Alabama is celebrating a half-century of making music with their current 50th Anniversary Tour. The cross-country trek kicked off in January with an announced run of more than 50 shows through November, featuring an array of openers, including Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Beach Boys, John Anderson, Restless Heart, Exile, John Michael Montgomery, Scotty McCreery and more.
On Nov. 20, Alabama will wind down their final tour with a stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for the End of Tour Celebration, featuring Charlie Daniels. Tickets for the newly announced date go on sale on June 28 at 10 a.m.
Since forming the band in 1969, Alabama’s Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook have become the most-awarded band in the history of country music.
“Our 50th Anniversary Tour has been really special with The Charlie Daniels Band being at most cities we’ve played,” says Teddy. “We could call this the Country Music Hall of Fame Tour. Three generations of fans now sing along to our songs each night.”
“It’s hard to believe we started this band 50 years ago in my parent’s house,” adds Jeff. “The Nashville concert at Bridgestone Arena will be a fun celebration for the fans and for Randy, Teddy and me.”
“This tour has been amazing,” notes Randy. “We are humbled by the huge response and sell-out crowds. Ending in Nashville with this End of Tour Celebration will give us a chance to invite some of our friends to join us. We are thankful to all the fans for supporting us over the past 50 years.”
Alabama 50th Anniversary Tour
June 26 | Target Center | Minneapolis, MN (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
June 27 | Country USA | Oshkosh, WI
July 11 | CenturyLink Center | Bossier City, LA (w/ Exile)
July 12 | Walmart AMP | Rogers, AR (w/ John Anderson)
July 19 | The Arena at TD Place | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (w/ Charlie Major)
July 20 | Big Sky Music Festival | Oro|Medonte, Ontario, Canada
July 26 | Columbus Civic Center | Columbus, GA (w/ John Michael Montgomery)
July 27 | Thunder Valley Amphitheatre | Bristol, TN (w/ John Michael Montgomery)
Aug. 16 | State Fair of West Virginia | Lewisburg, WV
Aug. 17 | PNG Bank Arts Center | Holmdel, NJ (w/ Scotty McCreery)
Aug. 23 | Van Andel Arena | Grand Rapids, MI (w/ Restless Heart)
Aug. 24 | The Country Fest’s Neon Nights | North Lawrence, OH
Aug. 29 | Mohegan Sun Arena | Wilkes|Barre, PA (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Aug. 31 | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion | Gilford, NH (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Sept. 1 | Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion | Bangor, ME (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Sept. 13 | Fox Theatre | Detroit, MI (w/ Exile)
Sept. 14 | Tailgates N’ Tallboys | Peoria, IL
Sept. 27 | Martin Luther King Jr. Arena | Savannah, GA
Sept. 28 | Hertz Arena | Estero, FL
Oct. 3 | Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, SC (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Oct. 4 | Legacy Arena at the BJCC | Birmingham, AL (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Oct. 10 | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center | Tallahassee, FL (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Oct. 11 | Spectrum Center | Charlotte, NC (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Nov. 1 | WinStar World Casino & Resort | Thackerville, OK
Nov. 8 | Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center | Madison, WI (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
Nov. 9 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, IN (w/ Restless Heart)
Nov. 20 | Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball is well-represented on the 2019 summer circuit with 24 current players on summer-league rosters.
Each week on UTSports.com, we will provide an update on all of the Vols participating in the various summer leagues around the country.
A pair of UT pitchers had dominant performances last week as junior lefty Will Heflin and freshman right hander Tanner Kohlhepp shined for their respective teams. Read all about their performances below.
Crochet accepted an invitation to the 2019 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp, which will run from June 27-30 in Cary, North Carolina before a 26-man roster is selected prior to the 8th USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series that will take place July 2-6 in Cary, Charlotte, Durham and Hickory, North Carolina. Team USA’s 26-man roster will then travel to Taiwan for the 19th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series after which USA Baseball will announce a final 24-man roster to compete in the 43rd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series from July 16-21 in Japan.
Cape Cod League (Full League Stats) OF Zach Daniels – Orleans Firebirds Season Stats: 9 GP, .174 AVG, 1 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 9 K, .174 SLG, .174 OBP
Daniels went 2-for-3, notching a pair of singles in a loss to Yarmouth-Dennis on June 20 for his only two hits of the week.
LHP Will Heflin – Harwich Mariners Season Stats: 2 App, 0 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 0.75 WHIP
Heflin picked up his first win of the summer in his lone appearance last week. The junior lefty walked three but struck out seven batters and did not allow a hit in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief on Saturday as the Mariners came away with a 2-1 victory over Cotuit.
