Cole Swindell’s third album, All of It, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Cole’s new album moved 50,000 equivalent units, according to Nielsen Music, which was good enough for No.7 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
“I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to record and release even one album,” said Cole. “But to be at this point in my career of releasing my third album is just humbling. There are a lot of great people on my team who help make this happen. Most importantly in a business that is really all about the ‘song’ I am honored and thankful for all the incredible songwriters who have trusted me with their songs. And my fans, what can I say? They always show up and prove I have the best fans in the world. So many of them have been with me from day one and without them none of this would be happening for me. With the best songs and the best fans how could I not be grateful for this number one album. Thank you!”
All of It marks Cole’s first effort at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, following two previous No. 2 albums, Cole Swindell (2014) and You Should Be Here (2016).
A number of country stars shared their condolences and remembrances of John McCain after news broke the war hero and longtime senator passed away on Aug. 25 after battling cancer.
Below, read comments via social media from Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Oak Ridge Boys, Sara Evans, Brothers Osborne and more.
A true American Hero and patriot. We may not have agreed on everything but he’s a better man than I could hope to be. Such a needed voice right now. His voice still rings. #JohnMcCainpic.twitter.com/ar5FnhUr4e
The Oak Ridge Boys are sorry for the loss of Senator McCain… He was always so very gracious to us whenever our paths have crossed. He seemed to always have a joke for us! We will remember him as a leader who spoke his mind and we will remember him for his service to America RIP
John McCain // “The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it…I hate to leave it. But I don’t have a complaint. Not one. It’s been quite a ride.… https://t.co/87wR9AufJ3
Sad to hear my friend Senator John McCain passed away. He and I spent many weeks together during his campaign, and I had the honor of getting to know him on a personal level. His service to our country was monumental. It was an honor to be his friend. #RIPJohnMcCain@MeghanMcCain
We lost a TRUE American hero. He dedicated his entire life to this country. Thank you for your unwavering service sir. #JohnMcCainpic.twitter.com/7Je34zkKMg
America will forever be in gratitude and generations inspired by the life long dedicated service of John McCain. Comfort and prayers go out for the McCain family. pic.twitter.com/WYrqQZ9kZ8
Stayed off the news all weekend to celebrate my birthday with friends and family. Caught up on world events this mornin’. Tragic #FloridaShootings and America lost a true hero, the honorable #JohnMcCain. #RIP the true definition of #SomeGaveAll.
As fellow Marylanders who grew up 30 minutes from the U.S. Naval Academy, it’s an honor to have this man grace our beautiful home state. Rest well on the Severn River @SenJohnMcCain. https://t.co/BpAZOQhJXm
Opening statement:
“I am sure you guys are probably like us and ready for it to be game week. Talking about it last night, I can think back to my earliest memories of being with a football program when my dad was a high school coach. I was just a manager on the team, but I can remember the excitement and anxiety of the first week of the season. You work so hard in January and February all the way through spring training and summer conditioning. Then it’s game week, and you do all that for one guaranteed opportunity. As a coaching staff, everybody in our program is excited, and I am sure people are all over the country.
“West Virginia is a very talented team. If you start offensively, you have to start with the quarterback position. (Will Grier) is very talented. He can make all the throws, beat you with his feet and extend plays. He’s a runner. He’s tough. He has experience. They are big up front with some guys that have several starts under their belts. You look at the wide receivers. They have two guys who probably caught over 150 balls last year alone. One of them had 18 touchdowns in the red area. These guys go get the ball and have really good ball skills. They’re instinctive as players and compete for balls in the air. You have to be able to play the ball in the back end. They are also committed to running the football. It’s unknown about who will be playing tight end, but we will see once we get there. They have guys on the roster who are talented. Defensively, we will have our hands full trying to slow these guys down.
“Defensively for them, they are very multiple. They will give you different looks. They have six returning starters back. They create a lot of negative plays and have been opportunistic in terms of getting turnovers. We have to be able to take care of the football, stay in positive down-and-distances and be able to execute and block the different looks that they give you up front.
