Miranda Lambert headlined a show at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater last night (Aug. 9) with special guests Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers.
The Texas trio united onstage to cover Merle Haggard’s 1968 No. 1 hit, “Sing Me Back Home.” Penned by Merle, the tune spent two weeks at the top of the charts and earned Merle his third career No. 1 single.
Watch Miranda, Wade and Randy’s performance below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhTVqcw_EQ
video courtesy of tulipsandpearls YouTube
Fresh off the release of his self-titled album on Aug. 4, Brett Eldredge headed to New York City on Aug. 9 to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Brett sampled his new single, “The Long Way,” a tune he co-penned with Matt Rogers.
“This [record] is me melodically and lyrically more than anything I’ve ever done,” said Brett to Nash Country Daily. “This deserves to be self-titled because it’s more me than anything yet. I want it to be that big career album for me, that one that took it to a whole nother level. Everything has been going so well, and the build-up to this big record has been what I wanted it to be. I like to put the pressure on myself to deliver and I think the fans are going to love it.”
Watch Brett’s performance below.
In support of the Aug. 11 release of her debut album, The Project, Lindsay Ell took her talents to NYC for an appearance on the Today show (Aug. 9).
Lindsay treated fans to a performance of the album’s lead single, “Waiting on You,” a song she co-penned with Adam Hambrick and Andrew DeRoberts.
“‘Waiting on You’ is the first song that started this whole project because when we originally started talking with Kristian Bush to produce my whole record, ‘Waiting on You’ was the song that all of us were like, ‘You know what, there’s something to this,’” said Lindsay to Nash Country Daily. “As an artist, I came to town really trying to find what I wanted to sound like. I think it took me years of doing the wrong thing to finally find the right thing. ‘Waiting on You’ is the first song where I could honestly by like, ‘That’s me.’ If I was given three minutes with somebody whose never heard my name before, to really hear what’s going on in my heart and hear what I sound like, ‘Waiting on You’ would be it.”
Watch Lindsay’s performance below.
Kenny Rogers’ 60-year career will be capped with a farewell concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 25.
The showcase, dubbed All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration, will feature the final duet by Kenny and Dolly Parton, one of country music’s most beloved tandems.
Newly announced performers include Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum and The Judds. They join previously announced performers Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, The Flaming Lips, Idina Menzel, Jamey Johnson, Elle King and more guests to be announced soon.
“It is a great honor to learn that my friends Reba, Lady Antebellum, Chris Stapleton, Wynonna, and The Judds will be performing at this show,” says Kenny Rogers. “I admire each one of them for the music they create and for the integrity that is always evident in their work. Having them be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime night is going to make things even more exciting for me. I appreciate them doing this, and all of the other artists who will perform, more than they know.”
The final block of tickets is on sale now at Ticketmaster, by phone at 800-745-3000 and the Bridgestone Arena box office. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation and the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center.
Today (Aug. 9), Dustin Lynch announced that he will release his third studio album, Current Mood, on Sept. 8.
The 13-track offering features Dustin’s recent No. 1 single, “Seein’ Red,” as well as his current single, “Small Town Boy.”
“This album is a glimpse into the last three years of my life . . . the travel, the adventures, the relationships and the personal growth,” says Dustin. “I think this is the most personal release I have done and I’m really excited to share with everyone my Current Mood.”
