Country
Page: 171
Over the past 15 years, Chris Stapleton has ascended from his days as the mighty-voiced frontman and guitarist-writer for groups including the bluesy-bluegrass outfit The SteelDrivers and hard-charging rock group The Jompson Brothers to one of country music’s most formidable solo artists, having been nominated for the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year trophy six times.
He’s also become an in-demand collaborator, for artists including Adele, Pink, Carly Pearce and Taylor Swift, known as a vocalist capable of extracting every ounce of emotion from a song.
2015 marked a breakthrough moment for Chris Stapleton’s solo career, when he teamed with Justin Timberlake for a collaborative performance at that year’s CMA Awards — performing a mashup of Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” with Timberlake’s “Drink You Away.” “Tennessee Whiskey,” a song previously recorded by both David Allan Coe and George Jones, would become a modern-day classic, thanks to Stapleton’s ruggedly soulful rendering.
“Tennessee Whiskey” helped propel Stapleton’s debut solo album Traveller to the peak of the Billboard 200 albums chart for two weeks, as well as a staggering 29 weeks at the pinnacle of Billboard‘s Top Country Albums. His followup albums From A Room, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, each also lifted to No. 1 on Top Country Albums, as did his 2020 album Starting Over. He’s earned two more No. 1 hits on Hot Country Songs, with “Starting Over” and “You Should Probably Leave.”
He’s taken home eight Grammy wins, as well as winning the CMA’s male vocalist of the year six times and the album of the year honor three times. He’s gearing up to release his latest album, Higher, on Nov. 10 and just issued his latest single, “White Horse.”
But before the sold-out tours, accolades and chart-topping solo hits, Stapleton had long been gaining traction in Nashville’s music industry circles as not only a peerless vocalist, but a top-shelf songwriter, writing hits for Kenny Chesney, Josh Turner, Sheryl Crow, Joss Stone, Alison Krauss & Union Station and many others.
Here, we look at some of the top songs Stapleton has written for other artists.
Dierks Bentley, “Diamonds Make Babies”
Five-time Grammy winner Shania Twain is sending well wishes to fellow Canadian Celine Dion, who has been battling the rare neurological disorder Stiff-Person Syndrome, which also impacts Dion’s voice.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I’m such a fan of Celine’s voice,” Twain tells Billboard. “She’s a one-of-a-kind, extraordinary vocalist and entertainer.”
Twain adds, “I hope to be able to connect with her at some point. I think it’s gotta be so difficult, and I know — only speaking from my experience — how horrifying it is to think that something is preventing you from singing, or interfering with that joy in your life. So I just pray that she is able to overcome it and she will be up there [on stage] singing for us all again.”
In December 2022, the mighty-voiced Dion opened up to fans about her health battle against Stiff-Person Syndrome, which the “Power of Love” singer said has caused uncontrolled and severe muscle spasms, and has impacted her ability to sing. At that time, all of her spring 2023 concert dates were postponed until 2024, while eight of her summer 2023 shows were canceled.
“Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life,” Dion said in her post sharing her battle. “Sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to. I have to admit it’s been a struggle. All I know is singing — it’s what I’ve done all my life.”
In May, Dion canceled her remaining European tour dates on her European Courage Tour for 2023 and 2024.
Twain has also been open about her own voice-impacting health battle in recovering from Lyme disease. After she contracted the illness in 2003, it contributed to dysphonia, a disorder of the vocal cords. The “Giddy Up!” singer has had multiple surgeries to help correct the condition.
Twain has been triumphant, and is currently touring the globe on her headlining Queen of Me Tour, in support of her recently released Queen of Me album. In February, the set debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s top country albums chart, and at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. Twain has upcoming Queen of Me concerts in London, Dublin, Glasgow and more, before returning to the United States in October.
Twain also noted the history behind one of her concert mainstays, her 1998 hit “From This Moment On.” Though she ultimately recorded the song as a duet with fellow country artist Bryan White, as well as a solo rendition, she had initially hoped Dion would record the love-filled ballad.
“I wrote that with her in mind, and I really wanted her — my wish was that I would write it and she would record it. It would have been such an honor,” Twain says. “But my husband and producer at the time [Robert “Mutt” Lange] was like, ‘No, this really needs to be on your record.’ And I’m so grateful that I did record it.”
