January 29, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Big Machine Label GroupRascal Flatts band mate Jay DeMarcus shares an emotional and deeply personal tribute in his new solo song, “Music Man,” which was written in honor of his late father.

In October of 2020, Jay shared that his dad, Stanley Wayne DeMarcus, had died. He explained at the time that his father was a “musical hero” to him, recalling that it was the elder DeMarcus who taught him early lessons about playing instruments and being onstage.

After his father’s death, Jay says, he felt moved to channel his love and grief into this tribute song.

“Naturally, losing my father was a huge, life-altering moment, but being able to sit down at the very piano he taught me on has been so comforting to me,” the singer explains. “The night he passed, I sat down at that piano, and the lyrics to this song just poured over and spilled out of me.”

Jay adds that he’s grateful for the close bond he shared with his father throughout their time together.

“Music was such a strong bond between us. It kept us close, while the miles and the years kept us apart,” he reflects. “It’s clear to me now that life is never going to be the same after losing a parent, but I’m so grateful for the memories and the legacy he’s passed on to me, and he will forever be my ‘Music Man’.”

“Music Man” was written, produced and sung by Jay alone. He also played every instrument on the track.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 29, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCMorgan Wallen’s spree of delivering new music continues. Less than a month after dropping Dangerous: The Double Album, he’s adding three new bonus tracks to his mammoth, 30-song sophomore effort.

Two of the tracks are “This Side of a Dust Cloud” and “Bandaid on a Bullet Hole,” two songs that were previously exclusive to Target. The third is a special, reimagined version of the album’s opener, called “Sand in My Boots (The Dangerous Sessions).”

Morgan gave fans a heads-up Thursday that the new tracks were coming out when he shared snippets of their lyric videos on Instagram. “Ran outta patience,” the singer wrote alongside his post.

Meanwhile, Dangerous continued to light up both the Billboard 200 Album Chart and Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Albums Chart for a second consecutive week. That makes Morgan’s album the first country act to spend two weeks in a row atop the Billboard chart since 2015, and the first to ever accomplish that feat on the Rolling Stone chart.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 29, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

BBR Music GroupJimmie Allen has officially selected his next single, and it’s “Freedom Was a Highway,” his breezy and nostalgic duet with Brad Paisley. Jimmie co-wrote the song, and the singer says it reminds him of simpler days driving back roads in his home state.

“When I was writing this song with my co-writers, I imagined myself driving down my favorite roads in Delaware,” he says. “This song takes me back to simpler moments such as my innocent, childhood crush on the next-door neighbor or feeling freedom in the wind as you drive with the windows down.”

The song comes off of Jimmie’s Bettie James EP, a star-studded collaborations project that features appearances from the likes of Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and the late Charley Pride. But the singer says that for this particular song, there could be no better fit than his duet partner, Brad.

“I’m a huge admirer of Brad Paisley. I love what he brings to music and I had to have him bring that same magic to this song. I’m humbled to have him join me on this song — he brought the ‘Freedom’ to the ‘Highway’,” the singer reflects.

Adds Brad, “It’s a magical combination — it doesn’t sound like a typical record for me at all, and when I come in, I try my best not to ruin Jimmie Allen’s song.”

The “I’m Gonna Miss Her” star goes on to say that he used his signature instrument to bring some of his own personal flair to the track. “I use my guitar to make a record sort of sound like I’m on it even before you hear me sing, and I love this guitar solo,” he explains.

You can hear “Freedom Was a Highway” on the radio beginning Monday, February 1.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 29, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC Old Dominion‘s latest hit, “Never Be Sorry,” is something of a story from the road, having been written “behind the stage on a picnic table” at “a military base,” as lead singer Matthew Ramsey recalls. 

To flesh out the song, the band drew on personal experiences, even if their travel itinerary does make some of the geographical references a bit confusing. 

“I can’t remember which one of us it was had bought our girl shoes in Chicago,” Trevor Rosen explains, “and then we had flown to L.A. the next day. And we were walking down the Miracle Mile with ’em. And so that becomes a confusing lyric, because it sounds like we think the Miracle Mile is in Chicago.”

“It’s obviously in L.A.,” Matthew points out. “We did that on purpose.”

Once “Never Be Sorry” was written, it presented another set of challenges for the band.

“That one was the kind of hardest to wrangle in the studio,” Brad Tursi admits. “It took forever to finally land on that vibe.”

“And I do remember just incessantly playing that song at sound check trying to figure out…” Matthew continues.

“Oh, every possible sound!” Geoff Sprung agrees.

“It was just like every day at sound check we’d play it like ten, fifteen times in a row,” Matthew adds. “It was a tough one.”

“What if it’s heavier? What if it’s slower?” Geoff interjects.

“What if we play it backwards?” Matthew jokes, as the guys laugh. 

“Never Be Sorry” is the fourth single from the eponymous third album from the CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year. 

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 28, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of Essential Broadcast MediaKenny Chesney has a Top 5 hit on his hands with his current single, “Happy Does.” But for one of the song’s writers, Greylan James, the song is more than a radio success: It’s a full-circle moment that he can trace back to when he was a little kid.

At five years old, Greylan — who shares a hometown with Kenny — dressed up as the country superstar for Halloween, complete with straw cowboy hat and acoustic guitar in hand. Six years later, he even met his country music hero while playing banjo at a benefit show outside of Knoxville, Tennessee.

“I’d just gotten my first C, and I’d told my dad, ‘I don’t need school, I’m gonna be a country star,’” Greylan remembers, going on to say that he got some advice from Kenny that stuck with him that day.

“Kenny looked me in the eye. He said, ‘Here are my two things: Stay in school. Learn how to write songs,’” Greylan continues. “And I really took that to heart!”

The years he spent honing his songwriting skills paid off later, when Kenny selected “Happy Does” to include on his 2020 album, Here and Now.

“When I heard the song, it was so positive and felt so happy!” The singer notes. “You couldn’t not smile listening, and I felt like the world needed a little bit of that right now. To me, it was everything I was raised on — and it turns out Greylan was raised on the same stuff, too.”

“Happy Does” is at the number-two spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Greylan wrote the song alongside Brock Berryhill, Brad Clawson and Jamie Paulin.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.