Country

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“Nice guys finish last.”

Baseball manager Leo Durocher first said a version of that now-legendary phrase in 1946, and nearly 80 years later, bending, breaking and ignoring the rules is commonplace in public life.

Deceit is so mainstream that a number of merchandisers have developed “Make Lying Wrong Again” ballcaps and T-shirts.

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But Drew Baldridge counters the idea that nice guys are losers. He went all the way to No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2024 with “She’s Somebody’s Daughter (Reimagined),” a song with a protective veneer that he released on his own Patoka Sounds label. Follow-up “Tough People,” an affirmation of regular Joe resilience, peaked at No. 13 in June 2025.

His latest single — “Rebel,” which Stoney Creek released to country radio via PlayMPE on Oct. 30 — takes on the good-guy stereotype, imbuing it with notable power.

“Sometimes in our society, the wrong things get glorified,” Baldridge notes. “It’s hard sometimes when you’re trying to stand up for good things and you see [the] wrong things get glorified.”

Around March 2024, he reached out to one of his “Tough People” co-writers — fellow artist Adam Sanders, currently a competitor on the CBS series The Road — with a request to help him write a song that would flip the narrative on decency, casting someone who does the right thing as an against-the-grain character.

Sanders was in. They met at Sony Music Publishing on Music Row and worked first at developing a setup line, which proved challenging. They finally found an appropriate rhyme for the title: “If the whole wide world wants to dance with the devil/I guess you could call me a rebel.”

Knowing where they were headed, they dug in on the opening verse, both of them writing on acoustic guitars and logging the lyrics on their phones. Sanders tuned his guitar a full step down to meet the mood.

“It gives it more of a bottom end, a droning kind of feel,” Sanders suggests.

The first verse seems to almost mimic the TV show Cops to build its bad-guy images: a mug shot, a DUI and “cussin’ out a cop.” Baldridge and Sanders were conscientious about avoiding politics, though 20 months after they wrote “Rebel,” that last item may sound like a loaded phrase to listeners who hear the “cop” reference without paying close attention to the rest of the verse. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has angered many Americans by wearing masks while on duty, attacking peaceful protesters and arresting mostly people with no criminal record. Many would consider cussing those law enforcement officers an act of rebellious patriotism.

“I could be wrong, but I feel like ICE is very different than a cop protecting his city,” Baldridge says. “In my head, I don’t view them as the same people.”

They made the chorus anthemic, pledging to “stand my ground” and protect the family name. They also inserted the word “integrity” — uncommon for a country song — at the end of a line, giving it a figurative spotlight.

“It is not an easy word to put in a song,” Baldridge notes. “It’s hard to sing and hard to rhyme with. I remember being in there with Adam, and I was like, ‘Look, we have to say this word like it is.’ Standing up for integrity right now is such a big thing.”

Once they had a verse and chorus, they decided to stop.

“We could have easily, probably, in that first writing session, finished the song, but would it have been the best the song it could be?” Sanders asks rhetorically. “We both agreed that we wanted to live with where we got the song to and come back with fresh brains.”

When they reconvened, verse two emphasized family loyalty and setting an example for the next generation. They also fashioned a bridge by repeating a key line from the opening stanza: “When did wrong become right/And right become wrong become so cool?”

“I felt like those two lines were the most important,” Baldridge says. “When I wrote in my notes, I had ‘Rebel’ at the top, and I had ‘right is wrong and wrong is right’ underneath it. And so I wanted to iterate that again.”

Sanders enlisted steel guitarist Andy Ellison to produce a demo, and Baldridge’s team got excited about “Rebel” once they heard it. His usual producer, Nick Schwarz, took the first crack at it and cut a version that hit hard. Stoney Creek thought it could use a lighter touch and brought in Zach Crowell (Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch), who rerecorded it at Nashville’s Saxman Studios with programmed claps and Nathan Keeterle’s subtle banjo. 

“Lyrically, it’s an intense song,” Crowell says. “It can be heavy. It can really make you think about your life, so any little commercial, acoustic, clappy thing we can put in there, it’s like, ‘Let’s do that.’ ”

“Rebel” was so intense that Baldridge needed rest after about five takes while cutting his part.