“From This Moment On,” from Twain’s Come On Over album, reached the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998. Come On Over went on to be certified 20x multiplatinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. On Aug. 25, Twain will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the project, by issuing the Come On Over 25th Anniversary Diamond Edition of the project.
[embedded content]
Country power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill may have been married more than 25 years, but becoming empty nesters after their three daughters left home has left them feeling like newlyweds and enjoying, as McGraw adorably euphemistically calls it, their “candle time.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and […]
When country tracks ranked at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in history, it happened in part as a result of reverberations from a significant change in consumption measurements 11 years ago.
Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” succeeded on country radio before it spread to other formats. Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” is a remake of a 1988 pop single that earned airplay on multiple formats after it broke out via streaming. Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” owes its rise to streaming and downloads spurred by a video controversy.
A study by a Cornell researcher released earlier this year suggests that the introduction of Billboard’s multimetric Hot Country Songs chart in October 2012 changed the industry’s understanding of consumer behavior. In turn, it made gatekeepers and creators more accepting of crossover elements and widened country’s potential in the marketplace. It also allowed Aldean’s release, a song that is far from the most-played one on current radio playlists, to top the charts through other means.
“A Change of Tune: The Democratization of Market Mediation and Crossover Production in the U.S. Commercial Music Industry” — authored by Yuan Shi, assistant professor at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business — suggests that when the primary chart expanded from radio-only data to a list built on airplay, sales and streaming, consumers replaced broadcasters as the ultimate arbiter of the format’s most popular songs. Those fans are less apt to put boundaries on the definition of country.
“The chart change, what it really does is give more voice to the consumers,” Shi says. “The creators and labels can now see, ‘Oh, this is what consumers want,’ even though they may not get played on radio.”
Exemplifying that phenomenon is “Heartbroken,” a new track by producer/DJ Diplo,pop singer Jessie Murph and hip-hop artist Polo G. Though none of the acts are country-centric, the song fits current standards in the genre and debuted at No. 14 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated Aug. 5, despite a general lack of airplay.
It’s not that the chart single-handedly changed country. But it did reflect consumer interest generated by means other than the radio, where programmers filter the music that’s exposed on the station. Those programmers have a vested interest in maintaining a sound distinct to their format. Shi’s study, which used metadata from crowd-sourced MusicBrainz.com, evaluated 20,000 songs released from 2010-2014. It found that the crossover components of country records released in the two years before the 2012 chart change vacillated frequently. But within three months after the shift to multimetric measurement, the crossover elements in country records became consistently more prominent.
Other significant events occurred at that time. Nashville songwriters began writing more frequently around 2010 with laptops, which led to a larger volume of programmed drums and more acceptance of computer plug-ins, which in turn allowed a wider variety of sounds. Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” marketed to both pop and country, arrived in August 2012, and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” enhanced by a remix featuring Nelly, was a trend-setting release that same year. “Cruise” topped Hot Country Songs a then-record 24 weeks, demonstrating a level of popularity beyond the three-week No. 1 it achieved on Country Airplay.
At the same time, increases in streaming expanded the titles that were exposed to existing country fans. Simultaneously, younger listeners, some of them attracted by the Swift and FGL singles, began adopting country.
“Gateway drugs — man, they’ll get to you,” jokes 615 Radio Promotions president/radio consultant Brian Jennings, noting that crossover records often bring new fans to the format.
Jennings points to the rise of Kane Brown as one of the early beneficiaries of Hot Country Songs influence. Brown’s early consumption was rooted in streaming, and country radio accepted his blend of ’90s country, hip-hop and pop only grudgingly. He is now one of the genre’s core artists, but might have been missed had the chart not reflected consumers’ interest.
“It accurately tells the music makers, the music consumers and the music spreaders or radio stations that this format can be far more diverse than we’ve been treating it,” says Jennings. “The audience figured it out long before we figured out how to do the correct chart for it.”
