Country
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Just over two weeks after the Nashville community was shaken by a school shooting at The Covenant School that took the lives of three children and three school staff members, several from Nashville’s music community gathered for an evening of healing through music at “A Night of Joy: Celebrating The Covenant School”
Hosted by author Annie F. Downs, the event was held on Wednesday (April 12) at Belmont University’s The Fisher Center, with all proceeds benefitting The Covenant School’s staff, students and families.
Carrie Underwood was one of many artists who gathered that night to support and love The Covenant School community, and contributed a pitch-perfect rendition of her Grammy-winning hit “Something in the Water.”
“I’m Carrie and I had no idea what I was going to sing tonight, but it is a night of joy and I wanted [one of the] most joyful songs I had,” Underwood told the crowd. “If you know it, sing along, and if you don’t, sing something and make a joyful noise.”
Belmont University alumnus Tyler Hubbard performed “Real Life Heroes,” a song he had written three weeks ago, just days prior to the school shooting. The song is a tribute to all kinds of everyday heroes, from military members to farmers to teachers. As soon as Hubbard finished the first chorus with the line, “There are some real-life heroes in this town,” the crowd became fervent in its agreement.
Hubbard dedicated the song to “staff, teachers, first responders, parents, friends, family — anyone who has played a part in healing. There are a lot of heroes in this room tonight.”
Husband and wife duo The War and Treaty earned the first standing ovation of the evening. With only the accompaniment of a piano, Michael and Tanya Trotter wowed the crowd with their superb vocals on “Up Yonder,” while Tanya’s powerful, elegant rendering of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” ushered the crowd to their feet.
Another thunderous standing ovation quickly followed when Downs told the crowd that there were first responders in attendance.
During their performance, Caleb and Will Chapman of Nashville-based rock band Colony House revealed that they were both former students of the late Katherine Koonce, Covenant’s head of school who was one of the six victims killed in the shooting.
“She encouraged us to tell our story,” said lead singer Caleb, before introducing the song “Moving Forward.” “This was written during a heavy time for our family,” he said. He soon welcomed the brothers’ father, CCM luminary Steven Curtis Chapman, to the stage. As Chapman acknowledged the evening as “a night we wish was not happening,” he also spoke of Koonce’s kindness, courage and love, before performing his 1997 release, “Not Home Yet.”
Also among the performers were country trio Lady A (performing “I Run to You”), Matt Maher (“The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” and “Lord I Need You”), Thomas Rhett (“Be a Light”), Sixpence None the Richer (“Kiss Me”), Mat Kearney (“Nothing Left to Lose”), Ben Rector (“Thank You”), Dave Barnes (“God Gave Me You”), The Warren Brothers (a rendition of “Anyway,” a hit for Martina McBride) and Chris Tomlin (“Good, Good Father”). Also on the bill were songwriters Sandra McCracken, Luke Laird and Brett Taylor, as well as a performance from Dwan Hill, Jasmine Mullen and Sarah Kroger.
The audience also featured few surprise guests; rock singer Alice Cooper and his wife Sheryl took to the stage, offering their support to the Covenant School community, and introduced a performance from Thomas Rhett.
Before Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor performed the group’s 2004 hit “Wagon Wheel,” he told the crowd how Country Music Hall of Fame member Roy Acuff’s name was scratched into his violin. He told the crowd that after March 27, he took a pin and scratched in additional names—the names of the Covenant School shooting victims, including Evelyn Dieckhaus, Mike Hill, William Kinney, Koonce, Cynthia Peak and Hallie Scruggs. He then dedicated the song’s third verse to each of the victims and for a few moments, the crowd joined in with a lighthearted, wall-to-wall singalong inside The Fisher Center.
Drew Holcomb and Ellie Holcomb also performed “Family,” as Ellie offered “a reminder that the light is always stronger than the darkness.” Drew added, “We have all been so inspired by how much you love each other and let others into your grief and your story. I’ve never ben so proud to be from Nashville than the past two weeks.”
Singer-songwriter and The Highwomen member Natalie Hemby was joined by fellow singer-songwriter Trent Dabbs. Downs noted that Hemby was among those who organized the “A Night of Joy” event. “She was one of the first ones asking, ‘How can we help?’ Downs said.
