Jessie James Decker Has More Up Her Sleeve Than Singing and Songwriting

Jessie James Decker Has More Up Her Sleeve Than Singing and Songwriting

Posted on April 6, 2017

Jessie James Decker is a singer/songwriter—who just released her latest EP, Gold, featuring her current single, “Lights Down Low,” and a mom to two young children—but what you might not know about the pretty brunette is that she’s also a successful businesswoman. Jessie launched her own clothing and accessory line, Kittenish, in 2015.

“My clothing line is really taking off,” Jessie tells Nash Country Daily during a stop by the studio. “We’re in year three and it’s just booming. I’m so surprised by it. We started off thinking it was just going to be this little thing—did just six outfits, six pieces just to see what could happen. Now it’s exploded—we’re launching 12 to 20 pieces a month. We’ve already sold out of the month of February so it’s unbelievable, and we know it’s growing and there’s becoming big, fashion interest in our brand. So we’re excited.”

Jessie’s Five Must-Have Fashion Products

  1. Teasing comb – “Because I like big hair.”
  2. Eyelash extensions – “I cannot live without those because I have teeny tiny blonde eyelashes.
  3. Chapstick – “I have a big addiction with that.”
  4. Tinted moisturizer
  5. Bronzer

Jessie isn’t just the face of the Kittenish, she is very hands-on with all of her designs. The fashion line, described as sexy, fun and flirty, has Jessie surrounded by a team of women that helps in every facet of the business.

“I design everything with my team. My partner, Rachel is a huge designer. If I don’t design everything, she’ll design,” Jessie said. “We go back and forth. It’s a mix of trendy but comfortable and Southern influences. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of fashion that is Southern influenced, in my opinion, and there should be. So we’re bringing a little bit of that flavor. These are great women I work with.”

My favorite leggings and many more up on Kittenish tomorrow noon EST 😉 @kittenishstore

A post shared by Jessie James Decker (@jessiejamesdecker) on

Aside from a clothing line, Jessie has also branched out to hair and beauty products, which has her teamed up with FAVE4, a company that sells hair products, from shampoo, hairspray and conditioner to hair tools and accessories.

“I am an ambassador for the brand Fave4, but within Fave4, I have my own brand called Bless Your Hair—a hair perfume which we sell at Target. We’ve since expanded to body lotion and body wash, so we’re going to continue doing that,” she continues. “We have a curling iron too. I love beauty. I love hair. I love makeup. I love all that good stuff. Anything girly, I’m all about it. I’ve always wanted to J-Lo it up. I’ve always wanted to have my hand in just everything I could possibly do because I just love being creative. I love being able to do anything and everything that inspires me. I’m able to do hair and makeup and fashion and music and television and balance it properly—that way I don’t go crazy. I’ve always wanted to just do all sorts of things.”

Mission accomplished.

Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Casting ‘Tennessee: The Dave Hart Era’

Casting ‘Tennessee: The Dave Hart Era’

Posted on April 5, 2017

Sports 180 had its traditional Tennessee sports movie casting on Wednesday.

The idea is pretty simple: When a key figure leaves the Tennessee athletic department, we cast the movie of the major players from that time period.

Dave Hart’s tenure as the athletic director at Tennessee ended on Friday, which meant it was time for another casting call.

As always, we allowed ourselves an unlimited budget. And as always, we cast ourselves into the movie. After all, it’s our “movie.”

Many thanks to the listeners for your suggestions. They sure kept us entertained.

Here’s the cast for “Tennessee: The Dave Hart Era” as it stands today. It always remains subject to change. (Click each actor’s name for his or her IMDB bio.)

