Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay recorded a stripped-down version of their recent No. 1 single, “Tequila,” for a Vevo Original Live Performance, which showcases re-imagined cuts from an artist’s catalog.
“Tequila” became Dan + Shay’s fourth No. 1 single when it reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart in July, following previous chart-toppers “Nothin’ Like You,” “From the Ground Up” and “How Not To.”
The reflective ballad was co-penned by Dan, Jordan Reynolds and Nicolle Galyon.
After Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean in September 2017, Kenny Chesney mobilized into action by creating the Love for Love City Foundation, a non-profit that has delivered water, food, medical supplies, tools, building materials and more to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Irma’s destruction also became the catalyst for Kenny’s new album, Songs for the Saints, which dropped on July 27 and has already spawned No. 1 hit, “Get Along.”
“I’ve always felt like if you sit in negativity long enough, you’ll become it,” said Kenny to Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown. “And, I heard ‘Get Along’ and I went, ‘Wow,’ I mean, I needed to hear that in my own life as a person. It’s about moving forward—yes, it’s about getting along with everybody, but it’s also about moving forward in your life and maybe when you didn’t feel like you had the strength to, you know? ’Cause people get stuck. I get stuck, and that’s a big thread also of what’s happening down on the islands because people are being forced to move forward and change—some are displaced, some are whatever, but look, there’s a lot of rebuilding and people moving forward and they’ve probably, maybe found some strength within them that they didn’t know even existed and that’s why I felt ‘Get Along’ was important and fit on this record.”
All proceeds from the new album will go to the Love for Love City Foundation.
Songs for the Saints
“Songs for the Saints”
“Every Heart”
“Get Along”
“Pirate Song”
“Love for Love City” (with Ziggy Marley)
“Ends Of The Earth”
“Gulf Moon”
“Island Rain”
“Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season” (with Jimmy Buffett)
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha are the kings and queen of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
FGL and Bebe’s smash hit, “Meant to Be,” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the 35th week, breaking the tie of 34 weeks it shared with Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road.” The 59-year-old Billboard Hot Country Songs chart blends streaming, airplay and sales data.
FGL’s “Cruise” owned the record before Sam’s “Body Like a Back Road” broke it in 2017.
“Meant to Be” was co-penned by Bebe Rexha, Josh Miller, David Garcia and FGL’s Tyler Hubbard.
“From day one, this song was just meant to be,” says Tyler. “Bebe jumped in on a canceled writing session last minute and now it’s going down in history.”
Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart All-Time Record
1. “Meant to Be” – Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha – 35 weeks (2018)
2. “Body Like a Back Road” – Sam Hunt — 34 weeks (2017) 3. “Cruise” – Florida Georgia Line – 24 weeks (2012) 4. “Walk On By” – Leroy Van Dyke – 19 weeks (1961) 5. “H.O.L.Y.” – Florida Georgia Line – 18 weeks (2016) 6. “Die a Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett 17 weeks – (2015) 7. “Love’s Gonna Live Here” – Buck Owens – 16 weeks (1963)
If you weren’t lucky enough to be one of the thousands of fans that descended on Nashville during each day of CMA Fest in June, Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini have you covered.
Kelsea and TR will co-host an upcoming three-hour television special on ABC that features 2018 CMA Fest performances from a bevy of artists, including Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch, Midland, Old Dominion, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Thomas Rhett, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Brett Young.
Special guest collaborations include Lauren Alaina joining Kane Brown, Julia Michaels joining Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen joining Florida Georgia Line, and Dwight Yoakam joining Dierks Bentley.
Tune in to ABC on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. CT to catch the 15th annual prime-time broadcast.
Jake Owen scored the seventh No. 1 single of his career as “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” reached the top of both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart this week.
Jake acknowledged the accomplishment in a new Instagram post, saying, in part, “From the fans, to radio, to my record label friends and family . . . to my band and crew and management . . . the super talented songwriters that have graciously given me great songs through the years, and oh yeah . . . and my bus driver Mike, who drives me all over this country . . . THANK YOU!”
Both melodically and lyrically, Jake’s new single is rooted in John Mellencamp’s iconic 1982 hit, “Jack & Diane.” In fact, Mellencamp received a songwriting credit on Jake’s “I Was Jack (You Were Diane), along with songwriters Tommy Cecil, David Ray, Jody Stevens and Craig Wiseman.”
“When I heard the song, I thought to myself, ‘I’m glad I didn’t write this,’ because the legalities behind using a song that is that iconic,” says Jake to Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown. “[The songwriters] sent it to [Mellencamp] and his manager, and they actually got back to us saying that as many times as they’ve heard people try to take that song and do something with it, John’s never been for it. Ever. And, they said that. He gave us his blessing to use it. And, they actually licensed us some of his content to use for our video that we’re making, so it feels good to know that he kind of gave his stamp of approval. I mean, that was a big kind of chance for me—thinking about doing this song—because of the folks out there that are gonna be like, ‘How are you gonna take a classic song like this and redo something that’s already great?’ You know? And, really for us, it was more about paying homage to that song while still making it relevant in today’s world.”
The tune is Jake’s first No. 1 single since 2016’s “American Country Love Song.”
One week after being named an honoree at the upcoming Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, Reba McEntire will be getting another distinguished award.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that Reba will be the recipient of the inaugural Career Maker Award for her “significant influence on the songwriting careers of Hall of Fame members.”
