“Body Like a Back Road” singer Sam Hunt will perform at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on May 21.
Sam joins previously announced performers Florida Georgia Line, Camila Cabello, Drake, Imagine Dragons, John Legend, Lorde, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran, The Chainsmokers and Halsey.
While Sam didn’t cop a nomination at this year’s Billboard Music Awards, his current single, “Body Like a Back Road,” has been the No. 1 song on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for the last three weeks, as well as No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for 13 straight weeks.
The Billboard Music Awards will air on May 21 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Check out all of the country-centric nominations below.
Billboard Chart Achievement Award
Luke Bryan
Nicki Minaj
The Chainsmokers
The Weeknd
Twenty One Pilots
Top Duo/Group
The Chainsmokers
Coldplay Florida Georgia Line
Guns N’ Roses
Twenty One Pilots
Top Country Artist
Florida Georgia Line
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean
Top Country Tour
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Dixie Chicks
Top Country Album
Jason Aldean, They Don’t Know
Florida Georgia Line, Dig Your Roots
Blake Shelton, If I’m Honest
Chris Stapleton, Traveller
Keith Urban, Ripcord
Top Country Song
Kenny Chesney Featuring Pink, “Setting The World On Fire”
Florida Georgia Line, “H.O.L.Y.”
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw, “May We All”
Little Big Town, “Better Man”
Keith Urban, “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Top Country Collaboration
Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King, “Different for Girls”
Kenny Chesney featuring Pink, “Setting the World On Fire”
Eric Church featuring Rhiannon Giddens, “Kill a Word”
Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw, “May We All”
Chris Young featuring Vince Gill, “Sober Saturday Night”
Top Christian Artist
Lauren Daigle
Hillsong Worship Hillary Scott & the Family
Skillet
Chris Tomlin
Top Christian Album
Casting Crowns, The Very Next Thing
Lauren Daigle, How Can It Be Joey + Rory, Hymns Hillary Scott & The Family, Love Remains
Skillet, Unleashed
Top Christian Song
Lauren Daigle, “Trust In You” Hillary Scott & The Family, “Thy Will”
Skillet, “Feel Invincible”
Ryan Stevenson featuring GabeReal, “Eye Of The Storm”
Zach Williams, “Chain Breaker”
According to Snopes, the bogus rumor originated at NC Scooper, an entertainment website that “provides social criticism in a satirical, sometimes news-genre setting.” In other words, NC Scooper deals in fake news, but Snopes still took the time to quash the conjecture with a rating of “FALSE.”
Tyler and Brian formed their FGL duo—not marital union—in 2010.
Brian married Brittney Cole in 2014, while Tyler tied the knot with Hayley Stommel in 2015.
How many singles did Eric Church release before reaching No. 1?
Give up? 10. It wasn’t until Eric’s 10th single, “Drink in My Hand,” in 2011 that he scored a Billboard No. 1 tune.
Depending on which way the wind blows, Luke Combs’ debut single, “Hurricane”—currently No. 2—could be the No. 1 country song on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart next week. The tune has already ascended to the top spot on the Mediabase chart for the week of May 4–10.
Why is this relevant? It’s not, really, other than the fact that both Eric and Luke are North Carolina natives who attended college at Appalachian State University in the small town of Boone, N.C. While Luke was attending Appy State in 2009, Eric’s career was really beginning to take off with the release of his sophomore album, Carolina, which spawned Top 10 hits “Love Your Love the Most” and “Hell on the Heart.”
NCD editor Jim Casey and Luke Combs in studio.
“I got my start playing in a bunch of places [around Boone] that Eric used to play,” say Luke to Nash Country Daily. “I’ve heard that Eric played one of his first shows at a place called Woodlands Barbecue. It’s actually in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, which is about a 10-minute drive from Boone. There was a rumor it was the first place he ever played up there. I think he was in a group called the Mountain Boys. And so, I would play there with my buddy, Adam, every Sunday for two hours.
“When Carolina came out in 2009, that was my first year of college. That’s when I got my hands on that record and really fell in love with it. When Chief came out in 2011, I was just picking the guitar up. He did his record release show in Boone that year, actually, for that album. It was 10 bucks and you got a copy of the album when you went to the show. That was the place to be, man. Now, it’s funny, because I’ve had the chance to meet Eric. I met him in Louisville when he was playing a festival up there, and he’s good buddies with one of my favorite co-writers and a good friend of mine, Jonathan Singleton. They had the same manager for a long time. So me and Jonathan drove up there and got to hang with him, and that was when I was in the midst of trying to figure out where I wanted to go with my record deal. And so we kind of talked about music, and what to look for in a label and how to make that decision. That was really awesome, man. It was a really great experience and he was a super nice dude.”
