Postgame/Stats/Story: Puni’s Six RBIs Lead Lady Vols To 6-2 Triumph Over #10 Arkansas

Postgame/Stats/Story: Puni’s Six RBIs Lead Lady Vols To 6-2 Triumph Over #10 Arkansas

Posted on March 22, 2022

WATCH: Karen Weekly Postgame | WATCH: Erin Edmoundson Postgame | Box Score (PDF) | Updated Season Stats (PDF)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore infielder Zaida Puni drove in all six runs for the 14th-ranked Lady Vols as Tennessee wrapped up the weekend with a 6-2 victory over No. 10 Arkansas Sunday afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
 
The UT newcomer from Carson, California, blasted a grand slam, roped an RBI double and recorded an RBI groundout as part of her 2-for-4 outing in the series finale. Super senior outfielder Amanda Ayala also posted a 2-for-4 performance at the dish with a single and a double, rounding out her weekend with a team-high six hits, three runs, two doubles and a home run.

Lady Vols Softball / Credit: UT Athletics

Graduate pitcher Erin Edmoundson picked up her 13th win on the season with a complete-game effort, tallying six strikeouts to one walk whlie allowing two earned runs on six hits. The loss went to Arkansas starter Callie Turner, who was tagged with four runs allowed in 1.2 innings pitched.
 
Puni opened the scoring for the Big Orange (20-8, 3-2 SEC) with her RBI double in the bottom of the first, rocketing a pitch off the wall in right field that brought home freshman Lair Beautae from second.
 
After Edmoundson retired the Hogs (19-5, 2-1 SEC) in order in the top of the second, the Lady Vols loaded the bases with a walk, hit by pitch and an error in the Arkansas infield. The Razorbacks changed pitchers, and Puni tanked Jenna Bloom’s first offering deep to left field for a no-doubt grand slam that put Tennessee ahead 5-0 through two innings.
 
Arkansas threatened with runners on the corners and one out in the top of the fourth, but the cool, calm and collected Edmoundson dealt back-to-back strikeouts, swinging and looking, to erase the damage. The Lady Vol lefty proceeded to retire the side in order in the fifth with another backwards K and two groundouts to maintain a 5-0 Big Orange lead through four-and-a-half frames.
 
The Razorbacks broke up the shutout with two runs in the top of the sixth. Catcher Taylor Ellsworth brought the first run in after grounding into a double play with two runners aboard, and SEC batting leader Danielle Gibson doubled the Hogs’ run total with a solo shot to center field on the ensuing plate appearance.
 
Tennessee added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Puni plated Ayala from third on a slow roller through the infield for an RBI groundout. With a 6-2 lead and three outs remaining, Edmoundson collected her sixth strikeout of the afternoon before ending the game with a popout and a groundout to secure the top-10 victory.
 
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Gainesville, Florida, and continue conference play with a three-game series March 25-27 against the 6th-ranked Gators. Friday and Saturday’s games will begin at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, and can be seen on SEC Network+. The series finale will be nationally televised on ESPNU Sunday at 2 p.m.

-UT Athletics

Stats/Story: Beam Wows as #2 Vols to Complete Sweep of South Carolina

Stats/Story: Beam Wows as #2 Vols to Complete Sweep of South Carolina

Posted on March 22, 2022

Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Only allowing one hit and hitting four home runs, the second-ranked Tennessee baseball team beat South Carolina, 10-0, to complete the series sweep on SEC Opening Weekend.

Drew Beam had a masterful start for the Big Orange, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning, before giving up a leadoff double to center field. In total, the freshman right-hander went 7.2 innings and struck out three. Beam’s success, and deep outing came from his efficiency in throwing strikes. He totaled 86 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.

Vols RHP Drew Beam / Credit: UT Athletics

The Vols (19-1, 3-0 SEC) only allowed the one hit, their second one-hitter of the week after holding Eastern Kentucky to one hit on Tuesday.

At the plate, Tennessee popped another four home runs out of Lindsey Nelson Stadium – upping their series total to 10 against the Gamecocks. Evan Russell accounted for two of Sunday’s home runs, while Christian Moore and Trey Lipscomb each hit one.

All was quiet through the first two and a half innings as the first 15 batters to come to the plate were retired. Then Moore and Russell brought the Sunday afternoon crowd of 4,233 to its feet with back-to-back jacks to left field to kick off the bottom of the third. Russell wasted no time following up Moore’s leadoff homer, blasting a first-pitch fastball over the wall in left center.