RHP Sean Hunley – Brewster Whitecaps Season Stats: 2 App, 2 GS, 1-1, 5.14 ERA, 7.0 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 1.57 WHIP
Hunley was the losing pitcher in a loss to Cotuit on Sunday after allowing three runs on four hits in three innings of work to fall to 1-1 for the summer.
Soularie hit his first home run of the summer with a solo shot in a 5-5 tie against Chatham on June 20 but struggled overall last week with just that one hit and two runs scored in four games played.
Wallace made just one appearance last week, recording a strikeout and allowing one hit in one shutout inning of work in a 1-0 victory over Wareham on Sunday. The sophomore right hander has allowed just three hits and no runs in 5.1 innings pitched so far this summer.
California Collegiate League (Full League Stats) OF Justin Ammons – Conejo Oaks Season Stats: 6 GP, .280 AVG, 5 R, 7 H, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 SB, .400 SLG, .357 OBP
Ammons got off to a red-hot start with five hits and four runs over his first two games, including a 3-for-4 outing with three runs scored against Orange County on June 19. While he has just two hits over his last four games, Ammons has driven in five runs in that span with at least one RBI in three of his last four games.
INF Pete Derkay – Arroyo Seco Saints Season Stats: N/A
Derkay has not seen action yet this summer.
INF Max Ferguson – Orange County Riptide Season Stats: N/A
Lipcius did not see action last week. He went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI in his second game of the summer against Conejo on June 8. Lipcius followed that with another hit and two runs scored against Orange County on June 9.
INF Trey Lipscomb – Orange County Riptide Season Stats: N/A
Lipscomb has not seen action yet this summer.
C Connor Pavolony – Santa Barbara Foresters Season Stats: 8 GP, .269 AVG, 3 R, 7 H, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 8 K, .308 SLG, .387 OBP
Pavolony is currently riding a four-game hit streak after recording at least one base knock in each of his three games played last week. The freshman catcher went 2-for-4 against the San Luis Obispo Blues on June 18 before a pair of 1-for-3 performances against the Blues (June 20) and the Academy Barons (June 21). Pavolony has also picked off a runner and thrown out three of the five runners attempting to steal on him so far this summer.
RHP Elijah Pleasants – Academy Barons Season Stats: 4 App, 0-0, 2 SV, 1.42 ERA, 6.1 IP, 5 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 10 K, 0.95 WHIP
Pleasants had his first tough outing of the summer on June 19 against the Arroyo Seco Saints, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk in one inning of work. He did strike out three batters and only one of the four runs was earned. The Clarksville, Tenn., native bounced back nicely on June 21 by tossing two shutout innings against the Santa Barbara Foresters. Pleasants struck out two batters and allowed just one hit in the outing.
OF Evan Russell – Arroyo Seco Saints Season Stats: 1 GP, .000 AVG, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, .000 SLG, .000 OBP
Russell went hitless in his summer debut with the Arroyo Seco Saints on Sunday against the Academy Barons.
OF Christian Scott – Arroyo Seco Saints Season Stats: 9 GP, .257 AVG, 4 R, 9 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 8 K, .429 SLG, .297 OBP, 2 SB
Scott started last week with a huge performance against the Ventura County Pirates, going 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and two RBI. He followed that with another hit, a run scored, an RBI and two stolen bases against the Academy Barons on June 19 before going hitless in his past three games.
Coastal Plain League (Full League Stats) RHP Caleb Pearson – Forest City Owls Season Stats: 4 App, 3 GS, 0-2, 5.87 ERA, 15.1 IP, 13 H, 15 R, 10 ER, 15 BB, 8 K, 1.83 WHIP
Pearson started his third game of the summer on June 22 against the Asheboro Copperheads and allowed just one hit in five innings but struggled again with walks, allowing seven free passes which led to three runs. The freshman right hander struck out two batters and received a no-decision as the Owls went on to win 10-6.
Plummer had his best start of the summer in a 9-6 win over Holly Springs on Sunday. The Virginia native struck out six batters and allowed just one earned run on two hits and three walks in five innings of work to improve his record to 1-1 for the summer.
After a slow start, Rucker has started to pick it up at the plate over the past few games. The freshman infielder scored went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI in a 13-8 victory over High Point-Thomasville on June 20. Rucker also doubled in a run and drew a pair of walks in a 10-6 win over Asheboro on June 22.
