In Dwight Yoakam’s 30-plus-year career as a high-grade, hardcore, honky-tonkin’, musical maverick, he hasn’t recorded too many songs he co-wrote with other artists. He’s covered a lot of songs other artists have written, but generally speaking, he wrote the majority of his singles by himself.
Of course there are exceptions, like “It Only Hurts When I Cry,” which he co-penned with Roger Miller, and cuts like “It’s Never Alright,” which he co-penned with Ashley Monroe. My point is, it’s big deal when Dwight co-writes with other artists, as least from a fan’s perspective—which I most certainly am.
Chris Stapleton can add his name to small list of artists Dwight has invited into his writing sanctuary.
The pair co-penned “Then Here Came Monday,” which will be available for streaming on May 25, along with another new tune from Dwight, “Pretty Horses.”
The release of the new music comes as Dwight gears up for his LSD Tour with Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. The 20-date tour kicks off on June 12 in Boston and makes stops in New York, L.A., Nashville and more.
Singer/songwriter Adam Sanders, 27, grew up doing what kids in the small town of Lake City, Fla., did—namely spend time with family, go to church, hunt, play sports and listen to country music. Those five pillars from his youth—faith, family, outdoors, fitness and music—are what drive Adam today as he works toward reaching the next level of country stardom.
Just like his hero Alan Jackson did in 1979, Adam packed his bags and moved to Nashville after high school in 2009 to “chase that neon rainbow.” Over the last nine years, Adam has found more than his share of success as a songwriter, penning tunes for Cole Swindell (“Ain’t Worth the Whiskey”), Dustin Lynch (“Hell of a Night”), Dierks Bentley (“Sounds of Summer”) and more.
With a new six-song self-titled EP, which dropped on May 11, Adam is hoping to channel his inner AJ in more ways than one, including on his new song, “Alan Jackson,” which tells the amusing story of a guy trying to win back his girlfriend with a little help from the Hall of Famer’s musical catalog.
“Growing up, the first songs I learned and sang were Alan Jackson songs,” says Adam to NCD. “His music has had an amazing influence on me. The new song is just an upbeat number that pays tribute to him . . . I’ve already got the video mapped out in my head.”
Alan, if you’re out there reading this, Adam needs a cameo from you.
“Having Alan Jackson in the video would be a dream come true,” says Adam. “Can you imagine me showing up at the girl’s house at the end with Alan Jackson in my car? If Alan can’t get the girl back, no one can.”
While Adam is currently pushing the EP’s new single, “Over Did It,” you can check out “Alan Jackson” below.
Not only is the Tennessee football team facing West Virginia this fall, the Volunteers’ basketball team is hosting the Mountaineers on the hardwood this winter as part of the 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 26.
The 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge marks the event’s sixth year. Tennessee is 3-1 in the event, as the Vols did not take part in the inaugural challenge. Four of the SEC’s 14 teams are idle during the challenge each year because there are only 10 teams in the Big 12.
Other challenge matchups set for Jan. 26 are: Alabama at Baylor, Arkansas at Texas Tech, Florida at TCU, Texas at Georgia, Kansas at Kentucky, Iowa State at Ole Miss, South Carolina at Oklahoma State, Kansas State at Texas A&M and Vanderbilt at Oklahoma.
Four of the 10 games will be televised on ESPN, four will be shown on ESPN2 and two games will air on ESPNU. All 10 games also will be available on the ESPN app. ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm–the Saturday roadshow that discusses the top storylines of the college basketball season–will originate from one of the challenge games. Tipoff times and network designations will be announced at a later date.
The SEC won the challenge for the first time last season (6-4), with Tennessee contributing to the league’s successful showing by dismantling Iowa State on the road.
The Volunteers are 3-5 all-time against West Virginia, including a 1-2 mark in Knoxville. The programs haven’t met since Nov. 23, 2007, when the seventh-ranked Vols defeated the Mountaineers, 74-72, at the Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.
Tennessee’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 13-17. Fourth-year UT head coach Rick Barnes—who spent 17 seasons coaching in the Big 12 before transitioning to Knoxville—owns a 159-94 record against current Big 12 teams and is 8-4 in his career against West Virginia.
Barnes (661 wins) and WVU head coach Bob Huggins (759 wins) rank seventh and fourth, respectively, in Division I wins among active head coaches.
Last season, West Virginia posted a 26-11 (11-7 Big 12) record and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. It was the program’s third Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last four years.