The creators have definitely responded. Songwriters and producers were previously driven almost exclusively by the tastes of country broadcasters, who tend to make safe programming choices to avoid tuneout. With Hot Country Songs reflecting consumer enthusiasm, the increased acceptance of unusual sounds and pop influence have made creators feel more freedom to take risks.
“It’s impossible to say that you’re never thinking about genre,” notes songwriter Jordan Reynolds, a co-writer of Dan + Shay’s broadly influenced “Save Me the Trouble” (see page 10). “But when you’re not as concerned about where it may land, things can get interesting. It’s either going to be really bad or really good.”
The really good chart performances definitely get noticed. Reynolds says Wallen’s chart successes with a variety of styles have made country’s creative community less conscious of boundaries. Shi believes that increased variety has given the genre more entree into the playlists of non-country fans and made those other audiences more curious about country. And that 2012 chart change, while not the sole driver, likely influenced the Wallen/Aldean/Combs trifecta.
“It has gotten bigger — in my opinion, based on my study — in part because country music has now crossed over into these other genres,” Shi says. “It’s bringing together a lot of ingredients from other popular genres like pop, rock, hip-hop, dance, and to an extent, it also brings together the audiences associated with these genres. I think that’s a big driver of the popularity that we’re seeing and also the historic moment.”
Subscribe to Billboard Country Update, the industry’s must-have source for news, charts, analysis and features. Sign up for free delivery every weekend.
At the end of the first verse of the new Dan + Shay single, Shay Mooney’s voice cracks as he addresses a stunning woman in a bar, “I’m beggin’ you please.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Mooney is a singer with enormous control, and his request isn’t for her to accompany him home; overpowered by the expectation that she’ll break his heart, the protagonist instead asks her to leave him alone. Mooney’s small vocal imperfection speaks loudly in the context of a blistering performance.
“I thought that line was really important to set up that chorus,” says the group’s Dan Smyers, who co-produced “Save Me the Trouble” with Scott Hendricks (Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn). “‘I’m begging you, please’ — that’s kind of you putting your fist on the table and saying, ‘I’m vulnerable. I’m defenseless.’
“Shay is the greatest singer to ever do it, you know. He’s my favorite singer I’ve ever heard. I’ve never heard him hit a sour note, and I’ve recorded a lot of his notes. But man, that line is great.”
“Save Me the Trouble,” which Warner Music Nashville released to country radio via PlayMPE on July 13, is an important single for the duo, the first since it experienced some inner turmoil, debated the future of the act, then refocused its energy on moving forward. It was so important that the pair set aside an entire day at Nashville’s Ocean Way to record the one song, which begins as a spare country track, reestablishes the duo’s powerful harmonies, then transforms into a pop symphony with a momentary touch of prog-rock drama before a stark, a cappella close.
“It just felt very adult. It felt very professional, but at the same time, very grassroots and very natural and genuine,” Mooney says of that session. “After the first time through, I was like, ‘Oh, my God. Damn. This is another level.’”
[embedded content]
The foundation for that level was established Jan. 12 during a songwriting session at the East Nashville home studio of Jordan Reynolds (“Speechless,” “Tequila”), where they were joined by Ashley Gorley (“Last Night,” “Girl in Mine”) and Jordan Minton (“Best Thing Since Backroads,” “Good Time”). They set out to develop something that would provide a big concert moment, or a head-turning performance for an awards show.
“We definitely spent a lot of time that day figuring out what that kind of sonically would be for them,” says Minton. “Something that’s kind of big, anthemic, still feels like them — [with] fresh radio melodies that are really wide and big for Shay to sing.”
Smyers provided a title, “Save Me the Trouble,” that he had heard in a conversation, and they developed it as a barroom snapshot of a guy who recognizes the woman tempting him would only break his heart. They wrote the chorus first, in 6/8 time, using the title in the stanza’s opening line with drawn-out notes that allowed the duo to highlight its exacting harmonies. Halfway through the section, they changed pace with a rhythmic bounce, then reaffirmed the title twice more.
Mooney took the lead on the verse melody, pitching it in the bottom part of his range as they focused on the opening lines.“In that lower register, it gives you somewhere to go,” he says.