Knight walked and scored a run in his summer league debut on June 18 as the Growlers lost to Kenosha, 12-7. The Florida native recorded his first hit of the summer with an RBI single on June 22 in a 7-3 loss at Traverse City.
Kohlhepp was dominant in the Express’ 3-2 victory at Waterloo on June 21, racking up seven strikeouts and allowing just one run on four hits in seven innings pitched. The Eau Claire, Wis., native earned his first win of the summer in the outing to improve to 1-0.
Ohio Valley League (Full League Stats) C Matthew Ellis – Dubois County Bombers Season Stats: 6 GP, .316 AVG, 3 R, 6 H, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, .368 SLG, .364 OBP
Ellis currently ranks fourth on the Bombers with a .316 batting average and has driven in four runs in six games played.
RHP Bennett Shoptaw – Dubois County Bombers Season Stats: 3 App, 2 GS, 0-1, 9.58 ERA, 10.1 IP, 18 H, 14 R, 11 ER, 5 BB, 9 K, 2.23 WHIP
Shoptaw did not see action last week and has struggled in three appearances so far this summer with a 9.58 ERA in 10.1 innings of work.
Expedition League (Full League Stats) RHP Hunter Dreves – Western Nebraska Pioneers Season Stats: 5 App, 3 GS, 1-0, 5.83 ERA, 12.1 IP, 5 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 21 BB, 15 K, 2.11 WHIP
Dreves posted a no-decision in his most recent start of the summer as the Pioneers defeated Fremont 6-2 on June 22. The Kentucky native did not give up a hit in three innings but allowed two runs (one earned) after walking six batters.
After starting the summer with hits in his first four games, Gray struggled a bit last week, going hitless in his past three contests. The junior catcher went 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 7-4 victory over the Shelter Island Bucks on June 19. Gray also walked and drove in a run on Saturday in a 4-2 win over the Sag Harbor Whalers.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced the nominees for its Class of 2019. This year’s nominees include eight songwriters and four songwriter/artists:
Songwriter
Shawn Camp
Ed Hill
Marcus Hummon
Archie Jordan
Kostas
Rivers Rutherford
Ronnie Rogers
Jerry Salley
Songwriter/Artist
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Eddy Raven
Dwight Yoakam
Two songwriters and one songwriter/artist, elected by their professional songwriter peers, will be inducted at the 49th anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on October 14 at the Music City Center. The three new members will be joined by one veteran songwriter and one veteran songwriter/artist elected by a separate body of veteran voters.
The new electees will join more than 200 existing members of the organization, including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks and more. The Class of 2018 included Ronnie Dunn, K.T. Oslin, Byron Hill, Wayne Kirkpatrick and Joe Melson.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2019 will be announce later this summer.
photos: Brad Paisley by Curtis Hilbun; Dwight Yoakam by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences have announced the 2019 schedule for their Women’s Basketball Challenge.
The Lady Vols are once again included in the series of games, playing host to perennial rival Texas on Sunday, Dec. 8. Tennessee holds a 25-15 series lead and two-game winning streak vs. the other UT after knocking off the Longhorns, 88-82, in Austin on Dec. 9, 2018.
Ten teams from the SEC will participate in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, while every team from the Big 12 will take part in the Challenge each season. The format features five home games on campus sites for each conference per year.
In 2019, games have been scheduled for the dates of Wednesday, Dec. 4, and Sunday, Dec. 8. Exact times and television designations will be released when available.
The inaugural challenge was held in 2014 with the first 10-game slate being scheduled in 2016. The SEC edged the Big 12, 6-4, that year with the conferences splitting the challenge, 5-5, the past two seasons.
2019 Big 12/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge Schedule
Wednesday, December 4
Georgia at Baylor
Thursday, December 5
Iowa State at Alabama
Ole Miss at Texas Tech
Saturday, December 7
LSU at Oklahoma
Auburn at TCU
Kansas State at Arkansas
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
Sunday, December 8
West Virginia at Mississippi State
Florida at Kansas Texas at Tennessee
After scoring his most successful single on the country charts with “On My Way to You” (No. 11), Cody Johnson will ship “Nothin’ On You” to country radio on July 22. Penned by Barrett Baber and Trent Willmon, the new tune is featured on Cody’s 2019 album, Ain’t Nothin’ to It, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in January.
“It’s the most unique song I’ve ever had the chance to record,” says Cody. “It’s very Motown, which is a piece of my musical heritage that I haven’t really gotten to touch on—that bluesy, kinda sexy, soulful thing.”
