Country
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Several years ago, Dierks Bentley was taken aback when one of his team members told him his concerts made him the center point in a big party.
He has plenty of fun stuff to draw from in building set lists — “5-1-5-0,” “Somewhere on a Beach,” “Drunk on a Plane” and “What Was I Thinkin’,” for starters — but he’d always thought of himself as a serious musician with something to say. That conversation was one of those moments when the push and pull of his introspective private self and cheerleading public role crystallized, and it’s a dual purpose he continues to balance.
“We’re all looking for the raw emotions, the connection with the singer, the connection with fellow fans, and so that mode’s very real,” he says of his onstage identity. “But off the stage, that’s just not who I am. I’d rather be up on a mountain by myself, just alone. I really do appreciate being alone, or with my wife or my family, but just having real conversations and watching sunsets and sunrises and just looking for those moments that really make you feel like you’re connected to something deeper.”
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With his latest single, Bentley found “Something Real” in the mountains of Telluride, Colo., when he hosted a songwriting camp circa 2018 with four fellow writers: HARDY, Ashley Gorley (“Last Night,” “Girl in Mine”), Luke Dick (“Burning Man,” “Settling Down”) and Ross Copperman (“Dancin’ in the Country,” “Gold”). It was early winter, and Bentley engaged in some real-life pursuits during that four-day retreat, including hikes and a trip to a ski slope with Dick, who admits he was challenged.
“What good is being in Telluride if you’re inside the four walls?” Dick asks rhetorically. “I hadn’t been skiing in forever, and he put me in past my comfort zone, which is funny, because he’s pretty much a local up there now. He’s not going to ski with the novices, or even the intermediates. He’s off doing the crazy stuff.”
In the less-dangerous arena, Bentley woke up at his home one morning and worked up a few ideas over French roast coffee. He hopped over to the house where the other writers were staying, with a now-forgotten title built around the word “real.” Whatever that title was, it reconstructed as “Something Real,” and they used it to explore the dichotomies in Bentley’s existence — aiming to do it in a way that could be felt by the audience.
With five A-list writers participating, the process involved some chaos. Copperman and Dick tended to focus more on the music, Gorley and HARDY — who snapped out the chorus’ opening image, “I need a little backbone in my backbeat” — keyed in on the lyrics, though all of them jumped around a bit to different aspects of the song and to different stanzas.
The opening verse found arena-headliner Bentley longing for an easier, less-cluttered lifestyle, which is part of the attraction in Telluride.
“I love living somewhere small, you know, with no stoplights,” he says. “There’s so much accountability living in a small town because you see these people two, three times a day. You can’t be a jerk, you can’t not respond to a text message because you’re going to literally see them at the post office. You have to be responsive, you have to be kind; you have real conversations.”
In one of the most revealing sections, he cited one of the hurdles of commercial music, lamenting that he “can’t really pour my heart out on the FM radio,” adding that deeper songs “won’t fill up the coliseum on the edge of Tupelo,” a line that — once again — was shaped by Mississippi-born HARDY.
Bentley wasn’t complaining in that moment, but actively seeking to be challenged: “Give me something that’ll burn I can turn into something I can feel.” The challenge was to dig deep in life, but also to dig deep in a song and still make something commercial.
“[Songwriter] Tom Douglas said something about songs that make you remember and songs that make you forget,” Dick recalls. “Most of the songs that are hits are songs that make you forget. What is it making you forget? The idea that loneliness exists at all, and it’s rare that a song that is making you remember that loneliness exists and that it’s OK to be in it.”
Dick and Copperman built the demo, which featured HARDY’s voice. Bentley tried to record “Something Real” three different times — the last at Addiction Studios in Berry Hill, Tenn. — before he found what he was looking for, a performance with a distinct U2 vibe, thanks to searing electric guitar work from Jedd Hughes and more intricate notes enhanced by a delay pedal. The track stacks five guitarists total, including Dan Dugmore, better known as a steel guitarist.
“One of my favorite things to do with Dan when we’re in the studio is to ask him to play electric,” says producer-engineer F. Reid Shippen (Toby Keith, Ingrid Michaelson). “He’s fantastic at it. He plays rock electric like a super-enthusiastic 14-year-old who just doesn’t make mistakes.”
Shippen also took some of Danny Rader’s off-the-cuff banjo noodling and fit it into the mix to provide some country texture amid the U2 sonics.
