State Champ Radio Country
Page: 254
As the country music community continues to grapple with ways to increase diversity and inclusion, the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) and Academy of Country Music have come together to launch OnRamp, a program set to empower the next generation of Black leaders.
The OnRamp partnership will take 20 young, Black artists and music industry professionals in Nashville through a year-long program that includes access to top leaders, community mentorship and professional development. Vitally, the program comes with a guaranteed $1,000 monthly stipend for the 12 months.
Applications will be available starting in late Spring with the program kicking off in June during Black Music Month. Candidates can sign up for email notifications now at acmcountry.com/onramp to learn more.
This inaugural program will be funded by BMAC, the Academy and industry partners, and aided by social impact agency BreatheWithMe. The hope is that Nashville companies will make financial contributions to fund future years.
“The Academy has a rich history of fostering diversity and inclusion in the country music industry both on stage and behind-the-scenes, and we see this partnership as a particularly impactful way to continue our committed work to making the statement ‘Country Music is for Everyone’ a true reality,” said ACM CEO Damon Whiteside in a statement. “We’re excited to work with BMAC on this pivotal and transformative work for our Nashville community by increasing opportunities for young professionals from diverse backgrounds in our industry.”
The Academy relocated from its longtime home in Southern California to Nashville last year.
The guaranteed income component was critical, BMAC co-founder/co-chair Willie “Prophet” Stiggers tells Billboard. He studied such initiatives including a program started by former Stockton, Calif., mayor Michael Tubbs a few years ago that guaranteed $500 a month to 125 residents for 18 months and has now spread to more than 50 cities.
“All the data showed how people were lifting themselves out of poverty and realizing their dreams, not just from the cash relief, but the mentorship and wrap-around programs,” Stiggers says. “I said to myself and the BMAC team, with the billions of dollars the entertainment industry generates, we can, without government support, have these programs happen across the country and really begin to close the wealth gap that is targeting Black and Brown people.”
OnRamp comes several months after BMAC released its Three Chords and the Actual Truth report last June. The report called for the country music community and the city of Nashville to commit to change and equity through partnering with BMAC. The Academy was among the first companies to come aboard.
“They were really the first to raise their hand and says, ‘we’re prepared to stand with you and launch this program in Nashville and then call on the other companies up and down Music Row to partner with us.’ So this initiative can grow and become a sustainable part of the Nashville community,” Stiggers says.
The Academy’s LEVel Up: Lift Every Voice program will help facilitate OnRamp. LEVel Up is a two-year professional development program, originally launched last year and fully funded by the Academy, for rising leaders in country music. The members of the current LEVel Up cohort will play a hands-on role in the application review process and drive the candidate selection work, proposing a recommended slate of candidates to the Academy and BMAC teams.
Each of the 20 members of the inaugural OnRamp cohort will have a program designed specifically for them with their own facilitating team with the help of LEVel Up members and the Academy’s DEI task force. “For instance, if you’re a young person trying to become a manager, we’ll pair you with a manager who is killing it in that space and allow you to shadow them,” Stiggers says.
“It’s my pleasure to stand alongside other industry leaders to support this important program,” said ACM DEI Task Force chair/ACM board member and BMI executive Shannon Sanders, in a statement. “The Academy continues to play a pivotal role in ushering in a new era in country music by truly supporting and lifting up those underrepresented in the industry.”
Additionally, there will be money management and mental health components activated on a weekly or monthly basis. “The idea is to build the communities around each of these individuals that they need to help them realize their dreams,” Stiggers says.
Ultimately, the idea is to transform the country music industry across the board. “Five years from now when you’re able to have a few hundred young people who have been provided access in the training, resources and connections they need in the country music space I think we see a more diverse pool of artists and executives,” Stiggers says. “I think we see more Black women faces showing up on the executive side and I think we’ve opened this up to allow the charts to be reflective of the community that enjoys the genre, which isn’t the cast today.”
Earlier this year, the Country Music Association launched a diversity and inclusion fellowship program to provide an immersive experience in the country music industry initially through the CMA’s communications team in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of CMA Fest this June. Fellows will then work for six weeks with a country music publicity firm. Set to launch this Spring, the program is open to all students from underrepresented communities through Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations and the University of Alabama, with additional collegiate partners including the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Nashville’s Belmont University.