Gorley established key parts of the chord structure on piano and mapped out a general plot overview.“He’s just so smart at knowing what a song needs and going, ‘All right, so we’ve got this in the chorus and the first verse; this is what the second verse should be about,’” says Reynolds about the veteran songwriter. “Everybody’s like, ‘Yeah, that is exactly what it needs.’ He introduces a great vibe and a knowledge and wisdom of songs, whether he is contributing a lot or a little.”
In verse two, they revisited the bouncy rhythmic idea, with Mooney changing the melody from the first verse in a way that temporarily reflected a cheery “just a little kiss” fantasy, before the protagonist remembers that this woman is a heartbreaker. “We always love doing that in the second verse: changing it a little bit just to give it somewhere to go,” Mooney says. “It’s not anything insane. It gives it enough [difference] that it’s something intriguing that you’re listening for the second time around.”
The song remains open-ended — it’s not clear whether the character takes the woman at the bar home — though the writers have an idea about it. “I think he does not,” says Minton. “I think the whole night is kind of in his head.”
Reynolds and Smyers worked on a demo when the song was finished, with Reynolds building out the instrumentals in the studio and Smyers editing vocals in a bedroom closet. “It’s a leftover closet for guitar cases and awards that I don’t know what to do with,” Reynolds says. “There’s stuff everywhere, and it’s not big, maybe four by five [feet]. It’s got shelves, so he just sets his laptop on a shelf, stands there and works, closes the door. I think it’s the most dead room in the house, but he’s never recording anything, so it doesn’t matter.”
Smyers felt enormous pressure when they brought it to the recording studio because “Save Me the Trouble” had so much potential. “I knew what it needed to sound like,” he remembers. “I could almost see the ProTools session laid out. I could see the knobs and levers in the mix, and I was like, ‘We just can’t screw it up.’”
The crew developed a gradually building production: “Every line, there’s one more thing kind of going on than the previous line,” says Smyers. Steel guitarist Russ Pahl overdubbed a winding, neo-synth sound underneath the prechorus in the first verse, and Smyers thickened the vocals by adding one harmony voice at a time. The bridge featured a pair of dramatic stops with a single cymbal clang by drummer Nir Z, plus thick harmonies, enhanced by some reverb effects that hint at the sound of a Black gospel choir.
“When you listen to the track as a whole, it feels a bit dangerous,” Smyers says. “I thought that was an important sonic pivot for us after coming off a couple of super-positive, major-sounding love songs in a row as singles. I felt like a little bit of danger, a little bit of angst, was the right pivot.”
“Save Me the Trouble” debuted at No. 21 on the Country Airplay chart dated July 29. It checks in at No. 27 in its third week.
“I love where it landed,” Smyers says. “It feels dramatic, and it feels intense. It’s gotten stuck in my head since the day we finished it.”
Morgan Wallen’s crossover smash “Last Night” rebounds for its 24th week atop Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Aug. 12).
The song ties Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” (2021-22) and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” (2012-13) as the fourth-longest-ruling leaders since the survey became the genre’s main chart in 1958.
“Last Night” was authored by John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome and Jacob Kasher Hindlin.
The track drew 67.2 million all-format radio airplay audience impressions (down 10%) and 26.7 million streams (down 8%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 11%) in the July 28-Aug. 3 tracking week, according to Luminate.
Wallen’s ninth Country Airplay leader dominated that chart for eight weeks and crossed over to No. 5 peaks on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay. It remains in the top five on the latest Country Airplay list, at No. 4.
[embedded content]
Here’s a look at the 10 longest-leading No. 1s since Hot Country Songs became an all-encompassing genre survey in October 1958. Wallen is the only soloist with two titles on the list, while duo Florida Georgia Line is the only other act with two. (All songs but one below have reigned since the chart adopted the all-genre Billboard Hot 100’s multi-metric methodology in October 2012.)
Longest-Leading Hot Country Songs No. 1s (since 1958):
50 weeks, “Meant To Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, beginning in December 2017
34, “Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt, February 2017
27, “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett, July 2020
24, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, February 2023
24, “Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes, July 2021
24, “Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line, December 2012
21, “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, October 2019
19, “You Proof,” Morgan Wallen, May 2022
19, “The Bones,” Maren Morris, March 2020
19, “Walk on By,” Leroy Van Dyke, September 1961
As previously reported, “Last Night” tops the Hot 100 for a 15th week, tying for the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s 65-year history, and the longest for a song by an act with no accompanying artists.
Childers’ First Top 10
Tyler Childers, from Paintsville, Ky., attains his first top 10 on Hot Country Songs, as his new single “In Your Love,” released July 27, blasts in at No. 7. In its first full week, it drew 11.4 million streams and sold 9,000. It leaps 16-4 on Country Digital Song Sales and debuts at No. 8 on Country Streaming Songs, marking his first top 10 on each chart.
“In Your Love,” co-written by the 32-year-old, is the first single from his album Rustin’ in the Rain, due Sept. 8. It’s Childers’ fifth Hot Country Songs entry and follows “Way of the Triune God,” which reached No. 37, his former best rank, in January.
Top Tier ‘Whiskey’
In its 31st week on Hot Country Songs, Justin Moore and Priscilla Block’s “You, Me, & Whiskey” rises 11-8. It awards Moore his 11th top 10 and Block her first, in her third appearance.
The song attracted 5.8 million streams (up 38%) and sold 1,000 (up 11%) July 28-Aug. 3. On Country Airplay, it pushes 4-3 for a new best (29.8 million, up 13%).
For Moore, it follows “With a Woman You Love,” which rose to No. 12 last September and “We Didn’t Have Much,” which hit No. 7 in September 2021. Both songs led Country Airplay for a week each, upping his career total to 10 No. 1s.
Block’s debut hit “Just About Over You” reached No. 17 on Hot Country Songs in December 2021, as well as No. 14 on Country Airplay. Subsequent single “My Bar” climbed to No. 26 on Country Airplay last September.
In recent years, duets have made a strong showing on Billboard’s country charts–and in particular, male-female duets have had a moment, whether that be both vocalists fully trading off verses, or one vocalist only contributing harmonies.
Chart-toppers over the past three years have included the Dustin Lynch and MacKenzie Porter duet “Thinking ‘Bout You,” the Jason Aldean/Carrie Underwood collab “If I Didn’t Love You,” Kane and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God,” Kelsea Ballerini with Kenny Chesney on “Half of My Hometown,” and Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson’s “Never Say Never,” to name a few.
Currently, the Justin Moore-Priscilla Block song “You, Me & Whiskey” is in the top 5 of the Billboard Country Airplay chart (dated Aug. 5, 2023); also on the chart is the new Carly Pearce track “We Don’t Fight Anymore,” featuring vocals from Chris Stapleton and the Jelly Roll/Wilson collab “Save Me.”
Perhaps more than any other genre, duets have a deep, storied history within the canon of country music classics, with several male-female artist pairings crafting entire albums’ worth of duets.
George Jones and Tammy Wynette (who were married from 1969-1975) crafted nine studio albums as a vocal duo, while Jones also earned hit duets with Melba Montgomery and Margie Singleton. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty made 10 studio albums together, while Bill Anderson created albums of duets with Mary Lou Turner and Jan Howard.
In 1984, Jones issued the album Ladies’ Choice, a collection of duets with female vocalists. In 2013, Willie Nelson released a similar album of all-female duet partners with To All the Girls…, while Texas artist Aaron Watson is working on Cover Girl, a collection of songs featuring women collaborators. In 2008 and 2009, CMT even hosted the competition show Can You Duet, which brought the duo Steel Magnolia into the spotlight.
Here, we look at some of country music’s top male-female duets over the years. These picks range from 1960s classics to 21st century hits, including everything from romance-charged, loved up ballads, to humorous takes on long-term relationships and songs that encompass the emotional weight of love gone wrong.
Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney, “Every Other Weekend”
She may have temporarily shelved her white cowboy hat and traded her signature two-piece Western suits for a pink tracksuit, but Jaime Wyatt is just as much an outlaw as she’s ever been.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Trouble has never had a hard time finding Wyatt, 37, who spent her young life living as an old soul from a small town in Washington, only to hit rock bottom in her teenage years — hooked on drugs, strung out and crazy enough to try and rob a drug dealer.
Wyatt doesn’t shy from her past, but also refuses to be defined by the person she was 20 years ago, locked up in L.A. County jail. Today, she’s an outspoken voice for those living on the margins, an LGBT activist in living in a state she’s ready to boycott, and an evolving artist ready to challenge the conventions of country music. She’s currently doing the latter with new single “World Worth Keeping,” a roots and revival anthem celebrating an imperfect world, as well as those who make it worth keeping.
[embedded content]
Produced by Adrian Quesada from the Black Pumas, the track is a departure from the heartbreak honky tonk kitsch of Wyatt’s 2020 record Neon Cross. The first single off her new record Feel Good, out Nov. 3 on New West Records, “World Worth Keeping” feels more like a 1960s civil rights anthem, with a timeless lyrical theme and an easy-on-the-ears sensibility highlighting Wyatts impressive range.
Wyatt sat down with Billboard earlier this year to talk about her new music, her time behind bars and the bittersweet universalism of a broken heart. Below is an edited version of that conversation.
I recently read a profile about you, and there was an interesting vignette in the piece describing a fan approaching you at your merch booth and quizzing you to see if you were outlaw country enough. Do you get approached like often?
Yeah, country has this weird thing, like, “How country are you? Are you really country?” And the answer is, “Yeah, I am.” I lived in a trailer when i was a kid in Washington. We had horses, I worked at a horse barn and my parents listened to plenty of country records. What else do you want from me?
Now that you live in Nashville, are you questioned even more?
Yeah, and some people are surprised when they find out I’m not a native Tennessean. I’m part Cherokee, and my people moved from Oklahoma to California and played in a band to support themselves. Most people in Nashville, it turns out, are really amazing, sweet compassionate people. But yeah, some people want to test me, and my response is the same — I don’t have time for it. I really just want to spend my time making music.
As a gay artist in country music, do you feel pressure to be more active pushing for LGBT representation, or do you feel pressure to not stand out?
It varies day to day. Sometimes I walk into a venue and I’m like, “I don’t want to be gay here. I don’t want to be gay today.” I’m not going to tell them who I am, not today. Other days, l play my earnest card. Usually that’s best.
Do you think artists should boycott states that push an anti-LGBT agenda.
Yes, and I live in Tennesse. But f–k it, boycott ‘em. F–king sad to say, but I was thinking about this the other day, and that’s what gets people’s attention. Not me, but someone like Taylor Swift. That’s what it would take.
What’s life like on the road for you?
Right now I’m playing with Head and the Heart. I’m playing a bunch of festivals, and mixing it up with both country bands and rock and roll. I like that type of musical exploration. We’re going out with My Morning Jacket, and I really like their music and am influenced by their stuff. Touring is like that – out on the road, every night somewhere else. We’re showing up the same time every day. It’s the most consistency that me and my musician guys have ever had in our lives.
Tell me about the new music you are working on.
I’m working with Adrian Quesada from the Black Pumas on a new record, which we recorded and produced in Austin. The music is the closest thing I’ve done to my life story so far. For me personally, it’s about falling in love while also moving and trying to get more free.
What do you mean?
Trying to feel better and trying to take care of my physical self. Trying to lighten up. It’s really more about the music than it is about the lyrics. Like, the last two records I made were very much singer-songwriter tracks hammering at different metaphors, whereas this one way is more a sound I heard in my head when we made this record.
Did you fall in love when recording the album?
Yes, but then I tumbled back out of it.
Was is it a hard fall?
No, but it hurts like it was a hard fall.
Hard fall or hard landing?
Pathetic landing, if I’m being honest.
Does it surprise you how much it hurt?
Yeah.
You want to talk about jail instead?
Yeah, that was so much easier.
Just doing your time in L.A. County Jail?
Don’t get me wrong, it was really messed up too — but I loved it in a way. There was no pressure from society to be an accountant, or even pay the bills.
That sounds a bit over-idealized.
Yeah, but anyone who has struggled with addiction can vibe on it. Jail is a f–king trip.
I read that you were arrested for robbing drug dealers?
Well, yeah, I guess. I was arrested for robbing my drug dealer, which is not that unusual. I was addicted to heroin; it was all super f–ked up.
How old were you when you got locked up?
