Transcript

9.4.26 · Country Weekly

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Speaker 1: Hello. Once again, it's time to catch up with Country Weekly,
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Speaker 1: where we check out news and gossip from the world
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Speaker 1: of country music. I'm your host, as always, Ken Dawkins,
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Speaker 1: and I will be reading from various sources found online.
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Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
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Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
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Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. We'll begin with
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Speaker 1: the first article, dated August 30th, from Parade.com. Chris Stapleton's
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Speaker 1: Tennessee Whiskey becomes the first country song to earn double
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Speaker 1: diamond status. Chris Stapleton wasn't the first country artist to
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Speaker 1: record Tennessee Whiskey, but it was his cover that brought
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Speaker 1: the song to impressive new heights. Stapleton, of course, from Kentucky,
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Speaker 1: is 48, and he released his version of the beloved
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Speaker 1: country standard in 2015 as part of his Traveler album,
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Speaker 1: and just over a decade later, he reached a major
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Speaker 1: milestone that few songs have ever achieved. Earlier this year,
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Speaker 1: Stapleton's version of Tennessee Whiskey was certified double diamond by
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Speaker 1: the Recording Industry Association of America, becoming the first ever
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Speaker 1: country song to do so. The esteemed certification from the
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Speaker 1: RIAA signifies over 20 million units sold, which no other
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Speaker 1: song in the genre's history has ever achieved. Written by
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Speaker 1: Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, Tennessee Whiskey was first recorded
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Speaker 1: by David Allen Coe for his 1981 album of the
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Speaker 1: same name. Just two years later, the classic country ballad
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Speaker 1: was covered by none other than George Jones, who brought
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Speaker 1: it to number two on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
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Speaker 1: But it was Stapleton's soulful version of a bluesy country
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Speaker 1: track that made country music history. In addition to being
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Speaker 1: the first country song to achieve double diamond status, Stapleton's
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Speaker 1: Tennessee Whiskey is only the third song across all genres
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Speaker 1: to ever reach the milestone, along with Post Malone and
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Speaker 1: Sway Lee's 2018 hit Sunflower and and Bruno Mars 2010
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Speaker 1: smash Just the Way You Are. Stapleton was celebrated by
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Speaker 1: the RIAA after certification was officially announced in January. Chris
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Speaker 1: Stapleton's undeniable vocal grit and storytelling have connected deeply, driving
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Speaker 1: chart successes, earning major awards, and most important, resonating with fans,
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Speaker 1: says RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier in a statement
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Speaker 1: shared with Parade at that time. RIAA is proud to
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Speaker 1: celebrate him alongside MCA as Tennessee Whiskey today makes history,
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Speaker 1: becoming the first country single ever to earn a double
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Speaker 1: diamond certification with two million units in the U.S. alone. Meanwhile,
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Speaker 1: the 2007 Tim McGraw song, never a number one, but
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Speaker 1: written by Chris Stapleton, now reimagined by Laney Wilson. Chris
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Speaker 1: Stapleton may be best known for the song we just mentioned,
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Speaker 1: along with Starting Over, White Horse, and others, but one
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Speaker 1: of his most beloved songs was never actually pushed to
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Speaker 1: radio as an official single. That track is Whiskey and You,
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Speaker 1: a raw, heartfelt heartbreak ballad featured on his record-breaking 2015
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Speaker 1: debut album, Traveler. Lainey Wilson recently covered the track, sharing
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Speaker 1: an acoustic performance of it on social media as a
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Speaker 1: special token of appreciation for having recently toured with Stapleton.
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Speaker 1: Over the weekend, the Watermelon Moonshine hitmaker, now 34, wrapped
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Speaker 1: up her opening slot on select dates of the eight-time
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Speaker 1: CMA Male Vocalist of the Year winner's All-American Roadshow Tour.
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Speaker 1: What a run. Nobody can do it like Chris Stapleton,
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Speaker 1: and I got to see it every night of the tour,
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Speaker 1: Wilson captions her video on Instagram, also sharing her appreciation
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Speaker 1: for Stapleton's wife, Morgaine Stapleton, who sings backup harmonies in
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Speaker 1: her husband's band. Thank you, Chris and Morgaine, for having
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Speaker 1: us along for the ride. Stripping down the instrumentation, Wilson
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Speaker 1: put a unique distinctive female spin on the song, pouring
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Speaker 1: raw emotion into its lyrics about coping with heartbreak through alcohol.