Such programs, as well as The Hubb, a professional development summit started by CAA in 2018, have Stiggers feeling optimistic. “I am encouraged to see people actually moving past the hashtags and trying to implement sustainable programs that are really going to create a more level playing field.”
“Well, s—!”
It was a refrain that reverberated often throughout the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Sunday evening (Feb. 19), as a cavalcade of musicians, actors and comedians gathered “reported for duty” to celebrate the life and career of the late Leslie Jordan, who died Oct. 24, 2022, at age 67.
Jordan was known for his acting roles including his Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Beverly Leslie on Will & Grace, as well as work in the American Horror Story series and most recently on the series Call Me Kat.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
But it was the COVID-19 pandemic that brought Jordan greater acclaim, as his hilarious, witty Instagram videos went viral — filled with signature sayings like “Hello, fellow hunker downers!” and “Well, s—!” — providing both comedic relief and an emotional balm to during the uncertain, anxiety-ridden early days of the pandemic. In 2020, Jordan amassed nearly six million social media followers (though Jordan would adamantly call them friends, not “followers”), and the following year, he released his debut gospel album, Company’s Comin’, which saw him team with country artists including Dolly Parton, Katie Pruitt, Tanya Tucker, T.J. Osborne, Ashley McBryde and Charlie Worsham, as well as rock music icon, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
Many of the artists featured on Company’s Comin’ were on hand to perform and share memories of Jordan during the event, dubbed “Reportin’ For Duty: A Tribute to Leslie Jordan,” which packed the 4,000-seat Opry House Sunday evening.
The love in the room for Jordan was palpable, whether performers and speakers had known Jordan for years or only hours.
Comedian Leanne Morgan hosted the evening, telling the audience that Jordan’s biggest accomplishment was “being unapologetically himself.”
“I’m sure he is all smiles knowing he brought together the most eclectic group of people to ever grace the Opry stage,” Morgan added. The evening was filmed for an upcoming special on Opry Entertainment Group’s Circle Network.
Tanya Tucker launched the show with renditions of “Amazing Grace” and her 1972 signature hit “Delta Dawn.”
“He was a light in my life,” Tucker told the audience. “I’ll always remember his laughter.”
Performances followed from Travis Howard (a medley of “I’ll Fly Away,” “I Saw the Light” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”), McBryde (“Girl Goin’ Nowhere”), Maren Morris with Ryan Hurd (“What Would This World Do”), Fancy Haygood with John Osborne (“Go Rest High on That Mountain”), HARDY (“Give Heaven Some Hell”), ERNEST (“Songs We Used to Sing”), Brittney Spencer (“Sober and Skinny”), Ruby Amanfu (“How Beautiful You Are”), Katie Pruitt (“This Little Light of Mine”) and Jake Wesley Rogers, who turned in one of the evening’s strongest performances with a rendering of his song “Jacob From the Bible.”
Jelly Roll performed his No. 1 Country Airplay hit “Son of a Sinner,” and told the crowd, “[Jordan] gave love and he looked for love.”
Many of Jordan’s friends and television co-workers were also on hand, including Mayim Bialik, Margaret Cho, Max Greenfield, Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Mason, Jim Parsons and Robyn Schall.
Following her solo performance, Pruitt teamed with Jackson for a song they created to pay tribute to Jordan’s well-known, “Well s—” saying. Lainey Wilson teamed with Lukas Nelson for a stirring rendition of the Parton/Kenny Rogers classic “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” with Wilson following with a rendition of her current top 10 Billboard Country Airplay hit “Heart Like a Truck.”
“I feel so honored to be here tonight,” Wilson said. “I never got to meet him, but he felt like one of those guys you just knew.”
Parton sent in a video tribute, in which she told Jordan, “Everybody loves you, but I doubt that many of them loved you more than I did.”
Worsham performed “Believe in Love,” and said of Jordan, “He only performed at the Opry a couple of times. But in that short time, he did what country music does at its best, which is to expand this circle to include everyone.”
The evening’s most powerful moments came as the evening celebrated not only Jordan’s light and laughter, but his journey as a gay man who was raised in the conservative South and went on to become a beloved celebrity, known not only for his humor, but for his love for everyone around him.