Dustin also announced a headlining tour—The Ride or Die Tour—in support of the new album. Kicking off Nov. 3 in Fayetteville, N.C., the tour will visit 15 cities from New York to Los Angeles and wrap on Dec. 17 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Ride or Die Tour
Nov. 3
Fayetteville, NC
Crown Coliseum*+
Nov. 4
Atlanta, GA
Coca Cola Roxy Theatre*+
Nov. 10
Oklahoma City, OK
Diamond Ballroom +
Nov. 11
San Antonio, TX
Cowboys Dancehall +
Nov. 12
Houston, TX
House of Blues +
Dec. 2
New York, NY
PlayStation Theater ^
Dec. 3
Philadelphia, PA
The Fillmore ^
Dec. 7
Stockton, CA
Bob Hope Theatre ^
Dec. 8
Los Angeles, CA
The Novo ^
Dec. 10
Las Vegas, NV
The Cosmopolitan ^
Dec. 12
Grand Rapids, MI
20 Monroe Live ^*
*Michael Ray
+LANCO
^Ryan Hurd
No. 24 Tennessee and Georgia Tech clash in second college game to be played in new Mercedes-Benz Stadium
ATLANTA (Aug. 9, 2017) – The 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between No. 24 Tennessee and Georgia Tech will cap off college football’s opening weekend in front of a sold out crowd in what will be the second college game to be played in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I can’t think of a better way to officially open the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium than with an ACC-SEC rivalry game in a sold out atmosphere in the Capital of College Football,” said Gary Stokan, CEO and president of Peach Bowl, Inc. “To host two great traditional football powers in Georgia Tech and Tennessee, while also honoring Hall of Famer Bobby Dodd, who was an All-American at Tennessee and a National Championship Coach at Georgia Tech, is a very special way to end the first weekend of college football.”
The Tennessee-Georgia Tech game will be featured in prime time on Monday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Tennessee and Georgia Tech have met 43 times, with the Volunteers holding a 24-17-2 series lead over the Yellow Jackets. One-time SEC rivals, this year’s meeting will mark the first between the programs in 30 years, when Tennessee defeated Georgia Tech 29-15 in Knoxville during the 1987 season.
“When you get two storied programs with fan bases as passionate as Tennessee and Georgia Tech, you know you’re going to have a tough ticket,” said Percy Vaughn, Peach Bowl, Inc. chairman. “Add in the fact the two teams are meeting for the first time in three decades, and you get an even higher demand for tickets from Volunteer and Yellow Jacket fans.”
This will be Tennessee’s second appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the first a 2012 win over N.C. State. Georgia Tech will be making its first appearance in the game.
The sold out game will also honor legendary coach Bobby Dodd, who is only one of three people inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and a coach. Dodd played quarterback at Tennessee (1928-1930) and coached at Georgia Tech (1931-1966), leading the Yellow Jackets to the program’s 1952 National Championship. The Dodd Trophy, named for Coach Dodd, is the most coveted college football coach of the year award.
This year’s matchups – which also includes the Florida State-Alabama game Sept. 2 – will mark the 9th and 10th ACC vs. SEC meetings in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, with the SEC currently holding a 7-1 advantage over the ACC in those games.
The nation’s longest-running kickoff game, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game has now sold out 10 of its 13 matchups. The game averages 67,645 – higher than the attendance of 35 bowl games last year – and has an average payout of $4.7 million which is higher than 27 bowl games last year. Television viewership is also traditionally strong with more than 47.4 million viewers tuning in to the series since its inaugural series in 2008.
Past Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game teams and winners of The Old Leather Helmet include:
Year: Match-Up: Winner:
2016 (18) Georgia vs. (22) North Carolina Georgia 33-24
2015 (25) Louisville vs. (6) Auburn Auburn 31-24
2014 (2) Alabama vs. West Virginia Alabama 33-23
2014 (18) Ole Miss vs. Boise State Ole Miss 35-13
2013 (1) Alabama vs. Virginia Tech Alabama 35-10
2012 (14) Clemson vs. (24) Auburn Clemson 26-19
2012 (25) NC State vs. Tennessee Tennessee 35-21
2011 (5) Boise State vs. (19) Georgia Boise State 35-21
2010 (16) LSU vs. (18) North Carolina LSU 30-24
2009 (5) Alabama vs. (7) Virginia Tech Alabama 34-24
2008 (9) Clemson vs. (24) Alabama Alabama 34-10
The teams will battle for The Old Leather Helmet Trophy, one of college football’s newest rivalry-style icons. Traditionally, winners of The Old Leather Helmet don the helmet on the field after the game, starting with the head coach and then rotating from player to player as the team celebrates its victory.
Official Tickets and Packages through PrimeSport Remain Available
Despite ticket allotments being sold out, fans looking to get to the game still have great options available from PrimeSport.