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Speaker 1: Those who heard the rendition immediately flooded the comments section
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Speaker 1: of the post to praise Wilson's acoustic rendition. Lainey Wilson,
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Speaker 1: you can take a diamond and somehow make it even
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Speaker 1: more beautiful, one person wrote, while another followed, you've got
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Speaker 1: to release that, wow. Co-written by Stapleton and Lee Thomas Miller,
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Speaker 1: Whiskey and You boasts a rich history. It was first
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Speaker 1: recorded by Tim McGraw for his ninth studio album, 2007's
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Speaker 1: Let It Go, though it was never released to radio.
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Speaker 1: Rock-turned-country artist Aaron Lewis later featured a cover on his
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Speaker 1: 2016 album Sinner. Despite Whiskey and You never becoming a
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Speaker 1: radio single for any of these artists, the song's emotional
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Speaker 1: weight made it a standout standard on Stapleton's catalog, earning
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Speaker 1: an Academy of Country Music Award nomination for Song of
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Speaker 1: the Year back in 2018. Now we head on over
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Speaker 1: to countrynow.com with the first article dated August 27th. Little
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Speaker 1: Big Town on embracing creative freedom with new album It's
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Speaker 1: a Dying Art. Little Big Town has officially just released
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Speaker 1: their new album It's a Dying Art. The multi-platinum Grammy
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Speaker 1: award-winning group recently opened up to Lon Helton about the
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Speaker 1: project and what they hope to accomplish when they set
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Speaker 1: out to make a new collection. As their first album
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Speaker 1: in four years, following 2022's Mr. Sun, the group explained
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Speaker 1: they wanted to approach this record with a sense of freedom.
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Speaker 1: They ultimately wanted to focus on creativity, nostalgia, and the
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Speaker 1: sounds that they've loved throughout their career. We wanted to
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Speaker 1: make an album that didn't have any boundaries. It was
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Speaker 1: just about being creative. We started finding these songs. You'll
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Speaker 1: hear nostalgic tidbits of production that we've always loved. That
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Speaker 1: was the goal, to highlight the favorite things we've had
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Speaker 1: for many years, and they shared this while co-hosting Country
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Speaker 1: Countdown USA over the weekend. Little Big Town First gave
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Speaker 1: fans a taste of the new project with Hey There Sunshine,
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Speaker 1: which they debuted at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards.
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Speaker 1: Since then, they've continued rolling out new music, including Over
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Speaker 1: and Over, Sucker for a Sad Song featuring Ashley Monroe,
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Speaker 1: We Could Have It All, and their latest release, Closing Time,
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Speaker 1: which features six-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer Kelsey Ballerini. With
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Speaker 1: the album arriving last Friday, fans will finally get to
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Speaker 1: hear the award-winning band in a way that feels both
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Speaker 1: familiar and new as they reflect on their growth and
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Speaker 1: trust built over the course of 25 years together. It's
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Speaker 1: a Dying Art was co-produced by two-time Grammy winner Gina
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Speaker 1: Johnson and Little Big Town's own Karen Fairchild. Throughout the collection,
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Speaker 1: listeners can expect to find a mix of intimate storytelling,
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Speaker 1: emotional charged lyrics inspired by real-life experiences. The band will
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Speaker 1: keep the celebration going after the album's release with a
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Speaker 1: special performance at the Today Plaza as part of today's
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Speaker 1: City Concert Series. Later this fall, fans can find them
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Speaker 1: on the road throughout their For the Art of It tour.
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Speaker 1: The Live Nation produced tour kicks off September 24th in St.
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Speaker 1: Petersburg and will take the band across the U.S. and
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Speaker 1: Canada with stops in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Toronto,
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Speaker 1: and more. In December, the group will head to Nashville's
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Speaker 1: historic Ryman Auditorium where they'll once again bring their holiday
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Speaker 1: tradition to life. The Christmas shows will run December 8th
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Speaker 1: through the 10th, featuring a set list full of Christmas
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Speaker 1: favorites and some of the band's biggest songs. The three-night
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Speaker 1: residency will mark Little Big Town's second consecutive year hosting
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Speaker 1: their holiday shows at the Ryman following their 2025 run. Next,
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Speaker 1: Dolly Parton's sister, Stella, reveals how Dolly wanted to help
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Speaker 1: others even in her final months. Dolly Parton's younger sister,
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Speaker 1: Stella Parton, has shared a deeply personal tribute to her
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Speaker 1: big sister and the country music icon just two days
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Speaker 1: after her passing. In the emotional message, Stella reflected on
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Speaker 1: the special bond they shared as sisters and revealed a
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Speaker 1: touching detail about Dolly's final months, including her desire to
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Speaker 1: continue helping others even amid her private battle with cancer.
