Hardy Is One of Nashville’s Hottest Songwriters: “It’s an Incredible Feeling Getting a Song Cut”

Hardy Is One of Nashville’s Hottest Songwriters: “It’s an Incredible Feeling Getting a Song Cut”

Michael Hardy, known professionally as Hardy, is climbing the charts with his debut single, “Rednecker,” which is currently No. 28 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Before his success as a singer, Hardy earned a rep as one of Nashville’s hottest songwriters, having co-penned recent No. 1 singles “God’s Country” (Blake Shelton), “Simple” (Florida Georgia Line) and “Up Down” (Morgan Wallen). Hardy also had a hand in writing FGL’s “Talk You Out of It” (currently No. 11) and Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” (currently No. 14).

In fact, news broke on Aug. 12 that Hardy is a co-writer on Blake Shelton’s new single, “Hell Right,” which drops on Aug. 16.

Hardy’s first cut came in 2017 when Tyler Farr released “I Should Go to Church Sometime.” While the song didn’t have much success on the charts, peaking at No. 56, Hardy told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown that it was an “incredible feeling” that gave him the confidence to continue his craft.

“My first cut was ‘I Should Go to Church Sometime’ by Tyler Farr,” says Hardy. “It ended up being a single for like a month [laughing], but it was an incredible feeling getting a song cut because that was all that I ever wanted for forever—I just wanted a cut. And your goals change, but at that moment that’s all that I wanted. I was just like, ‘I got it! I finally got one!’ It’s hard to get songs cut in Nashville. It really is, so anyway, it was really cool. I went straight to the bar to celebrate [laughing]. Me and my friends and everybody went straight to the bar. Gosh, so much has changed since then too. That was a good time.”

photo by Nathan Zucker/BMI

Luke Combs’ Singles Have Spent 18 Weeks at No. 1 (And Counting)

Luke Combs’ Singles Have Spent 18 Weeks at No. 1 (And Counting)

Luke Combs’ current single, “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” continued its reign at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay for a second week.

With his latest No. 1 single, Luke is first country artist in history whose first six singles have reached No. 1, following previous chart-toppers “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “One Number Away,” “She Got the Best of Me” and “Beautiful Crazy.”

Collectively, Luke’s six singles have spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

  • “Hurricane” – 2 weeks at No. 1 (May/June 2017)
  • “When It Rains It Pours” — 2 weeks at No. 1 (November 2017)
  • “One Number Away” — 1 week at No. 1 (June 2018)
  • “She Got the Best of Me” — 4 weeks at No. 1 (October/November 2018)
  • “Beautiful Crazy” — 7 weeks at No. 1 (March/April 2019)
  • “Beer Never Broke My Heart” — 2 weeks at No. 1 (August 2019)

Luke recently made history as the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard country charts for multiple weeks: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Americana Association Reveals 2019 Lifetime Achievement Honorees, Including Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello, Delbert McClinton & More

Americana Association Reveals 2019 Lifetime Achievement Honorees, Including Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello, Delbert McClinton & More

The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards show—the centerpiece of AmericanaFest—announced the special honorees for its ceremony on Sept. 11 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

  • Felice & Boudleaux Bryant (posthumously): President’s Award
  • Elvis Costello: Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting
  • Delbert McClinton: Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance
  • Maria Muldaur: Americana Trailblazer Award
  • Frank Johnson (posthumously) and Rhiannon Giddens: Legacy of Americana Award
  • Mavis Staples: career recognition  

Nashville’s 2019 AmericanaFest (Sept. 10–15) will feature approximately 500 performances from more than 250 artists at more than 50 venues, including Brandy Clark, Tanya Tucker, Corb Lund, Jack Ingram, Lori McKenna, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, Quaker City Night Hawks, Shinyribs, Aubrie Sellers, Maggie Rose, Micky & the Motorcars, Foy Vance, Brent Cobb, Shawn Colbin, Drivin N Cryin, Andrew Combs and more.

