Month: July 2022

Parker McCollum's stalwart and rapidly expanding fan base showed up in record numbers at a recent three-night stand in New Braunfels, Texas.

The star sold out three consecutive nights at the city's famed Whitewater Amphitheater, raking in more than 15,500 tickets across the three shows. That's a record for the venue.

But major musical accomplishments are nothing new to the rising superstar, who picked up RIAA Gold and Platinum certifications this spring for both his hit debut, “Pretty Heart,” and “To Be Loved by You.”

Some of country music's biggest names are taking notice of Parker. Over Memorial Day weekend, he opened for Eric Church at a Major League Baseball stadium show in Milwaukee. He'll return to another stadium at the end of the month, opening a Kansas City show for George Strait.

Meanwhile, Parker's also on the road with Thomas Rhett this summer for Thomas' Bring the Bar to You Tour. Conner Smith is also on that lineup.

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Maren Morris' “Circles Around the Town” is currently cruising up country radio’s top ten, but it was inspired by a very different time in the singer's life: When she was new in town and struggling to gain traction as a country artist.

“I wanted it to be about the hustle that we all have coming to town,” Maren says. “…Where you really have to grind it out and figure out what you're made of.”

For Maren, that meant making the journey from Texas to Music City, where she started getting in rooms as a country songwriter. But she soon realized that she was surrounded by people who were just as talented as she was and who'd been doing it a whole lot longer.

“And all the bravado and confidence and arrogance get stripped away really quick, when you realize that everyone around you is really talented. It's not just you,” Maren points out. “And you need to take several seats for a while while you sit and learn.”

She brought the idea for “Circles Around This Town” into a writing session with several collaborators, including one she was particularly hoping to impress: singer-songwriter Julia Michaels. Julia started writing the song before Maren even knew she was doing it, she admits.

“Julia just started asking me about when I moved to Nashville, and ‘Where did I move into?’ ‘What car did I drive?'” Maren recounts. “…But what I realized later, is what she was doing was writing the song.”

“Circles Around This Town” is the lead single off of Maren's 2022 album, Humble Quest.

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Cody Johnson has some new hardware to add to his growing collection: “Til You Can't” has officially received RIAA Platinum and Gold certifications, and “Dear Rodeo” is Gold certified.

Randy Houser has announced that he'll be hosting a Homecoming Golf & Concert Event this August 14-15 in his home state of Mississippi. The event will benefit the Nikki Mitchell Foundation, which supports those affected by pancreatic cancer and raises awareness for the disease as well as funds for a cure.

Thompson Square have announced their 2022 Country in My Soul Tour. The “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” duo will be hitting cities across the U.S. from July through October.

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It took 63 weeks, but Morgan Wallen's Dangerous has finally been unseated as the number-one album on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

The end of the Dangerous reign comes courtesy of Luke Combs, whose Growin' Up album is at the top of the chart following its June 24th release.

Billboard reports that, according to Luminate data, Growin' Up earned 74,000 equivalent album units during its debut week: 44,000 of those are streaming equivalent units, 28,000 are albums, and 2,000 are track equivalent albums.

Meanwhile, Morgan's Dangerous — a double album — came out on January 8, 2021.

Growin' Up marks the fourth time Luke has debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart. What You See is What You Get and This One's For You and his 2019 EP, The Prequel, have all held the top spot.

Luke’s song “The Kind of Love We Make” — the second single to come off of Growin' Up — has also ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs, a chart that combines streaming and sales data with radio airplay. The album’s lead single, “Doin’ This,” is Luke’s most recent and 13th consecutive hit on country radio.

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