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Speaker 1: My big sister Dolly got her wings this past Tuesday.
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Speaker 1: If anyone gets to heaven, I'm sure she made it
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Speaker 1: right on time. I know she's showing out big time,
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Speaker 1: all her sparkles, all her shine. That was my sister's way,
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Speaker 1: she began. Stella went on to share one of the
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Speaker 1: simple traditions that kept her and Dolly connected through the years,
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Speaker 1: their standing Tuesday morning phone calls. Despite their busy lives,
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Speaker 1: the sisters made a point of setting aside time to
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Speaker 1: catch up over their morning coffee. Every Tuesday about this time,
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Speaker 1: before the sun came up and the world was still asleep,
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Speaker 1: she and I for many years had our coffee together
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Speaker 1: over the phone, she wrote. Being little farm girls, we've
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Speaker 1: continued to be early risers, and she liked to say, shoot, Tedda,
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Speaker 1: we got more work done before the sun comes up
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Speaker 1: than most folks do all day long. We would catch
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Speaker 1: up on gossip, as sisters do, and drink coffee and
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Speaker 1: make plans, as it has always been our way. Stella
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Speaker 1: also offered a glimpse into Dolly the public knew and loved,
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Speaker 1: assuring fans that the woman they saw on TV and
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Speaker 1: on stage was the same person she knew privately, generous, thoughtful,
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Speaker 1: and always wanting to help others. In one of the
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Speaker 1: most revealing portions of her tribute, Stella shared that Dolly
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Speaker 1: had even expressed a willingness to participate in experimental medical
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Speaker 1: treatments if doctors determined there was no hope left for her.
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Speaker 1: According to Stella, Dolly hoped that doing so could potentially
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Speaker 1: help researchers learn more and benefit others in the future.
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Speaker 1: My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful, and
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Speaker 1: kind people I've ever known. What the world saw is
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Speaker 1: exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently,
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Speaker 1: that if there was no hope for her, she would
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Speaker 1: still allow medical team to try experimental drugs in the
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Speaker 1: hope of helping others in the future. Stella encouraged people
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Speaker 1: to continue her legacy, her sister's legacy, by showing kindness
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Speaker 1: to others. My sister was always thinking of others, and
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Speaker 1: if you want to honor her legacy, show more kindness,
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Speaker 1: lift others up, and give more of your time and
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Speaker 1: resources as she continued to do the very end. I
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Speaker 1: want to personally thank all of you for helping our
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Speaker 1: pouring of love and respect you're showing my sister. Your
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Speaker 1: love and respect for her is deeply felt by all
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Speaker 1: of us who loved her first, and it helps as
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Speaker 1: we grieve her passing through our lives. She later added
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Speaker 1: she left the world a better place by being in it,
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Speaker 1: so let's follow her example. Love and respect to you all. Dolly,
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Speaker 1: of course, was one of 12 siblings. Over the years,
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Speaker 1: she experienced the loss of four of her brothers, David, Randy,
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Speaker 1: and Floyd, while another brother, Larry, died as an infant.
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Speaker 1: Now we slip and slide over to Saving Country Music
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Speaker 1: with the first article dated August 31st. Luke Bryan reveals
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Speaker 1: track list for his new album. The king of pop country,
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Speaker 1: Luke Bryan, has revealed the track list for his upcoming
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Speaker 1: album called Signs, which is due out September 18th. highly
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Speaker 1: anticipated ninth album from the country music superstar, finds him
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Speaker 1: exploring new themes, revisiting old ones too, and like every
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Speaker 1: album that has ever been released in the history of ever,
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Speaker 1: it is also said to be Luke's most personal album
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Speaker 1: to date. Luke Bryan recently told Billboard that the new album,
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Speaker 1: by the time I make an album, I've had a
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Speaker 1: lot of songs land in my lap from outside songwriters.
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Speaker 1: But you know, the main thing with me is to
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Speaker 1: just truly enjoy the process and try to make a
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Speaker 1: well-rounded album, and I certainly feel like this is one.