Check out the full list of nominees from the 2019 Americana Awards on Sept. 11.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“To the Sunset,” Amanda Shires, Produced by Dave Cobb
“The Tree,” Lori McKenna, Produced by Dave Cobb
“The Tree of Forgiveness,” John Prine, Produced by Dave Cobb
“Walk Through Fire,” Yola, Produced by Dan Auerbach

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Brandi Carlile
Rhiannon Giddens
Kacey Musgraves
Mavis Staples

DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR
I’m With Her
Our Native Daughters
Tedeschi Trucks Band
The War and Treaty

EMERGING ACT OF THE YEAR
Jade Bird
J.S. Ondara
Erin Rae
The War and Treaty
Yola

INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
Chris Eldridge
Eamon McLoughlin
Chris Powell
Michael Rinne

SONG OF THE YEAR
“By Degrees,” Mark Erelli, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Lori McKenna, Anais Mitchell & Josh Ritter, Written by Mark Erelli
“Mockingbird,” Ruston Kelly, Written by Ruston Kelly
“People Get Old,” Lori McKenna, Written by Lori McKenna
“Summer’s End,” John Prine, Written by Pat McLaughlin and John Prine

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Lady Antebellum Drops Intimate Video for New Song, “Pictures” [Watch]

Lady Antebellum Drops Intimate Video for New Song, “Pictures” [Watch]

Lady Antebellum dropped an intimate video via Vevo for their new song, “Pictures.”

The new tune, which was penned by Lady A’s Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott with Sarah Buxton and Corey Crowder, follows the May release of their current single, “What If I Never Get Over You.” Both songs are expected to be featured on the band’s upcoming eighth studio album.

“We live in a world right now, especially with social media, where everyone’s lives can look happy and pretty,” said Lady A’s Hillary Scott. “We wrote this song to reflect on the reality that things are more complex than that. As good as something might look in brief moments, there are so many layers to who people really are and what’s really going on. I love the juxtaposition of how this song’s lyrics dig in while feeling laid-back and groovy.”

The trio’s upcoming album will be their first project since leaving Universal Music Group and signing with Big Machine.

Watch Lady A perform “Pictures” below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

ACM Honors Ceremony to Feature Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Midland, Lauren Alaina, Billy Joe Shaver & More

ACM Honors Ceremony to Feature Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Midland, Lauren Alaina, Billy Joe Shaver & More

The Academy of Country Music announced its second round of talent participating at the 13th annual ACM Honors ceremony: Lauren Alaina, Bobby Bones, Caylee Hammack, Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally, Midland, Billy Joe Shaver and Chris Young.

Previously announced artists include Keith Urban, Chris Janson, Maddie & Tae, Barbara Mandrell, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes and Trisha Yearwood.

The ACM Honors, which will take place on August 21 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, will recognize the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 54th ACM Awards, including Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Rodney Crowell, Kye Fleming, Billy Joe Shaver, Gayle Holcomb and A Star Is Born.

Tickets for the ACM Honors are on sale now.

Check out the list of awardees, awards and past winners below.

Brooks & Dunn and Martina McBride

Cliffie Stone Icon Award: This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader who throughout their career has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions and other goodwill efforts.
Past Winners: Alabama, Bob Beckham, Garth Brooks, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, George Strait, The Judds, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Jerry Reed, Tex Ritter, Marty Robbins, Kenny Rogers, Billy Sherrill, Ricky Skaggs, The Statler Brothers, Mel Tillis, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty, Porter Wagoner, Keith Whitley, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr., Bob Wills, Dwight Yoakam and Alan Jackson.

Gayle Holcomb

Gary Harber Lifting Lives Award: This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry professional who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others, voted on by the ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors.
Past Winners: Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Neal McCoy, Reba McEntire, Montgomery Gentry, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker.