Tennessee’s gridiron matchup against West Virginia—billed as the Belk College Kickoff—takes place Sept. 1 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the season-opener for both teams, and the first-ever football meeting between the programs.
Using documentary-style footage from the kick-off of his recent Trip Around the Sun Tour, Kenny Chesney dropped a new video for his current single, “Get Along.”
Penned by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and Josh Osborne, the mid-tempo tune beckons listeners to live the Kenny lifestyle with lyrics like “buy a boat, drink a beer, sing a song, make a friend.” Using video footage from his fans—affectionately dubbed the No Shoes Nation—Kenny is hoping the song’s positive theme will help folks find common ground during divisive times.
“The whole point of the song is to look for your common ground instead of worrying about your differences,” Kenny says. “And when I look out into the crowd, that’s what I see—people who are having a great time, getting along and making the most of every single minute.”
Kenny’s new single is the first song from his upcoming 17th studio album, Songs for the Saints, which drops on July 27.
Kenny’s Trip Around the Sun Tour continues through August.
Midland’s Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson are continuing to forge their own path in country music with the release of an elaborate new video for their current single, “Burn Out.”
Directed by TK McKamy (“Craving You,” “May We All”) and Midland’s Cameron Duddy, the video was filmed in one continuous shot at Forth Worth’s famed honky-tonk Billy Bob’s. The three-minute-plus clip features a long take with intricate actor blocking and plenty of camera movement—from a filmmaking standpoint, it’s a visual work of art.
Written by the band with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, “Burn Out” is the new single from the group’s debut album, On the Rocks, which spawned No. 1 hit, “Drinkin’ Problem,” and Top 15 hit, “Make a Little.”
Kudos to Midland, especially Cameron, and their team, including TK, on the visually stunning video. Watch the new video below.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 10th seeded Tennessee Lady Vols look to earn a berth in the Women’s College World Series when they travel to Athens this weekend to take on No. 7 seed Georgia in the NCAA Super Regional.
After sweeping its regional at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium last week, Tennessee (48-12) now turns its attention to the Bulldogs (46-11) for a best two-out-of-three series to determine which team advances to Oklahoma City. Game 1 of the series will take place on Friday, May 25 at 5 p.m. ET at Jack Turner Stadium.
Game 1 of the series will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with the second game airing on ESPN. Game 3 will also be on ESPN if necessary. Alex Loeb will be on the play-by-play call for each game, with Megan Willis alongside for color analysis.
Radio coverage for all Tennessee games will be carried on Sports Radio WNML (FM 99.1 or AM 990) and UTSports.com. Live stats will be available for every game on the Tennessee softball schedule page at UTSports.com.
Game Schedule
View the full NCAA Athens Super Regional schedule below:
Friday, May 18th: Game 1 – 5:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, May 19th: Game 2 – 3:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, May 20th: Game 3 (if necessary) – 3:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Scouting Report
Tennessee Lady Volunteers
No. 10 National Seed
The Lady Vols advancement to this weekend marks the 10th Super Regional appearance in program history. UT has now made it to a Super Regional in six of the past seven seasons, and seeks its eighth trip to the Women’s College World Series. Tennessee is 16-8 all-time in NCAA Super Regional games.
The Big Orange are traveling for a Super Regional for the fourth time. Tennessee went to Palo Alto to defeat Stanford in 2005 and then Ann Arbor to take down Michigan in 2010, but fell to Oklahoma in Norman in 2014.
The Lady Vols and Bulldogs faced off earlier this season in Knoxville. UT picked up a 1-0 win via a walkoff hit-by-pitch in the series’ opening game, but Georgia would claim the next two by scores of 9-1 and 8-0. Tennessee, however, maintains the all-time series lead against Georgia, 40-32.
UT will rely on offensive production from its top three hitters in Athens. Meghan Gregg, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, hit two home runs and recorded five total RBIs at the Knoxville Regional last weekend. Gregg leads the team with 18 long balls on the year, and she is also the NCAA active career leader in RBIs with 263. She is currently seven RBIs away from tying Auburn’s Kasey Cooper for the most all-time in the SEC.
Complimenting Gregg is Tennessee’s model of consistency, Aubrey Leach. Leach, who earned All-SEC honors for the first time of her career this season, currently leads the SEC in batting average (.447) and runs scored (79), while ranking second in hits (80) and on base percentage (.571). Her 79 runs scored are the most in a single season in program history.
