Lauren Alaina may have been feeling under the weather, but that didn’t stop her from performing her new single, “Doin’ Fine,” on Fox & Friends’ All-American Summer Concert series this morning (July 7).
While the New York crowd braved the rain, Lauren belted out her new ditty, which she co-penned with Emily Shackleton and busbee. After the performance, Lauren told the hosts, “I’m not feeling great today, but I wanted to be here, obviously, with you guys, and if [the crowd] is gonna stand in the rain, I’m going to sing for you.”
Big & Rich are slated to release their upcoming sixth studio album, Did It for the Party, on Sept. 15. The 13-song offering includes new single, “California,” which is currently No. 39 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 17 weeks.
“This new record is gonna rock America’s boots off,” said John Rich. “Can’t wait for y’all to hear it.”
“It’s been a blast working on this album and we can’t wait for everyone to hear our new songs,” added Big Kenny.
Big & Rich fans can pre-order the album now on Apple Music/iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, where they will receive an instant download of “California,” along with the title track, “Did It for the Party.”
Jim Casey talks with Jackie Lee about growing up in a musical family, playing in a bluegrass band with his father and mother, how the death of his mother has affected his life over the past year, performing Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe” in tribute to his mother on the Grand Ole Opry, the greatest Travis Tritt song, touring with Dan + Shay, working on his debut album and more.
From 2013 to 2015, Curb Records recording artist Dylan Scott released four singles to country radio: “Makin’ This Boy Go Crazy,” “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm,” “Lay It On Me” and “Crazy Over Me.” Only one—“Crazy Over Me” (No. 36)—cracked the Top 40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Nevertheless, the Louisiana native managed to keep a glass-half-full mindset with a little support from his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Blair.
“We started dating at 15, so she’s known since then exactly what I wanted to do,” says Dylan to Nash Country Daily. “She’s never once given me a hard time. There were times when we were dating and I’d tell her, ‘I just don’t know if this is what I’m really supposed to be doing. It’s just so tough. All these other guys are coming on the scene and going straight to the top.’ And she’d just tell me, ‘You have the best job, you’re there, you’re doing it, it will work.’ She was just a great motivator. She still is.”
NCD editor Jim Casey (left) and Dylan Scott in studio. photo by Jason Simanek
That motivation led Dylan and songwriter Josh Kerr to pen a Blair-inspired song, “My Girl,” which Dylan released in July 2016 as the third single from his self-titled debut album. After 44 weeks on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, “My Girl” is No. 3 this week and Dylan is finally enjoying some of the success that he dreamed of when moving to Music City seven years ago.
“‘My Girl’ was 10 years in the making,” says Dylan. “My wife and I, we’ve been together over 10 years now—been married for one—and ‘My Girl’ is basically about our life over the past 10 years. Almost everything in that song is true. We lived it.”
One thing that “My Girl” didn’t make mention of is the recent news that Dylan and Blair are expecting their first child in December. While Dylan plans to “take the whole month of December off,” he’s motoring ahead with a busy summer tour schedule. In addition, he recently announced that he will release a deluxe version of his self-titled debut album on August 4, featuring three addition tunes to the original 13-song offering, including “Sleeping Beauty,” a song he co-penned with Lee Brice.
“I toured with Lee for three or four months,” say Dylan. “Watching him onstage is incredible. He’s just such a hard worker. He’s a fine example of someone [I look up to] . . . and watching how real he is onstage is so cool.”
You can own the former home of Dolly Parton and husband Carl Dean for $1.2 million.
The four-bedroom, three-bath stucco house sits on 2.4 acres in Nashville’s Glencliff neighborhood. Carl and Dolly owned the 4,795-square-foot home, which was built in 1941, between 1980–1996.
Located in a gated neighborhood, the home features an eat-in kitchen, walk-in closets, covered patio, four-car garage, out building, possible airbnb and more.
Rand Rogers will host his ninth annual Golf Jam and Concert on Sept. 18 in Spring Branch, Texas.
Following the golf tourney at River Crossing Club, this year’s concert will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will feature Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Bruce Robison and Jim Beavers.
Since its inception in 2009, the annual golf tournament and concert have raised roughly $500,000 for area organizations. This year’s proceeds will benefit Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, an organization that provides affordable health care to musicians in Austin.
While Tennessee pitcher Kyle Serrano drew a line in the sand at $300,000 to sign with the Houston Astros, further evaluation led him to change his mind.
Serrano signed Thursday at 4 p.m. for $203,000 after being selected in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball draft in early June.
Serrano had intended to return to Tennessee for his senior year if Houston didn’t meet his request, even saying he looked forward to being a part of a “dynamic’’ pitching staff at Tennessee and that he had a good relationship with new UT coach Tony Vitello.
