Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye of Maddie & Tae were both born in 1995—four years after the release of Diamond Rio’s debut single, “Meet in the Middle,” which topped the charts in 1991.
The duo channeled the 1990s by covering Diamond Rio’s hit for the Amazon Original series, which is available for streaming and purchase via Amazon Music.
“We have always loved this song and had such a blast putting our own spin on it,” says Maddie. “Our producers, Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells, really helped us balance the original magic of the song with our own artistic style on it.”
Thomas Rhett is gearing up for the release of his upcoming fourth studio album, Center Point Road, which will drop on May 31. The 16-song album takes its name from the street in his Tennessee hometown that shaped much of TR’s life experiences.
TR co-penned every track on the album, which also features a number of collaborations, including Kelsea Ballerini (“Center Point Road”), Little Big Town (“Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time”) and Jon Pardi (“Beer Can’t Fix”), which is available now.
Penned by TR, Julian Bunetta, Zach Skelton and Ryan Tedder, “Beer Can’t Fix” was inspired by a golf outing.
“I was playing golf with one of my producers, Julian Bunetta, in Knoxville and we were both playing terribly, so we decided to drink a beer and suddenly we both started playing much better,” Thomas Rhett says. “Julian looked at me and said ‘Well, ain’t nothing a beer can’t fix’ and we both were like, ‘We have to write that.’ As soon as it was done I knew I wanted Jon on it. It’s basically about not taking life too seriously, and I just knew Jon’s voice would be the perfect addition to the song.”
Lady Antebellum returned to country radio with a new single, “What If I Never Get Over You,” on May 17. The new single is the lead from their upcoming eighth studio album, which will be the trio’s first project since leaving Universal Music Group and signing with Big Machine.
The new tune, which was helmed by longtime producer Dann Huff, finds Lady A’s Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley trading heavy-hearted vocals over a failed relationship. The duet was penned by Laura Veltz, Sam Ellis, Jon Green and Ryan Hurd.
“It’s been several years since we’ve had a chance to release a duet like this as a single,” says Charles. “When we played it for our team their excitement reassured us this song was the one to lead with out of the gate. It’s been a bit of our magic from day one. Our very first song in 2006, ‘All We’d Ever Need,’ was just written for Hillary, but she said, ‘Charles, you should sing a verse too’ and that’s how we started the co-lead singer thing.”
Montgomery Gentry will release a new seven-song EP, Outskirts, on June 14.
Produced by Noah Gordon and Shannon Houchins, the EP was recorded in September 2017, days prior to Troy Gentry’s death in a helicopter crash on Sept. 8, 2017. The new EP includes covers of Merle Haggard’s “What Am I Gonna Do With the Rest of My Life” and Darrell Scott’s “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” while “King of the World” features the guitar chops of Grammy-winner Steve Vai.
“Can’t wait for my friends to hear these songs,” says Eddie Montgomery. “T-Roy and I had a blast recording them.”
Luke Bryan announced his 6th annual Crash My Playa concerts will take place on January 22–25 at the Moon Palace in Riviera Cancun, Mexico. During the four-night concert vacation on the beach, Luke will headline two nights, while Jason Aldean will make his Crash My Playa debut as a headliner. An additional headliner and the rest of the performers will be announced soon.
“I’m so appreciative that the fans have shown up and supported this destination concert weekend,” says Luke. “To have one of my best friends Jason join us this year means it’s about to be epic!”
Last year’s event was headlined by Luke, Thomas Rhett and Luke Combs.
Event packages go on sale on May 22 at 1 p.m. ET. Members of Luke’s fan club, Luke’s fan app and previous Crash My Playa guests will have access to pre-sale packages on May 20 at 1 p.m. ET. The event has sold out the previous five years.
Reverb is hosting an online auction that features items donated by Loretta Lynn, Kacey Musgraves, Dolly Parton, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Wynonna, Faith Hill, Cassadee Pope, Margo Price, Lindsay Ell and more. Proceeds will benefit 10 Girls Rock camps in the U.S. and Europe, with the goal of fostering music education for female youth.