Miranda Lambert

Gene Weed Milestone Award: This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader for a specific, unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of country music during the preceding calendar year.
Past Winners: Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kelsea Ballerini, George Burns, Kenny Chesney, Jeff Foxworthy, Merle Haggard, Gayle Holcomb, Loretta Lynn, Little Big Town, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt.

Kacey Musgraves

Jim Reeves International Award: This award recognizes an artist or industry leader for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world.
Past Winners: Joe Allison, Bill Boyd, Garth Brooks, Steve Buchanan, Joe Cates, Eric Church, Dick Clark, Roy Clark, Al Gallico, Merv Griffin, Jim Halsey, Alan Jackson, Ken Kragen, Lady Antebellum, Sam Louvello, Thurston Moore, Charlie Nagatani, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Rascal Flatts, Roy Rogers, Bob Saporiti, Louise Scruggs, Dinah Shore, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Jeff Walker, Jo Walker-Meador, Bill Ward and Rob Potts.

Rodney Crowell, Kye Fleming and Billy Joe Shaver

Poet’s Award: This award is presented to a country music songwriter for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their career, with special consideration given to a song or songs’ impact on the culture of country music.
Past Winners: Bill Anderson, Bobby Braddock, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Shel Silverstein, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Guy Clark, Jack Clement, Hank Cochran, Dean Dillon, Merle Haggard, Tom T. Hall, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Bob McDill, Roger Miller, Buck Owens, Eddie Rabbitt, Fred Rose, Don Schlitz, Cindy Walker, Jimmy Webb, Hank Williams, Matraca Berg and Norro Wilson.

Shane McAnally

Songwriter of the Year Award: This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter, selected by a Professional Panel of judges composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization representatives.
Past Winners:
Ross Copperman, Dallas Davidson, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Roger Miller and Rhett Akins.

A Star Is Born

Tex Ritter Film Award: This award recognizes an outstanding television movie, series or feature film released during the preceding calendar year which prominently features country music.
Past Winners: Beer For My Horses, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Country Strong, Crazy Heart, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, Nashville, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Sweet Dreams and Walk the Line, among others.

photos: Miranda Lambert by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com; Chris Young by NCD

Blake Shelton Announces New Single, “Hell Right,” Featuring Trace Adkins

Blake Shelton Announces New Single, “Hell Right,” Featuring Trace Adkins

Blake Shelton will try to score the 27th No. 1 single of his career with the release of “Hell Right” on Aug. 16.

The new tune, which features vocals from Trace Adkins, was penned by David Garcia, Brett Tyler and Michael Hardy, who is one of the co-writers behinds Blake’s most recent No. 1 hit, “God’s Country.”

“The first time I ever heard ‘Hell Right,’ [producer] Scott Hendricks sent it over to me—and we had pretty much decided that we were finished recording for a while, and I wasn’t even thinking about it,” says Blake. “But he said that Hardy had written a song and he wanted me to hear it, so with the success of ‘God’s Country’ and just knowing how talented that guy is, I thought, ‘Man, I better at least listen to it even though I don’t see myself going in and recording.’ About three-quarters of the way through the song, I decided, ‘Oh, my god, I’m not done recording. I’ve gotta go cut this song. It’s just so much fun and just so infectious. It seems like something that would be great to have out this summer, like, let’s do this thing, let’s get it out now.’ It’s one of the reasons that I’ve been so excited about not releasing an album because it’s awesome to be able to react to great songs and just get em out there to the fans.”

Blake invited longtime friends Trace Adkins to add his baritone vocals to the tune, much like he did for 2009 No. 1 hit, “Hillbilly Bone.”

“I decided it would be great to have Trace Adkins on this [song] just because he’s got that low, deep, big voice and he’s so great at the ad-lib stuff,” says Blake. “He just brings a certain quality to any recording that nobody else can touch. The guy’s got so much personality in his voice and the way he sings, and I still think that he’s one of the most underrated country artists out there, so I called him and asked if he would be on the record with me and he said something that was close to ‘hell right,’ but it was a different cuss word.”