As the official ticket exchange and VIP hospitality provider, PrimeSport creates a secure and approved marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets in a convenient, safe and guaranteed environment. Buyers can be assured that the tickets are authentic and guaranteed.
PrimeSport also offers official Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game TICKET AND HOSPITALITY PACKAGES for the dedicated fan looking for a VIP experience at the event. Official ticket packages include access to the Official MVP Tailgate, which is conveniently located inside the all new Mercedes-Benz Stadium! Guests will enjoy early preferred stadium access 30 minutes prior to gates open, a tailgate buffet, open bar, soft drinks, entertainment and an opportunity to take a picture with the Old Leather Helmet trophy! Official Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game travel packages are also available from PrimeSport and include hotel accommodations, game tickets, official pregame hospitality, official souvenirs and much more. For more information on all available offerings for the game, fans can visit PRIMESPORT.COM or call 800-591-9198.
For more information, visit Chick-fil-AKickoffGame.com.
#CFAKickoff
ABOUT THE CHICK-FIL-A KICKOFF GAME
Created in 2008 by Peach Bowl, Inc., the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is the preeminent bowl-style, neutral-site game featuring two elite football programs and has been nationally televised on the first Saturday of the college football season since its inception. The game has hosted teams with national rankings of No. 1, 2, 5 (twice), 6, 7, 9, 14, 16, 18 (twice), 19, 22, 24 (twice) and 25 (twice). The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game boasts an average attendance of 67,645, has been watched on television by 47.4 million viewers, and has distributed $51.9 million in total team payouts. Since its inception in 2008, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game has featured seven national coaches of the year, 19 players who were recipients of national awards during their collegiate careers and a total of 48 first-round NFL Draft picks. For more information, visit WWW.CHICK-FIL-AKICKOFFGAME.COM.
If you don’t have time to comb through social media all day, here’s what you’ve been missing over the last 24 hours or so in the country music world:
Wow, thank you. This is amazing: https://t.co/00DBtyigrD #LBTV pic.twitter.com/C4jy6LFh9p
— Luke Bryan (@LukeBryanOnline) August 9, 2017
New Music 💿🎧🎸🎤🥁 pic.twitter.com/WBvlfDAz2s
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) August 9, 2017
An accomplished guitarist, Glen Campbell was a highly sought-after session player who performed on recordings by the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Merle Haggard before becoming a successful solo artist known for his uncanny ability to pick great songs.
Below are the stories behind five of Glen’s most popular songs: “Gentle On My Mind,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.”
“Gentle On My Mind”
In the late 1960s, few artists carried a plate as full of activity as Glen. He had set his sights on a solo career, but was coming up empty in the search for a breakout hit song. Finally, on his way to a recording session, Glen found the song that would help launch him to solo stardom.
“I was listening to a Los Angeles country music station,” Glen recalled, “and heard a low voice singing a song called ‘Gentle on My Mind,’ and it really stuck. The song had such a freshness of spirit, I thought.”
Glen recorded “Gentle on My Mind” on May 17, 1967, at the Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood, Calif., and he recalled that the song truly changed his life and career path. “Gentle on My Mind” hit big on both the country and pop charts, copped three Grammy awards, including Best Country & Western Song, and helped establish Glen as a true crossover artist.
“Wichita Lineman”
“I listen for chord progression, melody, a good lyric that says something—and something positive,” noted Glen. “I think Jimmy Webb writes probably the best melodies and chord progressions of anybody that I’ve ever heard, including the greats. He’s my very favorite writer of all time.”
Jimmy delivered to Glen such hits as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “I Wanna Live.” But the Webb‑penned “Wichita Lineman” positively electrified listeners around the country, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 3 on the pop chart.
“‘Wichita Lineman’ is the song that brought me stardom,” says Glen. “It’s my favorite ballad. I cried when he played it. The song’s loneliness grabs you. Jimmy was driving through the nothingness of Oklahoma and Kansas. He saw this lineman on a pole in the middle of nowhere. Those lyrics. I need you more than want you and I want you for all time. Boy, that lineman was really in love with somebody.”
