November 3, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Riker BrothersWhile the COVID-19 has presented its challenges, Brett Young has found a silver lining in being home with his daughter for the first year of her life. 

The singer, who recently celebrated daughter Presley Elizabeth‘s first birthday with wife Taylor and a small group of family members, is looking at the positive side of not being able to tour this year, because the time off the road has allowed him to focus on all the little milestones in his daughter’s life. 

“I have gotten to see and hear a lot of firsts with my daughter because during the summer fair and festival season when I would have been gone four days a week, I was home. I heard her say ‘da-da’ for the first time.  I was there for that,” Brett recalls. “But there’s been a lot of things that I haven’t had to miss out on that I definitely would have missed out on if we were at normal capacity.”

The “In Case You Didn’t Know” hitmaker also encourages fans to find the bright side of life during the pandemic.  “You’ve gotta kinda fight to look for the silver lining, but there’s a handful of them if you’re willing to look for them,” Brett offers. 

Brett’s current single, “Lady,” inspired by his wife and daughter, is inching its way toward the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

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

November 3, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAWhen Dolly Parton was putting together her new Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, she found inspiration in a popular late-night TV host. 

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the music legend shares that Jimmy Fallon helped inspire the idea to feature collaborators on the project, which finds Dolly dueting with Willie Nelson, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Buble, and Dolly’s brother, Randy Parton.

Dolly says that watching Jimmy perform on The Tonight Show with a multitude of stars compelled her to do the same.   

“Jimmy Fallon is the one that started that whole idea of duet partners,” she explains, adding that she was impressed by Jimmy and Miley’s performance of “Islands in the Stream” in a 2017 episode of his show when the two dressed up as Parton and her duet partner, Kenny Rogers.

“I thought, he has really got a great voice,” Dolly remarks of Jimmy, who appears with her on the album’s cover of Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

A Holly Dolly Christmas, which reached number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and Top Holiday Albums chart, is the country icon’s first full-length holiday album in 30 years.

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

November 3, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Anthony Matula for SpotifyReba and Barbra Jean are back together again! This time, the country superstar and actress Melissa Peterman aren’t assuming their Reba alter-egos — they’re co-hosting Reba McEntire‘s new Living & Learning podcast.

The two forged a friendship on the sitcom that intensified when Reba took Melissa out to do stand-up.

“When you’re spending so much time together,” Melissa explains, “and having time to sit on a plane… and just talk about your families, your relationships… I think that’s where it really deepened. And vacationing together, you really get to know people when you’re on a vacation together.”

With podcast guests that’ve already included Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Kristin Chenoweth and more, Melissa admits she’s been starstruck.

“I had to check myself before almost every time,” she confesses. “It’s like, ‘Melissa hold it together. Don’t start to fangirl on every single person.'”

Tackling topics like aging, cancel culture and faith, Living & Learning probably isn’t the star vehicle you might expect.

“The beauty of it is…we didn’t always want to talk about what you normally would talk about with a celebrity,” Melissa tells ABC Audio. “We were talking about the topics that we wanted to learn more about. So we got to see an interesting side.”

“We wanted to offer up something that was a little bit of joy and maybe some inspiration,” she reflects, “maybe open up your mind, your heart — and learn a little.” 

One of the things listeners learned is that Reba is dating actor Rex Linn.

“I was there at one of their first dinners… So I just was like, ‘Just say it! Just say it out loud!'” Melissa jokes.  

With several more episodes to come on Spotify, Melissa’s already dreaming of having Lizzo, Vince Gill, Dan Levy and Kate McKinnon on season two.

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

November 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

John ShearerWhen Carly Pearce heads to the CMA Awards next week, she’s going not just as a nominated artist, but also a songwriter. 

Of her four nominations, Carly appears in the category of Song of the Year for her duet with Lee Brice on “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” The award goes to the songwriters, Carly nominated alongside her co-writers Luke Combs, Randy Montana and Jonathan Singleton.

While all her nominations are special, Carly notes that having one as a writer is especially meaningful.  

“That one means extra.  That’s on another level.  You realize how important songs are when you do this and you realize how many great songs happen,” she explains.  “And to think that I was recognized as a songwriter, solely, on something that was so special and so personal to me, that is very, very special to me because it shows something outside of just Carly Pearce.”

“I Hope You’re Happy Now” is also up for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year, while Carly herself is nominated for New Artist of the Year when she ceremony airs live on ABC on November 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

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

November 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

John Shearer/WireImageOn Election Day eve, Old Dominion are sharing an inspiring message with fans in support of civil discourse. 

The five-member band of Matthew Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers and Geoff Sprung turned to Instagram today, letting their guards down with their 870,000 followers in a reflective statement.

In the post, the group acknowledges that tensions are high with the impending election and admit that as a band, they often discuss and debate various topics, including politics. And while they may not always agree with one another’s views, they ultimately come together through their passion of music. 

“Our band is made of of five friends who don’t always agree. We have spirited debates on just about everything, politics included. Sometimes we get pissed and raise our voices, or poke fun at each other for our differences,” the group writes alongside a video of a social distance performance of “Lean on Me” to capture the harmony among them. 

“At the end of the day, each of us as individuals with our strengths and our flaws, find a way to push through the awkwardness that comes with discourse and we make music. Together,” they conclude. “Y’all be good to each other.”

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