Transcript

12.19.25 · Country Weekly

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Speaker 1: Welcome back. It's time once again to catch up with
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Country Weekly, the holiday edition of Country Weekly, where we
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dive into news and gossip from the world of country music.
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I'm your host as always, Ken Dawkins, and I will
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be reading from various sources found online now. As a reminder,
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. We'll begin with the first article, dated
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December fifteenth from the boot dot Com. First up, The
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top twenty six songs of twenty twenty five reflect a
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major shift in country music. The top country songs of
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the year prove that the next generation has arrived and
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we're not just talking about the artists. Important songs from
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this year broke on streaming platforms or social media before eventually,
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in some cases, catching radio programmers attention. More than ever,
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fans are separating the great from the good, as less
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than half of the songs that make the top's list
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also made Billboard's list of the sixty most played radio
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songs of twenty twenty five. The FM dial is particularly
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slow to embrace duets, especially when one half of the
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vocal talent is from another genre. The shift in how
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people find music isn't new, but the separation is becoming
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more dramatic. This year, twenty songs have reached number one
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on the Billboard Country's Airplay chart. They were twenty five
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last year. Seven songs have led Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart,
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which includes sales, streaming and radio airplay data. There are
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only five last year, and Morgan Wallen and Tate McCrae's
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What I Want has spent the most weeks that's twenty
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at the top of that chart. Artists with multiple songs
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on the list of the top songs of the year
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include Morgan Wallensak top Ella, Langley, Jelly Roll, Shaboozi, and
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Miranda Lambert. All but the top are part of groundbreaking duets.
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In fact, you'll find a total of nine duets among
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the twenty six songs listed. Overall, It's hard to argue
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for anyone but Wallen for artists of the Year, as
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so many of his songs ranked high on airplay, streaming
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and sales charts in twenty twenty five. Zach Bryan, Post Malone,
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and lu Combs are others worth considering, However, with less
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established artists like Megan Maroney and Riley Green coming on
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strong late. Streaming and sales data helped shape the annual
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list of the top four country songs in twenty twenty five.
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Staff and reader opinion matter as much as ever, but
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notable live performances can also aid a singer and a
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change or charge. Rather to number one, the top twenty
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five country songs of the list, and they have twenty
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six actually is not a rollout of the biggest radio
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hits of the year. Original duets, Christian crossovers, meaningful deep cuts,
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and breakout independent artists also helped shape the year's best.
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The top five songs on this list rely on meaningful
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lyrics and original arrangements. A great hook and pop deer
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presentation just isn't going to get it done anymore, and
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a few artists like Zach Top, Jelly Roll, Ella Langley
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have figured that out. Airplay, charts, sales data, and streaming
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numbers helped make this list of country music's top twenty
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six songs of the year, but staff and taste of
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country reader opinion were also influential. That's a big introduction anyway.
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Number twenty six Margo Price, Don't let the bastards Get
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You Down number twenty five, Bailey Zimmerman featuring Luke Colmbs
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Backup Plan number twenty four, Scotty McCreary featuring Hoody and
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the Blowfish Bottle Rockets. The twenty third song of the year,
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says The Boot. Trisha Yearwood with the Mirror number twenty two,
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Blake Shelton Texas number twenty one, Zach Top good Times
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and Tan Lines. Megan Patrick's Golden Child came in at
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number twenty, says The Boot. Morgan Wallen I Got Better
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at number nineteen. Eighteen was Ella Langley. That's Ella Langley,
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Weren't for the Wind Number seventeen. Lley Roll with Liar sixteen,
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Cody Johnson The Fall, Mackenzie Carpenter featuring Midland. I Wish
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You Would came in at number fifteen. Miranda Lambert's Run
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was number fourteen. Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton A Song
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to Sing at number thirteen. The twelfth best song of
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the year, says the Boot. Chaboozi's Jelly Roll as Chaboozy
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with Jelly Roll Amen number eleven. Russell Dickerson Happened to
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Me number ten, Sam Barber featuring Avery Anna Indigo number nine,
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Lady Wilson Somewhere Over Laredo number eight, Morgan Wallen featuring
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Tate McCray, What I Want Tyler Childers biton List number seven,
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the sixth best song of the year, says The Boot.