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Speaker 1: He also told Saving Country Music recently, you can kiss
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Speaker 1: my ass too. During his career, Luke has amassed 27.2
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Speaker 1: billion global streams, 12 million global album sales, and more
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Speaker 1: than 48 million track sales worldwide. He has 132 million
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Speaker 1: in total RIAA certification units, including 19.5 million in album
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Speaker 1: certifications and 112.5 million in single certifications. Brian has also
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Speaker 1: collected 32 No. 1 singles and has accumulated 58 total
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Speaker 1: weeks at No. 1 during his career. Obviously, he hopes
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Speaker 1: that signs continues the Luke Bryan winning streak. Here's the
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Speaker 1: track list, and it's all sense of humor because all
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Speaker 1: 16 tracks say Fish Hunt Golf Drink or Golf Drink
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Speaker 1: Fish Hunt or Fish Drink Hunt Golf. That's what they're
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Speaker 1: all called, according to Saving Country Music. Next... Why didn't
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Speaker 1: anyone tell me Alan Jackson has a new museum? Granted,
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Speaker 1: there was a lot going on for old Alan Jackson
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Speaker 1: at the end of June when this thing was first announced.
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Speaker 1: That's probably why it slid under many people's radar. Jackson
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Speaker 1: officially played his final full-length concert at Nissan Stadium in
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Speaker 1: Nashville on June 27th to an extra-capacity crowd and to
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Speaker 1: throngs that watched it on video screens on lower Broadway
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Speaker 1: and elsewhere. Along with Jackson himself, a star-studded cavalcade of
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Speaker 1: performers showed up to pay tribute to Jackson, capped off
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Speaker 1: by a couple of duets with old friend George Strait.
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Speaker 1: But amid all the fracas and announcements, Alan Jackson officially
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Speaker 1: opened a museum in the Lower Broadway corridor at 121
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Speaker 1: 3rd Avenue South. It's near where the Johnny Cash Museum
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Speaker 1: is also located. Called the Alan Jackson Silverbelly Whiskey Distillery
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Speaker 1: and Museum, it's part whiskey works, part shrine to Mr. Chattahoochee.
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Speaker 1: And if you're asking the writer of Saving Country Music,
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Speaker 1: they're sort of burying the lead with that title. I'm
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Speaker 1: sure Silver Belly Whiskey is excellent, but few things top
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Speaker 1: Alan Jackson, and it's good to see that his legacy
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Speaker 1: will be preserved in Nashville. But to keep a business
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Speaker 1: viable mere steps off-Broadway, you probably need a bigger selling point,
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Speaker 1: and whiskey appears to be Alan's. The location is where
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Speaker 1: you can see Alan's signature spirit go from the barrel
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Speaker 1: to the bottle, and watch it being blended, proofed, bottled,
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Speaker 1: and labeled on site. Whiskey flights, cocktails, bottles for sale,
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Speaker 1: and even a bottle-your-own experience are available. But, of course,
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Speaker 1: the location also houses hundreds of photos, memorabilia, instruments, stage outfits,
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Speaker 1: award show attire from Allen and his wife, a boot collection,
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Speaker 1: and perhaps the crown jewel of the museum, the baby
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Speaker 1: blue 1958 Harley-Davidson Panhead motorcycle Jackson purchased after signing his
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Speaker 1: first record deal, parked beside a trike and bicycle he
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Speaker 1: owned when growing up. It's the same motorcycle that can
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Speaker 1: be seen on a Lot About Livin' and a Little
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Speaker 1: About Love album cover. The collection also includes Alan's ripped jeans, boots,
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Speaker 1: and water skis he spotted, or sported, rather, in the
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Speaker 1: Chattahoochee music video. And yes, there's even space for live music.
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Speaker 1: But don't you worry that Spot won't become one of
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Speaker 1: those lower-broad tourist traps. Alan Jackson already has a multi-story
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Speaker 1: establishment up the street called A.J. 's Good Time Bar
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Speaker 1: that's been open for about a decade. Aside from Robert's
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Speaker 1: Western World right across the street, that's really the best
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Speaker 1: place to see actual country music in the entire Lower
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Speaker 1: Broadway Entertainment District. For more information and to get tickets
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Speaker 1: to the Alan Jackson Museum, visit alanjacksonmuseum.com. Now we head
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Speaker 1: over to people.com country with the first article dated September 1st.
14:55
Speaker 1: Lady A's Charles Kelly shares a sobriety update. My best
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Speaker 1: filter is just not drinking. Lady A singer Charles Kelly
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Speaker 1: shared a before and after look at how far he's
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Speaker 1: come in his sobriety journey. Kelly, now 44, shared a
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Speaker 1: selfie with his wife Cassie McConnell Kelly, followed by an
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Speaker 1: older photo from when he was in active addiction on
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Speaker 1: Instagram on Monday, August 31st. In the first photo, the
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Speaker 1: couple smiled, wearing sunglasses, spending time on the water. My
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Speaker 1: best filter is just not drinking, the musician began the caption,
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Speaker 1: swiped to see my before. My wife asked me if
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Speaker 1: I ever look at a photo of myself before I
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Speaker 1: was sober and think, Who is that guy? No, this
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Speaker 1: is the one. I could go on about the many
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Speaker 1: blessings that have come from putting it down and way
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Speaker 1: more than looking healthier, but it's a nice reminder of
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Speaker 1: a place I do not want to go back to.
