Month: February 2022

Categories
Go Country 105

'Country Stuff': Walker Hayes lands inside top 10 on 'Billboard' 200

abc-rss-feed-20220201130000

Walker Hayes is celebrating a major career achievement. 

Following the release of Country Stuff: The Album on January 21, the project debuts at #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #9 on the Billboard 200, selling 33,000 equivalent album units in its first week. This marks the first time that the hitmaker has had an album land in the top 10 on the all-genre chart.

“This is wild…” Walker tweeted in response to the news. 

Country Stuff: The Album was released in the wake of the massive success of “Fancy Like,” which topped both the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts after going viral on TikTok, and earned Walker his first Grammy nomination for Best Country Song. It also expands upon his Country Stuff EP released in 2021, adding seven new songs to the mix, including current single “AA” and recent release, “Drinking Songs.”  

The chart news comes hot on the heels of Walker’s halftime performance at the AFC NFL championship game, where the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs and clinched their spot in the Super Bowl.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Country group Lady A and blues singer Lady A have reached a settlement over the moniker

abc-rss-feed-20220201114340

Country trio Lady A and blues singer Anita White, also known as Lady A, have come to an agreement.

Billboard reports that a settlement was reached in a Nashville court on January 31 between the group and White wherein both parties asked the judge to dismiss their respective lawsuits.

However, the details of the settlement, including how the name Lady A will be used going forward, have not been made public.

In June 2020, the country group of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood changed its name from Lady Antebellum to Lady A in response to the racial justice protests taking place around the country in the wake of George Floyd‘s murder to disassociate the act from the name’s reference to the Antebellum South, which encompasses slavery.

“We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued,” the group wrote in an Instagram post announcing the name change. “Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that.” 

Soon after, White came forward and shared that she had been performing under the name Lady A for more than 20 years and cited their ignorance to the use of her name as “pure privilege.”  

After an initial meeting between the two acts, the group filed a lawsuit against White, asking the court to solidify their trademark to use the name Lady A. White launched countersued for $10 million, saying that some of the money would be used to support her rebranding to a different name, with $5 million to be donated to various charities, support for independent artists and Black Lives Matter.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Brian Kelley is “starting summer early” with his Made By the Water Tour

abc-rss-feed-20220201103507

Brian Kelley is embarking on his first solo headlining tour this year. 

The Florida Georgia Line member is setting sail on the 11-date Made By the Water Tour that takes him across the south throughout the spring. The tour kicks off on April 21 in his home state of Florida in Daytona Beach, followed by stops in Savannah, Charlotte, Birmingham, Baton Rogue and more before wrapping the trek in Little Rock, AR on May 19. 

The tour is in support of Brian’s debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, released in June 2021. 

“LETSGOOOOOOO I can't wait to see everyone this spring! Me and the @theboatboysmusic starting summer early,” Brian writes on Instagram.  

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. 

Brian has long been known as one half of FGL alongside band mate Tyler Hubbard. The duo takes center stage in a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Florida Georgia Line: Mix It Up Strong, opening on February 6.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

CMT Awards to air on April 11 on CBS

abc-rss-feed-20220201083835

The 2022 CMT Awards have found a new venue and air date. 

The show will air live from Nashville at the historic Municipal Auditorium, in addition to other venues across the city, on April 11 at 8 p.m. ET. This marks the inaugural broadcast of the CMT Awards on CBS.  

A statement from CMT hints that the show will feature “world premiere performances and one-of-a-kind collaborations from in and around Music City.” 

The CMT Awards was originally slated to air on April 3, but the date was moved after the Grammy Awards, which also air on CBS, had to be rescheduled from January 31 to April 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Details on the nominees and voting process for the 2022 show will be announced in the coming weeks. The CMT Awards will also be available to stream on Paramount+. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

“I am grateful”: Mickey Guyton to sing national anthem at Super Bowl

abc-rss-feed-20220201080831

The NFL has announced its pregame entertainment lineup for the Super Bowl, and country music will be represented with Mickey Guyton.