South Carolina starting pitcher Matthew Becker did well to limit the Vols to only two hits, both homers, but UT was able to chase the southpaw after only five innings. Once into the Gamecock bullpen, the bats came alive, scoring four runs in the sixth on a two-run double to left from Drew Gilbert, followed by a towering blast from Lipscomb, his ninth home run of the season.

The late offensive onslaught from the Big Orange was able to plate eight runs in the final three innings.

The Volunteer bats remained hot in the seventh. Seth Stephenson, in his first at bat of the game, ripped a double to the power alley in right center to quickly get a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. Jordan Beck roped a double to left center to score both runners, making it 8-0 Vols.

Tennessee finished off the scoring in the eighth inning. Russell sent a deep fly just inside the foul pole in left to increase the lead to 10-0.

UP NEXT: The Vols cap their homestand with a midweek game against Butler on Tuesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m.
 

NOTABLE

FOUR TIMES THE FUN
Tennessee’s back-to-back homers in the third inning marked the fourth time this season the Big Orange hit the long ball in consecutive at-bats.

ONE-HIT WONDERS
Tennessee held South Carolina to one hit on Sunday, its second game of the week only allowing one opponent knock. The last time the Vols held an opponent to one hit prior to this week was on Feb. 27, 2019 against Middle Tennessee. The last time the Vols gave up one hit against an SEC opponent was on March 18, 2005 at Auburn. VFL Luke Hochevar threw a complete-game one-hitter in a 2-1 Tennessee victory.

QUALITY ABs
Vol hitters forced South Carolina to go to the bullpen early on account of three long at-bats. Jorel Ortega and Jordan Beck had 11- and 10-pitch at bats against Becker, while Russell had an eight-pitch AB, as well.

FIRING BLANKS
For the fifth time this season, Tennessee’s pitching staff shut out its opponent. Entering the weekend, the Vols ranked second nationally in shutouts, one behind the national leader, Virginia.

-UT Athletics

Hoops Preview: NCAA Second Round: #18/17 Lady Vols vs. Belmont

Hoops Preview: NCAA Second Round: #18/17 Lady Vols vs. Belmont

Posted on March 22, 2022

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 18/17 Tennessee (24-8) will play host to in-state opponent Belmont (23-7) in an NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Second Round game on Monday night.

The No. 4 seed Lady Vols and No. 12 seed Bruins are slated to tip off at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the winner advancing to the Wichita Regional on March 26 and 28 at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee advanced by overturning a five-point second-quarter lead by Buffalo to race by the Bulls, 80-67, on Saturday afternoon on The Summitt. The Lady Vols put four players in double figures to remain a perfect 24-0 in NCAA First Round home games and give head coach Kellie Harper a victory in her first-ever home tourney game in 18 seasons guiding four different schools as a head coach.

In game two on Saturday, Belmont knocked off No. 5 seed Oregon in double overtime, 73-70, behind a trio of double-figure scoring Bruins. BU trailed by two at the half and by four entering the final quarter before outscoring UO 17-13 in the last 10 minutes to force the additional frames necessary to secure a berth in the second round.

UT, which moved on to the second round for the second year in a row under Harper, will be looking to punch its ticket to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2016 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 35th all-time. Harper will be looking to make her second career Sweet 16 appearance after moving to that round in 2019 with Missouri State.

Belmont, meanwhile, is eyeing its first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 berth.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Tamika Catchings (analyst) will have the call for ESPN.
  • All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
  • The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone behind the microphone for his final regular-season home game. He will be joined by studio host Bobby Rader.
  • A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
  • For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
  • The contest also will be available on satellite radio on  SiriusXM channel 133 or 201 and on the SXM app on channel 964.

GET YOUR TICKETS

  • Tickets to the NCAA First and Second Rounds in Knoxville may be purchased at AllVols.com.
  • Current UT students will receive a free ticket for the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Women’s Tournament for the session(s) in which UT is playing. Students must show a current UT ID at the Gate B Ticket Office window starting two hours prior to tip-off.
  • Free parking and shuttle from the Ag Campus in parking area CF (across from Brehm and Food Science).
  • Fans with a current valid accessible placard or license plate may park on the Ag Campus in lot CF (across from Brehm and Food Science) and take the shuttle, which is fully accessible for those with disabilities (purple star).
  • Limited $10 parking is available in G-10 (Neyland Drive or Phillip Fulmer Way entrances), G3, G4, G5-30 and Staff 30-A (Peyton Manning Pass entrance).

