Jennifer Nettles turned a lot of heads when she walked the red carpet at the CMA Awards in November.
The Grammy-winning artist made a fashion statement that endeavored to highlight country radio’s gender disparity by wearing a white Christian Siriano pantsuit with a red cape that was inscribed by artist Alice Mizrachi with the words “Play our f*@#in records please and thank you.”
Jennifer’s ensemble gained a lot of traction on social media and from a number of national media outlets, including USA Today.
On Jan. 9, Jennifer penned an essay for Glamour.com that explains how her red-carpet outfit came together and why #EqualPlay should matter to everyone—not just musicians.
Here’s a brief excerpt from Jennifer’s essay:
“For women in country music, what happens is that even out of that 16% who are being played, the average female is 29 years old. For men, the average mean age in that group is 42. That says a lot about what we value socially—the pressures that are put on women in terms of ageism and beauty. It also tells me that women aren’t offered the same support to be able to continue their careers.”
After Zac Brown Band caps The Owl Tour in April, the troupe will hit the road this summer for the Roar With the Lions Tour.
The new trek will kick off on May 24 in Gilford, N.H., with additional shows in Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and more. Gregory Alan Isakov will serve as the opener for most dates.
“Our summer tour is inspired by the folklore surrounding the figure of the lion,” says Zac. “I am a Leo, and all of the guys in the band are lions. They exemplify strength, courage, intelligence, and loyalty, and work in tandem to defend their territory and one another. The crowd is our pride—rooted in togetherness and fiercely loyal. They always show up for each other, no matter what, just like our fans always show up for us. We can’t wait to hear you roar with us!”
Tickets will go on sale to general public on Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. local time.
Roar With the Lions Tour
May 24 | Gilford, NH | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion*
May 25 | Gilford, NH | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion*
May 29 | Mansfield, MA | Xfinity Center *
May 30 | Hartford, CT | XFINITY Theatre *
May 31 | Syracuse, NY | St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview *
June 4 | Virginia Beach, VA | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach *
June 5 | Charlotte, NC | PNC Music Pavilion *
June 12 | Toronto, ON | Budweiser Stage *
June 13 | Saratoga Springs, NY | Saratoga Performing Arts Center*
June 14 | Darien, NY | Darien Lake Amphitheater *
June 18 | Burgettstown, PA | S&T Bank Music Park *
June 19 | Camden, NJ | BB&T Pavilion *
June 20 | Hershey, PA | Hersheypark Stadium*
June 25 | Bethel, NY | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts *
June 26 | New York, NY | Citi Field *
June 27 | Bristow, VA J| iffy Lube Live *
July 24 | Shakopee, MN | Twin Cities Summer Jam +
July 25 | Monticello, IA | Great Jones County Fair +
Aug. 7 | Atlanta, GA | SunTrust Park
Sept. 10 | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | Blossom Music Center
Sept. 11 | Noblesville, IN | Ruoff Music Center
Sept. 12 | Chicago, IL | Wrigley Field**
Sept. 19 | Frisco, TX | Toyota Stadium (National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Weekend) ++
Sept. 25 | Denver, CO | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Sept. 26 | Denver, CO | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Oct. 16 | Portland, OR | Moda Center
Oct. 17 | Tacoma, WA | Tacoma Dome
Oct. 18 | Vancouver, BC | Rogers Arena
* Denotes special guest Gregory Alan Isakov
** Denotes special guest St. Paul and the Broken Bones
+ Denotes festival stops
++ Denotes special stop
Luke Combs is preventing Luke Combs from breaking Luke Combs’ all-time Billboard chart record. Yes, that’s a mouthful, but here’s the deal.
In late October 2019, Luke’s 2017 debut album, This One’s for You, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart for the 50th week, tying him with Shania Twain’s Come On Over for the all-time record of most weeks at No. 1.
Since November, a number of A-list artists have dropped new albums that debuted at No. 1, including Old Dominion (Nov. 9), Miranda Lambert (Nov. 16), Jason Aldean (Dec. 7), Blake Shelton (Dec. 28) and Luke Combs (Nov. 23), who released his sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get.
Luke’s new album has already spent five weeks at No. 1, including this week.
No. 2 on the chart this week? Luke’s This One’s for You. In essence, Luke prevented himself from breaking his tie with Shania this week.
Yes, this is all in good fun.
Sidebar: Burl Ives’ 1964 album, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (reissued as a CD in 1995), reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart during the week ending Jan. 4.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior forward Rennia Davis has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25. The list was announced Wednesday night on ESPNU.