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Megan Maroney's Am I Okay? Chaboozie's Good News at number five,
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and then the top four Brandon Lake featuring Jelly Roll
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Hard Fought Allelujah number three, Jackson Deane Heavens de Petsy
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number two, Zach Top with I Never Die and they Say,
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Riley Green featuring Ella Langley Don't mind if I do
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the best song of the year. And again that's according
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to the Boot dot com. Moving on, Trace Atkins announces
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thirtieth anniversary tour. Trace Atkins is hitting the road in
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twenty twenty six to celebrate three decades of music. The
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country singer will embark on his thirtieth anniversary tour, and
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fans won't have to wait long to see him. The
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trek launches on January sixteenth in Oxford, Alabama, with twenty
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four dates filling up his calendar through September nineteenth. The
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tour marks thirty years since his debut album Dreaming out
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Loud arrived back in nineteen ninety six. Fans can get
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their hands on tickets with a special artist presale, and
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that's beginning that began this week. Actually, the general public
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can purchase tickets, also beginning well this weekend. Atkins embarked
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on his country music career back in ninety six, as
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we say, with his debut album. His three decades long
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journey is something he holds in high regards, recognizing that
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not every artist gets the privilege. Recently, I read if
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you lined up all the country music artists who break
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through it all, the majority clustered tightly around five to
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seven years of an active career. He says, only about
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ten percent have a career spanning twenty years. As I
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embark on my thirtieth year of touring, I find myself
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in single digit percentile of artists. He continues, I am
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humbled that my fans and promoters have let me do
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this for so long. Hope to see you one more
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time in twenty twenty six. While the last sentence in
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his statement sounds a tad ominous, it likely comes from
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a place of humility rather than a perceived plan to retire.
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He's humbled that people still want to see him perform,
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and it's not lost on him that it could end
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at any time, but it won't end before he is
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at Renfro Valley in Mount Vernon on June twentieth. Now
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we march on over to parade dot com with the
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verst article dated at December twelfth. Country Stars suffers embarrassing
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wardrobe malfunction during tour stop. Elena is laughing off a
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hilarious moment that has earned plenty of attention from her
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fans while heading to one of her recent shows in Ohio.
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The country artist and former American Idol Season ten runner
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up forgot to check her shoes, so she went out
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wearing mismatched footwear. Oh God forbid. A post shared on
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Elena's Instagram page shows the funny moment in action, with
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Elena in the passenger seat of a car driven by
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her tour mate Chase Matthew. This can't be real. Merry Christmas,
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Oh my gosh. Matthew can be heard saying out loud
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in the clip while holding back his laugh as the
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camera pans to Elena's feet, which shows her sporting one
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brown and one black boot. Molly, a friend replies, I
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told you can you drive us back to the hotel.
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She then asks Elena what did I say, to which
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Elena thirty one, responded, you said, whatever you do, don't
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forget to put the other shoe on. I think it's cool.
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We can call that aftermarket. Matthew equipped, well, I was
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trying to decide between the two boots, and I forgot,
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and I came with both boots on, Elena explained. After
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the three they made their way out of the vehicle
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before Matthew teas she's full blown mom today. Luckily, Elena,
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a new mommy who with her husband Cam Arnold, welcomed
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her daughter Benny Dohl Arnold into the world in June,
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was able to make light of the situation as she
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laughed along with her pals. While it's unclear whether she
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went back to the hotel to switch out her shoes,
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fans have already chimed in, saying she may have started
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a new trend. Aha, mom, brain for the wind. I
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feel like you're starting a trend here, one person wrote.
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Another person added this is historic, it's really cool and
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makes a statement, while another fan said, to your credit,
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you might be onto something tonight with two different boots
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as a fashion statement. Anyway, Elena and Matthew previously teamed
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up on All My Exes, releasing a music video in
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which they both star. Now we move over to Penn
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Live Patriot News with the article dated December fifteenth, Country
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music rock this year as more stars pass and here's
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what we know. The country music world has lost some
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iconic names this year, and sadly the list has grown
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through the first half of December. As we head into
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the final weeks of the year, we take time to
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look back at the country music stars and influential names
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that have been lost thus far this year. And I'm
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just going to read the names, and many of these
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are not household names but certainly had an effect on
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country music. But there's a bunch of them. Eddie Adcock,
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Chriscilla Anderson, Walt Aldridge, Ed Ascu, Larry Bastian, David Briggs,
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Carl Dean, Billy Earhart, Mac Gaden, Tony Holliston, Bill Ivy Flacco,
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Jim Andez, brad Keeling, Mark Laws, Raul Mallow that was
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just recent, Melbourne Montgomery, Chad Morgan, Joe Morris, Johnny Rodriguez,
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Lulu Roman, John Wesley Ryles, Genie Seeley, Todd Snyder, and
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Buck White, and unfortunately we add a new name to
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that list this week. Moving over to saving country music,
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the article dated December fifteenth, Joe Joe Ely, the purveyor
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of Texas Cool, passed away. He was the Bruce Springsteen
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of Texas, the country icon of punk, the rock and
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roll heart of country, and the envy of any singer,
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songwriter and guitar player out there that knew their stuff.
