Country
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It was the quick exit heard ’round the world. Back on March 29 when he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, Morgan Wallen famously beat what some saw as a hasty retreat from the stage during the traditional end-of-show credit segment where the week’s guest and the cast hang out trading hugs and goodbyes.
After performing two songs on the Mikey Madison-hosted episode, Wallen briefly joined the cast on stage at the end of the episode, then abruptly walked off, sharing a photo on his Instagram Stories a short time later from his private plane with the caption, “Get me to God’s country” over the image of a runway; he later capitalized on the controversy by selling “Get Me to God’s Country” merch.
A week later, the show had some fun with the incident in a cold-open bit in which James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump took a shot at Wallen while discussing the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. “I even put tariffs on an island uninhabited by humans. It’s called Heard and McDonald Island,” Johnson’s Trump said, holding a poster featuring a hula skirt-wearing hamburger. “I would love to visit there. Can you imagine that? Big Mac and a hula skirt. Get me to God’s country, right? Remember that?”
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On Sunday (May 11), Wallen appeared on comedian Caleb Pressley’s podcast and the host, in a bid to show how normal the country star is noted that Wallen still cuts his own grass and takes out his trash. “Not true,” Wallen smiled. Teasing out the joke, Pressley asked if former landscaper Wallen is good around the house fixing stuff.
“Could you fix a TV, if it was on SNL?,” Pressley asked. Wallen laughed and said, “I could change it for sure.”
“Seriously, SNL, did they make you mad?” Pressley pressed, as the camera zoomed in faux dramatically. “No, no, I was just ready to go home. I been there all week.”
While Wallen seems to have had his fill, SNL wasn’t done with the jokes. During that same April 5 episode, Weekend Update’s Colin Jost poked fun at the singer in a bit about the economy. “This was the worst week for the stock market since the summer of 2020. But you have to remember — back then, the president was also Trump,” Jost said. “Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights.”
Long-time cast member Kenan Thompson also had thoughts about it, saying the Wallen quickstep was unusual at best. “We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?” Thompson said, noting that Prince had pulled a similar move during his appearance on the show years ago.
“I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish,” Thompson said. “It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.”
Wallen’s upcoming 37-track album, I’m the Problem, is due out on Friday (May 16).
Watch Wallen on Sundae Conversation with Caleb Pressley below.
Following a star-studded 60th annual Academy of Country Music awards in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, May 8 – at which Jelly Roll was up for three trophies while Post Malone was competing in four categories – the pair got back to business on their Big Ass Stadium tour with a stop in Arlington, Texas’s AT&T Stadium, just outside of Dallas. But, most importantly, the stop was just a 20-minute drive south from Post’s hometown of Grapevine (where, as a young kid, he and his family moved to from Syracuse).
And while Posty’s love for his hometown runs deep, his love for the Dallas Cowboys runs deeper. Post even welcomed his dad onstage, telling the crowd how he worked at the Cowboys’ current and former stadium for a total of 14 years. To which Post’s dad said: “Let’s go Cowboys!”
Following a rousing opening set from Sierra Ferrell, it was Jelly Roll’s turn to warm up the sold-out stadium. “Y’all, get ready for your hometown hero,” Jelly repeated throughout his own set, hyping up his pal Posty throughout his hour-long performance.
By the time Post took the stage, emotions were already running high. He took a moment to tell the crowd he’ll be 30 this July, and that the milestone birthday has had him feeling reflective of late. “I’m the most grateful mother f—er on the face of this planet,” he said, speaking of his decade-long career. “You have given me the strength to keep going.”
He later said that though this was only the fourth show on his Big Ass Stadium Tour, “so far this has been the most beautiful experience of my life, ladies and gentlemen.” And for many in the crowd, the same was surely true for them. During “Goodbyes,” one fan even offered Posty a bouquet of flowers, which he happily reached for and cradled as he walked down the stage.