Dave Hart – George Hamilton

Mike Hamilton – Rick Moranis

John Currie – Johnny Knoxville

Butch Jones – Michael Rooker

Derek Dooley – Ty Burrell

Cuonzo Martin – Dennis Haysbert

Bruce Pearl – Lou Ferrigno

Rick Barnes – Kevin Costner

Jimmy Cheek – Dan Aykroyd

Beverly Davenport – Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Pat Summitt – Meryl Streep

Holly Warlick – Jane Lynch

Joe DiPietro – Mandy Patinkin

Charlie Strong – Titus O’Neill

Lane Kiffin – Daniel Tosh

Josh Richardson – Michael B. Jordan

Tyler Bray – Justin Timberlake

Erik Ainge – John Malkovich

Josh Ward – Josh Ward (Jim Carrey as Lloyd Christmas also suggested)

Will West – Will West (Jeff Daniels as Harry Dunne also suggested)

The Railers Roll Out ’90s-Inspired Music Video for “11:59 (Central Standard Time)” [Watch]

The Railers Roll Out ’90s-Inspired Music Video for “11:59 (Central Standard Time)” [Watch]

Posted on April 5, 2017

The Railers—Jonathan, Jordan and Cassandra Lawson—rolled out a new video for their single, “11:59 (Central Standard Time),” which is one of the Top 10 most added songs at country radio this week.

The new video pops with the energy of the 1990s as the trio takes their musical talents to the rink for some old-school rollerskating and break-dancing.

“We’re excited about this song,” said Jonathan to NCD. “We spent a long time looking for the right song that we felt like was a hit for country radio, but also something that creatively we could bring something to the table on. We wrote and wrote and wrote, and we listened to a ton of songs that our friends had written. It was actually on the way back from Missouri one night that ‘11:59’ was a on a CD that a friend had sent over of songs he had written. We listened to it and we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘I think this might be it.’ We listened again, and a few more times, and then we called our producer at midnight and said, ‘You have to hold this song right now, this is gonna be the single. We’ve got to go cut it.’”

“That moment, we believed in the song fully,” added Jordan.

“I feel like it’s the perfect time to release it, because it’s been a heavy year for everybody and we just wanted to release something that could bring everyone together, regardless of beliefs,” said Cassandra. “The video is so much fun. It’s got a lot of energy.”

Watch the new video for “11:59 (Central Standard Time)” below.

Thomas Rhett Talks “Craving You” With Maren Morris: “I Can’t Really Imagine Anyone Else Being On It”

Thomas Rhett Talks “Craving You” With Maren Morris: “I Can’t Really Imagine Anyone Else Being On It”

Posted on April 5, 2017

Thomas Rhett, who recently took home the ACM Male Vocalist of the Year award, is continuing to make his own way in country music with the release of his new single, “Craving You.”

The uptempo song, written by Julian Bunetta and Dave Barnes, features ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year winner Maren Morris on vocals and is the lead track from TR’s upcoming third studio album

Nash Country Daily caught up with Thomas Rhett, on the single’s release day, to talk about the new song, working with Maren and to check in on his Home Team Tour.

“The song is basically about a guy who is overwhelmingly in love with this girl,” Thomas Rhett tells Nash Country Daily. “Like I am with my wife, except that I’m singing it to Maren Morris this time. It’s just fun. It’s just a driving uptempo jam that Maren—when she got on the song—just made it twice as good. To have a guy and girl singing this to each other just makes it that much more powerful and emotional. I’m really to see what the reaction is in a week.”

When it came to having a female voice on the song, TR had thought immediately of the “My Church” singer and her vocal prowess.

“I think we knew we wanted to put a female on the song,” Thomas said of the collaboration. “I’ve always wanted to work with Maren, her voice just blows me away. It’s such a powerful, soulful voice. Now that she’s on it, I can’t really imagine anyone else being on it. It’s like, that’s the song. It’s like, it’s her or nobody. I’m really honored that she said yes to do it and she sounds amazing on it.”

TR will head back out on the road to wrap up the first leg of his Home Team Tour, featuring Kelsea Ballerini, Ryan Hurd and Russell Dickerson. The tour wraps at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville on April 20 and 21.