Brothers Osborne took the stage to perform “I’m Not For Everyone” (Jordan had appeared in the official video for the song), and followed with “Younger Me,” a song T.J. Osborne wrote after coming out as gay in 2021. He dedicated the evening’s performance to a gay couple in the audience who were celebrating 20 years together.
It was noted that as serious as Jordan was about his acting and comedy, he was dedicated to serving others — particularly those battling AIDS, as he took part in Project Angel Food in the 1990s, giving meals to those impacted by AIDS. It was also noted that Jordan also sat with those who were dying of AIDS, when their own families would not be present. The proceeds from the event also went to another cause close to Jordan’s heart, the EB Research Partnership, the largest global organization dedicated to funding research to treat and cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).
Vedder closed the evening, teaming with Lukas Nelson for “Maybe It’s Time,” followed by the Pearl Jam classic “Just Breathe” and “The One Who Hideth Me,” Vedder’s collaboration with Jordan on the Company’s Comin’ album. For the final song, the evening’s entertainers gathered onstage for a rendition of “I Shall Be Released.”
It was comedian Schall who summed up the evening’s essence best, relaying to the crowd Jordan’s relentless support and encouragement, even when it came to making Instagram videos.
“We’d make a video, and he would call me and say, ‘Hey, Robyn, we’re gonna post this. What’s the best time to do it, so you shine the best?’ I think it’s so fitting [how] a tribute night to Leslie Jordan is just all of his friends, shining so bright.”
Kyle Jacobs, songwriter/producer and husband to country entertainer Kellie Pickler, has died at age 49, Billboard has confirmed. TMZ first reported the story.
Jacobs was found dead in an apparent suicide in the couple’s Nashville home on Friday afternoon (Feb. 17). According to a statement from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department obtained by Billboard, “Nashville’s Department of Emergency Communications received a 911 call at 1:21 p.m. Friday from a home on Sneed Road in the police department’s West Precinct. Officers and Nashville Fire Department personnel responded and located resident Kyle Jacobs, 49, deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs bedroom/office. His death is being investigated as an apparent suicide.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Mr. Jacobs’ wife, Kellie Pickler, reported that she awoke a short time earlier, did not see her husband, and began looking for him. After she and her personal assistant were unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, the assistant telephoned 911.”
Jacobs’ songwriting credits included Garth Brooks’ Hot Country Songs chart-topper “More Than a Memory,” as well as songs recorded by Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and more. Jacobs also produced several Lee Brice hits, including “I Drive Your Truck,” “Hard to Love,” “Rumor” and “Drinking Class.”
On Thursday (Feb. 16), Jacobs had posted on his Instagram page in celebration of Brice’s album My World being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Jacobs posted, “Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together…Deeply honored to be a creative part of it…Thank you Jesus!!! @leebrice @curbwordmusicpub @curbrecords #countrymusic”
Jacobs and Pickler wed on Jan. 1, 2011, and previously starred together in the reality show I Love Kellie Pickler.
Pickler competed on American Idol and finished in sixth place. She later earned a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Best Days of Your Life.”
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours, at 1-800-273-8255.
First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Kelsea Ballerini, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
Ballerini continues in the recent lineage of divorce albums from artists including Adele and Carly Pearce with her most intimate work to date, a six-song set (accompanied by a short film) that unflinchingly details the phases of the dissolution of her marriage to fellow artist Morgan Evans. This raw project chronicles a relationship that slowly dims from its brightly-wedded origins into cloudy voids wrought by physical and emotional distance. “Mountain With a View” feels like a straight-forward response to Evans’ own post-divorce song “Over For You,” while some of the project’s strongest tracks come with no-holds-barred, lyrical gut-punches of “Interlude” and “Blindsided”–songs that shake loose the last visages of keeping up appearances, in favor of wading into the messiness, anger and pain of loss. The project concludes with “Leave Me Again,” with a message of self-worth not so unlike her early hit “Miss Me More.” This time, Ballerini’s music is stripped back to just a vulnerable guitar-vocal, her voice peaceful and hopeful, like the first glimpses of a sunrise after a long, dark night.
Lainey Wilson, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
CMA Award-winner Wilson makes this contribution to the Rolling Stones tribute album Stoned Cold Country, turning this Stones classic (which peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973) into a track that transforms from barroom weeper into funky, piano-inflected track, spearheaded by Wilson’s own unique vocal flair. Wilson has earned country chart hits with the emotive “Heart Like a Truck” and wisdom-imbuing “Things a Man Oughta Know,” but here, she reminds listeners that she can rock out just as well.