“I’m having the fucking time of my life,” he said, with a Texas-sized grin. “Seriously.”
Below are the best moments from his hometown show.
Sierra Ferrell’s Very Special Guest
“This voice is courtesy of Blake Shelton last night,” said a hoarse Jon Loba, president of recorded music at BMG North America, while on stage at BMG’s annual ACM kick-off brunch at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, May 8.And while he spent the night before celebrating Shelton’s 30th No. 1 country radio single, “Texas” – and his first No. 1 hit with BMG, after signing with BMG/BBR Music last September – Loba noted the week was full of celebratory moments for the label, with the Jelly Roll & Friends benefit concert on Tuesday, May 6 and Lainey Wilson performing at the ACM Lifting Lives gala honoring Brooks & Dunn on Wednesday evening.
But, said Loba, the brunch wouldn’t be about celebrating past accomplishments. “Everyone keeps asking what’s next?” he shared. “So, we decided this brunch would be about what’s next for the BBR Music Group…We continue to be in a growth mode.”
After a tip of the hat to new music coming from Dustin Lynch, who Loba called “a bedrock of our label,” second only to Jason Aldean who has been with the company from the beginning—the two-hour brunch at the Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas, demonstrated exactly that, as a handful of rising stars were spotlighted.
Drew Baldridge, whose current hit “Tough People” is No. 15 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, then took the stage to perform a new song, “Rebel,” also sharing that in just three more weeks, he will be getting his first tour bus: “I’ve been in a van for 12 years… with seven dudes,” he said with a laugh. And following a brief presentation on Alexandra Kay, who is currently touring Europe after opening for Jelly Roll last year, former American Idol contestant Colin Stough spoke about what’s next for him. “I’ve actually never been inside a country club,” he said with a laugh, scanning the packed room. He then debuted “White Trash,” a song inspired by his difficult relationship with his father.
Up next was Lanie Gardner, who performed a new track, “The Hills Have Eyes,” followed by her hit “Cry.” And before she stepped off stage, she had the surprise of a lifetime: an invitation from the Opry to make her Grand Ole Opry debut this year. And after a brief cry, she of course said, “yes.” John Morgan, who’s duet with Jason Aldean “Friends Like That” became his first Country Airplay Top 10, performed next, unveiling new music from his forthcoming album. That included a song he co-wrote with Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard based on an idea he’d been kicking around for well over a year.
And lastly, to close the brunch, Frank Ray delivered a high-energy set that included his latest track, the Latin-influenced “Miami in Tennessee,” which Loba was proudly singing along to while sitting to the side of the stage.
Frank Ray
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Frank Ray at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
JoJamie Hahr, Camille Kenny & Kerri Edwards
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BMG’s JoJamie Hahr and Camille Kenny with Artist Manager Kerri Edwards at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Lanie Gardner
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Lanie Gardner at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
JoJamie Hahr, Chayce Beckham & Jon Loba
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JoJamie Hahr, Chayce Beckham and Jon Loba at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Drew Baldridge
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Drew Baldridge at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Katie Kerkhover, JoJamie Hahr, Colin Stough, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Frank Ray, John Morgan, Chayce Beckham & Peter Strickland
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Katie Kerkhover, JoJamie Hahr, Colin Stough, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Frank Ray, John Morgan, Chayce Beckham and Peter Strickland at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Frank Ray and Jon Loba
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Frank Ray and Jon Loba at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Lee Adams
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Lee Adams at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Frank Ray, Katie Kerkhover, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Chayce Beckham & John Morgan
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Frank Ray, Katie Kerkhover, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Chayce Beckham and John Morgan at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Lexie Lampkin, Jordan Pettit, Lanie Gardner, Jenn Tressler & Samantha Kane
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Lexie Lampkin, Jordan Pettit, Lanie Gardner, Jenn Tressler and Samantha Kane at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Ken Tucker
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Ken Tucker at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Jon Loba, Shelley Hargis & Joey Tack
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Jon Loba, Shelley Hargis and WIVK’s Joey Tack at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Adrian Michaels, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner & Frank Ray
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Adrian Michaels, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner and Frank Ray at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Colin Stough
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Colin Stough at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Jon Loba, Frank Ray & Oscar Chavira
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Jon Loba, Frank Ray and Ray’s Manager Oscar Chavira at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Shawn McSpadden
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Artist Manager Shawn McSpadden at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
John Morgan, Brent Lane, Frank Ray & Shelley Hargis
Image Credit: Rich Polk
John Morgan, Cat Country 98.7’s Brent Lane, Frank Ray and Shelley Hargis at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Frank Ray & Katie Kerkhover
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Frank Ray and Katie Kerkhover at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
She’s got a bit of a potty mouth, so when Ashley Cooke released a track titled “the f word,” her friends weren’t particularly surprised.
