Flag Day on June 14 pays tribute to the Stars and Stripes by serving as a reminder of the resolution by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, that established an official U.S. flag.
In honor of Flag Day, Aaron Lewis—who, if you’ve ever been to one of his shows, you know, is a staunch supporter of our military—released a new song, “Folded Flag,” to digital retailers. Written by Marty Morgan, Luc Nyhus and Yasmine Van Wilt, the song takes the perspective of a Serviceman who was killed in action and is speaking to his widow via a letter he wrote her. “Two men with starch white gloves / Fold the ’til they touch / It’s probably more than I deserve / But I’m proud to get this much / Sendin’ all the love I ever had / Inside this folded flag,” Aaron sings in the chorus.
“In today’s world, the ultimate sacrifice that our servicemen and women give selflessly in protection of the American Dream is often overlooked,” says Aaron. “The first time I heard this song, I watched three battle-hardened special forces soldiers cry after hearing it. I knew it hit home and I knew it deserved to be heard.”
Listen to “Folded Flag” on Spotify below, as well as a live performance of the tune from the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla.
Jim Casey talks with Jordan Walker and Johnny McGuire of duo Walker McGuire about meeting in Nashville, writing their first bad song together, seeing the country while on tour, how “nasally tenor” is a compliment, watching their debut single, “Til Tomorrow,” climb the charts and more.
In January 2017, Blake Shelton and Ryman Hospitality Properties announced they had teamed up to transform Blake’s 2001 breakout hit, “Ol’ Red,” into two new venues in Nashville and his hometown of Tishomingo, Okla.
With a planned opening in 2018, Ole Red Nashville at 300 Broadway will be a multi-level 26,000-square-foot entertainment venue, with a two-story bar and restaurant, retail area, performance space, dance floor and private VIP booths for small groups. The complex will also include a large, private event space and a 6,000-square-foot rooftop featuring an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant with panoramic views of Lower Broadway.
Blake helps break ground on Ole Red Tishomingo in April
Blake sat down with Nash Country Daily on his tour bus during CMA Fest on June 4 and shared how the partnership with Ryman Hospitality Properties transpired, as well as giving a progress update on when he expects Ole Red Nashville to open.
“The last time I saw the inside of that building was when I walked over there with Colin [Reed] and Stephen Buchanan [of Ryman Hospitality Properties] and a bunch of guys from Gaylord Entertainment and actually went in,” said Blake. “We all went in there and went on every floor of that building and looked around and they gave me their vision at the time, what they thought it would be, before there was ever even a rendering or anything. And I remember we went on every floor, then we got to the top, wow.
“Me and Gwen [Stefani] walked to the back of the building. Standing there, she goes, ‘What you gonna do?’ ‘The f**k you think I’m gonna do? I want to do this. This is exciting, this is cool,’ and she goes, ‘That’s what I thought.’ We were standing on top of it, and it’s taller than anything down here. I was trying to play my cards close to my chest and kind of be like, ‘Eh, maybe’ and the whole time going, ‘Holy s**t, this is awesome!’ And so of course I wanted to do it, be a part of it, and the only stipulation was that they had to do one in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, too, and that’s really where the partnership came in because I already had the property there, they already had the property here, but of course this one probably cost a little more than the one in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, did.
Artist rendering of Ole Red Nashville’s rooftop
“I think every floor’s going to be a different vibe. That’s the plan anyway, because this bottom floor and then the balcony that looks over into it, that’s going to be your straight-up honky-tonk like you see up and down Broadway. And then all the way up, there will be a formal room that you can rent, have whatever you want in it, and then there will be a restaurant, and then of course the upstairs is really the exclusive—that’s going to be where everybody wants to be is upstairs because it’s just so much taller than anything down here.
“It’s stupid to throw out any date that I think it might be open, but I hope it’s open by CMA Fest [2018]. So whatever day we’re hearing right now, I think that’s the goal and I don’t see why it can’t happen, but again, we’re dealing with a historic building right there and you’ve got to do this right.”
Ole Red Tishomingo is tentatively set to open in late 2017. Ground was broken on Main Street in Blake’s hometown in April. Old Red Tishomingo will include a 4,700-square-foot restaurant and performance space as well as a 1,400-square-foot retail store.
