January 26, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCGabby Barrett and husband Cade Foehner have welcomed a baby girl. 

The 20-year-old singer shared on Instagram on Monday night that she gave birth to daughter Baylah May on January 18.

“Gotten to spend a very sweet week with our newest addition. Meet our girl Baylah May Foehner,” Gabby writes alongside a photo of the baby in her bassinet, wrapped in a red blanket with a name tag written in elegant script. 

Cade was among the many people who flooded the comment section with congratulatory posts, professing “What an honor to be your husband. Thank you for bearing me a child my Wife.”

Hayley Hubbard, Tanya Tucker and Jana Kramer were among the “I Hope” hitmaker’s peers who also extended well-wishes.

The couple met and began dating while competing on season 16 of American Idol in 2018 and tied the knot a year later. They announced in August that they were expecting their first child.

Gotten to spend a very sweet week with our newest addition.. meet our girl🥰
Baylah May Foehner
1.18.21 pic.twitter.com/5ZteHwhVj6

— Gabby Barrett (@GabbyBarrett_) January 26, 2021

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 26, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC If you’ve had it with COVID-19 — and who hasn’t? — Darius Rucker‘s latest hit may well be the antidote. “Beers and Sunshine” is the Hootie and the Blowfish front man’s reaction to the coronavirus.

“We’d probably been locked down for a couple of months,” Darius recalls, “and everybody was stir crazy, and we were talking about just how everybody wanted to just get out and do something. And we knew there’s gonna be a whole bunch of songs, a bunch of ballads, and a bunch of really serious songs about what’s going on.”

“But, just the way we are and the way I am I guess, we wanted to write something that was fun and upbeat,” he continues. “And when we got that line, “The only b.s. I need is beers and sunshine,” I knew we had our song.”

In fact, “Beers and Sunshine” may be the first country song to be written and recorded entirely via Zoom. 

“[Producer and co-writer] Ross [Copperman] figured out a way that he just called all the guys that we usually use, and they all had set-ups at their house and the whole song was recorded over the computer. I did my vocal at my house,” Darius laughs. “Yeah, it was crazy.”

Previously, Darius thought he already has his next album figured out.

“Oh, yeah, I thought I had it mapped out, I did…” he reveals. “And that song, when it came along, just threw a wrench into everything because we knew that had to be the first single.”

As “Beers and Sunshine” nears the top of the country chart, we’re still waiting for details on the follow-up to 2017’s When Was the Last Time. Of course, in 2019, Darius also released the Hootie reunion record, Imperfect Circle.

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

January 25, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCDarius Rucker made the day of his fellow iHop patrons. 

ABC affiliate WCIV reports that over the weekend, Darius foot the bill for the entire iHop restaurant he was dining at in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. 

Manager Stephen Vitale said in addition to paying for everyone’s meals, the singer also left a “generous” tip for the servers. 

“It was a full restaurant. There were a lot of people. I added it up and he paid,” Stephen explains to WMBF News.

Though Darius was wearing a mask, some of the fellow diner-goers who recognized him thanked him for the act of kindness. “It caused a lot of excitement,” Stephen adds. “It was a good morning at IHOP.”   

Apparently, the South Carolina native dines monthly at that location.  

The good deed comes as Darius continues to climb the charts with “Beers and Sunshine,” which has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. 

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 25, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Zack MasseyLuke Combs is giving back to the small business community. 

The country superstar has partnered with The Normal Brand to release a custom camouflage-print ball cap featuring an emblem with his logo. 

Priced at $30, all of the proceeds from the hat will be donated to the Barstool Fund to help small businesses across the country impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Thus far, the fund has raised nearly $30 million and donated to 178 businesses, including 82-year-old diner Nick’s Family Restaurant in Kingsport, Tennessee, Jackbar, a dive bar in Brooklyn and historic Martin’s Tavern in Washington, D.C., along with educational institutions such as St. Luke’s Day School in Philadelphia and Victor Child Care Center in New York. 

Luke recently scored his 10th consecutive #1 single with “Better Together.” 

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 25, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

John Shearer Andy Fickman has been tapped to direct the upcoming country music-themed musical, May We All. 

Andy’s previous film directorial credits include She’s the Man, The Game Plan and Race to Witch Mountain. He’s also directed several TV shows such as the Disney series Austin & Ally, Kevin Can Wait and more. 

Named after Florida Georgia Line‘s 2016 hit, the musical — written by producer Justin Halliwell and actors Troy Britton Johnson and Todd Johnson — focuses on small-town America through the fictional story of Jenna Coates, an aspiring country music singer who returns to her small town roots after her career fails to take off in Nashville.  

The score is composed of songs by generations of country acts ranging from Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash to Shania Twain and The Chicks, along with modern superstars Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves and more.

FGL will also debut two original songs in the musical feature, which is backed by Brian Kelley‘s production company, CuzBro Productions, in partnership with Lively McCabe Entertainment. 

Originally slated to take place last November, production on May We All has been moved to sometime this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of staging a commercial residency in Nashville.

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.