Country
Page: 92
Cole Swindell taps into his history on his new single, “Forever to Me.”
It’s the second time he’s sung about Carolina in the chorus of a song he issued to radio, following his 2022 release “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.” And a line in the bridge, “I wish you coulda met my daddy,” references the loss of his father, a life event that formed the backbone of his 2015 ballad “You Should Be Here.”
But “Forever to Me” also uses history to anticipate the future, recounting the 2023 engagement that led to his June 12 marriage in California to former NBA dancer Courtney Little. “Forever to Me” represents the start of the next phase in his personal life, now unfolding in a way he doubted it would.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I always wondered if I’d ever get married – you can’t really have a song like that if you don’t,” he says. “So for all this to happen within a year, man, and to have [the song] out there and finally be playing it live, it’s really cool.”
Trending on Billboard
“Forever to Me” is actually more than three years in the making. Swindell had met Little at a NASCAR event, and they struck up a friendship. But when his video team needed a love interest for his intricate 2021 video “Some Habits,” Swindell thought it’d work better to shoot it with Little than with an unfamiliar model. Working on that particular song on a Tennessee backroad created a spark, and the two began dating.
“The whole feeling on that day, I just felt like there was something,” he reflects. “I don’t know that I thought we’d be getting married, but I definitely knew that’s what I was missing.”
In May 2023, Swindell planned to pop the question in Texas in conjunction with the Academy of Country Music Awards, but just days before that event, he called an audible and arranged to take Little on a surprise detour to that same “Some Habits” backroad. He knelt on a soggy field, she said “yes,” and as he worked on his next album, he periodically attempted to write about the relationship for their first dance. Oddly enough, “Forever” arrived in tandem with a football game.
Swindell was to headline a swanky private party in Houston on Jan. 7, the eve of the National College Football Championship, and at the last minute, he asked Greylan James (“Next Thing You Know,” “Happy Does”) to join him and to suggest a third writer. James picked Rocky Block (“Cowgirls,” “Man Made a Bar”). They wrote a couple songs on the way to Houston, and after the concert, they stayed up late on the bus talking – so late that they saw the sun come up. They asked Swindell to describe his relationship, and he replied that Little is “forever to me.” That, his co-writers agreed, was the song they would write – after they slept.
When they awoke, James and Block worked on it a bit before Swindell was ready. James developed an opening acoustic guitar riff that Swindell compared to a Keith Whitley vibe.
“It was a really purposeful part,” James says.
They came up with the chorus’ opening line, “She gave 18 summers to Carolina” – not quite the correct number of years, but definitely the right state. “That was a little bit poetic license, but it got the point across,” Block notes. “We were just trying to say she grew up somewhere.”
Block controlled the melody at the close of that chorus, including the all-important set-up line, “I might’ve gave her the diamond/But she gave forever to me.” “I would have never sang that off the bat,” James says. “That’s just a Rocky Block special.”
[embedded content]
The word “gave” became an important device – “She gave 18 years…,” “I gave her a diamond…,” “She gave forever…” Swindell’s co-writers were very specific about it. “We kind of went in on what else she gave [in] other places in that chorus,” Block says.
Swindell didn’t quite realize it was happening. “It is a lot of ‘gaves,’” he says. “I didn’t even notice that we had done it. It just kind of felt right.”
One of the “gaves” – “I gave a grass stain to my knee” – is the kind of detail that specifically personalizes “Forever.” Originally, they started writing the verses with a line that referenced Dallas, since that’s where he intended to propose. Along with the references to Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, the geography felt cluttered, but they kept it. Eventually, that became the second verse as he spent the first recounting how they met.
The song’s powerhouse moment comes with the bridge. It sews in a cultural reference, “She said ‘yes to the dress’ with her mama,” as the writers specifically included Little’s mother in the lyric. It’s there that Swindell sings “I wish you coulda met my daddy,” tying in his own personal note. And they included a mention of Jesus, suggesting divinity is involved in the relationship. It was only after writing the bridge that Swindell came up with the opening line, “You ever seen a prayer in person?,” tying the front and back of the song together.
They had champagne on hand for the game, but they broke it out early for an emotional toast. “We’re holding cups of champagne, hugging each other, and tears coming down — because we felt every line in that in that bridge,” James recalls.
They barely got to the stadium suite in time for the game, a Michigan blowout over Washington. Numerous celebrities wandered in and out, but the three writers kept going back to a corner and playing a work tape of “Forever.” James paid extra attention to the demo when he got back to Nashville, since the song was likely to be important to Swindell’s fiancée. The story made it one of Swindell’s most challenging vocals.