TENNESSEE’S NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY

  • As mentioned, the Lady Vols are making their 40th appearance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, and UT is the only program to appear in all 40 tournaments.
  • Tennessee was an at-large qualifier for the NCAA Tournament, finishing third in the SEC regular season for the third-straight season and bowing out in the semifinal round of the league tourney to No. 7 seed Kentucky, the eventual champion. 
  • UT earned a No. 4 seed for only the second time ever and has a 4-1 record in that role after defeating Iowa, Georgia and LSU before falling to USC in the NCAA Final Four semifinals in 1986 in Lexington, Ky., and adding a first-round win over Buffalo in 2022.
  • The Lady Vols are 127-31 in NCAA Tournament play, and they rank first in games played (158) and victories (127) in NCAA tourney history. 
  • Tennessee is second behind UConn in winning percentage at .804 in tourney play.
  • UT is 2-1 in NCAA play under Kellie Harper, making its first appearance with her at the helm in 2021 after the tourney was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global health pandemic.
  • UT has advanced to the NCAA regional round on 34 occasions, posting a 28-6 record in the Sweet 16. 
  • The only seasons UT did not make the regional level were in 2009 and from 2017 to 2021. UT lost its opening round contest as a No. 5 seed to No. 12 Ball State in Bowling Green, Ky., in 2009. No. 5 seed UT lost its second-round game at No. 4 seed Louisville in 2017. No. 3 seed UT lost its second-round game to No. 6 seed Oregon State in Knoxville in 2018. No. 11 seed Tennessee fell to No. 6 seed UCLA in the first round at College Park, Md., in 2019. No. 3 seed UT dropped a 70-55 second-round decision to No. 6 seed Michigan in 2021. 
  • UT has made the Elite Eight 28 times and in five of the past 10 tournaments, posting an 18-10 record in that round.
  • The Lady Vols have seen their season ended in the regional championship game in five of the past 10 years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016).
  • UT has advanced to 18 NCAA Final Fours and won eight of them (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008), ranking second to UConn.
  • Tennessee has finished second in the nation five times and third on five more occasions. 
  • In facing Buffalo and then Belmont, UT will be playing its 89th and 90th different opponents during all rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

UT IN FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS

  • Tennessee is making its 40th appearance in the NCAA First/Second Rounds, and it owns a 60-5 record during games played in those rounds.
  • The Lady Vols are 32-2 all-time in the NCAA First Round and 28-3 in the NCAA Second Round.
  • The only blemishes are a first-round loss to Ball State, 71-55, in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 22, 2009, a second-round setback to Louisville, 75-64, in Louisville, Ky. on March 20, 2017, a second-round loss to Oregon State, 66-59, in Knoxville, on March 18, 2018, a first-round ouster by UCLA, 89-77, on March 23, 2019, in College Park, Md., and a second-round loss to Michigan, 70-55, in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 2021.
  • In NCAA First/Second Round play, Tennessee is 46-1 at home, 4-2 away and 10-2 at neutral sites.
  • The breakdown for that is 24-0 home/0-1 away/8-1 neutral for the first round and 22-1 home/4-1 away/2-1 neutral for the second round.

UT VS. THE NCAA FIELD

  • Tennessee has played 17 games vs. 15 different teams in the 2022 NCAA Tournament field, including Buffalo.
  • The Lady Vols are 11-6 vs. those opponents.
  • Tennessee was 6-2 vs. non-conference NCAA Tournament-qualifying foes this season, defeating Kansas, South Florida, Texas, UCF, Virginia Tech and Buffalo (NCAA First Round), and falling to Stanford and UConn.
  • The Big Orange had a 5-4 record vs. SEC teams that made the NCAA Tournament, defeating Arkansas (twice), Georgia, Kentucky and Ole Miss, while falling to Florida, Kentucky, LSU and South Carolina.
  • The SEC placed eight teams in the tournament, which tied for the most of any league (with the ACC).
  • The SEC’s teams going dancing in 2022 include Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss South Carolina and Tennessee.

