The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its class of 2018: Alan Jackson, Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Kool & The Gang (Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and James “JT” Taylor), Jermaine Dupri, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis.
Three of this year’s inductees—Alan Jackson, Bill Anderson and Steve Dorff—have had a significant impact on country music.
Alan Jackson’s inclusion in the Songwriters Hall of Fame will follow his recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017. Alan is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who have written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts. Alan’s works include “Chattahoochee,” “Midnight in Montgomery,” “Remember When,” “Livin’ On Love,” “Drive,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” and more.
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, a 2001 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, penned a number of hits over his 60-year career, including “City Lights,” “Tips of My Fingers,” “Once a Day,” “Saginaw, Michigan,” “That’s What It’s Like To Be Lonesome,” “I Missed Me,” “Cold Hard Facts of Life,” “Mama Sang a Song,” “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Give It Away” and more.
Steve Dorff’s songs have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and more. A few of Dorff’s songwriting credits included Kenny Rogers’ “Through the Years,” George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “Every Which Way But Loose.”
The group will be inducted on June 14 at the Induction & Awards Gala in New York City, joining previously honored songwriters such as Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, Toby Keith and many more.
To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs.
Anastasia Hayes — Lady Vols Guard / Credit: UT Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of Tennessee women’s basketball standout Anastasia Hayes has been chosen as the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday.
Hayes is the third UT freshman to be so honored this season, following Rennia Davis (Nov. 12) and Evina Westbrook (Dec. 26).
The reserve guard came off the bench and provided the #11/13 Lady Vols with a second-half boost toward victories over #14/12 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt last week. She averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals as Tennessee improved to 19-4 on the season and 7-3 in SEC play.
The native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., now has scored in double figures in three of her past four games after enduring a stretch of only one game in double figures in her previous seven.
Against the Aggies, Hayes helped UT avenge a loss earlier this season at College Station by entering the game and providing 16 points on six-of-nine shooting from the field. Having hit only five three-pointers on the season, she connected on two of three vs. A&M and added a pair of free throws to key the crucial victory. Nine of Hayes’ points came in the decisive second half, when she also grabbed four of her career-high five steals as Tennessee used a 25-8 blitz in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
At Vandy on Sunday, Hayes filled the stat sheet and did the dirty work necessary for the Lady Vols to escape with their fifth road win of the season in eight tries. She was again clutch down the stretch, scoring seven of her 10 points in the final frame and finishing with an SEC-high six rebounds and four steals to help UT pull away in the final five minutes.
Jon Pardi dropped a new video for his single, “She Ain’t In It,” which is currently No. 33 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 16 weeks.
Directed by Jim Wright, the video was filmed entirely in black and white on a ranch outside Thousand Oaks, Calif.
“‘She Ain’t In It’ is a great country song,” says Jon. “The first time I heard it, I had to listen to it over and over again. I was like, ‘This has to be on the record. It is just pure country.’ It’s got that heartbreak to it. It’s got that moving on. Great lyrics and a great melody and it’s one of my favorites to ever call mine.”
Penned by Clint Daniels and Wynn Varble, “She Ain’t In It” is the fourth single from Jon’s 2016 album, California Sunrise, which has spawned three No. 1 hits: “Head Over Boots,” “Dirt On My Boots” and “Heartache On The Dance Floor.”
Jaime Nared — Lady Vols Forward / Credit: UT Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of Tennessee women’s basketball senior Jaime Nared has been named the SEC Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday.
Nared, who picked up her second nod this season from the conference, also was named the College Sports Madness National and SEC Player of the Week on Monday.
Posting the best back-to-back games of her career, Nared helped #11/13 Tennessee defeat #14/12 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-2 standout from Portland, Ore., averaged 26.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists as the Lady Vols improved to 19-4 overall and 7-3 in SEC play.
Against A&M, she helped UT avenge a loss earlier this season in College Station, connecting on eight of 15 shots from the field for 23 points on 53 percent shooting. She added six free throws on eight attempts and contributed six rebounds and four assists to the victorious cause.