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He wasn't any genre, he was every genre all at
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the same time. He was a brilliant and sought after
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collaborator while being an incredibly accomplished solo artist. He was
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someone who made it through seventy eight years in the
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belly of the dinghy brothel that is the American music industry,
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with every stitch of his dignity and integrity. Intact, he
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was Joe Eely, and news of his passing pierces the
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soul like a dagger, only to be tempered by the
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food of fond recollections of his music and performances. Joe
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Eely was born on February ninth, nineteen forty seven, in
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Amarillo and became the embodiment of music from West Texas.
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This includes country and rock songwriting as a strong imperative
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to Hanno when it's called for, all combined in a
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tornadic energy that could give birth to Buddy Holly Willing, Jennings,
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Terry Allen and everything in between. There were few, if
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any musical scenarios where Elee was unmat out or outmatched,
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says saving country music. He could hang with the clash
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sang background on the band's iconic should I Stay or
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Should I Go. He was part of the Hispanic supergroup
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Low Super Seven and Freddie Fender Flaco Jimenez, and even
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won a Grammy Award with them back in nineteen ninety nine.
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He performed with bands like Uncle Tupelo and The Chieftains
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to the Boss Bring Bruce Springsteen himself, but all started
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back in Lubbock, Texas with two fellow West Texan musicians,
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Jimmy Dale Gilmour and Butch Hancock. Together they were the Flatlanders.
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They recorded an album back in nineteen seventy two before
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breaking up shortly thereafter, but the damage had been done.
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The mystique would follow the three throughout their careers as
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they would continue to collaborate, even if it really took
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until two thousand and two for them to officially reform.
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Though everyone he wanted to play with Joe and he
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was the last to want the spotlight to himself. His
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solo career was strong. Eely released twenty one total solo
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album starting in nineteen seventy seven, with his self titled
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release Up to Love and Freedom released on February seventh,
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twenty twenty five. He never really hit the big time,
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but he refused to slip through the cracks. He may
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not have been a superstar to the gen pop, but
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many of his fellow musicians got goosebumps to see him
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perform or, if so lucky, take the stage with him.
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Joe E. Lee was a Texas music institution. The music
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scene in Lubbick and Austin, the sound of Texas country
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the swagger it all comes with can be traced back
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to Joe E Le resolutely. In twenty sixteen, Ely was
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named the Official Texas State Musician. In twenty twenty two,
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he was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.
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He was part of the twenty twenty five American Music
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Honors administered by Bruce Springsteen's Archives and Center for American Music.
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Earlier this year, ahead of his new album work, came
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down that Joe's health was deteriorating. According to an official
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release from his family, Joe Eely passed away on Monday,
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December fifteenth from complications of Louis body dementia, Parkinson's and pneumonia.
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His beloved wife Sharon and daughter Marie were at his
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side at their home in Taos, New Mexico. Joe Eely
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is gone, and the story of the Flatlanders now reads
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and then there were two. But as sure as the
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West Texas wind numbs the face when it turns from
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the north, the legacy of Joe Ely will howl on
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next music legends, Doc Watson, the Dillards, and Ah. They're
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the latest AI fraud victims. Those proclaiming that the benefits
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of artificial intelligence will outweigh the costs and risks continue
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to lose that public relations battle when it comes to music.