“I have the mouth of a sailor,” she says, “so [that title] didn’t really bother me, because it was just so brilliant. And I love that it was something that caught your attention off the bat. In today’s world with music, I feel like you kind of have to push the boundaries a little bit and do something that maybe shocks people and makes people curious.”
The phrase “the f word” is designed to hide a term that makes some folks uncomfortable. Oddly enough, “the f word” didn’t follow its inspiration to the letter, because “f” wasn’t the initial plan.
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“I had written ‘The B Word’ down on my phone,” songwriter Emily Weisband (“If I Die Before You,” “Looking For You”) remembers. “I was talking to my friend one day, and she was like, ‘Could you see him being my boyfriend?’ I was like, ‘Ooh, you said the B word, dirty mouth.’ I just made a joke about it, so I wrote ‘The B Word’ down in my phone. And then as I thought about the idea more, I said, ‘You know, ‘the f word’ might be a little cooler, a little more potent.’”
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Weisband had a Zoom writing appointment on Oct. 30, 2021, with Lori McKenna (“Humble and Kind,” “Girl Crush”) and Gordie Sampson (“Jesus, Take The Wheel,” “God, Your Mama, And Me”), and she suggested writing “the f word.”
Zoom presents some co-writing challenges, so under the circumstances, some F bombs were definitely dropped. “I’m gonna say just a couple – maybe 55, 60,” Sampson jokes.
The title looks like a novelty, so an uptempo song seems obvious. They took an unexpected turn, and wrote “the f word” as a ballad. “I love the juxtaposition sometimes when it’s a sad song that is upbeat, or a happy song that’s slow,” Weisband says. “I think that can be a really beautiful ‘art’ thing sometimes, so I kind of felt, because the title was a little gimmicky, [we should] balance that out.”
The thing was, the payoff line for “the f word” would be a surprise. Listeners would certainly expect the song to use a swear word, based on the title. But the writers had a different F word in mind. The goal was to tease the listener a bit, hinting at the implied four-letter term while introducing clues to the song’s actual F expression.
“I try not to swear” became the opening line, and they kept that first verse short, using just six lines until they got to the end of the pre-chorus: “I should wash my mouth out with soap.”
“If you, the listener, have granted us that you’re going to click on this, we owe it to you to keep you there and get to the point right off the top, instead of dilly-dallying and making them wait,” Sampson says.
“I said the F word in front of your mama” – the opening of the chorus – was dramatic enough, and they unwittingly dropped in a “what the hell” in the third line, before they finally got to the F word: “I’d probably spend forever with you.”
“Forever” may work in fairytales, but it often scares men away. And the singer in “the f word” keeps using it – she says it “in front of your sister” in the second chorus, and at “4 in the morning” in the third. Since the guy is still there, the risky “forever” word paid off.
Matching the surprise lyric, they stocked “the f word” with a couple of surprise chords at key moments. Sampson created a demo after everyone left Zoom, and a few weeks later, Weisband applied an almost-dreamy lead vocal. “We used a very mellow, reverbed-out, clean guitar in the background to stay out of the way of the lyric,” Sampson says. “We had to make a lot of space in the track for the lyrics, so that it would be out front and very present, so you could hopefully get reeled into it.”
