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Actress-singer Rita Wilson recently appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to discuss her 2022 album, Now & Forever: Duets, which includes collaborations with Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson, Keith Urban, Jimmie Allen, Vince Gill, Tim McGraw and Elvis Costello on a range of classic songs, such as “Crazy Love” with Urban and “Slip Slidin’ Away” with Nelson. The album follows her 2019 project Halfway to Home.
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“It’s all cover songs from the ’70s, and sort of re-envisioned as conversations and duets.” Wilson told singer, songwriter and show host Kelly Clarkson. “I thought, ‘What if these songs were actually conversations that lovers were having with each other?’”
Asked whether she was nervous when making the ask of so many artists to be part of the album, Wilson said, “I give them the out right away, like, ‘I thought maybe you’d want to do this, but it’s okay if you don’t want to. I just don’t want to hear the ‘no,’ but I know that I might hear a ‘No.’ In this case, I’m very lucky, very humbled by everybody who was able to show up.”
The album’s co-producer, Matt Rollings, had previously worked with Nelson on Nelson’s project Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, as well as Nelson’s Frank Sinatra tribute album, My Way.
“Willie was the first person to say yes,” she said, which prompts Clarkson to ask if Wilson hung out on Nelson’s tour bus. “I did not hang out on his bus, but this year he sent me hemp tea and coffee. He’s got his own hemp tea and coffee and he and his wife Annie sent us that for Christmas.” Nelson’s Willie’s Remedy line includes a range of hemp-infused teas and coffees, as well as sparkling water, balms and tinctures.
See Wilson’s interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show in the video above.
Brooks & Dunn are extending their Reboot tour with the addition of 17 tour dates in 2023. The new slate of shows will launch on May 4 in Kansas City, Mo.
“Last year, you all reminded us just how much fun it is to walk out on that stage and share the night with ya! We love what we do, but we’re just surfing your wave …can’t wait!!” said Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks via a statement.
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“The Brooks and Dunn posse rides again,” added Ronnie Dunn. “More excited to hit the big stage as we ever have been! Unbelievable band of friends.…annnnnd YOU! Together, let’s rock the house!!”
Heading out on the road with B&D is Scotty McCreery, known for his chart toppers including “This Is It” and “Five More Minutes.”
“Having been a huge fan of their music all my life, going out on the road with Kix and Ronnie is a dream come true for me,” said McCreery. “I can’t wait for this tour to begin!”
The tour takes its name from Brooks & Dunn’s 2019 album Reboot, which found the duo collaborating with younger country artists including Kacey Musgraves, Midland and Luke Combs on several of Brooks & Dunn’s biggest hits. Though McCreery did not appear on that project, he did recently earn another Billboard Country Airplay chart topper with “Damn Strait,” a sly nod to another ’90s country artist, George Strait.
“My first country music concert was George Strait, and along with my love for Elvis [Presley], he inspired me to become a country music singer myself,” McCreery previously told Billboard. “When I did American Idol, George called me and requested I sing his [1995] hit ‘Check Yes or No,’ and I still sing it from time to time in concert. Now, having my fifth straight No. 1 on a song that pays tribute to George, while at the same time being a classic country heartbreaker such as he might have sung, is such a full-circle moment that means the world to me. Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins wrote a clever song that reaches beyond name-dropping Strait hits to tell a meaningful story.”
Last year, Brooks & Dunn revived the CMT franchise CMT Storytellers, and rang in 2023 as part of Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Bash.
Tickets for the new tour dates go on sale Friday, Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. local time at brooks-dunn.com and livenation.com.
See the full list of Reboot 2023 tour dates below:
Thu May 04 – Kansas City, MO – T- Mobile Center
Fri May 05 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Sat May 06 – Ft. Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Thu May 11 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
Fri May 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Sat May 13 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Thu May 18 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Fri May 19 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Sat May 20 – Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
Thu Jun 01 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
Fri Jun 02 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
Sat Jun 03 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Thu Jun 08 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena+
Sat Jun 10 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
Thu June 15 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort*
Fri Jun 16 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Sat Jun 17 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
*Not a Live Nation Date
+On Sale Friday, Feb. 3
With CMA and ACM Awards wins to her credit — not to mention chart-topping songs including “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” and “I Hope You’re Happy Now” — Grand Ole Opry member Carly Pearce has been steadily adding accolades since she released her debut song, her first Country Airplay chart-topper “Every Little Thing,” in 2017.
