Transcript

9.11.26 · Country Weekly

0:05
Speaker 1: Welcome back. It's time once again to catch up with
0:08
Speaker 1: Country Weekly, where we check out news and gossip from
0:11
Speaker 1: the world of country music. I'm your host, Ken Dawkins,
0:15
Speaker 1: and I will be reading from various sources found online.
0:19
Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
0:21
Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
0:24
Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. We'll begin with
0:28
Speaker 1: the first article dated September 7th, and this will be
0:32
Speaker 1: from SavingCountryMusic.com. New Randy Travis album of unreleased songs, same
0:39
Speaker 1: old way is coming. Ever since we lost the voice
0:42
Speaker 1: of Randy Travis back in 2013, the wish and the
0:46
Speaker 1: hope has been that somewhere out there might be a
0:49
Speaker 1: trove of material the world has never heard before from
0:51
Speaker 1: this one-in-a-million voice in country music. It was Randy Travis,
0:56
Speaker 1: along with George Strait and Keith Whitley, that helped save
0:59
Speaker 1: country music back in the mid-80s, and it's a shame
1:01
Speaker 1: that two of those voices are now gone. Randy Travis
1:05
Speaker 1: and his camp were one of the very first to
1:06
Speaker 1: experiment with using AI to attempt to recreate the Randy
1:10
Speaker 1: Travis experience. But luckily, it seems they've come to the
1:14
Speaker 1: conclusion that, for now at least, that's not exactly what
1:17
Speaker 1: people were praying for when they prayed for the return
1:19
Speaker 1: of Randy's voice or unheard material from him. Now, many
1:24
Speaker 1: Randy Travis fans are finally getting their wish. To be
1:27
Speaker 1: released on November 13th, Same Old Way assembles Randy Travis
1:31
Speaker 1: songs recorded from 1986's to 2013 during previous album sessions
1:37
Speaker 1: that were ultimately never released. Randy's longtime producer, Kyle Lenning,
1:42
Speaker 1: helms the project, assembling the songs from the Randy Travis
1:45
Speaker 1: archives and remixing and remastering them into one cohesive project.
1:50
Speaker 1: The result is 12 more original songs to add to
1:52
Speaker 1: the Randy Travis catalog. Though some love to cast off
1:56
Speaker 1: these archive releases as odds and sods, a few recently
2:00
Speaker 1: releases from other country legends should at least give you
2:02
Speaker 1: hope to hear the results. including archive releases from Waylon
2:06
Speaker 1: Jennings and Don Williams. Perhaps it's a commentary on the
2:10
Speaker 1: quality of some of today's country music, but often these
2:13
Speaker 1: archive releases are better than the new music recorded in
2:15
Speaker 1: the present tense. Ahead of the new album, multiple songs
2:19
Speaker 1: have already been released, including Fish On on July 10th
2:22
Speaker 1: and I Don't Care on August 7th. The announcement of
2:25
Speaker 1: the new album is accompanied by the release of the
2:27
Speaker 1: title track, which also happens to be the only song
2:30
Speaker 1: Randy Travis ever co-wrote with producer Kyle Lenny. The Same
2:35
Speaker 1: Old Way is now available for pre-save, and the track
2:37
Speaker 1: list is I Know Where I'd Be Without You, Fish On,
2:41
Speaker 1: I Don't Care, Just Read the Signs, Mission of Love,
2:44
Speaker 1: I Catch Em, There's No Getting Over You, They Called
2:47
Speaker 1: It a Church, One Tear at a Time, Same Old Way,
2:50
Speaker 1: My Greatest Fear, and Set the Blues Back. Next, don't
2:55
Speaker 1: be surprised if Taylor Swift's next album is a return
2:59
Speaker 1: to country. To say country music is having a moment
3:02
Speaker 1: right now is the mother of all understatements. and with
3:05
Speaker 1: the all-time success of Ella Langley's Jews in Texas, among
3:09
Speaker 1: many other factors, it's no surprise others are looking to
3:12
Speaker 1: cash in. This very well also might include, arguably, the
3:16
Speaker 1: biggest pop star in the all-known universe at the moment,
3:19
Speaker 1: the one and only Taylor Swift. There are multiple reasons
3:22
Speaker 1: we can surmise that Taylor Swift might be choosing country
3:25
Speaker 1: moving forward. Perhaps the most leading indication is that her
3:28
Speaker 1: current single, I Knew It, I Knew You, from the
3:31
Speaker 1: Toy Story 5 soundtrack has been marketed and promoted as
3:34
Speaker 1: a country song specifically, including being pushed to country radio
3:38
Speaker 1: where it peaked at number six on the Billboard Country
3:40
Speaker 1: Airplay chart. Of course, just like the rest of Taylor
3:44
Speaker 1: Swift's country catalog, it's fair to question just how country
3:48
Speaker 1: the song I Knew It, I Knew You is. It
3:50
Speaker 1: certainly has some country elements to it, just like some
3:53
Speaker 1: of Swift's early country singles and albums, but any honest
3:56
Speaker 1: broker will easily conclude she's always had strong pop elements
3:59
Speaker 1: to her songs, with the Toy Story single being no different.
