Eric Church dropped a new song, “Bad Mother Trucker,” on July 31.
Penned by Eric, Casey Beathard, Luke Dick and Jeremy Spillman and produced by Jay Joyce, “Bad Mother Trucker” follows the recent release of Eric’s new single, “Stick That in Your Country Song,” which is currently No. 34 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after five weeks.
“Bad Mother Trucker” finds Eric crooning about a female truck driver who “was hell on wheels.” Like many of Eric’s tunes, “Bad Mother Trucker” features superb backup vocals from his longtime collaborator, Joanna Cotten.
The new music follows Eric’s most recent project, 2018’s Desperate Man, his sixth studio album.
Zac Brown Band released a soothing new song, “You and Islands,” on July 31.
Penned by Zac Brown, Ben Simonetti and Adam James, “You and Islands” was written, recorded and produced while in quarantine. The breezy tune finds Zac crooning the optimistic chorus about the feel-good days ahead: “Letâs get back to you and islands / And everything baby, everything will be alright.”
âThis unprecedented time at home has given us the opportunity to write and share new music with our fans,” says Zac. “As we continue to navigate through this together, we hope our music can bring you a little bit of positivity and transport you to a different time and placeâeven if just for a few minutes. This was a fun track to record. We hope you sing along with us as we daydream about days to come!â
âYou and Islandsâ is available on all digital platforms. Listen to “You and Islands” below.
Dan + Shay will try to score their eighth No. 1 single with the release of “I Should Probably Go to Bed,” which dropped at midnight ET on July 31. The song was produced entirely by the duoâs Dan Smyers, who performed and recorded every instrument at his home studio in Nashville.
“We’re so excited about our brand-new single,” says Dan. “We wrote part of this song in Los Angeles during Grammy week, but finished it at my house, on my piano, kind of by accident. Shay had come over to record vocals on another song that we had written. We took a break, went downstairs, started singing this song, and realized this song needs a big ending. So we really went for it. Shay delivered one of my favorite vocal performances of all time. We’re so proud that this is our new single.”
The new tune is the duo’s first single since “10,000 Hours,” which featured Justin Bieber, was released in October 2019. “10,000 Hours” topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart in January 2020.
Smoke Monday (21) sacks Alabama’s Mac Jones in the first half. Auburn v Alabama Iron Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (July 30, 2020) â The Southeastern Conference has established September 26 as the new kickoff for its 2020 football season to allow its universities to focus on the healthy return of their campus communities and the gradual re-introduction of athletics, as the 14 members of the SEC continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Thursday.
The 2020 SEC football season will be comprised of a 10-game Conference-only schedule and the SEC Football Championship Game will be played December 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, rescheduled from the original date of December 5. The schedule will include one mid-season open date for each school and an open date on December 12 for all schools.
âThis new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,â Sankey said. âThis new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.â
This action was taken following extensive discussions and thorough deliberation among the SECâs Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, Conference Office staff, and medical advisors, led by the SECâs Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force.
âAfter careful consideration of the public health indicators in our region and following advice of our medical advisors, we have determined that this is the best course of action to prepare for a safe and healthy return to competition for SEC student-athletes, coaches and others associated with our sports programs,â said Sankey.
The decision to limit competition to Conference-only opponents and rescheduling the SEC Championship Game is based on the need for maximum flexibility in making any necessary scheduling adjustments while reacting to developments around the pandemic and continued advice from medical professionals.
âWe believe these schedule adjustments offer the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur,â Sankey said. âIt is regrettable that some of our traditional non-conference rivalries cannot take place in 2020 under this plan, but these are unique, and hopefully temporary, circumstances that call for unconventional measures.â
The rescheduled start to the season will allow the SEC to continue to monitor health trends across its 11-state footprint, as well as monitor developments in technology around mitigation and treatment of the virus, including:
Trends in public health indicators throughout the SECâs 11-state footprint, including positive cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and recovery statistics
State, local and campus heath directives, including restrictions on gatherings, isolation requirements for travelers, and other health and travel restrictions
Continued development of risk mitigation strategies
Continued advancement in COVID-19 testing reliability and availability
Continued evolution of time-based strategies for resuming activities after positive test results, including contact tracing, isolation and quarantine requirements
Observation of successes and challenges presented by return to competition in other sports
A revised schedule for the 2020 SEC football season will be announced at a later date following approval by the Conferenceâs athletics directors.
Further decisions regarding safety standards related to athletics events, tailgating and other game day activities, including social distancing, face covering and other health measures consistent with CDC, state and local guidelines, will be announced at a later date.
Other notes related to the resumption of competition:
The SEC announced in July that the sports of menâs and womenâs cross country, soccer and volleyball would be postponed through at least August 31. Start dates and schedules for those sports, as well as sports in their non-traditional seasons during the fall, will be announced at a later date.
The SEC announced in July that student-athletes in all sports who elect to not participate in intercollegiate athletics during the fall 2020 academic semester because of health and/or safety concerns related to COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarships honored by their university and will remain in good standing with their team.
The SECâs Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force continues to meet on policies and procedures for the safe return of student-athletes to competition, including the development of comprehensive testing and reporting policies, building on the NCAAâs Resocialization of College Sports Guidelines.
Each athletics program has been engaged in evaluating best practices for game operations to prepare a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, staff, officials and other individuals necessary to conduct games.
