September 25, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesFlorida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard is a dad again.

He and his wife Hayley tell People magazine that they welcomed their third child, Atlas Roy Hubbard, on September 24 in Nashville.  He weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz. and, the couple tells People, arrived over a week late.

“We were just convinced he was happy in his little hot tub, safe from 2020,” they laugh.

As for the baby’s unusual moniker, the couple explains, “Atlas stands for strength. For us, this name also represents our family’s passion for travel and experiencing different cultures.”

Tyler adds that the baby’s middle name, Roy, was his father’s name.

“[He] passed away when I was 20. Getting to name our son after him is so special to us,” Tyler notes. “Atlas will carry on my dad’s legacy and will always be a reminder of how well he loved everyone.”

Atlas joins big sister Olivia, who’s two-and-a-half, and big brother Luca, who’s 13 months.

“Having three under three was not our plan but clearly it was God’s plan, and now we can’t imagine it any other way,” the couple gushes. “Liv is so excited and ready to meet her baby brother.”

And Tyler adds, “Also, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. My wife is a CHAMP. She’s so strong and peaceful at the same time. With each delivery, I’m reminded not only of how amazing the birthing process is, but also how incredible women are for giving birth.”

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 25, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesLoretta Lynn shares a personal family story about addiction in a new Facebook post dedicated to her granddaughter, Tayla Lynn.

Tayla grew up in country music and was also formerly a member of country trio Stealing Angels, alongside Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne and Caroline Hobby, who was then known by her maiden name, Cutbirth.

But Tayla also struggled with a painful addiction battle, something that Loretta says she witnessed firsthand.

“She put me through the wringer with her battle with addiction,” the country legend writes, along with a link to The Ties That Bind Us, a new interview series about musicians in recovery, on which Tayla’s featured.

“This story is raw but it’s real,” writes Loretta. “I’m so proud of her sobriety.”

Loretta has seen many friends and family members struggle with addiction over the years, including her own husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn, whom Loretta called Doo.

“I’ve had a front-row seat to addiction a lot in my life. My Doo was my greatest fan and the mind behind all my success but he battled the bottle and it haunted us,” Loretta explains, going on to say that she’s addressed that subject matter in her recent songwriting.

“The title track of my last album, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Great,’ is all about that,” Loretta notes. “Addiction imprisons the soul and robs your loved ones blind. It’s heartbreaking. A lot of families don’t want to talk about it but everybody I know has been impacted some way or another.”

Wouldn’t it Be Great, the 45th studio album of Loretta’s career, came out in 2018.

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

September 25, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Mark LevineIt’s been several days since Keith Urban shared his tenth studio album, The Speed of Now Part 1, and the singer’s still reveling in fan reactions to his newest batch of tunes.

There’s plenty of variety across the project, from the fast-paced and fun-loving “Tumbleweed” to the lovestruck single “God Whispered Your Name,” but few songs go deeper than one track on the album, “Say Something.”

That song urges listeners to express themselves instead of burying their thoughts and feelings. While that could be interpreted as a call to social action, Keith says he had a more personal situation in mind when he wrote it.

“I thought about my dad. I was raised in a house with a father who was always like, ‘Ah, you know, just don’t rock the boat. Don’t speak out against things; just be quiet,’” the singer reflects to Rolling Stone. “I was raised like that, and that way of being was somewhat problematic in our family.”

As an adult, Keith married Nicole Kidman and the couple started a family of their own, with daughters Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret.

“…Our family now is very, very different on that front,” he continues, explaining that he feels a particular connection to the song’s line, “I don’t want to be like my father was / Scared to rock the boat but never speaking up / I want to live my truths wide open.”

The singer points out that even though he doesn’t consider himself a “jump-on-the-soapbox” person, he’s still learning all the time about how important it is to say the things that really matter.

“There are so many things I wish I’d said to my father and I didn’t get the chance before he died,” Keith reflects.

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

September 25, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAWillie Nelson is urging fans to make their voices heard this election season with the release of a patriotic new animated music video for his song, “Vote ‘Em Out.”

Joined by his sons Lukas and Micah on backing vocals, the country legend calls American citizens to action in the lyrics, reminding listeners of how important their right to vote truly is.

“If it’s a bunch of clowns you voted in / Election Day is comin’ round again,” Willie sings in the second verse of the song. “If you don’t like it now / If it’s more than you’ll allow / If you don’t like who’s in there, vote ‘em out…”

Willie first released this song in 2018, premiering it at an Austin, Texas rally for then-Democratic Senate nominee Beto O’Rourke. With the 2020 presidential election rapidly approaching, however, the song is more timely than ever.

The video for the song drops ahead of this year’s Farm Aid, which will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Willie’s Farm Aid partners Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp and Neil Young will all appear at this year’s event, as will a stacked array of guest performers including Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton and more. You can watch the event online and on AXS TV.

If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote, check on your status now.

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

September 25, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Mercury NashvilleBack when Chris Stapleton first broke into the mainstream in 2015, he grabbed fan attention with a genre-blending version of “Tennessee Whiskey” that added a hearty dose of soul and R&B to the country staple.

Chris’ guitar work on “Tennessee Whiskey” even tipped its hat to Etta James’ hit “I’d Rather Go Blind,” cementing the singer-songwriter’s status as a fan of soul music right out the gate.  Now his love of soul and R&B takes center stage once more in his just-released “Cold.”

The mournful heartbreak ballad begins with only a somber piano line but builds as it progresses, culminating in dazzling vocal runs and an anguished, passionate guitar solo.

“Oh, why you got to be so cold? / Why you got to go and cut me like a knife? / Put our love on ice?” Chris sings in the chorus. “Oh, girl you know you left this hole / Right here in the middle of my soul / Oh, why you got to be so cold?

The song comes off of Starting Over, Chris’ forthcoming fourth studio project. The album’s not due out until November 13, but he’s already shared its title track.

Of course, Chris has kept things pretty country, too.  After all, he’s a Kentucky native and former Steel Driver band mate who cut his teeth in the late ‘90s as a member of a Travis Tritt tribute band.

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