4:03
Speaker 1: In a very curious development, Taylor Swift appeared on Bob 94.9
4:08
Speaker 1: FM out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Saturday night for an on-air
4:12
Speaker 1: interview about I Knew It, I Knew You. Taylor Swift
4:16
Speaker 1: very rarely gives interviews, of course, and to do it
4:18
Speaker 1: on a small-market country radio station is certainly something worth noting,
4:22
Speaker 1: even if it was simulcast to multiple other stations via
4:25
Speaker 1: the I Heart Country House Party show. Harrisburg sits about
4:29
Speaker 1: an hour, of course, away from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where Taylor
4:33
Speaker 1: Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm, so the
4:35
Speaker 1: geography might be one significant clue about what's happening here.
4:39
Speaker 1: After all, Taylor Swift loves to drop clues and Easter
4:42
Speaker 1: eggs to keep her fans engaged in guessing about what
4:45
Speaker 1: her intentions or next moves might be. Swift spoke with
4:49
Speaker 1: DJ Wayne D about the inspiration behind writing I Knew It,
4:52
Speaker 1: I Knew You, which is sung by the Toy Story
4:54
Speaker 1: character Jesse. Swift said, I was seeing that she was
4:58
Speaker 1: going through a full circle moment as a character, a
5:00
Speaker 1: lot of reunions of old friends, seeing people that you
5:03
Speaker 1: haven't seen in a while, and kind of forgiving past
5:06
Speaker 1: heartbreak or whatever, and kind of healing that within yourself.
5:10
Speaker 1: Full circle moment is also what it felt like when
5:13
Speaker 1: Taylor Swift recently concluded a long-form interview with Harvey Mason Jr.
5:17
Speaker 1: of the Recording Academy on August 8th. That's August 18th.
5:22
Speaker 1: The interview focused mostly on Taylor Swift, the songwriter, and
5:24
Speaker 1: centered in-depth discussions of each of her recorded projects, starting
5:28
Speaker 1: in her country era, then into her pop transformation, her
5:31
Speaker 1: pandemic records like Folklore, and then to her most recent projects.
5:36
Speaker 1: But it was near the end of the discussion when
5:38
Speaker 1: Taylor Swift said, I think this can happen as you
5:40
Speaker 1: grow up. I love my country roots more and more
5:43
Speaker 1: the further along this path I get. The further along
5:46
Speaker 1: this path I get, I want to honor them more
5:48
Speaker 1: and more. and I feel more and more tied and
5:51
Speaker 1: more and more loyal to them, the people that shaped
5:53
Speaker 1: who I am as an artist and as a writer,
5:55
Speaker 1: and that all happened in Nashville. This was the first
5:59
Speaker 1: indication that maybe Taylor Swift is plotting some country return.
6:03
Speaker 1: Granting an interview on country radio, which is a primary
6:05
Speaker 1: gatekeeper to success in the genre, would also be a
6:08
Speaker 1: smart precursor to a country return. Taylor Swift's last tour
6:12
Speaker 1: was called the Iris Tour, recapping where she has been.
6:16
Speaker 1: The next question is, where might she be going next?
6:19
Speaker 1: Swift has often used the Grammys as a jumping-off point
6:22
Speaker 1: for her next project, and the Grammys get ready to
6:24
Speaker 1: go into their voting season. This might be what Swift
6:27
Speaker 1: is angling for. There's also a very real possibility that
6:30
Speaker 1: Swift does not do a country album next, or perhaps
6:33
Speaker 1: it's just not that country even if it's called such.
6:36
Speaker 1: But she's most certainly laying the ground for something, and
6:39
Speaker 1: whether you're a Taylor Swift fan or not, it could
6:41
Speaker 1: have significant reverberative effects on the country genre, especially as
6:45
Speaker 1: we see the genre continuing to support more country-sounding artists. Next,
6:51
Speaker 1: David Allen Coe's final album, A Million Reasons, set for release.
6:56
Speaker 1: It's been rumored for many years. It was recorded all
6:58
Speaker 1: the way back in 2017, so almost a decade ago.