But when Serrano stepped back to assess the situation, finances, the risk of injury and going to school led him to sign a pro deal, according to his father and former UT coach Dave Serrano.
Former Vols Jordan Rodgers, a sixth round pick, signed for about $5,000; former Vols Jeff Moberg and Hunter Martin signed for about $1,000, Dave Serrano pointed out.
If Kyle Serrano had returned to UT, he would have lost his bargaining power and rolled the dice on staying healthy.
“When Houston jumped up $70,000 from the slotted position,’’ Dave Serrano, “Kyle felt (signing) was the right thing to do.’’
Even if Kyle Serrano had been a second-round pick next year, he might not have gotten much more than $200,000, Dave Serrano said.
Dave Serrano said Kyle’s advisors, the Boras Group, thought accepting the Astros’ offer was the right thing to do.
Houston also agreed to pay $40,000 so Kyle Serrano could finish his college education.
Nonetheless, Kyle signing was a tough decision because “he really liked the (UT) coaching staff,’’ Dave Serrano said of Vitello and new pitching coach Frank Anderson.
“It’s real important that I say what a wonderful job they did courting him,’’ Dave Serrano said. “I’m very grateful for that.
“I have a lot of respect for what they’re trying to do and how they handled my son.’’
Another factor for Kyle Serrano was having had Tommy John surgery two years ago.
“He’s only pitched nine innings the last two years, he’s had Tommy John surgery and he was in a rehab center,’’ Dave Serrano said. “Despite those three things, Houston still offered that amount of money.’’
Following the chart success of his No. 1 single, “If I Told You,” in June, Darius Rucker has released a new single, “For the First Time.”
Co-penned by Darius, Derek George and Travis Hill, the new tune will be a part of Darius’ as-yet-untitled fifth album with Capitol Records Nashville. The new record is expected to be released later this year with producer Ross Copperman at the helm.
“As a songwriter, sometimes the smallest idea can elicit a feeling and then you have this daunting task of trying to relay that emotion and energy into a three-minute song,” says Darius. “When we wrote ‘For the First Time,’ we each had to dig deep for that moment—for me it was ‘you say you’ve never danced to a dashboard singin’ REM under summer stars.’ After that it was all over.”
Since July 15, 2016, Charles Esten has released an original song every Friday in his #EverySingleFriday series, culminating today with his 52nd track, “Long Haul.”
In doing so, Charles becomes the first independent country artist to released back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back songs over the course of one year.
That’s 52 “backs,” which is quite a streak.
“I guess I’d have to admit that all of this, in some sense, has been a kind of personal statement that music isn’t just a hobby to me,” said Charles. “It’s a priority. Living in this great city, surrounded by all the incredible writers and musicians I have come to know and work with, has reignited my passion for what was always my first love: music. I honestly can’t conceive of a future that doesn’t include writing, recording and performing my music as a central part of my life. You might say I’m in it for the long haul.”
To mark the milestone, Charles will be hosting the One Single Year Celebration Concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater on Wednesday, July 19, at 6 p.m. Attendance is free, but you’ll need to get a ticket, which will be available on July 10 at charlesesten.com.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas headline a challenging non-conference Tennessee women’s basketball schedule that was released Thursday by sixth-year Lady Vol Head Coach Holly Warlick.
Tip times and television network assignments will be available at a later date when the information is approved for release.
UT returns two full-time starters (Mercedes Russell, Jaime Nared) and a part-time starter (Meme Jackson) from a team that finished 20-12 overall and 10-6 in the SEC (fifth place) a year ago vs. the nation’s No. 5-rated schedule. Warlick also welcomes the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class to Knoxville, including guards Evina Westbrook and Anastasia Hayes, wing Rennia Davis and post Kasiyahna Kushkituah.
The 2017-18 non-conference slate features 13 games, with 10 of those coming vs. teams that saw postseason action a year ago. Combined with the SEC teams Tennessee is scheduled to face, the Lady Vols will feature 21 of 29 contests against schools earning NCAA (16) or WNIT (5) berths last season.
Among the marquee out-of-conference match-ups, the itinerary includes a home game vs. Texas as well as road showdowns at Stanford and Notre Dame. Combined with SEC contests vs. defending national champion South Carolina (twice) and runner-up Mississippi State (once), the continuation of Stanford on the schedule gives Tennessee four games vs. teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Final Four.
Texas (4th), Notre Dame (5th), South Carolina (6th), Stanford (7th), Mississippi State (9th), Missouri (15th), Marquette (16th) and LSU (23rd) supply UT nine games vs. teams ranked in Charlie Crème’s ESPN.com Way-Too-Early Top 25. The Lady Vols were rated eighth in that poll when it came out in April.