“It’s really good,” TR says of the tour experience. “It started in February and all we did was rehearse for a month and I just felt like it went by so fast—the last two shows are like next week. Then we pick back up in the fall but it’s a different package. It’s amazing to see people show up at these arena tours. I’ve been doing nothing but opening for acts for the last six years and so now to be a headliner is pretty surreal.”

https://youtu.be/vOut6izbsf8

Photo courtesy The Valory Music Co.

2017 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees Include Alan Jackson, Jerry Reed and Songwriter Don Schlitz

2017 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees Include Alan Jackson, Jerry Reed and Songwriter Don Schlitz

Posted on April 5, 2017

The Country Music Association announced its 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees this morning (April 5):

  • Modern Era: Alan Jackson
  • Veteran Era: Jerry Reed
  • Songwriter: Don Schlitz

Alan Jackson

Mustachioed and mulleted, Alan burst onto the country music scene in 1990 with his platinum-selling debut album, Here in the Real World. But that success—and mullet—didn’t happen overnight. To truly appreciate the heights to which this singer/songwriter has risen, it’s important to know where he stated. Born into humble beginnings in Newnan, Ga., in 1958, Alan grew up listening to the spiritual sounds of gospel music in his family’s local church. After a friend introduced him to the stylings of Gene Watson and Hank Williams Jr., Alan became hooked on the everyman lyricism of country music. When Alan was 16, his parents bought him a $50 guitar, and he made his first public performance a year later.

After graduating from high school, Alan worked a series of blue-collar jobs, started his own band, Dixie Steel, and became a frequent performer at local clubs. He scraped by on the regional circuit before landing his big break in 1986 when his wife, Denise, who was working as a flight attendant, met Glen Campbell and gave him a copy of Alan’s demo. Alan secured a songwriting gig at Glen’s publishing company, eventually becoming the first artist to sign with Arista’s new Nashville division in 1989. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the course of the next 27 years, Alan unleashed 35 No. 1 hits, including his 9/11 tribute “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” dropped more than a dozen platinum albums and earned two Grammys, 16 CMA Awards (three for Entertainer of the Year) and 18 ACM Awards. He has sold nearly 60 million albums worldwide and ranks as one of the 10 best-selling country artists of all-time.

The folkloric escapades of Alan are almost as compelling as his music, from spontaneously adding a snippet of George Jones’ “Choices” to his set at the 1999 CMA Awards to donning a fake mullet and stonewashed jeans in his 2014 artist-in-residence show at the Country Music Hall of Fame. And if it’s been a while since you’ve reveled in the awesomeness of the 1993 music video for “Chattahoochee,” stop reading right now and watch it.

“For me to say I’m honored sounds like the standard old response, but for a man who loves country music, there is no higher honor,” said Alan during his acceptance speech. “This is the mountaintop.”

Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed

Jerry “The Guitar Man” Reed was born in Atlanta on March 20, 1937, and passed away from complications of emphysema on Sept. 1, 2008, at the age of 71.

Over his storied career, the consummate entertainer racked up hits as a singer and songwriter, while mesmerizing fans with his guitar prowess and charming audiences with his down-home acting chops.

As a songwriter, Jerry penned tunes for everyone from Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash to Dean Martin and Tom Jones. As a solo artist, Jerry found his groove with hits like “Amos Moses,” “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot”—which won a Grammy Award—“Lord, Mr. Ford,” and “East Bound and Down,” which served as the theme song to 1977’s Smokey and the Bandit. In the flick, Jerry starred opposite Burt Reynolds as wily truck driver Cledus “Snowman” Snow.

Leave it to Jerry to upshift the unsavory occupation of bootlegging beer into an anthem for every truck-driving Southerner with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. When The boys are thirsty in Atlanta and there’s beer in Texarkana, the big-riggin’ Snowman will bring it back no matter what it takes.