7:03
Speaker 1: In 2022, former David Allen Coe co-manager and former Average
7:07
Speaker 1: Joe's entertainment partner Ken Mattson acquired the master recordings from
7:11
Speaker 1: Average Joe's to begin the process of completing the project
7:14
Speaker 1: for release. Now, in the wake of David Allen Coe's passing,
7:18
Speaker 1: his final album, called A Million Reasons, is set to
7:20
Speaker 1: be released on October 16th. The album is a diverse
7:24
Speaker 1: mix of song material and genres, ranging from singer-songwriter traditional
7:29
Speaker 1: country to contemporary country rap. After all, it was recorded
7:33
Speaker 1: under the auspices of Average Joe's Entertainment, which is Colt
7:36
Speaker 1: Ford's country rap record label. In 2017, around the recording,
7:41
Speaker 1: David Allen Coe released a country rap version of Take
7:43
Speaker 1: This Job and Shove It with the Moonshine Bandits with
7:46
Speaker 1: mixed reception. Two of the songs on the album were
7:50
Speaker 1: also co-written with Kid Rock, Single Father, and Only God
7:53
Speaker 1: Knows Why. It's probably also worth noting that one of
7:57
Speaker 1: the many bold claims that Coe made over his career
7:59
Speaker 1: is that he invented rap music when he released his
8:03
Speaker 1: 1970 album Requiem for a Harlequin that featured entirely spoken
8:06
Speaker 1: word performances set to music. But A Million Reasons also
8:10
Speaker 1: includes a lot of heartfelt country, too, including both a
8:13
Speaker 1: full band and acoustic version of the title track. The
8:16
Speaker 1: album will be led off by a new version of
8:18
Speaker 1: Coe's signature song, You Never Even Called Me By My Name,
8:22
Speaker 1: that was officially distributed to streaming services last Sunday, which
8:25
Speaker 1: also happens to be David Allen Coe's birthday. When I
8:29
Speaker 1: began working with David Allen Coe in 2017 to record
8:32
Speaker 1: this album, my goal was to capture his voice and
8:35
Speaker 1: musical legacy in the best way possible, says Ken Mattson,
8:39
Speaker 1: The project ultimately took a different path than we anticipated,
8:42
Speaker 1: but I remain committed to seeing the recordings completed and
8:45
Speaker 1: made available to fans. After David's passing earlier this year,
8:49
Speaker 1: finishing what we started and sharing what has now become
8:52
Speaker 1: his final completed studio album has felt more important than ever.
8:57
Speaker 1: Some have wondered if the recordings were held back to
9:01
Speaker 1: capitalize off the Coe's death instead of being released while
9:04
Speaker 1: he was still alive, But the other issue was the
9:07
Speaker 1: affairs of David Allen Coe were in disarray over the
9:09
Speaker 1: last few years, making the release and promotion of the
9:12
Speaker 1: album prohibitive. In fact, that was part of the inspiration
9:16
Speaker 1: for the project. This album's title track, A Million Reasons,
9:20
Speaker 1: started being written the afternoon we took David Allen Coe
9:23
Speaker 1: to federal court in Cincinnati, where he was found guilty
9:26
Speaker 1: of owing the IRS a million dollars. Former DAC co-manager
9:30
Speaker 1: and songwriter David Wade says, The album contained songs that
9:33
Speaker 1: David Allen Coe has lived during his later years of life.
9:37
Speaker 1: He wanted that to be part of his outlaw legacy.
9:41
Speaker 1: The track list of the final album, Ric Flair Intro,
9:44
Speaker 1: You Never Even Called Me By My Name, A Million Reasons,
9:47
Speaker 1: Take This Job and Shove It, Roll Me a Smoke,
9:50
Speaker 1: Corner of Cash and Co., Free My Mind, Only God
9:53
Speaker 1: Knows Why, Single Father, No Holds in These Hands, and
9:58
Speaker 1: A Million Reasons. Now we move on over to countrynow.com
10:03
Speaker 1: with the first article dated September 7th. The first ever
10:07
Speaker 1: country splash in Cabo. In recent years, country music fans
10:12
Speaker 1: have been inundated with opportunities to attend new festivals, most
10:16
Speaker 1: of them in a field where you spend the weekend
10:18
Speaker 1: walking from stage to stage, fighting through crowds, breathing in dust,
10:22
Speaker 1: and trying to figure out where your next drink and
10:23
Speaker 1: meal are coming from. Well, there's a new festival, and
10:27
Speaker 1: Country Now can tell you it's Country Splash in Cabo
10:31
Speaker 1: and with something entirely different. The inaugural festival brought country
10:35
Speaker 1: music beachside in Cabo San Lucas over Labor Day weekend,
10:39
Speaker 1: pairing performances from some of country music's biggest stars with
10:42
Speaker 1: DJ-led pool parties, intimate pop-up acoustic sessions, open bars, wellness activities,
10:49
Speaker 1: and an all-inclusive resort experience, making it feel more like
10:52
Speaker 1: a Cabo getaway with country music woven throughout. Before the festival,
10:57
Speaker 1: Country Splash co-founder Robert Freed told Country Now that they
11:02
Speaker 1: were looking to create an experience that married luxury travel
11:05
Speaker 1: with country music. After spending the weekend there, the representative
11:09
Speaker 1: can tell you confidently they say they accomplished that. From
11:13
Speaker 1: the moment he stepped off the plane, it was clear
11:14
Speaker 1: the level of service was going to be a major
11:16
Speaker 1: part of the Country Splash experience. They were greeted at
11:19
Speaker 1: the airport by members of the country splash team with
11:21
Speaker 1: cold beverages before being whisked away in a car service
11:24
Speaker 1: headed straight to Paradisos Los Cabos. The tribe took 30
11:29
Speaker 1: minutes and gave them enough time to take their first
11:31
Speaker 1: glimpses of Cabo before arriving at the resort. They were
11:35
Speaker 1: also able to make reservations for the entire weekend at
11:37
Speaker 1: the resort's seven restaurants, and staff members escorted them to
11:41
Speaker 1: their room with their luggage. The artists weren't just there
11:44
Speaker 1: to perform and leave. They were enjoying Cabo right along
11:47
Speaker 1: with everyone else. and that added another layer to the experience.