Sophomore Chelsea Seggern has also added secondary hitting behind Gregg. Seggern’s seven home runs are the third most on the team, and her 66 RBIs rank seventh in the NCAA. She drove in four RBIs at the Knoxville Regional, including a two-run home run in a win over Monmouth.
Caylan Arnold leads the Lady Vols in the circle with a 2.11 ERA and a 26-4 record. Arnold had two complete-game wins last weekend, recording 15 combined strikeouts along the way. Her 222 strikeouts on the season are good for second in the SEC.
Georgia Bulldogs
No. 7 National Seed
The Bulldogs put together perhaps the biggest turnaround in college softball this season, posting a 46-11 record and finishing second in the SEC standings after not making the conference tournament a year ago. Georgia swept the Athens Regional last weekend, defeating Northwestern and Harvard twice each while outscoring opponents 27-9.
Cortni Emanuel leads Georgia offensively with a .437 batting average, good for second in the SEC behind Leach. Emmanuel also leads the conference in hits with 87.
As a team, Georgia leads the SEC in batting average (.338), slugging percentage (.528) and hits (511). The Bulldogs have six players who are batting .300 or better.
Mary Wilson Avant comes into the weekend with 11 wins and a 1.74 ERA. Avant has pitched six complete games this season.
The Bulldogs last met the Lady Vols in the NCAA Tournament in 2012, when UT won two of three in the Super Regional at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium to punch a ticket to the Women’s College World Series.
What’s Next?
The winner of the NCAA Athens Super Regional will advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City beginning Thursday, May 31.
VFL Al Wilson with Vols Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt / Credit: UT Athletics
ATLANTA – When Al Wilson speaks, people listen. It was that way when he was the Vols’ captain during the 1998 national championship run, and it’s that way today.
The former Tennessee All-America linebacker was on hand at the latest Big Orange Caravan event on Tuesday night at SunTrust Park.
Wilson spoke at the event, and his message was clear: He’s excited for this fall and the direction Tennessee football is headed.
Inside the Atlanta Braves’ stadium, Wilson said the hires of Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer and head football coach Jeremy Pruitt are home runs.
“Coach Fulmer is my guy,” said Wilson, who played for Fulmer from 1995 to 1998. “We’ve been through a lot together over the years and it’s great to see him where he is now, having an opportunity to become the athletic director and to get this program back to where it’s supposed to be. I’m super excited for Coach.”
Wilson was the heart and soul of the 1998 Tennessee team, registering 77 tackles and four sacks despite missing three games due to injury. He was a first round pick by the Denver Broncos in 1999 and went to five Pro Bowls over eight seasons.
He now lives in the Atlanta area and visited with Pruitt for the first time at Tuesday’s event.
“I’m super excited for the way he’s trying to bring Tennessee football back and the direction in which he’s going,” Wilson said. “He’s getting some good quality players to come in, and at the end of the day that’s what we want.”
Fellow 1998 national champion Fred White was also in attendance at SunTrust Park in addition to several former Tennessee football players. Wilson and White posed for photos with fans and signed autographs throughout the event.
“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since we had a chance to win that national championship, but I’ll tell you, it’s a good feeling to know that Tennessee fans still adore and have love for what we did 20 years ago,” Wilson said.
Men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes and women’s basketball coach Holly Warlick joined Fulmer and Pruitt at SunTrust Park, posing for photos with fans, signing autographs and participating in a Q & A program with Bob Kesling to cap the night.
The UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Affairs awarded a scholarship to Noah White during what was another fun event for fans and alumni.
The Big Orange Caravan wraps up for 2018 on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Tri-Cities at the Meadowview Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.
TRI-CITIES BIG ORANGE CARAVAN INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, May 24
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Meadowview Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport
Address: 1901 Meadowview Pkwy, Kingsport, TN 37660
The NCAA on Wednesday announced its 2016-17 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate data, and Tennessee’s APR numbers once again rank among the most impressive in the 14 years in which the data has been published.
Every Division I sports team across the nation calculates its Academic Progress Rate each academic year, like a report card. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Data released for this multi-year cohort includes scores from the 2016-17, 2015-16, 2014-15 and 2013-14 academic years.
Four Tennessee sports, including baseball (979), football (972), men’s golf (993) and women’s swimming & diving (994) posted or tied its best multi-year APR in program history. And women’s basketball (995) posted its second-best multi-year APR score and its best in six years.
Four programs also earned perfect 1,000 multi-year APR scores for this cohort. Those programs were men’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s tennis (for the ninth consecutive year) and women’s track & field. In the single-year APR, eight Tennessee sports earned a perfect score of 1,000.