The Pretty Wild, “Bettin’ On Us”
This newcomer sister duo is ready to go all-in on this anthemic, alternative pop-country hybrid about boldly risking everything when you know the reward is worth it. Sisters Jill and Julia wrote the song with Ben Williams and Colin Healey. The sisters’ harmonies are understated, while production from JoJo Centineo injects the song with a rock-tinged energy.
Tenille Arts with Maddie & Tae, “Last Time Last”
Arts teams with duo Maddie & Tae for this song that is steeped in the culture of bittersweet nostalgia, musing that if the last moment of a good thing made itself evident–whether last kickball game as a child, or the last kiss with a lover–one would do all they could to cause those final moments to linger. Maddie & Tae’s vocal pairings with Arts sound fresh and wistful. Arts wrote the song with Alex Kline, Trannie Anderson and Alison Veltz Cruz.
Joy Oladokun, “Changes”
An early release from Oladokun’s upcoming album April 28 album Proof of Life, “Changes” features the singer-songwriter’s vulnerable voice floating above tender acoustics as she reflects on kinetic shifts, both global and personal. “Life’s always been a little dangerous, but I don’t wanna stay the same so/ I’m trying to keep up with the changes,” Oladokun sings, her voice a relaxed balm on a steady beat. The song follows her previous collaboration with Chris Stapleton on the lush ballad “Sweet Symphony.”
Jay Allen, “No Prayer Like Mama’s”
Written by Jay Allen and Justin Morgan, with production from Morgan and Micah Wilshire, this intensely personal song pays tribute to Allen’s late mother, who passed away in 2019 after a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Here, Allen excels at constructing sleek pop-country with an impactful message, serving as a worthy platform for his potent vocal.
In the decade that has passed since Music Health Alliance launched in 2013, the non-profit organization has become a critical healthcare resource, providing free healthcare advocacy and resources to artists, music industry professionals and their families.
The MHA’s 15-person staff has saved clients more than an estimated $100 million in healthcare costs and provided free advocacy and support to more than 20,000 music industry clients in 50 states. Along the way, the organization has saved nearly 2,500 families from bankruptcy due to medical bills, aided 31 people in getting life-saving transplants, and provided urgent diagnostic care to 57 clients via the Ben Eyestone Fund.
But behind those massive stats are incredibly personal stories of musicians, artists, songwriters and industry members who lives have been impacted for good.
“Getting access to healthcare is the biggest thing,” Dierks Bentley tells Billboard. The country singer-songwriter is a longtime MHA supporter/client and now celebrity ambassador. “I’ve had some of my own crew that was sick in Canada with a life-threatening illness. It would have cost him like $550,000 out of pocket. He ended up paying $5,000. It saved his life, and it’s amazing what MHA does. It’s God’s work.”
MHA’s services are free to any person who has worked in the music industry for two or more years, or who has credited contributions to four commercially released recordings or videos. Spouses, partners and children of qualifying individuals may also receive access to the nonprofit’s services from birth to end of life.
“About 12 years ago, when I was chewing on the idea of Music Health Alliance, I looked at all the economic impact studies of cities where they had big entertainment economic bases,” says Tatum Allsep, Music Health Alliance founder and CEO. “At that point it was around 76% of all entertainment industry employed were small businesses and self-employment.”
Allsep is empathetic to the plight of primarily self-employed and small-business music creatives and professionals navigating the complex healthcare process. The organization’s typical “busy season” arrives Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, the window for open enrollment for individuals and families to get health insurance. “We see about 6,000 clients in total, and about 3,200 appointments to get people insured across the nation. Probably 68% of our clients are in Middle Tennessee but we also have a footprint now in all 50 states.”
Dierks Bentley with MHA Team
Courtesy Photo
Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston tells Billboard of the importance of MHA’s efforts in offering peace of mind to songwriters.
“Songwriters are independent contractors, so they don’t have access to group insurance plans,” Gaston says. “When Music Health Alliance came along, they were the gateway to providing help to get songwriters into affordable insurance plans. Our health system is so complicated, and MHA is a safe place for songwriters and anyone who works on [Music Row] to call and it’s completely confidential and free. It is such a unique and remarkable service for our community.”