I was 20, and turned 21 in jail. I ended up doing eight months, and then did nine and half months after that.
How did you get by?
When I first got there, I got high every day. You could use everywhere, and I was an addict — I was strung out all the time. As I started to get better, I would enjoy reading and writing little stories with different characters.
Did the experience change you?
I think I learned a lot about society, and to be honest, it made me a little jaded. Jaded on what society has for people. Where you’re born, it’s like a f–king lottery. And that’s why most people are there — not because they were born to be a criminal, but because they were born with nothing else.
Knowing what you know, do you think you would ever want kids?
It’s not the first thing that I’m looking for. I’d probably love to have an amazing Telecaster instead. Or a dog. Don’t get me wrong, kids are cool. Humans are cool. But I’m a weirdo. I gotta be out there, experiencing the world and meeting people. I always want to be connecting with other artists and recording music. With that type of lifestyle – really, my type of lifestyle – a telecaster seems more practical.
Keith Urban and Kix Brooks are among the five newest hitmakers set to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The two country artists — who each wrote several of their own hits — will join the hall alongside fellow inductees Casey Beathard, David Lee Murphy and Rafe Van Hoy.
Since its founding in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has honored many of Music City’s premier songcrafters, inducting 235 songwriters, including Bill Anderson, Bobby Braddock, Garth Brooks, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Don and Phil Everley, Harlan Howard, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Cindy Walker, Fred Rose and Cindy Walker.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
During a press conference held at Nashville’s historic Columbia Studio A on Thursday (Aug. 3), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame executive director Mark Ford and chair of the board of directors Rich Hallworth revealed that Beathard and Murphy will be added to hall’s ranks, inducted into the contemporary songwriter category, while Van Hoy will be inducted in the veteran songwriter category. Urban will be inducted as the contemporary songwriter-artist, while Brooks will be inducted as the veteran songwriter-artist.
During the press conference, Urban recalled his early days in Nashville, his first time visiting the Bluebird Café and his years spent in writing rooms along Nashville’s Music Row. He also expressed gratitude for being inducted alongside Brooks.
“Kix was one of the first that came along, who sat at [Nashville venue] Jack’s Guitar Bar to hear me play, and later took me on tour. He’s been a champion ever since. I’m honored to be here with you,” Urban told Brooks.
Urban penned many of his own hits, including “But For the Grace of God,” “Somebody Like You,” “Wasted Time” and the CMA Award nominated songs “Tonight I Wanna Cry” and “Better Life.” His 2009 song “Sweet Thing” was named SESAC’s country song of the year, while 2012’s “For You” was featured in the film Act of Valor and earned Urban a Golden Globe nomination for best original song.
Country Music Hall of Fame member (as part of the duo Brooks & Dunn) Brooks had a hand in writing many of the duo’s hits, including “Brand New Man,” “My Next Broken Heart,” “Lost and Found,” the 1995 ACM song of the year nominee “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” and the 2003 CMA song of the year nominee “Red Dirt Road.” He has also written chart-toppers including John Conlee’s “I’m Only In It For the Love,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Modern Day Romance” and Highway 101’s “Who’s Lonely Now.”
Brooks said, “I walked in here and saw these guys and was like, ‘We’re doing this together?’” He recalled a time when he and David Lee Murphy were sweeping floors at what is now the Musicians Hall of Fame. He wrote “I’m Only In It for the Love” with fellow inductee-elect Van Hoy.
“I came here as fan of songwriters. That’s all I wanted to do,” Brooks said. “My heroes were not just artists, but artists who wrote their own songs. To even think I would even be recognized in the same sentence as the mention of their names …”
California-born, Virginia-raised Beathard moved to Nashville in 1991; by 1998, he earned his first writing deal and penned the title track to Kenny Chesney’s I Will Stand album. In 2002, he earned his first No. 1 with Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo.” Additional hit writing credits followed, including “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” (Tracy Lawrence), “Cleaning This Gun” (Rodney Atkins), Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and “The Boys of Fall.” He’s also frequently collaborated with Eric Church, writing “Like Jesus Does,” “Hell of a View” and “Like a Wrecking Ball.” He also penned “There Was Jesus,’ recorded by Dolly Parton and Zach Williams. Beathard was named BMI’s country songwriter of the year in 2004 and 2008, and was named NSAI’s songwriter of the year in 2008.