The Girls Rock Reverb Charity Auction opens on May 21 and runs through May 28, offering bidders the chance to purchase more than 50 items, including autographed memorabilia, instruments, equipment, concert tickets, clothing and more. Other artists who have donated items include Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Indigo Girls, Annie Lennox, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Shakira and more.
“We as women and trailblazers have a responsibility to encourage young women to rise up,” says Loretta Lynn. “No longer can we be looked over. Those days are over, friends.”
Last year’s auction raised more than $20,000 for the Girls Rock Camp Alliance.
Check out a few auction items below, including a guitar signed by Faith Hill, a pair of cowboy boots signed by Reba and a pedal signed by Lindsay Ell. Happy bidding.
Cam teamed with DJ/producer/writer Diplo for a new song, “So Long,” which Diplo released in April as part of a planned series of collaborations with country artists.
The two artists dropped a new acoustic video for the track they co-penned with Benjamin Mathis, Diana Gordon, Henry Agincourt Allen, Michael Wilson Hardy, Sasha Sloan and Tyler Johnson. The intimate video was directed by Patrick Tracy and filmed at The Cave Studio in Nashville.
“When I heard Diplo was doing a country project, I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but at first listen I fell in love with the song, ‘So Long’—it was just a verse/chorus but I was hooked and helped finish the songwriting,” says Cam. “I got to play ‘So Long’ live during my set at Stagecoach and I wanted to capture that live instrument magic for everyone.”
ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 – Defensive lineman Darrell Taylor #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. Photo By Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics
Major college football non-conference scheduling in the future is changing, especially in the SEC.
The high-profile home-and-home series announcements are popping-up frequently these days.
SEC teams (for the most part) have long operated with the four-game non-conference scheduling philosophy of one Power 5 opponent, two Group 5 opponents and one FCS opponent. That model has been beneficial for the SEC in getting into the College Football Playoff.
Which teams have enhanced their future non-conference football schedules? The list below will show that the power programs, Georgia and Alabama especially, are taking on more challenges outside of the tough 8-game conference schedule.
Georgia will play three Power 5 non-conference opponents in 2028 (at Texas/vs. FSU/vs. GT) and 2029 (vs. Texas/at Clemson/at GT) in addition to their 8 SEC games. That’s challenging, and opposite of the narrative of “SEC teams never play anybody outside the league.” Alabama has shifted away from neutral site games to home-and-home games against big-time name programs. Some other league teams are starting to schedule more home-and-home series against Power 5 programs.
So why the change?
Kirby Smart told Tony Barnhart of the SEC Network, “This is the future.”
I believe what that means is that this model of tougher non-conference opponents is planning and preparation for an expanded 8-team college football playoff that they anticipate will eventually happen. Two losses while playing a gauntlet schedule should still get you into the expanded playoff. You can accomplish that while providing your fan base with much more appealing games they’ll pay top dollar to see face their team.
Which SEC teams have not adjusted yet? Which schools look like they schedule to be try to be bowl eligible? I took a harder look to try to get some answers.
Below is a summary of future non-conference schedules for all 14 SEC teams. Those are broken down into three categories…Power 5 (includes Notre Dame,) Group 5 (includes rest of the independents) and FCS. This is a list of different opponents. There are single games, home-and-home series and annual games.
The point is to highlight the scheduling differences, the frequency of tough or easy games and the variety of opponents for fans to experience. You can look through the schedules, compare them and determine who you think has the easiest future non-conference schedules and who has the most challenging schedules. Order listed is based on different Power Five conference opponents scheduled in the future.
My source for the schedules is FBSchedules.com, which is a fantastic website that also gives us the annual helmet schedules for college football.