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Speaker 1: The driving and listening to music singer concluded in his caption.
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Speaker 1: Several country stars shared messages of support for Kelly's sobriety
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Speaker 1: in the comments. A little jaunt down memory lane is
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Speaker 1: always a good reminder, Rustin Kelly wrote. Thank you for
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Speaker 1: sharing this, Shane McAnally wrote, while Russell Dickerson commented with
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Speaker 1: a muscle emoji to show support. Back in 2025, Kelly
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Speaker 1: told People exclusively that his wife was his primary motivation
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Speaker 1: for pursuing sobriety. Lady A postponed its Request Line tour
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Speaker 1: in 2022 when Kelly entered a rehabilitation facility in Utah
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Speaker 1: for alcohol addiction treatment. She's the reason that I got sober,
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Speaker 1: he said of Cassie, whom he wed back in 2009.
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Speaker 1: She had so much grace for me and went along
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Speaker 1: through the journey with me doing all the work, and
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Speaker 1: I could go so far as to say there's no
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Speaker 1: way she would have stayed with me if I had
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Speaker 1: not gotten sober. Kelly channeled his newfound sobriety in his
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Speaker 1: 2025 solo record, Songs for a New Moon, which combines
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Speaker 1: Kelly's country sensibilities with 1980s-inspired synths on a collection of
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Speaker 1: songs in which the singer finds his way back to himself.
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Speaker 1: I think music is such a cathartic outlet and basically...
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Speaker 1: The music made me feel good, Kelly told People in 25.
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Speaker 1: I think over the last three years during the sobriety journey,
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Speaker 1: I just felt this little awakening and I just wanted
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Speaker 1: to make a happy record that spoke a little bit
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Speaker 1: of this journey and this second chance at life that
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Speaker 1: I feel I've been given. Next, Carly Pierce joined by
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Speaker 1: surprise guest Jelly Roll for 9 to 5 Dolly Parton
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Speaker 1: tribute at the Grand Old Opry. Country stars are coming
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Speaker 1: together in honor of the late Dolly Parton, of course,
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Speaker 1: in the wake of the legendary Jolene Singer's song's death
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Speaker 1: at 80. Last week, after a brief battle with cancer,
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Speaker 1: the Grand Ole Opry dedicated its entire Saturday, August 29th
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Speaker 1: show to Parton, which concluded with a group performance of
17:35
Speaker 1: 9 to 5 featuring Carly Pierce and surprise guest Jelly Roll. Pierce,
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Speaker 1: who left high school as a teenager for a job
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Speaker 1: performing at Dollywood and was later invited by Parton to
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Speaker 1: join the Opry in 2021, was already set to perform
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Speaker 1: at the August 29th show before the country icon's death.
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Speaker 1: It felt it meant to be that I was already
17:56
Speaker 1: at my favorite place, the Grand Ole Opry, celebrating the
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Speaker 1: release of Honest Woman Saturday night when they decided to
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Speaker 1: dedicate the entire show to Dolly Parton, wrote Pierce, now 36,
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Speaker 1: on Instagram after releasing her latest album, Friday the 28th.
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Speaker 1: In Parton's honor, Pierce opened her 29th performance at the
18:15
Speaker 1: Opry with Those Memories of You, which the I Will
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Speaker 1: Always Love You artist recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou
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Speaker 1: Harris for their trio album in 1987. Other tribute performances,
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Speaker 1: including Kathy Matea with Jolene, Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle
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Speaker 1: with Just Someone I Used to Know, Bella France with
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Speaker 1: Where No One Stands Alone, Channing Wilson with My Tennessee
18:36
Speaker 1: Mountain Home, and Parton's niece Jada Starr with The Orchard.
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Speaker 1: Dan Tominski also dedicated his song Smile When You're Alone
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Speaker 1: to Parton and said her voice would have been perfect
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Speaker 1: on it. The night wrapped up with a group performance
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Speaker 1: of 9 to 5 featuring a surprise appearance from Jelly,
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Speaker 1: as well as all the performers joining together to watch
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Speaker 1: a video of Parton singing I Will Always Love You.