“Hell Right” will be released at 12 a.m. on Aug. 16.

photo by NCD

Martina McBride Announces 9th “The Joy of Christmas Tour”

Martina McBride Announces 9th “The Joy of Christmas Tour”

Martina McBride announced she will hit the road for her ninth annual The Joy of Christmas Tour. The 14-date holiday tour kicks off on Nov. 29 in Biloxi, Miss., and makes additional stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and more.

“This show is so much fun to do,” says Martina. “We have everything from classic hymns like ‘O Holy Night’ to fun, big band swing classics like ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.’ It’s all very visual, the songs are well-loved, and you leave with a warm feeling. I love to think of entire families—from grandparents to grandchildren—enjoying The Joy of Christmas. It’s really a show for the whole family.”

Martina’s 1998 holiday album, White Christmas, has become a yuletide standard. She released her second holiday album, It’s the Holiday Season, in 2018.

The Joy of Christmas Tour

Nov. 29 | Biloxi, MS | Beau Rivage Theatre
Nov. 30 | Lake Charles, LA | Golden Nugget
Dec. 1 | San Antonio, TX | Majestic Theatre
Dec. 3 | Tyler, TX | R. Down Cowan Fine & Performing Arts Center*
Dec. 5 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center**
Dec. 6 | Springfield, IL | Sangamon Auditorium
Dec. 7 | Prior Lake, MN | Mystic Lake Casino**
Dec. 12 |  Wallingford, CT | Oakdale Theatre
Dec. 13 | Philadelphia, PA | The Met
Dec. 14 | Boston, MA | Lowell Memorial Auditorium
Dec. 15 | Newark, NJ | Union County PAC
Dec. 19 | East Lansing, MI | Wharton Center
Dec. 20 | Chicago, IL | Rialto Square Theatre*
Dec. 21 | St. Louis, MO | Lindenwood University*

*on sale now
**on sale Aug. 23

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Tyler Childers’ “Country Squire” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Top Country Albums Chart

Tyler Childers’ “Country Squire” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Top Country Albums Chart

Tyler Childers’ new album, Country Squire, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart this week.

Produced by Sturgill Simpson and Dave Ferguson, Country Squire moved 32,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music. The nine-song offering marks the Kentucky native’s first No. 1 album. Tyler’s sophomore album, Purgatory, peaked at No. 17 on the chart in 2017.

Tyler will embark on his extensive Country Squire Run headlining tour this fall, including stops in Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston and more.

