Keith Urban has returned to country radio airwaves with the release of his new single, “We Were.”
Penned by Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell, the new tune reminisces about lost teenage love with lyrics like “We were a couple of line steppers who just couldn’t wait to step over the line / Never thinkin’ we wouldn’t last, I was your first and you were mine.”
“When I first heard ‘We Were,’ I not only heard it, but I saw it,” says Keith. “It made me feel something. I like the idea that life just happens. At some point, in the moment or not, you just gotta go with it.”
Listen to “We Were” below.
“We Were”
We were just a couple years short of the age by my name on the fake ID And still about a hundred away from the day your daddy said, you could run with me We were a couple of line steppers who just couldn’t wait to step over the line Never thinkin’ we wouldn’t last, I was your first and you were mine
Chorus: We were leather jackets hangin’ on to a Harley, two heartbeats in the moonlight We were both feet hangin’ out over the edge of a water tower skyline At least there’s a little bit of sweet in the bitter though a part of me is always gonna miss her I am who I am, I just miss who I was when we were
We were gonna make it, weren’t we baby Had it all laid out in our mind By the time we knew, time was runnin’ out, we’d done run outta time We were a downtown Saturday night, last call, cover band ‘Til the last song played, never thought we’d fade like the stamp on the back of her hand
We were her on my shoulders, lighter in the air Pour Some Sugar On Me We were top down in Johnson’s field when she whispered that she wants me At least there’s a little bit of sweet in the bitter though a part of me is always gonna miss her I am who I am, I just miss who I was when we were
Repeat Chorus
Yes, I do Friends say, oh well, let that ship sail, you gotta let go of her Just wasn’t meant to be but somewhere down deep, I still believe that we were
A couple of talented singer/songwriters got married on May 12.
After a three-plus-year courtship, Hayes Carll and Allison Moorer tied the knot.
Hayes shared a photo on his Instagram of the newlyweds with the caption: “I’m so happy to say that @1allisonmoorer and I made it official yesterday. Dreams do come true.”
“I’m so happy to say that @hayescarll and I made it official yesterday. Love wins,” added Allison via Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxajTitn5as/
Texas native Hayes and New York transplant Allison recently relocated to Nashville. Hayes released his new album, What It Is, in February. Allison co-produced the LP and co-wrote a handful of the new songs.
It’s safe to say Keith Urban is on the Foy Vance bandwagon.
Keith surprised viewers during the 2019 ACM Awards in April when he performed a live cover of little-known song, “Burden,” which was penned by Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance. The tune, which originally appeared on Foy’s 2016 album, The Wild Swan, had a profound impact on Keith when he heard it for the first time in March.
“We played at the 02 in London and Ed [Sheeran] came out to see us play,” says Keith. “We talked about Foy [Vance], who’s an incredible musician and songwriter. The next day, I had a day off in London, so I got on my bike and put my headphones on and road around London for like two hours listening to Foy nonstop. And when I got back to Nashville, I realized that I had never seen him play live—he must be fantastic—so I jumped on YouTube and heard this song ‘Burden’ and just fell in love with him. I thought, ‘I’d love to be able to do a version of the song—the way that I was feeling it in my heart.’”
Keith contacted producer Dave Cobb, who he had never worked with, and recorded the song in Nashville.
Fast-forward a little more than a month later . . . Foy joined Keith in studio in Nashville to record a video of the two performing an acoustic version of “Burden.”
“Spent some time in studio with the wildly and celestially talented @foyvance—they don’t make em like him anymore…. I don’t even think it’s legal!!! – KU,” said Keith on Instagram.
Dolly Parton hosted the grand opening of the $37-million Wildwood Grove expansion at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., on May 10 and 11.
Wildwood Grove, which represents the largest capital investment in Dollywood’s 33-year history, features 11 new experiences for guests, including a new restaurant, climbing structure and roller coaster called the Dragonflier.
“When I was a little girl growing up in the hills of the Smoky Mountains, I’d often let my imagination just run away—something I still do now—dreaming these big dreams about what it’d be like to venture off with a family of bears in to the woods or how fun it would be to hitch a ride with the butterflies and dragonflies,” Dolly said. “All us kids would splash and play in the creeks and ponds around home and have these daydreams about the world around us, and that’s what’s so special about Wildwood Grove. We’ve been able to create a new area to allow families to experience some of those exact dreams we all had when we were little.”
Wildwood Grove’s Featured Attractions:
Wildwood Tree: A 55-foot tree that grows from a cluster of natural rocks and boulders, which serves as the area’s focal point and features a nighttime show and concerts. Its canopy is adorned with 650 lighted butterflies and thousands of leaves.
The Dragonflier: A suspended 453-meter roller coaster that lets guests soar like a dragonfly.
Black Bear Trail: A ride where kids can hop on the backs of mechanical bears for a trek around the area.
