Country
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At Thursday night’s (May 11) 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, Old Dominion took a moment during their group of the year acceptance speech to acknowledge recent mass shootings — including one over the weekend that took place just 20 minutes from where the awards show was taking place. Old Dominion singer Matthew Ramsey took […]
Ed Sheeran‘s heartbreaking Subtract ballad “Life Goes On” is one of his most vulnerable songs yet, and the 32-year-old crooner added an additional layer of emotion on Thursday night (May 11) when Luke Combs joined him onstage to perform the track at the 2023 ACM Awards. The unlikely duo’s voices blended seamlessly as they traded […]
The 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards launched with a G.O.A.T. — both literally and figuratively.
Six-time ACM entertainer of the year winner Garth Brooks kicked off the 2023 ACM Awards by paying homage to legendary country music artists, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Charley Pride and Texas’ own “King George,” George Strait.
“These musical gods create the foundation for the next generation to stand on forever, building the legacy we so proudly call country music,” he said, welcoming the crowd to Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
“When you break it down, what makes up the G.O.A.T. [greatest of all time] — picking, singing, musicianship,” he said, noting that “adding the last category — time, length of career — I’m not so sure that last one doesn’t make the king of country music a female.”
At that, his co-host for the evening, Dolly Parton, took the stage … wheeling behind her a pink wagon holding a goat.
“A goat? This is Claire. Everybody, say hi to Claire,” Parton said. “Are you excited for the big show tonight, Claire? I think somebody needs to come take her baaack,” she added with a laugh. “I’m sorry, that was such a bad joke.”
She noted that this year marks Brooks’ first time hosting an awards show.
“You know what they say: You never forget your first time,” Parton said. “I’ll never forget when Garth came on the scene and just changed the game of country music forever. Like, in a flash, Garth became one of the biggest stars of all time. I remember when I came along, people were saying that I’m two of the biggest stars in music — I’m still milking it,” Parton joked.
The innuendos kept coming. “I saw you online telling all those nice people that I’m your hall pass,” she said, to the laughter of the audience. “I know why you are doing that GOAT thing,” she added in a nod to the co-hosts’ mutual love for Brooks’ wife and fellow country artist Trisha Yearwood. “And I heard that I’m Trisha’s hall pass as well …. I don’t know why you’re doing that GOAT thing. I think that stands for ‘Garth Organizes a Threesome.’
“I thought I couldn’t love you any more,” Brooks shot back.
“She said I could hug on you and rub on you a little, which is easy to do, because you are so sweet,” Parton added.
This year’s ACM Awards are streaming live on Amazon’s Prime Video.
The ACM Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.
Trisha Yearwood has had a successful, decades-long career so far, and on Thursday (May 11), she celebrated a few of her hits from the ’90s during the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards at Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. But the singer-actress, who was glowing in a hot pink outfit, didn’t go it alone. Carly […]
05/11/2023
Who will win big? Follow along with Billboard all night to find out.
05/11/2023
The 2023 ACM Awards took over the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas on Thursday (May 11) evening, and some of the biggest stars in country music were present for the occasion. Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Kane Brown, Gabby Barrett, Chris Young, Jelly Roll, Chase Rice, Old Dominion, Tiera Kennedy, Ashley McBryde, Priscilla […]
Jimmie Allen has been removed from the performer lineup for this year’s CMA Fest after sexual assault allegations in a new lawsuit, according to a statement from the Country Music Association obtained by Billboard.
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CMA Fest is slated for June 8-11 in downtown Nashville. Allen had been slated to perform during the festival’s closing evening, on Sunday, June 11, on the main stage at Nissan Stadium. Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Ashley McBryde are also on the June 11 lineup. Last year, CMA Fest welcomed an estimated 80,000 country music fans daily to downtown Nashville, and this year, will celebrate 50 years of connecting artist and fans.
The removal comes hours after a civil lawsuit was filed Thursday (May 11) against Allen, as an anonymous “Jane Doe” who previously served as a day-to-day manager for Allen claims to have been repeatedly sexually harassed and raped by Allen, and that Allen’s management company fired her when she complained.
The lawsuit, first reported by Variety and independently obtained by Billboard, was filed Thursday in Tennessee federal court. The anonymous “Jane Doe” accuser claims that Allen “manipulated and used his power” over her job as a day-to-day manager in order to “sexually harass and abuse her” over a period of 18 months from 2020 to 2022.
“Plaintiff expressed in words and actions that Jimmie Allen’s conduct was unwelcome, including pushing him away, sitting where he could not reach her, telling him she was uncomfortable and no, and crying uncontrollably,” the woman’s attorneys write in the complaint. “However, Allen made clear that plaintiff’s job was dependent on her staying silent about his conduct.”
In a statement to Billboard, Allen admitted to a sexual relationship with his accuser but denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Allen also said he is determined to defend himself against the lawsuit.
“It is deeply troubling and hurtful that someone I counted as one of my closest friends, colleagues and confidants would make allegations that have no truth to them whatsoever,” Allen says. “I acknowledge that we had a sexual relationship — one that lasted for nearly two years. During that time she never once accused me of any wrongdoing, and she spoke of our relationship and friendship as being something she wanted to continue indefinitely.
“Only after things ended between us, did she hire a lawyer to reach out and ask for money, which leads me to question her motives. The simple fact is, her accusations are not only false, but also extremely damaging. I’ve worked incredibly hard to build my career, and I intend to mount a vigorous defense to her claims and take all other legal action necessary to protect my reputation.”
Allen has also been suspended by his record label BBR Music Group (Allen records for the label’s Stoney Creek imprint), including the ceasing of of radio promotion for his current single “Be Alright.”
“In light of today’s allegations against Jimmie Allen, BBR Music Group has decided to suspend all activity with him, effective immediately,” a label representative said via a statement to Billboard.
