Did you catch Lady A‘s performance on The Ellen Show this week?
Guest host Beth Behrs intros the group while reminding everyone that she actually appeared in Lady A’s music video for “Downtown.”
Check out Hillary, Charles and Dave performing the title track from their recent release “What A Song Can Do.”
and just in case you missed it when it came out – here’s Beth and Lady A in the music video for “Downtown.”
Photo Courtesy of Lady A
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly has announced the addition of Texas Tech transfer pitcher Erin Edmoundson to the Lady Vol program.
“We are thrilled that Erin is joining the Lady Vols,” Weekly said. “Erin is a seasoned veteran and proven winner in a power-five conference. Her maturity and competitive personality are a great fit for our program.”
A former 20-game winner, Edmoundson has spent the past four seasons with the Red Raiders. In 2019, she finished the year with a 20-5 record and an ERA of 2.89. She tossed a career-high 14 complete-games, totaling six shutouts and picking up a pair of saves that season.
Edmoundson was on track for another stellar year in 2020 before the COVID-19 global pandemic shuttered the softball season. The Deer Park, Texas, native had picked up 10 wins, six complete-games, three shutouts, a save and had an ERA of 1.42 when the season came to a halt.
For her career, Edmoundson is 54-32 with an ERA of 3.07. She’s made 130 appearances over the last four seasons, including 579.2 innings pitched, 35 complete-games, 14 shutouts, five saves and has totaled 517 strikeouts.
In 2019, the lefty was named to the NFCA All-Region Second Team and in 2020 was named the No. 26 player in the nation by Softball America.
-UT Athletics
This is A Day in the Country with Paul Koffy – July 8th
On this day in 2019, Thomas Rhett sent “Remember You Young” to radio
In 2017, Florida Georgia Line‘s collaboration with The Backstreet Boys – “God, Your Mama and Me” was number one.
Back in 2009, two Brad Paisley songs were certified gold: “Then” and “I’m Still a Guy”
And we’re wishing a very happy birthday to Toby Keith
Photo Credit: Richard McLaren
Just over 2 months of 2021 belong to Luke Combs.
That’s how long his songs have claimed the number-one spot on the Billboard country airplay chart.
First with “Better Together” back in January and February…
and now here in June and July “Forever After All” is spending its 6th week at number-1!
3 other artists have had multiple weeks at number-1, but even adding them all together, they still don’t equal the amount of weeks Luke has claimed the top spot on the Billboard country airplay chart in 2021.
When he moved to Nashville, it was a bit of a roll of the dice. Luke believed in himself, and knew he had talent, but sometimes it takes more than that. While he parents also believed in him, they also knew the risks. Luke shares, “When I decided to move, I was kind of running out of my lease in Boone, where I was no longer a student at the time I had decided to leave Boone, I had just recently dropped out with 21 hours left to pursue music and my parents have always been very supportive and they don’t make a ton of money so they were like we obviously support you going out to Nashville and chasing your dream, but we also don’t have the ability to kind of catch you if you fall.”
We think it’s OK for mom and dad to relax now.
As Luke has camped out in the number-one spot on the Billboard Airplay Chart…he promised his fans two new songs…and he delivered…
with sharing videos of “Good Ole Days”
and “Five-Leaf Clover”
Luke also shared with fans news about his next single at country radio, and a new project, “Excited to let y’all know ‘Cold As You’ will be my next song on the radio, then it’s time for NEW MUSIC.”
Listen to “Cold As You” – from Luke’s deluxe album, What You See Ain’t Always What You Get right here…
Photo Credit: Zack Massey
This is A Day in the Country with Paul Koffy – July 7th
On this day in 2017, Matt Stell recorded “Prayed for You,” which would go on to become his first number-1 song.
In 2012, Luke Bryan was at number-one with “Drunk On You.”
On this day in 2008 Carrie Underwood sent “Just A Dream” to radio
And all the way back in 1956, Johnny Cash was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Michael Ray knows that his music has had an impact on his fans from the messages that they share with him, and the stories they tell him when he meets them.
Michael also has had music impact his own life – and he was lucky enough to not only share that story with the artist who recorded the song – the song is “Ships That Don’t Come In” and the artist – the late great Joe Diffie.
Michael shares, “Joe Diffie was not only just one of my musical heroes but a great friend and somebody that I had some great memories with…. I’ve said it since day one…since I’ve heard this song…and I’ll always stand by it I think that… ‘Ships that Don’t Come In’ is one of the best written country songs of all time and there’s a line in there that says ‘God made life a gamble and we’re still in the game’ – that line has gotten me through so much. I moved to Nashville lived in a two bedroom two bath with five other guys drove my tour van was playing shows in Florida to pay for shows in Mississippi…and all that stuff, I always quoted that line whenever things got hard and I wanted to give up “god made life a gamble but we’re still in the game.”
One of Michael’s most cherished memories is getting to sing the song alongside Joe Diffie…
“I actually got to sing that with Joe one time on a cruise ship that we did… a country cruise together… it was one of my last times being able to see him and I cherish that song even more now.”