A number of artists liked it, but “the f word” hung around unrecorded until Weisband emailed it among several songs to Cooke on Aug. 28, 2024. The title intrigued Cooke, and the “forever in front of your mama” line nailed it; Cooke had once made the mistake of telling her boyfriend’s mother over sushi that he had changed his mind and was ready to get married – before he was ready for his mom to know.
“He looked at me like I was a psycho person,” Cooke recalls. “I heard the song, and it took me immediately back to my sushi restaurant.”
Cooke performed it live for the first time during a Feb. 19 date at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, with Weisband singing harmony, and she cut it with producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) before heading to Australia in March. Huff kept the spirit of the demo, though he turned the guitar background into a subtly morphing sound, the tones shifting indiscernibly from Derek Wells’ atmospheric guitar into Alex Wright’s glassy keyboards into Justin Schipper’s tangy steel. Jerry Roe snuck into the arrangement gradually, and Jenee Fleenor applied shimmering fiddle to a couple of spots, emulating a string quartet in the second verse.
“To me, there’s a dance to this song,” Huff says. “Jenee studied classical music when she was young, so she has the repertoire… She can be as bluegrass as she can be classical. That’s kind of where we went with this thing.”
Huff felt the track needed a fourth chorus, allowing them to repeat “I said the F word in front of your mama.” Cooke had her doubts, but they cut both options, and once she saw live audiences attempting to repeat the “mama” line when they sang along, she agreed with Huff. “We let it sit and marinate, and came back to it, and she chose that [extra chorus],” Huff says. “I’m glad she did, because I think it’s the right way to do it.”
Will Weatherly produced her lead vocal, and the final product turns a title that initially looks edgy into a sweet moment that feels, as Cooke says, “like ‘90s rom-coms.”
Big Loud released “the f word” to digital service providers on April 18, but there’s a chance it could go to radio. Programmers have responded well, recognizing that it lets adults in on the joke while keeping it clean for kids.
“It seems controversial, but it’s not,” Cooke says. “I’ve heard from a lot of program directors [who say] when the title comes across their dashboard, [fans] are curious, and so it makes them want to turn it up and listen to what’s happening. And when they hear it, there’s no profanity or negativity in the song. So it’s actually the best thing for them, because it catches attention without having to worry about the viewership and the age groups. It’s a really cool thing. We’ll see what happens.”
If it feels like it’s been a minute since you heard from Gretchen Wilson you’re not wrong. The Grammy-winning “Redneck” woman country star known for her independent streak hasn’t released an album of all-new material since 2017’s Ready to Get Rowdy or a single since 2024’s scorching “Little Miss Runner Up,” a one-off sequel to 2005’s “Homewrecker.”
But after winning season 13 of The Masked Singer this week, Wilson tells Billboard she’s ready to crank things up again after a long time out of the spotlight due to a run of serious health issues with an all-star Taylor Swift-style reboot.
“I had some post-COVID health stuff, I’m a long-hauler. I’ve got medications I’ll have to take for the rest of my life — high blood pressure, asthma — these are all things I didn’t have right before COVID,” Wilson told Billboard in her Masked Singer exit interview about why she’s been off the radar a lot over the past few years. “I also was dancing with a 6-year-old boy at a wedding, spinning, spinning, spinning, then I lost myself and I shattered my ankle and my leg, so I spent eight months in a wheelchair in a cast.”
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Wilson says the cascade of health issues got her wondering if she might still have the stamina to “do a 75-minute show in Yuma, AZ” outdoors in August. But, after the reality singing show came knocking and she had a season-long run nailing rock, pop, R&B and Latin dance pop she realized she was ready to return to the spotlight.
