After approximately 200 performances inside the Grand Ole Opry’s hallowed circle, Chris Jason was formally inducted into the Opry on March 20 by Garth Brooks.
Garth welcomed Chris to the Opry by saying, “Chris, it is my honor to welcome you to the family. This will be—no matter how many times you look back on it—the greatest night of your music career.”
“How do you not cry on a night like this?” said Chris. “To know me is to know I really, truly love the Grand Ole Opry . . . This will be a moment I will never forget . . . Thanks for making my dreams come true, and thanks for buying a ticket to the Opry to see it happen! I hope you come back a million times! I’ll buy the ticket for ya. I don’t even care. I love you that much!”
Not only is Chris the Opry’s newest member, the 31-year-old is also the Opry’s youngest member.
The Library of Congress added 25 titles to the National Recording Registry, including Kenny Rogers’ 1978 hit, “The Gambler,” which was penned by Don Schlitz.
“The song was not written about gambling, it was written with a very personal look at life,” said Kenny, according to the Library of Congress. “To say I’m proud is an understatement. It speaks very highly for Don Schlitz’s writing ability. I am very impressed and appreciative of this great award.”
“I actually wrote [the song] in my head,” said Don Schlitz. “To have anyone listen to any of your songs and appreciate any of them is miraculous, is great. To have Kenny Rogers sing one of your songs is way over the moon.”
Other titles selected this year include Merle Travis’ 1946 album, Folk Songs of the Hills,” Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 single, “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album, Rumours, The Temptations’ 1964 single, “My Girl,” and more.
The 25 titles were chosen based on their “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” importance. This year’s additions bring the Registry’s total to 500 titles.
Take a look at this year’s selections below.
“Dream Melody Intermezzo: Naughty Marietta” (single), Victor Herbert and his Orchestra (1911)
Standing Rock Preservation Recordings, George Herzog and Members of the Yanktoni Tribe (1928)
“Lamento Borincano” (single), Canario y Su Grupo (1930)
“Sitting on Top of the World” (single), Mississippi Sheiks (1930
The Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas (album), Artur Schnabel (1932-1935)
“If I Didn’t Care” (single), The Ink Spots (1939)
Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on International Organization (4/25/45-6/26/45)
Folk Songs of the Hills (album), Merle Travis (1946)
“How I Got Over” (single), Clara Ward and the Ward Singers (1950)
“(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” (single), Bill Haley and His Comets (1954)
Calypso (album), Harry Belafonte (1956)
“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (single), Tony Bennett (1962)
“King Biscuit Time” (radio), Sonny Boy Williamson II and others (1965)
“My Girl” (single), The Temptations (1964)
The Sound of Music (soundtrack), Various (1965)
“Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” (single), Arlo Guthrie (1967)
New Sounds in Electronic Music (album), Steve Reich, Richard Maxfield, Pauline Oliveros (1967)
An Evening with Groucho (album), Groucho Marx (1972)
Rumours (album), Fleetwood Mac (1977)
“The Gambler” (single), Kenny Rogers (1978)
“Le Freak” (single), Chic (1978)
“Footloose” (single), Kenny Loggins (1984) remake released in 2011.
Raising Hell (album), Run-DMC (1986)
“Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” (single), Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine (1987)
Yo-Yo Ma Premieres: Concertos for Violoncello and Orchestra (album), Various (1996)
Here’s a video look at Tennessee’s 2018 Pro Day in Knoxville with extensive video footage of testing and position drills.
Representatives from all 32 NFL teams were on hand, including two general managers (Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and Titans GM Jon Robinson.)
It featured 22 players from UT, including the four VFLs that participated in the NFL Scouting Combine a few weeks ago, John Kelly, Rashaan Gaulden, Kahlil McKenzie and Trevor Daniel.