Luke will drop his debut album, This One’s for You, on June 2. The 12-song offering features a dozen songs that Luke co-wrote.
Luke will also join Brantley Gilbert’s Devil Don’t Sleep Tour on June 2, with dates running through the summer.
NBC is turning up the heat as they try to get viewers excited about the 2018 Lesser Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. And if you want to get people excited about the Winter Olympics, get a Canadian involved . . . get Shania involved.
A new promo for upcoming Games features Shania Twain singing her new song, “Life’s About to Get Good,” which will be released to country radio in June.
“I was at home looking out at the ocean and I said to myself, ‘Here I am stuck in this past of negativity, but it’s so beautiful out. I’m not in the mood to write a feeling-sorry-for-myself song,’” said Shania about penning the new tune. “You can’t have the good without the bad. And that’s what the song ended up being about.”
Check out NBC’s new “Life’s About to Get Good” promo that features Olympians Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and more.
For the past week, Chris Young has been teasing the May 12 release of his new single, “Losing Sleep,” by posting instrumental audio clips on his Instagram page.
“Losing Sleep” will be the first single from Chris’ upcoming studio album, and it follows three consecutive No. 1 singles from his 2015 album, I’m Comin’ Over.
Check out Chris’ Instagram posts below to hear snippets of “Losing Sleep.”
The Sigma Pi fraternity of Columbia, Mo., posted a Twitter video on April 25 with their challenge: If the Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues in their upcoming NHL playoff series, the frat will come to Nashville and donate 200 hours of community service to the charity of Carrie’s choice. If the Blues win, the frat wants Carrie to perform a concert in Columbia and donate the proceeds to a charity of the frat’s choice.
“I think everybody has looked at this and said it’s a blessing in disguise,” said Sigma Pi’s Tim Schweiss to Fox 17. “We get to go down to Nashville. We get to go do some awesome work down there and do something unique for charity.”
On behalf of Nashville, please stay in Missouri, Sigma Pi.
We’ve already got plenty of volunteers. Also, GO PREDS!
On this video, Erik breaks down how to take advantage of busted coverage during a play.
Submit your specific play suggestion in Tennessee history that you want Erik to analyze on an upcoming show and find out more about the exclusive weekly feature HERE.
Tennessee basketball player Shembari Phillips has requested a release from his scholarship, and that request has been granted.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Phillips appeared in 31 games (with 13 starts) as a sophomore this past season. He averaged 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20.9 minutes per game. He also shot .375 from 3-point range.
“Shembari is a great young man, and I know this wasn’t an easy decision for him,” UT head coach Rick Barnes said. “We always need to do what’s best for our students. And in Shembari’s case, we’re going to do everything we can to help him find the school and program that’s the best fit for him. He’ll have plenty of options because of the kind of person and teammate he is.”
During his two-year Tennessee career, Phillips averaged 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists while playing in 64 games and logging 24 starts.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The honors keep rolling in for Tennessee junior shortstop Meghan Gregg, as she has been named a top-10 finalist for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award as announced by the USA Softball on Wednesday afternoon.
The award is widely considered the most prestigious honor in Division I college softball. The top-10 list is comprised of five seniors, four juniors and one sophomore and has representatives from eight different universities. Gregg is one of two SEC players to make the list, joining Florida’s Kelly Barnhill, and is the eighth player in program history to be named a top-10 finalist for the award.
The Williamson, Ga., native was just named SEC Player of the Year on Tuesday and ranks among the national leaders in a handful of offensive categories. Most notably, Gregg ranks second nationally with a career-high 71 RBIs, sixth in on-base percentage (.570), sixth in doubles (18) and ninth in batting average (.448). Gregg is currently on pace to break the Tennessee single-season RBI record of 77, which is held by Kristi Durant (2005) and Bridget Jackson (1996).
The top-three finalists will be announced on May 24 and the winner of the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be revealed on May 30 prior to the start of the NCAA WCWS in Oklahoma City.
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.
View the complete list of top-10 finalists on USA Softball’s website by clicking HERE.
The NCAA on Wednesday announced its 2015-16 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate data, revealing scores that stand among Tennessee’s most impressive in the 13-year history of the NCAA’s Academic Performance Program.
Every Division I sports team across the nation calculates its Academic Progress Rate each academic year, like a report card. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Data released for this multi-year cohort includes scores from the 2015-16, 2014-15, 2013-14 and 2012-13 academic years.
Four Tennessee sports set records by posting their highest-ever multi-year APR score in program history. The football and baseball programs posted records scores of 972 and 979, respectively, while men’s cross country and men’s tennis posted perfect scores of 1000.