“We definitely made a conscious choice of how intense his vocal is, like ‘How gravelly is his vocal? How much is he screaming? How pulled-back is he?’ ” Crowell recalls. “I remember when he was singing a time or two, he’s like, ‘Hey, should I be singing harder? Or not as hard?’ We were like, ‘Hey, calm down just a little bit.’ ”

The label wanted some changes, but Crowell moved to a new home shortly after turning in “Rebel,” and his studio would not be ready for a month. He suggested they have Schwarz finish the production. Crowell’s version peaked in intensity at the bridge and then dropped in volume by the end; Schwarz beefed up the back end, keeping the energy at peak volume to the very finish. He played several parts himself and hired guitarists Justin Ostrader and Mike Payne for overdubs. Schwarz also resurrected the drums and a slide solo from the middle of the original production and repurposed them in the final minute of the new version.

“It’s the same tempo, same key,” Schwarz says. “May as well use it.” In the end, the story and the conviction in the performance suited Baldridge well. “It’s perfect for Drew because Drew is a tough guy, but he’s also a very reliable and loyal, dependable guy,” Schwarz says. “The rebel that he’s talking about is Drew.”

“Rebel” seemed destined to become a single, almost from the minute they turned it in. “I’ve had people from both sides of the aisle tell me we need this,” Baldridge says. “I don’t have anybody coming up and saying, ‘This is political.’ They’re all coming up and saying, ‘I’m glad somebody is standing up for honesty and truth and love. We all need this message.’ And that is what excites me.” 

Trending on Billboard Lauren Daigle and Jordan Davis are set to host the upcoming 16th annual CMA Country Christmas holiday television special, which brings music and holiday spirit to viewers to help ring in the festive season. In addition to hosting, Daigle and Davis will both perform during the event, while the special will also […]

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This week, Kaitlin Butts celebrates inking a label deal with Republic by issuing a tender revamping of a Jimmy Eat World hit. Meanwhile, Riley Green teams with Jamey Johnson for a robust new collab, and ERNEST, Sammy Arriaga and newcomer Joshua Slone also offer new tracks.

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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.

Kaitlin Butts, “The Middle”

Butts, who recently inked a deal with Republic Records, offers up a revamped version of Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 hit, transforming it into a soothing, hopeful, acoustic-driven track driven by guitars, fiddle and understated percussion. Butts’ version comes across as tender, wise and thoughtful, particularly on lines such as “Just do your best, do everything you can/ And don’t you worry what their bitter hearts are gonna say.” That’s a timeless message people of all ages can cling to.

Jamey Johnson and Riley Green, “Smoke”

Jamey Johnson welcomes Riley Green for this barn burner, intertwining Johnson’s weathered, gravelly vocal with Green’s burnished twang as they explore the motif of “smoke” with varying meanings throughout the heartbreak-driven track. At various points throughout “Smoke,” the titular phrase references the plumes billowing from an ex’s tires as she speeds away, or the wisps of smoke curling from the end of the lit cigarette he’s using to obscure his pain. Green and Johnson wrote the song with Erik Dylan and recorded the track at the Cash Cabin and Big Gassed Studios, with production from Kyle Lehning and Jim “Moose” Brown, which captures complementary ties between Johnson and Green’s distinct styles.

ERNEST, “Blessed”

In his latest, ERNEST weaves a tale of love and legacy, as this song looks at a piece of land being handed down generation after generation. “Granddaddy bought this slice back in 1962/ It came with a barn, a dog in the yard and a Chevrolet painted blue,” he sings, before sketching his own dreams of passing the land down to his son. Reserved guitars, bass and drums put ERNEST’s vocal at the fore, as he brims with pride about passing down wisdom he hopes his son will continue learning from. “Blessed” precedes ERNEST’s upcoming project Live From The South, out Nov. 21.

Sammy Arriaga, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”

First-generation Cuban American Sammy Arriaga bridges cultures and languages, combining English and Spanish-language tracks on his bilingual country Latin album Heart in Texas, which released Oct. 31. The album also includes Arriaga’s heartfelt, Spanglish rendition of Latin country trailblazer Freddy Fender’s classic “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” (Fender’s original topped both the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and Hot 100 in 1975). Arriaga’s version simultaneously pays graceful homage to Fender’s original, while, like the rest of the songs on the album, Arriaga stamps every lyric and message with his unique artistry and warm, welcoming vocal tone.