LADY VOLS VS. IN-STATE FOES

  • The Tennessee women are 256-61-1 all-time vs. four-year college teams from the Volunteer State, and Kellie Harper is 12-0 in those match-ups in her third season on Rocky Top.
  • The Lady Vols are 5-0 this season (wins vs. Tenn. Tech, ETSU, Chattanooga at home and vs. Vanderbilt on the road and at home) and were 3-0 in 2020-21, with wins over ETSU, Lipscomb and Middle Tennessee, with two games on the schedule vs. Vandy (home and away) canceled.
  • UT has won 12 in a row over schools from within the state border and 28 of the last 29, with the lone setback during that run being a 76-69 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2019. 

HARPER NCAA HISTORY AS A COACH

  • Kellie Harper is making her seventh overall NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach and second with UT. She also went to the tourney four other times as an assistant coach.
  • Last year’s Lady Vol squad was a No. 3 seed, marking her highest seeded team in the NCAA Tournament. That group advanced to the NCAA Second Round before exiting. This year’s seeding is the second highest of her career.
  • Kellie Harper is 4-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, including 1-0 at home, 1-2 away and 2-4 at neutral sites.
  • She is 3-4 in NCAA First-Round games (1-0 at home/0-2 away/2-2 neutral), 1-1 in NCAA Second-Round games (0-0 at home/1-0 away/0-1 neutral) and 0-1 in the Sweet 16 (0-0 home/0-0 away/0-1 neutral).
  • After the 2020 tourney was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harper led Tennessee to the tournament a year ago, finishing 1-1. The Lady Vols beat Middle Tennessee, 87-62, in the opening round in Austin, Texas, before falling to Michigan, 70-55, in the second round in San Antonio. 
  • During the 2018-19 NCAA Tournament, Harper piloted #11 seed Missouri State to the Sweet 16, beating #6 seed DePaul and #3 seed Iowa State before falling to #2 seed Stanford by nine en route to 2019 Kay Yow National Coach of the Year acclaim.
  • Harper’s previous entries fell in first-round match-ups: #16 Western Carolina at #1 Tennessee in 2005, #13 Western Carolina vs. #4 Vanderbilt in Albuquerque in 2009, #9 NC State vs. #8 UCLA at Minneapolis in 2010 and #13 Missouri State at #4 Texas A&M in 2016.

RECAPPING THE LAST GAME

  • No. 18/17 Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Second Round on Saturday, defeating Buffalo in Thompson-Boling Arena, 80-67.
  • With the win, Tennessee improves to 32-2 all-time in NCAA First Round games and keeps the Lady Vols’ record a perfect 24-0 when playing in Knoxville.
  • Graduate forward Alexus Dye turned in a double-double for fourth-seeded UT (24-8), tallying 18 points and 11 rebounds, as did junior center Tamari Key, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard/forward Rae Burrell was the high scorer for UT with 19 points, and graduate guard Jordan Walker added 13.
  • The 13th-seeded Bulls (25-9) were led by Dyaisha Fair, who managed a game-high 25 points, while Georgia Woolley was also in double figures with 15 on the day.

NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST CONTEST

  • HARPER AT HOME: Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper has taken four different teams to the NCAA Tournament during her 18-year tenure as a head coach, but the win over Buffalo marks the first time she’s played an opening round game in her home arena. The win moves her record at UT to 2-1 in NCAA play.  
  • POSTSEASON SNOOP: Since entering postseason play, Alexus Dye has racked up three straight double-doubles, averaging 20.0 ppg. and 11.7 rpg. over the last three contests.
  • CLEANING THE GLASS: The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Bulls 55-37, marking the 14th time this season UT has grabbed 50+ boards. Twenty-four of those boards came on the offensive end, marking the second-most O-boards recorded by UT this season. Tennessee’s season high of 26 offensive rebounds was set against Georgia State on Dec. 12 and tied against ETSU on Dec. 20.
  • CASHING IN AT THE LINE: Tennessee shot a solid 72.4 percent from the free-throw line against Buffalo, scoring 21 points from the charity stripe. Twenty-one made free throws ranks third on the season behind 24 against Georgia State and 23 at Arkansas.