The Grammy nominated country star is set to perform the national anthem ahead of the game, when the Cincinnati Bengals will face off against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA on February 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET. 

“Look at God. I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing,” Mickey shares on Twitter. “So excited to be singing the national anthem at #SBLVI on February 13th!” 

As previously reported, the halftime entertainment for Super Bowl LVI will include Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Zedd, Maren Morris‘ collaborator on “The Middle,” will serve as the pregame DJ during player warmups. 

The Super Bowl will air on NBC and Telemundo and stream live on Peacock.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
News Daypop

Spotify to direct listeners to correct COVID-19 information; will add ‘content advisory’ warnings to podcasts discussing the pandemic

shutterstock_2095133929

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has announced that the platform will direct listeners to correct Covid-19 information on any and all podcasts discussing the pandemic. The announcement comes in the wake of the company losing billions in market value, after musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removed their music from the platform in protest at podcasters such as Joe Rogan sharing misinformation to millions of listeners.

Ek released a statement outlining the streaming platform’s plan to battle misinformation on the podcasts it hosts. Content advisories will be added to any podcast that discusses coronavirus directing users to a website that “provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources.” Spotify also revealed guidlines for creators to the public for the first time, saying that creators cannot publish “content that promotes dangerous false or dangerous deceptive medical information that may cause offline harm or poses a direct threat to public health.” 

When announcing his decision to pull his music from the platform, Neil Young singled out Rogan and a conversation he had with cardiologist Dr Peter McCullough and immunologist/virologist Dr Robert Malone on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Rogan’s podcast is downloaded an average of 11 million times per episode and is exclusive to Spotify as part of a $100 million deal the company has with Rogan.  In an Instagram video published on Monday, Rogan issued a statement about the controversy, saying “I’m not trying to promote misinformation, I’m not trying to be controversial. I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people and have interesting conversations.”  Rogan added he will do his best “try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so we can maybe find a better point of view.”

Editorial credit: Diego Thomazini / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Mike Pence’s former chief of staff Marc Short testifies in January 6 investigation

shutterstock_1913478496-2

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, testified before the House select committee investigating January 6 last week in response to a subpoena; a sign that Pence’s team is cooperating with the probe.  According to sources, Short testified before the select committee in person last Wednesday in a lengthy session. Short had previously supplied a limited number of documents that were subpoenaed by the committee, including a memo from Trump aide Johnny McEntee comparing Trump to Thomas Jefferson.

Short was with Pence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and participated in a critical White House meeting on January 4, 2021.  He is a potentially crucial witness in the committee’s investigation in determining if then-President Donald Trump and his allies tried to convince Pence not to certify the presidential election.

Short’s testimony comes as the panel still does not know whether Pence himself will testify. While the committee has had informal discussions with Pence’s legal team, sources say that Pence would prefer aides like Short act as the former vice president’s “proxy” so Pence himself does not have to appear.

Former President still blames Pence for not trying to overturn the election results in Congress — and Pence has faced a backlash from Trump’s base for his role on January 6. Short was with Pence at the Capitol on January 6 when rioters were chanting “hang Mike Pence” and Trump tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.” Short was also at Pence’s side in the Oval Office for a pivotal January 4 meeting when Trump and attorney John Eastman tried to convince Pence that he could overturn the presidential election results in Congress on January 6.

Editorial credit: Thomas Hengge / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Go Country 105

Dierks Bentley is feeling “really good” about his new album

abc-rss-feed-20220201030000

As Dierks Bentley continues working through his upcoming album, he reveals it took a few tries to get it right.

The hit singer has been working on the project for two years, and after a few failed attempts, he is confident in the direction the album is going. 