“In the kicking game, they have really good skilled players with a great return ability. They’re very aggressive. They have some returners back when it comes to their kickers. We will definitely have a big challenge this week. Our team is excited about getting an opportunity to play. That’s why you do it. Everywhere all over the country, nobody has anything against them. Everyone has the same record. There is lots of excitement. It’s good for college football. We will be fired up and ready to compete and play.”
On the differences between the SAM and JACK linebacker positions:|
“They’re really the same position. If you looked at it, you would like to recruit two guys that are basically interchangeable. You can play them SAM and JACK, left and right or field and boundary. If you have one guy that is a better rusher, then you let him be the rusher and the other guy will be the dropper. For us, they will probably be the same guy.”
On Jahmir Johnson’s progression during camp:
“He wasn’t here during spring. He got here during the summer, but we aren’t allowed to be out there during the summer. We get to fall camp and he missed the first six to eight practices. We were moving him back and forth from different positions. For the last two weeks, he has been out there every single day. He can really play all five spots on the offensive line. He’s learning the system and our expectations of how to practice and how we want things done. He does have some good upside about him. He’s a good competitor.”
On putting pressure on Will Grier:
“Talking about pressure, the quarterback – with the way they play – there is a lot of pressure on him, which a lot of people do now with everyone spread out and you have RPOs, whether you’re running zone reads or power lines. So he has to do a lot, but I think the guy does a fantastic job. He’s got a lot of experience, which helps him. As far as putting pressure on him, there are a lot of different ways to affect the quarterback. It could be by pressure disguises. It could be getting your hands up and staying in pass rush lanes or pushing the pocket up the middle. I think you have to pick and choose you spots. Anytime you bring pressure, it puts pressure on the back end in the secondary. As I have said all along, the defensive backs place the limitations on your defense.”
On the new kickoff rules:
“I can see why they implemented the rule. They are probably trying to eliminate some of the kickoff returns. I think there is a philosophical thought about how exactly you want to go about kickoff returns, but I don’t know that I want to share exactly what ours is right now.”
On coming from a championship program:
“I could talk about a lot of things. When it comes to game week, the most important thing is to do what your players can do. Don’t ask them to do something they’re not capable of doing. It doesn’t matter what we know as coaches, it’s important what the players know. If you can go out there and you knew nobody would make a mistake on either side of the ball or in the kicking game and that nobody would make a mental mistake, then you would definitely have an advantage. I think it is going to be important for us to do things that our kids can execute.”
On the starting quarterback position:
“With all the positions that we have, we still have competition. The best teams that I have ever been a part of, there’s lots of times that guys may start the first game, but don’t start the fifth game or the eighth game. There’s been lots of guys that didn’t even play in the first game that might have been the MVP in the last game. Football is a developmental game. You have guys that have been in the program longer than others, that have a little better understanding of what we are trying to get done. You have guys who may have more ability that don’t understand just yet. It happens everywhere, and as they get more opportunities, they might get a chance, and when they get a chance, they have to make the most of it. With every position, it’s really fluid.”
On evaluating the punters:
“I think both of our punters have done a really good job this fall camp. They get the ball off really fast, and they’ve been pretty accurate and consistent on what we’re trying to get done. It’s really good competition, and it has made both of them better. I think we’ll probably make a decision on that later on in the week. I could see both of these guys kicking for us this fall.”
On the players on the roster that faced Florida and Will Grier in 2015 and if that gives them an advantage against West Virginia:
“I don’t think anybody would have an advantage, whether it is him or the guys that have been here. That was a long time ago and a lot has changed since then.”
On who he feels comfortable with returning kicks and punts:
“We worked several guys back there, trying to create some depth. You have guys who have experience doing it in a college game, and you have guys who don’t. The only way to do that is you have to put them out there. We have guys back there, and I think as this week goes, we’ll have it narrowed down by Thursday or Friday.”
On having 11 newcomers or true freshman on the two-deep depth chart:
“I don’t know if we could have predicted exactly how it turned out, and moving forward, we can’t predict how these guys will play Saturday. All we can do is go based off how they have performed since they have been here. We have lots of competition at every position, which is good. It’s making us improve and making guys prepare every day. Learning to compete, and they know if they’re not playing at their best then somebody else is trying to (compete for their spot). I think it has improved our football team just because the competition.”