Tyler Childers Tour Dates

Aug. 14 | Sedalia, MO | Missouri State Fair
Aug. 22-23 | Tonder, Denmark | Tonder Festival
Aug. 24 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | Once in a Blue Moon Festival
Aug. 28 | Brighton, UK | The Haunt
Aug. 29 | Nottingham, UK | Bodega Social
Aug. 31-Sept. 1 | Salisbury, England | End of the Road Festival
Sept. 30 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre* (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 4 | Austin, TX | Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct. 5 | Thackerville, OK | Winstar Casino (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 7 | Fayetteville, AR | Town Center (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 8 | Tulsa, OK | Cain’s Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 11 | Austin, TX | Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct. 14 | Phoenix, AZ | The Van Buren
Oct. 15 | San Diego, CA | The Observatory North Park (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 17 | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern†
Oct. 18 | Oakland, CA | Fox Theater† (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 22 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom† (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 24 | Bend, OR | Bend Concert Series @ Oregon Spirit Distillers†
Oct. 25 | Seattle, WA | Paramount Theatre†
Oct. 26 | Spokane, WA | Knitting Factory Concert House† (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 29 | St. Louis, MO | Stifel Theatre†
Oct. 31 | Chicago, IL | Aragon Ballroom†
Nov. 2 | Milwaukee, WI | Riverside Theater†
Nov. 3 | Minneapolis, MN | First Avenue† (SOLD OUT)
Nov. 4 | Minneapolis, MN | First Avenue† (SOLD OUT)
Nov. 12-15 | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | All the Best Fest
Dec. 6 | Detroit, MI | The Fillmore‡
Dec. 8 | Toronto, ON | Rebel‡
Dec. 10 | Boston, MA | House of Blues
Dec. 11 | Philadelphia, PA | The Fillmore
Dec. 13 | Washington, DC | The Anthem
Dec. 14 | Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Steel (SOLD OUT)
Dec. 15 | Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Steel
Dec. 18 | Raleigh, NC | The Ritz‡ (SOLD OUT)
Dec. 19 | Charlotte, NC | The Fillmore‡ (SOLD OUT)
Dec. 21 | Atlanta, GA | The Tabernacle‡ (SOLD OUT)
Dec. 22 | Atlanta, GA | The Tabernacle‡ (SOLD OUT)
Jan. 17 | Dublin, Ireland | The Grand Social
Jan. 18 | Manchester, UK | Manchester Academy 2
Jan. 19 | Glasgow, UK | St. Luke’s & The Winged Ox
Jan. 21 | London, UK | O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Jan. 22 | Nijmegen, Netherlands | Doornroosje
Jan. 24 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Pumpehuset
Jan. 26 | Stockholm, Sweden | Slaktkrykan
Jan. 28 | Berlin, Germany | Franz
Jan. 29 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Paradiso Noord
*with Robert Earl Keen
†with Courtney Marie Andrews
‡with Liz Cooper & The Stampede

photo by The Beard Barnes

Brothers Osborne Announce New “Live at the Ryman” Album

Brothers Osborne Announce New “Live at the Ryman” Album

Brothers Osborne will commemorate their sold-out, three-night run at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in February 2019 with a new album, Live at the Ryman.

The 12-song offering, which features fan-favorites “Stay a Little Longer,” “It Ain’t My Fault,” “21 Summer” and more, will be released digitally on Oct. 11.

“The Live at the Ryman album highlights—it’s hard for me to say what our strengths are—but it highlights who we really are,” says John Osborne. “To play this place one night is a gift, it’s an accomplishment that everyone should remember, but the fact that we did it three [nights]—I still can’t wrap my mind around it.”

“Recording at the Ryman is an incredible experience,” says T.J. Osborne. “This place never loses its charm and its luster, and I hope it never does for me. It’s always a special spot.”

Live at the Ryman Track Listing

  1. Drank Like Hank
  2. Shoot Me Straight
  3. I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)
  4. Weed, Whiskey and Willie
  5. Down Home
  6. Rum
  7. Pushing Up Daisies (Love Alive)
  8. Tequila Again
  9. 21 Summer
  10. Love The Lonely Out Of You
  11. Stay A Little Longer
  12. It Ain’t My Fault

photo by NCD

Dan + Shay Win Big at the Teen Choice Awards

Dan + Shay Win Big at the Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards handed out hardware during its live show from Hermosa Beach, Calif., on Aug. 11.

On the country front, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay were the big winners, copping awards for both Choice Country Artist and Choice Country Song (“Speechless”).

The remix of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which featured Billy Ray Cyrus, took home the award for Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song. Lil Nas X led all artists with five nominations.

Check out the county-centric winners below.

Choice Country Artist
Brett Young
Dan + Shay WINNER
Kacey Musgraves
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Thomas Rhett

Choice Country Song
Maren Morris, “Girl”
Kane Brown, “Good as You”
Thomas Rhett, “Look What God Gave Her”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Miss Me More”
Kacey Musgraves, “Rainbow”
Dan + Shay, “Speechless” WINNER

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song
Lil Nas X (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus), “Old Town Road [Remix]” WINNER
Meek Mill (feat. Drake), “Going Bad”
Mustard & Migos, “Pure Water”
Post Malone & Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)”
Khalid, “Talk”
Post Malone, “Wow”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

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