“Thank you, CMA and Country Music Hall of Fame, for recognizing all the years of love, dedication and hard work that daddy put into his craft,” said Jerry’s daughters, Seidina Hubbard and Lottie Zavala, during their acceptance speech. “He loved country music and would be so deeply humbled and appreciative if he was here. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Don Schlitz

Don Schlitz

Don is among the most influential and beloved songwriters in the history of country music. His chart-topping songs include “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “The Greatest” and “When You Say Nothing At All.”

Don’s 50 Top 10 singles have been performed by iconic acts Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alison Krauss, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Rogers, The Judds, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Keith Whitley, and many others. Don has won three CMA Song of the Year Awards, two Grammy Awards, and four consecutive ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year trophies (1988-91).

Don was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.

“I live in the parentheses,” said Don during his acceptance speech. “I’m just a small part of a wonderful process of making music. This is overwhelming and humbling.”

The formal induction ceremony for the new inductees will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the CMA Theater in October.

 

 

main photo by Jason Simanek

Luke Bryan Makes History By Going “Fast”

Luke Bryan Makes History By Going “Fast”

Posted on April 5, 2017

Fresh from hosting the 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards  on April 2, Luke Bryan is making history. His current single, “Fast” hit the top spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making that Luke’s sixth single to go No. 1 from his Kill The Lights album.

“Fast,” written by Luke, Rodney Clawson and Luke Laird, is Luke’s 18th No. 1 hit overall.

Here’s where the making history comes in. Luke is the only artist, in the 27-year history of the Billboard chart, to have six singles from one album make it to the top of the chart. His preceding No. 1’s from Kill The Lights include, “Kick The Dust Up,” “Strip It Down,” “Home Alone Tonight,” “Huntin’ Fishin’ & Lovin’ Everyday” and “Move.

The Georgia native broke his previous record of having five singles from his last album, tailgates & tanlines, reach the top.

Next up for Luke, he’ll be kicking off his Huntin’ Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day Tour, featuring Brett Eldredge, on May 5-6 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Lauren Alaina, Craig Campbell, Adam Craig, Seth Ennis and Granger Smith will also join the tour for various dates.

Photo courtesy Schmidt Relations

Kenny Chesney Adds Two New Shows in 2017

Kenny Chesney Adds Two New Shows in 2017

Posted on April 5, 2017

Kenny Chesney may be taking 2017 off from touring, but he already has quite a few gigs lined up and he’s adding more.

According to al.com, Kenny has put two Alabama shows on the books. The “Setting The World On Fire” singer will be performing in Tuscaloosa, Ala. at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on Aug. 4 and at The Wharf on Aug. 5. Country’s new trio, Midland, will open the show for both dates.

When Kenny Chesney said last year that he would only be playing ONE stadium show in 2017, he didn’t mean he wouldn’t be performing in other locations.

“Hey New England, it’s Kenny Chesney, and I just want to say how excited I am to say that we are coming back to Foxborough, Massachusetts—Gillette Stadium—next summer, August 25 (he has since added a second show on Aug. 26) for my only stadium show in America,” Kenny said in a video message. “No other stadium shows except in Foxborough.”

While Gillette stadium will be Kenny’s only stadium show, there will be other opportunities to catch him out and about. The Tennessee native will headline the 2017 Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 7-9, Colorado’s Country Jam on June 15-18, the House of Blues in New Orleans on April 8 and he’s part of the Merle Haggard tribute concert in Nashville on April 6.

Tickets for the Alabama shows go on sale Friday April 14 through Ticketmaster.

Photo by Jill Trunnell/EB Media

Watch Blake Shelton’s Busy Night on “Jimmy Fallon,” Including a Thrill Ride, Almost Puking, a Gwen Stefani Parody & Performance of “Every Time I Hear That Song

Watch Blake Shelton’s Busy Night on “Jimmy Fallon,” Including a Thrill Ride, Almost Puking, a Gwen Stefani Parody & Performance of “Every Time I Hear That Song

Posted on April 5, 2017

Blake Shelton was a busy man last night (April 4) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

In addition to going on a tour of Jimmy’s brand-new ride at Universal Studios—Race Through New York—Blake sat down for an interview that included talking about The Voice and his current album, If I’m Honest.