On Trey Smith’s versatility and the decision to play him at left tackle:
“We’ve got several guys that are competing up front. When you are looking at everybody, you want to get an idea of exactly what is your best five. We are still working on that. We’ve got lots of guys that are running with the (starters). We have different combinations, which is important because you need depth. We’ll play a lot of guys in the game. We feel like there are guys who deserve to play. We’ll see how the game goes, but I think he is a guy that is a pretty good pass protector, has good size and is a solid run blocker. To me, if you want to play who think might be your best pass protector, it would be at the left tackle.”
On emotions from being a head coach:
“My emotions are probably the same way before I tee off on the golf course. If you’re going to play, you’re going to win. That’s why we do what we do. I’m excited to have an opportunity to see what our team is going to be like because it really doesn’t matter what has been done in the past anywhere. You hit the reset button each year, and what you have put on the field as a coach is really who you are right now. This is a really great challenge for us, our staff and everybody associated with our program. We are really looking forward to it.”
On having success this year:
“I think we have to take care of the football. If you look at all the Power Five games last year, probably the two most important stats are turnovers and explosive plays. If you take that into account, offensively, you need to find a way to create explosive plays, and you need to find a way to take care of the football. Defensively, you need to eliminate explosive plays and get turnovers.”
On Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor:
“I think our guys guard pretty good receivers everyday. I think these guys are competitive, but they are still learning the position. They do not have a whole lot of experience playing the position, but all across the country this week there will be guys playing something for the first time in college football. To me, I look at it as an opportunity, that’s why they came to the University of Tennessee. They want to play in big games like this. They want to play on the biggest stage, and if you are made the right way, that’s what they want to do, and they will be ready for it.”
On confidence level of offensive line since early August:
“Compared to August 2nd, it’s got to be a lot better because we have practiced 24 times. We have improved, which we should. We have got some guys back, by getting Chance Hall back, by getting Trey Smith back, guys getting healthy. This has created competition on the offensive line. It has allowed us to move some guys around to create some depth. I will say they are working extremely hard to master their position. We are a lot better than we were the first day that’s for sure.”
On options at safety:
“You all must have more knowledge than I’ve got, because I know who practices out there everyday, and you all seem to think you know more than I do. We have a bunch of guys playing safety. I don’t know who will be back there, we will have to see how they practice this week.”
On mental toughness:
“I think it is any team that you play. If you’re going to play football there better be some mental toughness. Things are not going to go your way all the time, it’s going to be loud, it’s going to hot, and all these external factors that really don’t have anything to do with the game. If guys have mental toughness, then they can block it out, but if they don’t, they let external factors affect them. You’re playing corner and you give up a 60-yard touchdown, you’re playing left tackle and give up a sack, or if you’re a quarterback and throw it the wrong spot. Is that one play going to affect the next 35 plays? I think it is important to have mental toughness so you can overcome when things aren’t going exactly the way you want it.”
On starting freshman:
“I think back to that first game, and we did play a lot of young guys. We try to play the best players. If you play the best players, sometimes it is freshman and by us playing them, it shows we do have confidence in their ability to play. They’re going to make mistakes; everybody is going to make mistakes, but the key of the drill is to play the next play, keeping poise, playing with confidence and believing on what you’re trying to get done. I think the guys we put on the field Saturday will play that way.”
Nov. 24 – Cincinnati, OH – JACK Cincinnati Casino
Nov. 29 – Carmel, IN – The Center for the Performing Arts
Nov. 30 – Warrendale, PA – Jergels Rhythm Grille
Dec. 1 – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
Dec. 7 – Marietta, OH – Peoples Bank Theatre
Dec. 8 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
Dec. 13 – Jackson, TN – Carl Perkins Civic Center
Dec. 14 – Pensacola, FL – Saenger Theatre
Dec. 15 – Augusta, GA – Miller Theater
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For 11 years now, the Sexton family—along with a trusty network of sponsors and volunteers—has hosted the annual “Hoops For Hope” event in West Knoxville to benefit the Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee. And for 11 years, Tennessee’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have played a big role in the event.
