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“Jerks on Dierks?” “Biebs on Reebs?” Country stars get silly with Elf on the Shelf memes

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAYou’ve heard of “Elf on the shelf?” Now get ready for — country stars on country stars!

As the holidays near, country stars are getting in on this viral trend, which is inspired by the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon. The premise of the meme is simple: A celebrity finds another star whose name rhymes with theirs, then photoshops a tiny image of that person on top of a picture of themselves.

Reba McEntire joined the fun with a tiny image of pop star Justin Bieber perched atop her shoulder, writing “Biebs on Reebs” in the caption. Jake Owen took things a step further, photoshopping himself onto an image of rapper Drake in a boat on the water, for “Jake on Drake on a lake.”

Dierks Bentley had to get really creative for the challenge, but wound up making things even more festive in the process. The singer’s submission to the viral meme featured Harry and Marv, aka the two lowlife burglars from iconic 1990 Christmas film Home Alone.

“Jerks on Dierks…” Dierks proclaimed on Twitter, with tiny versions of the bad guys peeking out from behind his shoulder. “Rhyming is tough over here, guys.”

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By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dolly Parton says it’s “very possible” that she’d consider selling her catalogue

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LALegendary hitmakers like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks have recently made headlines for selling their massive back catalogues of songs. Now, Dolly Parton is contemplating making the same move, the crossover country superstar tells Music Week in a new interview.

“I’ve owned my own publishing company for years and years, and I still write all the time,” Dolly explains. “It’s very possible that, for business reasons, estate planning and family things, I might sell the catalogue I have now.”

At the age of 74, the singer-songwriter is still at the top of her game in 2020: She’s released hit songs this year, even putting out a holiday album called A Holly Dolly Christmas. But Dolly is nothing if not practical, and she knows how important it is to make a plan for what will happen to her legacy after she dies.

“That’s taken several years to do, and it is a really hard thing to do and put it all in order,” the singer recounts of the time she’s spent organizing her affairs. “But you have to do it. You don’t want to be simply leaving a mess behind.”

Still, even if Dolly did sell her catalogue, the singer says she wouldn’t stop writing songs.

“I’m sure that I could get a lot of money for it. But then I would just start a brand new one, continue writing songs, and when I build that up again, sell it,” she adds.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Brett Young will ring out the holiday spirit with a new rendition of “Silver Bells”

• No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of BMLG RecordsAs the holidays near, Brett Young’s got a musical gift up his sleeve for fans.

The singer is planning to release his take on holiday classic “Silver Bells” this Friday. In a statement, he hints that his version will put a jazzier spin on this time-honored Christmas standard, while still honoring its festive message.

“Aside from ‘Silver Bells’ being one of the most well-known classic Christmas songs, it’s specifically always been one of my favorites,” the singer explains. “I think a song that’s able to lend itself to so many different versions is a special thing, and this one seems to be extremely versatile. Also, it just makes me happy when it comes on, and that’s what Christmas is all about.”

The new version of “Silver Bells” isn’t out just yet, but it is available to pre-save now. The singer also shared a snippet of it on social media.

Brett’s never put out a full Christmas album, though he’s said he’d like to someday. In 2017, however, he shared his take on “O Holy Night,” and he also delivered his R&B-infused version of “This Christmas” on the CMA Country Christmas stage in 2019.

This year, Brett also helped kick off the holiday season with a performance during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

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By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dan + Shay stuff their stockings with “Take Me Home for Christmas” all-genre chart success

• No Comments • Country Music News

Warner Music NashvilleIt’ll be a very merry Christmas for Dan + Shay this year, as the duo are topping their tree with a new holiday chart milestone. Their original song “Take Me Home for Christmas” climbed to the top of iTunes’ all-genre Top Holiday Songs chart this week.

The song has notched 10 million global streams to date — not bad for a duo who made their original holiday music debut this year, putting out a two-pack of holiday cheer that also included their solemn “Christmas Isn’t Christmas.”

But in a new, holiday-themed conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the pair reveal that writing their holiday music offered just as much joy to them as the finished product does to their fans.

“Especially right now with all the craziness that’s going on, I feel like it was pretty therapeutic for us to sit down and think of a better time,” the band’s Shay Mooney reveals of their songwriting process. “Christmas is, like, the only thing that can save 2020 at this point, so it was kind of cool to…reminisce and put ourselves in our happy place. I think everyone has memories tied to Christmas.”

Dan + Shay have plenty to look forward once we put 2020 behind us. The duo is once again nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards, a title they’ve held on to for two consecutive years.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Church promises lots of new music ahead, and a "Hell of a View" of 2021

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABCThere’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has held up Eric Church‘s follow-up to 2018’s Desperate Man. But the newly-crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year reveals he already has plenty of new music in the can — perhaps even enough for more than one album. 

“You know, when we recorded this album in December and January, we had a plan and then Covid happened,” the North Carolina native explains. “I would say that where we’ve been fortunate is we recorded almost 30 songs in that time.”

“You know, [we] let creativity lead, didn’t know that Covid was coming,” he continues. “So for me, it’s been about, ‘When do we put the songs out? When do we put the albums out?’ And we’ve slow-played it a little bit, to be honest.”

Now, the “Stick That in Your Country Song hitmaker is optimistic about a return to touring in 2021 — and releasing new music.

“I think around the… March, April, May time,” he predicts, “that we’ll start to get back to what used to be normal for us.”

“And I believe that will start to be normal for all of us — for touring, for our daily life,” he adds. “Third, fourth quarter [of 2021] is gonna be a f****** great thing.”

Right now, “Hell of a View,” the latest taste of new music from Eric’s forthcoming seventh record, is nearing country’s top thirty.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.