Against Vanderbilt on Sunday, Nared matched her career high with 30 points against the Commodores, all of them vital as the Lady Vols held off the home team. Nared hit seven of 14 field goal attempts and 15 of 17 tries from the charity stripe vs. VU, including 10-of-10 accuracy in the final five minutes. That total of 15 tied for fourth most all-time in school history. Nared now is 132 of 158 from the free throw line this season, leading the SEC in that category.
In addition to notching her ninth 20+ point effort of the season and 18th of her career, Nared pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the year and 18th of her career.
Willie Nelson, 84, has cancelled eight February tour dates to recover from the flu, according to a press release from his rep that was published by Variety.
“He is up and about and looks as healthy as ever but his doctor has determined that his voice needs more time to recuperate to give the performances you all love seeing. Willie will resume the tour in early March. Willie Nelson says, ‘I will see you all down the road.’”
Over the last couple of years, the perpetually-touring Willie has been forced to cancel a handful of shows due to illness, including dates in November 2016, January 2017, February 2017 and August 2017.
Dierks Bentley dropped a juicy nugget of information during a Q&A session at Nashville’s Country Radio Seminar on Feb. 5: he and Luke Bryan will not be back to co-host the 2018 ACM Awards in April.
According to Billboard, Dierks made the impromptu revelation after a photo of the ACM co-hosts appeared on a screen, saying, “That’s over . . . we got fired. Is that not common knowledge?”
Luke and Dierks co-hosted the ACM Awards in 2016 and 2017. Luke also co-hosted the show with Blake Shelton from 2013–2015. The new ACM emcee(s) will be announced in the coming weeks.
During Chris Janson’s sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium on Feb. 5, Keith Urban surprised the “Buy Me a Boat” singer with an official invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. Since making his debut in 2013, Chris has racked up close to 200 Opry performances.
Keith initially joined Chris onstage to team up for a performance of John Michael Montgomery’s hit, “Sold,” before making the surprise announcement.
“To have a sold-out show at the Ryman, Chris, that’s amazing,” said Keith. “And it’s fitting it should be at the Ryman because it is, or course, one of the many homes of the Grand Ole Opry, which I am a member . . . and I remember the feeling the night that I got invited [to join]. It’s an incredible feeling and I think it’s about time you feel that way too, Chris. I would like to invite you, Chris Janson, to become the newest member of that family at the Grand Ole Opry.”
“I do not know what to say,” said Chris. “I am 100 percent speechless. So I am going to do what I do best, and I’m going to dig way back in my repertoire and I’m going to sing you the kind of music right now that I always dreamt about and studied . . . I’m gonna play you a Haggard song right now and I cannot believe I just got invited to join the Grand Ole Opry.”
Chris’ formal Opry induction will be scheduled for later this spring.
Jaime Nared – Lady Vols Forward / Credit: UT Athetics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball standout Jaime Nared has been named the College Sports Madness National & SEC Player of the Week for her performances vs. Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
This marks the second time the 6-foot-2 senior from Portland, Ore., has earned national accolades and the third occasion she was selected as the SEC honoree by College Sports Madness. She was named the CSM National Player of the Week for the first time on Dec. 11 and picked up the organization’s SEC nod on that date as well as on Dec. 26.
College Sports Madness is an independent college sports website providing previews, predictions, insight and analysis. The site contains a large volume of quality content from both staff and independent writers.
The forward averaged 26.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in two contests last week, helping the #11/13 Lady Vols improve to 19-4 overall and 7-3 in SEC play with victories over #14/12 Texas A&M (82-67) and Vanderbilt (74-64). She shot 51.7 percent from the field (15-of-29) and 84.0 percent from the free throw line (21-of-25) and also averaged 2.5 assists.
Nared tallied 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win over the Aggies, connecting on 8 of 15 tries from the field and 6-of-8 opportunities from the charity stripe. Against Vandy, Nared matched her career high in scoring, firing in 30 and pulling down 14 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season and the 18th of her career. She tied for the fourth most free throws ever made in a game by a Lady Vol, hitting 15-of -17, including 10-of-10 in the final five minutes.