Late in the game, Jon Randall (Parker McCollum, Miranda Lambert) became the track’s fourth producer, along with Bentley and Copperman. He was called in, he says, to “sprinkle the Americana, or the hippie-trippy stuff, or the ear candy.” Randall focused primarily on the bridge, where the song’s deepest message — “I’m just looking for some truth” — provides its apex.
“More than anything, I think I really just came up with some ideas to build that bridge, so the bridge would be really, really huge and hit hard,” Randall says. “There’s some guitars, percussion things, building to this moment.”
At that “truth” climax, the whole thing breaks down with Bentley and HARDY — who came back in to add harmonies — delivering the message with clarity. “I think that really took it over the top,” Shippen says.
Capitol Nashville released “Something Real” to country radio through PlayMPE on June 12 as the second single from Gravel & Gold, providing deceptively thoughtful perspective in an intensely commercial sonic framework. It’s not unprecedented in Bentley’s career: He has enhanced his reputation with such from-the-soul titles as “Home,” “I Hold On” and “Come a Little Closer.”
“I found when I put songs out that are really personal, there’s a deeper connection because we’re all the same,” Bentley says. “We’re all going through the same struggles, and I feel like the song will connect in that way. It’s going to be a little slower rise to get there. I’ve had other songs that might have been quicker out of the gate, but I feel like this one will have a really important impact on people that listen to it and move them in a deeper way.”
Oliver Anthony Music’s breakout viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” unexpectedly debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
Among other chart achievements for the singer-songwriter, he’s the first artist ever to launch atop the list with no prior chart history in any form. His success story began when a now-viral video of Anthony, posted by radiowv, began circulating around the Internet, showing the singer offering an acoustic performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” vocalizing the pain and angst of the working class at the hands of greedy rich men. The song takes on high taxes, abuse of welfare and selfish politicians.
If you need a guide to follow along with Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond,” find the lyrics below:
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all dayOvertime hours for bullsh– paySo I can sit out here and waste my life awayDrag back home and drown my troubles away
It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten toFor people like me and people like youWish I could just wake up and it not be trueBut it is, oh, it is
Livin’ in the new worldWith an old soulThese rich men north of RichmondLord knows they all just wanna have total controlWanna know what you think, wanna know what you doAnd they don’t think you know, but I know that you do‘Cause your dollar ain’t sh– and it’s taxed to no end‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond
I wish politicians would look out for minersAnd not just minors on an island somewhereLord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eatAnd the obese milkin’ welfare
God, if you’re 5 foot 3 and you’re 300 poundsTaxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge roundsYoung men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down
Lord, it’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten toFor people like me and people like youWish I could just wake up and it not be trueBut it is, oh, it is
Livin’ in the new worldWith an old soulThese rich men north of RichmondLord knows they all just wanna have total controlWanna know what you think, wanna know what you doAnd they don’t think you know, but I know that you do‘Cause your dollar ain’t sh– and it’s taxed to no end‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all dayOvertime hours for bullsh– pay
Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Christopher Anthony Lunsford
In its second week on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, Oliver Anthony Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” rises to No. 1 on the Sept. 2-dated survey. In the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, “Rich Men North of Richmond” earned 22.9 million official U.S. streams, a 31% boost, according to Luminate. It debuted on the Aug. 26-dated […]
Garth Brooks, who launched his own Sevens Radio Network through streaming platform TuneIn in June, announced the second station under his umbrella today: Tailgate Radio, which will blend music and sports.
Hosted by sports commentator and producer Maria Taylor, Tailgate Radio’s launch is timed to the start of the 2023 college football season. While the station will not air the games — TuneIn provides access to live play-by-play from more than 100 Division 1 colleges and universities on other channels — Tailgate Radio will provide pre- and post-game entertainment for sports fans.
“This is one of those ideas someone says, ‘Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?’” Brooks said in a statement. “This combines everyone’s passion for sports and music. It also allows you to enjoy your tailgate, barbeque or poolside party without doing the work. There’s so much music on this channel, Tailgate Radio will be everyone’s favorite.”
Tailgate Radio, which will air 24/7, is kicking off with specific programming including Tailgate Top 20 with Maria, a weekly countdown hosted by Taylor that will highlight the 20 biggest songs across all genres from a specific year as well as tying them in with the biggest sports stories from that year. Elsewhere, Block Party will be a Saturday night four-hour mixshow featuring contemporary music from artists ranging from Luke Combs to Beyonce to Eminem. And Tailgate Takeover will feature celebrities, artists and athletes as guest hosts, allowing them to talk about the music and playlists that help them set their favorite vibe; Brooks will host the first edition.
