Country
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Dolly Parton‘s older brother David Wilburn Parton has passed away at the age of 82.
The news was shared by the 78-year-old country music icon’s sister, Stella Parton, on social media Friday (Nov. 15). The cause of death has not been disclosed.
“My brother David passed away peacefully this morning,” Stella wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s never easy to say goodbye to a loved one, but he got his angel wings and is now at peace.”
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In a Facebook post on Saturday, Stella added, “It’s never easy to lose a loved one,” and mentioned that David died “in the early hours of the morning.”
On Threads, Stella wrote, “My brother David left us this morning. He finally got his angel wings. RIP dear soul. Love you forever.”
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Dolly Parton had not publicly commented on her brother’s death at press time.
An obituary on the Farrar Funeral Home website confirmed that David Parton (referred to as David W. Parton) passed away on Nov. 15 at his home in White Pine, Tenn. He was preceded in death by his infant son, Donnie; his parents, Robert Lee and Avie Lee Owens Parton; and his brothers Larry, Floyd, and Randy Parton. David was retired from his role as a bridge builder superintendent at Simpson Construction.
David was one of Dolly’s 11 siblings. The Parton family has faced other recent losses, including the death of Randy in 2021 following a battle with cancer at the age of 67. Floyd Parton also passed away in December 2018 at 61.
At the time of Randy’s death, Dolly shared a heartfelt message on Facebook, saying, “My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss, but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time. We are a family of faith, and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family who have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms.”
Zach Bryan has completed his deferred prosecution agreement connected to his 2023 arrest in Oklahoma, People confirmed with the Craig County, Oklahoma District Attorney’s Office. Per the publication, since he completed the six-month agreement, the criminal case against him has been closed. “He admitted responsibility and followed all of the rules and conditions of probation,” […]
Hulu’s new docuseries It’s All Country takes fans behind the scenes with some of their favorite acts.
Hosted and co-created by Luke Bryan, the series — which premiered Friday (Nov. 15) — features the country superstar going deep with his fellow artists, revealing the stories behind the songs, their hidden inspirations and how their lives inform their music.
The series, executive produced by Bryan’s CMA Awards co-host Peyton Manning’s Omaha production company, features Kane Brown, Lady A, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Wynonna Judd and Mickey Guyton. Guest musicians appearing in the series include Julie Williams, Cash Cortes, Jimbo Mathus, Tenille Arts, Jaimee Harris, Shaboozey, Benjamin Tod and Sierra Ferrell. In addition to Manning, Bryan, his manager Kerri Edwards and Grant Kahler serve as executive producers.
In the trailer, Bryan is seen playing music with his guests and interviewing them. “Behind every country song is a human story, an untold story, and I’m here to find those stories,” he says in the trailer.
The series was Manning’s idea. “When Peyton first came to me about doing this show in our country music space, I loved the idea,” Bryan tells Billboard. “I had seen his previous work in the NFL space and knew this could really be special for our fans. It really became such a conversational piece that I don’t always have the opportunity to do with my peers.”
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For Bryan, getting to spend in-depth time with his fellow artists yielded far more rewards than he could have ever hoped. “It was honestly so much more than I envisioned going into the filming,” he says. “Each one gave us pieces of their stories that I had never heard before, and I think the audiences will also feel the same.”
Manning calls himself a “lifelong” fan of country music, “but co-hosting the CMA Awards has made me a lot more knowledgeable in the space,” he tells Billboard.
“A few years ago, the team at Omaha asked me what some of my passions and interests were outside of sports,” Manning continues. “I’ve always been a huge country music fan. I’ve had the chance to host the CMA Awards the last few years and I go to as many country concerts as I can, so it was a natural fit to expand into this space and take a swing at producing a show that celebrates country music, like we’ve done in sports.”
It’s All Country
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In his role as executive producer, Manning says, “I just wanted to give a platform to artists to tell their stories. I enjoy watching the rough cuts and giving my two cents or suggestions and seeing the episodes come to life.” He opened up his rolodex when it came to booking the series. “Early on in production, the producers gave me a target guest list, and I went through and said, ‘I can text Luke Combs’ or ‘I’m a fan of Sheryl Crow,’ and we went from there,” Manning says. “I’m proud of all the different artists featured in the show – they’ve all had their own unique experiences and made an impact on country music.”
Manning admits he had a soft spot for Lady A, the only group featured in the first season. “Coming from a team sports background, the episode with Lady A resonated with me in particular,” the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback says. “I can understand how critical that relationship with your bandmates or teammates is. The viewer gets a taste of how they’ve navigated all their success as a group, supporting each other like teammates in a locker room.”
