Vols to Host Kansas for SEC/Big 12 Challenge

Vols to Host Kansas for SEC/Big 12 Challenge

Posted on October 22, 2020
Kansas vs. Tennessee / Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee learned Wednesday that it will host Kansas at Thompson-Boling Arena as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in January.

The eighth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge features 10 games played on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in a matchup of two premier college basketball conferences.

This marks the third straight season the Vols and Jayhawks will meet. Kansas successfully defended its home court in last year’s challenge—despite a career-high 24 points from returning senior Yves Pons—and the Jayhawks also defeated UT in overtime at the 2018 NIT Season Tip-Off championship game in New York City.

Tennessee owns a 1-4 all-time record vs. Kansas, dating to 2009. The first-ever meeting took place at Allen Fieldhouse, with KU claiming a 92-85 victory. The Vols avenged that loss the following season by upsetting the top-ranked Jayhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 10, 2010. The five meetings have been decided by an average of 8.4 points.

Tennessee’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 14-18. Sixth-year UT head coach Rick Barnes owns a 160-95 record against current Big 12 teams and has led his teams to seven wins over Kansas.

In 2020, the SEC and Big 12 shared the challenge title, with both leagues earning five wins. Over the last four years of the challenge, each conference has won 20 games.

All challenge games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Start times and network designations will be announced at a later date.

An adjusted-seating ticket plan for Thompson-Boling Arena is currently in development, and details will be communicated soon.

TENNESSEE IN THE SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE
Dec. 6, 2014 in Knoxville – Tennessee 65, Kansas State 64
Jan. 30, 2016 in Fort Worth – TCU 75, Tennessee 63
Jan. 28, 2017 in Knoxville – Tennessee 70, Kansas State 58
Jan. 27, 2018 in Ames – Tennessee 68, Iowa State 45
Jan. 26, 2019 in Knoxville – Tennessee 83, West Virginia 66
Jan. 25, 2020 in Lawrence – Kansas 74, Tennessee 68

-UT Athletics
Charley Pride to Be Honored With CMA 2020 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award

Charley Pride to Be Honored With CMA 2020 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted on October 22, 2020

After more than 50 years as a recording artist, Charley Pride can add another feather to the cap of his Hall of Fame career: CMA’s 2020 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Charley will accept the honor during the 54th CMA Awards on Nov. 11 in Nashville.

The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award was established to recognize an artist who has achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales, and public representation at the highest level. Previous recipients of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award include Willie Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016) and Kris Kristofferson (2019).

Charley, a three-time Grammy winner, is considered country music’s first African-American superstar. He signed to RCA Victor in 1967 and earned a string of No. 1 hits, including “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me),” “(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again,” “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’,” “Amazing Love” and many more. Charley won the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971 and Top Male Vocalist in 1971 and 1972. Charley became the Grand Ole Opry’s first African-American member in 1993. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 for outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording.

photo by TCD

Maddie & Tae Are Rolling Into the Holiday Season With New EP, “We Need Christmas”

Maddie & Tae Are Rolling Into the Holiday Season With New EP, “We Need Christmas”

Posted on October 22, 2020

Maddie & Tae will release a new holiday EP, We Need Christmas, on Oct. 23.

The six-song project includes two original tunes, “Merry Married Christmas” and the title track, as well as four holiday standards: “This Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

“We are so proud of this project and loved recreating some of our favorite Christmas classics, as well as write some of our own,” says the duo in a release. “Making We Need Christmas was such a bright spot for us this year and we hope this project brings a little joy and peace to our fans during this difficult year.”

Listen to the title track below.

We Need Christmas Track List & Songwriters

  1. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor)
  2. Holly Jolly Christmas (Johnny Marks)
  3. O Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional)
  4. Merry Married Christmas (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Josh Kerr)
  5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector)
  6. We Need Christmas (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Matthew West, AJ Pruis)

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Watch Maren Morris Perform “To Hell & Back” at CMT Music Awards

Watch Maren Morris Perform “To Hell & Back” at CMT Music Awards

Posted on October 22, 2020

Maren Morris delivered a stirring rendition of her single, “To Hell & Back,” as part of the CMT Music Awards on Oct. 21. Maren’s performance was recorded in Ashland City, Tenn., about 25 miles northwest of Nashville.

Penned by Maren, Jessie Jo Dillon and Laura Veltz, “To Hell & Back” is currently No. 37 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after 29 weeks.

During a recent media Q&A, Maren revealed why she decided to release “To Hell & Back” as her new single during the pandemic.