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Speaker 1: Pierce described the evening as one of the most special
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Speaker 1: nights of my career in her Instagram post. I felt
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Speaker 1: so honored to celebrate someone who has meant so much
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Speaker 1: to me and my story. I'll never forget standing in
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Speaker 1: the circle at the end of the night watching her
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Speaker 1: final Opry performance of I Will Always Love You in
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Speaker 1: that very same circle, concluded Pierce. Part of the proceeds
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Speaker 1: from the Opry celebration will benefit Parton's Imagination Library. Next,
19:24
Speaker 1: we go to Holler.com with the article dated, well, they
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Speaker 1: don't put dates on here, but it looks like it
19:29
Speaker 1: was the 30th of August. Post Malone's Chrome Heartbreaker contains
19:33
Speaker 1: a subtle clue about his future in country music. With
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Speaker 1: another set of big-ass stadium tour dates canceled, this time
19:42
Speaker 1: in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, It seems that Post
19:45
Speaker 1: Malone is hunkering down in the studio as he finishes
19:47
Speaker 1: up his eagerly awaited new album, The Eternal Buzz. And
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Speaker 1: with Chrome Heartbreaker seemingly a shoe-in for the lead single,
19:55
Speaker 1: the hazy, trap-leaning earworm has left us with one pressing question.
19:59
Speaker 1: Is Post departing country music? It's been almost exactly two
20:04
Speaker 1: years since Post dropped his first country album, F1 Trillion,
20:08
Speaker 1: with the chemical hitmaker drawing plaudits for well and truly
20:10
Speaker 1: immersing himself in Nashville culture, performing at the Ryman, Grand
20:14
Speaker 1: Ole Opry, and Bluebird Cafe, and working with a host
20:17
Speaker 1: of Music City linchpins like Ernest, Hardy, and more. Now, though,
20:22
Speaker 1: two years on, his post preparing to leave his cowboy
20:25
Speaker 1: hat in the rearview mirror and return to the autotuned, drenched,
20:27
Speaker 1: 808-fueled rap sound of his earlier material, the re-release of
20:32
Speaker 1: his debut mixtape, August 16th, in tandem with the teasing
20:36
Speaker 1: of Chrome Heartbreaker, has left many fans with no doubt
20:39
Speaker 1: that Post's 2016 stony aesthetic is back. But there's a
20:44
Speaker 1: key detail about Chrome Heartbreaker, a subtle one admittedly, that
20:48
Speaker 1: this writer convinced his next chapter of music will still
20:51
Speaker 1: be grounded in country music. Despite the stony sonics of
20:55
Speaker 1: Chrome Heartbreaker, a quick scan on ASCAP shows that the
20:59
Speaker 1: song was written with three country songwriters. Alongside Post and
21:03
Speaker 1: his two long-standing collaborators, Lewis Bell and Charlie Hansom, The
21:07
Speaker 1: writing credits for Chrome Heartbreaker feature Rocky Block, Jamie McLaughlin,
21:11
Speaker 1: and Jeffrey Warburton. Block and Warburton wrote their first songs
21:15
Speaker 1: with Post in 2024 as part of F1 Trillion, while McLaughlin,
21:20
Speaker 1: who has penned tracks for Morgan Wallen, Ernest, and Wyatt Flores,
21:24
Speaker 1: has never written with Post before. Now, McLaughlin has some
21:28
Speaker 1: cuts with other non-country artists, such as Rod Wave and
21:31
Speaker 1: Brent Fez, while Block has credits on songs by Nail Horan,
21:36
Speaker 1: Teddy Swims, and more. Similarly, Warburton has penned an array
21:39
Speaker 1: of high-profile hits for Shawn Mendes. But despite their versatility,
21:44
Speaker 1: there's no question that these three are part of Nashville's
21:47
Speaker 1: country music core, with Warburton, for instance, writing a multitude
21:50
Speaker 1: of country earworms that have risen up the charts in
21:53
Speaker 1: recent years from Tyler Hubbard's Back Then, Right Now to
21:58
Speaker 1: Luke Bryan's But I Get a Beer in My Hand.
22:01
Speaker 1: Rocky Block is arguably the most prominent country songwriter in
22:04
Speaker 1: this mix, with the Big Loud signee a regular contributor
22:07
Speaker 1: to major country leases by Wallen, Thomas Rhett, Jelly Roll, Ernest,
22:11
Speaker 1: Cole Swindell, Dan and Shay, Cody Johnson, and more. This
22:15
Speaker 1: all adds weight to the suspicion at Holler that the
22:18
Speaker 1: Eternal Buzz will not be a complete departure from country
22:20
Speaker 1: music for Post Malone. They imagine there will be indeed
22:24
Speaker 1: some old-school trap songs on there, too, and they expect
22:27
Speaker 1: the project to be divided evenly between the two aesthetics.