Reba has recorded 80 songs—including 33 singles—that were written or co-written by more than 40 songwriters who have gone on to achieve induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Career Maker Award was created to honor a non-Hall of Fame member whose artistic endeavors have helped songwriters achieve their dreams of induction into the Hall of Fame.
“I love to record,” says Reba. “Being in the studio is so creative and so much fun and very rewarding. That process starts with the songwriters and publishers sending me songs to listen to. Over my recording career, I have listened to thousands of songs written by incredibly gifted people. The songwriters in this community have never let me down, and have always shared their very best songs with me, which I appreciate more than they know. Being the first recipient of the Career Maker Award means so much to me because it’s an award from the songwriters whose songs have helped me create and maintain a career I love. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
Reba will be presented with the award during the 48th Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Oct. 28 at the Music City Center.
The inductees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame class of 2018 will be announced soon.
After 2017’s successful initiative to support U.S. Troops by sending them 100,000 Thank You letters, Ty Bentli, Kelly Ford and Chuck Wicks of morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck are using their voices to support another great cause: Rally Around Radley Diaper Drive.
The goal of the diaper drive is to collect more than 58,000 diapers—58,430 to be exact, which was based on the expertise of Ty’s five-year-old son, Radley, who will soon be a big brother for the first time.
As most parents know, diapers aren’t cheap and babies need a lot of them, but did you know that one in three families in the U.S. have trouble affording diapers, according to a 2017 survey by Huggies in partnership with the National Diaper Bank Network. According to the report, the average cost of diapers for one child is $18 per week ($936 per year).
A number of country artists, including Chris Janson, Locash, Mitchell Tenpenny, Rachel Wammack and Seth Ennis, have already made sizeable donations to the diaper drive, as well as more than 300 listeners. As of July 30, more than 20,000 diapers have been collected.
Radley’s Diaper Drive will run through Aug. 13, and if you’d like to donate, it’s really simple:
Visit the Amazon Wish List to purchase diapers and diapering supplies.
Or
Mail diapers directly to Ty, Kelly & Chuck’s studio
Ty, Kelly & Chuck
506 2nd Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37210
As a child growing up in Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood watched the Grand Ole Opry on television at her grandparents’ house. Just three years into her country music career, childhood hero Randy Travis surprised Carrie with a Grand Ole Opry invitation at a performance in March 2008. Less than two months later on May 10, 2008, fellow Okie Garth Brooks inducted her into the esteemed organization.
On May 11, 2018, Carrie celebrated her 10th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by treating fans in attendance to a rendition of her new single, “Cry Pretty,” which is currently No. 12 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after 15 weeks.
“Ten years have flown by,” said Carrie. “I knew from the moment God blessed me and let me sing country music that I wanted to be a part of this place. Thank you for being here.”
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Former Lady Vol standout and current Los Angeles Sparks forward/center Candace Parker captained Team Parker to a 119-112 victory over Team Delle Donne in the WNBA All-Star game at the Target Center on Saturday.
Parker, playing in her fifth WNBA All-Star game, finished the day with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.
Team Delle Donne jumped ahead in the first half, leading by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, but Team Parker cut the deficit to four by halftime.
Once the second half got underway, Parker scored on a three-foot jumper less than a minute into the third period to put Team Parker up 55-54, its first lead since the 1:19 mark of the first quarter. Team Parker finished the quarter up 84-78 and maintained a lead through the duration of the fourth period to win 119-112.
Other members of Team Parker were Maya Moore (Minnesota), Liz Cambage (Dallas), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta), Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas), Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut), Allie Quigley (Chicago), Jewell Loyd (Seattle), Tina Charles (New York), Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota) and Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles).
KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee will honor the 1998 National Championship football team on Sept. 22 when the Volunteers host Florida at Neyland Stadium.
Members of the team, as well as coaches and support staff, will be in town for a reunion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the national championship season.
Fans can purchase tickets for the game against Florida at AllVols.com or by calling 1-800-332-VOLS.
Fans can also buy tickets to the Florida game via the Orange & White Package mini-plan, which allows fans to choose either the Florida game or the Alabama game and two other home games for just $205 per package. This is available for a limited time only.
Heading into the 1998 campaign, many prognosticators predicted the Vols would face a rebuilding season after losing several top players, including three NFL Draft first-round picks.
However, head coach Phillip Fulmer led an inspired group of players to one of the greatest seasons in Tennessee history, culminating in the Vols’ first consensus national title since 1951.
Reaching the championship was a difficult journey for the Vols, who found a winning formula of team chemistry under Fulmer en route to the undefeated campaign.
Linebackers Al Wilson and Raynoch Thompson collected All-America honors during the 1998 season, while placekicker Jeff Hall, wide receiver Peerless Price, offensive tackle Chad Clifton, offensive guard Cosey Coleman, defensive tackle Darwin Walker and defensive back Dwayne Goodrich also collected All-SEC accolades.
Quarterback Tee Martin was outstanding under center, while fullback Shawn Bryson proved to be a superb leader as he wrapped up his career.
Tennessee defeated Florida State, 23-16, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, 1999, to capture the first Bowl Championship Series National Championship.
Twenty years later, the Vols are embarking on a new era of Tennessee football. First-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt takes the helm of the Big Orange, while Fulmer will enter his first fall as UT’s Director of Athletics.
Tennessee opens the 2018 season at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 1 at the Belk College Kickoff against West Virginia in Charlotte, N.C., before hosting ETSU at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 8, UTEP at Noon ET on Sept. 15 and the Gators on Sept. 22 (kickoff is TBD) to start SEC play.
