John Prine has the chance to go where few country artists have gone: the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
John is among the nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. Other nominees include Def Leppard, Devo, Janet Jackson, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, MC5, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Roxy Music, Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Todd Rundgren, Rufus & Chaka Khan and The Zombies.
Ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry. Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame also offer fans the opportunity to officially participate in the induction selection process. Beginning Oct. 9 and continuing through 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 9, fans can visit rockhall.com to cast votes for who they believe to be most deserving of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a fans’ ballot that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2019 inductees.
A two-time Grammy-winner, John is a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and a PEN New England Lyrics Award recipient whose debut album, John Prine, is recognized as part of the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame. John’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band and many others.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team jumps right back into SEC play this weekend following a productive bye week that featured a lot of work on fundamentals.
“We had a really good off week last week,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “We had a good opportunity to get back to a lot of fundamentals, which was good for a lot of our guys.
“I was thinking about it over the weekend, I think there’s probably 10 guys that have started for us at some point in time this season that weren’t here during the spring, and there’s probably another eight to 10 guys that play a lot that weren’t here. It was good to go back and get some fundamental work and go back to some foundations on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game.”
The Vols will face their second straight ranked opponent as they travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on No. 21/21 Auburn on Saturday at noon ET. The game will air live on the SEC Network.
Tennessee returns to practice on Monday afternoon at Haslam Field after getting three practices in last week ahead of the open date.
Auburn Connections
Pruitt was very complementary of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and the entire Tigers’ coaching staff during his press conference, referring to the staff as one of the best in the country.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he has done and the people on his staff,” Pruitt said. “They have one of the best coaching staffs in the country. They do a fantastic job. Every year that we have played them, it’s always been a battle. Hopefully, it will be the same way this year.”
Pruitt has faced Auburn every year of his coaching career and has a 6-2 record since becoming an assistant coach in 2010, including a 4-1 record as a defensive coordinator.
There are quite a few connections between the two coaching staffs this weekend. Tennessee has two assistants that played for the Tigers in defensive line coach Tracy Rocker (1985-88) and special teams coordinator/safeties coach Charles Kelly (1986-89), while Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is a 1979 UT graduate and a former assistant coach for the Vols.
Rocker was one of the greatest defensive players in Auburn history, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in addition to winning the Outland and Lombardi Trophies as a senior in 1988. The Atlanta native also spent time as the Tigers’ defensive line coach from 2009-10. Kelly played defensive back under former Tigers’ coach Pat Dye. His senior class put together a four-year record of 39-7-2 while participating in four bowl games.
UT co-defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer coached alongside Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey at Hoover High School in 2007, and both head coaches in this weekend’s contest were prominent high school coaches before making the jump to the collegiate coaching ranks.
Game Time and Broadcast info for Tennessee-Alabama Set
Tennessee and Alabama’s annual rivalry game on The Third Saturday in October will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET and be televised nationally as the SEC on CBS Game of the Week on Oct. 20 at Neyland Stadium.
Tickets are still available for the game at AllVols.com or by calling 1-800-332-VOLS.
Fans Are Reminded to go ALL IN Against Alzheimer’s Disease against Alabama
Vol fans can go ALL IN to boost Alzheimer’s research at The Pat Summitt Clinic at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. Tennessee Athletics and the Vol Network are joining forces with the medical center and asking fans to join them in ALL IN, a program where everyone with the Volunteer spirit can help tackle major diseases that impact Tennesseans.
The inaugural effort is ALL IN Against Alzheimer’s and will benefit the Alzheimer’s Research Initiative, a fundraising endeavor to increase research capabilities by the medical center’s team at The Pat Summitt Clinic. Fans can pick up an official ALL IN shaker for just $5 at several retailers throughout the state of Tennessee, including: Pilot, Food City, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Kubota, Kroger, Long’s Drug Store, Orange Mountain Designs, Alumni Hall, HoundDogs, the gift shop at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the Vol Shop (and Tennessee Team Shops inside Neyland Stadium), and VolWallArt.com.
Every shaker purchase includes a free 20-ounce fountain drink at any home football game this season at Neyland Stadium. ALL IN Against Alzheimer’s culminates at the home game against Alabama game on Saturday, Oct. 20, with the goal of every fan having a shaker and joining together to shake down Alzheimer’s disease.