“There is much to be proud of in this latest round of APR data,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics John Currie said. “Our scores across the board illustrate a focused commitment to exemplary academic performance by our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Our Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Don Bruce, and Assistant Provost Dr. Joe Scogin in the Thornton Center play key roles in maintaining that as a priority.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort put forth by our student-athletes in the classroom, and I’m encouraged by the positive academic trends exhibited by the vast majority of our programs over the past several years.”
Fourteen of Tennessee’s 18 sports (as of last year, for APR purposes, scores for indoor and outdoor track & field are computed together) matched or increased their multi-year APR scores from last year. And 15 of UT’s 18 sports have a multi-year APR higher than the national average of all Division I schools.
Tennessee’s multi-year scores ranked as the best in the SEC in six different sports, which tied for the most first-place finishes in the conference. Those first-place programs included men’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field and women’s track & field.
A total of 11 Tennessee programs—more than half of its sports—earned a perfect 2015-16 single-year APR score.
Wednesday’s APR data stands as further proof of the world-class resources and support available to UT student-athletes at the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, led by Senior Associate Athletics Director/Assistant Provost Dr. Joe Scogin.
“I am continually inspired by our student-athletes,” Scogin said. “They continue to drive to greater heights, setting records year after year in the classroom and in the community. These results do not happen by accident–we have great student-athletes with the right priorities, led by coaches who support their academic pursuits, and an amazing Thornton Center staff that provides unmatched holistic support.
“This is a special time for these results to be released. This week we don’t only get to celebrate their day-to-day success in the classroom, we get to celebrate 66 graduating student-athletes, including 14 who still have eligibility remaining. It’s truly a special time at Tennessee.”
Head football coach Butch Jones cited UT’s institutional culture of valuing and emphasizing academic achievement as vital to his program’s highest-ever multi-year score (972).
“We are very excited about our recent APR score and the continued academic success of our student athletes,” Jones said. “The continuation of record-setting academics are further evidence of all the hard work, commitment and the culture that exists. Our significant improvements in the APR are a testament to our student-athletes, Dr. Joe Scogin, the entire Thornton Center and our staff. Our student-athletes and coaches will continue to strive for excellence in the classroom.”
It was also announced last week that Tennessee had a school-record-tying five programs earn APR Public Recognition Awards—its most over the last 10 years—by earning multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of their respective sports. Those teams were men’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s track & field.
Tennessee’s five Public Recognition Awards this year ranked tied for second among the 14 SEC schools.
Other sport-specific highlights from this year’s APR data:
Football recorded its highest multi-year APR with a 972, which is up 16 points from last year, up 27 points from two years ago and up 40 points from three years ago.
Baseball recorded its highest multi-year APR with a 979, which is up 14 points from last year and 45 points from three years ago, when it was at 934.
Men’s Cross Country recorded its first-ever perfect score of 1000, which is up 16 points from last year and 51 points from three years ago.
Women’s Track & Field (now combined) scored a perfect 1000 for the second year in a row, which takes into account both years of the new structure for track APR scores (previously there were separate scores for indoor and outdoor track).
Men’s Track & Field (also now combined) led all of its SEC peers with a multi-year score of 994.
Men’s Tennis recorded its first-ever perfect score of 1000. This marked a 28-point increase from two years ago and a nine-point increase from last year.
Women’s Tennis had its eighth consecutive year with a perfect score of 1000.
ABOUT THE THORNTON CENTER
The Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, led by Dr. Joe Scogin, was created to provide student-athletes with academic support programs and assist with both personal and career development. A comprehensive evaluation of Thornton Center operations upon Dr. Scogin’s arrival has provided for greater effectiveness and a stronger impact on the academic success of all student-athletes, bolstered by a new comprehensive departmental class attendance policy created and implemented in the Fall of 2012. The academic progress towards degree requirements require a student-athlete to complete various percentages toward degree completion, specific grade-point averages, and other requirements to remain eligible to compete. Assisting student-athletes in meeting these requirements is a critical function of the Thornton Center, as is calculating and forecasting APR scores. The University also encourages former student-athletes who left in good standing to return to school to achieve their degree. The SouthEast Bank Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) Program works with former student-athletes by assisting them with advice on degree requirements remaining, course scheduling, tutoring, employment and internship opportunities offered through the Career Development and Life Skills department, and use of the Thornton Center for their everyday needs.
![Shania Twain’s “Life’s About to Get Good” Featured in New Promo for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea [Watch]](https://www.wivk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/602/2017/05/Shania-Twain-1-652x228.jpg)
![Chris Young Teases May 12 Release of New Single, “Losing Sleep” [Listen]](https://www.wivk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/602/2017/05/Chris-Young-652x228.jpg)