Delaware native Allen had also previously been slated to deliver a commencement keynote address at his alma mater Delaware State University. In a release obtained by Billboard, it was noted that Allen is no longer delivering the commencement address and has been replaced by Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. According to the release, Allen informed the university he would no longer be available to participate in the ceremony.
Cole Swindell is happily engaged to his girlfriend Courtney Little — but the process of getting a ring on her finger got a little stressful. The country music superstar sat down with Audacy’s Katie & Company, where he revealed that he got stuck in traffic while picking up the ring, all thanks to Taylor Swift‘s The Eras […]
A week after winning his landmark copyright case, Ed Sheeran is celebrating by playing the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Frisco, Texas tonight. Though only announced Tuesday (May 9), his appearance has been in the works for a few weeks when an unrevealed artist invited him to play together.
That artist and their performance are a secret, but Sheeran is also playing “Life Goes On,” from his new album – (Subtract).
If he has it his way, Sheeran will be making a lot more country music. “I talk about this to my wife all the time. I would love to transition into country,” he tells Billboard backstage at the Ford Center at The Star at Frisco following rehearsal. “I love the culture of it, I just love the songwriting. It’s just like brilliant songs.”
Sheeran considers himself a major country music fan. He’s lived in Nashville twice for extended periods of time in 2013 and 2018 and found himself very inspired by the local songwriters. “It’s like a community. There’s not really a place in Europe where you could point and say, ‘That’s the home of songwriting,’” he says. “It’s not just for country music. Nashville is just a hub of incredible songwriters, incredible performers. And I really felt inspired just being there being around everyone.”
He has Taylor Swift to thank for turning him on to country music. “I’d never really listened to country music as a kid growing up. It was only being on Taylor’s Red tour and living in Nashville and her basically introducing me to that side of it.”
Now he’s a convert, adding that “there’s a radio station in England called [CountryLine Radio] that me and my wife have on all day, every day in the kitchen.”
As country grows in popularity internationally, he predicts more artists experiencing global success. “Luke Combs could probably play a stadium in England. I think if he put on Wembley [Stadium] next summer, he could sell it.” (Combs, who is on a world tour, already has two O2 Arena dates in London on his October calendar.)
As Sheeran celebrates his May 4 copyright victory during which a jury ruled that his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On,” he hopes that his willingness to fight instead of settle helps other songwriters, though he admits it may take some time to change the current culture where such suits have “become a big money business,” he says.
“But the more that people step up and fight, the less it’s going to happen because the reason it has become a culture and a big money business is because of the threat of it. And so, people settle because they don’t want to spend a lot of money on lawyers and take time out,” he says. “I took time out of promoting my album two weeks, I spent a lot of money on lawyers to prove my innocence. And I think that if that happens more and more and more, it’ll just stop people thinking that they can just do a hit and run basically.”
Streams, sales and radio airplay of Gordon Lightfoot’s catalog jumped by triple-digit percentages following the Canadian singer-songwriter’s death.
In the April 28-May 4 tracking week, official on-demand U.S. streams of Lightfoot’s music ballooned 290% to 14 million, according to Luminate, from 3.6 million the prior week (April 21-27).
Additionally, Lightfoot’s catalog moved 41,000 song downloads, a 3,629% surge from 1,000 the previous frame.
His overall album consumption totaled 20,000 equivalent album units, up 511% from 3,000. Of that sum, 6,000 units were via album sales.
Lightfoot’s radio airplay audience vaulted by 317% to 3 million impressions, from 730,000.
The influx of interest in Lightfoot’s deep catalog — he first reached a Billboard chart in 1969 — sparks his appearances on multiple surveys dated May 13. That haul includes the No. 1-selling track in the United States, as “If You Could Read My Mind” bows atop Digital Song Sales with 10,000 sold, up 4,162%.
Additionally, “Sundown” (9,000 sold, up 2,976%), “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (7,000, up 3,429%) and “Carefree Highway” (4,000, up 4,283%) also enter the top 10, at Nos. 3, 5 and 10, respectively.
The four songs encompass Lightfoot’s career Billboard Hot 100 top 10s. “Mind” reached No. 5 in February 1971, “Sundown” reigned for a week in June 1974, “Highway” hit No. 10 that November; and “Edmund Fitzgerald” peaked at No. 2 in November 1976.
All four songs appear on Rock Digital Song Sales at Nos. 1-3 and 5, respectively. They’re joined by 1975’s “The Soul Is the Rock” (No. 12; 2,000 sold).
“Sundown” leads a trio of Lightfoot songs on the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart (where older titles are eligible to appear if in the top half with a meaningful reason for their resurgences). The song bows at No. 11, with its download sales joined by 3.3 million streams, up 64%.
“Mind” (No. 17; 2.1 million streams, up 99%) and “Edmund Fitzgerald” (No. 20; 1.9 million streams, up 127%) also enter the survey.
“Sundown,” “Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Highway” and “Rock” reach Country Digital Song Sales, at Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 13, respectively.
On the all-format Billboard 200, Lightfoot’s Gord’s Gold collection returns at No. 95 thanks to 11,000 units, up 3,086%. It’s the set’s first appearance on the chart since January 1977, after it reached No. 34 a year earlier.
Gord’s Gold also reaches Americana/Folk Albums (No. 3) and Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Country Albums (No. 17 on both).
Multiple Lightfoot songs dot Billboard’s LyricFind charts, which rank the fastest momentum-gaining tracks in lyric-search queries and usages globally and in the U.S., provided by LyricFind. “Sundown” leads the way at No. 1 on LyricFind U.S. with an 884% increase in lyric searches and usages following Lightfoot’s death, according to LyricFind.
Lightfoot died of natural causes in Toronto May 1 at age 84.