Vince’s View On Future SEC Football Schedules Georgia 8 Power Five – Notre Dame (2019) Georgia Tech (annual to 2037) Virginia (2020) Oregon (2022) Oklahoma (2023/2031) Clemson (2024/2029/2030/2032/2033) UCLA (2025/2026) FSU (2027/2028)
5 Group of Five – Arkansas St, ULM, San Jose St, UAB, Kent St
2 FCS – Murray St & ETSU
15 Different Teams Scheduled (53% Power Five)
42 Total Games Set 33 Power Five Games Scheduled
Alabama 7 Power Five – Duke (2019) USC (2020) Miami (2021) Texas (2022/2023) West Virginia (2026/2027) Notre Dame (2028/2029) Oklahoma (2032/2033)
8 Group of Five – New Mexico St, Southern Miss, Georgia St, Kent St, Utah St, ULM, Central Michigan & Western Kentucky
3 FCS – Western Carolina, UT Martin & Mercer
18 Different Teams Scheduled (39% Power Five)
25 Total Games Set 11 Power Five Games Scheduled
Mississippi State 6 Power Five – Kansas St (2019) NC State (2020/2021) Arizona (2022/2023) Arizona St (2024/2025) Minnesota (2026/2027) Texas Tech (2028/2029)
8 Group of Five – Louisiana Lafayette, Southern Miss, New Mexico, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, UMass & Troy
7 FCS – Abilene Christian, Alabama A&M, Eastern Illinois, Northwestern St, SE Louisiana, Eastern Kentucky & Alcorn St
21 Different Teams Scheduled (29% Power Five)
31 Total Games Set 11 Power Five Games Scheduled
Auburn 6 Power Five – Oregon (2019) North Carolina (2020) Penn St (2021/2022) Cal (2023/2034) Baylor (2025/2026) UCLA (2027/2028)
7 Group of Five – Tulane, Kent St, Southern Miss, UMass, Akron, Georgia St & Western Kentucky
4 FCS – Samford, Alabama A&M, Alabama St & Mercer
17 Different Teams Scheduled (35% Power Five)
22 Games Set 10 Power Five Games Scheduled
Missouri 5 Power Five – West Virginia (2019) Boston College (2021/2024) Kansas St (2022/2023) Colorado (2025/2030) Illinois (2026/2027/2028/2029)
13 Group of Five – Wyoming, Troy, Eastern Michigan, BYU, Louisiana-Lafayette, Central Michigan, North Texas, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico St, Memphis, Buffalo, UMass & Miami (OH)
4 FCS – SE Missouri, Central Arkansas, South Dakota & North Dakota
22 Different Teams Scheduled (22% Power Five)
33 Total Games Set 11 Power Five Games Scheduled
Vanderbilt 5 Power Five – Purdue (2019/2029) Kansas St (2020) Stanford (2021/2024/2025/2027) Wake Forest (2022/2023) NC State (2026/2028)
6 Group of Five – Northern Illinois, UNLV, Colorado St, Louisiana Tech, Hawaii & Georgia St
2 FCS – ETSU & Mercer
13 Different Teams Scheduled (38% Power Five)
28 Total Games Set 11 Power Five Games Scheduled
LSU 5 Power Five – Texas (2019/2020) UCLA (2021/2024) Clemson (2025/2026) Oklahoma (2027/2028) Arizona St (2029/2030)
9 Group of Five – Georgia Southern, Utah St, UTSA, Rice, Central Michigan, ULM, New Mexico, Army & South Alabama
3 FCS – Northwestern St, Nicholls St & McNeese St
17 Different Teams Scheduled (29% Power Five)
23 Total Games Set 10 Power Five Games Scheduled
Ole Miss 5 Power Five – Cal (2019) Baylor (2020) Louisville (2021) Georgia Tech (2022/2023) Wake Forest (2024/2025)
7 Group of Five – Memphis, New Mexico St, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern, Tulane, Liberty & Troy
8 FCS – SE Louisiana, SE Missouri, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Mercer, Furman, The Citadel & Eastern Kentucky
20 Different Teams Scheduled (25% Power Five)
25 Total Games Set 7 Power Five Games Scheduled
Texas A&M 5 Power Five – Clemson (2019) Colorado (2020/2021) Miami (2022/2023) Notre Dame (2024/2025) Arizona St (2026/2027)
7 Group of Five – Texas St, UTSA, North Texas, Fresno St, Kent St, New Mexico & Appalachian St
2 FCS – Lamar & Abilene Christian
14 Different Teams Scheduled (36% Power Five)
19 Total Games Set 9 Power Five Games Scheduled
Florida 4 Power Five – Miami (2019) FSU (annual to 2037) Colorado (2028/2029) Texas (2030/2031)
4 Group of Five – South Alabama, New Mexico St, USF & Charlotte
4 FCS – UT Martin, Towson, Eastern Washington & Samford
12 Different Teams Scheduled (33% Power Five)
34 Total Games Set 24 Power Five Games Scheduled
South Carolina 2 Power Five – North Carolina (2019/2023) Clemson (annual to 2037)