A top-10 candidate for the Cheryl Miller Award, Nared has scored 20 or more points in nine games this season and 18 times in her career.
Tennessee next sees action on Feb. 8 in Fayetteville, Ark., as the Lady Vols take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7 p.m. CT (8 ET) at Bud Walton Arena. The game will be streamed online via SECN+.
Kyle Alexander / Vols Forward / Credit: UT Athletics
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Playing its best ball of the season, 15th-ranked Tennessee heads to Rupp Arena on Tuesday night for a showdown with rival Kentucky. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN for “Super Tuesday.”
The Vols (17-5, 7-3 SEC) enter the contest as winners of their last five games and eight of the last nine. During the stretch, defense has been the key for UT’s success. Tennessee has held its opponents to under 65 points in each of the last seven outings and now ranks 6th in defensive efficiency in the KenPom rankings.
UT is coming off a 94-61 drubbing at home against Ole Miss. Despite five scorers in double figures and blazing-hot shooting in the second half, the defense stole the show, forcing 17 turnovers by the Rebels behind 11 steals and seven blocks. In the second period, the Vols shot 71 percent (20-of-28) from the floor, including 10 treys, to blow past Ole Miss.
No. 24 Kentucky (17-6, 6-4 SEC) is coming off a recent victory at No. 7 West Virginia, 83-76, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Freshman Kevin Knox, the team’s leading scorer on the season at 15.1 ppg, led the charge vs. West Virginia, with a career-high 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting. On Saturday, the Wildcats fell on the road at Missouri, 69-60. UK struggled to connect from beyond the arc, converting on just two of its 20 attempts from three.
After the matchup, the Vols head to Alabama for a game against the streaking Crimson Tide on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. After that, UT returns home to face South Carolina in a 9 p.m. tip next Tuesday for one of three remaining games in Thompson-Boling Arena this season.
THE SERIES
Overall: Kentucky leads, 153-70
In Knoxville: UK leads, 52-50
In Lexington: UK leads, 90-16
Neutral Sites: UK leads, 11-4
Current Streak: UT has won one
Last Meeting: Tennessee won, 76-65, in Knoxville, 1/6/18 Rick Barnes vs. Kentucky: 4-4 Rick Barnes vs. John Calipari: Barnes leads, 5-4
RIGHT NOW
During its five-game win streak, Tennessee is allowing an just 58.5 ppg while boasting a +18.2 scoring margin.
Per KenPom.com, Tennessee rates in the national top 30 in both offensive (22nd) and defensive (6th) efficiency.
The Vols are rated No. 13 in the NCAA RPI and own the nation’s third-rated SOS, per KenPom.com.
A WIN WOULD…
Give Tennessee a six-game overall win streak (its longest since February 2013) and a five-game win streak in SEC play.
Stand as Tennessee’s fifth all-time victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
Give the Vols their first season sweep of Kentucky since the 1998-99 campaign.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
• John Calipari once again heads a strong Kentucky team, which was picked to win the SEC this year by the media during the preseason.
• The Wildcats currently rank 16th in the latest RPI standings. With a 17-6 record entering the matchup, UK holds wins over ETSU, Harvard, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Georgia and at West Virginia this season.
• After losing two of its previous three, Kentucky fought back from a 15-point halftime deficit on the road at No. 7 WVU to beat the Mountaineers, 83-76, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 27.
• Freshman Kevin Knox, the team’s leading scorer on the season at 15.1 ppg, led the charge vs. West Virginia, with a career-high 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably Kentucky’s most versatile player, averaging 12.7 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.6 rpg and 1.7 spg in 31 minutes of action per game.
• Preseason first-team All-SEC guard Hamidou Diallo (12.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and PJ Washington (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg) round out UK’s double-digit scorers.
• The Wildcats enter Tuesday’s matchup coming off a loss at Missouri, 69-60. Kentucky struggled to connect from beyond the arc, converting on just two of its 20 attempts from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Wildcats with 15 points and six assists.
SERIES NOTES
• The Kentucky series is UT’s oldest and most-played among SEC opponents. The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910, and have clashed 223 times over the years.