Hemby, with Dabbs’ guitar accompaniment, performed a rendition of “Rainbow,” a song recorded by Kacey Musgraves, which Hemby co-wrote with Shane McAnally and Musgraves.
Meanwhile, Hemby spoke of her relationship with Peak, whom Hemby recalled had given her swimming lessons as a child and was also a math tutor. “Cynthia was such an amazing human being…I remember swimming with her and I did the backstroke more than the frontstroke, because I could look up at the sky. I remember her having her hand underneath me, guiding me along and I feel like she was that kind of person, always.”
Hemby added, “When we found out she was gone, I immediately felt sad. But I also felt this incredible peace, because I know where that woman is.”
Ryman Auditorium in Nashville unveiled the latest addition to its Icon Walk on Thursday (April 13) – a bronze statue honoring Charley Pride. Pride’s statue joins likenesses of Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe and Little Jimmy Dickens.
All four artists are in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Monroe, often called the father of bluegrass music, has also been voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence. In 1971, Pride became the first Black artist to win the CMA Award for entertainer of the year. The following year, Lynn became the first woman to win that top award.
The Icon Walk was created as a way to honor those who have made significant contributions to the historic venue and to Nashville.
Rozene Pride, the singer’s widow (they were married for more than 60 years), and their son Dion Pride attended the unveiling.
“He has often been called the Jackie Robinson of country music,” Rozene shared. “The only difference was Jackie Robinson was picked for the role. Pride picked country music because he loved it and that was his life.”
“He loved his fans – in fact, his fans drove him,” Dion added. “All of you drove him. You are the reason why he was the success he was. Everything he did was for you.”
“Charley Pride broke barriers and defied stereotypes, becoming one of the most successful and beloved country music artists of all time,” said Ryman Hospitality Properties executive chairman Colin Reed.
Visitors can find Pride’s statue at the northwest corner of the building next to the likenesses of Lynn and Monroe. Dickens’ statue stands atop the Ryman’s main steps, greeting ticket holders and tour-takers as they arrive. Artist Ben Watts, who created the three previous statues, also did the honors on Pride’s statue.
A general view of the bronze, life-sized Charley Pride statue at Ryman Auditorium on April 12, 2023 in Nashville.
Jason Davis/GI
Pride amassed 29 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart (now called Hot Country Songs), from “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)” in August 1969 to “Night Games” in September 1983. His longest-running No. 1 (five weeks) was 1971’s “Kiss an Angel Good Morning,” a crossover hit that helped Pride land back-to-back CMA Awards for male vocalist of the year in 1971 and 1972. Pride is also a three-time Grammy winner and a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Pride is credited with helping break color barriers by becoming country music’s first Black superstar. His influence was seen in the ACM Awards nominations, announced today, in which Kane Brown is nominated for entertainer of the year and male artist of the year, and the Americana duo The War & Treaty is nominated for duo of the year.
A member of the Grand Ole Opry, Pride received the CMA’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2020.
Barely a month later, on Dec. 12, 2020, Pride died at the age of 86 from complications due to COVID-19. In 2021, CMT celebrated his life and impact with CMT Giants: Charley Pride.
Singer-songwriter-actor Tim McGraw is expanding his business ventures with a new entertainment, media and marketing company called Down Home. The Nashville-based firm is a collaborative effort between McGraw, his management company EM.Co and social content studio Shareability.
EM.Co’s Brian Kaplan, also a co-founder of Down Home, will serve as chief strategy officer, while Shareability founder and Down Home co-founder Tim Staples will serve as CEO. The venture is aimed at connecting McGraw’s country music audience with Hollywood and brands by producing film, TV and digital media “that focuses on relatable stories that capture the essence and spirit of everyday Americans,” according to a press release.
Down Home has secured a private investment deal with Nashville-based TriScore Entertainment and The Laurel Group, a boutique merchant bank that continues to advise the company.
At launch, Down Home has an investment and first-look deal in place with Skydance Media. Under the agreement, Skydance will develop film and television projects with Down Home, in addition to channeling IP and other material to the company. Down Home currently has two scripted series in development with Skydance, with plans for additional features and animation. Skydance founder/CEO David Ellison will serve on the Down Home board.