7 Group of Five – Appalachian St, East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Troy, Georgia St, Charlotte & Akron
1 FCS – Charleston Southern
10 Different Teams Scheduled (20% Power Five)
33 Total Games Set 21 Power Five Games Scheduled
Arkansas 3 Power Five – Notre Dame (2020/2025) Texas (2021) Oklahoma St (2024/2027)
7 Group of Five – Colorado St, San Jose St, Western Kentucky, Kent St, Georgia Southern, BYU & Liberty
4 FCS – Portland St, Missouri St, Arkansas-Pine Bluff & Western Carolina
14 Different Teams Scheduled (21% Power Five)
18 Total Games Set 5 Power Five Games Scheduled
Tennessee 3 Power Five – Oklahoma (2020/2024) Pitt (2021/2022) Nebraska (2026/2027)
9 Group of Five – Georgia St, BYU, UAB, Charlotte, Troy, Bowling Green, South Alabama, Ball St & Army
2 FCS – Chattanooga, Furman
14 Different Teams Scheduled (21% Power Five)
18 Total Games Set 6 Power Five Games Scheduled
Kentucky 1 Power Five – Louisville (annual to 2022)
9 Group of Five – Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Kent St, ULM, New Mexico St, Miami (OH,) Ball St, Akron & Ohio
6 FCS – UT Martin, Eastern Illinois, Chattanooga, Youngstown St, Eastern Kentucky & Murray St
16 Different Teams Scheduled (6% Power Five)
24 Total Games Set 4 Power Five Games Scheduled
Summary: Tennessee’s future schedule needs to be beefed-up for the fans and for business. Early-season high-profile games can bring you gate revenue, even if the team isn’t competing for championships. UT should operate with higher standards than the schedule reflects.
Tennessee is tied with Arkansas with the fewest future non-conference games scheduled. UT also has the second fewest Power 5 opponents and total games vs. Power 5 opponents.
Georgia has five more Power 5 non-conference opponents scheduled than Tennessee. The Bulldogs have 24 more games booked than the Vols at this point.
With scheduling of Power 5 opponents needing to be done so far in advance, UT can ill afford to wait until it returns to prominence. If UT schedules eight years in advance after starting to win again, who’s to say UT will still be winning then? Or, what if UT does put it together competing for a college football playoff position one year in the future, but it’s playing three or four weak non-conference opponents while it’s SEC opponents aren’t as good as expected? Will UT miss out on a playoff opportunity?
I’d like to see UT schedule like it expects to be good. The trend is going towards a tougher schedule in the SEC, even with a challenging conference slate. If for no other reason, do it because fans want better games.
Blake Shelton took a break from his coaching duties on The Voice on May 14 to perform a fiery rendition of his new single, “God’s Country.” The gritty performance elicited a standing ovation from his fellow judges Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend.
The new tune is the first sample of music from Blake’s upcoming 12th studio album. Penned by Michael Hardy, Jordan Schmidt and Devin Dawson, “God’s Country” follows Blake’s previous Top 10 single, “Turnin’ Me On,” which was featured on his 2017 album, Texoma Shore.
“‘God’s Country’ is a song that has a strong and deep meaningful lyric, but at the same time it leaves it up to the listeners interpretation,” Blake said. “But no matter where you are from or where you’re standing it is my belief that you’re standing in God’s Country. It’s really about a state of mind. Wherever you’re from and how you feel about that place. For me it’s about being from Oklahoma—where I was born, raised and still live today.”
Watch Blake’s performance of “God’s Country” below.
![Maddie & Tae Channel the 1990s With Cover of Diamond Rio’s “Meet in the Middle” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2019/05/17103829/Maddie-and-Tae-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Thomas Rhett Taps Jon Pardi for New Song, “Beer Can’t Fix” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2019/05/01133227/Thomas-Rhett.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
Outskirts Track List & Songwriters