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Taylor and Brooks previously partnered on her middle school mentoring program for girls, PowHER, which linked with his foundation, Teammates for Kids. “Working closely with Garth and his foundation as we created the PowHER program has been nothing short of amazing,” Taylor said in a statement. “And now, we are embarking on Garth’s extraordinary vision to connect sports and music fans with Tailgate. It’s such an honor to be chosen by greatness to be a partner in the radio space.”
In June, Brooks bowed Sevens Radio with country music channel The Big 615. At the time, he noted that Sevens Radio would, appropriately enough, eventually offer a suite of seven stations. At the press conference for The Big 615, Brooks also stressed the appeal of TuneIn’s international aspect, saying the global reach was his “favorite thing” because it allowed the station to present undiluted country music: “If we go across the water, they ask you immediately to take the [pedal] steel and fiddles off your country music. Ain’t going to happen here.”
TuneIn claims more than 75 million monthly listeners across more than 100,000 stations. Its sports partners include the NFL International, MLB, NHL, NASCAR (Motor Racing Network & Performance Racing Network), Formula 1, IndyCar Radio, US Open, talkSPORT, ESPN Radio and college sports partners (Westwood One, Learfield, Playfly Sports, JMI Sports, Van Wagner and Clemson Athletic Properties).
Kate Middleton may be the Princess of Wales, but the Queen of Country runs on her own schedule. In an interview with BBC Radio 2‘s Claudia Winkleman, Dolly Parton revealed that she was recently invited to have tea with the royal, though she had to turn it down for album promotion reasons. “This time, Lordy, […]
On the heels of releasing his new self-titled album, Zach Bryan has revealed his upcoming 2024 North American trek The Quittin Time Tour.
The tour will hit stadiums and arenas across North America, launching with two shows at Chicago’s United Center on March 6-7 before heading to football stadiums in Denver; Foxborough, Mass.; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Tampa, Fla.; Arlington, Texas; and Minneapolis. The tour will wrap in Bryan’s home state of Oklahoma, with two shows at the BOK Center on Dec. 13-14.
Joining Bryan for the tour will be Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Middle East, Turnpike Troubadours, Sheryl Crow, Sierra Ferrell, Matt Maeson and Levi Turner.
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Fans can register for tour presale access, with presale beginning Sept. 6. General on-sale begins Sept. 8.
To date, Bryan has notched the top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Something in the Orange,” which also spent six weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart. Zach Bryan, which the singer/songwriter wrote and produced himself, was released via Warner Records on Aug. 25 and marks Bryan’s fourth full-length studio project. The new, 16-track album features collaborations with The War & Treaty (“Hey Driver”), Kacey Musgraves (“I Remember Everything”), The Lumineers (“Spotless”) and Sierra Ferrell (“Holy Roller”).
In announcing the album’s track list, Bryan said he is “really proud to call the writing and production on somethin’ all mine,” and noted that “I didn’t make this album to appease people who will never be happy anyways, I made it for my people, hope everyone has a good weekend.”
The Quittin Time Tour tour will follow the 27-year-old Bryan’s current Burn, Burn, Burn Tour, which wraps in Kansas City at the end of the month.
This week’s batch of new country music includes songs from Zach Bryan (with The War and Treaty), Morgan Wade, Scotty McCreery, East Nash Grass, Grant Gilbert and more.
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Zach Bryan and The War and Treaty, “Hey Driver”
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One of three collaborations featured on Bryan’s 16-track, self-titled album (the others being collabs with Kacey Musgraves and The Lumineers), this gritty track pairs Bryan with married duo (and superb vocalists) The War and Treaty. Lyrically, the song conveys a road-weary musician in need of a respite, one who has spent his heart on his music and wisely perceives tourmates who are “gambling with more than just their cards/ With their bottles and their drugs and their bibles and their hearts.” The one-two vocal punch of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter’s otherworldly harmonies would push any artist to give their best, and this piano-based song finds Bryan offering some of his most affecting vocals on the album.
Scotty McCreery, “Cab in a Solo”
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As an artist and a songwriter, McCreery has been on a hot streak of well-crafted, notably performed songs over the past few years, notching five No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. With his latest, which he wrote with Brent Anderson and Frank Rogers, McCreery continues to slake music listeners’ ongoing affinity for ’90s country, thanks to a neo-traditional sound connected to vivid lyricism. The song’s hook sums the protagonist’s reaction to a lover who’s moved on, with the nimble wordplay “drinking cab in a Solo/ solo in the cab of my truck.”