Sycamore Swing: A leaf boat swing which will swing guests back and forth.
Treetop Tower: A ride that sends guests 40 feet into the air in giant acorns and spins them around to see the Smoky Mountains.
Mad Mockingbird: A ride that spins guests in circles, and they can control their experience by moving a sail.
Frogs & Fireflies: A ride where guests can hop on frogs and ride them as they race each other around a lily pad.
Hidden Hollow: A 4,000-foot indoor, climate controlled climb structure with slides and games.
Wildwood Creek: An oasis with pop jets and splashing pools.
Four new costumed characters and entertainment including Flit and Flutter, butterfly ambassadors for the Wildwood Tree, and Benjamin Bear.
Till & Harvest: A restaurant featuring fresh Southwest items including burritos, salads, pulled pork, slaw, a topping bar with salsas and a walk-up window with churros and ice cream.
The Country Music Association launched its international touring series, Introducing Nashville, in March with a bevy of artists—Brandy Clark, Devin Dawson, Lindsay Ell, Lauren Jenkins, Logan Mize and Tenille Townes—performing in the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The series is coming to Norway, Sweden, England and more this fall with a lineup that features Danielle Bradbery, Devin Dawson, Travis Denning, Chris Lane and Rachel Wammack.
Chris Stapleton and wife Morgane welcomed their fifth child on May 12, according to a post on Morgane’s Instagram page.
Morgane didn’t provide any details regarding the baby’s sex or name, but she did share a photo of the newborn’s hand intertwined with hers and the caption: “The most perfect Mother’s day…I wish all you Mama’s the happiest of days today!”
Chris and Morgane welcomed twin boys in April 2018. The couple also has two additional children, a boy and a girl around ages 6 and 8.
The new UglyDolls movie is not performing as hoped at the box office.
After opening on May 3, the flick has reportedly only grossed $14.2 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo, with a $45 million production budget.
MovieWeb.com reported: “Unfortunately, with such a tepid debut, it’s long-term prospects aren’t great, even when factoring in international box office. As such, it’s expected to lose a good chunk of change for the studio [STXfilms].”
The movie has been panned by critics, with a score of 30 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson voice animated charters in the UglyDolls movie, which is based on the UglyDolls toy brand that features “characters who are distinct for their endearing ‘ugliness’ in a wonderful ‘uglyverse’ where differences are celebrated and embraced.”
According to the movie’s press release, “Unconventionality rules in UglyDolls, the new animated family adventure based on the beloved toy brand. In the adorably different town of Uglyville, the free-spirited Moxy and her friends confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing because who you truly are is what matters most.”
Blake’s character, Ox, fancies himself the defacto mayor of the UglyDolls, while Kelly voices Moxy, the confident leader of the group.
STXfilms released UglyDolls in theaters on May 3, one week earlier than the initial plan. An animated kids series is also underway with a full series order of 26 episodes from Hulu.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tennessee shortstop Ricky Martinez couldn’t have picked a better time to hit his first home run as a Volunteer, as his three-run blast in the top of the seventh brought the Big Orange back from a three-run deficit in an eventual 5-4 victory over Florida in Sunday’s rubber game at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
Jay Charleston went on to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run later in the inning to lift the Vols past the Gators in a crucial SEC game for both teams.
After struggling in Friday’s series opener, UT’s bullpen was lights out for the second straight day. Redshirt senior Richard Jackson didn’t allow a hit in 1.1 scoreless frames before handing the ball off to sophomore Sean Hunley, who was dominant over the final three innings, giving up just one hit while striking out a pair. Jackson earned his first-career win while Hunley picked up his first-career save.
Connor Pavolony was the only player in the game to have multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 while scoring the game-winning run.
UT starter Zach Linginfelter was extremely effective through four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing the Gators to score three runs to break up a 1-1 tie. The junior from Sevierville was pulled after 4.2 innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out six.
Florida freshman pitcher Nick Pogue, making his first SEC start, was dominant in 5.1 innings of work, giving up just one run and one hit before exiting the game in the sixth.
For the third time this weekend, the Volunteers opened the scoring. Evan Russell hit a solo home run that just stayed fair down the left-field line in the top of the second inning to put UT ahead 1-0. It was Russell’s fifth homer of the season.
The Gators scratched across an unearned run in the third to tie the game without registering a hit in the inning. Jud Fabian was hit by a pitch and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball. He came in to score on a ground out to third base by Brady McConnell to tie the game at one.
Florida struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. Fabian singled to score Jacob Young before McConnell and Austin Langworthy hit back-to-back home runs to chase Linginfelter and give UF a 4-1 lead heading into the sixth inning.
The Big Orange had a chance to cut into the Florida lead in the top of the sixth, but Gators’ reliever Nolan Crisp struck out Andre Lipcius and got Alerick Soularie to fly out to center field to escape the jam unharmed.