UT-BELMONT SERIES NOTES

  • The Bruins lead the all-time series with Tennessee, 6-4, but the Lady Vols have won the past two meetings and three of the past four.
  • Tennessee is 1-0 in postseason play vs. Belmont, defeating the Bruins, 94-53, in the opening game of the Tennessee College Women’s Sports Federation tourney in Knoxville on March 1, 1979.
  • In their only meeting since 1979, UT defeated BU, 84-76, in Knoxville on Dec. 30, 2018.
  • This will mark Kellie Harper‘s first game coaching against Belmont.
  • UT is 57-21 all-time vs. schools from the Ohio Valley Conference, including 5-0 in NCAA play.
  • In addition to toppling Oregon, Belmont knocked off a talented Ole Miss squad, 62-50, in Oxford on Nov. 11 this season.
  • The Bruins also played common UT opponents Chattanooga, UCF, Arkansas and Auburn and Tennessee Tech, defeating UTC and losing to the other schools. 
  • Tennessee assistant Samantha Williams and Belmont head coach Bart Brooks worked together as assistants on Doug Bruno’s staff at DePaul during the 2006-07 season.
  • Lady Vols Sara Puckett and Karoline Striplin played in the same Nike Girls’ EYBL program (AL Southern Starz) as Belmont’s Conley Chinn, Tuti Jones and Destinee Wells. 
  • Local sports anchor/reporter and SECN+ color analyst for Lady Vol games Madison Blevins Hock is an alum of the Belmont women’s basketball program.

A LOOK AT THE BRUINS

  • The Belmont attack is paced by three players averaging double figures in points, including Destinee Wells (16.6), Madison Bartley (11.7) and Tuti Jones (11.0).
  • The Bruins love the long ball, averaging more than eight makes per game and canning 12 vs. Oregon on Saturday night. 
  • Five BU players have hit 30 or more treys this season, led by Jones with 62.
  • Belmont enters Monday night’s tilt on a 13-game winning streak.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

  • Bart Brooks is in his fifth season at the Nashville school, fashioning an impressive 123-33 record.
  • He has guided Belmont to OVC regular-season and tournament championship sweeps three times (2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22) and added a regular-season title in 2019-20 and a tourney trophy in 2020-21.

BELMONT’S LAST GAME

  • No. 12 seed Belmont University women’s basketball defeated fifth-seeded Oregon, 73-70, Saturday night in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship first round at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
  • It marks the second consecutive year Belmont has advanced to the Round of 32 as a No. 12 seed after defeating Gonzaga in 2021.
  • Tuti Jones led three Bruins in double figures with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals. Destinee Wells added 16 and Conley Chinn tossed in 10.

LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET

  • No. 10/10 Tennessee led by as many as 18 points before holding off a late rally to secure an 84-76 victory over Belmont in front of a season-best crowd of 8,546 on Dec. 30, 2018, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
  • The Bruins (7-4) rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game with a 22-6 run in the second half. The Lady Vols (11-1), however, closed out the game on a 19-10 run to earn the victory.
  • Evina Westbrook led four Lady Vols in double figures with 20 points, while Ellie Harmeyer matched Westbrook’s total to pace four Bruins scoring 10 or more.

-UT Athletics

Dierks Bentley is Heading Out for Another Beer Run in 2022

Dierks Bentley is Heading Out for Another Beer Run in 2022

Posted on March 22, 2022

Dierks Bentley announced that his Beers On Me tour will continue in 2022 and he’s taking Ashley McBryde and Travis Denning out with him.

Dierks says “A bunch of friends, ice cold beer and good Country music is just about all you need for a perfect summer!”

Dierks adds, “Every year when we plan a tour, I think this summer is going to the best yet…and this year is no different! I’m excited to have Ashley and Travis jump on this leg of the Beers On Me Tour…now just counting the days ’til June!”

Not only is it the name of his tour, but “Beers On Me” is the title of Dierks Bentley’s Top-5 (and climbing) song with Hardy and Breland…

Photo Courtesy of Dierks Bentley

Carly Pearce Connects with Fans That Never Wanted To Be That Girl

Carly Pearce Connects with Fans That Never Wanted To Be That Girl

Posted on March 22, 2022

ACM Female Vocalist Of The Year winner Carly Pearce has been very open about the inspiration behind the music on her album, 29: Written In Stone.

With being open and vulnerable with her experience – Carly has discovered that fans are connecting to her songs like “Next Girl” in a very personal way.

Carly had another example of that connection on a recent stop in Albany, New York on her The 29 tour.