As far as other series he may want to be involved in, Bryan isn’t limiting himself. “Oh gosh, you never know with me,” he says. “I’m the type that stuff is constantly popping in my head. It comes down to weeding through the ideas that people around me feel best serve our industry and fit my overall brand. Very thankful to have this opportunity.”
Bryan and Manning will be joined by Lainey Wilson as co-hosts of the CMA Awards, airing Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
On Nov. 15, 2014, Sam Hunt’s breakthrough hit “Leave the Night On” lifted to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Hunt co-authored the song with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. McAnally co-produced it with Zach Crowell. It was released as the lead cut from Hunt’s debut album, Montevallo, which produced five hit singles. The LP arrived at the Top Country Albums summit, also on Nov. 15, 2014, and reigned for nine weeks.
Montevallo sophomore single “Take Your Time” dominated Hot Country Songs for 11 frames, followed by “House Party,” which ruled for six. “Break Up in a Small Town” and “Make You Miss Me” rounded out the set’s singles, both peaking at No. 2.
On Country Airplay, Hunt banked four No. 1s off his rookie album, starting with “Leave the Night On.”
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To date, Hunt boasts 10 Country Airplay No. 1s, through “Outskirts” this May. He has earned four leaders on Hot Country Songs No. 1s and two on Top Country Albums.
Hunt was born on Dec. 8, 1984, in Cedartown, Ga. He was a star quarterback during high school before playing college ball at Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 2014, he signed with MCA Nashville, his label home since. Before rattling off his own hits, her was an accomplished songwriter, penning tracks for Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington and Keith Urban, among others.
Hunt and his wife since 2017, Hannah Lee Fowler, have two children — daughter Lucy Louise and son Lowry Lee.
Hunt’s latest single, “Country House,” which he co-wrote, ranks at No. 50 on the latest, Nov. 23-dated Country Airplay chart (1.8 million in audience, up 2% week-over-week, according to Luminate).
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Morgan Wallen earns his 15th No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Lies Lies Lies” ascends a spot to the top of the tally dated Nov. 23. During the Nov. 8-14 tracking week, it drew 30.3 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.
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The song was written by Jessie Jo Dillon, Josh Miller, Daniel Ross and Chris Tompkins, and produced by Joey Moi. It’s the lead single from an upcoming Wallen album.
Notably, Wallen rounds up his fifth Country Airplay chart-topper of 2024 – marking the first time that an act has amassed five No. 1s in a single year dating to the list’s January 1990 launch. “Lies Lies Lies” follows “Cowgirls” (featuring Ernest), which led for a week in in July; Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” (featuring Wallen; four weeks, June-July); “Man Made a Bar” (featuring Eric Church; one week, April); and Thomas Rhett’s “Mamaw’s House” (featuring Wallen; one week, March).
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Luke Combs (2021) and Garth Brooks (1991 and 1993) each collected four new Country Airplay No. 1s in single years, while Wallen ranked at the summit with four songs in 2023, including “You Proof,” which first led in 2022. (Brooks remains the only act to notch as many as four new No. 1s all as a lead artist in a single year, in both 1991 and 1993).
McGraw Ties for Most Top 10s
Tim McGraw claims his own slice of Country Airplay history, scoring his record-tying 61st top 10 as “One Bad Habit” bounds 11-5 (24 million, up 40%).
Marc Beeson, Aaron Eshuis and Tony Lane wrote the song, which McGraw produced with Byron Gallimore.
McGraw matches Kenny Chesney and George Strait for the most Country Airplay top 10s. Alan Jackson is next with 51, followed by Keith Urban (44), Toby Keith (42) and Brooks & Dunn (41).
Plus, with “One Bad Habit” climbing to No. 5, McGraw pads his lead for the most top five Country Airplay hits: 55. Strait is second with 53 and Chesney has 50.
McGraw last reached the Country Airplay top tier with “Standing Room Only,” which hit No. 2 last November. He earned his first top 10 with the No. 8-peaking “Indian Outlaw” in April 1994. Follow-up “Don’t Take the Girl” became his first of 29 No. 1s when it dominated for its first of two frames the next month. He most recently led with two hits in 2016: his own “Humble and Kind” (one week, that June) and as featured on Florida Georgia Line’s “May We All” (two weeks, December).
“Hard to Wait for Christmas,” a sweet holiday duet by Lady A‘s Hillary Scott and her daughter Eisele Kaye, has arrived to get you in the Christmas spirit.
The surprise holiday song was released Friday (Nov. 15).
“We hope this song makes families smile and encourages them to laugh and have fun together as they wait patiently (or not!) for Christmas,” Scott says in a statement about the festive new tune featuring her 11-year-old. “My favorite line from the song is about how it feels better to give than to receive, and if we could say anything about the Christmas season, it is that we hope you have a giving heart. That’s what really makes Christmas special — the gift of your time to the people you love, and the gift of your generosity to those in need.”