Joshua Slone, “Your Place at My Place”

Slone makes a striking entrance with his 16-song, debut album Thinking Too Much, which features Slone as the sole writer on each track. The angst-fueled “Your Place at My Place” finds him musing about unfruitful attempts to move past a faded relationship. “No one’s ever taken your place at my place,” the Kentucky native concisely laments. His full project showcases his vivid, vulnerable songwriting, cementing Slone as one of country music’s most compelling new voices.

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In his memoir, Heart Life Music, Kenny Chesney takes the reader on the journey of how he developed from a sports-loving young boy growing up in a tiny East Tennessee town raised by a single mom to one of the biggest country stars of all time.

The engrossing tale, co-written with award-winning journalist Holly Gleason, is a love story to the music that inspired him and, ultimately, to Chesney’s fans who make up the No Shoes Nation and who have helped the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee realize success beyond his wildest dreams.

Below, Chesney, who will return to Las Vegas’ Sphere in June, highlights more than 30 songs of the dozens mentioned in the book, which is available starting Tuesday (Nov. 4). He’s exclusively sharing with Billboard what the songs mean to him, including ones that influenced him, such as Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’,” which he heard at the first concert he attended.

“Someone asked me if there was a soundtrack for the book. It’s easy to say, ‘Just listen to [SiriusXM’s] No Shoes Radio,’ but someone else asked, and I thought, “Well, why not? I just looked at my life, so lets look at the music,” Chesney says. “This isn’t the definitive list, nor is it the only list,” he continues, “But it’s one collection of songs that you could listen to and enjoy while you’re reading. To me, that was the fun of this playlist: make a playlist that would be fun to listen to while reading. Though now I hear getting the audio book and listening to that while you read is the thing. Anyways… Enjoy the book. Enjoy the music. But especially, enjoy your life.”

Find his explanations behind the songs chosen below, and check out the full playlist on Spotify here.

“The Tin Man”

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It may have been a random Tuesday in Nashville on Oct. 28, but current CMA new artist of the year nominee Tucker Wetmore was welcoming a packed house of fans to “Tuck’s Tasty Tavern” pop-up show experience at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, supported by NÜTRL VodkaSeltzer.

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“We are going to have the best night of our lives,” Wetmore said, leading the packed-to-the-walls crowd through songs including “Wind Up Missin’ You,” “Silverado Blue” and his breakthrough song “Wine Into Whiskey.” 

In between songs, he took swigs of NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer (watermelon is one of Wetmore’s preferred NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer flavors, he noted to Billboard prior to the show). 

“Y’all know how to have a good time,” Wetmore told the crowd, blending music with plenty of light-hearted crowd banter, as the audience sang along fervently to his songs. 

Undoubtedly, one of the evening’s premier moments was when he commandeered the stage while seated at a keyboard. When a fan shouted out a request for Wetmore to play Beethoven, he leading fans through a medley of classical, rockabilly and pop, including Beethoven, followed by the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Great Balls of Fire” and the Commodores’ “Easy.”

Taking up the mic again, Wetmore tore through his own top 15 Billboard Country Airplay hit “3, 2, 1” before breaking from the main stage to head into the middle of the crowd and then return to his keyboard, for his own “What Would You Do,” and covers of The Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and Hank Williams, Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.” He wrapped the evening with the title inspiration for his upcoming The Brunette World Tour, the fan-favorite song, “Brunette.” 

Joking that his excursion into the crowd came at a bit of a cost, he recalled his days as a high school and college athlete, saying, “I’ve blown out my knee too many times to be doing that s–t, but I’m fired up.”

He ended the show by throwing out limited-edition shirts to fans, then holding up his can of NÜTRL, encouraging the crowd to do the same, and declaring, “Here’s to Broadway on a Tuesday.” 

Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.

Tucker Westmore performs at Tootsie’s in Nashville on October 28, 2025.

Chase Foster