Carly shares the story, “I’m out on the 29 tour right now, and I was in Albany New York playing my show…and I see all kinds of things in the crowd when I’m playing these theaters – which is so fun, can also be distracting, and speaking of distracting I kept seeing this little cardboard sign being flung around by this girl in the audience when I was singing ‘Never Wanted To Be That Girl’ and I kept trying to read it, couldn’t read it. So, finally at a break in the set I asked her to tell me from her seat what that sign said and y’all she was sitting next to another sweet girl and the sign said ‘we both dated the same guy at the same time for 2 years and your music saved us.’ The crowd went crazy and it was just such a crazy moment for me to realize that how I have written this album for myself…so many of you have found your stories in these songs and that means everything to me and I’ll say it again if that guy’s listening I’m gonna find you and I’m not going to be nice.”

After the show Carly made sure to meet the women – Tara and Ashley.

Carly is back to connecting with fans on The 29 Tour this weekend with stops in Oklahoma and Texas.

Carly Pearce of course will be singing her ACM Music Event Of The Year winning song “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” which she recorded with Ashley McBryde.

Headline Photo Credit: Allister Ann
Additional Photo Credit: Alexa Campbell

Chris Stapleton Announces Latest Single from Starting Over – “Joy Of My Life”

Chris Stapleton Announces Latest Single from Starting Over – “Joy Of My Life”

Posted on March 22, 2022

Chris Stapleton recently topped the Billboard country airplay chart with “You Should Probably Leave.”

Now Chris is following it up with another track from his 2020 album, Starting Over – “Joy Of My Life” – which along with “Worry B Gone” & “Old Friends” are 3 cover songs that Chris included on the project.

“Joy Of My Life” was originally written and recorded by John Fogerty – first appearing on the classic rocker’s 1997 album, Blue Moon Swamp.

For his version Chris Stapleton put his own signature style on “Joy Of My Life” – listen to it here…

Photo Courtesy of Chris Stapleton

Lauren Alaina Headed Back To American Idol Next Week As Guest Mentor

Lauren Alaina Headed Back To American Idol Next Week As Guest Mentor

Posted on March 22, 2022

Lauren Alaina announced that she will be returning to American Idol as a mentor on March 28th.

Lauren shared “I am FLIPPING OUT to return to American Idol as a guest mentor for Hollywood Week! I’ll be mentoring the country genre! I’ll see you next week on Monday, March 28 at 8/7c on ABC”

If you didn’t know, Lauren’s musical journey started on American Idol‘s 10th season, and she wound up coming in second place to winner Scotty McCreery.

In the years since, Lauren has become one of the rising stars in country music and was just inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Idol contestants will learn much from Lauren.

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Alaina

Luke Combs Sings With Ed Sheeran & Reveals Easter Eggs for “Doin’ This”

Luke Combs Sings With Ed Sheeran & Reveals Easter Eggs for “Doin’ This”

Posted on March 21, 2022

On his recent trip overseas to headline the C2C Music Festival with shows in Scotland, Ireland, and England, Luke Combs got to sing a song he’s covered many times with it’s originally singer…Ed Sheeran.

“Dive” is one of Luke’s favorite songs, and one that he has covered several times – so he was thrilled by the opportunity to perform it on stage with Ed in London.

Luke joked “The duo y’all never knew you needed.”

Luke’s current single at country radio is “Doin’ This” – and like he has with past music videos Luke has released an Easter Eggs Revealed video that points out all the personal touches that was included that fans might not have caught, or even knew about…watch it here…

Headline Photo Credit: Zack Massey
Additional Photo Credit: David Bergman

Tiffany Woys’ New EP – All About Love – Available Now

Tiffany Woys’ New EP – All About Love – Available Now

Posted on March 21, 2022

Tiffany Woy‘s new EP, All About Love, is available now!

Talking about the 6-track EP, Tiffany says, “I have always said I want to sing about love. That means all that comes with it. The good parts, the bad parts and in true country fashion, the sad parts.”  

The EP also includes a song that has a special connection to Tiffany’s love of country music and was originally recorded by one of her musical influences – LeAnn Rimes.

Tiffany shares how she went from singing “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way” as a teenager, to becoming friends with one of the song’s writers, and now having it be a part of her All About Love EP, “This song means a lot to me. There is a full circle moment and almost a story of fate with this song: This was the first song I ever recorded in a home studio when I was 16 years old. Then over a decade later I end up becoming friends and working with Tammi Kidd Hutton who happened to be one of the writers of this song and I had no idea at the time. God made this happen. This song is what country music is all about. Phenomenal story telling. Phenomenal writing. I only hope I did it justice after LeAnn Rimes.”