The Vols and Lady Vols were back in action on the hardwood at Knoxville Christian School on Saturday, sharing their love of basketball with individuals living with Down Syndrome. The UT contingent spent the morning assisting with basketball drill stations and also coordinating full-court games during which efforts were made to ensure that every participant had the opportunity to make a basket.
“We love coming out, and we love giving back,” Vols junior Lamonte Turner said. “We have great relationships with these people, and by now I know pretty much all of their names. This is my fourth year (helping at Hoops For Hope). It’s just awesome—we love doing this.”
After the games were finished, the longstanding tradition of a mid-court dance-off commenced.
“We like to get out in the community as much as we can,” Lady Vols senior Meme Jackson said. “For us to come here and volunteer is a great feeling. We love the spirit that everyone has here, and we just look forward to having fun with them.”
Hoops For Hope has long been one of the Tennessee basketball teams’ favorite community outreach events each year, and chances are high that the Vols and Lady Vols will be back at the event for year No. 12 next summer.
It’s been a couple of years since we’ve heard from Rachel Reinert, who was part of Gloriana from 2008 to 2016.
Now, Rachel is doing her own thing as a solo artist—and she has a cool new single, “Cool.”
Rachel stopped by the Nash campus earlier this month and chose Women Want to Hear Women for her FIRST sit-down interview since leaving the trio and reemerging as a solo artist. We get into what happened, what she’s been doing and how she found herself and her sound.
Rachel also “Plays It Forward” with an incredible cover of Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough” and performs her new single, “Cool.”
Rachel is an awesome interview. Enjoy!
Podcast Participants:
Rachel Reinert
Elaina Smith, host of WWTHW
Videos:
Rachel “Plays It Forward” by covering Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough,” a song Sheryl took to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994.
Cole Cubelic loves Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith, but he doesn’t like the Vols’ roster.
The SEC Network analyst and talk show host thinks Smith is the best returning offensive lineman in the country.
But he says UT’s talent ranks in the bottom five of the SEC, below even Ole Miss.
“That roster is a bottom five roster in the Southeastern Conference right now,’’ Cubelic said recently on Tennessee Sports Night Fox 43 and FM 99.1 radio.
“And I’m not just saying that to make an impression with you guys about Tennessee. That’s where I really believe that roster is right now when you weigh it up with the LSUs, the Auburns, the Georgias, the Alabamas.
“Even Ole Miss has a better roster right now than Tennessee does. South Carolina has a better roster than Tennessee does right now. Missouri has a better roster than Tennessee does right now, top to bottom.’’
That is certainly debatable. You won’t get much argument that LSU, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama have a better roster. But Ole Miss? Missouri?
I’d take Ole Miss’ quarterback and wide receivers over Tennessee, but I’m not sure I like the Rebels at any other position group.
Missouri gets the edge at quarterback, running back and receiver, and perhaps offensive line. But the Tigers have been awful on defense the past two years.
Of course, UT has been awful on defense the past two years as well.
In addition to Smith, Cubelic likes linebacker Daniel Bituli, some guys in the secondary (presumably Nigel Warrior is one) and the running backs (Ty Chandler, Madre London, Tim Jordan).
Cubelic thinks Smith’s progress could be affected by the fact he dealt used blood thinners for six months to combat blood clots near his lungs. Smith wasn’t cleared for contact until about Aug. 20.
“But you don’t have to re-invent the learning process,’’ Cubelic said. “You don’t have to completely hit the reset button.
“You look at his size, physicality, athleticism and more importantly the way he plays the game. There are four- and five-year veterans in college football that don’t play the game the way Trey Smith does. I think it’s uncoachable.
“He has a physicality and a nasty nature to the way he plays the game to go along with being extremely strong, a perfect frame and a guy that has gigantic hands, good length. I think he’s the best lineman returning in college football.
“And unfortunately, he might not see the kind of growth and development he would have seen if he had gone through spring but I don’t think it’s gonna hurt him that much. I just think he’s that talented and it separates him from most college offensive lineman.”
How hard will it be for a Tennessee offensive line to block in a zone-read scheme versus a power-I formation attack?