Player Quotes form Monday Media Availability
Sophomore OL Trey Smith
On what the team did during the bye week:
“We focused on the basic fundamentals. We just want to improve everything this week, get a lot more physical, and get better as a team.”
On his leadership role on the team:
“I think I need to do a better job in aspect of how I lead, but I also believe I need to do better on the field before I tell people what to do.”
On the offensive line’s improvements:
“I think our physicality has improved, also executing our assignments. We have had a lot better execution than we usually do.”
Senior DB Micah Abernathy
On the younger players getting playing time and their performances:
“They’re doing well. Our other nickels are Baylen Buchanan and Shawn Shamburger. They’re both doing a very good job and the fact that we can move people around just shows the depth of our defensive backfield.”
On the improvements the defense has made since the first game:
“Obviously we need to get better since the West Virginia game, but I do think we have improved individually and as a unit. I think we’re playing a lot faster. People are grasping the defense a lot more, knowing where your help is and understanding the defense.”
On the coverage sacks the defense recorded against Georgia:
“A coverage sack, you don’t really get the notoriety like it’s your sack, but the big guys know it, so we just help them out. It’s helping the whole team.”
Opening Statement:
“We had a really good off week last week. We had an good opportunity to get back to a lot of fundamentals which was good for a lot of our guys. I was thinking about it over the weekend, I think there’s probably ten guys that have started for us at some point in time this season that weren’t here during the spring and there’s probably another 8 to 10 guys that play a lot that weren’t here. It was good to go back and get some fundamental work and go back to some foundations on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game.
“Unfortunately, we did lose a player for a few weeks. Trevon Flowers dove to intercept the ball the other day and broke his collar bone, but he’s had surgery and he’ll be back in a few weeks. It’s unfortunate for him because he really had improved in the last two or three weeks and had a great off week this past week, so we’ll be without him moving forward.
“We’ve got a tremendous challenge this week going to Auburn. Auburn is a very difficult place to play, and they’ve got a very good football team, very good on defense. I think they’re one of the top defense teams in the country. They’re really big up front, have a really good front seven, play man-to-man in the back end a whole lot, can do that, deny the ball, lots of pressure on the quarterback, and they can do it with just their front four. Offensively, Gus [Malzahn] has always done a really good job running the football, making you play from sideline to sideline, creating explosive plays and the run and pass game giving you a bunch of different looks. They play really fast, have an experienced quarterback, have good wide receivers, Chandler Cox seems like he’s been playing forever, and have a couple running backs that are big and physical. It’ll be a tremendous challenge for us. And their kicking game, they’ve got good specialists. I think they returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown. They’ve blocked three kicks this year. They’ve got a lot of runners and strikers on their special teams and they’ve got good guys returning it in the back end. It will definitely be a huge challenge for us, but our guys are looking forward to it. I know I’m excited to get back out on the field and get a chance to prepare for somebody. Just trying to talk to our guys, they don’t have any history of playing Auburn and I think especially on the defensive side, there’s a lot of awareness that you need. We’ve got to do a good job of getting these guys prepared for this week.”
On if Todd Kelly Jr. will be factored into game plan now that Trevon Flowers is out:
“Todd is continuing to work to get back. He played a little bit on special teams last week. He did get a chance to participate in the off week, so he’s taking baby steps which is a credit to him because he had a severe injury and had to work hard to come back from it. It would’ve been easy for him to say, ‘I’m just going to move on, I’m going to be done with football’, but he’s came back and he’s worked extremely hard and he’s getting a little bit better each week.”
On any noticeable differences between Auburn film this year vs. last year:
“They had to replace some guys up front. If you look last week in the ball game, there’s a touchdown that they’re this far away from it being a touchdown, had several opportunities. I’ve played against this guy before. This guy’s got great arm talent. He has understanding of what he does, what they want him to do offensively. He’s got good guys around him. He can make all the throws. He can hurt you with his feet. I think he’s a tremendous quarterback and it definitely will be a huge challenge for us.”