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On Friday (Jan. 20), Pearce shared a video with fans and revealed a wild story from an early radio tour, when Pearce was crisscrossing the country to promote her debut single and she had a run-in with the police.
“I’m going to tell you about the time that I had a warrant out for my arrest,” she began.
While traveling on the radio tour, her flight was canceled, forcing Pearce and her band to have to rent a car and drive to where they were playing the next day.
“I was driving through the great state, my home state of Kentucky and I didn’t realize the speed limit went very quickly from like 70 to 35 — and let’s just be real, I was already going, um, 85,” she recalled.
A cop pulled her over and gave her a ticket. “I could tell he was, like, really annoyed, but we had to get to the show, so I didn’t look at the speeding ticket until I got to the venue a few hours later and realized I had a reckless driving ticket. So I paid the ticket and thought nothing of it — and then got a call that there was a warrant out for my arrest, because I did not go to traffic school or pay the full amount of my ticket, because I didn’t realize it’s a big offense if you are reckless driving.”
With a deep sigh, she continued, telling fans that there was one bright side to the ordeal.
“You’re never gonna believe it, but the cop was a country fan, and I bartered my way to pay the ticket and give him tickets to my show — and he dropped the warrant, or the charge or whatever you want to call it. That police officer in Kentucky, thank you. You can come to a show anytime. But yeah, I’m kind of bad,” she says, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
The video ends with another video clip of Pearce — this time, seemingly ready to head onstage — as she continues, “The moral of the story, y’all, is be aware of the speed limits where you are going and it pays to be a country singer sometimes,” she added with a wink and a smile.
Pearce is nominated for a Grammy leading into next month’s awards show, earning a nod for best country duo/group performance for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” with Ashley McBryde. She is opening shows on Blake Shelton’s Back to the Honky Tonk tour.
Yellowstone continues to have a strong impact on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, ranking four songs within the top 10 of the December 2022 list, including the No. 1.
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Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of December 2022.
Lainey Wilson’s “Watermelon Moonshine,” heard in the Dec. 11 episode of the Paramount show, leads at No. 1. It scored 4.9 million official U.S. streams and 10,000 downloads in December 2022, according to Luminate.
As a result of its Yellowstone synch, the song, originally released Aug. 12, 2022, reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart, as well as No. 15 on the all-format Digital Song Sales ranking.
Wilson, who also acts on the show, performed the song as her character in the episode.
Other Yellowstone appearances on the chart include a pair of Zach Bryan songs (“Motorcycle Drive By,” No. 4 — 3.9 million streams, 6,000 downloads; “Summertime Blues,” No. 7 – 3.7 million streams, 2,000 downloads) and one from Flatland Cavalry (“Mountain Song, No. 8 – 2 million streams, 2,000 downloads). Bryan performed both songs on the Dec. 18 episode.
The top non-Yellowstone title, meanwhile, belongs to Mitski, whose “Washing Machine Heart” bows at No. 2 after a Dec. 2 synch in Mythic Quest. In December 2022, the song earned 13.1 million streams.
See the full top 10, also featuring music from Fire Country, The White Lotus, The Rookie, Harry & Meghan and The Good Doctor, below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)1. “Watermelon Moonshine,” Lainey Wilson, Yellowstone (Paramount)2. “Washing Machine Heart,” Mitski, Mythic Quest (Apple TV+)3. “Never Say Never,” Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson, Fire Country (CBS)4. “Motorcycle Drive By,” Zach Bryan, Yellowstone (Paramount)5. “Ciao Ciao,” La rappresentante di lista, The White Lotus (HBO)6. “Katla,” Zander Hawley & Abby Gundersen, The Rookie (ABC)7. “Summertime Blues,” Zach Bryan, Yellowstone (Paramount)8. “Mountain Song,” Flatland Cavalry, Yellowstone (Paramount)9. “Follow the Sun,” Xavier Rudd, Harry & Meghan (Netflix)10. “What Makes You Sad,” Nicotine Dolls, The Good Doctor (ABC)
Dan+Shay‘s Shay Mooney and his wife, Hannah Billingsley, have welcomed their third child. The parents revealed the arrival of their new baby boy, Abram Shay Mooney, on Friday (Jan. 20). Abram, born on Jan. 17, joins older brothers Asher and Ames.