22:31
Speaker 1: When Post first teased the track list, There were 20
22:34
Speaker 1: songs on each disc, heavily implying that one side will
22:37
Speaker 1: be trap and the other side country. What's more, Post
22:40
Speaker 1: outlined back in April to Billboard that at that point
22:44
Speaker 1: in the year that he had already made two trips
22:46
Speaker 1: to Nashville to work on music for the forthcoming album.
22:49
Speaker 1: In that same interview, he reveals he's been writing with
22:52
Speaker 1: Thomas Rhett and Ernest with neo-traditional flag bearer Jake Worthington,
22:56
Speaker 1: also confirmed he'd been writing with Post during a May
23:00
Speaker 1: 26 conversation with Troy Cartwright. Elsewhere on ASCAP you can
23:04
Speaker 1: find a number of unreleased post-songs registered, including Hell or
23:08
Speaker 1: Hell Tonight, co-written by Luke Combs, Hate Me Too, co-written
23:11
Speaker 1: with Hardy, Red River Wind, co-written with Vince Gill, and
23:14
Speaker 1: numerous other tracks. What's particularly interesting about Chrome Heartbreaker, says Holler,
23:20
Speaker 1: is that it's a trap-driven song that has been co-written
23:23
Speaker 1: with country songwriters. This suggests that while the country half
23:27
Speaker 1: of the Eternal Buzz will inevitably feature Nashville songsmiths, It
23:31
Speaker 1: seems the rap half will see Post working with an
23:33
Speaker 1: overlapping group of collaborators. Now we head down the street
23:38
Speaker 1: to theboot.com with the first article dated August 31st. Kane
23:43
Speaker 1: Brown clears up his comments about not having friends in
23:46
Speaker 1: the music industry. Kane Brown is making it very clear
23:50
Speaker 1: that he has friends in Nashville, but there's a certain
23:52
Speaker 1: relationship that he's still searching for when it comes to
23:55
Speaker 1: a pal. In June, the country singer made headlines when
23:58
Speaker 1: he told the Pivot podcast that he felt alone in
24:01
Speaker 1: the music world. He noted that he felt he had
24:03
Speaker 1: more friends who were athletes than those who were making
24:06
Speaker 1: a living in Music City. Looking back, he admits to
24:10
Speaker 1: the Bobby Bones show that what he said made it
24:12
Speaker 1: sound like he's a lonely person. That came off weird,
24:15
Speaker 1: he explains. I said friends that we hang and we
24:18
Speaker 1: drink beers with and hit the golf. Well, like when
24:21
Speaker 1: you have that ever been like, hey, bro, what are
24:23
Speaker 1: you doing? I ain't doing anything. You want to come chill?
24:26
Speaker 1: That's what I want, he shares. Despite the confusion over
24:30
Speaker 1: his comments, Brown does have friends in Nashville. He and
24:33
Speaker 1: his wife, Caitlin, have documented their hangouts with Jason Aldean
24:36
Speaker 1: and his wife, Brittany, on social media, not to mention
24:39
Speaker 1: his friends with Lauren Alaina since middle school. I had
24:43
Speaker 1: Lauren hit me up, he says of the articles that
24:45
Speaker 1: went around following his comments. She's like, yo, what? The
24:49
Speaker 1: country hitmaker also had several friends come to the grand
24:52
Speaker 1: opening of his bar, Kane Brown's on Broadway. including Chris Young,
24:56
Speaker 1: Mitchell Tenpenny, Patrick Mahomes, and Jason Aldean. He then went
25:01
Speaker 1: on to explain the kind of friendship he's looking for.
25:03
Speaker 1: Brown wants someone in the industry that he can really
25:06
Speaker 1: relate to. I just meant like somebody that like we,
25:10
Speaker 1: I feel like Morgan and Hardy, for example, they're real close.
25:13
Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Like I just want that
25:14
Speaker 1: because in the industry, like we're the only ones that
25:17
Speaker 1: can really relate to each other. Next, Morgan Wallen's creative
25:22
Speaker 1: director explains what really happened with that piano flip. Morgan
25:26
Speaker 1: Wallen's piano flip in Denver looked like pure frustration. The
25:31
Speaker 1: moment went viral after the country star's piano malfunctioned during
25:34
Speaker 1: Sand in My Boots at Empower Field in Mile High
25:37
Speaker 1: back in May. Now, Wallen's creative director, Justin Klopp, is
25:42
Speaker 1: explaining what was actually happening on stage, including why the
25:45
Speaker 1: people underneath the stage thought something much worse had gone wrong.