Down Home additionally plans to establish a social content studio to nurture Nashville’s emerging talent, fostering connections across music, sports, entertainment and brands.
“Country music has always been about storytelling,” McGraw said in a statement. “Our stories are honest vignettes of life and family and community. I think there’s a longing for that. For me, that’s Down Home. That’s how I grew up, those are the stories I like to tell, and that’s what I want our company to be about.”
Ellison added, “Tim McGraw is an outstanding artist and entertainer. He is truly gifted at telling stories across mediums that deeply connect with the audience and has built an unmatched community of fans around the world. We are thrilled to partner with him, Tim Staples, Brian Kaplan, and everyone at Down Home as they have created a dedicated infrastructure to tell stories across film, TV, and music, to fulfill a massive demand for authentic, inspiring stories.”
“From 1883 to Friday Night Lights, or songs like ‘Humble and Kind’, Tim McGraw knows how to connect with this audience in a way that can be really powerful for both Hollywood and brands,” said Staples.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of the next chapter in Nashville’s evolution in empowering artists and visionaries to create a new hub for storytelling that combines talent, passion, and innovation,” Kaplan added.
McGraw was represented in the transaction by EM.Co’s Scott Siman and Kelly Clague. He continues his long-time affiliation with CAA.
Tension abounds: Josh Mirenda’s current Average Joes single, “Wind Up,” is a perfect storm of excited angst — dramatic outbursts of percussion, nearly unresolved chord progressions, grainy confidence and a plot with a fair amount of mystery. An amped-up couple surges toward heated physicality, though their destination remains unknown. The singer leaves his soul precariously exposed, and all of the requisite emotional peril is felt in the mix of hard-edged music and suspenseful storyline as “Wind Up” moves into a moment of expected passion.
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“There’s some danger with love,” Mirenda says. “You meet somebody or something, you got to let that guard down if you’re willing to actually fall in love with somebody. It can be a dangerous, nervous kind of feeling to be vulnerable that way.”
Waiting for love — or to express it — can often build tension, and waiting is a key element of “Wind Up.” Mirenda wrote the song with Will Weatherly (“Thinking ’Bout You,” “Lose It”) and Michael Tyler (“Blame It On You,” “Somewhere on a Beach”) around 2019, with Jason Aldean squarely in their creative crosshairs. They didn’t have a specific title or hook in mind, though when one of the guys landed on a forward-leaning electric guitar groove, it gave them an energetic core to work from.
“We just kind of started messing with an electric and those chords,” recalls Weatherly. It’s “that dark, driving thing. It’s just never bad to aim uptempo.”
The chords are simple: grounded in the key of G, “Wind Up” spends the bulk of its time in C and D chords that beg for resolution and an E-minor that serves as a murky shadow of the tonic. It does eventually arrive at the G, but it only stays there for a mere beat before flicking back to its inherent tension. The sense of mystery had the writers completely engaged, even if they didn’t know where it was headed. They only knew the words had to match the musical undercurrent to work fully.
“As you’re moving forward in a write, you know, the music can drive the lyric, and then the lyrics can continue to drive the music and they can keep working off each other,” Weatherly says. “At the end of the day, you want it to feel like the emotion that you’re saying. You want to believe the singer.”
They developed a chorus first, focused on a couple who is bored with a club. The pair sneaks out to its ride, hitting the blacktop for some intense alone time, though its destination is unclear. That hazy journey matched the essence of the day’s writing process.
“Ironically, it’s called ‘Wind Up’ — the whole premise of the song is like, ‘Hey, let’s just swing for the fences here and see where we wind up,’ ” says Mirenda. “What we did in the room with the idea, it just kind of fit.”
Mirenda and Tyler had primary control of the song’s melody, centering on specific notes that begged for resolution, much like the underlying chords. As they unwound those phrases, Weatherly worked up the track, kicking out a good portion of it before the appointment was done. He focused particularly on the percussion, casting the chorus in half-time rhythms to vary the texture between that section and the verses.
“I love playing with rhythm, so it could be 120 [beats per minute], and it turns into 60 perceptively in the chorus,” Weatherly notes. “Then you go to the second verse and you’ve got the four-on-the-floor [kick drum]; it’s back to 120, like DJ land.”
Weatherly finished the demo that night, and when he sent it to his co-writers, Mirenda forwarded it directly to Aldean, who in turn put it on hold. He held it for a while, though he ultimately decided against recording it. “That happens as a writer,” says Mirenda. “It is what it is.”
But Mirenda couldn’t let go of “Wind Up.” He played the demo frequently and made the song his concert opener. Invariably, fans asked about it after his shows, so Mirenda put it in the mix when he headed into Starstruck Studios last fall with producer-engineer Nick Gibbens (C.J. Solar, Marty Stuart), who used Weatherly’s demo as a road map.
They operated with the same “See where we wind up” ideal as the song. Gibbens told the band, particularly drummer Evan Hutchings and guitarist Sol Philcox-Littlefield, to cut loose on the rocking foundation that Weatherly set, not knowing quite how they would proceed.
“Half the fun to doing any of this is watching dudes that are tiers above anything I could ever play or Josh could ever play, taking our ideas and going three steps further with it,” Gibbens says.
Hutchings applied some wickedly propulsive fills in key sections, while Philcox-Littlefield sculpted a flashy, intricate solo that elevated the energy and tension. It gave them a track that could easily fit between Puddle of Mudd and 3 Doors Down on turn-of-the-century rock radio.
“For all the energy that’s in it, it’s pushing midtempo — it’s not blazing,” notes Gibbens, dissecting Hutchings’ drum part. “We tried to stay on top of the beat with as much subdivision as we can get and just tried to treat it like an early-2000s rock track, like what Josh and I were listening to in high school: the Warped Tour every summer, a lot of guyliner, a lot of angst in there.”
To provide stylistic balance, Mike Johnson slipped in atmospheric steel guitar riffs that mimic the pedal tone in Brooks & Dunn’s “Ain’t Nothing ’Bout You.”
“That is my favorite country song of all time,” Mirenda says. “Brooks & Dunn is my favorite country artist/act/duo/band -— whatever you want to call it, Brooks & Dunn is my favorite. I play it every night in my live show. I do a little ’90s country acoustic medley, and I cannot wait to play that every night.”Mirenda and crew cut six songs that day, and at the end, they toasted their efforts with shots of Black Sheep Tequila. Mirenda later knocked out the final vocals, managing to deliver a grainy sound and believable phrasing while staying true to the notes.
“There’s not a lot of people that can do that,” enthuses Gibbens. “Cool always beats perfection to me, and he’s able to do both, where he is really accurate with his pitches and his phrasing, but he still puts character on it. And that’s what’s way more important than being perfectly on pitch.”
Average Joes released “Wind Up” to country radio via PlayMPE on March 1, and Mirenda has heard a few spins, thanks in part to some radio friends who have given him a heads-up when it’s scheduled to air on their stations.
“It’s a special moment. It kind of makes me tear up a little bit, even though it’s a rockin’ song,” Mirenda says. “Knowing all the stuff that I had to go through personally and that my family had to go through to get to this point, it’s worth it.”
Wherever the journey winds up.
Congratulations are in order for Kimberly Perry and her husband, Johnny Costello, as the singer announced that they are expecting their first child together. The country singer, formerly of The Band Perry, shared the news via Instagram on Thursday (April 13).
The 39-year-old posted a maternity photoshoot with Costello taken for People on her Instagram feed and captioned the post, “The best news of all the good news lately: I’m OVERFLOWING WITH JOY to share that Johnny and I are expecting our first baby in late August!! We’re absolutely beside ourselves with happiness and in awe of the Creator’s plan.”
“Building my own family is something I’ve dreamed about for as long as I can remember. As a woman and as an artist, I’ve always felt like I had to make a choice between growing my career and growing life. But YALL – I’m doin’ em both at the SAME TIME!! Here we go!” the country singer added, noting that she will keep fans updated on all news regarding “BB Costello.”
Costello also updated his Instagram followers with the news, writing, “Yall!!!!! We’ve got some fun fun fun family news!!! WE ARE HAVING A BABY IN AUGUST!! We are so excited to be parents and can’t wait for little Harper Lee to have a sibling!!!”