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Mooney shared a video of himself cuddling his newborn son, and softly singing a bit of Dan+Shay’s 2017 song “When I Pray for You.”
“Grateful doesn’t begin to cover it,” Mooney captioned the clip, ending it with a heart emoji.
Several fellow artists offered their congratulations to the couple in the video’s comments section on Instagram, including Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Charles Esten, Chrissy Metz and Callista Clark.
Billingsley shared the same video clip on Instagram. “First song sang to the newest family member…Abram Shay, you’re so loved and so prayed over, baby boy,” she captioned her post. “Thankful for all that God has done for us this week.”
In August 2022, the couple revealed they were expecting their third child, telling fans via social media by posting a video that included their older sons. The couple welcomed their first child, son Asher James, in January 2017. The Mooneys wed in October 2017, and welcomed son Ames Alexander in February 2020.
“When I Pray for You” was released as part of the soundtrack for the film The Shack. Mooney and his Dan+Shay bandmate Dan Smyers wrote the song with Justin Ebach and Jon Nite. “When I Pray For You” offers the viewpoint of a father’s unconditional love toward his child.
See Mooney’s sweet post about baby Abram below:
First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
HARDY, The Mockingbird & The Crow
HARDY, the reigning ACM songwriter of the year, has earned a reputation as one of Nashville’s top songsmiths, writing hits for everyone from Florida Georgia Line to Morgan Wallen, and leading the radio charts on songs like “One Beer.” His latest album, a half country/half rock project, out via Big Loud/Big Loud Rock, is a norm-busting, unbridled 17-track set that finds HARDY in full, centered possession of his musical range. His considerable country songcraft on tracks like “Happy” and “Wait in the Truck” crashes into the unrestrained grunge of “Sold Out” and “I Ain’t in the Country No More.” There’s no mistaking the artistic defiance in “Radio Song,” featuring Jeremy McKinnon, which punches back at industry restrictions (“Do this, do that/ That shirt, this hat/ Don’t forget to smile/Kiss the ring once in a while…Well f**k that and f**k you”). He wraps the album with the anthemic “The Redneck Song,” a country melody espousing trucks covered in mud, dip spit on a collar and Earnhardt shirts from Walmart, intertwined with a surging, arena-ready chorus.
Dolly Parton, “Don’t Make Me Have to Come Down There”
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A danceable melody pairs with Parton’s effervescent-yet-motherly vocals on the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s latest. The song details a dream Parton had, of seeing a higher power looking down on the world in despair, and seeking greater reconciliation, love and peace (“Why can’t you learn to listen and learn to love and share?”), even as the world rages with wars, pandemics, politics and hate. The song ends with a quirky chorus that builds Parton’s airy, angelic voice into its own circle of harmonies.
Jordan Davis, “No Time Soon”
Davis’ “Buy Dirt” (featuring Luke Bryan) won song of the year at the 2022 CMA Awards, and Davis sits atop Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart this week with “What My World Spins Around.” He turns up the heat on his latest, a sensuous song shot through with romantic fervor, as Davis’ voice builds with anticipation on lines like “My heart’s like a matchbook and your kiss is a fuse.” Davis’s upcoming album, Bluebird Days, will be released Feb. 17.
Mandi Sagal, “One Less Broken Heart”
“If you would’ve faced your demons in the dark/ This world would have one less broken heart,” Sagal states here, her tenderly bruised vocal soaring over acoustic guitar as she details the pills, smoke and whiskey her ex turned to instead of doing the hard work of healing. Instead, she’s the one spilling to strangers seated across from her and working through the relationship’s emotionally tattered aftermath, as she deadpans, “Guess I’m doing all the work you wouldn’t do.”
Chapel Hart, “Glory Days”
On the familial trio’s latest, “Glory Days” — written by the group’s sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and cousin Trea Swindle (along with songwriter Jim Beavers) — they return to the positivity and sass found on some of their earlier releases, along with their signature earthy, smooth harmonies. The new track chronicles the countless miles, concerts, rejections and breakthroughs they’ve faced on their journey to this point and showcases the spirited determination and gratitude for music that has taken them to stages including America’s Got Talent and the Grand Ole Opry.