Michael Ray’s latest song that his fans are connecting with is “Whiskey and Rain.”
Photo Credit: Sean Hagwell
When it comes to creating music, a lot of artists say that albums and song collections that they release are snapshots of where they are in their lives at that point.
Right now, Brett Young says that while his life is better than ever – it’s pretty much focused on being a husband to his wife Taylor, dad to his daughter Presley — and getting ready for another daughter to arrive this summer. But when it comes to the songs 12:05he created for Weekends Look A Little Different These Days…
Brett says he made sure to leave some of that out of the song writers room, “As affected as I was by this stage of my life while we were writing these songs, I was also really conscious of making sure there was something for everybody. So, there were a lot of those kind of obstacles that presented themselves in trying to make sure that we didn’t write eight songs about being a new parent and a new father. And so, it was interesting. It was, I think, the most challenging writing for a project has been to this point.”
Weekends Look A Little Different These Days features Brett’s number-one hit “Lady” and his current single “Not Yet”…
Photo Courtesy of BMLG
How did you spend your time in quarantine?
For the last year and half, Caroline Jones was on the other side of the world – making music and friends.
With the ultimate confluence of timing and opportunity, Caroline made a decision that would lead to once in a lifetime experiences.
She shares, “I was fortunate enough to spend most of the past year in New Zealand, where I met The Trenwiths, a bluegrass band whose founding members have been playing together since the 1960’s.”
Caroline adds, “Their family band now consists of three generations of musicians and singers. They are some of the most good-humored, good-natured, authentic people I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around. Before I left New Zealand to come back to America, I brought a couple of cameras along to capture one of our jams, which we edited down into this video called ‘The Raglan Sessions’.”
You can watch it here…
While in New Zealand Caroline would also work on her current single “Come In (But Don’t Make Yourself Comfortable)”
With lyrics like “Come in, but don’t make yourself comfortable, because I don’t know, if I’m going to like you for long. Come in, but park your truck facing out cause I wouldn’t want to be you when I want you gone” — Caroline says the song reminds her of the music that influenced her when she was young, “Kind of reminds me of some of my heroes growing up, like Shania Twain…that had that kind of energy, and it’s a wonderful thing to tap into – especially as a woman.”
While it’s a beautiful country, and she loved her time in New Zealand, – when it came to finding locations to film the music video for her song, Caroline did admit “It was a challenge to find a country and western bar in New Zealand, but we did it! Working with an all-New Zealander cast was especially refreshing as they were all very joyful, pure, and genuine people. I believe that energy comes across in the dancing and throughout the video too.”
Check out the music video for “Come In (But Don’t Make Yourself Comfortable)” from Caroline Jones right here…
Headline & Additional Photo Credit: Laura Tait
Single Image Photo Credit: Tyler Lord
Tennessee junior forward Olivier Nkamhoua is the latest Vol set to compete on an international stage this summer, suiting up for Finland in a trio of preparatory national matches.
Nkamhoua and Finland are scheduled to play three games on July 7, 9 and 11 against Belgium, Hungary and Japan, respectively, in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
Though Finland’s contests take place in the host country of this summer’s Olympics just ahead of the start of the games, the exhibitions do not have bearing on this year’s Tokyo Olympics. However, Nkamhoua’s experience with Basketball Finland this summer leaves him well positioned for the opportunity to compete with Finland’s men’s national team in its quest to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
Following Finland’s three games this week, Nkamhoua will return to campus and resume workouts with the Vols.
Nkamhoua joins freshman guard Kennedy Chandler and junior guard Santiago Vescovi as current Vols competing internationally this summer. Chandler recently qualified for the 12-man USA Basketball U19 team and is currently playing in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia, while Vescovi wrapped up play last week with Uruguay in Olympic pre-qualifying games in Canada.
A Helsinki, Finland, native, Nkamhoua has appeared in 54 games through two seasons at Tennessee, averaging 9.5 minutes per game and shooting .560 from the field. Over the course of his two years on Rocky Top, Nkamhoua has been the first Vol off the bench a team-high 25 times during that stretch.
-UT Athletics
A big congrats goes out to Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani – turns out they celebrated Independence Day by uniting in marriage!
View this post on Instagram
On Saturday July 3rd, 2021 – the two music superstars tied the knot!
Blake & Gwen first met as judges on The Voice 6 years ago. After their individual break-ups, the two bonded and became music’s favorite couple.
After years of “will they” or “won’t they” – it was this past October that the couple officially announced their engagement.
Of course everyone has witnessed the growth of their relationship through seasons of The Voice, various talk show appearances, social media, and Blake’s own music, where he proclaimed that there was nobody but Gwen for him, that he’s happy anywhere she is…
Blake and Gwen shared a look into their world with the music video for “Happy Anywhere.”
Headline Photo Courtesy of Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton & The Voice
Additional Photo Courtesy of Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton
