“Who’s Lovin’ You,” a song penned by Smokey Robinson in 1960, has been covered by a who’s who of recording artists, including The Miracles, The Supremes, The Temptations and more. But perhaps the most well-known version is by The Jackson 5 in 1969. With Michael Jackson singing lead, the song shot to No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts and became a staple of The Jackson 5’s live performances.
Earlier this month, Jessie James Decker added her name to the list of artists who have covered “Who’s Lovin’ You” by channeling her inner Michael Jackson at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio—and Nash Country Daily has the exclusive video premiere below.
“I grew up listening to The Jackson 5,” says Jessie James to Nash Country Daily. “Michael’s voice was so soulful and it inspired me so much. Performing this song makes me feel like I’m a kid again.”
The second half of Season 5 of Nashville returns to CMT on June 1 with 11 new episodes.
After ABC cancelled the show in May 2016, CMT renewed the country drama for a 22-episode Season 5, which kicked off in January 2017 with 11 episodes that ran through March.
The Season 11 fun continues on June 1—without Rayna Jaymes, who bought the big country farm in the sky—as Juliette plans her comeback, Maddie jump-starts her career, Deacon deals with Deacon problems and Scarlett and Gunner encounter a gunman. Say what? Yep. Get ready.
It all starts on June 1. Check out the new Season 11 trailer below.
Last night (May 25) in front of family, friends and industry insiders, Jason Aldean helped unveil his new Country Music Hall of Fame Exhibit: Asphalt Cowboy.
The new exhibit explores the life and career of the Georgia native and includes childhood mementos, memorabilia from Jason’s early career, stage wear, guitars, awards, photos and more. The exhibit takes its name from the title of a song on Jason’s self-titled debut album in 2005.
“It’s truly an honor for me to be here . . . I think as a singer . . . the pinnacle of what we do is . . . you’re looking at it, right?” said Jason as he addressed the crowd. “To be enshrined in this building at any capacity for any artist is amazing.”
Jason’s new exhibit runs from May 26 through November 5.
Take a look at a sneak peek inside the HOF’s new exhibit, Jason Aldean: Asphalt Cowboy.
Today is day #55 since I assumed the role as your athletics director – and I again wish to express my appreciation for the warm welcome you have provided me since my arrival! Speaking of arrivals, I can’t wait for Mary Lawrence and our kids to join me here in Big Orange Country. Today was their last day of school back in Manhattan, Kansas (I believe we are 3 for 3 in promotions to next grade!) and the moving truck will be rolling east in the next few weeks.
As Memorial Day weekend approaches, please join me in pausing to remember the real reason for this special holiday – our service men and women who have given their lives in protection of the freedoms we enjoy here in the greatest country the world. Among those freedoms the people of Tennessee Athletics enjoy is the privilege we have each day to work hard on behalf of our student-athletes and our fans. Here are a few updates from around Big Orange athletics!
NEW CONTRACT FOR COACH OJEDA; LINDL & STODDER FINISH TENNIS SEASON AT NCAAs
We are pleased to share with you the great news that we have completed and signed a new contract for women’s tennis coach and VFL Alison Ojeda. Coach Ojeda has done a fantastic job since she returned to Knoxville last summer and then took the reins as head coach in November, and we were delighted to see our team back in the NCAAs for the first time since 2014. I was also proud of the program for its involvement and outreach in the Knoxville community this season, which earned them a share of the ITA’s National Community Service Award. And, most impressive of all, the team balanced a busy spring season with a strong semester academically, posting a spring GPA of 3.32!
Coach Ojeda’s five-year contract terms are identical to those of our new men’s coach, Chris Woodruff, which we announced last week, including an average annual salary of $141,000. I am excited to watch both programs ascend to the top of the SEC in the coming years – and I love the teamwork and togetherness that these two Tennessee graduates are building inside Goodfriend Tennis Center.
Congratulations and good luck to mechanical engineering graduate Brittany Lindl, who concluded her career this week after earning a berth in the NCAA women’s tennis singles championship in Athens and is now “turning professional” as a production engineer at DENSO Manufacturing. Amanda Shike of VFL films put together this great video of Brittany’s story. We also look forward to seeing her fellow NCAA participant Timo Stodder back on the court this fall for the Vols after his breakout sophomore season.