Meghan Patrick, “She’s No Good for Me”
This swirling, peppy track bubbles with youthful energy, but draws listeners into Patrick’s space of self-examination and emotional evolution. Here, she looks back on the girl she used to be, grateful that her reality is no longer one of repeated heartbreaks and endless nights fueled by “Smoking Marlboro Lights, running up my tab again,” only to end up “passed out, makeup on, stained my pillow case.” Another strong outing from this Canada native, who has taken home multiple Canadian Country Music Association awards.
Caitlyn Smith, “Lately”
This lush piano ballad showcases Smith’s beguiling, peerless vocals, as she conveys the myriad ways she attempts to distract herself from thoughts of her absent lover. The song’s cozy, unhurried production only elevates the feelings of longing and loneliness the lyrics encapsulate. Smith is well-known as a top-shelf song crafter and engaging performer, and this song is yet another testament to her ineluctable talents. Smith’s High & Low album is due April 14.
Willie Nelson, “Busted”
On his upcoming album, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, the legendary singer-songwriter honors another gifted writer, Harlan Howard, with performances of 10 Howard compositions — including this tale of a poor farmer fretting over various financial hardships, while still retaining hope. Written by Howard in 1962, the song has previously been recorded by Johnny Cash with the Carter Family, Ray Charles and John Conlee. Nelson himself has history with this song, having previously performed a live rendition of it with Charles, which was included on the 2005 duets project Genius & Friends. Here, on this solo rendition, his voice is spright and weathered at all the right moments, and right at home among this sparse, honky-tonk amalgam of guitars, harmonica and bluesy rhythms.
Zach Bryan spends a 31st total week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart (dated Jan. 21), tying Ashley Gorley for the most weeks spent on top since the chart’s launch in 2019.
Bryan, who has ruled for the past 23 consecutive weeks, matches the mark on the strength of five writing credits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, led by his breakthrough single “Something in the Orange.” The track tallies a third week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs, as it reaches the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, rising 11-10.
Here’s a look at all five of Bryan’s songwriting credits on the latest Hot Country Songs chart, all of which he wrote solo and recorded, and which contribute to his placement on Country Songwriters:
Rank, Title:
No. 1, “Something in the Orange”
No. 27, “Oklahoma Smoke Show”
No. 32, “Burn, Burn, Burn”
No. 41, “Sun to Me”
No. 45, “The Good I’ll Do”
As Bryan ties Gorley for the most weeks logged at No. 1 on Country Songwriters, here’s an updated look at the artists with the most weeks spent on top:
Most Weeks at No. 1 on Country Songwriters:
31, Zach Bryan
31, Ashley Gorley
18, Blanco Brown
15, Luke Combs
14, Morgan Wallen
13, Taylor Swift
10, Josh Thompson
9, HARDY
8, Josh Jenkins
7, Josh Osborne
5, Laura Veltz
On Billboard’s Country Producers chart, Joey Moi continues his domination as he extends his record-run at No. 1 to 91 weeks. He sports seven production credits on Hot Country Songs, via Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” (No. 2), “Wasted on You” (No. 5) and “Thought You Should Know” (No. 6); HARDY’s “Wait in the Truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson (No. 11); and Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” (No. 21), “Tennessee Fan” (No. 26) and “Days That End in Why” (No. 38).
The weekly Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot Country Songs chart. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).
The full Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.
Elle King has already earned chart-topping hits including her Grammy-nominated breakthrough “Ex’s and Oh’s,” and her Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping collaborations including “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” with Miranda Lambert and “Different for Girls” with Dierks Bentley.
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On Jan. 27, King will bring her roots-rock swagger to her first full-fledged country album, Come Get Your Wife.
Prior to the album’s release, King sat down with Billboard at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium to discuss the new album, her approach to crafting her vivid, hilarious music videos, her foray into country music, her fashion evolution and reuniting with Bentley for their most recent collab, “Worth a Shot,” a song King says her collaborator had initially considered for his own album.
“I would never want to give anything less than 110% to making music, let alone country music that I care so much about and that has brought so much great joy to my life,” King says. “I asked my team to send me some songs, and a bunch of stuff got sent to me that was written for women and I didn’t necessarily connect with it. I said, ‘Send me songs written for men … send me songs Dierks didn’t cut,’ just kind of jokingly.