After a solid relief inning by Richard Jackson, the Vols were able to break through offensively in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs to take a 5-4 lead. With runners on first and second, Martinez drilled a 2-1 pitch into the left-field bleachers to tie the game at four. Pavolony and Justin Ammons followed with a single and a double to put runners on second and third for Charleston, who drove in Pavolony with an RBI ground out to give UT the lead.
Hunley shut down the Gators to preserve the win, allowing just one hitter to reach base over the final three innings.
NOTABLE RICKY COMES UP LARGE: Trailing 4-1 with one out in the top of the seventh, Vols’ junior shortstop Ricky Martinez came up with his biggest hit of the season, a screamer over the wall in left field to tie the game at four. It was the first home run of the season for Martinez. Jay Charleston went on to drive in the eventual game-winning run later in the inning.
FEELING RIGHT AT HOME IN GAINESVILLE: With Sunday’s victory, Tennessee secured its second straight series win in Gainesville after also taking two of three games from the Gators in 2017. The Vols have now won six road games in SEC play this season after winning just three last year.
UP NEXT: The Big Orange will finish their regular-season slate with four home games next week, starting with a Tuesday midweek matchup against Tennessee Tech. First pitch will be at 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed online via SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app. Fans can also listen live as John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action for the Vol Radio Network (FM 99.1/AM 990).
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 24 Tennessee held on for an 8-7 victory over Florida on Saturday at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium to even the series with the Gators and force a pivotal rubber game tomorrow afternoon.
Andre Lipcius was phenomenal at the plate, tying a career high with four hits while also driving in three runs and finishing a triple short of the cycle. Alerick Soularie had a big two-run homer in the fifth while Justin Ammons also drove in two runs on the day.
Camden Sewell recorded his first-career save, holding UF scoreless for the final two innings, while Garrett Crochet got the win to improve to 4-3 on the year.
For the second straight day, the Vols took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first. After UF starter Jack Leftwich struck out the first two batters of the game, Lipcius hit an absolute bomb over the bleachers in left field for his 14th homer of the year.
Sticking to yesterday’s script, the Gators answered in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one. Leadoff man Brady McConnell hit the first pitch he saw over the center-field fence to make it a 1-1 game. McConnell was one of five Florida players to finish the day with two hits, both of his being home runs.
Following a couple of scoreless innings for both teams, Florida made Crochet and the Vols pay for a hit batter and a walk to start the bottom of the fourth. Kendrick Calilao doubled to left center later in the inning to drive in both runs and give the Gators a 3-1 advantage.
The Big Orange responded with a big number in the top of the fifth to retake the lead. Ammons, Lipcius and Soularie all drove in runs as the Vols struck for five in the inning to take a 6-3 lead. Lipcius gave UT the lead with a two-run single, his third hit of the day, before Soularie hit a two-run bomb for his 11th home run of the year.
Ammons extended the Tennessee lead to four runs with his second RBI-single of the afternoon in the top of the sixth, but UF got right back in the game with a two-run blast off the bat of Will Dalton in the bottom of the inning to cut the UT lead to two.
The Vols went back up by three with a run in the top of the seventh when Ricky Martinez drove in a run with an infield single with the bases loaded. UT had a chance to add more runs, but Justin Alintoff struck out Landon Gray to end the inning and limit the damage to a single run.
Florida answered yet again in the bottom of the seventh with two runs to cut the deficit back to one. McConnell hit his second home run of the game to make it 8-6 before two singles and a double by Brady Smith made it a one-run game. The Vols were fortunate that Smith’s double didn’t tie the game as it seemed like Nelson Maldonado would score easily but tripped rounding third base. Lipcius made a fantastic defensive play to cut down Maldonado at home plate one batter later before Andrew Schultz struck out Calilao to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Florida had a pair of singles in the bottom of the ninth to get the tying run in scoring position, but Sewell got Calilao to fly out to left field to end the game.
NOTABLE VOLS SECURE SEC TOURNAMENT BERTH: With Saturday’s win and other results around the league, the Big Orange officially locked up a spot in this year’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. This year marks UT’s first trip to Hoover since 2016.
THE BIG 5-0: With three runs batted in on the day, Andre Lipcius passed the 50-RBI mark on the year. He is the first UT player to drive in 50-plus runs in a season since Nick Senzel (59), Vincent Jackson (57) and Jordan Rodgers (56) all did it in 2016.
SEC EAST RECORD: Saturday’s victory also secured a winning record for the Vols against the SEC Eastern Division for the first time since 2010 when they went 8-7. Tennessee enters tomorrow’s rubber game with an 8-6 record against fellow eastern division schools and finishes the year with a series against Ole Miss, who is in the western division.