11:51
Speaker 1: Throughout the weekend, Dasha could be spotted hanging out by
11:54
Speaker 1: the pool and mingling with fans, while Cameron Whitcomb even
11:57
Speaker 1: ended up in the pool with festival-goers at one point.
12:01
Speaker 1: The intimate vibe also carried over to other parts of
12:04
Speaker 1: the festival. During the shows, there was virtually never a
12:07
Speaker 1: line at the bar. You didn't have to wait for
12:09
Speaker 1: hours to claim a spot near the stage, fight your
12:11
Speaker 1: way through a crowd, or stand hundreds of yards away,
12:14
Speaker 1: hoping to catch a glimpse of the artist on a
12:16
Speaker 1: giant video screen. With most festival-goers traveling in on Friday,
12:20
Speaker 1: the festival kicked off the evening with the main stage
12:22
Speaker 1: set directly on the beach, with Jacob Hackworth becoming the
12:25
Speaker 1: first artist to perform on the Country Splash stage. The
12:29
Speaker 1: music continued with Blake Whitten and Dasha before Tucker Wetmore
12:32
Speaker 1: took the stage, bringing his signature hip-shaking energy and songs
12:36
Speaker 1: from his Sunburn mixtape, which proved to be the perfect
12:39
Speaker 1: soundtrack for the weekend ahead. It was hot in Cabo,
12:42
Speaker 1: but Wetmore was hotter, moving around the stage and showing
12:45
Speaker 1: off the growing confidence and swagger that has made him
12:48
Speaker 1: one of country music's fastest-rising stars. By Saturday, the festival
12:52
Speaker 1: hit its stride. Buzzed-about newcomer Zach John King and Locash
12:56
Speaker 1: got the party started, before John Party took the stage,
12:59
Speaker 1: bringing his signature brand of country music to the beach. Then,
13:03
Speaker 1: seemingly in a blink of an eye, Sunday arrived. Although
13:06
Speaker 1: the end of the festival was looming, the energy never
13:09
Speaker 1: let up. Drinks were flowing, fans were dancing, and the
13:12
Speaker 1: pool remained packed as Lauren Watkins opened the main stage
13:15
Speaker 1: on the final day. Cameron Whitcomb was next up as
13:18
Speaker 1: direct support for Riley Green, bringing a completely different style
13:22
Speaker 1: and an unbelievable amount of energy to the stage. He
13:25
Speaker 1: ran across the stage, jumped, bounced around, or even threw
13:28
Speaker 1: in backflips, bringing an unmatched level of energy to his set.
13:33
Speaker 1: By the end of his performance, it was hard to
13:34
Speaker 1: imagine a better way to keep the crowd fired up.
13:38
Speaker 1: Green then closed out the inaugural festival, bringing his signature
13:41
Speaker 1: country charm to the stage and giving fans one big
13:45
Speaker 1: final performance, before the weekend came to an end. While
13:50
Speaker 1: the main stage performance were undoubtedly a major draw, some
13:53
Speaker 1: of the most memorable music moments happened away from the stage.
13:57
Speaker 1: Country Splash incorporated pop-up fireside acoustic performances on Saturday and Sunday,
14:02
Speaker 1: giving fans the opportunity to see some of the festival's
14:04
Speaker 1: biggest names in a completely stripped-down setting. The lineup wasn't
14:09
Speaker 1: announced ahead of time either. Fans found out who would
14:11
Speaker 1: be performing just moments before a text message came, adding
14:15
Speaker 1: a fun element of surprise to the weekend. John Party
14:19
Speaker 1: and Riley Green both took part, performing with nothing more
14:22
Speaker 1: than an acoustic guitar around a fire pit, while rising
14:25
Speaker 1: artists including Zach John King, Dasha, and Lauren Watkins also participated.
14:30
Speaker 1: Country Splash also took a different approach to daytime programming.