And, fans proved they were really in love with the song. On Jan. 22, 1969, “Wichita Lineman” was officially certified as Glen’s first gold single. He would follow up with three more gold singles: “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.”
“Galveston”
Glen and songwriter Jimmy Webb enjoyed one of the great partnerships in musical history. But as Glen noted in his book, Rhinestone Cowboy: An Autobiography, he has often made slight alterations to Jimmy’s work, not in the actual lyrics but in the melodies and arrangements. “I changed ‘Phoenix’ somewhat, amending the chord progression at the end,” Glen recalled. “Jimmy has always teased me that it’s my obsession to tamper with his work.”
Glen, a superb musician as well as vocalist, put his ear to work again on another Jimmy Webb penned tune, “Galveston.” Glen heard the original version of “Galveston” and felt that the tempo was too slow. He decided to record the song at a much faster tempo. Jimmy recalled to Country Weekly magazine in 2010 that “Galveston” was more of a lament and was “meant to be a sad song. It’s about this guy who’s involved in a war and doesn’t want to be there and it is [also] about this woman back at home who’s waiting for him. But Glen changed the tempo and it became a huge record. He was a gifted arranger,” Jimmy added. “Galveston” debuted on the charts March 15, 1969, and went on to become the third No. 1 single of Glen’s career.
“Rhinestone Cowboy”
“Rhinestone Cowboy” became a No. 1 hit for Glen on Aug. 23, 1975, but he recalled hearing the tune on the radio a year earlier.
“It was sung by [the song’s writer] Larry Weiss, and I bought a cassette copy,” Glen noted. Glen wanted to cut the song and told a label executive, “I’ve got to do this song I found. I won’t take no for an answer.” His demand led to an incredible coincidence. The executive agreed to listen to the song if Glen would listen to something he had found for him. The tune in question was “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Glen said, “That was a sign that the song had to be right for me.” Glen especially loved the line in the first verse, There’s been a load of compromisin’ on the road to my horizon.
“I thought it was my autobiography set to song,” he said. “Rhinestone Cowboy” became a popular crossover hit for Glen, as it also reached No. 1 on the pop charts. On top of that, Glen’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” album topped the country charts in September of 1975.
“Southern Nights”
Glen Campbell scored his fifth career No. 1 country single when the bouncy “Southern Nights” captured the top spot on March 19, 1977. The song was written by New Orleans-based R&B great Allen Toussaint, who used childhood memories of his Louisiana relatives as the backdrop.
Glen, who grew up in rural Arkansas, identified with “Southern Nights” and recorded it in October of 1976, with slightly altered lyrics. The tune became the title track to his 1977 album, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was also recently included in the movie soundtrack for The Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its class of 2017 today (Aug. 9): Vern Gosdin (posthumously), Jim McBride, Walt Aldridge and Tim Nichols. The foursome will be inducted on Oct. 23 at the Music City Center, joining the 203 existing members of the organization, including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks and more.
Walt and Tim were selected in the Songwriter category, while Jim secured his spot as Veteran Songwriter and Vern was elected as Songwriter/Artist.
Vern GosdinPartial Song List
Jim McBridePartial Song List
Walt AldridgePartial Song List
Tim NicholsPartial Song List
photos courtesy Nashville Songwriters HOF
John Mayer headlined a gig at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena last night (Aug. 8) as news broke that Glen Campbell had passed way after a lengthy battle against Alzheimer’s.
Not surprisingly, the country legend, who also had a profound impact on the pop charts, influenced John’s career.
“I’m going to play this song with more love than precision,” said John. “I’m going to play it because it’s my favorite song in the world, and it was performed by Glen Campbell, who sadly passed away today. I’m going to play this for him. Whether I play it right or wrong, I’d rather have played it.”
The song John was referring to was Glen’s Grammy-winning single, “Gentle On My Mind.”
Watch John’s performance below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kS4sC4aclY&feature=youtu.be
photo and video by Kelly Ford