“I’ve gone in to record it a few times and it felt good, but I didn’t feel great. So I decided to keep writing, and it just feels so great,” Dierks explains of his process. “This is my 10th album and all the pressure is coming from me. I want it to be great….[L]ike any album you’re making, [I want it] to draw off [of] what you’re interested in. I love the songs I have, love the feel of it. A lot of great country songs, a lot of great instrumentation.”

Dierks also hints that he’s uniting the past and present on the upcoming project, which follows his acclaimed 2018 album, The Mountain. He says the new music will sound different than his recently released hits, but will still fit into the modern cannon of country music.

“It’s going to sound pretty different than the current songs I’ve had out, ‘Gone’ and ‘Beers on Me,'” Dierks explains. “[I’m] trying to draw on some stuff I’ve done in the past, albums like Modern Day Drifter, but still give it a contemporary feel.”

He adds, “It’s gonna be a while before the album comes out, but it feels really good. I’m really excited about it. I feel the way you should feel when you’re making an album, and I hadn’t felt that way in the previous attempts, but this time around…a great band and great songs and really feeling good about the direction.” 

“Beers on Me” featuring Breland and Hardy is currently inside the top 20 on country radio.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Country Daypop

Morgan Wallen fulfills the remainder of his $500K pledge with $100k donation to the National Museum Of African-American Music in Nashville

shutterstock_1431361790

Morgan Wallen has fulfilled the remainder of his $500,000 pledge to the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) and other Black-led or owned organizations, by donating $100,000 to the National Museum Of African American Music (“NMAAM”) in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tuwisha Rogers-Simpson, vice president of brand and partnerships for NMAAM, confirmed that the museum received Wallen’s donation of $100,000 on behalf of Wallen’s More Than My Hometown Foundation. Rogers-Simpson said she “had the opportunity to tour and share our mission with Morgan as he was eager to learn more in a sincere effort to grow,” adding that the funds donated will go to support education and operational initiatives at the museum.

In September 2021, Wallen’s manager, Seth England, clarified Morgan’s contributions to various Black groups following reports that questioned whether Wallen had followed through with his $500K pledge. England confirmed Wallen’s contributions by providing records and documentation, saying: “$300,000 to BMAC in the names of 20 individuals who had counseled him following the incident when he uttered the N-word during a night of partying. Those individuals were given the option to funnel their respective $15,000 donations to a charity of their choice, or keep the money within BMAC.  $165,000 of the pledged funds to BMAC stayed within the organization, and the remaining $135,000 was distributed to several smaller charities of the individuals’ choice.”  Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Teen Dream Center, Beatrice W. Welters Breast Health Outreach & Navigation Program, Right Hand Foundation were among the smaller charities that the 20 individuals chose to donate to.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Eric Church announces plans for Lower Broadway bar in Nashville

shutterstock_134453612-2

Eric Church will be the latest country singer to open a bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville. The singer and his partners bought the Cotton Eyed Joe’s building at the corner of Second Avenue and Broadway.  They plan on converting it into a six-story bar, barbecue restaurant and seated venue called Chief’s.  Church joins Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley and Kid Rock in the list of artists with bars/restaurants in Nashville’s Lower Broadway area.

Church said in a statement: “I remember driving through downtown Nashville over 20 years ago with a pawn shop guitar, riding shotgun in a beat-to-hell truck just trying to chase a dream. Chief’s is the culmination of catching that dream. Like everything else we do in our career, I wouldn’t even attempt a project like this if I didn’t think it would be the best, so that’s what Chief’s will be: the best.”

Church said Chief’s will open in 2023. He added: “I am partnering with my closest friend and, in my opinion, the greatest hotel entrepreneur on earth, Ben Weprin, and the greatest barbecue chef in the world, Rodney Scott. Together we will create an experience unique to Nashville and absolutely unparalleled in the world of music, food, fellowship and entertainment. This is my hometown. This is personal. This matters. Every detail of Chief’s will feel that way. I cannot wait to get started.”

Eric Church Announces Six-Story Bar and BBQ in Downtown Nashville

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com