The Band Perry singer additionally expressed her excitement at becoming a mother for the first time in a statement to People. “Johnny and I are overflowing with joy to announce this beautiful bundle of love,” she told the outlet. “This is a brand new season for us — new love, new life, new baby, nothing better!”
Perry and Costello’s baby news comes on the heels of their second wedding anniversary; the pair quietly tied the knot in June 2021 and revealed their marriage in a six-month anniversary post that December. The baby announcement also arrives after The Band Perry announced its hiatus in March, and the singer’s recent signing to RECORDS Nashville/Columbia as a solo artist.
See Perry’s pregnancy announcement below:
Reigning CMA entertainer of the year winner Luke Combs and Ryman Hospitality Properties’ Opry Entertainment Group have joined forces to reimagine Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon, located at 120 2nd Ave. N., as a Combs-inspired multi-level entertainment venue; it’s set to open in 2024.
The yet-to-be-named complex will total 69,000 square feet, including an outdoor-indoor capacity of nearly 3,200 people, and will reflect Combs’ passions for music, songwriting, whiskey and sports. Specifically, the venue will take inspiration from Combs’ debut hit “Hurricane,” which went 8x multi-Platinum and spent two weeks at the pinnacle of Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2017.
Speaking with Billboard at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville, Combs said that watching Opry Entertainment’s work on Blake Shelton’s Ole Red venues was inspiring.
“I’ve had other offers for venues, but I always thought if I had the chance one day to do a venue, I would want to work with them. Working in hospitality the way they do, they bring something unique to the table.”
Combs added, “I talked with Blake about it this January, when we were talking about working with the Opry folks. He had so many great things to say about them and was like, ‘You should absolutely do this,’ and he was excited for me. It was great to get that affirmation.”
The entertainment complex will include a 1,500-person capacity concert venue for ticketed events. Meanwhile, a proposed rooftop bar (720-person capacity) with views of the Cumberland River and Nissan Stadium will add 9,000 square feet of entertainment space to the existing 60,000-square-foot venue.
The three interior levels will convey Combs’ songs, lifestyle and connection to his Bootlegger fans.
Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties’ executive chairman, told Billboard that he estimates the project will cost in the “tens of millions,” though he declined to offer specific financials.
Reed described the venue as containing a “250-seater honky-tonk at the front that can open up into the concert hall behind it.” He adds that the concert hall will include a “Beautiful Crazy” area designed for groups and bachelorette parties, as well as a bourbon bar and an area dedicated and inspired by Combs’ Bootleggers fanclub.
“We’ve definitely tried to prove over the years that we always think about the fans first,” Combs told Billboard. “I wanted to continue to do that with this spot, too. I didn’t just want to slap y name on something and wash my hands of it. I’ve been very hands-on with this. I wanted it to be something where my fans felt like they could come to. Obviously, if they are in the fanclub, there will be special things and special places for them to come to and unique opportunities.”
“With the honky-tonk, when I say 250 people, it will be two stories,” Reed tells Billboard. “It will be a small, intimate 250-capacity, where people will be on the second floor, looking down onto a stage and on the ground floor it will have a great bar behind it.”
Reed adds that the third floor is include a “new-generation sorts bar, to provide people who come to Nashville, who want not only to drink good bourbon, good beer, but also listen to music and watch their favorite sports team play.”
In the meantime, the venue will continue to operate as the Wildhorse Saloon until the new venue opens in 2024.
The Wildhorse Saloon opened in downtown Nashville in 1994 and has since been home to more than 4,000 television show episodes and tapings, as well as a destination for corporate events. The venue previously hosted The Wildhorse Saloon Dance Show on The Nashville Network in the 1990s and served as a base for the CMT show Can You Duet.
Combs says fans can absolutely expect to see some surprise appearances and performances from him at the venue.
“Any opportunity or any time I do something in town, I can do it here, because this is a spot that is large and versatile. It will be a really unique spot,” Combs says.
Combs is currently on his world tour, will will visit Nashville this weekend, for two shows at Nissan Stadium.
Songwriter Ashley Gorley has three ACM Awards nominations for song of the year. He’s only the third songwriter to achieve that feat in the show’s 58-year history. (The category was introduced in the show’s second year.)
Gorley co-wrote Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave” with Stapleton and Chris DuBois; Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” with Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett and Tim Nichols; and Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” with Josh Osborne and Michael Hardy.