Saying she has “lots of irons in the fire” at the moment, Wilson, 51, reveals the most exciting thing on tap this year is a “re-creation” of her breakthrough 2004 album, Here For the Party. “I am gonna do my version, sort of the way Taylor did, but on my label [Redneck Records],” she says. “But instead of just recreating it the same way, I am going to have a guest vocalist on each song. I’ve got a few absolute yes’s so far, but I was waiting for this [post-Masked Singer] moment so that when I make the rest of the calls they are quicker yes’s.”
While it’s still a work in progress, so far Wilson is proud to tease a duet with Travis Tritt on an unnamed song, something she’s been wanting to do her whole career. “I can’t think of another voice that would pair up with me perfectly,” she says. In addition, she’s re-worked her song “Chariot” with country trio Chapel Hart and has a number of feelers out to some “huge names” that she’s not able to talk about yet.
“I want to make sure [they know] I’m not trying to reinvent myself with the album, I’ve got other things going on and this will be good for them,” she said of the message to the A-list collaborators she’s shooting for.
One of those other irons is a role as “tour manager” or, as she dubbed it “tour momager” on the upcoming music competition series The Road. The show executive produced by Taylor Sheridan (Landman, Mayor of Kingstown), Blake Shelton, David Glasser, Lee Metzger and Keith Urban is slated to premiere in the fall on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
“Tour manager is the hardest job because it all comes down to you,” Wilson laughs. “Obviously on this production I didn’t have to do all the jobs a tour manager does — I wasn’t wrangling the buses or hotel rooms — but in the venue I was doing all the other parts a tour manager does: getting them on and off the stage, making sure they’re taking care of themselves, discussing songs changes, keys, modulations with the band on their behalf… just being the last face they see before they go on and the first face they see when they get off. It’s more like a tour momager role.”
She says none of the contestants on the show are “super young,” but most are younger than her and she calls them “kids” because, let’s be honest, they don’t have nearly the experience she’s had on the road. From playing in three or four bars bands at the same time at 16, to touring the world, Wilson says her road dog experience is worth its weight in gold as she helps the contestants make their way across the country. “What my role was to bring them my experience, any knowhow I’ve gained over the years, any tricks or secrets I know,” she says. “It’s not hard: go to be early, shut up, don’t talk too much, save it for the show. Just somebody to bounce ideas off of, to yell at.”
In the meantime, Wilson has a summer full of shows on her calendar, including slots at the Natchitoches Jazz and R&B Festival in Natchitoches, LA this weekend, as well as a spot at the Hoofbeat Country Fest in Cadott, WI the weekend of June 26-28 and a Grand Ole Opry House show on July 8 in Nashville.
The first ever Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award was handed out at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday (May 8). The award was given to — “You guessed it,” as host Reba McEntire quipped — country legend Alan Jackson, who also performed his 2003 Hot Country Songs-topping hit ballad “Remember When.” The […]
The Academy of Country Music Awards kicked off its 60th ceremony with a medley performance of hit songs from throughout its six decades — spanning from the 1960s to the 2010s — with one of its preeminent contemporary power couples sharing a sweet moment in the crowd at its closing. “I’m proud to sing this […]
Zach Bryan keeps making big moves. After recently re-upping his deal with Warner Records, the Grammy winner has now purchased the historic former Saint Jean Baptiste Church building in Lowell, Mass., and is set to transform it into the previously-announced Jack Kerouac Center. That project was initially revealed in 2022, but was paused due to funding obstacles.
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Bryan bought the building from McGowan and TMI Property Management and Development, which previously acquired the building and property from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2006.
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The partnership between the Billboard Hot 100-topping singer-songwriter and the Jack Kerouac Estate will work toward furthering the legacy of novelist and Massachusetts native Kerouac, while also helping aid creativity within Kerouac’s hometown. Kerouac served as an altar boy at the church when he was a child, and the building is where Kerouac’s funeral mass was held in 1969.
The new center will include exhibits, and will feature live music, public readings, and community events.