2018 TENNESSEE PRO DAY ROSTER No. Name Pos. Hometown (High School/Previous School)
41 Elliott Berry LB Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside H.S.)
29 Evan Berry DB Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside H.S.)
93 Trevor Daniel P Dickson, Tenn. (Dickson County H.S.)
87 Logan Fetzner WR Cleveland, Tenn. (Bradley Central H.S.)
37 Holden Foster PK Dickson, Tenn. (Dickson County H.S./Sewanee)
7 Rashaan Gaulden DB Spring Hill, Tenn. (Independence H.S.)
19 Jeff George WR Leavenworth, Kan. (Leavenworth Senior H.S./Dodge City C.C. [Kansas])
44 Jakob Johnson TE Stuttgart, Germany (Jean Ribault H.S. [FL])
53 Colton Jumper LB Lookout Mountain, Tenn. (Baylor School/The Hun School [NJ])
4 John Kelly RB Detroit, Mich. (Oak Park H.S.)
63 Brett Kendrick OL Knoxville, Tenn. (Christian Academy of Knoxville)
8 Justin Martin DB Antioch, Tenn. (Overton H.S./Northeast Oklahoma A&M)
99 Reginald Kahlil McKenzie Jr. DL Walnut Creek, Calif. (Clayton Valley Charter School)
25 Aaron Medley PK Lewisburg, Tenn. (Marshall County H.S.)
12 Emmanuel Moseley DB Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley H.S.)
85 Thomas Orradre WR San Luis Obispo, Calif. (San Luis Obispo H.S.)
75 Jashon Robertson OL Nashville, Tenn. (Montgomery Bell Academy)
25 Josh Smith WR Knoxville, Tenn. (Christian Academy of Knoxville)
55 Coleman Thomas OL Max Meadows, Va. (Fort Chiswell H.S.)
39 Kendal Vickers DL Havelock, N.C. (Havelock H.S.)
6 Shaq Wiggins DB Tyrone, Ga. (Sandy Creek H.S./Louisville)
82 Ethan Wolf TE Minster, Ohio (Minster H.S.)
2018 PRO DAY – OTHER PARTICIPANTS Name Pos. Hometown (High School/Previous School)
Alejandro Bennifield QB (Chattanooga) Lovejoy, Ga. (Lovejoy H.S.)
Troy Cook QB (UT Martin) Miami, Fla. (Southridge H.S./Florida State)
Here’s what one longtime NFL scout said he heard about UT’s Pro Day
Just got call from my scout at @Vol_Football pro day today. All 32 teams there, including TEN and OAK GMs, DB coaches from DEN, NYG
3 non-combine invites now on NFL radar: CB Emmanuel Moseley (4.38 40), LB Colton Jumper, TE Ethan Wolf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Volunteers held their first football practice of the Jeremy Pruitt era on Tuesday at Haslam Field, marking the beginning of the spring season.
The Vols will practice 15 times over five weeks, culminating with the annual DISH Orange and White Game on April 21 at 2 p.m. inside Neyland Stadium.
Pruitt, a five-time national champion as an assistant, was named the 26th coach of the Vols on Dec. 7 and has led the Orange and White program for over three months.
Tuesday was the first time he actually got to coach a practice in his new role, however.
“I came here to coach, so that was the easy part for me,” Pruitt said.
The first-year head coach got his first glimpse of the Tennessee team in person, too.
“I think our guys did a nice job today, we’ll watch film and see what the first day looks like,” Pruitt said. “But I know this — and I told the kids this — you get 15 practices, today was our first day and we’re never going to get it back. I hope that everyone out on the field today took advantage of their opportunities.”
Becoming a team, competition and handling adversity will be some of the main points of emphasis for the team during spring practice.
“The first thing we talked about is that we want to become a team, we think that’s important for us,” Pruitt said. “We want to learn how to practice, we want to see how much knowledge we retain at each individual position and we want to see who the competitors are, we want to see who handles adversity.”
Several Positions Switches for First Seven Days
Pruitt said that several Vols will get a look at new positions for the first seven practices and then will be reevaluated, including Carlin Fils-Aime (running back to cornerback), Princeton Fant (tight end to running back), Ja’Quain Blakely (defensive line to tight end) and Tyler Byrd (wide receiver to defensive back).
Pace Picks Up
Pruitt will emphasize pace and reps during spring practice. Nobody will be standing around and everybody will receive opportunities. It’s the same practice plan he has used at his previous coaching stops.
“One thing that we want to do is we don’t want guys standing around. When we’re going to do group periods, we’re going to have three to four different types of drills going so nobody’s standing around,” he said. “Everybody is getting the same amount of reps. Whether you’re a freshman, whether a guy’s been an All-SEC player or a guy’s a walk-on, everybody gets the same amount of reps and we’re going to coach them all the same way.”
Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt Press Conference Transcript
Opening Statement:
“It was exciting to get out there on the grass. It’s new for everybody. It’s new for the coaches, it’s new for me, new for the training staff, new for the strength staff. I thought overall everyone in the organization tried to do what we asked them to do. It’s going to be a learning process in how we practice. Our guys will get used to taking the number of reps they will, I think it will help them as players. It was interesting, as practice went, I saw some guys that improved their technique just as practice went today. I’ll be excited to jump up here and watch some tape. We’ve set a few spring goals for our team. The first thing we talked about is that we want to become a team. We think that’s important for us. We want to learn how to practice. We want to see how much knowledge we retain at each individual position and we want to see who the competitors are. We want to see who handles adversity. I think our guys did a nice job today. We’ll watch film and see what the first day looks like. But I know this — and I told the kids this — you get 15 practices, today was our first day and we’re never going to get it back. So, I hope that everyone out on the field today took advantage of their opportunities.”
On any injuries to the team:
“Some of these guys — I don’t know the medical terms — have knee injuries, some hip injuries. Right now, Quay Picou is not on the team. He has left the team, so he won’t be with us this spring.”
On evaluating the players in the program since he arrived at Tennessee:
“I did look at everybody in the organization and to me evaluations like that are tough because you don’t know exactly if they played in a game. I didn’t know the previous scheme and what they were supposed to do, so one thing I tried to do is see what kind of competitors they were. The other thing was just like how you would evaluate a high school kid, what kind of athletic ability and do they have balance, body control? Can they change direction? Do they know how to strike? So yes, we did. We did with everyone in the organization and we actually looked at a lot of practice tape too just to kind of get an idea.”
On what position group he spent his first practice as a head coach with:
“I’d say the thing that I’ve got to do is wherever I can contribute the most to our organization. When football starts, I’m a defensive coach so I’m going to spend most of my time on the defensive side. When we watch tape, we’ll watch it as a staff and I’ll sit there. I can see what the offense is doing and if I have questions, I’ll ask. I have a good understanding of what they’re trying to get done. I sit in their meetings every day.
“The guys that we have on the defensive, I’m probably a little more familiar with, more comfortable with because we’ve all worked together: Kevin Sherrer, Tracy Rocker, Chris Rumph and Charles Kelly. We’ve all worked together for several years, Charles only one year, but the system that he came from was very similar to ours so those guys come prepare things and I go in there and I spend a little bit of time with them. I spend a lot of time with the offense in preparation but on the field, I’m going to coach on the defensive side of the ball.”
On what he learned in his first practice as a DI head coach:
“I’d say the first thing is from the organizational standpoint, we had a coaches’ walk-through. We had to get the coaches ready. We’re going to coach everybody. We had a walk-through and we decided to change what parts of the field we were doing some of it and then we went back over it. In case it rained, we went over the inside part and I think before we went out on the field everybody was thinking it was going to rain so everyone was locked into the inside part. I should have one more time went over it with the coaches so we would have all been on the same page. We had one hiccup.”
On the time it will take the team to adjust to this coaching staff’s style:
“The big thing is for the contact. When I say learn how to practice, I’m talking about — football is a collision game — you have to know how to use your face and hands and strike and that’s all three levels on defense. It happens with the offensive line, the tight ends, running backs, wide receivers and everybody that plays special teams, learning how to strike, learning and playing with the proper body angles so you have balance and body control where you can stay on your feet. We want to be able to practice. We want to be able to thud runners and be thudded. To do that, you’ve got to practice and stay on your feet. Also, part of it is you have to be able to sustain and you’ve got to be able to do it over and over and we’re trying to put them in adverse situations to see how they respond. That’s kind of what I’m talking about.”
On if he considered moving practice indoors when it started raining:
“No, we were going to go outside if it rained. We were worried about lightning. If it started lightning, we were going to go inside.”
On evaluation of players who could possibly play different positions:
“I would say the big thing is they’re all willing. They’re all willing to train, they’re willing to try a new position, which is important. I’ve seen over the years, you possibly move a guy to a different position, he agrees to it, and then he’s not really all in. These guys are trying to understand and comprehend what we’re trying to get done, and they’re giving effort to give it a chance.”