On if there is anything he can do to help the offensive line:
“If you look at what we’re trying to do, we’ve got a lot of new guys, some of them are playing new positions. They’re playing together. Five weeks now, they’ve been together, so you can leave tight tends in to protect. You can try to check in the run game to make sure that you’re running to the right looks. To me, the big thing is that you’ve got to get the guys to play hard. You’ve got to get them to know what to do. You’ve got to get them to play with the right technique, the right body angles and learn to finish and you just have to do what they know. Don’t ask them to do things they can’t do.”
On Jarrett Guarantano’s performance and what he’s liked and seen the most improvement on:
“Jarett is just like everybody else on our football team. He’s had bright spots just like a lot of guys. I think we’re looking for consistency with all of our players. If you look at this past weekend, the teams that had success—I’m sitting there flipping the channels, just watching different teams play—folks that have experience and can do it over and over again the right way seem to have success. That’s what we’re looking for with all of our players.”
On his thoughts about playing a nine-game SEC schedule:
“I have a lot more things that I need to be working on than trying to figure out how the SEC should schedule. I am just going to try and work on the things that I can control, which are here at Tennessee.”
On areas the team improved during the bye week:
“We worked really hard on tackling. We worked really hard on the fundamentals of blocking and block protection. We went back to the ‘A, B, C’s’ that you do during spring ball and fall camp, which we need. We had a lot of guys who didn’t get to do that during camp. We have guys that are inexperienced, and we have guys that have experience but maybe aren’t doing it at the highest level. It’s good for everybody. It’s good competition. The only way I know how to get better at something is to go do it, and that is what we did this past week.”
On defending Auburn’s offense:
“You need to keep your edges. These guys do a really good job of running the football. They create a lot of explosive plays out on the perimeter, so you have to have good edges to make them block you to begin with. I think you have to eliminate explosive plays in the pass game. You need to get them in third-and-long yardage. If you don’t, their run-pass options are really tough to defend. Last year, converting third downs was probably the difference in the ball game when I coached against them. We have to get off the field on third down. You need to hold them to field goals in the red area. You have to find ways to get some turnovers. All the things I just said probably (apply to) every week. Against these guys, it’s going to be important.”
On Baylen Buchanan playing the Nickel and Star positions:
“We are trying to find ways to get our best players on the field. Baylen is a guy that can play corner and play inside ability wise. He has played a little bit of Money on third downs. He is a guy that gets it from a mental standpoint. He has a good understanding. He needs to improve his tackling. He has to be a better blitzer and be more physical. If you are going to play there, there will be a lot more action. He is plenty capable of doing it, but he will have to raise his level of play if we are going to keep him in there.”
On needing the defensive line getting pressure against Auburn on third downs:
“Gus [Malzahn] has always given you multiple personnels, but they do a great job of making you play from sideline to sideline. They play really fast on offense. They are very multiple. You have to recognize formations and where guys are at. To me, his teams have always gotten better as the season has gone along. Most of the time, we have coached against him at the very end. They are really dangerous when they get going. To me, they have been right there at it every game. You can watch all the games. There is always just a play or two there that they have just barely missed on to get them going. We have to do a good job of slowing them down on first down. We have to keep our edges and tackle better. They have big strong running backs and players. Their rocket sweep guys are tough to get on the ground. We have to keep them cut off in the back end to make them earn it.”
On the depth of the secondary right now:
“Trevon [Flowers] played pretty much the whole part of the last half of the Georgia game. He made a nice pick when we jumped offsides. He had really improved in the last several weeks. We have guys who have played multiple positions, so it will probably be the same guys who were playing before Trevon started playing. We will see how it goes this week.”
On how his expectations of the team have changed since Week 1:
“If you look on both sides of the ball and on the kicking game, there have been some bright spots through the first five weeks. There have also been lots of inconsistencies. I really couldn’t say one spot is further along than I thought it would be or one spot is further behind. If you look at the whole part, our entire team needs to improve on execution and being consistent in everything we do.”
On respecting Gus Malzahn more since he also started in the high school coaching ranks:
“I have several good friends on Auburn’s staff. They are guys that I have worked with before or went to school with. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he has done and the people on his staff. They have one of the best coaching staffs in the country. They do a fantastic job. Every year that we have played them, it’s always been a battle. Hopefully, it will be the same way this year.”