“We’ve been working on this deal with Zach and his team for several months,” Sylvia Cunha, who leads marketing and business development for the Jack Kerouac estate, said in a statement. “He stepped up and delivered in a big way, showing incredible generosity. Our immediate focus is to bring the building up to code so we can start using the space for music and other events while forming new partnerships to help us bring this vision to life and ensure its lasting success.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with Zach Bryan and his team to honor Jack Kerouac in such a meaningful way,” added Jim Sampas, the literary executor of the Jack Kerouac estate. “The Jack Kerouac Center will stand as a lasting symbol of inspiration, forever linking Jack and Zach. [Bryan’s Investment] is a significant addition to the cultural fabric of Lowell and beyond, drawing visitors from all over the world.”
Bryan has long been a fan of Kerouac, who is known as a pioneer of the Beat Generation and lauded for his books including On The Road, Big Sur, and The Dharma Bums. In 2022, Bryan noted in an Instagram post that his song “Burn, Burn, Burn” was inspired from a line in Kerouac’s On The Road.
Country music’s canon of songs is filled with compositions celebrating the support and comfort of family — and particularly the championing, caring, uplifting work of mother figures, whether they be biological, adoptive, or titular. There are numerous country songs about moms and motherhood, such as The Chicks’ “Lullaby” or Faith Hill’s “You Can’t Lose Me,” […]
Wolverine, the 142-year-old workwear brand trusted by generations of tradespeople, is kicking things up a notch with their newest partnership with country music star Jordan Davis. Known for his heartfelt lyrics and no-nonsense work ethic, the Billboard-charting country artist is a perfect fit for Wolverine, which celebrates those who put in the work and stay the course.
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“For me, it’s the versatility of Wolverine,” says Davis. “It’s something I can wear in my everyday life—get off the road, jump in the truck, come out to the farm—and I know it’s going to be there for me. It’s a brand I have a lot of trust in.”
And that trust runs deep. Davis grew up watching his dad and grandpa working in their shops, refurbishing furniture and casting lines in the creek—all with Wolverine boots on their feet. Now, whether he’s writing songs in Nashville, playing shows around the world on his ‘Ain’t Enough Road Tour’, or spending time on his Tennessee farm, those same boots are still part of his story.
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But this partnership goes beyond the boots.
Wolverine and Davis are hitting the road for something big: The Wolverine x Jordan Davis Trades Tour. This first-of-its-kind initiative will celebrate eight American small trades businesses with over $100,000 in sponsorships and gear—giving back to the very people who inspire Wolverine and Jordan every day.
“For over 140 years, Wolverine has been about supporting those whose work we couldn’t live without – American tradesmen and women,” said Lauren King, Senior Director of Marketing for Wolverine. “The Wolverine x Jordan Davis Trades Tour is our latest commitment to celebrating their hard work, resilience, and impact. We’re proud to stand beside them and shine a spotlight on the essential work they do every day.”
“Growing up in a family of tradesmen is something I have a ton of pride in,” Davis shares. “It taught me about hard work and creating something from nothing. I want to pass that on to my kids—and this tour is a way to honor the folks still doing it.”
Each of the eight selected businesses will receive a $15,000 support package, including $7,500 toward growing their business, $2,500 in boots and gear, and even a VIP experience at a local stop on Jordan’s Ain’t Enough Road Tour. Plus, their name will be featured on the official Trades Tour t-shirt and promoted and sold across Wolverine and Jordan Davis’ channels, including merch stands at Jordan’s tour this fall.
“Wolverine has been with me on a lot of long days—on the road, at the farm, in the studio,” Davis says. “They’re built for endurance, just like the people who wear them.”
As Davis puts it, “There’s just something special about creating something with your own hands—and knowing you’ve got the gear to back you up.”
To check out the boots or nominate a trades business for the tour, head tohttps://www.wolverine.com/US/en/trades-tour.