves Pons was effective on the glass, pulling in a game-high eight rebounds while also adding eight points to the scoresheet.
The bright spot of the night for Tennessee was the debut of redshirt freshman transfer Uros Plavsic, who had sat out the previous 15 games after the NCAA repeatedly denied his waiver for immediate eligibility. The Serbian 7-footer finished with five points and three rebounds off the bench.
Georgia came out of the gates quickly, taking an early 8-3 lead. The Vols responded with a 9-0 run, during which four different players scored to give UT a 12-8 advantage with just under 14 minutes remaining in the half.
Georgia took the punch and came back with a 12-3 run of its own, spearheaded by freshman Anthony Edwards and graduate transfer Donnell Gresham Jr., who tallied six points apiece.
Holding a 20-15 lead, the Bulldogs extended their advantage with two 3-point buckets from Rayshaun Hammonds and layups from freshman Sahvir Wheeler and Edwards to take a 32-19 lead with under eight minutes to play in the half.
Georgia closed the half on a 13-5 run to take a 47-28 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, Georgia held steady. Despite multiple comeback efforts from the Vols, the Bulldogs never let their lead dip below 17 points for the remainder of the night.
The Streak Continues:Yves Pons recorded a block for the 16th consecutive game. Pons finished the night with two rejections, bringing his season total to 41 for an average of 2.6 blocks per game.
Up Next: The Vols return to the hardwood for a Saturday night road bout at in-state foe Vanderbilt. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
![Little Big Town Gears Up for Album Release With Performance of New Song, “Sugar Coat,” on “The Tonight Show” [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/01/16112233/Little-Big-Town-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