On Instagram Friday morning, Scott announced the song to fans: “Eisele and I have an early Christmas present for you… Our new Christmas song ‘Hard To Wait For Christmas’ is OUT NOW!”
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“Last year Eisele, her dad, and I sat and wrote this song after a little family drama trying to explain to her sisters, Betsy and Emory, why we were not able to open every single day of the advent calendar. This conversation led into all the other reasons why it is hard to wait for Christmas,” wrote Scott, who’s a Grammy Award-winning artist with country trio Lady A and Christian group Hillary Scott & The Scott Family; both acts have topped various Billboard charts.
Hillary Scott ft. Eisele Kaye, “Hard to Wait for Christmas”
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She added, “Our hope is that this song makes your family smile and lean into the playful spirit of the holiday season while you wait 40 more days until Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas.”
“It’s hard to wait for Christmas/ All the joy there is to share/ Like cookies baking in the oven/ The sweetest smell that fills the air/ Let’s hold our hope/ And shine our light/ Before it’s Christmas Eve/ We know this season’s so much more/ Than presents and a tree/ But honestly … It’s hard to wait for Christmas,” the mother-daughter duo sings together with joy, trading lead vocals on the chorus. You can feel them smiling throughout the recording.
“Hard to Wait for Christmas” is available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music and YouTube Music. The track was produced by Scott, Chris Tyrrell and Ryan Gore.
Scott shared some adorable holiday memories — like a home video of herself singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” as a little girl, and one of a younger Eisele singing “Jingle Bells” — on Instagram leading up to Friday’s song release.
Plus, on release day, she unveiled the official visualizer for “Hard to Wait for Christmas,” which shows Hillary and Eisele in the recording studio and spending time with the whole family (mom Hillary, dad Chris, Eisele, and younger sisters Betsy and Emory), all dressed beautifully for a holiday card photo shoot. It’s fun to get a glimpse at everyone’s personalities (and to spot Eisele rocking a cool Niall Horan concert tee!).
The “Hard to Wait for Christmas” video, which might inspire you to start baking cookies this weekend, can be seen on Scott’s YouTube channel. If you want to learn the words to the song with your own kids, check out the cute advent calendar-themed lyric video, too.
Luke Bryan, a co-host of this year’s CMA Awards and a two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner, is set to guide viewers through country music’s current moment, offering fans a journey into the artists, songs and stories that have led the genre over the past year, when he hosts the ABC News special Vegas Lights & Country Nights: Countdown to the CMA Awards — A Special Edition of 20/20.
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The one-hour special will air Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 10:01 p.m. ET on ABC, and will stream the following day on Hulu and Disney+.
Filmed in Las Vegas, the special will take fans behind-the-scenes as country music gears up for the 58th Annual CMA Awards. The awards ceremony is hosted by Bryan, Peyton Manning and Lainey Wilson, and will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 20, on ABC, and the following day on Hulu.
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Vegas Lights & Country Nights will feature Jason Aldean, who will sit down for a candid discussion of his career history in Vegas, at his new Jason Aldean Kitchen+Bar Vegas location; he will also surprise first responders from 2017’s Route 91 Harvest Festival with an intimate musical performance. Bryan’s fellow American Idol judge and eight-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood will take fans behind the curtains of her Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency, while Blake Shelton will show fans around his Ole Red Las Vegas bar while talking about his life and upcoming residency.
From there, Keith Urban will also reflect on his new album, High, and his Las Vegas residency, while Shaboozey will discuss his breakthrough year and his 17-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Shaboozey has two nominations leading into this year’s CMA Awards, including new artist of the year and single of the year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
The special will also feature conversations with Thomas Rhett, who will launch a limited Las Vegas residency in December, as well as Carly Pearce, who offers an all-access pass to her “Hummingbird” tour stop in Las Vegas. Dustin Lynch, Brandi Cyrus and the YEEDM DJ duo VAVO will also provide an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their performances at the Professional Bull Riders after-party.
Vegas Lights & Country Nights: Countdown to the CMA Awards – A Special Edition of 20/20 is produced by ABC News Studios and 20/20. Emily Whipp serves as executive producer, and Janice Johnston is senior executive producer. Monica Escobedo serves as senior entertainment producer.
Get an early look at the ABC News special below:
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“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” may still be riding high atop the Billboard Hot 100, but Shaboozey has more “Good News” to share. On Friday (Nov. 15), the country breakout star dropped “Good News,” his first new single since the release of his Billboard chart-topping Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going LP. Once again joining […]