Morgan Wade, “27 Club”
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A standout from her new album Psychopath (which released Friday, Aug. 25), this solo write from Wade references the “27 Club” — a catalog of musicians who died at age 27, including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse — as she exquisitely details surviving and rising above the strains of mental health afflictions, addictions, suicidal thoughts, media obsessions and Hollywood “romances,” to find moments of peace within oneself. Wade’s signature husky, worldly vocals drive home the scrappiness and the disappointment of a superficial relationship with someone who “only knows me ’cause I wrote the song about the hotel lobby,” referring to Wade’s breakthrough hit “Wilder Days.”
Chayce Beckham, “Little Less Lonely”
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The “23” hitmaker and American Idol alum returns with this radio-friendly track about assuaging heartbreak by inundating oneself in neon lights, music, libations and the arms of a potential new lover. Beckham wrote “Little Less Lonely” with Lindsay Rimes and Matt Rogers.
East Nash Grass, Last Chance to Win
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A collection of some of the bluegrass genre’s towering younger talents, East Nash Grass is nominated for the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s new artist of the year honor. Their 11-track album Last Chance to Win, offers ample evidence as to why they’ve earned such accolades. Each member of the group — guitarist James Kee, banjo player Cory Walker, mandolin player Harry Clark, dobro player Gaven Largent, fiddle player Maddie Denton and bassist Jeff Picker — has a sterling resumé, but their collaborative efforts further esteem their musical potency ranging from traditional bluegrass sounds to more progressive fare. Whether the fleet-fingered picking displayed on the Uncle Dave Macon mainstay “Railroadin’ and Gamblin’” or their superb takes on Bill Anderson’s “Slippin’ Away” and Johnny Rodriguez’s “How Could I Love Her So Much,” this collective offers distinguished musicianship as one of the most exciting new groups in the genre.
Margo Price, “Strays”
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Price continues unspooling her previous album Strays, with the upcoming double project Strays II (out Oct. 13). The album is spearheaded by this psychedelic, rutilant roots-rock groove she and her husband, fellow musician Jeremy Ivey, wrote about the boundless experience of falling in love more than two decades ago, a time with little money but plenty of will and determination. Price further cements her position as a keen-eyed, poetic lyricist and an inimitable artist.
Chris Lane, “Find Another Bar”
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She’s broken his heart, and now she’s deadset on taking over the space he’s staked out for his own emotional refuge. Written by Lane with Josh Thompson and Justin Ebach, Lane’s new release finds him veering slightly from hip-hop infused, polished pop-country to a sound with a ragged rock edge, while still residing squarely in his musical wheelhouse. “Find Another Bar” marks Lane’s first release on his new label home at Red Street Records/Voyager Records.
Grant Gilbert, “Turn It Down”
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Gilbert is currently aloft the Texas Regional Radio Chart with his “Six Pack State of Mind,” featuring Josh Abbott. While the Santo, Texas native’s sleek twangy vocal remains intact on his followup, “Turn It Down,” this outing veers into sultry, soulful, rock-tinged territory, as it hinges on the nexus between fiery tensions and romance as salve. A bluesy, grainy guitar groove only heightens the song’s sensual storyline. “Turn It Down” was written by Lainey Wilson, Driver Williams and Arkady Gilman.
WME has acquired Austin, Texas-based True Grit Talent Agency, signing its entire roster including Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Ward Davis, Dexter and The Moonrocks, Bart Crow and Mitchell Ferguson.
True Grit’s team, including agents Mike Krug, Carrie Creasey and Shelby Vanek, have also joined WME and will continue to work out of Austin.
“We are very excited that what we do caught the eye of a company like WME,” Krug said in a statement. “We are proud of all we have built here in Austin and know that joining WME will create exponentially more opportunities for our clients.”
“We’ve long admired the business and roster that True Grit has developed, and we are excited to bring their artists and the team into the WME family and expand WME’s footprint in Austin,” Jay Williams, WME Partner and Nashville office co-head, added in a statement.
The move deepens WME’s presence in Texas, following its acquisition of Red 11 Music earlier this year.