But the fun didn’t stop there. Jimmy also made Blake sit through a parody of Gwen Stefani’s “I’m Just a Girl,” before Blake capped the evening with a performance of his single, “Every Time I Hear That Song.”

Check out all the clips below.

Spring Football: Technique Tuesday

Spring Football: Technique Tuesday

Posted on April 5, 2017
UT LB Cortez McDowell / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee began its third week of spring practice on Tuesdayat Haslam Field, running through a nearly two-hour workout under sunny skies.

Having completed its first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, the Vols took a measured approach to Tuesday’s workout. Practicing in shells, UT slowed down to focus on the fundamental execution of winning football — an emphasis dubbed Technique Tuesday.

“Today we kind of took a step back in terms of focusing on the fundamentals with Technique Tuesday,” head coach Butch Jones said. “[Just] getting back to the blocking, the tackling and executing. Sometimes with a young football team you have to slow down and remember that the core and the base is all in your fundamentals, owning your fundamentals and understanding the ‘why.’ I thought it was a really productive day, one of the best most productive days we have had all spring.”

Tennessee is now approaching the midway point of the spring season, having completed seven of 15 scheduled workouts. The spring season concludes on April 22with the annual DISH Orange & White Game (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Admission and parking to the Orange & White Game are free to the public and a fan appreciation event will precede kickoff.

Continuing its spring schedule, the Vols will practice again on Thursday before moving to a closed session on Saturday.

Day Seven Quotables

Head coach Butch Jones

(On the team’s maturation through two weeks of spring ball)
“I think as a coach you always have to evolve. The great thing for me to see is how much the older players are coaching the younger players. Were talking about details, accountability and toughness and that is where they are holding each other accountable and that has been really great to see. I go into every position meeting room and the way they are coaching each other out here on the field — there is seriousness and maturation to it. Just like today we still have to continue to work towards being a physical football team. You do not have to be full pads to be a physical football team and you have to live that way every day. So we’re learning, but I think what I see is that the players understand the expectations and they believe in the team.”

Associate head coach/defensive line Brady Hoke

(On the style and technique he is aiming to instill in the defensive line)
“I think you are always real prideful about your position. We talk about the position and having pride and ownership. (Steve Stripling) and I have known each other a long time and we’ve probably stolen a lot of things from each other. There were some things — the terminology and some of the way I do things — that may be different, but there’s a lot of similarities also.”

Sophomore WR Tyler Byrd

(On transitioning from former wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni to current coach Kevin Beard)
“There are different ways of teaching it and different styles of teaching it. Like you said, we already had the tool belt that Coach Azzanni gave us and now (Coach Beard) is just adding more to our tool belt to give us more weapons to be a better athlete and be a better wide receiver.”

Sophomore LB Daniel Bituli

(On how the coaches have challenged him to be a leader)
“They definitely wanted me more vocal this year. It is hard coming in as a freshman trying to speak to the older guys while trying to learn all of these things. Going into my sophomore year I definitely want to take more of a leadership role and influencing my guys to make plays and for myself to make plays.”

-UT Athletics

 

Watch Dustin Lynch Perform “Small Town Boy” on the Big Stage of “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

Watch Dustin Lynch Perform “Small Town Boy” on the Big Stage of “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

Posted on April 5, 2017

Dustin Lynch is a small-town boy who’s doing big things. The Tullahoma, Tenn., native stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live last night (April 4) to perform his new single, “Small Town Boy,” which is currently No. 45 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

While Dustin is already two singles in to his forthcoming album, the release date is still undetermined.

“I’m still working on it and I want to make sure—I’m a couple songs away from really putting the final touches on it,” Dustin said to Nash Country Daily. “I feel confident that what we already have is gonna be really good.”

In the meantime, check out Dustin’s performance of “Small Town Boy” on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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