Allsep notes that MHA was created to be nimble, given the ever-shifting needs of the music industry. But in March 2020, at the genesis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was put to the test, right along with the rest of the industry.
“Literally, overnight, the calls we were getting usually saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a huge medical bill,’ or ‘I just got this diagnosis,’ went from not being about medicine and doctors, but people saying, ‘I need food, I need diapers and formula for my kids,’” Allsep says. “There is no more basic form of healthcare than food — and we just said, ‘We gotta get food into our industry, because that’s what they need.’”
The Music Health Alliance board and staff turned to a fund named after MHA’s first public client, producer Cowboy Jack Clement, the famed writer-producer known for working with such artists as Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, as well as for his work as a music publisher and label operator.
“We had this fund, which had no revenue strings to it and it had about $60,000 in it,” Allsep says. “We went to City National Bank and said, ‘We need to withdraw this cash because we tried to order gift cards online and we could only order one or two at a time.’ So we literally went to Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and other places and bought $20,000 in gift cards. We thought we would end up doing this for like three months; we did this for a year and a half, to the point where anytime we would walk into Trader Joe’s, people would cheer.”
The team also curated lists of additional resources for places to get diapers, formula, mortgage and rental assistance, utilities assistance and more. The organization provided access to more than 1 million meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Music Health Alliance also began offering resources for mental health counseling, with Allsep noting that between 2019 and 2020, MHA saw a 300% increase in requests for counseling.
“That was another pivot for us: finding a way to administer getting counselors paid, because most counselors don’t accept health insurance,” Allsep says. “So we created the MHA’s mental health fund that the Music Biz Association, Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music and so many individuals and organizations pitched in to help find a way to get counseling to the masses. Every Tuesday we have our finance meeting, and we write, on average, 150 checks that go out to counselors across the nation. To date, we’ve provided more than 3,500 counseling sessions. I am so proud of that, because people are talking about mental health and our industry is a right-brain, creative industry. They are more predisposed to facing things like depression and self-medicating. If we can get ahead of that and dispel the negative stereotypes around counseling and mental health, that’s good for the industry.”
Gaston adds, “A big secret to the creative is simply being in a good mental place to be able to create. At Sony, we were able during the pandemic to start a songwriters’ assistance program to offer free mental health counseling to all of our songwriters. But the MHA, for songwriters outside of Sony, have been able to help them find counseling [and] get paired with the right people to address mental health needs — especially when it was at an all-time high during the pandemic.”
In 2021, the CMA honored the MHA’s work by naming Allsep and MHA’s CFO and certified senior advisor Shelia Shipley Biddy as CMA Foundation Humanitarian Award recipients, alongside singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Last year, Big Machine Label Group founder/president/CEO Scott Borchetta and his wife Sandi Borchetta made a $150,000 grant to MHA through their Music Has Value fund.
“It has been remarkable to witness Music Health Alliance in action over the past decade,” Borchetta tells Billboard via statement. “Their efforts to provide accessible healthcare to countless members of our beloved music community, especially throughout the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, are undeniably heroic. Their contribution and dedication to the wellbeing of our industry is truly awe-inspiring and we are honored to continue supporting their mission.”
Launching its 10th year, MHA has added a fund dedicated to dental health. The new resources are in conjunction with the Richard M. Bates SMILE fund, in memory of the music enthusiast and Walt Disney Company longtime senior vp of government relations.
Allsep says the next stage for Music Health Alliance will focus on the senior population, with Shipley Biddy leading that division.
“The senior population is the legacy of our industry, and there is such as deficit when it comes to things like home health, or being sent home from the hospital and not being able to take care of yourself,” Allsep says. “Home health is not covered by health insurance and it’s so expensive, but it enables someone to live with dignity and that’s important to us. We are focused on how we can do better for the legacy of our industry.”
Goldenvoice’s alt-country, roots and Americana-centric Palomino Festival, which had its inaugural year in 2022, will not be returning this year.
“Palomino Festival will not be taking place in 2023,” a spokesperson for the festival tells Billboard, but declined to give further reasons for the event not returning. The spokesperson also declined to offer attendance figures for Palomino Festival’s 2022 event.
The one-day festival was held on July 9, 2022, at the Rose Bowl’s Brookside grounds in Pasadena, Calif., with Kacey Musgraves headlining.