Renderings via Tuck-Hinton Architects and Anderson Design Studio
When Dan + Shay noticed fans using the hashtag #obsessed in regard to their 2016 single, “From the Ground Up,” it inspired the duo to title their second studio album, Obsessed. Now the boys are asking for their fans’ help once again.
As their current single, “How Not To,” continues to climb up the Billboard Country Airplay chart (currently No. 4), the duo is asking fans to vote on which song they should release as their next single.
Y’all named the #OBSESSED album, now we want you to pick our next single. Song with most votes wins! 📊
To vote, fans can follow Dan + Shay on Spotify and select from eight songs: “All Nighter,” “Road Trippin’,” “Already Ready,” “Lipstick,” “Round the Clock,” “Lately,” “Sway” or “Obsessed.”
The song with the most votes wins—it’s that simple.
One day after performing “You Look Good” on Good Morning America, Lady Antebellum continued its NYC excursion with a stop by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Lady A’s Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley performed their new album’s title track, “Heart Break,” a tune the trio co-penned with Jesse Frasure and Nicolle Galyon.
Big-hearted Scotty McCreery took time out of his busy schedule to meet—and sing—with one of his biggest fans: Dustin Chapman, a 19-year-old North Carolina native who suffers from a progressive disease that affects his esophagus and has no known cure.
Dustin performed one of his original tunes for the American Idol winner, before Scotty returned the favor by singing “See You Tonight” with Dustin.
“My favorite part of the meeting was definitely singing Scotty’s song ‘See You Tonight’ with him,” Dustin said, according to WMBF News. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m so grateful for [Scotty and girlfriend Gabi] taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with me.”
Watch Dustin and Scotty join forces for “See You Tonight.”
Former University of Tennessee pitcher Kyle Serrano was selected by the Houston Astros in the 10th round (301st overall) of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
With his selection, Serrano joins third baseman Jordan Rodgers (sixth round — Atlanta) as Tennessee’s 2017 Major League Draft picks through the first 10 rounds. Previously drafted by the Colorado Rockies (29th round — 2014) and the Milwaukee Brewers (40th round — 2016), Serrano is the 55th top-10 draft selection for the Volunteers since 1965 and one of 129 total players to be drafted out of Tennessee.
Serrano is the first Astros draftee out of Rocky Top since VFL Matt Duffy was also selected by the franchise in the 20th round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
Entering the 2017 season, Serrano ranked No. 93 on Baseball America’s Top 100 Draft Prospects list. He went 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA over nine appearances prior to his departure from the program in April due to personal reasons. In 9.2 innings of work, he struck out 21 batters and held opponents to a .194 batting average.
In 2016, Serrano made one start for the Volunteers before missing the remainder of the season with Tommy John surgery. In his one start against Memphis in February, the righthander tossed 3.2 innings while allowing one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts.
Entering his junior year in 2016, Serrano was listed as No. 18 on D1Baseball.com’s Top 20 Juniors list, as well as the No. 42 MLB Draft Prospect by Baseball America. He went 3-2 and tossed 36.2 innings in the 2015 summer season for the Cape Cod League’s Orleans Firebirds, recording 38 strikeouts, walking eight batters and posting a 3.68 ERA. Serrano went on to throw 3.1 scoreless innings for the Firebirds in the Cape Cod League postseason, registering one save and seven strikeouts.
The Knoxville native led the Volunteers’ pitching staff as a sophomore in 2015, posting a 5-4 record over 22 appearances (eight starts) with a 4.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 54.1 innings of work. As a freshman in 2014, he went 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 19 appearances (nine starts), fanning 40 batters in 59.1 innings.
In his career on Rocky Top, Serrano owns an 8-10 record with a 4.39 ERA and 111 strikeouts over 127.0 innings pitched. He made 51 appearances, including 19 starts, and held opponents to a .234 average.
University of Tennessee third baseman Jordan Rodgers was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the sixth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
With his selection, Rodgers becomes the 129th overall player drafted out of Tennessee and the first Volunteer to be selected in the 2017 Major League Draft. He becomes the 54th Volunteer to be selected in the top 10 rounds of the draft since 1965 and is now the first UT draftee by the Atlanta organization since Ty’Relle Harris was selected in the 19th round of the 2009 draft.