Thompson-Boling Arena will offer Warlick’s newcomers a chance to get their feet wet in front of the home fans, providing a familiar environment for the Nov. 7exhibition game vs. Carson-Newman as well as in seven of the regular season’s first 10 games.
UT will open the official schedule with a three-game home stand, featuring East Tennessee State, James Madison and Wichita State on Nov. 12, 15 and 20. ETSU finished third in the Southern Conference a year ago, while Colonial Athletic Association runner-up JMU advanced to the WNIT round of 16. WSU returns to Knoxville with new coach Keitha Adams (previously at UTEP) and as a new member of the American Athletic Conference.
UT defeated ETSU and JMU on the road in 2016-17, while WSU returns to the schedule this season after the Lady Vols secured victories vs. the Shockers in Knoxville in 2014 and at Wichita in 2015.
The Lady Vols will then head to Mexico for Thanksgiving, taking part in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Puerto Aventuras on Nov. 23-25. In the opener, UT meets 2017 BIG EAST Tourney champion and NCAA participant Marquette, a team that presumably will be ranked in most preseason polls. Days two and three feature battles vs. Oklahoma State and South Dakota, teams that ended last season in the first and second rounds of the WNIT, respectively.
This will mark the first meeting with Marquette since 2011, the first vs. OSU since 1992 and the first-ever vs. USD.
After several days in the surf and sand, Tennessee heads back to Knoxville for four consecutive games on The Summitt, playing host to Central Arkansas, Alabama State, Troy and Texas on Nov. 30, Dec. 3, Dec. 6 and Dec. 10. UCA (Southland regular-season and tourney champs), Troy (Sun Belt tourney champ) and Texas made the NCAA field a year ago, with the highly-regarded Longhorns expecting big things in 2017-18 after a Sweet 16 exit a year ago.
UT last met UCA in 2015, Alabama State in 2003 and Troy last season. Tennessee and Texas, meanwhile, have met at least once every year since the 1982-83 campaign. The Lady Vols own a 23-15 series advantage, but the Longhorns have won three straight.
Warlick and company will head west prior to the holiday break, visiting Long Beach State on Dec. 17 and playing at Stanford on Dec. 21. The 49ers made the NCAA field a year ago after winning the Big West Tournament title. Stanford, a loser to UT in Knoxville on Dec. 18, 2016, went on to win the Pac-12 tourney crown and advance to the NCAA Final Four before falling to eventual champion South Carolina.
Tennessee defeated Long Beach State en route to its first two NCAA titles in 1987 and 1989, with the 49ers’ Cindy Brown famously dubbing the Lady Vols “corn-fed chicks” after the Big Orange overpowered LBSU in the ’87 national semifinal match-up in Austin, Texas.
The series with Stanford dates back to 1988, with UT owning a 24-10 advantage. The Lady Vols have won two of the last three meetings, but Tennessee will be seeking its first victory at Maples Pavilion since 2005.
The annual contest with Notre Dame closes out the non-conference portion of the regular-season schedule on Jan. 18. The Lady Vols, who lead the series 21-6 after knocking off the No. 6 Irish in Knoxville last season, will attempt to end a three-game skid at Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame, the defending ACC regular-season and tourney champion, made it to the NCAA Elite Eight a year ago and appears poised for a Final Four run in 2018.
“We are very pleased with our non-conference schedule,” Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick said. “With the SEC being as strong as it is right now, we already had a high-quality strength of schedule built in. You add Texas, Stanford, Notre Dame and Marquette, and now you run the total of projected games against top 25 teams to nine. Several of the other non-conference and conference foes could end up being ranked before it’s all over, so I feel like we have a quality slate of tournament-tested teams as well as a variety of styles that will prepare us for conference and post-season play.
“After opening with three straight games at home over the span of nine days, I am looking forward to seeing how our young team responds to playing three days in a row in Cancun vs. some really solid opponents. It should serve as a great early season measuring stick and provide an excellent opportunity for growth and improvement in a neutral setting.
“In terms of non-league marquee-type games, we have the home battle with Texas and the road contests at Stanford and Notre Dame. Everyone knows the intensity of those match-ups. Several of the other teams we’re facing will get after it, too, including Long Beach State, a place where we’ve never won in two tries. That West Coast trip will test us and reveal where we stand heading into league play.”
Did It for the Party Track Listing
![Dolly Parton’s Former Nashville Home Is On the Market for $1.2 Million [Photo Gallery]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/07/07110010/Dolly-Parton.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