The festival’s inaugural performer lineup also included Willie Nelson & Family, as well as Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours, Old Crow Medicine Show, Charley Crockett, Orville Peck, Valerie June and Nikki Lane.
Goldenvoice also produces the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, as well as the largest country music festival, Stagecoach, both held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. While Stagecoach has increasingly incorporated a more inclusive lineup of performances from alt-country and/or Americana artists into its three-day lineup (Sierra Ferrell, Valerie June, Turnpike Troubadours and Tyler Childers will appear at this year’s iteration), the Palomino Festival was created to shine a brighter light on an eclectic style of music that incorporates everything from country, western, folk, indie rock, alternative and more.
“I’ve always wanted to do this type of festival, focused on music that lives on the edge of what is and isn’t country,” Goldenvoice talent buyer Stacy Vee previously told Billboard prior to the Palomino Festival’s inaugural event, noting that the name Palomino is in part a tribute to the former North Hollywood Palomino country music club. “It’s very important to me that these artists that I cultivated amazing relationships with get their own look and moment.”
This year’s Stagecoach festival is slated to return April 28-30, with both Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton making their first headlining runs, while fellow headliner Luke Bryan makes his fourth headlining appearance. The multi-week Coachella festival is set for April 14-16 and 21-23, with headliners including Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean.
Carin León has released his own version of Johnny Cash’s “Man in Black,” available exclusively on Apple Music as part of the Nashville SC official playlist.
In the tribute song — which celebrates the launch of MLS Season Pass and the Nashville Soccer Club kit honoring the life and legacy of Cash — León delivers a soulful rendition of the country folk song originally released in 1971. It starts with León’s crispy, raspy vocals backed by warm guitar riffs and later transforms into a country fusion with Regional Mexican elements.
“Johnny Cash is an icon within country and American folk music, although his music continues to have a strong influence within music across all genres today,” the artist born Óscar Armando Díaz de León Huez said in a press statement. “It’s very important for me to be a part of this very meaningful project and we’re doing things with all of the respect that a figure as important as Mr. Johnny Cash deserves.”
Released over 50 years ago, “Man in Black” — which was a nickname given to Cash for the way he dressed — is a protest song he penned against how poor people were treated by wealthy politicians. “I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down/ Living in the hopeless, hungry side of town/ I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime/ But is there because he’s a victim of the times,” he chants in the lyrics.
“This song is a very personal thing, but it’s the way I feel about a lot of things,” Cash expressed when he performed the song for the first time.
Honoring his legacy, the “Man in Black” kit was inspired by The Backline Supporters Collective (the club’s fans) and created in collaboration with the Johnny Cash Estate, Sandbox Succession, and Wasserman Music. The kit will debut on February 25 on MLS Season Pass via the Apple TV app.
Listen to Carin León’s cover of “Man in Black” here.
Carin Leon
Courtesy of Apple Music
Two music legends united in Austin on Thursday (Feb. 16), when Bruce Springsteen brought his tour to the city’s Moody Center.
Before Springsteen and the E Street Band launched into their 27-song set, Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait, clad in his signature jeans and cowboy hat, made an unexpected appearance as he strolled on stage to welcome Springsteen to Austin. The two superstars hugged, and The Boss stepped back as Strait made his introduction.
“Austin, Texas, it’s my honor tonight to introduce to you a band that really needs no introduction, right?” Strait said, eliciting applause from the crowd. “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
As the attendees cheered, Strait and Springsteen embraced again. The country star then waved to the crowd and exited the stage. He did not perform during his appearance, though he does have history with the Moody Center, having helped open the venue with his show on April 30, 2022, alongside Willie Nelson and the Randy Rogers Band.
Springsteen has been selling out venues across the country on his current tour, and recently added 18 new cities to the trek, including stops in Chicago, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Toronto and San Francisco. The tour launched Feb. 1 with a show in Tampa, Fla., which marked Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first North American show in seven years.
Meanwhile, though Strait is known for being a torchbearer of traditional country music, with 44 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, in addition to 17 total CMA Awards wins to his credit (including three CMA entertainer of the year trophies), the lifelong Texan is also known for tipping his hat to rock classics. He’s previously covered Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” (included on Petty’s 1994 album Wildflowers) in concert.