14:34
Speaker 1: Instead of asking festival goers to spend the entire day
14:37
Speaker 1: waiting for the main stage to start, the festival brought
14:40
Speaker 1: the party to the pool, with DJs providing the soundtrack
14:44
Speaker 1: through afternoon. Vavo, DJ Silver, DJ Lucky Lou, and ADHD,
14:50
Speaker 1: the DJ duo made up of Nashville hit songwriters Ashley
14:53
Speaker 1: Gorley and Jesse Frazier, all took their turn behind the decks.
14:58
Speaker 1: Then came Diplo, who packed out the pool for his
15:00
Speaker 1: set and brought Country Splash's Country Meets DJ concept to
15:04
Speaker 1: its biggest party of the weekend. He also welcomed Cameron
15:07
Speaker 1: Whitcomb and Dasha into the DJ booth during the set.
15:11
Speaker 1: Wellness was another part of the weekend that helped set
15:13
Speaker 1: Country Splash apart. The festival partnered with Sports Research to
15:17
Speaker 1: offer wellness experiences throughout the weekend. By the time the
15:22
Speaker 1: inaugural Country Splash came to an end, Robert Freed was
15:25
Speaker 1: already thinking about what comes next. When he was asked
15:29
Speaker 1: about the lessons of year one and what he hopes
15:31
Speaker 1: to take into the next festival, he explained that being
15:34
Speaker 1: hands-on during the inaugural event was intentional. Year one, you
15:37
Speaker 1: have to be hands-on in every detail because it's the
15:40
Speaker 1: only way you'll know what to tweak. what's going to work,
15:43
Speaker 1: what's going wrong. Talk with customers, talk with your guests,
15:46
Speaker 1: and find out what their opinions are, what's good and
15:49
Speaker 1: what's bad. Next, Dylan Scott opens up about brand new
15:54
Speaker 1: song Girl from Louisiana during milestone double number one celebration.
16:00
Speaker 1: While celebrating the major career milestone of adding two more
16:03
Speaker 1: number one hits to his resume, Dylan Scott also looked
16:06
Speaker 1: ahead as he opened up about a brand new song
16:09
Speaker 1: that's especially close to home. Out Now, Girl from Louisiana
16:13
Speaker 1: serves as an upbeat, fiddle-filled country track that pays tribute
16:17
Speaker 1: by his home state, his wife, and a classic Garth
16:20
Speaker 1: Brooks hit. Sitting down with a few country music outlets
16:23
Speaker 1: in Nashville, Scott explained that today's release might sound familiar
16:27
Speaker 1: as it samples a few lines from Brooks' 1993 song,
16:30
Speaker 1: Colin Baton Rouge. Although he was not a writer on
16:33
Speaker 1: the track, the country star instantly connected with its story,
16:36
Speaker 1: being a Louisiana native himself. Girl from Louisiana is a
16:41
Speaker 1: song that I did not write but heard for the
16:43
Speaker 1: first time, and it was a fun song. I feel
16:46
Speaker 1: like you need that. I mean, I love songs that
16:47
Speaker 1: got a bunch of deep meaning and whatnot, but it's
16:50
Speaker 1: an interpolation song, and it's a song written, I guess,
16:53
Speaker 1: from the Garth song in a way, so it was
16:55
Speaker 1: familiar day one, he explained. Co-writers Dallas Wilson, Dennis Lynn,
17:00
Speaker 1: Graham Barham, Logan Turner teamed up to create a tune
17:03
Speaker 1: that fits perfectly into Scott's catalog. The upbeat track brings
17:07
Speaker 1: plenty of homegrown country energy, complete with fiddles and driving
17:11
Speaker 1: drumbeats while spotlighting Scott's home state. Plus, the story also
17:15
Speaker 1: happens to coincide with his real-life romance with his wife,
17:18
Speaker 1: Blair Robinson, who he met at a young age during
17:21
Speaker 1: his upbringing in Louisiana. I married a girl from Louisiana.
17:24
Speaker 1: I'm from Louisiana. She liked the song. She said I
17:27
Speaker 1: need to record the song. So I recorded the song
17:30
Speaker 1: because I'm a smart man, Scott joked. I do what
17:33
Speaker 1: my wife says to do. And that's really all there
17:36
Speaker 1: is to it. I mean, music is something I feel
17:37
Speaker 1: like it's not rocket science. Either it feels good or
17:40
Speaker 1: it sends you somewhere in life that you need to go.
17:43
Speaker 1: So not everybody relates to everything, and that's fine, but
17:45
Speaker 1: Girl from Louisiana is a relatable song to me and
17:48
Speaker 1: my wife. I spent last night in the arms of
17:51
Speaker 1: a girl from Louisiana, Scott sings in the chorus, setting
17:54
Speaker 1: the scene for a fun night that quickly turns into
17:56
Speaker 1: a memory he can't shake. This line immediately draws connection
17:59
Speaker 1: to Brooke's track as Colin Baton Rouge starts off the
18:02
Speaker 1: story in the same way. The song follows a chance
18:06
Speaker 1: encounter with a Louisiana girl at the Floribama Scott recalls
18:10
Speaker 1: champagne on the floor, a phone number written in lipstick
18:12
Speaker 1: on the bathroom mirror, and a few Go Tigers thrown
18:16
Speaker 1: in the mix. By the time she leaves, Scott's character
18:19
Speaker 1: admits he can't get her out of his head. I
18:22
Speaker 1: spent last night in the arms of a girl from Louisiana.