NEW GRADS HIGHLIGHT MONTH MARKED BY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
More than 65 student-athletes officially became Tennessee graduates two weekends ago, marking the achievement of the ultimate goal of the student-athlete experience. Several of those new grads will return in 2017-18 with remaining eligibility, meaning they will get a jumpstart on the pursuit of a post-graduate degree. I was struck recently by a quote from Senior Associate Athletics Director/Assistant Provost Dr. Joe Scogin that appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel, and thought it would be appropriate to share it here:
“… It’s not if you’re going to graduate at Tennessee. It’s when you’re going to graduate and how many degrees you’re going to walk away with.”
Another academic bright spot for Tennessee athletics over the past two weeks came in the form of the latest NCAA Academic Progress Rate data for the 2015-16 academic year. It shined a well-deserved spotlight on our student-athletes and stood as perhaps Tennessee’s strongest showing in the 13-year history of the APR program. Fourteen of our 18 APR-measured sports matched or increased their multi-year APR scores from last year. And 15 of those 18 sports had a multi-year APR higher than the national average of all Division I schools.
Days before the NCAA’s annual release of APR data, it was announced that five different Tennessee programs had earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for having multi-year APR scores that ranked among the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sport.
Tuesday evening I had the opportunity to spend time in Brentwood with UT football alumni spanning six decades of Vol football tradition, including special guest Robert Neyland Jr., a 1953 graduate. Our VFL Coordinator Antone Davis, Coordinator of High School Relations Patrick Abernathy and Director of Athletics Development for Middle Tennessee Dr. Mikki Allen did a great job of putting together a fun VFL event. The passion and sense of connectivity to our program held by the lettermen who have worn the Orange is a huge advantage, and we had a robust discussion. Certainly, we talked a bunch about winning games and championships, but I was especially impressed and appreciative of the emphasis these lettermen placed on assuring that our student-athletes work to develop interests and career opportunities for their post football lives. That’s what VFL is all about!
BASEBALL SEARCH UNDERWAY
Student-athletes come first in this department, and anytime we have a head coaching vacancy, we have to remember that both our current players and signees are in a time of uncertainty. From the moment Coach Serrano announced that he was stepping away after six years we have been working diligently each day on identifying the best possible candidate to build a sustainable championship-level program while developing our student-athletes into outstanding players, successful students and positive representatives of the University of Tennessee.
I have really appreciated the conversations I’ve had with our current players, departing seniors, baseball alumni and people around Vol baseball nation over the past week. In addition to helping us refine characteristics that are important for baseball success at UT, it has been inspiring to hear the passion and hunger of the Big Orange (Baseball) Nation for our team to get back into the hunt for SEC and NCAA postseason triumphs. Conference tournaments and NCAA Regionals provide a great opportunity to watch the teams with that potential in action, but at the same time, this may mean that some candidates are unavailable for conversations about our job right now. So just as I reminded our players: unless you hear it directly from me, don’t believe or assume any media and internet rumors regarding potential candidates are remotely accurate! We’ll look forward to introducing our next coach just as soon as we reasonably can – thanks for your patience.
VOLS HEADING UP I-75 FOR NCAA TRACK REGIONALS
It’s May, and that means it’s SEC and NCAA Championships time for our spring sports. Star sprinter Christian Coleman started things off by capturing a pair of SEC titles at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. A candidate for the prestigious Bowerman Award (track’s equivalent of the Heisman), Coleman won both the 100m and 200m titles to raise his total number of SEC championships to four.
Director of Track & Field Beth Alford-Sullivan has taken a group of more than 20 student-athletes to Lexington, Kentucky, this weekend to compete at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships. The NCAA Outdoor Championships then take place June 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon.
SOFTBALL SURGING
And of course, I can’t fail to mention our incredible softball team, led by co-head coaches Ralph & Karen Weekly. Trailing USC Upstate 3-0 in the seventh inning last Saturday and down to their final out, they exploded for seven runs en route to an improbable 7-3 come-from-behind win. Sherri Parker Lee Stadium erupted when Aubrey Leachknocked a full-count pitch over the center-field wall to put Tennessee on top, 5-3.