Today’s announcement by the Southeastern Conference provides important clarity as it relates to the 2020 football season. The league office is currently developing a revised schedule.
A tremendous amount of thought and discussion went into making what we believe is a responsible decision on scheduling format, and it’s exciting to be making progress toward competition. Our student-athletes and coaches are working hard to prepare while prioritizing health and safety. There are still several logistical unknowns, but we appreciate Vol Nation being patient and sticking with us as we continue to work through these unique circumstances.
Our next important reference point is a decision on capacity at Neyland Stadium. We plan to coordinate with state and local officials on gameday attendance, understanding that potential limitations could change from week to week once the season begins. This underscores the importance of the public practicing healthy habits statewide.
We’ve been working through plans for several different capacity scenarios and ticket allocation strategies and aim to communicate specifics once details are finalized.
Conversations remain ongoing at the NCAA and conference level regarding fall plans for Olympic sports.
For the first time in almost three years, Taylor Swift will ship a new single, “Betty,” to country radio.
Penned by Taylor and William Bowery, “Betty” is feature on Taylor’s new album, Folklore. The single will officially impact country radio on Aug. 17. Taylor’s label home, Republic, and the country-focused MCA Nashville will act as the supporting labels.
Taylor surprised her legion of fans by releasing her eighth studio album, Folklore, at midnight ET on July 24. She announced the new album on July 23. Folklore features 16 tracks on the standard edition, with a bonus track on the deluxe version.
Taylor released “New Year’s Day” to country radio in 2017.
The Grand Ole Opry will tally its 4,937th consecutive Saturday night broadcast on Aug. 15 with a showcase featuring a pair of country music’s biggest stars: Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker.
The one-hour show will air live on Circle Television at 7 p.m. CT, as well as stream live on Circleâs YouTube.
On Aug. 1, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell will step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage at 7 p.m. CT.
The Grand Ole Opry has aired without an audience present since March 19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a number of stars have helped keep the Opry’s Saturday night shows rolling along, including Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Luke Combs, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood and more.
Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s 2017 collaboration, “Meant to Be,” spent a record-smashing 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2017/2018. The tune’s closest competitor on the all-time list is Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” which spent 34 weeks at No. 1 in 2017.
Co-penned by Bebe Rexha, Josh Miller, David Garcia and FGLâs Tyler Hubbard, “Meant to Be” also topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart in April 2018, which netted FGL its 14th No. 1 single, while Bebe scored her first.
As FGL’s Tyler Hubbard told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, the record-setting collaboration is a reminder to “think outside the box.”
“I think it’s just a reminder and an inspiration to think outside the box, you know?” says Tyler to Kix. “I mean, that was a very untraditional write for us. We were out in L.A. writingâwriting with Bebe Rexha, who we didnât even know at the time. She didnât know who FGL was, and [we wanted] to be open-minded. I mean, you never know whatâs gonna happen, you know? So that song is just a reminder of that. It’s very powerful. It’s amazing to see how it connects with the fans, and even, you know, country radio for all of the support. It’s just been unbelievable to see what that song has done.â
Billboardâs Hot Country Songs Chart All-Time Record
1. âMeant to Beâ â Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha â 50 weeks (2018)
2. âBody Like a Back Roadâ â Sam Hunt â 34 weeks (2017) 3. âCruiseâ â Florida Georgia Line â 24 weeks (2012)
Top-ranked U.S. figure skater Starr Andrews, 19, performed a choreographed routine to Mickey Guyton’s powerful new ballad, “Black Like Me.”
Co-penned by Mickey, Nathan Chapman, Emma Davidson-Dillon and Fraser Churchill, “Black Like Me” addresses racial inequality in Americaâdelivered with soaring vocals from one of the few minority artists in the country genre.
Starr, who is among the best U.S. skaters, is currently ranked No. 19 in the world by the International Skating Union.
“Hi, my name is Starr Andrews, and I wanted to thank Mickey Guyton for singing this wonderful song, âBlack Like Me,ââ says Starr in her new video of the performance. “It inspired me so much that I just had to skate to it. This program, choreographed by Derrick Delmore, honors the struggles that African Americans have and still are enduring.”
Lauren Alaina will release a new EP, Getting Over Him, on Sept. 4.
Lauren co-penned every track on the six-song project, which features duets with Jon Pardi on the title track and Lukas Graham on “What Do You Think Of.” Lauren will release the EP’s first song, “Run,” on July 31.
“I feel like this music shows my personal growth and my emotional growth,” says Lauren. “This EP of songs is all about loving myself through other people not loving me and not staying with me. Itâs about me being able to get back to that same confident girl I wrote about on Road Less Travelled and to hold on to that confidence. I get to celebrate that with this music and I am so excited. I canât wait for the fans to hear it.âÂ
Getting Over Him Track List & Songwriters
“Run” (Lauren Alaina/Ben Johnson/Kennedi)
“If I Was A Beer” (Lauren Alaina/David Garcia/Hardy)
![Eric Church Lays the Hammer Down in New Song, “Bad Mother Trucker” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/07/31105355/Eric-Church-JPA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Taylor Swift to Ship New Single, “Betty,” to Country Radio [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/07/30141914/Taylor-Swift-AFF.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Top-Ranked U.S. Figure Skater Starr Andrews Performs Routine to Mickey Guyton’s “Black Like Me” [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/07/30092532/Mickey-Guyton-NCD.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