18:25
Speaker 1: We were calling Baton Rouge out late on stage at
18:27
Speaker 1: the Floribama. Go Tigers on her chest. Go since the
18:31
Speaker 1: day she left. She's stuck in my head singing, and
18:34
Speaker 1: I spent last night in the arms of a girl
18:36
Speaker 1: from Louisiana. Scott sings on the tune. He went on
18:40
Speaker 1: to say that he doesn't think Brooks has heard his
18:42
Speaker 1: version of the story. However, the original songwriters are credited
18:45
Speaker 1: and have given their stamp of approval. Obviously, when you
18:48
Speaker 1: get to the point where, oh, somebody's going to go
18:50
Speaker 1: in and record it and put it out, there's got
18:52
Speaker 1: to be a bunch of conversations about that. I do
18:55
Speaker 1: know the writers signed off on it. The writers of
18:57
Speaker 1: Colin Baton Rouge have credit on the song as well,
19:00
Speaker 1: so it's not like the writers of Girl from Louisiana
19:02
Speaker 1: stole the idea. Everybody's involved in it, he explained. The
19:06
Speaker 1: topic of the new song came about while commemorating his
19:10
Speaker 1: most recent string of number one hits, What He'll Never
19:13
Speaker 1: Have and This Town's Been Too Good to Us. The
19:16
Speaker 1: party was hosted by ASCAP, along with BMI at the
19:19
Speaker 1: Commons Club at the Virgin Hotel, and welcomed a slew
19:22
Speaker 1: of friends, family, co-writers, and members of the industry to
19:25
Speaker 1: celebrate Scott's latest milestones. This is number seven. Hopefully we
19:30
Speaker 1: can have seven more, but they never get old. It's
19:33
Speaker 1: kind of like hearing your song on the radio the
19:34
Speaker 1: first time, That never gets old, Scott admitted. It was
19:39
Speaker 1: an especially meaningful moment for Scott to share the moment
19:41
Speaker 1: with his brother, Logan Robinson, who co-wrote one of the
19:44
Speaker 1: top charting tracks, alongside fellow songwriters Ricky Routon and Robbie Gatlin,
19:49
Speaker 1: who each had a hand in bringing what he'll never
19:51
Speaker 1: have to life. It means a lot to me just
19:54
Speaker 1: because I have my brother, my tour manager, guitar player,
19:57
Speaker 1: and then Ricky here, just having your friends and your
19:59
Speaker 1: family around you, writing music and then writing a song that's,
20:03
Speaker 1: I mean, able to reach a number one spot and
20:05
Speaker 1: share that with guys. Well, that's pretty awesome. Next, Kelsey
20:11
Speaker 1: Ballerini comes to Stella Lefty's defense after her Grand Ole
20:14
Speaker 1: Opry debut draws criticism. Kelsey Ballerini is making it clear
20:19
Speaker 1: that there's room for all kinds of music and artists
20:21
Speaker 1: at the Grand Ole Opry. Following Stella Lefty's Grand Ole
20:24
Speaker 1: Opry debut on September 2nd, Ballerini, an Opry member herself,
20:28
Speaker 1: took to social media to defend the rising star after
20:31
Speaker 1: the comments section began to fill with hateful messages claiming
20:34
Speaker 1: she did not earn her place on that coveted stage.
20:38
Speaker 1: The historic Nashville venue posted a sweet clip of Lefty
20:41
Speaker 1: backstage singing a few lines from her hit song, Boston,
20:45
Speaker 1: with guest announcers for the night, Harper and Charlotte from St. Jude.
20:49
Speaker 1: The three of them held hands and had big smiles
20:51
Speaker 1: on their faces while delivering the tune in the dressing room.
20:55
Speaker 1: This video prompted a slew of negativity to appear in
20:58
Speaker 1: the comments section, with many users insinuating that she did
21:01
Speaker 1: not earn the opportunity to take the stage that has
21:04
Speaker 1: featured countless acts from rising stars to superstars in its history. Ballerini,
21:09
Speaker 1: as well as several other country artists, saw what was
21:12
Speaker 1: happening and immediately stepped into action. The songstress made a
21:15
Speaker 1: comment of her own defending the I Know, I Know
21:17
Speaker 1: singer and reminding fans what the Opry is actually all about.