The 6-foot-2 native of Jacksonville, Fla., has advanced from the preseason list to the midseason cut after an impressive first 14 games of the 2019-20 campaign. This marks her first appearance on the midseason list for the Wooden Award, which is given to the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball.
Davis is averaging a career-best 17.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest to lead the Lady Vols, ranking among SEC leaders in both categories. In conference action, she has averaged 23.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, ranking second among all league players in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
The UT standout is shooting 47 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line in all games and leads the team in three-pointers with 18 buckets from long range. She is third on the team in assists (34) and steals (11). In SEC play, she is hitting field goals at a 53-percent clip.
Davis, who has led a young Tennessee squad to an 11-3 record thus far, has scored in double figures in 12 straight games and in 13 of 14 contests this season. Including last year, she has hit 10 or more points in 26 of her past 27 starts. She has registered three 20-point games so far in 2019-20, moving into a tie for 15th on UT’s career list with 10 games of scoring 20 or more.
She also has tallied seven double-double efforts thus far and would move into the top 10 all-time for Lady Vol juniors with just two more. She currently ranks 11th in career double-doubles with 25 during her third year on Rocky Top and is third among active SEC players in that category.
Earlier this season, Davis reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau, becoming the 46th Lady Vol to reach that milestone. She has since climbed to No. 37 on the list with 1,103 points through the Kentucky game.
Davis and her teammates will be in Oxford, Miss., Thursday night, where they will face Ole Miss at 7 p.m. CT (8 ET) in a contest streamed on SECN+.
Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament kicked off on Jan. 7 with contestants Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter vying for the GOAT title.
One of the games featured an “American Idols” category, with the clues given by Idol judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and host Ryan Seacrest. While the clues had nothing to do with American Idol, they were framed to have relevance for the special guest.
Here is the $800 clue given by Luke: “I’ve been inspired by this idol since I was 4 years old singing ‘See See Rider,’ the first song he performed on his Aloha From Hawaii TV special.”
Amazingly, Ken Jennings responded incorrectly with “Who is Don Ho?” before James Holzhauer responded correctly with “Who is Elvis [Presley]?”
In addition, Katy Perry’s $200 clue had a country-centric connection: “I will always love this country star, and in 2016 I got to present her with the Tex Ritter Film Award for her Coat of Many Colors TV movie.”
Ken Jennings responded correctly with “Who is Dolly Parton?” on his way to winning Game 1.
The Country Music Association announced 16 recipients of the CMA Triple Play Award, an honor presented to songwriters who pen three No. 1 songs within a 12-month period. This year’s honorees include Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Ross Copperman, Justin Ebach, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Shay Mooney, Jon Nite, Josh Osborne, Bobby Pinson, Matthew Ramsey, Jordan Reynolds, Thomas Rhett, Trevor Rosen and Dan Smyers.
Ashley Gorley co-penned nine No. 1 songs, which were recorded by nine different artists.
The 16 songwriters will be honored at an industry-only luncheon on Feb. 25, followed by a concert at Marathon Music Works that features Justin Ebach, Ashley Gorley, Jon Nite, Bobby Pinson and Jordan Reynolds. Tickets for the concert go on sale on Jan. 10, with $3 from each ticket benefiting the CMA Foundation.