One week after his new album, Center Point Road, debuted at No. 1 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Thomas Rhett has scored his 13th No. 1 single with “Look What God Gave Her,” which is No. 1 on both the Mediabase chart and Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Penned by Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Jacob Kasher and Ammar Malik, “Look What God Gave Her” reached No. 1 after only 17 weeks on the charts. The tune is TR’s seventh consecutive No. 1 song.
“I think I played this song 2,000 times in a month after we first wrote it,” says Thomas Rhett. “It makes me want to dance. It makes me want to move. And to me, the song really is a celebration of how awesome my wife is. I know I’ve done that in the past, but I’ve never really done it in an uptempo way. I was really glad we were able to nail this one. My wife is so beautiful, but at the same time she’s inwardly beautiful, she’s funny, she’s kind, she’s the best mom I know . . . and she’s hilarious. It’s really just about thanking God for the human being He made, and singing it in a fun way.”
“Look What God Gave Her” is the lead single from Center Point Road, a 16-song album that takes its name from the street in his Tennessee hometown that shaped much of his life experiences. TR co-penned every track on the album, which also features a who’s who of top songwriters, including Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, Karen Fairchild and more. In addition, the album features a number of collaborations with other artists, including Kelsea Ballerini (“Center Point Road”), Little Big Town (“Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time”) and Jon Pardi (“Beer Can’t Fix”).
After topping the country charts with more than 30 No. 1 singles, Tim McGraw is climbing a new chart—the New York Times Best-Sellers List—with his co-authored book, Songs of America, which debuted at No. 2 in the Hardcover Nonfiction category.
photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
In addition to his work in the aforementioned genres of music and writing, Tim has carved out a respectable career as an actor over the last 15 years. The Louisiana native has co-starred in a number of mainstream flicks, including Friday Night Lights, Four Christmases, Country Strong, The Blind Side and more.
The accomplished singer, author and actor recently sat down with Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown to chat about his multi-medium creative process, including how he prepares for his various acting roles.
“You know, if we’re at a restaurant or if I’m walking around with my daughters and they’re shopping and I find a bench to sit on, I’m always watching people trying to figure out their story or try to make up a scenario that’s going on,” says Tim. “I think that’s part of the creative process, and I think that also helps me as an artist, helps me as an actor, is to put those scenarios together and sort of create this world that you see.”
Tim is on the road this summer with more than 15 tour dates, including stops in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Phoenix and more.
Luke Bryan kicked off the summer season with his Sunset Repeat Tour at Boston’s Gillette Stadium on June 21.
In addition to playing his hits for the sold-out crowd, Luke created a halftime experience of his own by inviting recently retired All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots to join him onstage.
The crowd treated Gronk to a loud ovation, and Luke, with football in hand, took the opportunity to send the receiver on a fade route. After overthrowing Gronk on his first attempt, Luke got the ball back from a crowd member—after some pleading—and completed a 15-yard throw to the three-time Super Bowl champ.
“I can now say I completed a pass to Gronk in Gillette Stadium,” Luke said. “How cool is that?”
Tennessee point guard Jordan Bone had his name called as an NBA Draft pick in Thursday night’s draft. Bone was selected late in the draft in the 2nd Round (#57) by the New Orleans Pelicans. That pick was shipped to the Atlanta Hawks and then ultimately landing with the Detroit Pistons.
In the video below, watch the reaction to seeing the announcement of his selection on the TV broadcast as his brother Josh Bone was addressing the party. It is incredible.
Below that is the explanation of what transpired in that moment as described by Jordan and Josh Bone via Emily Proud of WKRN in Nashville.
Kane Brown joined forces with electronic music producer/DJ Marshmello for a new single, “One Thing Right.”
Penned by Kane, Marshmello, Jesse Frasure, Josh Hoge and Matthew McGinn, “One Thing Right” is Marshmello’s first collaboration with a country artist. The tune was initially slated for Kane’s 2018 sophomore album, Experiment, but Kane decided to send it to Marshmello after meeting him at the 2018 American Music Awards.
“Marshmello had reached out to say congratulations while I was at the AMAs,” says Kane. “I sent him the song and he ended up being really passionate about it, and said he wanted to even make it a single, so we ended up working on it together. I am a huge Marshmello fan and think he is an incredible artist in his space, so I am thrilled to be able to get to collaborate with him on this. It’s amazing seeing a song you wrote come to life like that.”
Marshmello and Kane will bring “One Thing Right” to Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series on August 30.
![Kane Brown Teams With Marshmello for New Single, “One Thing Right” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2019/06/21112729/Kane-Brown-Marshmello-Daniel-Malikyar.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