The following day, we shut out Longwood to advance to NCAA Super Regional play for the fifth time in six seasons. We host Texas A&M in a best-of-three series this weekend, with the winner advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Game times are set for 6 p.m. ETFriday and 5 p.m. ETSaturday, with an if-necessary game Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Friday and Saturday’s games will be televised on ESPN2. Sunday’s game would air on ESPN. Get your tickets at AllVols.com and we’ll see you at the park tomorrow night!
BIG ORANGE CARAVAN STEAMS INTO CHATTANOOGA IN NINE DAYS!
Next Saturday, June 3, from 12:30- 2:30 p.m., the new-look Big Orange Caravan makes its first 2017 stop in Chattanooga at First Tennessee Pavilion before heading to Memphis Sunday night June 11 for a 6 p.m. start at the Expo Center at Agricenter International/West Pavilion. We look forward to celebrating and thanking our loyal fans in person. We’ve reduced the cost of admission and added several kid-friendly elements so that it’s easy and affordable to bring an entire family. We are also excited to use these events to recognize and support UT Knoxville students from across the state. The cost of admission is actually a “donation” to the local UT Knoxville Alumni Chapter’s scholarship fund. Each caravan stop will include a special VIP (Vols in Progress) area, at which members of the UT admissions team can visit with students and families about the opportunities awaiting them on Rocky Top. They’ll also have some fun giveaways.
Wednesday afternoon, the Tennessee Fund staff briefed me on the plans they have developed over this past year to bring more transparency and accountability into the process the staff uses to match up Tennessee Fund member preferences for parking with availability. Tennessee Fund members have already received information about the new online selection, which replaces the paper order form. To help our loyal contributors adapt to the online system, the staff is planning to keep the phones open until 8 p.m. ET each weeknight during the selection process. In addition to transparency, the online system should greatly reduce the waiting time for a member to receive their 2017 location assignment. Please call the Tennessee Fund office at 865-974-1218 or email [email protected] if you have any questions.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
We ran a story on UTsports.com earlier this month about Tennessee two-sport athlete Maya Neal, who competes on both our track & field and soccer teams. Her family is from Liberia, and after competing in the African Track Championships in 2016, Maya came up with a unique way to continue her habit of generous service to others. I encourage you to read her story; you’ll be proud to have someone like Maya representing our great university.
UT ENGINEERING STUDENTS LEARNING FROM PIONEERING PROFESSOR
Check out the work being done by Dr. Mark Dean in UT’s Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science in the Tickle College of Engineering. Dean is providing Tennessee students with incredible opportunities to pursue careers related to cyber security and data center management. As a result of the innovative work taking place in Dean’s department, employers such as Comcast, Verizon, Amazon, the Department of Defense and the Department of Education are targeting Tennessee students with exciting and lucrative career opportunities.
Next week I’ll be at the spring SEC meetings with Chancellor Davenport and several coaches and administrators but remember that you can always send me thoughts and questions. Thanks so much for caring about Tennessee student-athletes – have a fun and safe holiday weekend!
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s football season opener against Georgia Tech in the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 4 will have an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN, as announced by ESPN and the SEC on Thursday.
The Vols renew a series with Georgia Tech that has remained dormant for the last 30 years. In the teams’ last meeting on Oct. 24, 1987, UT took a 29-15 win over the Yellow Jackets in Knoxville. Tennessee is 24-17-2 all-time against Georgia Tech.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, with its Monday-night slot, marks the third time in the last four years that Tennessee will open the season on a non-Saturday. The Vols are 12-11-1 all-time on Monday night, last playing a regular season game on Monday when they opened the 2008 season at UCLA.
Times and television channels for the remainder of UT’s 2017 football games will be announced at a later date.
Tennessee will hit the road to take on Iowa State in the 2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge, a matchup announced Thursday by the league offices. The Vols make their first-ever trip to Ames on Jan. 27, 2018.
Tip times and specific TV network designations for all Big 12/SEC Challenge games will be announced at a later date. All 10 games of the Challenge will be televised across the ESPN family of networks with four games to appear on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and two on ESPNU. ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm — the Saturday roadshow that discusses the top storylines of the college basketball season — will originate from one of the games.
“The Big 12/SEC Challenge is a unique opportunity to showcase our basketball programs,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “Playing the event on a single‐date in January puts our programs in the college basketball spotlight.”
Tennessee is participating in the Big 12/SEC Challenge for the fourth time in the event’s five seasons. The Vols are 2-1 in the Challenge, owning a pair of home victories over Kansas State (2014, 2017) and a road loss at the hands of TCU (2016).