The only other songwriters to notch three nominations in one year are Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, each more than 50 years ago.
Hag was the sole writer of all three of his 1968 nominees – “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde,” “Mama Tried” and “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am.” He was also the artist on all three songs. The first two reached No. 1 on Hot Country Singles – now called Hot Country Songs. “I Take a Lot of Pride” peaked at No. 3. Jimmy Webb won the award that year for writing the Glen Campbell classic “Wichita Lineman.”
Kristofferson was the sole writer of all three of his 1970 nominees – “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” a No. 1 hit for Sammi Smith; “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” a No. 1 hit for Johnny Cash; and “For the Good Times,” a No. 1 hit for Ray Price. (All three chart references are to Hot Country Singles.) Kristofferson won the award for the sublime “For the Good Times.”
Hag, who died in 2016 at age 79, and Kristofferson, 86, have long been country music royalty.
Haggard was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. He received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.
Kristofferson was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and received that organization’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 2006. He was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006.
Gorley, 45, has written hits for a raft of country artists, as well as such non-country artists as Bon Jovi and Jason Derulo. He has topped Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart for 33 weeks and has headed Hot 100 Songwriters for three weeks.
As the final nominees for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards were announced Thursday (April 13), there were the usual number of expected names, as well as a handful of surprises and snubs.
The eligibility period for nominations ran Nov. 16, 2021-Dec. 31, 2022. The ceremony will stream live on Amazon’s Prime Video from Frisco, Texas, on May 11.
Here is a look at some of the year’s notable surprises and snubs.
Snub: Jelly Roll swept the CMT Music Awards earlier this month, and given how ascendent his star seems to be, it was shocking that he didn’t nab a single nomination — not even for new male artist of the year, which is overstuffed with six acts. Jelly Roll, who broke Billboard’s record for number of weeks at No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart in February when he hit 25 weeks, also seemed like a contender for a song of the year nod after his confessional “Son of a Sinner” hit No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart.
Surprise: Jason Aldean is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having taken home 15 ACM Awards, including artist of the decade in 2018. He’s even won entertainer of the year before three consecutive years, 2015-17. However, he had fallen out of the category after 2018 and makes a return for the first time in five years this year for his only nomination.
Snub: Maren Morris had a solid six-year run of female artist of the year nominations — including winning at the 2020 ceremony — but her streak is broken this year, perhaps because she is off album cycle. The ACMs have shown her plenty of love in the past, as she’s taken home six trophies over the last several years in a number of categories.
Surprise: Prolific songwriter Ashley Gorley has more than 50 No. 1s to his credit, so his inclusion for penning a song of the year entry is no surprise. However, he pulls off a hat trick, capturing three nominations in the category for co-writing Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” and Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots.” He is the only non-performing songwriter to ever land a trio of songs in the category in one year. Songwriter/artists Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson achieved the feat in 1968 and 1971, respectively.
Surprise: Cole Swindell has received only two ACM nominations in his career, including for new artist in 2015, which he won. He’s making up for lost time this year with five nominations, including song and single of the year for “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.”
Snub: Similar to Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett has been a contender for six years running — in this case for male artist of the year — but he drops off the list this year. He’s not completely shut out, however, as he earns a nomination for song of the year as a co-writer on “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.”
Surprise: Not only is Kane Brown one of the leading nominees with five nods, but a very pleasant surprise is that he scores two nominations for the first time — including the prestigious entertainer of the year. It marks the first time in 50 years that a biracial or Black artist has been nominated in the category since Charley Pride in 1972. Brown, who previously won video of the year for “Worldwide Beautiful,” also snags his first male artist of the year nomination.
Singer-songwriter Granger Smith‘s upcoming summer tour will be his last. Smith recently took to social media to announce that following the tour, he will be leaving his country music career behind to pursue a career in ministry.
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“I have felt a strong desire to pursue ministry,” he told fans via social media on Tuesday. “This doesn’t mean I’m going to start a church or a crusade, or a revival. It means me and my family are going to serve our local church. We’re going to pour into that church as members, and have my pastors and elders pour into me and disciple me and teach me, as I sit under their wise teaching. Hopefully one day they can affirm me into the next steps of what that might look like, to glorify God best from my platform.”