“Boy I tell ya, I’d much rather go the other way,’’ said Cubelic, a former offensive lineman at Auburn. “When I played in Jimbo Fisher’s offense at Auburn and Tommy Tuberville and Noel Mazzone come in and you go to a zone scheme, it was like Christmas every day because in the zone scheme, you can really make no mistake.
“You zone step right, you zone step left, sometimes you block space, sometimes you block a man, sometimes you double dudes, sometimes you work a scoop block up to the second level. It all works itself out.
“An isolation scheme is much different. I don’t think there will be a zone scheme in what Tennessee does this year, but you’re right, being a more north-south run team and being more isolation oriented, it’ll be a tough progression for those guys. It’ll be a tough learning curve for those guys.
“But I think that’s the kind of attitude that Tennessee football needs. I think they needed to get away from a softer mentality, a lighter mentality. A mentality that doesn’t ask much from you mentally, emotionally and physically.
“I think long term — not this year but long term — I think this will be good for Jeremy Pruitt’s football team and I think Trey Smith is the kind of tone setter that you need when you’re gonna go to an offense like this on the field. Not just because of his ability but because of the other guys seeing the way he plays the game.”
Does Pruitt have “long-term’’ to turn around UT’s program. Remember, the Vols have had just one winning SEC record in the past decade and in those 10 years, UT is 26-54 in SEC play (2-22 against the West).
“This is one of the biggest turnarounds in SEC history, don’t mistake it for anything else,’’ Cubelic said, citing UT’s inferior roster.
“So Jeremy Pruitt not only needs to bring that top-end talent but he needs to bring in depth. I think there are only two things working against Jeremy Pruitt: If the fanbase gives him that time you’re speaking of and if the athletic director gives him that time as well and doesn’t potentially want to be the head football coach again.
“If those two things happen, Jeremy Pruitt will get Tennessee back in contention for SEC East division championships.”
With eight rescue dogs of her own, it’s no secret Miranda Lambert has a soft spot in her heart for fury, four-legged friends.
That’s why in 2009, Miranda and her mom, Bev, started the MuttNation Foundation, an organization with the mission of ending animal suffering and homelessness on every front. The foundation has successfully raised millions of dollars to aid organizations, government institutions and entities that build animal shelters for better care and increased pet adoption.
In Pittsburgh, local shelter Animal Friends received more than 400 pounds of dog food and treats at Miranda’s Bandwagon Tour.
Miranda’s latest venture—Fill the Little Red Wagon—nurtured her love of music and mutts by collecting dog food, treats, supplies and cash at the entrance of each venue on her recent Bandwagon Tour with Little Big Town. The tour capped in Chicago over the weekend, but not before Miranda and her team collected thousands of pounds of dog food, treats and toys that were distributed to local shelters in each city of the tour.
“My fans always amaze me with their compassion and generosity,” says Miranda. “Knowing so many of us share this love for shelter pets adds another special connection between us and, when I get to hear some of the fans’ stories about their rescues, it always touches my heart.”
Take a look at the local shelters supported during Miranda’s Bandwagon Tour.
photo by Becky Fluke, courtesy of True Public Relations
Reba will return for a second year as host of the ninth annual CMA Country Christmas, a two-hour music celebration that airs on ABC during the holiday season.
CMA Country Christmas will be taped on Sept. 27 at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center in Nashville. This year’s lineup includes Tony Bennett, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Amy Grant, Diana Krall, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley, Michael W. Smith, Lindsey Stirling, The Isaacs and Brett Young.
“I’ve always cherished celebrating Christmas alongside family and friends, taking time to reflect on the season,” says Reba. “I’m so excited CMA invited me back to host their show and am looking forward to fun singing carols with my friends.”
More than six weeks after announcing he will be the first artist to play a concert at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, Garth Brooks has revealed the date: Oct. 20.
“Notre Dame stadium has seen so many iconic moments,” said Garth. “I look forward to bringing a new kind of crazy to the party.”
In July, Garth was joined by revered members of the University of Notre Dame family and former head football coach Lou Holtz during the concert announcement in Nashville. No openers have been announced yet.