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As major labels go from suing massive music AI firms
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like Sumo to partnering with them, and human creators continue
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to get squeezed. The propriet of AI continue to hijack
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the official accounts of beloved music legends to distribute AI
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generated music in an attempt to deceive the public. Meanwhile,
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streaming companies sit asleep at the switch. The latest victim
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of this activity is a legendary seven time Grammy winning
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bluegrass folk and country legend Doc Watson, as well as
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pioneering bluegrass group The Dillards. They both released new albums
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on December tenth. The only problem is Doc Watson has
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been dead since twenty twelve and The Dillards have never
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sounded like dated y two k music Country. A ten
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song album currently live on streaming services called Roses Never Came,
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is copyrighted to Doc Watson, with all the tracks marked
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as written, produced and performed by Watson, with a clearly
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AI generated album cover and AI generated music. With the
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way Sumo and other companies can take a simple prompt
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and turn it into a completed song within seconds, it
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makes these deceptions easy. But how these are then able
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to hijack the official accounts of these performers across DSPs
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to distribute this music is the most worrisome element to
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the trends, says Saving Country Music. It's the same story
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for the progressive bluegrass group The Dillards. The album Roses
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Never Came. In its fifteen tracks. It's supposedly a copywriter
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to The Dillards, with all credits going to the Dillards,
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but of course this is in Dillard's music, despite being
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on the band's official streaming accounts. Formed in nineteen sixty three,
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The Dillards are officially still around with members Rodney Dillard
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and Beverly Cotton Dillard, but this is not their music.
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The situation is very similar to what happened with Don
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Williams in early November, when a fake album attributed to
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him populated on streaming services in an unprecedented and aggressive
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encroachment on the AI scourge. Despite reporting and fans calling
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for the music to be taken down, it took many
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days for the fake title to disappear. It's unlikely Don Williams,
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Stoc Watson, and The Dillards are the only victims of
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his latest trend in AI fraud, though alarmingly, country and
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roots music has become the unlikely epicenter of AI concerns,
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with multiple AI songs charting on Billboard and FAKEAI artists
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targeting the format over at ed M, hip hop, pop,
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and more electronically based music. With the latest versions of
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AI generating music programs, the electronic nature of the music
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is becoming virtually indiscernible. Heading into twenty twenty six, the
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threats on human creators are going from worrisome to immediately existential,
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with not just the president and future in peril, but
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past grades and music becoming posthumous victims of the rise
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of AI. Now. We stop by countrynow dot com with
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a couple of stories, beginning with the December sixteenth article
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about Riley Green. Riley Green confirms acting debut and TV show.
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From months, Riley Green has been subtly hinting that his
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next chapter might unfold not on stage, but on screen.
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And no, we're not just talking about another music video.
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We recently, we meaning country Now, caught up with the
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country superstar to talk with his whirlwind year and his
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partnership with Hey Dude, and during the conversation he finally
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made it official. Green confirmed that his acting debut was
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coming soon, giving fans their first real taste of what's
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next beyond the music. While specific details remain under wraps,
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the Alabama Natives shared just enough to get people talking.
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I need to actually sit down and talk to somebody
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about what I'm allowed to say. I'll just guess I'm
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allowed to say that I've done some acting, and it's
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a show and it's going to be airing sometime fairly soon.
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Making the leap from performance on stage to acting on
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set proved surprisingly natural for Green, who admitted he barely
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had time to get nervous thanks to his hectic tour schedule.
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It helped a lot that I knew some of the
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other people on the show and on set. Everybody was
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really great to work with, and it's not always like
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that from a little bit of film stuff I've done,
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which is music videos and commerci and things like that.
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He explained, it really helps a lot when you feel
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comfortable there, and I did as soon as I got
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on the set, and I think a little bit. It
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just happened so fast that I didn't really have time
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to get nervous, and so I was just kind of
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on the scene and watched it being done and I
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was like, Okay, well, I guess it was all right.
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They didn't yell at me or yell cut or anything.
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But it was a lot of fun between flying out
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for shows and jumping straight into scenes. He found the
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experience challenging but rewarding. It was a little tough because
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of the travel, because I was still playing shows every
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weekend and flying out and flying back and flying out,
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So that was a tough part. But as far as
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actually on set acting and kind of being there and
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getting into the headspace, I felt it came sort of
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natural to me. While fans eagerly await the official announcement
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of Raleigh Green's acting debut, they won't have to wait
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long to catch him on stage. The Alabama native is
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hitting the road in twenty twenty six for his Cowboy
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as It Gets to Her, with dates planned across North
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America and beyond. For this trick, Green is shaking things
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up with fresh production elements. We've added some production We
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added a B stage, which is something I've never done,
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he revealed. And as far as the stage setting and
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lighting and all that, we've added some things. I think
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it's always going to be a duck blindish kind of
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feel on stage, and that's kind of what really feels
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on brand for me and certainly where I feel comfortable. Meanwhile,
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Raleigh Green is closing out the year on a high
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note with his sixth career number one single, his third
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chart topper of the year, and a history making Milestone
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is the first artist since Taylor's Swift to score back
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to back self written number one hits on the country
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radio charts. His latest solo written single, Don't Mind If
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I Do, featuring Ella Langley, has reached the top spot
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on both the Billboard and media based country airplay charts.