Named a First Team All-SEC third baseman as a senior, Rodgers hit a career-best .322 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 2017. He committed just four errors over 160 total chances with 117 assists at the hot corner, good for a .975 fielding percentage.
Named a First Team All-SEC third baseman this season, Rodgers became the first Volunteer to earn First Team All-SEC honors since former teammate Christin Stewart did so in 2015. He is also the first UT player to earn All-SEC honors since Nick Senzel (Second Team) took home the award in 2016. The last Vol to receive a First Team All-SEC nod as a third baseman was VFL and current New York Yankee Chase Headley in 2005.
Highlighting his final season for the Orange and White, the Bartlett, Tenn., native cranked his first career grand slam as part of a 5-3 UT win over Vanderbilt on April 29in Nashville.
As a junior in 2016, Rodgers led the NCAA in RBIs through the start of SEC play, finishing the year ranking tied for fourth in the SEC with 56 RBIs. On April 1, 2016 vs. Kentucky, he also became the third Volunteer in school history to hit for the cycle and the first since VFL Matt Duffy accomplished the feat on March 9, 2011.
Rodgers completed his four-year UT career with 156 games played, 157 hits, 13 homers and 105 RBIs (2014-17).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After another successful season that saw Tennessee reach the NCAA Super Regionals for the fifth time in six years, the Volunteers are ranked in both national polls to end the season for the 14th straight year.
The Volunteers came in at No. 11 in the final USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ Poll and earned the No. 12 spot in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll after posting a 48-12 overall record.
UT extended its NCAA Tournament streak to 14 consecutive seasons and hosted a regional and super regional after earning the No. 8 national seed.
Oklahoma earned the unanimous No. 1 ranking in both polls after defeating Florida in the Women’s College World Series championship to win its fourth national title in program history and second in a row. The SEC led all conferences with eight teams ranked in the USA Softball Poll and 10 teams ranked in the NFCA Coaches’ Poll.
UT has now finished among the top-20 in both national polls for 14 straight seasons. The Vols posted a 20-game win streak from March 19 through April 22 and finished tied for third in the SEC regular-season standings for the second straight year with a 16-7 conference record.
The Big Orange also played four of the eight teams that advanced to Oklahoma City and defeated each one of them at least once while compiling seven total wins against those schools, including victories over WCWS finalists Oklahoma and Florida.
Junior shortstop Meghan Gregg had a historic season to lead Tennessee, breaking the program’s single-season RBI record with 79. Gregg earned NFCA First-Team All-America honors and became the fifth player in program history to be named the SEC Player of the Year. The Georgia native was also a top-3 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.
To see the complete NFCA Coaches’ Poll click HERE and to see the complete USA Softball Poll click HERE.
Craig Morgan will reprise his American Stories Tour this fall. The unscripted shows, which include a variety of Craig’s music and military friends, celebrate American values through both song and storytelling. Joining Craig for dates throughout the fall include Mac Powell, Aly Beaird, Clint Romesha and more.
Sept. 29
Hopewell, VA
The Beacon Theatre*
Sept. 30
Frederick, MD
Weinberg Center for the Arts*
Oct. 6
Knoxville, TN
Bijou Theatre**
Oct. 7
Louisville, KY
The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Brown Theatre**
Oct. 8
Saint Charles, IL
Arcada Theatre**
Oct. 12
Redmond, OR
Bank of the Cascades Event Center***
Oct. 13
Everett, WA
The Historic Everett Theatre***
Oct. 14
Boise, ID
Revolution Center***
Oct. 15
Red Bluff, CA
State Theatre for the Arts***
Nov. 9
Atlanta, GA
The Buckhead Theatre****
Nov. 10
Birmingham, AL
The Lyric Theatre****
Nov. 11
Nashville, TN
City Winery****
*with special guest Mac Powell and Aly Beaird
** with special guests Mac Powell, Aly Beaird and Clint Romesha
***with special guests Mac Powell, Aly Beaird, Taya Kyle and Marla Cannon-Goodman
****with special guests Aly Beaird and Phil O’Donnell