On rotating guys at the inside linebacker position:
“I think we have four guys that can execute what we’re trying to get done. I think all four of them will tell you that they’ve not played their best game yet. They’re working hard to improve. We’ve got good competition. That’s important. I’ve said it lots of times. One of my favorite rooms is that running back room. Well, we have competition in there every single day. It makes those guys better and we need that on all areas of our football team.”
On the Mississippi State’s success running the ball against Auburn:
“They were wiling to run their quarterback, I think 25 times in the game. I don’t know how many times he ran it, but every time I flipped on the channel he was running with the ball. It was basically Wildcat. That’s a tough offense to defend because you’ve got a quarterback who can run the football but also throw it at the same time. It’s tough to defend. It’s tough in this league to do that. Sometimes you kind of get a game like that last week and the quarterback runs it that many times, it makes it tough to stop. I can tell you this, that quarterback’s really sore today and this league you do that over and over and over again, you better have another one.”
On the challenges of an 11 a.m. local kickoff:
“I like 11 a.m. kickoffs, especially on the road. We’ll be home by 7:30 that night. Sitting around all day as opposed to a 7 o’clock, I like 11 o’clock myself.”
On Auburn’s front four on defense:
“You’re talking about the front four? They’ve got Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson, 95 (Dontavius Russell)—I’m sorry, I forgot his name. I know he’s 95, makes a bunch of plays and he’s been playing there for about 10 years—you know, Nick Coe. They’ve got guys—They rotate guys in and out. They’re deep up front and they have really good linebackers too. Those linebackers—I know a lot of these guys just because of recruiting and things like that—really good competitors. The guys play it the right way and I can guarantee you they’ll be ready to play this week.”
On Tracy Rocker and Charles Kelly having played at Auburn:
“I’m sure Rock and Charles have a lot of pride in the school that they went to. I’ve actually coached with both of them against Auburn. I think they pull for Auburn every day except the day that they play us. I know that they have a lot of pride in their school and you hear them talk about it a lot. You hear them talk about the people they played for, they played with. I know they’re excited to go back and play. I’m sure there will be a lot of folks there that they know.”
On where Trey Smith is right now:
“Somebody asked me about JJ Peterson the other day, where he was at. You think about him and Trey, JJ’s been here, I guess this is the fifth week so that would probably for a normal freshman be like July, the second week in July. And then you talk about Trey. Trey was here but he didn’t get to participate so he started basically two weeks before JJ. Trey’s played one year of football. I said it when he came back, we shouldn’t put unrealistic expectations on him and I think this off week was good for him. He needs to gain confidence. I think if you look back last year he played a lot of different spots on the offensive line. We’ve kind of put him at one spot to leave him there, let him get good at, gain confidence. I think he will do that over the rest of the season. I think if you talk to Trey, he’ll be another guy to tell you that he’s not played his best game yet, but he’s working hard to do that.”
Faith Hill will put her music expertise to use as a judge on the upcoming TV talent competition, The World’s Best, which will premiere on CBS in 2019.
Faith will be joined by fellow judges RuPaul Charles and Drew Barrymore, while James Corden will serve as host and co-executive producer of the 10-episode series.
According to a press release, The World’s Best is “a first-of-its-kind global talent competition that features acts from every genre imaginable, from every corner of the planet. They not only have to impress the American judges, but will also need to impress the ‘wall of the world,’ featuring 50 experts from around the world and every field of entertainment to advance through the competition. Only one act will ultimately be crowned The World’s Best.”
Over her 25-plus-year career, Faith has become one of the top-selling country artists of all-time, earning five Grammy Awards, 12 ACM Awards and three CMA Awards. Currently, Faith is the executive producer of daytime talk show, Pickler & Ben
Single-game tickets for Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball home games go on sale Tuesday. With both squads expected to enter the year as top-10 teams and several exciting promotions planned, it’s sure to be a fun-filled season at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Though we’re only one week into the month of October, multiple games are less than 1,000 tickets away from being sellouts at UT’s 21,678-seat riverfront venue.
Single-game tickets will be available for purchase on Tennessee’s ticketing website AllVols.com. Pricing varies by game and seating location, with affordable ticket options in the 100-level (lower bowl) ranging from $5 to $30 per ticket.
Fans interested in bringing a group or team to Thompson-Boling Arena to cheer on the Big Orange are encouraged to call 865-974-7000 to inquire about discounted group ticket pricing, available for groups of 15 or more.