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The achievement follows Green's self penned Worst Way, as well
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as You Look Like You Love Me, which he co
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wrote with Langley and Aaron Rantier. These accomplishments are something
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the Alabama native doesn't take lightly, admitting it's crazy their
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number one singles are not easy to come by. I've
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spent enough time with songs on the radio to know
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that you've got to get pretty lucky and things really
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have to work out, Green told Country Now during a
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recent conversation, reflecting on his year in partnership with Hey Dude,
20:13
and to have three songs that I was a writer
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on and two songs with Ella, even that is just
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such a cool thing. He continued. To see the moment
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she's having in country music, and to see the music
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really really resonating with people. It just feels like they're
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really fired up about it. Looking ahead, Green is already
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thinking about what song to send to country radio next.
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When Country Now suggested change my Mind from his latest
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album Don't Mind If I Do, he smiled and seemed
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to confirm there thinking sounds like a good idea, He said.
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It's always kind of crazy when you have songs like
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this where Worst Way just blew up and became this
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huge song, and then Don't Mind If I Do did
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the same thing Change my Mind as one that really
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did too, Green explained, so I'm excited about a song
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it's already had a life of its own getting a
20:58
chance to be heard by people on country radio, so
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who maybe haven't heard it yet or haven't even heard
21:02
of me. Radio is still the biggest way to get
21:05
songs out there, and I'd love for that to be
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the next single. It's definitely a front runner for me.
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With six chart topping singles under his Beltgreen has developed
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a strong instinct for choosing songs that resonate with fans.
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For him, the key is letting listeners lead the way.
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He recently wrapped a major year wrapped up a major
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year of touring with a stop in Las Vegas. Now
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he's enjoying some well earned downtime well except for the acting,
21:31
before kicking off the new year in Mexico at Luke
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Bryan's Crash My Player and launching his Cowboy as It
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Gets to Her, which will bring his live shows to
21:39
fans around the world next year. Speaking of Luke Bryan's
21:44
Crash My Player, the full daily schedule has been released.
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In just one month, country music fans from across the
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globe will flock south of the border to the luxurious
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Moon Palace Resort in Riviera Cantcon, Mexico for the eleventh
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annual Luke Bryan's Crash My Player. The four day festival,
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running Thursday, January fifteenth through Sunday of the eighteenth, will
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feature two unforgettable nights with country superstar Luke Bryan alongside
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some of the hottest names in country music. Fans can
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look forward to headliners besides Riley Green of Dirk s Bentley,
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as well as Parker McCollum and Shenandoah, who will join
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Luke for a special Luke Brian in Friends set. Supporting
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the main acts will be Tucker Wetmore, Cameron Marlow, Chase
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Matthew and Priscilla Block with can't miss opening performances from
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George Birds, Josh Ross, Lauren Watkins and the Castellos, and
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of course Dustin Lynch returns for his legendary pool party,
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promising another epic moment in the sun. Crash My Player
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is my favorite way to kick off the new year,
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and this lineup is going to make twenty twenty six
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one of our best jet That's Luke Bryan saying that
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host of Crash My Player, Dirk's Riley Parker and of
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course Dustin, who has been there for every single year
22:52
to host this famous pool party, are going to give
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fans a show that they won't forget and we can't wait.
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Look at the Moon Palace, cancoon. This getaway combines luxury
23:02
and convenience, featuring elegant rooms, gourmet dining, twenty four hour
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room service, and endless activities Just steps from festival stages.
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Guests can unwind at the aweespot, t you off on
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the twenty seven hole Jack Nicholas signature golf course, or
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soak up the sun on the resort's private beach. Packages
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are still available and we can't think of a better
23:24
way to beat the winter blues and with country music
23:26
in Mexico, Now we Mosey downstairs to people dot Com
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Country first article dated December twelfth, country star Maddix Batson
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on staying grounded, making it in music and it surprising
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connection to Justin Bieber. At just thirteen years old, Mattix
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Batson knew he was born to be on stage. The
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rising country star was discovered by his now manager after
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his covers on TikTok went viral back in twenty twenty three,
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and it's been full steam ahead since now. Fifteen. Batson
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has open for Landy Wilson on tour, released his debut AEP,
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and made his Grand Old Opry debut. It's always been
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in my DNA, Batson tells people exclusively of his love
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of performing. I always thought I would go into music,
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maybe at an older age. Did I ever think I'd
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do it at thirteen? Well, absolutely not. But you know,
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I'm glad I did it younger because I have my
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parents that would help me. They can guide me and
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steer me in the right direction, he says, adding that
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his family is a huge blessing. It's nice to hear.