Smith added that he has been pursuing a master’s degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “This is a time of growing and learning for me…that may explain to some of you why I may have seemed distant, especially to music, lately,” he said.
In the caption for the video, Smith wrote, “I am so encouraged and hopeful and excited and joyful about the next chapter, but to a large extent, I have no idea what it will look like. I just want to glorify God the best way that I can.”
Smith earned a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2016 with “Backroad Song” and a top 10 hit on the same chart in 2017 with “If the Boot Fits.” “Backroad Song” was also honored with a BMI Award in 2016.
On Aug. 1, Smith will release the book Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache, which offers a look into how Smith and his family relied on their faith as they navigated grief and healing after the death of his 3-year-old son River, who drowned in a swimming pool accident in 2019. Granger and his wife, Amber, are also parents to daughter London and sons Lincoln and Maverick.
Smith’s farewell Like a River Tour will launch April 13 in Wisconsin and will run through Aug. 26 in Texas.
Luke Combs covers one song on his new LP, Gettin’ Old: Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” The 1988 original, which Chapman wrote solely, won the Grammy Award for best female pop vocal performance and sparked her coronation as best new artist.
Combs is clearly getting fans up to speed on “Fast Car,” as his version cruises from No. 14 to No. 10 in its second week on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated April 15), becoming his 19th top 10.
On the Billboard Hot 100, it zooms 44-32 in its second frame.
Combs’ interpretation drew 11.1 million official streams (up 27%) and sold 6,000 downloads in the United States March 31-April 6, according to Luminate.
(Chapman’s original was up 22% to 3 million in radio airplay audience and 5% to 2.5 million streams in that span.)
Gettin’ Old spends a second week at No. 2 on Top Country Albums, with 54,000 equivalent album units, after launching with 101,000 units.
Combs supporters who have been to his live shows won’t be surprised about his update of “Fast Car,” as it’s been a fan favorite among his setlists.
While the song isn’t a radio single, some country stations are giving it airplay, one being Audacy’s WPAW Greensboro-Winston Salem, N.C. “Luke’s take on ‘Fast Car’ is a gift to the original fans – the ones that instantly fell in love with him early on,” program director Clay Walker tells Billboard. “No doubt if you paid to see him in the clubs around North and South Carolina, you know that. Even though his version stays true to the Tracy Chapman original, he really is thanking his foundational fans with this.”
The song’s crossover appeal is also evident in SiriusXM’s support: Country channel The Highway is playing Combs’ cover, as is pop-focused TikTok Radio.
Combs isn’t the first artist to gas up a charted rendition of “Fast Car.” Jonas Blue’s version, featuring Dakota, hit No. 7 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, as well as No. 98 on the Hot 100, in 2016.
Those remakes mark the two that have hit the Hot 100 since Chapman took the original to No. 6 in August-September 1988. Until this week, the composition last ranked in the chart’s top 40 (at No. 39) on the list dated that Oct. 1 (as Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” breezed to a second week at No. 1).
While country artists aren’t exactly known for redoing pop hits, a few have charted highly since the late ‘80s. Rascal Flatts’ repaved “Life is a Highway” reached No. 18 on Hot Country Songs in 2006, after Tom Cochrane’s original hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1992.
Mark Chesnutt scored his most recent of eight Hot Country Songs leaders with his version of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” in 1999. Aerosmith’s recording of the Diane Warren-penned ballad debuted atop the Hot 100 and dominated for four frames in 1998.
In the mid-‘90s, country artist John Michael Montgomery and pop/R&B vocal group All-4-One shared hits simultaneously: In 1994, “I Swear” was a Hot Country Songs No. 1 for the former and an 11-week No. 1 Hot 100 smash for the former. A year later, “I Can Love You Like That” became another Hot Country Songs No. 1 for Montgomery and a No. 5 Hot 100 hit for All-4-One.
Back to the late ‘80s, Rosanne Cash’s update of The Beatles’ “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” became her most recent of 11 Hot Country Songs No. 1s, in 1989. The Lennon-McCartney original reached No. 39 on the Hot 100 for the Fab Four in 1965 (as the B-side of “Eight Days a Week,” which hit No. 1).