21:21
Speaker 1: As a Grand Ole Opry member herself, Ballerini knows the
21:25
Speaker 1: importance of honoring the institution's history while also making room
21:28
Speaker 1: for the artists shaping the future of the genre. She wrote,
21:32
Speaker 1: Opry member chiming in, yes, the Opry is about honoring
21:35
Speaker 1: the legacies and the people that have inspired both me
21:38
Speaker 1: and her. but from different backgrounds and hometowns and generations.
21:42
Speaker 1: We can find ways to say and sing things that
21:44
Speaker 1: resonate with people that fill the seats, and that's always
21:48
Speaker 1: the goal, right? Ballerini went on to call Backstage Moment
21:51
Speaker 1: beautiful and shamed those in the comments section for their
21:54
Speaker 1: harsh criticism, citing that they are not honoring the people
21:57
Speaker 1: who the Opry House opens its arms to. It's about
22:01
Speaker 1: celebration of all kinds of country music, new, old, traditional, current,
22:05
Speaker 1: however you want to say it. It's all important, and
22:07
Speaker 1: it should all be able to be shared in our
22:09
Speaker 1: safest and most sacred stage in the country music world.
22:12
Speaker 1: Celebrate music like the Opry does, she added in conclusion.
22:16
Speaker 1: Stella Lefty has yet to comment on the criticism. On
22:19
Speaker 1: this memorable night, she stepped into the beloved circle for
22:22
Speaker 1: the very first time. While in front of the crowd,
22:24
Speaker 1: Lefty performed her breakout hit, Boston, a new track titled
22:27
Speaker 1: Forever Guy from her just-released debut album, and later joined
22:31
Speaker 1: her boyfriend and fellow rising country act, Vincent Mason, in
22:34
Speaker 1: singing their duet, Something to Lose. During a backstage interview
22:39
Speaker 1: with Opry, the Illinois native gushed over how excited she
22:42
Speaker 1: was to be achieving the milestone. I am feeling so
22:46
Speaker 1: excited and grateful to be here with a huge hint
22:48
Speaker 1: of nervousness. I just wanted to say thank you so
22:51
Speaker 1: much to the Opry for having me. I am forever
22:53
Speaker 1: honored to be here and I hope I do a
22:55
Speaker 1: good job, she stated. Lefty's 14-track album, Long Way Home,
23:00
Speaker 1: is out now and will continue to be celebrated throughout
23:02
Speaker 1: her first headlining track of the same name, The tour
23:05
Speaker 1: will take her across the U.S. with additional dates throughout
23:08
Speaker 1: Europe in March of 2027. She took to Instagram to
23:12
Speaker 1: share the news, writing, I've been dying to announce these
23:15
Speaker 1: dates and so I'm excited to finally bring this album
23:17
Speaker 1: to you. You've been showing these songs so much love
23:20
Speaker 1: from across the pond. Now we get to scream that
23:23
Speaker 1: together in person. Can't wait to see your faces. Now
23:27
Speaker 1: we dance on over to theboot.com with the first article
23:30
Speaker 1: dated September 9th. Why Jason Aldean Does Not Do Encores
23:36
Speaker 1: Jason Aldean has never been shy about telling his fans
23:38
Speaker 1: exactly how he feels, and there's one concert tradition he
23:42
Speaker 1: has no interest in playing along with, the encore. The
23:45
Speaker 1: Try That in a Small Town singer is currently on
23:47
Speaker 1: his 2026 Songs About Us tour, and if you've seen
23:51
Speaker 1: one of his shows this year, you already know how
23:53
Speaker 1: it works. Aldean doesn't leave the stage at the end
23:56
Speaker 1: of the night, only to return after fans cheer for
23:58
Speaker 1: a few minutes. In fact, he thinks the whole routine
24:01
Speaker 1: is stupid, and he's pretty blunt about why he refuses
24:04
Speaker 1: to do it. At a recent concert, Haldane explained his
24:08
Speaker 1: issue with the traditional encore routine to the crowd in
24:11
Speaker 1: a video shared by K-102 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. There's a
24:16
Speaker 1: thing at the end of a show a lot of
24:17
Speaker 1: times called an encore, where you guys think the show
24:20
Speaker 1: is over and the artist goes backstage. You guys sit
24:23
Speaker 1: out here and clap for like five minutes trying to
24:25
Speaker 1: get them to come back out and play a couple
24:27
Speaker 1: more songs. Haldane doesn't see the point. It's called an
24:31
Speaker 1: encore and I think it's stupid, he continued. I feel
24:33
Speaker 1: like if I'm back there and you guys are out here,
24:36
Speaker 1: we're wasting time. Instead of pretending the concert is over
24:40
Speaker 1: and waiting for the crowd to call him back, Aldine
24:42
Speaker 1: would rather give fans everything he's got before calling it
24:45
Speaker 1: a night. So the way I like to do it,
24:47
Speaker 1: I'm just going to play it for you guys. Everything
24:49
Speaker 1: we've got and then the show's over. It's just over.