• It has been 10 years since the last time Tennessee came to Rupp Arena ranked higher than Kentucky. The third-ranked Vols lost to the unranked Wildcats, 72-66, at Rupp on Jan 22, 2008.
• No program in college basketball has logged more wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (70).
• Kentucky is one of only four SEC schools (along with Alabama, Arkansas and Missouri) to lead its all-time series against the Volunteers.
• Four Tennessee All-Americans were Kentucky natives: Allan Houston, Chris Lofton, Danny Schultz and Paul “Lefty” Walther.
• Tennessee has 14 all-time wins over the Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena, including three straight.
• The Vols have beaten the Wildcats just four times at Rupp Arena, posting victories in 1977, 1979, 1999 and 2006.
LAST MEETING KENTUCKY
• Admiral Schofield scored 20 points and recorded nine rebounds to lead the 23rd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to a 76-65 victory over No. 17 Kentucky on Jan. 6, 2018, at a sold out Thompson-Boling Arena.
• The Vols shot 54 percent from the field in the second half while using a strong defensive effort to outscore the Wildcats in the final period, 47-28, and earn their first conference victory of the season.
• Grant Williams stepped up offensively down the stretch, scoring 16 of his 18 points in the second half on 7-for-9 shooting.
• UT was also fueled by great team play, as it recorded 23 assists on 25 made field goals, led by six assists from James Daniel III.
• After going into halftime trailing by nine, the Vols went on multiple runs in the second half, including a 10-0 burst that lasted more than three minutes, to reclaim the lead and defeat Kentucky for the third consecutive year at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Kentucky was efficient throughout the first half, shooting 55 percent from the field and 4-for-8 from behind the 3-point arc. PJ Washington knocked down his first four shots and finished the period with 11 points to lead the Wildcats to a 37-29 advantage at the intermission.
• UT stormed out of the gate in the second half, going on a quick 6-0 run highlighted by a Schofield breakaway dunk. The outburst continued with a Lamonté Turner 3-pointer three minutes in that put the Vols ahead for the first time since the 16:00 mark of the first half.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST KENTUCKY
• Kevin Punter Jr.’s 27 points were the most scored by a Vol against the Kentucky in 10 years as Tennessee defeated the Wildcats, 84-77, Feb. 2, 2016, in Knoxville. The senior point guard made three 3-pointers and was 11-of-12 at the free-throw line.
• Chris Lofton reeled off 31 points, Major Wingate scored 12 and current Orlando Magic guard C.J. Watson added 10 as No. 11 Tennessee beat Kentucky 75-67 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7, 2006.
• Beating the Wildcats was three times as nice during the 1978-79 season. UT notched program win No. 900 in Lexington on Jan. 20, 66-55, before topping UK 101-84 in Knoxville on Feb. 17. Then the Vols won the 1979 SEC Tournament with a 75-69 win over UK in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 3. Current Vol Network radio analyst Bert Bertelkamp was a junior on that Tennessee team.
• As Bernard King walked off the court at Memorial Gym after a deflating 88-82 loss on Jan. 13, 1975, a Kentucky fan flipped a lit cigarette into the Tennessee legend’s hair. Outraged, King vowed he would never lose to Kentucky again. He vigorously carried out that promise, finishing his career 5-1 against the Wildcats.
BARNES & CALIPARI: 1,300+ WINS
• Saturday’s game features the two winningest coaches (total career Division I wins) in the SEC.
• John Calipari is the league’s active leader in career wins, with 669. Rick Barnes is a close second with 652 victories to his credit.
• Among all active Division I head coaches, Calipari and Barnes rank fifth and seventh, respectively, in total head coaching wins.
• Barnes and Calipari became friends while working a Pitt basketball camp in the late 1970s. The star player at that camp? Current Arizona head coach Sean Miller.
CALIPARI AMONG TENNESSEE’S MOST-FACED HEAD COACHES
• On Tuesday, John Calipari will coach his 23rd career game against the Vols. Among active college coaches, that stands as the third-most career meetings against Tennessee.
COACH MEETINGS UT’s RECORD vs.