Five sports—men’s cross country, women’s golf, rowing, women’s tennis and men’s track & field—posted the best multi-year APR score amongst their respective SEC peers. The five first-place finishes were the third most among SEC institutions.
From a multi-year standpoint, 11 of Tennessee’s 18 measured sports (for APR purposes, scores for indoor and outdoor track & field are computed together) tied or improved their APRs from last year. And 14 of those 18 programs have a multi-year APR equal to or higher than the national average of all Division I schools within that sport.
“It’s a great time to be on Rocky Top,” Senior Associate Athletics Director & Assistant Provost Joe Scogin said. “I could not be more excited about the APR performances that we continue to see. APR was created to provide a real-time snapshot of the culture of an athletic department. Seeing these championship level results shows how our coaches, administrators, Thornton staff, and student-athletes have invested in creating a culture of excellence every single day. I firmly believe that these results are just a by-product of the holistic student-athlete experience we strive to provide at UT. It is very special to see this work manifest itself in so many ways, one of which is the APR performances we’re seeing today.”
Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer, who was named to his current post in December, has been pleased with the internal culture of achievement that has yielded outstanding academic results for the Big Orange in recent years.
“Seeing the way our young men and women take care of their academic responsibilities has been one of the things that has impressed me most during my first six months as AD,” Fulmer said. “This data serves as proof that our overall athletics program is thriving academically, and we are effectively preparing our student-athletes for success once they leave our campus. I again feel compelled to compliment our senior leadership team, our coaching staffs and our incredible Thornton Center staff, led by Dr. Joe Scogin. But the biggest stars are our student-athletes.”
Wednesday’s APR data release continues a string of impressive academic news for the Vols and Lady Vols.
In addition to some great team performances, we’ve had a number of individuals recognized for their academic achievement. Football player Parker Henry won the prestigious McWhorter Award as the SEC’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year (softball player Meghan Gregg was a female McWhorter finalist). Rower Katie Porter earned distinction as a “Torchbearer,” which is the highest student honor conferred by the University of Tennessee. Fellow rower Jennifer Davis was awarded an NCAA Ethnic Minority & Women’s Enhancement Scholarship. And Nico Mascia was named the SEC Baseball Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.
In addition, 27 undergraduate student-athletes received Chancellor’s Citations for Extraordinary Academic Achievement at the 2018 Chancellor’s Honors Banquet.
Funeral Arrangements for former Tennessee football letterman William “Buck” Buxton are below.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee football defensive lineman and member of the program’s 1997 SEC Championship team William “Buck” Buxton died earlier this week.
Buxton lettered for UT in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, playing on the defensive line and helping lead the Volunteers to a 21-4 overall record in that span. Buxton played in 11 games, making 16 total tackles and recorded two sacks during the 1996 season in which UT went 10-2 and defeated Northwestern, 48-28, in the Citrus Bowl.
The Girard, Ga, native was also a member of the Vols 1997 SEC Championship team, recording 13 tackles and a tackle for loss that season. During his two seasons on Rocky Top, Buxton made 29 total tackles while registering had four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Funeral services for Buxton will be held on Saturday, May 26, at 11 a.m., at Waynesboro Deliverance in Waynesboro, Ga. Family viewing will be held Fridaymorning with guest visitation from 12-7 p.m.
In April, Thomas Rhett dropped a new EP that features four versions of “Leave Right Now,” a tune from his 2017 Life Changes album that he co-wrote with Julian Bunetta, Edward Drewett and John Henry Ryan.
The highlight of the four-song collection is a reimagined version of “Leave Right Now” with Martin Jensen, a platinum-selling European DJ who gives the song an electronic bolt of energy. The EP also features an album version, radio version and a Nashville Remix of “Leave Right Now.”
“Writing ‘Leave Right Now’ really pushed me outside of my comfort zone creatively,” said ThomasRhett. “A lot of times for me, that’s when you grow the most as an artist and end up making the best music. It ended up being one of my favorite songs I’ve recorded, so we decided to mix it up a little and just have some fun with this song.”
Thomas Rhett released a new video for the Martin Jensen version of “Leave Right Now.” The new clip, directed by Justin Clough, features TR searching for his love interest throughout the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.
With a new six-song self-titled EP, which dropped on May 11, Adam is hoping to channel his inner AJ in more ways than one, including on his new song, “Alan Jackson,” which tells the amusing story of a guy trying to win back his girlfriend with a little help from the Hall of Famer’s musical catalog.
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