UT’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 12-17. In January, the Vols and Cyclones will be meeting on the hardwood for just the third time, with the series record standing at 1-1. The two programs last met on Dec. 3, 1977 — an 81-76 Tennessee win at the Fiesta Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
Third-year head coach Rick Barnes — who spent 17 seasons in the Big 12 before transitioning to Knoxville prior to the 2014-15 season — owns a 158-94 record against current Big 12 teams. He is 15-9 all-time against Iowa State.
Iowa State posted a 24-11 record last season, its second under head coach Steve Prohm. The Cyclones climbed as high as 16th in the AP Poll, earning that season-best ranking following a victory over No. 11 West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game. That win gave ISU its third Big 12 Tournament championship in the last four seasons.
Advancing to its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament, fifth-seeded Iowa State defeated Nevada in its opening game before being eliminated by 15th-ranked and fourth-seeded Purdue, 80-76, in the second round.
The Cyclones posted a 12-3 home record last season, pushing their all-time record at Hilton Coliseum to 534-172 (.756). Over the last seven seasons, ISU is 88-10 at home.
Iowa State loses seven seniors from last season’s team, a group that accounted for nearly 82 percent of its scoring. Among the departed is All-American guard Monte Morris, who led the team in scoring at 16.4 ppg.
Rising sophomore forward Solomon Young (4.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is the Cyclones’ only returning starter and rising senior guard Donovan Jackson (6.4 ppg) will be the team’s top returning scorer. Still, the ISU roster will be bolstered by the arrival off three 4-star prospects in guards Lindell Wigginton, Terrence Lewis and Darius McNeill. That trio headlines a Cyclone recruiting class that was ranked 18th by ESPN.
Other matchups for next season’s Big 12/SEC Challenge are: Oklahoma at Alabama, Georgia at Kansas State, Baylor at Florida, Texas Tech at South Carolina, TCU at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State at Arkansas, Kentucky at West Virginia, Ole Miss at Texas and Texas A&M at Kansas.
The four SEC teams not participating in the Challenge are Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri.
TENNESSEE’S BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE HISTORY
2013 – Tennessee was one of four SEC teams that were inactive in the 2013 Challenge
Dec. 6, 2014 – Tennessee defeated Kansas State, 65-64
Jan. 30, 2016 – Tennessee lost at TCU, 75-63
Jan. 28, 2017 – Tennessee defeated Kansas State, 70-58 Jan. 27, 2018 – Tennessee at Iowa State
-UT Athletics
2018 BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE MATCHUPS SET
Birmingham, Ala. – The fifth annual Big 12/SEC Challenge will feature 10 games played on January 27, 2018, in a matchup of two premier college basketball conferences.
All 10 of the Big 12’s teams and 10 of the SEC’s 14 member institutions will participate in this year’s event. Each of the 10 SEC teams that participate in the 2018 Challenge will be a part of the 2019 event.
Eleven participating teams earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2017 with six of the teams advancing to at least the Sweet 16 of the tournament. Additionally, 24 of the ESPN.com Top 100 recruits have signed with SEC schools and nine schools have top 40 recruiting classes.
This will be the third year that a bye in the league schedule for participating teams was created to accommodate the single-day format. The four SEC teams not participating will play each other in conference games the same day. The first two years of the challenge were played over several days in November and December but the 2018 event will be consolidated to one single day in January.
Four of the 10 games will be televised on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and two games will air on ESPNU. All 10 games will also be available on the ESPN app. ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm – the Saturday roadshow that discusses the top storylines of the college basketball season – will originate from one of the Challenge games.
“The Big 12/SEC Challenge is a unique opportunity to showcase our basketball programs. Playing the event on a single-date in January puts our programs in the college basketball spotlight,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said.
Start times and network designations will be announced at a later date.
2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge (January 27, 2018)
Oklahoma at Alabama
Georgia at Kansas State
Baylor at Florida
Texas Tech at South Carolina
TCU at Vanderbilt
Oklahoma State at Arkansas
Kentucky at West Virginia
Ole Miss at Texas
Tennessee at Iowa State
Texas A&M at Kansas
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Meghan Gregg is one step closer to being named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year after earning a spot among the top-three finalist for the prestigious award on Wednesday afternoon.