Kevin Stallings 37 21-16
Tubby Smith 26 7-19
John Calipari 21 8-14
Andy Kennedy 16 8-8
Mark Fox 13 4-9
VOLS HAVE SEVEN WINS vs. CALIPARI
• Since UK coach John Calipari returned to the college game in 2000-01, Tennessee has dealt him seven losses. No team has more wins over Calipari-coached teams during that span.
TEAM WINS
TENNESSEE 7
Florida 7
Louisville 7
Cincinnati 5
Ole Miss 4
Southern Miss 4
JANUARY KENTUCKY WIN SPARKED HOT STREAK FOR SCHOFIELD
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said that junior wing Admiral Schofield had his best game as Vol when UT defeated Kentucky on Jan. 6. That win started a streak of stellar play for Schofield.
• Over the last nine contests, Schofield is averaging 12.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting .467 overall and .442 from 3-point range during that span.
• In this year’s first meeting with Kentucky, Schofield totaled 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block.
• In five career games vs. Kentucky, Schofield averages 13.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting .500 from the field.
UT HAS EXCEEDED 2016-17 WINS TOTAL
• Tennessee has already exceeded last season’s total of 16 wins, and the Vols have eight regular-season games remaining.
TRENDING NOW
• In SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in assists per game (16.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.5) while ranking second in scoring offense (79.0 ppg), scoring margin (+8.4), field-goal percentage (.474), 3-point percentage (.401) and rebounding defense (33.1 rapg).
• The school record for 3-point percentage is .3912, set during the 1989-90 season (Allan Houston era). Tennessee’s current 3-point percentage is .398.
• Excluding any postseason games, UT is on pace to total 533 assists during the regular season. That would stand as the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
• The Vols also are on pace to finish the regular season with 155 blocked shots. That would rank as the sixth-highest single-season total in school history.
• During SEC play, junior wing Admiral Schofield ranks second in the league in 3-point percentage (.458) and fifth in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and tied for seventh in steals per game (1.4 spg).
• Sophomore guard Lamonté Turner has made 20 consecutive free throws dating to Tennessee’s Jan. 6 win over Kentucky. In SEC play, his .949 free-throw percentage (37-of-39) leads the league.
• Junior forward Kyle Alexander has 19 blocks over UT’s last seven games (2.7 bpg).
VOLS COMING OFF BEST HALF OF BASKETBALL THIS SEASON
• Tennessee put on a clinic during the second half of its 94-61 rout of Ole Miss on Saturday.
• The Vols scored 59 points in the half, during which they missed their first two field goals before making 20 of their last 26 attempts from the floor.
• The Vols shot .714 as a team during the half.
• The 59 points were UT’s most in a half since scoring 60 in the first half of a 114-75 season-opening win over Chattanooga on Nov. 25, 2008.
• Tennessee had 17 assists and just one turnovers during the half.
• UT’s 33-point margin of victory was its largest in a regular-season SEC game since beating Vanderbilt, 76-38, on March 1, 2014, by 38 points (in postseason play, UT beat Auburn by 38 points [97-59] in the first round of the 2016 SEC Tournament).
• During the final 20 minutes vs. Ole Miss Saturday, the Vols averaged 1.84 points per possession.
Luke Bryan took down a monster buck with an arrow in a new video posted on the Facebook page of Buck Commander, a TV show focused on hunting that features “Buckmen” such as Luke, Jason Aldean, Willie Robertson and more.
In the new clip, Luke’s enthusiastic reaction is shown after shooting the arrow and striking the deer.
“The reaction you get from [Luke] is that excitement you see, and that’s not something he just turns on for the camera,” says Jason Aldean in the video. “That is legit, that is what you get with Luke.
“I think it just goes to show you what a passion he has for hunting and how excited he gets even all these years later. No matter how many times you’ve had big deer out in front of you, or you shot deer, he still has that same passion for it as he did when he was first getting started, and I think you can see that in his reaction.”
Watch the video below to see Luke’s reaction, but be warned, it features footage of a deer getting shot.
![Luke Bryan Freaks Out After Shooting a Deer [Watch, If You Want]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/08/22144803/Luke-Bryan11.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