TICKET PACKAGES
Tennessee sold out of the popular Vol Pass ticket option for men’s games last week, but the Lady Vols Pass remains available and is entering its third season as a fan-favorite. The season-ticket alternative offers a ticket to every regular-season home game for just $99—less than $6 per game. Prior to each game, fans are reminded via email to select their seat from the best available inventory, including 100-level seating. Additionally, fans can easily add extra tickets next to their seating location, if available, for any game.
The Double-Double Deal is a two-game ticket and concessions bundle designed to offer Lady Vol fans and families a great view and a great value. The package includes two 100-level tickets and $8 meal vouchers for each game. The bundle, priced at just $45, provides fans a savings of up to $20. The Double-Double Deal is available for marquee matchups between the Lady Vols and Stanford, Notre Dame, LSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Missouri.
The customizable Voliday Package offers Big Orange fans the option to select any three games—men’s or women’s—between Dec. 18-30. The $50 package also includes a voucher to enjoy a future game free of charge, excluding SEC matchups on Saturdays, and comes with an exclusive holiday t-shirt.
500th GAME AT THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA
Tennessee’s contest vs. Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 28, will be the men’s basketball program’s 500th game at Thompson-Boling Arena. To celebrate that milestone, 500 tickets for that game will be sold for only $5, beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
WE BACK PAT
This year’s “We Back Pat” contest takes place Jan. 21 when Arkansas comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for a 7 p.m. ET tipoff. Join us in support of the Southeastern Conference’s “We Back Pat” week-long initiative.
LIVE PINK, BLEED ORANGE
Tennessee’s annual “Live Pink, Bleed Orange” game is Jan. 27 when LSU visits Knoxville for a 1 p.m. ET showdown. This event helps educate the public and increase awareness in the fight against breast cancer.
FREE TICKET INITIATIVES
Multiple opportunities exist for Tennessee basketball fans to attend a game free of charge this season.
Anyone who attends Tennessee’s preseason Rocky Top Tipoff event on Oct. 19 will receive a voucher for a free ticket to the men’s regular-season opener vs. Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday, Nov. 6 or the women’s opener against Presbyterian on Sunday, Nov. 11.
As a part of Tennessee Athletics’ Salute to Service Weekend, current military members and veterans may present a Military ID or DD 214 at the gates upon entry to Thompson-Boling Arena for complimentary admission for themselves and an immediate family to the men’s game against Louisiana on Friday, Nov. 9 or the women’s home-opener against Presbyterian on Sunday, Nov. 11.
In support of local teachers and education, fans may donate two new school supply items and receive one complimentary admission on Tuesday, Nov. 6 when the Vols face Lenoir-Rhyne or on Sunday, Nov. 18, when the Lady Vols host Florida A&M. All supplies collected benefit the Knox County School Supply depot.
New this season and in conjunction with Knox County Schools’ winter break, kids 12 and younger can celebrate school being out with complimentary admission on Friday, Dec. 21, for the Lady Vols game against ETSU.
The final free-admission opportunities of the season fall on Dec. 29 for the men’s game against Tennessee Tech and Dec. 30 for the Lady Vols game vs. Belmont. Fans can donate two non-perishable food items and receive one complimentary admission to either game. The Hoops for Hunger initiative supports the Second Harvest Food Bank feeding East Tennessee families in need.
The most up-to-date information on this season’s initiatives and game promotions is available at: UTsports.com/FanExperience
FOR THE KIDS
A new Kids Combo Meal is available at concession stands inside Thompson-Boling Arena for both men’s and women’s games this season. Priced at just $6, little Big Orange fans age 12 and younger can enjoy a kid-sized drink, a corn dog and bag of chips.
And for all Sunday women’s home games, young Lady Vols fans are invited to stop by the Kids Corner, located on the concourse at Gate F. Activities are free for all kids and include face painting, the Big Orange Prize Wheel, visits from Smokey and cheerleaders, arts and crafts and more.
At the conclusion of Sunday Lady Vols games, all kids 12 and younger also are invited down onto the court to take a post-game layup shot.
FREE PARKING AND SHUTTLE SERVICE
For all basketball games, Tennessee Athletics provides free parking on the Ag Campus off Neyland Drive with free shuttle service to and from Thompson-Boling Arena. The shuttle begins two hours prior to tip-off and runs one hour post-game. Shuttle pickup on the Ag Campus is off of Joe Johnson Drive. All shuttles are fully accessible for those with disabilities.