“I’m just grateful to God and to everybody in this room … for considering me,” Beathard said. “It’s humbling beyond words and I’m just grateful.”
Murphy moved to Nashville in 1983, before forming the band The Blue Tick Hounds and eventually signing with MCA Records a decade later. In 1994, his debut album spurred the hit singles “Party Crowd” and “Dust on the Bottle.” In the 2000s, he began writing songs for other artists, penning several hits for Kenny Chesney, including “Living in Fast Forward,” “Here and Now” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” which Murphy performed as a duet with Chesney. The song earned Chesney and Murphy the 2018 CMA Award for musical event of the year. Murphy also penned hits including “Big Green Tractor” (Jason Aldean), “Why We Drink” (Justin Moore) and “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” (Thompson Square).
“It’s a huge honor to be here today,” Murphy said. “Most writers, this is one of those ten feet off the ground moments … The songwriter community in Nashville is such a tight-knit community … guys that I write with all the time. It’s a special group of people that are songwriters in Nashville. They are supportive and hugely talented and creative. That makes it even more special that I am here today with these guys … this is something I will always remember.”
Raised in Bristol, Tenn., Van Hoy and his family moved to Nashville after he graduated from high school in 1972. Curly Putman signed him to Green Grass Music, which led to a publishing deal with Tree International. In 1976, Van Hoy found success as a writer on the George Jones/Tammy Wynette classic “Golden Ring.” His catalog of writing hits would grow to include the 1983 best country song Grammy-nominated “Baby I Lied” (Deborah Allen), “Friday Night Blues” and “I’m Only In It For the Love” (John Conlee), “Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)” (Patty Loveless), “Let’s Stop Talkin’ About It” (Janie Fricke) and “What’s Forever For” (recorded by artists including Michael Martin Murphey, Anne Murray, Johnny Mathis, B.J. Thomas and Olivia Newton-John).
“To be in the Hall of Fame is something I always dreamed of,” Van Hoy said. “To be included with the club of brilliant minds and brilliant songwriter that are in the Hall of Fame is unbelievably humbling and immense gratitude from my heart.” He also noted that earlier in the day, his phone started playing Tammy Wynette’s “’Til I Get It Right.” “I hadn’t touched it,” he said. “It was like my buddies [the song’s writers] Red Lane and Larry Henley were saying, ‘Welcome in.’”
The honorees will formally inducted into the prestigious organization during the 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, Oct. 11, to be held at Nashville’s Music City Center.
Country music fans will be hearing more Randy Travis music soon.
On Wednesday (Aug. 2), Travis’ team announced an upcoming concert feting Country Music Hall of Fame member, as ‘A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis’ is set for Oct. 24 at Huntsville, Alabama’s VBC Propst Arena.
During a press conference announcing the event, Travis’ wife Mary Travis told reporters that “the chances are 100%” that fans will hear more music from Travis soon, by way of a forthcoming From the Vault album of songs that music fans have never before heard.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“It has already been mixed,” Travis said. “Everything’s ready to go by Kyle Lehning, Randy’s producer….a whole other album of Randy Travis music.”
The seven-time Grammy winner’s most recent full-length studio project came with the 2014 covers album Influence Vol. 2: The Man I Am, which was recorded prior to the “Forever and Ever, Amen” hitmaker’s near-fatal stroke in 2013.
Over the past few years, Travis’s team has released a few “From the Vault” songs from Travis’s archive of recordings, including “Fool’s Love Affair,” “One in a Row” and “Lead Me Home.”
A performer lineup for the October Huntsville, Alabama show has yet to be revealed.
However, this isn’t the first ‘Heroes & Friends’ tribute concert for Travis; in 2017, dozens of artists including Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Kane Brown, Kenny Rogers and Josh Turner performed at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, in Travis’ honor.
In addition to music, Travis and his team have kept his life, music and career in the forefront in recent years by releasing the 2020 documentary More Life, as well as Travis’ 2019 memoir, Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith and Braving the Storms of Life.