“I was working with [the album’s co-producer] Ross Copperman, [he] said, ‘Well, Dierks just finished his album and ‘Worth a Shot’ didn’t make the record.’ I said, ‘Great, ‘cause it’s for me!’” she says with a laugh. “I couldn’t put out a country album and not at least have something on there that is a nod to Dierks or to give respect to the person who changed my life and who showed me the most rock n’ roll I’ve ever seen in my life, which is country music. Country music has given me these incredible opportunities.”
The Ryman Auditorium proved an ideal setting to discuss the new project, which melds elements of country, folk, bluegrass, soul and rock. Country music’s “Mother Church” currently has an exhibit spotlighting the venue’s abundant rock n’ roll history.
“I came from the rock and the pop and alternative world and I was brought into country when I started singing with Dierks,” King says. “I was like, ‘This is more Rock n’ roll than rock n’ roll!’ Even the way I dress, it’s like ’50s western, kind of rockabilly, but it seems rock n’ roll to me. I love the rock exhibit–it’s cool because it’s not only Elvis and James Brown, but also Clapton, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.”
Watch Billboard‘s chat with Elle King about her upcoming album above.
Zach Bryan is getting ready to head out on the road staring this spring, and it’s shaping up to be his biggest tour yet. The country star announced his Burn Burn Burn North American tour on Thursday (Jan. 19), and he’s keeping a big promise: Tickets won’t be available via Ticketmaster.
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Named after his song of the same name, the Burn Burn Burn North American tour is slated to kick off on May 10 at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va., and includes stops in New York City, Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, and Minneapolis before concluding on Aug. 30 at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.
Fans looking to secure tickets can sign up for the Fair AXS registration at www.axs.com/zachbryan. Those who want to attend have until Jan. 29 at 10 p.m. ET to register for tickets, and will be notified via email beginning Feb. 13 if they have been selected; tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. An invitation email for the chance to purchase tickets does not guarantee tickets will be available.
Bryan circumventing Ticketmaster and going with AXS for his tour comes after the surprise release of All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live at Red Rocks) in December. In announcing the live album, the country star — who has been outspoken about his dislike for Ticketmaster — took a stand against high ticket prices.
“Seems like there is a massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately. I have met kids at my shows who have paid upwards of four hundred bucks to be there and I’m done with it,” he wrote via Instagram on Christmas Eve without naming the ticketing giant. “I’ve decided to play a limited number of headline shows next year to which I’ve done all I can to make prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people tickets don’t have to cost $450 to see a good and honest show… I believe working class people should still be able to afford tickets to shows… I am so so tired of people saying things can’t be done about this massive issue while huge monopolies sit there stealing money from working class people.”
He concluded his message at the time, “Just did everything I possibly could to make tickets more affordable.”
See the full list of tour dates for Bryan’s Burn Burn Burn tour below.
Since releasing her debut solo album, 1967’s Hello, I’m Dolly, more than 50 years ago, Dolly Parton has changed the face of the entertainment industry. Kicking down doors for female performers in both country and pop music, she has soared in the worlds of books, television, philanthropy and movies — and pretty much whatever else she tackled.
On top of it all, her expansive roster of hits reads like a “best of” list of the 1970s and 1980s, and it remains one of the strongest song catalogs of any singer-songwriter in any genre. As a writer, she has penned everything from poignant, detailed ballads about life in the Smoky Mountains, where she grew up, to some of the most defining love songs of all time.
Her prowess as a songwriter and performer is so great, it earned her a historic induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 — an accomplishment she almost didn’t accept, telling Billboard at the time that she didn’t feel like she “measured up” to past inductees. A legacy like hers, however, deserves the title of “rock star” no matter what style of music she makes, and the world agreed. She went on to become the second female country artist to be inducted in both the Rock and Country Music Halls of Fame.
“People usually [say] ‘Dolly rocks’ or ‘you rock’ or ‘you’re a rock star,’” she said. “I thought they just meant that I was cool, and I took that as a great compliment. But now I’m going to have to take it literally!”
In choosing our favorite Dolly Parton songs, we chose fifteen. Many of them came from her own pen, and all of them will “Always” have staying power. To be fair, we could do a list of our favorite Dolly duets, too, but wanted to keep this one solo focused.
Keep reading to see Dolly Parton’s 15 best songs to date below.