UP NEXT: The Vols and Gator square off one more time in tomorrow afternoon’s rubber game, which is slated to begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed online via SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app. Fans can also listen live as John Wilkerson calls the action for the Vol Radio Network (FM 99.1/AM 990).
One-time Vols WR Preston Williams, undrafted rookie free agent out of Colorado State, is a part of the Miami Dolphins extended roster this off-season. He’s joined by another rookie who started his career at UT and ended it elsewhere, Dewayne Hendrix from Pitt.
The former prized 5-star signee at UT under Butch Jones, Williams, met with the media this afternoon (5/11/19.) Here’s that exchange followed by what Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said about Williams.
*WR Preston Williams*
(If you had gone to the Florida, Florida State or Miami out of high school. Which one would you have chosen and why?) – “I didn’t have an offer from Miami so probably Florida State.”
(You didn’t have an offer from Miami?) – “I didn’t.”
(Who was the coach at the time at FSU, Jimbo Fisher?) – “Yes, Jimbo.”
(I watched the Arkansas tape, you killed them. They are an SEC school. How did that bolster your confidence about how well you can play?) – “I always had confidence. I played at Tennessee too. So playing Arkansas, I had played them before. I already knew what to expect.”
(When we get the chance to watch you over the next few months, what are we going to see? What do you feel are your strengths on the field?) – “I’m just working. I’m trying to learn from everybody, so I can pick up a lot of stuff. A little bit of everything that I’m trying to perfect as a receiver.”
(At one point last year, Mel Kiper said that you had first-round talent. Why do you think you weren’t drafted?) – “Things happened in the past. I’m not complaining about it. I’m just moving forward. The past is behind me.”
(What was draft day like for you?) – “It was pretty good. My agent told me to expect anything on draft day, so I kept it real cool.”
(Address this opportunity that you have with the Miami Dolphins that they gave you. Although you were undrafted, you’re still here.) – “The coaches believed in me. They gave me an opportunity. I’m just here to work hard and show them what I can do.”
(Who was one of your favorite NFL receivers?) – “I like all receivers. I try to learn from everybody’s game.”
(Whose body type do you think you’re like? Is there somebody you tried to watch?) – “I used to watch Randy Moss growing up. I’m a big fan.”
(What did you think about QB Malik Rosier and some of the passes he was throwing to you this weekend?) – “He was pretty accurate. He’s a good quarterback. I like working with him. One of these days I’m going to try to throw after practice with him.”
(What’s something that you’ve learned from your off-field stuff that has made you a better person?) – “You have to be a professional on the field and off the field. I just try to stay clean and do what I’m supposed to do.”
(When the Dolphins asked you about what happened when you got in trouble – the shoving and restraining, and violation of the protection order – what did you tell them? How did you explain what happened?) – “I just told them the honest truth. I kept it real with them. At the end of the day, that’s all you can do.”
(Do you think that you would’ve been drafted if not for the off-field stuff?) – “Probably.”
(How realistic do you think it is to make this football team?) – “I don’t know. I’m just working every day and trying to do what everybody is telling me. It’s in the blue so I’m just working.”
(It’s only been two days but how do you think you did out on the field?) – “I feel like I’m progressing. I’m getting better every day.”
*Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores*
(WR Preston Williams from Colorado State, he looks the part but what strengths did you guys identify of his?) – “He’s a talented player. He’s got good size, good speed (and) he catches the ball well. (He’s been) smart in the one day that he’s been here. He’s got a long way to go like all of the rest of the rookies; but he’s off to a good start and we’ll see how he develops.”
-Miami Dolphins PR
There are currently (very fluid situation) 10 players that either started at UT and finished their college careers at another school or have local ties to the Knoxville area without playing at the University of Tennessee. That list is below.
They join the 38 VFLs in the NFL. Check back here next week after rookie minicamps are completed and again often for the latest list.
Knoxville Area Players/Finished College Elsewhere (10) x = rookie Dallas Cowboys
Randall Cobb (18) WR *Alcoa HS/Kentucky (2nd team WR)
Chris Jones (6) P *Carson-Newman (starting P/H)
Denver Broncos
Venzell Boulware (–) OL *Tennessee/Miami (4th team G/C)-x
Los Angeles Chargers
Daniel Helm (–) TE *Tennessee/Duke (6th team TE)-x
Miami Dolphins
Preston Williams (82) WR *Tennessee/Colorado State (3rd team WR)-x
Dewayne Hendrix (73) DE *Tennessee/Pittsburgh (3rd team DE)-x
Minnesota Vikings
Harrison Smith (22) S *Catholic HS/Notre Dame (starting FS)
Oakland Raiders
Nathan Peterman (2) QB *Tennessee/Pittsburgh (3rd team QB)
Philadelphia Eagles
Dorren Miller (84) WR *Carson-Newman (4th team WR)
San Francisco 49ers
Jalen Hurd (17) WR *Tennessee/Baylor (2nd team WR)
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