October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAMorgan Wallen has removed his name from the lineup of this weekend’s Rome River Jam, a festival he was supposed to headline on Friday, according to Billboard.

That change comes just hours after the singer admitted he’s got some soul-searching to do in a heartfelt video he posted on Wednesday, in which he apologized to fans for the actions that led to his removal from this weekend’s Saturday Night Live line-up.

The singer was slated to make his SNL debut, but that all changed after a series of TikTok videos surfaced this week, showing Morgan partying without a mask on, kissing multiple women in a number of Alabama bars while he was in town for a football game.

Critics sounded the alarm on Morgan’s behavior, which of course risks COVID-19 infection but also due to the fact that SNL has made a point of implementing strict safety precautions as it embarks on a new season during the pandemic.

“I respect the show’s decision, because I know I put them in jeopardy, and I take ownership for this,” Morgan said in his video. “I’d like to apologize to ‘SNL,’ to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities, and I let them down.”

The singer also reflected that he’s “got some growing up to do,” and said he’s planning to take a break for a while.

“I think I lost myself a little bit. I tried to find joy in the wrong places and, I don’t know, it’s left me with less joy, so I’m going to try to work on that,” he declared. “I’m going to step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself.”

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

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— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) October 7, 2020

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October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Ryan SmithEven though Riley Green wishes he was on the road playing for his fans, he admits 2020 has been a great chance to catch up on a lot of life he’s missing, after his whirlwind success of the past couple years. 

“I’m not far removed from just being a fan…” the ACM New Male Artist of the Year insists. “To fall back into being at home with my family around and all that, it was super easy for me.”

“My house back in Jacksonville, [Alabama],” he explains, “I built in March of 2018. I moved in, I signed my record deal and publishing deal the next month, and then I went on the road.”

The past few months have afforded the “There Was This Girl” hitmaker the chance to catch up on some chores, and reflect on his success.

“I had time to what I wanted to,” Riley says, “to get to do things around the house, and get these projects done that I’ve been thinking about while I’m on the road, getting to go back fishing, getting my old truck running, those type of things.”

“That’s really been a positive,” he continues. “And… maybe just get on YouTube, and watch videos of me playing in these arenas with Jason Aldean and twenty-thousand people, and go, ‘Man, I did that.'”

The former house-framer’s also been being constructive, quite literally.

“The first day back, me and my dad built a gym in my barn,” he recalls. “Then we built a lean-to out the back of it…”

“I got to ride my tractor around. I built a garage for some of my cars that don’t run, to act like I’m working on ’em,” he jokes. 

Riley’s most recent hit, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” was just certified Platinum.

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

October 7, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAMorgan Wallen won’t appear as the musical guest this weekend on Saturday Night Live as planned, after TikTok videos showed him participating in non-socially-distanced partying in Tuscaloosa after the Alabama vs. Texas A&M game. 

The “Whiskey Glasses” hitmaker made the announcement on Instagram Wednesday evening, as he was already in New York City preparing for the show.

“I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play,” he revealed. “And that’s because of COVID protocols, which I understand.”

“I’m not positive for COVID,” he added, “but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and they have obviously affected my long term goals and my dreams.”

Morgan apologized to his fans, his team, and SNL, saying he respects the decision and knows he “put them in jeopardy,” admitting, “I think I have some growing up to do.”

“I think I’ve lost myself a little bit,” he reflected. “I’ve tried to find joy in the wrong places, and I don’t know, it’s left me with less joy. So I’m gonna go try to work on that. I’m gonna take a step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself.”

Morgan closed by saying SNL producer Lorne Michaels had encouraged him, saying “we’ll find another time to make this up,” before signing off by thanking those who have sent “messages of encouragement” as he’s “taking… a lot of heat.”

It’s been quite a roller coaster year for the East Tennessee native, with both “More Than My Hometown” and “7 Summers” climbing the country chart, with the latter even finding pop success. 

At the same time, he’s also revealed he fathered a son, and been arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in downtown Nashville.

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

October 7, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

MCA NashvilleJosh Turner is giving fans ‘90s flashbacks with the new music video for his cover of Vern Gosdin’s “I Can Tell by the Way You Dance.”

The clip takes its inspiration from ‘90s country TV program Club Dance, a show that followed real-life amateur dancers through a variety of line dances, swing and more styles. With its vintage feel and cast members decked out in ‘90s-wear, it’s tempting to believe that Josh is using found footage — until the singer steps out onstage, performing his new version of the track.

“I Can Tell by the Way You Dance” comes off of Josh’s new album, Country State of Mind. An ode to the artists that the singer cites as his “Mount Rushmore of Country Music,” the album is full of Josh’s take on classic country songs.

Many of the artists he covers, like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, have well-established legacies. Others, like Vern, have been lost to time a little bit, but the singer says he hopes to introduce a new generation of listeners to the music he loves.

“I’ve always felt [‘I Can Tell by the Way You Dance’] was ahead of its time and never got the attention it deserved,” Josh admits. “I did it in my sets when I first started out, and I’ve always wanted to give it a modern spin. I’m so thankful I got to meet Vern a couple of times, and I hope I did him proud on this one.”

Josh’s music video was filmed at Music City venue The Nashville Palace.

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

October 7, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LADolly Parton is the latest celebrity to take on the “Wired Auto-Complete Interview,” and the superstar reveals some little-known trivia about her favorite food in the process.

For one thing, the singer reveals that she’s got a major weakness for potatoes, in pretty much any form.

“Every diet I ever fell off of has been because of a potato,” Parton admits. “Either French fries, or mashed potatoes, or baked potatoes. Potato, potato, potato! I never met a spud I didn’t like.”

Fortunately for her, it seems like Parton’s perfectly capable of whipping up any potato variant she’s craving right in her own kitchen. Elsewhere in the interview, the singer says that even though she’s a  busy performer and recording artist, she still makes time for good old home cooking.

“You better believe it! I’m a really, really good cook,” the singer says. “I’m not a gourmet cook. My food is not pretty, but it’s good. I cook like my mom, my grandmas and my aunts. I’m still one of those people that really can cook, like the old days. That soul food cooking.”

Of course, Parton says, she cooks that way because that’s the kind of food she likes best — at least, in moderation.

“I can’t eat it all the time anymore, because it does have a lot of calories in it. But yes, I love to cook,” she adds.

These days, Parton might not have all that much time for cooking: She’s busy with the release of her new holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, which came out last week.

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