CMA’s Triple Play Award is based on the Country Aircheck, Billboard Country Airplay and Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
CMA Triple Play Awards recipients:
Kane Brown
“Lose It” recorded by Kane Brown
“Good As You” recorded by Kane Brown
“One Thing Right” recorded by Marshmello & Kane Brown
Luke Combs
“She Got The Best Of Me” recorded by Luke Combs
“Beautiful Crazy” recorded by Luke Combs
“Beer Never Broke My Heart” recorded by Luke Combs
Ross Copperman
“Woman, Amen” recorded by Dierks Bentley
“Get Along” recorded by Kenny Chesney
“Love Ain’t” recorded by Eli Young Band
Justin Ebach
“Singles You Up” recorded by Jordan Davis
“Good Girl” recorded by Dustin Lynch
“Here Tonight” recorded by Brett Young
Jesse Frasure
“One That Got Away” recorded by Michael Ray
“One Thing Right” recorded by Marshmello & Kane Brown
“Remember You Young” recorded by Thomas Rhett
Ashley Gorley
“What Makes You Country” recorded by Luke Bryan
“Eyes On You” recorded by Chase Rice
“Love Ain’t” recorded by Eli Young Band
“Rumor” recorded by Lee Brice
“Living” recorded by Dierks Bentley
“I Don’t Know About You” recorded by Chris Lane
“Good Vibes” recorded by Chris Janson
“Remember You Young” recorded by Thomas Rhett
“Ridin’ Roads” recorded by Dustin Lynch
Michael Hardy
“Up Down” recorded by Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line
“Simple” recorded by Florida Georgia Line
“God’s Country” recorded by Blake Shelton
Shay Mooney
“Speechless” recorded by Dan + Shay
“All To Myself” recorded by Dan + Shay
“10,000 Hours” recorded by Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber
Jon Nite
“Break Up In The End” recorded by Cole Swindell
“Knockin’ Boots” recorded by Luke Bryan
“Living” recorded by Dierks Bentley
Josh Osborne
“Kiss Somebody” recorded by Morgan Evans
“Hotel Key” recorded by Old Dominion
“One That Got Away” recorded by Michael Ray
Bobby Pinson
“Burning Man” recorded by Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
“Some Of It” recorded by Eric Church
“Rearview Town” recorded by Jason Aldean
Matthew Ramsey
“Hotel Key” recorded by Old Dominion
“One That Got Away” recorded by Michael Ray
“Make It Sweet” recorded by Old Dominion
Jordan Reynolds
“Speechless” recorded by Dan + Shay
“Tequila” recorded by Dan + Shay
“All To Myself” recorded by Dan + Shay
Thomas Rhett
“Sixteen” recorded by Thomas Rhett
“Look What God Gave Her” recorded by Thomas Rhett
“Remember You Young” recorded by Thomas Rhett
Trevor Rosen
“Hotel Key” recorded by Old Dominion
“One That Got Away” recorded by Michael Ray
“Make It Sweet” recorded by Old Dominion
Dan Smyers
“Speechless” recorded by Dan + Shay
“Tequila” recorded by Dan + Shay
“All To Myself” recorded by Dan + Shay
Miranda Lambert stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Jan. 6 to perform her new song, “Tequila Does.”
Miranda co-penned the twangy, buzzworthy tune, which is featured on her seventh studio album, Wildcard, with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram, the same songwriting trio behind Miranda’s award-winning single, “Tin Man.”
“‘Tequila Does’ is country,” says Miranda. “And country music makes me happy. No matter how rock or edgy or scorned you can get, when you come back to a country song with a steel guitar, it makes my soul feel like it’s on fire.”
As Blake alluded to in his post, he and Gwen will most likely be performing their new duet, “Nobody But You,” which is featured on his recent album, Fully Loaded: God’s Country. The new tune was penned by Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Tommy Lee James.
“This was one of those songs where the more I heard it, the more I fell in love with it,” Blake says. “I also realized how important it is for me and where I am in my life, and I think that’s why Shane [McAnally] was trying to get it to me. It fits my story. I was about to go in and record when I decided that it needed Gwen on it—because it is our song. I think it’s magic.”
Blake is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “God’s Country.”
The 62nd Grammy Awards will air live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Jan. 26 on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Six double-digit scorers, a career-high 11 points from junior Jalen Johnson and a gritty defensive effort led Tennessee past Missouri, 69-59, Tuesday at Mizzou Arena.
The result improved the Vols to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, while the Tigers fell to 8-6 (0-2 SEC) after dropping their first two conference matchups.
Johnson enjoyed his best performance of the season, scoring 11 points and knocking down a career-high three attempts from 3-point range.
Senior Jordan Bowden added a game-high 13 points and had four rebounds to cap several critical defensive stops.
Junior John Fulkerson and freshman Josiah-Jordan James each turned in quality nights, with both players scoring 11 points. James added a game-high-tying seven rebounds, while Fulkerson hauled in six boards of his own.
Freshman Santiago Vescovi, in his second appearance for the Vols, scored double-digit points for the second straight game, totaling 12 points, all in the second half, to help the Vols close out their first road victory of the season.
An evenly-matched opening 10 minutes—with neither squad leading by more than five points—saw the Vols holding a slim, 17-15 advantage at the midway point of the first half.
In the final stage of the half, Johnson knocked down three 3-pointers and hit both of his chances from the charity stripe to propel the Vols to a 32-28 halftime lead.
Out of the break, 3-pointers from freshman Josiah-Jordan James and junior Yves Pons increased the Tennessee lead to 38-28 less than two minutes into the second half.