All About Love EP track list;

  1. “About Love” (Jason Saenz, Sara Haze, Sam Ellis)  
  2. “Own This Town” (Sam Ellis, Sara Haze, Heather Morgan)  
  3. “Wear It Out” (Tammi Kidd Hutton, Nathan Spicer, Sarah Allison Turner)  
  4. “I Don’t Want You Back” (Jason Saenz, Sara Haze, Jon Mclaughlin)  
  5. “I’ll Meet You There” (Emily Shackelton, busbee, Hannah Ellis)  
  6. “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way” (Tammi Kidd Hutton, John Kennedy)  

With the music on her EP All About Love, Tiffany thinks fans will find a song to connect with no matter where they are in their life, “Love is a universal language. It’s a feeling that everyone experiences along with heartbreak. It’s all I’ve really wanted to convey with listeners. I want people to know we are all more related than you think. That’s through love. So now I am releasing six songs that I hope relate to you too. That through love and music you feel a little less alone. This EP is All About Love and I think we can all agree we need more of it!” 

Tiffany Woys’ EP All About Love is available now – featuring the title track, and her current single, “About Love.”

Photo Credit: Robert Chavers

High Valley Set to Release New Album, Way Back, May 20th 2022

High Valley Set to Release New Album, Way Back, May 20th 2022

Posted on March 21, 2022

High Valley has announced that their next album, Way Back, will arrive on May 20th.

Fans have an extra reason to be excited about the 6th album from High Valley when it comes out – because they contributed to finalizing the track list after the band turned to their musical community for a little help putting the finishing touches on the new project.

High Valley front-man Brad Rempel shares, “Letting our fans behind the scenes of the songwriting and demo process was so much fun. We had the Way Back album almost complete and couldn’t decide which of the most recent cowrites should make the cut, so we asked our fans to vote on our socials.”

Brad adds, “I love knowing that this album is a collection of songs I feel very strongly about, messages I believe need to be heard, and jams that our fans literally chose themselves!”

Way Back track list;

  1. “Way Back” (Seth Mosley, Ben Stennis, Brad Rempel)
  2. “Run Outta Somedays” (Ben Stennis, Jon Nite, Brad Rempel)
  3. “Somebody Tell That Girl” (Feat. Anne Wilson) (Jason Gant, Matt Rogers, Brad Rempel)
  4. “Do This Life” (Phil Barton, David Thompson, Brad Rempel)
  5. “World Could Use a Dirt Road” (Claire Douglas, Josh Ronen, Brad Rempel)
  6. “Prayin’ Woman” (Seth Mosley, Allison Veltz, Brad Rempel)
  7. “Country Music, Girls & Trucks” (Feat. Granger Smith) (Micah Wilshire, Jaron Boyer, Brad Rempel)
  8. “Whatever it Takes” (Ben Stennis, Jon Nite, Brad Rempel)
  9. “All My Lovin” (Blake Bollinger, Phil Barton, Brad Rempel)
  10. “Remember You Now” (Ben Stennis, Jon Nite, Brad Rempel)
  11. “Be That For You” (Sam Ellis, Dave Sampson, Brad Rempel)
  12. “She Loves” (Sam Bergeson, Jaron Boyer, Brad Rempel)
  13. “Never Not” (Ben West, Matt Willis, Brad Rempel)

One of the latest songs that High Valley is sharing with fans ahead of the May 20th release is “Somebody Tell That Girl” which features Anne Wilson.

Talking about the collaboration, Brad says “I’ve loved Anne Wilson’s voice from the first time I heard it. The message in ‘Somebody Tell That Girl’ is so important, and it makes an even stronger statement with Anne singing it.”

Anne shares her reaction to getting the call to be on the track, “When Brad from High Valley asked me to be a part of this song, I just knew I had to do it. I’m deeply honored to be a small part of ‘Somebody Tell That Girl,’ and I can’t wait to see how this song impacts people. Grateful beyond measure!”

Anne adds, “I’ve always wanted to be a part of a country song that empowers women and speaks of their worth.”

Check out this behind the scenes video of the making of “Somebody Tell That Girl.”

High Valley will add to their total as the highest selling Canadian band in country music history when Way Back comes out on May 20th – the new album features their single “Whatever It Takes” – which is working its way up the US airplay chart, and is already a Top-10 (and climbing) hit on Canadian country radio.

Check out this special acoustic version of the song from High Valley’s The Cottage Sessions…

Photo Credit: Crystal K Martel

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