25:50
Speaker 1: During the May performance, Wallen couldn't hear the piano through
25:52
Speaker 1: his in-ear monitors, making it difficult to play. He eventually
25:56
Speaker 1: stood up and sang part of Sand in My Boots
25:58
Speaker 1: a cappella as the crowd went wild. But Clough offered
26:02
Speaker 1: another important detail during the appearance on the In the
26:06
Speaker 1: Trenches with Spidey Smith podcast. The piano had partially come
26:10
Speaker 1: off the lift beneath it. The piano comes up and
26:13
Speaker 1: down on the lift, and I think it was like
26:15
Speaker 1: he was moving it back onto the lift, Clough said.
26:18
Speaker 1: I think it had moved off the lift, and he
26:19
Speaker 1: just moved it. Wallen also wasn't particularly upset when he
26:23
Speaker 1: came offstage. He wasn't upset about it. That's what's so funny,
26:26
Speaker 1: Clough said. He came off stage kind of laughing. The
26:30
Speaker 1: piano created a much bigger scare underneath the stage. About
26:33
Speaker 1: five crew members were below the roughly five-foot stage operating
26:37
Speaker 1: the lift, but they couldn't see what was happening above them.
26:40
Speaker 1: When they heard the crash, they thought the stage itself
26:43
Speaker 1: was collapsing. The guys that were under there, he was like, dude,
26:46
Speaker 1: they're freaking out. They thought the stage was collapsing. All
26:49
Speaker 1: they could hear was stuff crashing down onto the stage. Fortunately,
26:53
Speaker 1: the stage and other equipment were fine, and crew members
26:56
Speaker 1: quickly came out to clear the piano. The piano incident
27:00
Speaker 1: became such a viral moment that Hardy couldn't resist giving
27:03
Speaker 1: Wallen a hard time. According to photographer Tanner Gallagher, Hardy
27:07
Speaker 1: texted Wallen the next day, Hey man, my mom needs
27:10
Speaker 1: a piano move tomorrow. Just wondering if you could come
27:13
Speaker 1: and help? Wallen has also joked about the incident himself,
27:16
Speaker 1: both online and during subsequent shows. Next, Scotty McCreary reveals
27:24
Speaker 1: surprising American Idol story that you've never heard. Scotty McCreary
27:29
Speaker 1: has plenty of memories from his time on American Idol,
27:31
Speaker 1: but one of the weirdest involved baseball, his one and
27:33
Speaker 1: only day off, and a security crew that apparently wasn't
27:36
Speaker 1: able to let him leave the set. McCreary, who won
27:40
Speaker 1: season 10 of American Idol back in 2011, recently opened
27:44
Speaker 1: up to Taste of Country Nights about what life was
27:46
Speaker 1: really like behind the scenes of Idol and revealed something
27:49
Speaker 1: from his time on the show that was unexpected. The
27:52
Speaker 1: damn straight singer said his time on Idol was jam-packed
27:55
Speaker 1: with non-stop work. It was a seven-day-a-week job, he said.
27:59
Speaker 1: McCreary said contestants had just one day off during the
28:02
Speaker 1: entire time on the show, and naturally he wanted to
28:05
Speaker 1: spend it doing something that had nothing to do with singing.
28:08
Speaker 1: He said he was going to a baseball game. Then
28:11
Speaker 1: they found out I was going to leave the premises
28:13
Speaker 1: and they wouldn't let me. They had security outside, they
28:15
Speaker 1: just wouldn't let me leave. Even though he jokes about
28:18
Speaker 1: not getting to leave the set on his one day off,
28:21
Speaker 1: McCreary still looks back on the Idol experience with plenty
28:23
Speaker 1: of gratitude, and he makes it clear that his unusual
28:26
Speaker 1: baseball story hasn't changed how he feels about the people
28:29
Speaker 1: who helped him make the show happen. This concludes the
28:33
Speaker 1: reading of Country Weekly for this week. If you have
28:35
Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions about the program, please call us
28:39
Speaker 1: at 859-422-6390. Thank you for joining me, and on behalf
28:44
Speaker 1: of everyone here at Radio Eye, this is Ken Dawkins
28:48
Speaker 1: wishing you a great