“I chose ‘To Hell & Back’ to put out as a single right now because I think we’re in such a reflective time being sort of stuck at home either by ourselves or with our families, with our dogs, we just have a lot of time to have some introspection, and I feel like ‘To Hell & Back’ is very much about accepting your imperfections and the person in your life accepting them as well, whether that’s your partner or your friends or your family. I think it’s all about your halo’s a little bent, a little dirty, and that person still thinks you’re the cat’s meow. And I love that because it really is this unconditional sort of love that’s not based around ‘Well, you do this for me and you be this perfect person I put on a pedestal and then we can talk about loving each other forever.’ This is like, ‘I will love you no matter what sort of ashes we’re sitting in, because we’re sitting in them together.’”

Watch Mare perform “To Hell & Back” below.

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Watch Luke Combs and Brooks & Dunn Kick Off the CMT Awards With Performance of “1, 2 Many”

Watch Luke Combs and Brooks & Dunn Kick Off the CMT Awards With Performance of “1, 2 Many”

Posted on October 22, 2020

Brooks & Dunn teamed with Luke Combs to help kick off the CMT Music Awards on Oct. 21 by performing “1, 2 Many.”

Keeping with the song’s theme, Luke shotgunned a beer onstage with a hand from Kix Brooks.

“1, 2 Many” was penned by Luke, Dan Isbell, Ray Fulcher and Jonathan Singleton. The song is featured on Luke’s 2019 album, What You See Is What You Get. The album’s version of the song also features Brooks & Dunn.

Watch Luke and Brooks & Dunn perform “1, 2 Many” below.

photos: Luke Combs by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com; Brooks & Dunn by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood Send New Single, “Shallow,” to Country Radio on Oct. 22

Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood Send New Single, “Shallow,” to Country Radio on Oct. 22

Posted on October 22, 2020

Garth Brooks sent his new cover of “Shallow” with Trisha Yearwood to country radio at 4 a.m. CT on Oct. 22. The tune is available exclusively on Amazon Music. The new single’s official add date at country radio is Nov. 2.

“Shallow” will be included on Garth’s new album, Fun, which drops on Nov. 20.

Penned by Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson for the 2018 movie, A Star is Born, “Shallow” was recorded as a duet by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The tune garnered widespread critical acclaim and netted numerous awards.

Before recording the song for Fun, Garth and Trisha performed “Shallow” during his Facebook Live series, Inside Studio G, in March, with an encore during their CBS TV special a few days later on April 1.

“It just—everything kind of lit up,” says Garth. “And, you know, in this business everything lights up, and then it goes away. [“Shallow”] did not go away. It just kept lighting up and lighting up. So we went ahead and, per the people, tried it for the new record. This record’s crazy! So it is officially going to be the single off the record coming up.”

Garth has already shared a number of songs from Fun, including “That’s What Cowboys Do,” “The Road I’m On,” “Courage of Love,” “Party Gras,” “All Day Long,” “Stronger Than Me” and “Dive Bar.”

photo by TCD

Carrie Underwood Continues Reign as the Most Decorated Artist in CMT Awards History

Carrie Underwood Continues Reign as the Most Decorated Artist in CMT Awards History

Posted on October 22, 2020

Carrie Underwood continued her reign as the most decorated artist in CMT Music Awards history on Oct. 21.

Carrie picked up two fan-voted trophies at the 2020 CMT Music Awards to extend her career total to 22. In addition to winning Female Video of the Year for “Drinking Alone,” Carrie’s clip copped the night’s most coveted award, Video of the Year.

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much,” said Carrie after winning Video of the Year. “Wow, fans, you guys never cease to amaze me at how hard you work. I’ve seen you guys throwing Twitter parties and doing your thing and voting. This one is really all about you guys, especially because we haven’t been together, but I feel so loved this evening, so thank you guys so much.”

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Hurt Hand Forces Garth Brooks to Reschedule Preview of His New Album to Oct. 26

Hurt Hand Forces Garth Brooks to Reschedule Preview of His New Album to Oct. 26

Posted on October 21, 2020

Garth Brooks had planned to give fans a live interactive preview of his upcoming album, Fun, on TalkShopLive and GarthBrooks.com on Oct. 21, however, a hand injury forced the G-man to reschedule the event to Oct. 26.

Garth injured a couple of digits on his left hand while working on his farm.