The award is widely considered the most prestigious honor in Division I college softball. Gregg joins Florida sophomore pitcher Kelly Barnhill and James Madison junior pitcher Megan Good as the top-three finalists for the award. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced on May 30 before the start of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Gregg is just the fourth player in the history of the program to be named a top-three finalist for the award, joining Monica Abbott (2006 & 2007), Tonya Callahan (2008) and Raven Chavanne (2013). If Gregg were to win the award, she would join Abbott as the only players in Tennessee softball history to win USA Softball National Player of the Year honors. Abbott accomplished the feat as a senior in 2007.
The Williamson, Ga., native has had a career year for the Volunteers, leading the team and setting career highs in batting average (.440), hits (70), doubles (18), home runs (14), RBIs (77), slugging percentage (.830) and on-base percentage (.555). Gregg tied the Tennessee single-season RBI record of 77 during last week’s NCAA Regionals, driving in six runs in three UT victories.
Earlier this season, Gregg became the fifth player in program to win SEC Player of the Year honors. The junior shortstop was also named to the NFCA All-Southeast Region first team last week and ranks among the top-15 players nationally in a handful of offensive categories. Most notably, Gregg ranks second in the country with a career-high 77 RBIs, eighth in on-base percentage, 10th in batting average, 12th in doubles, 15th in slugging percentage and 13th in total bases.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives of 10 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball Regions, members of the media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country as well as past winners of the award.
Learn more about all three finalists on USA Softball’s website by clicking HERE.
Howard grad transfer James Daniel III recently signed with the Tennessee basketball program. He was a guest with John Wilkerson and Jimmy Hyams on SportsTalk to talk about his decision. He thinks he will start this season for Tennessee. He led the nation in scoring two years ago.
As a farm girl from Checotah, Okla., Carrie Underwood burst onto the scene and into America’s heart during the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Cute as a button with a voice as powerful as a cannon, Carrie left no doubt night after night who the next American Idol was going to be (sorry, Bo Bice, it wasn’t even close). Even judge Simon Cowell predicted Carrie’s coronation early in the competition—and he was never wrong [sarcasm].
A lot has happened to Carrie since she claimed the Idol title 12 years ago on May 25, 2005, including scoring 25 No. 1 singles, selling more than 64 million records and winning seven Grammys. That’s a dandy dozen by anyone’s standards.
“I learned so much on the show,” Carrie told Nash Country Daily in 2015. “I’m an observer, and I’m the kind of person who can sit back and take it all in and really learn from an experience like that. It all happened in such a short amount of time. We went from being nobodies to people recognizing us on the street.”
Carrie commemorated her Idol win 12 years ago by making an Instagram post today (May 25): “12 years later and I’m still not sure how it all happened to me! 12 years ago today, my dreams came true and life has been a dream ever since! I am beyond blessed and so thankful! #AmericanIdol#TBT”
That’s what Kelsea Ballerini and Billy Ray Cyrus can add to their résumés thanks to an upcoming gig on Nickelodeon’s Blaze and the Monster Machines.
While Kelsea has made several music videos, her only acting credit is portraying herself on the Nashville series. For “Achy Breaky Heart” singer Billy Ray Cyrus, acting is a full-blown second career.
As an actor, Billy Ray has done everything from a bit part in David Lynch’s acclaimed film Mulholland Drive to co-starring with his daughter Miley for four seasons on Disney’s Hannah Montana. In 2016, Billy Ray co-starred with Joey Lauren Adams on CMT’s Still the King.
Now they will both be providing the voices for talking monster-truck animals in two upcoming episodes of Nickelodeon’s preschool-focused Blaze and the Monster Machines.
Kelsea provides the voice of a toucan-truck named Tooks that is recruited to help the main characters in a game of “Jungle Ball.”
Billy Ray will be the voice of a greedy lizard-truck named Lazard that is attempting to steal powers from the other animals.
Tune in to Nickelodeon on Wednesday, May 31, at 12 p.m. ET to see Kelsea’s episode, while Billy Ray’s episode airs on Monday, May 29 at 12 p.m. ET.
Lazard and Tooks images from Blaze and the Monster Machines courtesy Nickelodeon; Billy Ray Cyrus photo courtesy Aristo PR; Kelsea Ballerini photo by Joseph Llanes/Sweet Talk Publicity
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