Watch Strait’s introduction below:
Bailey Zimmerman has stormed Billboard‘s country charts of late with his own songs, including “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Fall in Love,” but on Friday (Feb. 17), he paid tribute to the Man in Black, covering Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The release is an Apple Music exclusive, in conjunction with the launch of MLS Season Pass and the new “Man in Black” Nashville Soccer Club kit honoring the life and music of the late Country Music Hall of Fame member.
“The real reason I chose Cash’s ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ is because I’m such a believer, like I know he was,” Zimmerman told Apple Music. “Stoked for everyone to hear this version and maybe see Nashville SC use it next season!”
“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” was included on the 2006 posthumous Cash release American V: A Hundred Highways, the fifth entry in Cash’s American series. His version was inspired by a folk song, “God Almighty’s Gonna Cut You Down,” which was originally recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet in 1946 and released by group The Jubalaires a year later.
Given that Cash’s version of the song and video were released three years after the music legend’s death in 2003, Cash’s video is a black-and-white piece of visual art that includes a string of celebrities such as Sheryl Crow, Whoopi Goldberg, Travis Barker, Bono, Johnny Depp, Flea, Billy Gibbons, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Brian Wilson, Owen Wilson and more.
Listen to Zimmerman’s version on Apple Music, and Cash’s version below:
More than two decades into a career that has cemented Matthew West as one of Christian music’s most prolific singer-songwriters, with a dozen No. 1 Billboard Christian Airplay hits to his credit as an artist-writer, in addition to writing numerous songs for other artists, he is still finding new ways of challenging his artistry.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
On Friday (Feb. 17), West will see the release of his first double album, the 22-track My Story Your Glory, via Provident Label Group. The album is divided into two portions—the first half brings continuity to West’s longstanding talent for spinning fans’ personal stories into intricately detailed, faith-building story songs, such as his 17-week Christian Airplay chart-topper from 2013, “Hello, My Name Is.” The second portion breaks new ground for West, who for the first time releases a collection of worship songs.
“I’ve always wanted to pave new roads and I’ve always felt limited somewhat creatively when it comes to putting out an album every couple of years that only has like 11 songs on it,” West tells Billboard, seated in a music venue just prior to an album preview event in downtown Nashville. “I looked around the industry in Christian music and I said, ‘I’ve never seen a Christian artist put out more than the standard number of songs on an album.’ I don’t think I even told the label how many songs I was working on. When I turned it in, I think literally my contract is for 11 [songs] and I handed them 22.”
West also took inspiration from the massive albums country artists have been releasing, including Morgan Wallen’s 30-track Dangerous: The Double Album, and Eric Church’s triple album Heart & Soul.
“I’ve gotten to know Eric a little bit over the past few years—our wives are good friends—and I was talking to him while he was creating Heart & Soul,” West says. “I loved how these guys wanted to create a statement bigger than chasing a hit single. At this stage of my career, I want to be about that, too.”
His song “My Story Your Glory” is at No. 11 on the Christian Airplay chart, following his five-week chart-topper “Me On Your Mind.” “You Changed My Name,” feels like an extension to “Hello, My Name Is.”
“In Christian music, there is this fine line between two types of songs—songs literally about worshiping God,” he says. “Then there are songs about life, but through a faith perspective. For most of my creative career, my songs have been in the latter category–writing about grief, but bringing in the hope of heaven. Telling the story of trying to be perfect, but truth be told, we rarely measure up [in ‘Truth Be Told’]. When it came to this album, I was relearning how to worship in my own life, and that impacted making the worship songs here.”
In writing for the worship portion of the album, West studied hymns both classic and modern, such as Matt Mahr’s “Lord I Need You” and Phil Wickham’s “This Is Amazing Grace.” He also turned to respected worship music writers including David Leonard, who appears on “Maker,” and Bethel Music’s Jenn Johnson, who is on “I Trust Jesus.”
“I was very intentional about sitting down with writers that I have respected how they approach the craft of writing,” West says. “I was finishing writing ‘I Trust Jesus’ with Jason Ingram and I knew I wanted a female voice on it. He mentioned Jenn and she loved the song and thankfully wanted to be on it.”
The collaborative and worship aspects of the project are both essential and timely, given the proliferation of worship-centered music from groups such as Maverick City Music and Elevation Worship rising on the charts. West says more worship collaborations could be on the way as a result of My Story Your Glory.