Jinks, known for songs including “Loud and Heavy” and “Hippies and Cowboys,” has been opening shows on Eric Church’s Outsiders Revival Tour. Jinks will headline Red Rocks Amphitheater this fall, and will be among the openers on Luke Combs’ Growing Up and Getting Old Tour next year. Meanwhile, Big Loud artist Godwin is gearing up for the release of his album Family Ties next month, and is opening shows on Zach Bryan‘s Burn, Burn, Burn Tour; Godwin also recently inked a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.
WME represented all three headliners at Stagecoach in 2023; in 2022, WME clients represented over 60% of all headlining slots at the top-country music festivals. Meanwhile, the company’s country music clients have earned the most categories at the ACM Awards and CMA Awards for multiple years.
In Miley Cyrus‘ new video series inspired by her introspective single “Used to Be Young,” the pop star says she’s “looking back on my life and sharing untold stories.”
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Cyrus launched the series on Saturday (Aug. 26) with clips on TikTok, where it seems she’ll be posting all the “Used to Be Young” content.
“Sometimes it feels like my life started when Hannah Montana was born,” she wrote in a caption. “But before Hannah there was Miley. My fantasy was to light up the world with laughter, music & iconic moments that last beyond my lifetime. Decades later I continue to fulfill my purpose because of the love provided by my fans. This series ‘Used To Be Young’ is inspired by my new single. Looking back on my life & sharing untold stories from 1992 until now. Let’s start at the beginning…. Forever, Miley.”
In the first of three short videos posted on TikTok Saturday, Cyrus explains, “I am going to start at the beginning of my life in 1992 until now in 2023 and we’re gonna go through the last 30 years,” and jokes, “I got nowhere to be, b—-.”
In a second TikTok clip, she scrolls through a list of the Top 100 Country Songs in 1992, the year she was born and when dad Billy Ray Cyrus had a hit with “Achy Breaky Heart.”
“My dad grew up the opposite of me,” she said. “So I think that’s where me and my dad’s relationship to fame and success is wildly different. Him feeling loved by a big audience impacted him emotionally more than it ever could me. When he feels special or important it’s like healing a childhood wound, and I’ve always been made to feel like a star. It makes me emotional.”
She added, “I do have a lot of great memories singing music with my dad, and learning and absorbing, and I think I can see my wheels turning in watching his voice and the way that he’s using the instrument. I will say that I feel vocally my dad was underappreciated.”
And in a third clip unveiled on Saturday, Miley watches old footage of Billy Ray talking about his daughter, saying that he foresaw her “destiny to bring a lot of hope to the world. She loves to dance, and the more people clap for her, the more she’ll dance.”
“I’m just grateful that that was projected in the universe before I even could fathom what that meant,” Miley said.
These clips were released online following Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions) special that premiered this week on ABC and Hulu. Follow her on TikTok to continue to watch the “Used to Be Young” series as she posts more videos.
“Used To Be Young” marks the 30-year-old superstar’s first new music since the release of Endless Summer Vacation, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in March.
Anthony Oliver Music’s viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” arrives on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Sept. 2) at No. 45. In the tracking week ending Aug. 24, the song, released Aug. 11 (after the singer-songwriter had previewed it on TikTok), drew 2 million audience impressions, up 294%, according to Luminate.
The single, which the Farmville, Va.-based artist (born Christopher Anthony Lunsford) solely wrote, marks his first chart entry. On the Aug. 26-dated charts, “Richmond” launched at No. 1 on the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100, as well as Hot Country Songs. He became the first artist with no prior chart history in any form to soar in at the summit of each survey.
The former factory worker’s song, a lightning rod for media coverage from both left- and right-leaning media outlets and pundits (and which sparked the opening talking point in the first Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, Aug. 23), drew 17.5 million streams and sold 147,000 downloads in the U.S. in the tracking week ending Aug. 17.
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In the past week, many media outlets have been wondering if country radio would get behind the breakout hit. Although the song is not being promoted to radio, at least yet, one programmer giving avid support is Bo Matthews, program director at Alpha Media’s KBAY, San Jose, Calif. It “simply sounds great on the radio,” he tells Billboard. With 32 plays, “Richmond” was the Country Airplay-reporting station’s 16th most played song Aug. 18-24.
“We haven’t gotten any negative feedback for playing it, and I think we are merely meeting the expectations of our listeners,” Matthews muses. “In fact, I have been impressed and proud of the positive feedback we’ve received from people in the industry and the record community expressing their thanks that we’re supporting it. Finally, it’s obvious that radio listeners are becoming the real gatekeepers for the music we decide to play.”