“I kept trying—all the way up to showtime—to play, thinking that it was going to eventually get better,” said Garth. “And then finally just had to give in to the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to play for tonight’s show. Hopefully Monday everything will be better, and we’ll be right back up running again.”

Fans had hoped to hear Garth and Trisha sample their new single, “Shallow.” Penned by Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson for the 2018 movie, A Star is Born, “Shallow” was recorded as a duet by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The tune garnered widespread critical acclaim and netted numerous awards.

Tune in to Inside Studio G via Facebook on Oct. 26 for the rescheduled gig with Garth and Trisha.

photo by TCD

The Winners: 2020 CMT Music Awards

The Winners: 2020 CMT Music Awards

Posted on October 21, 2020

We’ll be posting all of the winners from the 2020 CMT Music Awards as they are announced.

The show begins on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. CT on CMT, MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network, Pop or TV Land.

Duo Video of the Year
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

  • Brothers Osborne – “All Night (Studio Performance)”
  • Dan + Shay – “I Should Probably Go To Bed” WINNER
  • Florida Georgia Line – “Blessings”
  • LOCASH – “One Big Country Song”
  • Maddie & Tae – “Die From A Broken Heart”

Female Video of the Year
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

  • Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
  • Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone” WINNER
  • Gabby Barrett – “I Hope”
  • Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
  • Maren Morris – “The Bones”
  • Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”

Male Video of the Year
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

  • Jason Aldean – “Got What I Got”
  • Luke Bryan – “One Margarita” WINNER
  • Luke Combs – “Even Though I’m Leaving”
  • Morgan Wallen – “Chasin’ You (Dream Video)”
  • Sam Hunt – “Hard To Forget”
  • Thomas Rhett – “Remember You Young”

CMT Performance of the Year
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

  • CMT Artists of the Year: Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
  • CMT Crossroads: Brooks & Dunn and Luke Combs – “Brand New Man”
  • CMT Artists of the Year: Chris Young – “Drowning” WINNER
  • CMT Crossroads: Halsey and Kelsea Ballerini – “Graveyard”
  • CMT Artists of the Year: Sam Hunt – “Fancy”
  • CMT Crossroads: Sheryl Crow and Chris Stapleton – “Tell Me When It’s Over”

Breakthrough Video of the Year
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

  • Blanco Brown – “The Git Up”
  • Caylee Hammack – “Family Tree”
  • Gabby Barrett – “I Hope” WINNER
  • Ingrid Andress – “More Hearts Than Mine”
  • Riley Green – “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”
  • Travis Denning – “After a Few”

Group Video of the Year
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

  • Lady A – “Champagne Night”
  • Little Big Town – “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
  • Midland – “Cheatin’ Songs (Live From the Palomino)”
  • Old Dominion – “One Man Band” WINNER
  • The Chicks – “Gaslighter”
  • The Highwomen – “Crowded Table”

Collaborative Video of the Year
Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists

  • Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani – “Nobody But You” WINNER
  • Carly Pearce and Lee Brice – “I Hope You’re Happy Now”
  • Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber – “10,000 Hours”
  • Kane Brown featuring Nelly – “Cool Again”
  • Marshmello and Kane Brown – “One Thing Right”
  • Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi – “Beer Can’t Fix”

Video of the Year
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director.

  • Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone” WINNER
  • Keith Urban – “Polaroid”
  • Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
  • Luke Combs – “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
  • Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”
  • Tanya Tucker – “Bring My Flowers Now”

Quarantine Video of the Year

  • Big & Rich – “Stay Home”
  • Brad Paisley – “No I In Beer”
  • Carly Pearce – “It Won’t Always Be Like This (The Social Distance Sessions)”
  • Charlie Worsham, Billy Justineau, Molly Tuttle, Rachel Loy, Jillian Jacqueline, Tucker Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Leigh Nash, Fancy Hagood, Lucie Silvas, John Osborne & Sadler Vaden – “With A Little Help From My Friends” (Beatles Cover)
  • Dave Haywood (Of Lady A) & Kelli Haywood – “Just Another Day In Quarantine”
  • Dolly Parton – “When Life Is Good Again”
  • Granger Smith – “Don’t Cough On Me!” WINNER
  • Luke Combs – “Six Feet Apart”
  • Tenille Townes, Abby Anderson, Kassi Ashton, Keelan Donovan, Alex Hall, Adam Hambrick & Caylee Hammack – “Lean On Me” (Bill Withers Cover)
  • Thomas Rhett, Reba Mcentire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban – “Be A Light” (Fan Video)

photo courtesy of CMT

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