The Tigers responded with a 12-2 scoring run to knot the score at 40 apiece. During that five-minute stretch, Missouri forced two shot-clock violations to help hold UT scoreless for more than three minutes.
Following the Tigers’ run, James knocked down two buckets in three possessions to match Missouri to keep the score even at 45-45 with 11:32 remaining in the game.
The back-and-forth action continued, with the teams trading baskets over the next five minutes. With the score tied at 53-53, Vescovi knocked down two clutch 3-pointers and made a layup on three straight possessions to give the Vols a 61-53 lead with just over four minutes remaining.
In the game’s final moments, Tennessee used solid shooting from the foul line and some timely baskets to secure the victory.
THE STREAK CONTINUES: A rejection from junior Yves Pons late in the first half increased his blocks streak to 14 consecutive games to open the season. Pons, the SEC’s second-leading shot blocker, finished the night with three blocks.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns home Saturday to host South Carolina inside Thompson-Boling Arena. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 23/24 Tennessee (11-3, 1-1 SEC) plays its second straight game on the road, as it travels to Oxford, Mississippi, to face the Rebels (7-8, 0-2 SEC) in a 7 p.m. CT (8 ET) contest on Thursday at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
This will mark the 55th meeting between these programs, with the Lady Vols leading the all-time series by a 46-8 advantage. The game is being billed as a “Red Out,” and the home team will join the spirit and wear red uniforms. The Lady Vols will wear their home whites.
Tennessee stands at 1-1 after opening the SEC slate with a 77-66 home win over Missouri on Jan. 2 and then dropping a hard-fought, 80-76 decision at No. 13/13 Kentucky on Sunday afternoon. UT’s only losses are to (then) No. 1/1 Stanford, Texas and No. 13/13 Kentucky. The Lady Vols defeated Notre Dame, which was ranked #15/14 when the teams played in November.
Ole Miss is coming off a 79-35 defeat at the hands of No. 10/12 Texas A&M on Monday night in College Station. The Rebels, who started the season 5-2, have dropped two in a row and six of their last eight contests. The other Ole Miss loss in Southeastern Conference play came at home vs. Georgia, but it was a competitive battle that ended with the Bulldogs prevailing, 58-51.
Following Thursday night’s match-up, Tennessee has a Sunday home matinee vs. Georgia (1 p.m. ET/SEC Network). The Rebels, meanwhile, head to Baton Rouge, La., for a 2 p.m. CT contest on Sunday at LSU on SECN+.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday night’s game will be streamed on SECN+ with Seth Austin (PxP) and Lindsay Roy (Analyst) handling the call..
The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone calling the action for the 21st season.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates in the black bar at the top of the page.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
SECN+ games are online broadcasts and are available only on WatchESPN via computers, smartphones and tablets.
All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
RECAPPING OUR LAST GAME
Rennia Davis turned in a 27-point performance, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the upset bid over No. 13/13 Kentucky as the No. 22/23 Lady Vols fell in Memorial Gymnasium in Lexington on Sunday, 80-76.
Also in double figures for Tennessee (11-3, 1-1 SEC) were sophomore Rae Burrell, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds, and freshman Jordan Horston, who posted 13 points and a career-high nine assists.
NOTES FROM THE LAST GAME
Big Time Blocking: UT blocked 12 shots against Kentucky, tying for fourth in Lady Vol single-game records. Freshman Tamari Key fueled that effort, recording five blocked shots on the day. The team also managed 12 blocks against Notre Dame earlier this season.
The Davis Factor: Rennia Davis led Tennessee with a 27-point performance against Kentucky, marking the 23rd time she has led UT in scoring. It was her third game of the season with 20 or more points and the 10th of her career. She is now tied for 15th in all-time 20+ point performances by Lady Vols.
Horston Heating Up: Freshman Jordan Horston narrowly missed a double-double against UK, posting 13 points and a career-high nine assists. She has now scored in double figures in four straight contests and in five of the last six. If the season ended today, her 4.8 apg. would rank second all-time among Lady Vol freshmen.
Burrell’s Ballin’: Sophomore Rae Burrell set a new SEC high of 16 points against Kentucky, marking the third time in the last four contests she has scored 10 or more points. She is now the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points per game.
Strong At The Free Throw Line: The Lady Vols hit their second-most free throws and knocked them down at the second-highest percentage all season vs. Kentucky. Tennessee finished the day 17 of 21 at the charity stripe for 81 percent. The team had entered the contest shooting 61.9 percent for the year.
TENNESSEE, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
UT ranks in the top 10 nationally in eight statistical categories, including No. 1 in rebound margin (15.8); No. 2 in blocked shots (96), defensive rebounds per game (33.6), field goal percentage defense (30.7)and rebounds per game (50.79); No. 3 in blocked shots per game (6.9) and rebounds (711); and No. 6 in offensive rebounds per game (17.1).
UT is tops in the SEC in eight categories, including assists (248), assists per game (17.7), defensive rebounds per game (33.6), field goal percentage defense (30.7), offensive rebounds per game (17.1), rebound margin (15.8), rebounds (711) and rebounds per game (50.79).
Individually, Jazmine Massengill ranks ninth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and No. 1 in the SEC at 2.19 to 1.
UT-OLE MISS SERIES NOTES
UT enters the 55th meeting in the series with a 46-8 edge, including a a 20-4 mark in Oxford, a 21-2 record in games played in Knoxville and a 5-2 slate at neutral sites.
Tennessee has won 30 of the last 31 meetings with Ole Miss, with the only setback in that sequence coming in Oxford, 67-62, on Jan. 12, 2017.
This will mark the 53rd meeting in which at least one of the teams has been ranked in either the AP or USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Big Orange had been unable to reach 70 points in six of its last seven trips to Oxford until rolling up 81 in last season’s victory at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
The Lady Vols have won 18 straight over the Rebels in Knoxville, with the last Ole Miss victory (69-65) coming on Jan. 31, 1987, in Stokely Athletics Center.
Tennessee junior Rennia Davis has played well against Ole Miss in two games, averaging 15.5 ppg. and 7.0 rebounds vs. the Rebels.
UT Head Coach Kellie Harper is 1-0 vs. Ole Miss as a head coach. Harper took Missouri State to Oxford on Nov. 19, 2015, and came away with a 91-78 victory over the (then) Matt Insell-coached Rebels.
Harper was 6-1 vs. Ole Miss during her playing days at Tennessee from 1995-99.
ABOUT OLE MISS
The Rebels returned one starter and four total letterwinners from last season’s squad that went 9-22 overall and 3-13 in the SEC (12th).
Ole Miss was projected to finish 13th in both the 2019-20 preseason SEC coaches and media polls.
Second-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is in the midst of a rebuild in Oxford and planted seeds for the future with a 2020 signing class that ranks No. 13 in the nation, per espnW HoopGurlz.
Ole Miss is led by 5-8 redshirt junior guard Deja Cage, a transfer from DePaul, who averages 13.2 ppg., and junior college transfer Valerie Nesbitt, a 5-8 guard who is tallying 11.3 ppg.
RECAPPING THEIR LAST GAME
Ole Miss fell on the road at No. 10/12 Texas A&M, 79-35, at Reed Arena on Monday night.
The Aggies (14-1, 2-0 SEC) led wire-to-wire, using an 11-0 run to separate in the first quarter.
The Rebels (7-8, 0-2 SEC) were able to hold national player of the year candidate Chennedy Carter (13 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two blocks) to single-digit scoring until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but Texas A&M received other great outings from Ciera Johnson (17 points, three rebounds, two assists), Shambria Washington (12 points, three rebounds, three assists), N’Dea Jones (10 points, 13 rebounds, six steals, two assists) and Aaliyah Wilson (10 points, two rebounds, one assist) while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor.
Deja Cage led Ole Miss with 15 points.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
The Lady Vols closed out the 2018-19 regular season with a commanding victory over Ole Miss, winning 81-56 on 51.8-percent shooting last March 3 at the Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Tennessee (18-11, 7-9 SEC) was led in scoring by Meme Jackson, who hit five threes in route to 20 points while tying her season high of six assists. Rennia Davis and Cheridene Green also were in double figures for UT with 13 and 11, respectively.
The Rebels (9-21, 3-14 SEC) were led in scoring by redshirt senior Crystal Allen, who fired in 30 points. Freshman Gabby Crawford also was in double digits for UM with 16 points and nine rebounds.
UT poured in 43 points in the first half against Ole Miss, the most first-half points Tennessee had scored against an SEC opponent since tallying 43 vs. Arkansas on Jan. 4, 2018.
UT went 8-of-14 from the three-point arc against Ole Miss for a 3-point field goal percentage of 57.1, marking their best percentage from behind the arc all season and their highest total of made treys in SEC play.