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Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, Batson has diverse taste in music.
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He listened to plenty of country music jazz rap and
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John Mayer as his favorite artist of all time. He
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also learned a thing or two about pop from his
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older sister. She's twelve years older than me. My sister
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she had a driver's license when I was like five,
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so after school she'd picked me up, and I remember
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she had an Usher CD and she had some Justin
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Bieber CDs. One direction Recallsdent Coincidentally, Batson has been dubbed
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countries Justin Bieber and the Southbound singer considers it an honor.
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He's one of the best artists, the most accomplished artists
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of my generation, and this is super cool to be
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even in the same conversation as him, Patson says, though
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the comparisons may have more to do with his age
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and the start of his career online, Batson says they
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do have one connection. His vocal coach. Her name's Mamma Jan.
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So if you watch the old Justin Bieber stuff, like
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the documentary from two thousand ten where he played Madison
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Square Garden, Mama Jan's in there. He says, we kind
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of connected. Hopefully one day we can have a little
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sit down conversation because I have so much to learn.
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This kid sounds pretty sharp. Most recently, Batson released a
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holiday bundle titled Home for the Holidays with his very
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own rendition of Christmas staples I'll be Home for Christmas
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and Last Christmas. Next year, the country singer will kick
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off his Mattox Bats and world wide tour on February seventeenth,
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and he recently announced the collaboration with Wringling Brothers for
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their Greatest Party on Earth. When Betson isn't in the
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studio working on music or on the road, he's sleeping, golfing,
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playing video games, and hanging out with his buddies. The
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young country star is conscious of how bizarre fame could be,
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but he's grateful he has good support system around him
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to keep him in check. Having my family members around
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keeps me really grounded. He says, I wrote a song
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about it called two Feet, and that's the entire premise
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of the songs. Having those people around you that won't
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let your head get too big. You know, when your
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head gets big, you start to float and your feet
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come off the ground. Well, he's got a long way
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to go. Batson is enjoying every moment as they come.
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So far as grand old Opry debut, felt like has
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mate a moment and he doesn't want to take any
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of it for granted. And finally somebody we haven't heard
26:44
about in a while. Lady As Holiday traditions include Christmas pajamas,
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nostalgic movies, and tex mechs. Lady A is getting into
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the holiday spirit this year with a brand new Christmas album.
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The country group comprised of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelly, and
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Dave hey Wood, are going all out this season with
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a new album called On This Winter's Night, Volume two
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and the Christmas Tour. Their new album, sold exclusively at HSN,
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follows Volume one, which was released back in twenty twelve.
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The new project features twelve tracks with holiday favorites like
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Oh Holy Night and Last Christmas, alongside duets with Ricky
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Skaggs and Chris Tomlin. In conjunction with the album's promo
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on HSN, the group is opening up to people about
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how they celebrate the holidays home with their families, including
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all their cozy traditions. We do jammies on Christmas. Eves
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Got thirty nine says of how she celebrates with her husband,
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Chris Tyrrel and their kids. Heywood forty three and his
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family are also big fans of holiday pajamas, he shares,
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and they've also been known to throw on a nostalgic
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Christmas movie. As for Kelly forty four and his family,
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they have their own favorite Christmas movies. Elf is right
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in the middle. Kelly also shares that he and his
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family wife Cassie McConnell and kids decorate their house with
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Kitchi pieces right down to his studio library. At Scott's house,
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Christmas morning always starts the same way. We start with
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our girls, and we'll have an extra one fourth or
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fifth or final. Now we'll just sit around with my
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husband and read the Gospel of Luke from the Story
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of Jesus. As for food at Scott's house, it's a
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pancake casserole. Well, Heywood's house is all about his wife's roots.
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We do text mechs on Christmas Eve. My wife's from Texas,
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so we do the big Tomali kind of fish she
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grew up doing. It's awesome. Well, folks. That concludes the
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reading of Country Weekly for this week, this month, and
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this year. If you have any comments or suggestions about
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our program, please call us at eight five nine four
28:41
two two sixty three ninety. Thank you so much for
28:44
joining me and on behalf of everyone here at RADIOI.
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This is Ken Dawkins, wishing you a merry Christmas or
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a happy Hanukkah and a healthy and joyous New Year