November 16, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist Dolly Parton is known for her many gifts, one of which being her innate ability to spread joy.   

Sitting down for a virtual interview on Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, the legendary artist rises above the noise to offer a heartfelt response about how to navigate politically divisive times. 

“I think we’ve just become so divided, ’cause people just seem to love to hate. This is the Christmas season coming up. But we need to carry that Christmas spirit of peace on Earth, and loving one another. We need to carry that into the new year,” Dolly proclaims. “And Lord knows, I hope next year is better than this one.”

The “Coat of Many Colors” singer ends on a hopeful note, encouraging fans to find ways to make change in their own lives. 

“We can’t save the world, but we can save the world we’re living in,” she professes. “Maybe I’m dreaming. But I don’t think so.”

Dolly has taken it upon herself to spread joy throughout the holiday season with the release of A Holly Dolly Christmas, her first Christmas album in more than 30 years, featuring duets with Willie Nelson,Miley Cyrus, Michael Buble and more.  Also, her upcoming Netflix film, Christmas on the Square, debuts November 22. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 16, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Christopher Polk/E! EntertainmentBlake Shelton honored two of the most important aspects of his life when accepting the 2020 People’s Choice Award for Top Country Artist: his fans and his fiancée . 

Blake appeared at the non-audience virtual awards show in Los Angeles Sunday night to accept the honor. “I love my fans and I love country music fans,” the hitmaker professed, speaking to an empty room at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica with hundreds of screens behind him broadcasting fans’ faces. “And I love the People’s Choice Awards.”

The country star also made sure to recognize his fiancée and fellow The Voice coach Gwen Stefani, with his trademark sense of humor mixed in. 

“Thank you to my new fiancée Gwen Stefani,” he said, earning rousing applause from the virtual attendees, before jokingly instructing viewers on how to spell her name. “If you need to Google it, figure out who she is,” he quipped, ending the speech with the genuine acknowledgement, “thanks for my inspiration and I love you guys.”

Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs, Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown were also nominated for the award.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 16, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC“What’s Your Country Song?” That’s the question Thomas Rhett asks in the lead single from his forthcoming fifth album.  And the second generation singer/songwriter firmly believes you’ve got one — a song, that is.

“You know, bottom line is that everybody in the world has that certain song that takes them back to an awesome moment in time or to a hard moment in time,” TR tells ABC Audio. “And, you know, I’ve got several of ’em.”

“I listed a bunch of ’em in the song,” he continues, “whether it’s from the eighties or the nineties or two -thousands or now.”

Even more than that, Thomas Rhett sees the song as an expression of country music’s universal appeal.

“Wherever you live, everybody’s got some country inside of ’em and everybody’s got that one country song from their history that they go, ‘That’s my jam, that’s my anthem,'” he explains. “You know, songs they put on, you know, at football games around a bonfire, or a song that when they want to be thinking of the past a little bit, it’s a song they put on.”

“So it’s just a really big ode to country music,” he continues, “and some of the songs and artists that I love from my past and from my childhood.”  

One of those artists TR loves from his childhood is his dad, of course, whom he namechecks in the second verse, giving a shoutout to Rhett Akins‘ huge hit from 1995, “That Ain’t My Truck.” Thomas Rhett’s dad also happens to be a co-writer on “What’s Your Country Song.”

Here’s a rundown of the other country classics TR name drops in “What’s Your Country Song,” along with the original singer and the year they were hits:

“Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” — Hank Williams, Jr. (1979)
“Mama Tried” — Merle Haggard (1968)
“Cruise” — Florida Georgia Line (2012)
“Dixieland Delight” — Alabama (1983)
“Chattahoochee” — Alan Jackson (1993)
“Barefoot Blue Jean Night” — Jake Owen (2011)
“All My Exes Live in Texas” — George Strait (1987)
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” — Hank Williams (1949)
“Heartbroke” — Ricky Skaggs (1982)
“Friends in Low Places” — Garth Brooks (1990)
“Neon Moon” — Brooks & Dunn (1992)
“I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” — Barbara Mandrell (1981)
“Strawberry Wine” — Deana Carter (1996)
“Family Tradition” — Hank Williams, Jr. (1979)

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

November 13, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

BBR Music Group/Jack Daniel’sAs the pandemic wears on, Chase Rice has come up with a creative way to help support his longtime band and crew.

The “Lonely if You Are” singer announced this week that he’s teaming up with Jack Daniel’s for a three-part virtual concert called “Live From Twin Eagles Creek Farm.” The event takes its name from Chase’s Nashville-area property, where he’ll film the series.

Each of the three shows will feature a slightly different vibe and musical arrangement, from stripped-down and acoustic to a full-band performance. The three events will air on November 29, December 6 and December 13.

Tickets are $10 apiece, or $20 for a pass to all three shows. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit Chase’s trusty band and crew, who haven’t been able to work since the COVID-19 shutdowns took effect.

“I’ve been blessed to have the same band and crew by my side for several years now,” the singer explains. “…It’s important for me to continue to support my road family — just like they’ve always supported me.”

The singer also hints that fans who tune into his livestream might just be able to get a first taste of something new.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to [support my band and crew] than to put on some shows live from home and to maybe even share some new music while we’re at it!” Chase says.

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

November 13, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.In his new single, “What’s Your Country Song,” Thomas Rhett evokes cherished memories of growing up in a small town. Now, the singer’s giving his heartstrings-tugging “small town anthem” a visual treatment to match.

The clip is all about family and growing up in the countryside, complete with images of corn fields, picnics, high school football games and more.

“The lyrics of this song stir up so many vivid memories for me; I think everyone has that one song that takes them back to a specific moment in time,” Thomas points out. “I wanted the music video to visually capture that same thing and instantly transport anyone watching back to that familiar feeling or place in their mind.”

“What’s Your Country Song,” which came out earlier this month, is the first preview into the singer’s as-yet unannounced fifth studio album.

Thomas says he wrote the song while on the road last year in Dallas, alongside a number of his frequent collaborators — including his dad, in-demand songwriter and ‘90s star Rhett Akins.

The new music video comes out on the heels of a big week for Thomas. Not only was the singer nominated at this year’s CMA Awards, but he and his wife, Lauren Akins, announced on Wednesday that they’re hosting this year’s CMA Country Christmas special.

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