“I think more songs will come in that direction,” West says. “I was reaching out to people like Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham and we had talked about doing something together but never landed on something. I feel like there are still exciting things on some of these voice memos I have from artists and writers I respect.”
Another key message on the album comes on “Greatest Hits,” a collaboration with country artist Granger Smith that finds them focusing on deriving the greatest sense of accomplishment from family and relationships rather than career accolades. The connection came via a songwriting session between West and Spirit Music Group Nashville chief creative officer Frank Rogers, with whom West had previously written “The Waiter,” a song on Scotty McCreery’s Same Truck album.
“Frank knew Granger. I followed Granger’s story and started listening to his podcast where he is speaking into people’s lives. I had never met him but I just had a respect for him. When I was thinking about the theme of the song, it was important for me to find another artist who I knew it would resonate with—someone who had kiddos of their own and had a grip on not chasing celebrity. It has a bit of a country lean to it and I thought about pitching it, but part of the freedom of the way people listen to music these days and the freedom of a double album is the boundary is off on your own artistry. There are some songs that sound country singer-songwriter, and that’s part of what I am.”
The Smith collaboration is a timely and natural progression as country-Christian cross-pollinations continue with increasing frequency. West previously teamed with Carly Pearce for a rendition of West’s Christian Airplay chart-topper “Truth Be Told,” while Chris Tomlin teamed with Florida Georgia Line in 2020 for a project that included such country collaborators as Lady A, Thomas Rhett and Brett Young. Dolly Parton won two consecutive Grammy wins in the best contemporary Christian music performance/song category with her collaborations with CCM artists For King & Country and Zach Williams. Lady A’s Hillary Scott also won a Grammy for her CCM song “Thy Will,” and she recently teamed with CCM artist Anne Wilson on “Mamas,” a song from Wilson’s debut album. Carrie Underwood, who previously sang background vocals on “Something Greater,” featured on West’s All In album, released her own collection of classic hymns with My Savior, including a collaboration with CeCe Winans.
“I feel like boundaries are dissipating in a really neat way,” West says. “I’m excited to write more country music that has a faith message. Even artists I work with like Anne Wilson, she’s unapologetically country in her style and unapologetically Christian in her message. I see a lot of country artists saying they want to be bold in their faith. To me, some of the strongest Christian messages—‘Three Wooden Crosses,’ ‘Something in the Water,’ ‘Live Like You Were Dying’–these songs point you toward hope.”
Before he was a five-time Grammy-nominated artist, West launched his career in Nashville’s writing rooms, penning songs for other artists. He’s since become as in-demand as a co-writer as an artist, contributing to recent hits for Wilson (the Grammy-nominated “My Jesus”), and Tasha Layton (“Look What You’ve Done”). Last year, Nashville Songwriters’ Association International named West its songwriter-artist of the year, making him the first predominantly Christian artist to win the award in more than two decades, and joining past winners such as Luke Combs, Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan.
Through co-writing and his company Story House Collective, West has continued championing younger artists such as Wilson, who signed with Story House for management last year.
“Several years ago, I brought my management in-house,” West says of Story House’s origins. “I was reading Billboard and seeing artists like Beyonce and Taylor Swift kind of foregoing the traditional management model and just surrounding themselves with great people. So with Story House, I wanted to bring my operation—music, touring, books—under one roof. Then, when the time was right, we would have the systems and vision in place to champion other artists.”
That long-term vision was truncated when he began writing with Wilson, who swiftly became one of CCM’s most-talked about new artists thanks to her breakthrough hit “My Jesus”—but who was also looking for a new management home as she geared up for her debut album launch.
“I hated to see her without representation during a crucial time. She was opening some shows for me and we were co-writing, so our Story House team helped her with the album launch while she went and had meetings with other managers. She took three months while our team helped with the album launch, and after taking meetings, she said she wanted Story House Collective to continue managing her. So at that point, Story House Collective became a growing startup.”
For West, Story House Collective is a natural evolution in a career that has seen him progress from songwriter to writer-artist to businessman.
“People also kind of looked at me sideways because I’m an artist myself and people want to put you in a category. It’s hard to see you as a manager, but I dealt with the same thing years ago when people saw me only as a songwriter. I’ve learned to be comfortable with other people’s discomfort about my career. I just keep my head down and try to do great work.”