ARENA ENTRY REMINDER FOR GUESTS
To enhance patron safety, walk-through metal detectors are now in place and operational at all Thompson-Boling Arena entrances.
Tennessee’s Clear Bag Policy is still in place, and all bags will be checked before entrants pass through the metal detectors. There will be signage and staff to help direct fans through the process at each entry point.
Please be advised that this new security measure may add time to the process of entering the arena, so fans are encouraged to allow additional time for entry. Patrons also are encouraged to bring only necessary items with them in order to ensure a smooth and timely arena entry.
It’s official. Russell Dickerson isn’t a one-hit wonder.
After topping the charts earlier this year with “Yours,” the Tennessee native has scored his second No. 1 hit with “Blue Tacoma,” which topped both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart this week. Russell co-penned the tune with Casey Brown and Parker Welling.
“‘Blue Tacoma’ has been such a crazy fun ride,” says Russell. “It has been amazing to see it catch fire and go all the way to the top. And not only a number one single but now an RIAA-certified gold single as well. Now having two number ones in a single year is a dream come true for me. I’m so thankful for all my country radio family and my fans—aka the RD Fam—for such a huge year.”
After spending the summer on the road with Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker on their co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour, Russell will open for Darius during his European tour dates through October.
The guys from Old Dominion—Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Geoff Sprung, Brad Tursi and Whit Sellers—are following up their fifth No. 1 single, “Hotel Key,” with the release of “Make It Sweet.”
The new track is the lead single from Old Dominion’s upcoming third studio album.
“We walked into the studio one day without discussing what we wanted the next step for our band to be,” says Matthew Ramsey. “The plan was to write a song and record it on that same day. What happened was something we could never have planned. The words fell out and the next thing we knew, we had recorded ‘Make It Sweet.’ It’s raw, natural and 100 percent us. We are so proud and grateful to have the opportunity to share such a meaningful moment for our band with the world.”
The boys will perform “Make It Sweet” for the very first time on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Oct. 16. You can watch Old Dominion’s new video for “Make It Sweet” below.
In addition, the band will embark on the Make It Sweet Tour in 2019. Kicking off on Jan. 18 in Chicago, the 20-plus-date tour will features support from Jordan Davis, Morgan Evans, and Mitchell Tenpenny on select dates.
Make It Sweet Tour
Jan. 18 | Chicago, Illinois | Allstate Arena ^+
Jan. 19 | Bloomington, IL | Grossinger Motors Arena ^+
Jan. 24 | Bemidji, MN | Sanford Center^+
Jan. 25 | Brookings, SD | Swiftel Center^+
Jan. 30 | Scottsdale, AZ | Coors Light Birds Nest
Feb. 2 | Durant, OK | Choctaw Grand Theater^+
Feb. 7 | Lowell, MA | Tsongas Center^+
Feb. 8 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Arena^+
Feb. 9 | Washington, DC | The Anthem^+
Feb. 14 | Windsor, ON | Caesars Windsor^
Feb. 15 | Cedar Rapids, IA | U.S. Cellular Center^+
Feb. 16 | Ft. Wayne, IN |Memorial Coliseum^+
Feb. 27 | Athens, GA | Akins Ford Arena*
Feb. 28 | Asheville, NC | U.S. Cellular Center^*
March 1 | North Charleston, SC | North Charleston Coliseum^*
March 7 | Pensacola, FL | Pensacola Bay Center^*
March 8 | Tallahassee, FL | Donald L Tucker Center^*
Jessie James Decker has been making the media rounds—including stops in Nashville and L.A.—in support of her new book, Just Jessie: My Guide to Love, Life, Family, and Food.
The new book, which is Jessie’s first, hopes to “inspire and empower women to follow their dreams, as they learn how Jessie made hers a reality. The book offers family recipes, fashion tips, pregnancy advice, health and beauty tutorials, dating advice and more.”
“When I was younger, it was easier to stay in shape,” says Jessie. “But once I had children, everything changed. That’s why I started focusing more on diet and exercise.”
Jessie, 30, and husband Eric Decker have three children, the most recent of which was born in March.