On philosophy on pace of practice:
“One thing that we want to do is we don’t want guys standing around. When we’re going to do group periods, we’re going to have three to four different types of drills going so nobody’s standing around. You might have the one’s on one end doing something, the two’s, the three’s, and then you might have the O-line and D-line doing different drills so you’re kind of rotating. They take four plays and rotate, so there’s constant movement. When we do team periods, seven-on-seven, we always two-spot. So, whether we’re working with the one’s and two’s, or three’s and four’s, or the one’s and the three’s and two’s and four’s, everybody takes the same amount of reps, so you’re going to get developed as a player. I think all the places that I’ve coached in the 11 years that I’ve been in college football have used the same practice plan, and it works. I think it helps in player development because there’s one thing about it, if you stand and watch, you’re not going to get any better. So, everybody is getting the same amount of reps. Whether you’re a freshman, whether a guy’s been an All-SEC player or a guy’s a walk-on, everybody gets the same amount of reps and we’re going to coach them all the same way.”
On the challenge presented with only eight healthy offensive linemen:
“All I know is that we went four groups today. We repped those groups and got it done out there. I don’t know how many we have that are healthy, but we have some guys out there who got reps and got it done. But yes, we need more numbers. We have talked about that, and we are behind. We need offensive linemen. We have guys that will be back in the fall who are out now, so that will help.”
On building relationships with players during the spring practice:
“To me, getting to know them is about getting to know what kind of player they are. You can learn somebody’s personality from their competitive spirit on the practice field. There is plenty of time to build relationships and all of that, but at the end of the day, this is a performance-based industry, so you must perform on the field. Over time, the relationships will take care of itself.”
On Princeton Fant practicing at running back:
“Long-term position, I don’t know. When he got here, he went to the tight end room to start with. When we got here, we sent him to another room. We are going to give him a shot at running back and see where it goes. He is going to do that for about seven days. We have several guys who are working at seven days for different positions, and then we are going to reevaluate them and see if they need to go back.”
On getting back out on the practice field:
“I came here to coach, so that was the easy part for me. From a player standpoint, one thing that we are going to do is confront them and be demanding if players don’t do things the way we expect. I think as practice went, the players responded more to that. There were some good things in that regard, and there were some bad things. It will be like that 10 years from now on Day One, though.”
On being limited during the spring due to injuries and lack of depth:
“I think numbers-wise, we probably have as many guys out there as anybody with the exceptions of a couple of positions. We are short on healthy people. We have them, and they will be back, but it does make things a little tougher. This happens everywhere, so we have to find a way to figure it out and get it done.”
Kane Brown is having a banner year, and it’s only three months old.
Check out a few of his recent accomplishments:
Kane’s self-titled debut album is once again No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart this week, marking the seventh week—out of nine—in 2018 that the album has topped the chart.
Kane’s recent No. 1 single, “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina, is the most-streamed song of 2018.
Kane’s new single, “Heaven,” is working its way up the Billboard Country Airplay chart, where it currently sits at No. 12.
The aforementioned accomplishments are a big reason Kane is nominated for two ACM Awards on April 15, including New Male Vocalist of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year (“What Ifs”). But to hear Kane tell it, he didn’t think music was in his future until he entered a school talent show.
“I thought I was going to go to college and, you know, [play] ball—football or basketball—and then the talent show was coming up and that’s when I kind of started singing again,” said Kane. “My buddy was like, ‘Dude, you need to do the talent show,’ so I started learning Chris Young [songs]. I started singing ‘Gettin’ You Home,’ so then I went and sang at my talent show, and I ended up winning. Then they wanted me to do an encore and I did ‘Your Man’ by Josh Turner. So, after that, I was just like, ‘You know what? This is what I want to do.’ So then . . . I started posting covers on Facebook and got lucky. People started sharing my stuff and I was like, ‘You know what? I just want to take this as a career.’”
Miranda Lambert will ship a new single to country radio on April 16 as she releases “Keeper of the Flame,” the fourth single from her 2016 double album, The Weight of These Wings.
Following previous single, “Tin Man,” Miranda kicks things up a notch with an anthem about strength and resiliency, singing in the first verse, “I’m bent but I’m not broken / I’m stronger than I feel / I’m made of flesh and bone / Not made of steel.”
The tune, co-written by Miranda, Natalie Hemby and Liz Rose, is full of imagery and lyrical depth, none so more visual than the second verse: I’ve been burned out to ashes / Waiting for a wind / To carry me and start a fire again / Sometimes I’m just a flicker / A candle in your eye / But I swear to God / I’ll never let it die.