24:52
Speaker 1: So if you're heading to an Aldine concert, expecting that
24:55
Speaker 1: familiar fake goodbye, followed by a few songs after the
24:58
Speaker 1: crowd demands an encore, don't hold your breath. For Aldine,
25:01
Speaker 1: the end of the show means exactly what it sounds like.
25:04
Speaker 1: The show is over. Next, Ernest updates fans after leaving
25:10
Speaker 1: Ella Langley's tour. Ernest promises his fans he'll be back
25:14
Speaker 1: soon after taking a break from the spotlight and touring
25:17
Speaker 1: with Ella Langley on her Dandelion tour. On August 31st,
25:20
Speaker 1: the singer-songwriter announced on social media that he would be
25:23
Speaker 1: taking a step back from the road in order to
25:25
Speaker 1: get myself and my priorities back together. He admitted that
25:29
Speaker 1: touring had been dragging him down in a bad way,
25:31
Speaker 1: but he was looking forward to coming back even stronger.
25:34
Speaker 1: A check on his social media on Monday, September 7th,
25:37
Speaker 1: found him in a better place, and he thanked his
25:39
Speaker 1: fans for their understanding. Just checking in to say thank
25:42
Speaker 1: you for all the love and support, he writes. Bottom
25:45
Speaker 1: line is, I was lost. I kind of still am,
25:48
Speaker 1: but the search is on, and that's new to me.
25:51
Speaker 1: Similar to Langley, who took a break in August of
25:53
Speaker 1: 2025 to recenter herself, Ernest is spending time with the
25:57
Speaker 1: man upstairs. He says his faith is something he grew
26:00
Speaker 1: up on, but he got a bit burnt out on
26:02
Speaker 1: it all. If anything, through this time, I'm really starting
26:05
Speaker 1: to touch back in with my relationship with God, he
26:07
Speaker 1: says in the post. Growing up in the church, Christian school,
26:10
Speaker 1: I would say I got a bit burnt out on
26:12
Speaker 1: it all. I've spent far too long relying on my
26:15
Speaker 1: own dumbass way, and I think I can outsmart myself.
26:19
Speaker 1: Now I can make better judgment. Well, that's not the case,
26:21
Speaker 1: he continues. I don't have many answers at all, but
26:24
Speaker 1: I do know where it's starting, a dialogue with something
26:27
Speaker 1: greater than me. He concluded his lengthy update noting that
26:30
Speaker 1: the people around him deserve him at his best, and
26:33
Speaker 1: he is dedicated to taking this time to dig and discover. Finally,
26:37
Speaker 1: we look at an interesting list from The Boot, country
26:40
Speaker 1: music's most important modern artists. Country music's most important artists
26:46
Speaker 1: are dominating radio, streaming charts, concert venues, and award shows.
26:50
Speaker 1: So The Boot and Taste of Country have ranked the
26:53
Speaker 1: top 25 modern singers in in an effort to timestamp
26:56
Speaker 1: 2026 in country music. Hear who is making a difference
27:01
Speaker 1: in country music right now. Number 25 says the boot
27:05
Speaker 1: Riley Green. Best Songs proves he's an elite songwriter and
27:08
Speaker 1: mainstream sensibilities. Number 24, Kelsey Ballerini. There are artists who
27:14
Speaker 1: are traditional and artists who are experimental, and then you've
27:16
Speaker 1: got Kelsey. Number 23 says the boot Tim McGraw. Had
27:21
Speaker 1: a spectacularly long and successful career that's landed him in
27:24
Speaker 1: the Country Music Hall of Fame. Number 22, Blake Shelton.
27:28
Speaker 1: He's had quite an impact on country music. In addition
27:31
Speaker 1: to his music, the country singer has been an influential
27:33
Speaker 1: representative of the genre in television and more. The important
27:37
Speaker 1: figures in country music says the boot. Number 21, Eric Church.
27:41
Speaker 1: He built his career by doing things his own way.
27:45
Speaker 1: And now the top 20, Jason Isbell is number 20,
27:48
Speaker 1: Kenny Chesney, 19, Keith Urban, number 18. Number 17 says
27:53
Speaker 1: the boot, Dan and Shay, 16, Jason Aldean. Megan Maroney
27:58
Speaker 1: comes in at number 15, number 14, Tyler Childress, then
28:02
Speaker 1: Carrie Underwood at 13, Zach Topp at number 12, and
28:06
Speaker 1: Miranda Lambert at number 11. The top 10, Casey Musgraves, Shaboosie,
28:21
Speaker 1: Thank you for being with us on Country Weekly. This
28:26
Speaker 1: concludes the show for this week. If you have any
28:28
Speaker 1: comments or suggestions about our program, call us please at 859-422-6390.
28:33
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me. On behalf of everyone here
28:37
Speaker 1: at Radio Eye, this is Ken Dawkins wishing you a
28:40
Speaker 1: great day.