Jessie’s 2017 album, Southern Girl City Lights, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Blake Shelton turned up the heat at the iconic Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles to record a new acoustic video for his current single, “Turnin’ Me On.” Henson Recording Studios was originally founded by Charlie Chaplin in 1917 and has played host to a number of artists, including John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Kiss, U2 and many more.
“Turin’ Me On” is the third single from Blake’s 2017 album, Texoma Shore, following No. 1 hits “I’ll Name the Dogs” and “I Lived It.” “Turnin’ Me On” is currently No. 19 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after 11 weeks.
Blake penned the tune with Josh Osborne and Jessie Alexander, who provides vocals during the clip.
“We’re sitting on my bus one day early in 2017 and I think I was in Baton Rouge,” said Blake. “I was up there alone and I had my guitar, started playing a little melody that I was hearing in my head and next thing you know I started writing a song. I wrote a verse, then I wrote a chorus, then I realized it was going somewhere and I felt good about it. Like I always [have] in the last couple of years, I called up my friend Jessi Alexander and said, ‘Man, I think I’m onto something and I need somebody way better than me to try to bring this thing home.’ She and I and Josh Osborne ended up writing this song, I’m super proud of it—and it’s not hard to figure out who this song is about.”
Blake, of course, is referencing his girlfriend Gwen Stefani. In the new tune, Blake croons “And when my body’s beside hers / There ain’t no turning back / She’s Revlon red in the blackest night / Lighting up the room in the world just like she’s turnin’ me on.”
Gwen has been a longtime spokesperson for Revlon cosmetics.
Last season, the Tennessee basketball team was projected to finish 13th in the SEC. The Vols were tied as the fifth-youngest team in the nation, and “experts” didn’t expect much from UT’s inexperienced roster. Despite that lack of recognition in the preseason, the Vols exceeded all expectations and achieved an overall record of 26-9 while winning a share of the SEC regular-season championship.
Now, the Vols are starting the 2018-19 season with one of the most experienced rosters in all of college basketball. All five starters return, as does nearly every major contributor from last year’s squad.
The reigning SEC Champions have the chance to make history by earning their highest preseason ranking ever in the AP poll. While some teams might revel in such accomplishments, head coach Rick Barnes said the Vols know they must now hit the reset button.
“The question will be, ‘Can we improve as much each day as we did a year ago?’ That’s really our whole process that we talk about here,” Barnes said. “Can we get better today?”
During the team’s annual Media Day Thursday, Barnes emphasized that adding depth to an already talented roster is a major priority for this team.
“Up to this point, it has been competitive, and that’s what we want,” Barnes said. “What we really wanted to do was get as many reps throughout the summer leading into this fall for Kyle Alexander, Derrick Walker, John Fulkerson and Zach Kent.”
When asked about Barnes’ approach, Alexander said, “He’s not letting anyone hide this year. Everyone has a role that they play, and he’s making sure they play (that role).”
Alexander had 57 offensive rebounds as a junior last season, the fourth-most ever in a season by a Volunteer. He also ranked sixth in the SEC in offensive rebounds per game. Entering his senior campaign, Alexander said the team knows its goals.
“We’re not going to get complacent because we know what our goal is, and we know what we still want to accomplish,” he said.
A projected top-10 team nationally, Tennessee likely will enter the season ranked for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign. While rankings sometimes affect a team’s approach, junior point guard Jordan Bone said rankings don’t matter to this group.
“We’re going to stay consistent with what we do, and I feel like everything else will take care of itself,” Bone said.
As Tennessee looks to win back-to-back SEC titles for the first time in program history, the team’s bond is closer than ever.
“We’re like brothers, and we all care for each other,” Bone said. “When it comes to the court, we make plays for each other. It’s just amazing to have a group of guys that look out for you.”
Barnes said Thursday he is happy for the team because he knows the work each player has invested, but he knows that fan excitement and media buzz will not win championships.
“It’s going to continue to take hard work. It’s going to take commitment. It’s going to take focus,” said Barnes.
“We’re ranked. We’re good. Let’s go and see what we’ve got.”
![Old Dominion Announces Headlining Tour and Drops New Single, “Make It Sweet” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/10/08130016/Old-Dominion-JS.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
Make It Sweet Tour