The new single also spawned the moniker for Miranda’s 2016 Keeper of the Flame Tour.
In addition, Miranda launched an interactive book for The Weight of These Wings, where fans can connect to their Spotify accounts to hear Miranda talk through the inspiration for the album, explore unseen pictures and more.
As Blake Shelton’s nostalgic new single, “I Lived It,” continues to climb the charts—currently No. 13 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 10 weeks—the Oklahoma native says part of the song’s allure is its old-school aura.
The new tune, which was penned by Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley, Ben Hayslip and Ross Copperman, features lyrics like “Them old Duke boys, they’re flattening their heels / Hollywood was fake, wrestling was real / Wouldn’t dream of spending that two-dollar bill / From pushing a lawnmower around / I’d go back there right now.”
Blake, who burst onto the country scene in 2001 with his self-titled debut album, credits country crooners from the 1980s and ’90s like Earl Thomas Conley and John Conlee with influencing his sound.
“You know, you don’t hear songs like that anymore, which is a shame,” says Blake to Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown. “I kind of feel like right now, and even though it may just be a moment in time, I felt like it would be good to get some things out there . . . not a full-on throwback to old-school country music, but maybe some ’90s-sounding stuff on radio, you know? [With “I Lived It”] I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this could be the last chance to have a song like that out there,’ kind of a story-reminiscent song about a lifestyle that doesn’t really exist anymore except in our memories.”
When Texas parted ways with Rick Barnes three years ago, many felt Barnes had lost his fastball.
He didn’t have the same spark, the same energy, the same fire in his belly needed to win at a high level in college basketball, critics said.
After Tennessee had a losing record in Barnes’ first season and went 16-16 in year two, the “I told you so’’ crowd reared its head.
But no more.
Although Tennessee’s season ended with an upset loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to a No. 11 seed, Barnes did a spectacular job this season. A collection of three stars shared the SEC regular-season title – only the seventh title since World War II UT managed that feat. The Vols won 26 games (only three other UT teams in history can say that).
Barnes was named SEC coach of the Year. He is one of four finalists for the Naismith national coach of the year.
Tennessee associate head coach Rob Lanier is not surprised by the success enjoyed this season by Tennessee and Barnes.
Lanier was with Barnes at Texas when the Longhorns fired their long-time coach.
“Sometimes when someone is there for a long time,’’ Lanier said, “the appreciation people have for them starts to wane. They don’t realize what they got. It’s human nature.’’
It didn’t take Barnes long to find another UT – the University of Tennessee.
Texas’ mistake was Tennessee’s gain.
Barnes not only had an outstanding team this season, it could be better next season. All but one player is expected to return with the lone loss being grad transfer James Daniel. There’s no reason – on paper – that UT shouldn’t be among the favorites to win the SEC again.
And that is particularly pleasing to Lanier, who has an incredibly close relationship with his boss.
“The fit for Rick Barnes and Tennessee is as good as it gets,’’ Lanier said. “And he deserves that.’’
Tennessee returns all five starters next season, and the SEC co-Sixth Man of the Year in Lamonte Turner. UT is recruiting two point guards to try to fortify next year’s roster.
But with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone and Kyle Alexander and Jordan Bowden and Turner, few teams in the SEC will have more proven players than Tennessee.
That means Tennessee will be the hunted, not the huntee. How the Vols handle those expectations could go a long way in determining what kind of season UT has. How UT responds in the offseason to that success could also be a contributing factor.
Entering this season, I picked Tennessee to be an NCAA tournament team and win 20 games (counting the SEC Tournament).
Next year, I would expect UT to make the NCAA field again, win about 22 games before the NCAA tournament selections are announced, and be ranked among the top 15.
That’s the foundation Barnes has laid.
And, as Lanier said, the fit of Barnes at Tennessee is as good as it gets.
Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
The Academy of Country Music announced the additions of Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban as performers for the 53rd ACM Awards on April 15.
Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line with Bebe Rexha, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett are also set to take the stage.
The Academy also announced that Drew Brees, Nancy O’Dell, Rebecca Romijn and Lindsey Vonn have been added as presenters for the ceremony. Reba McEntire will return as the host of the upcoming show. The gig will mark Reba’s 15th time as the emcee, her first since 2012 when she teamed with Blake Shelton.
The ACM Awards will air from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