“It was a different kind of feeling — like, ‘Man, I can’t believe I’m singing this. I can’t believe I wrote this song,’” Swindell remembers. “I felt a lot of pressure to get it right.”
Little and the in-laws loved it, though another song eventually supported their ceremonial first dance. Meanwhile, Swindell struggled to record a final version of it. They made several attempts with different groups of musicians, but none of the results captured the song’s emotion the way the demo did. Ultimately, Swindell contacted producer Jordan M. Schmidt (Tyler Hubbard, Mitchell Tenpenny), who used much of Swindell’s vocal and some of James’ drum programming from the demo. Schmidt hired drummer Nir Z to mesh light human drum work into the synthetic percussion, and he had Jonny Fung redo the guitar parts.
Swindell still needed to rewrite the Dallas line, though, and he had a long phone call with Block and James to change the lyric. They turned the lines into “There ain’t no dancin’ around it/ When your whole world’s standin’ there.” It might be the only part of the song that Swindell re-sang during one last vocal session, held under more pressure, since the label had picked “Forever” as a single, and deadlines were imminent.
Schmidt “was a huge reason we were able to release it,” Swindell says.
Warner Music Nashville issued “Forever” to country radio via PlayMPE on April 12. It ranks No. 46 on the Country Airplay chart dated June 22, documenting his recent history as he steps into newlywed status.
“I’m literally in this season of my life,” he says. “I will never talk about it any more than I will now and this kind of goes along with what I’m going through. It just kind of fit.”
Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa will return for a milestone 10th year, when the five-time entertainer of the year winner and his fellow artists take over the Moon Palace Cancun resort in Cancun, Mexico, for four days of music, sun, sand, and fun times on Jan. 15-18, 2025.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Bryan will headline for two nights during the all-inclusive concert vacation, but the lineup also features three-time ACM entertainer of the year winner Jason Aldean, who returns for a third time, as well as 11-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper Kane Brown, who is making his Crash My Playa debut in 2025. Also on the lineup are Bailey Zimmerman, Dustin Lynch, Dylan Scott, Elle King, Jackson Dean, Nate Smith, Dasha, Ella Langley, Tucker Wetmore and DJ Rock.
Bryan, who has amassed a career total of 21.3 billion streams and 26 Billboard Country Airplay chart-toppers has steadily built the event into a must-attend getaway that welcomes an average of 5,000 attendees each year. For Bryan, the enduring impact of the festival is special, given his deep involvement at the very origins of Crash My Playa.
Trending on Billboard
“From day one, we partnered with Playa Luna [Presents],” Bryan tells Billboard. “At the time, they said, ‘Luke, do you want to just take the money, or do you want to build it and be an owner?’ I was so glad I decided to build it and become an owner, because it’s something I’ll look back on and it will be one of the proudest things I’ve been a part of. Year one, I’ll never forget when I saw the actual concert site and looked at how beautiful everything was lit, and how well done. My first thought was, ‘These fans are about to have one of the greatest [four-day periods] of their life, because everything even exceeded my expectations.”
It’s not only fans who get excited about attending Crash My Playa — the artists do, too.
“Artists will hear about Crash My Playa and how fun it is, and they will walk up to me and say, ‘Hey, can we come be a part of this?’” Bryan says. “I was doing some TV stuff with Kane [Brown], and he goes, ‘I want to do Crash My Playa,’ and I said, ‘Well, we can get it organized and booked right now.’ So it’s been fun to kind of be the promoter of my own festival, but it’s fun when the artists come down and it lives up to their expectations.”
For Bryan, chief among a decade of music-filled, sun-drenched memories he has amassed from previous years of Crash My Playa are the moments he and his fellow artists have been able to let loose and be comfortable — even if that means some informal, silly onstage moments.
“I never will forget the year that me, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice and Charles Kelley got onstage,” Bryan recalls. “I had toured with Jason Aldean for many, many years and I’d never heard him lose his voice, but we all sounded like wolves out in the wild. So that told me maybe we’d had a little too much tequila down there, but we knew we had had a great time when singers are losing their voices, trying to do cover songs. But it was a pretty funny moment and thank God it never went viral.”
In addition to music, the concert vacation features an array of sports activities, games, pool parties, wellness activities, and more, with previous years’ activities including ATVs, zip lines, snorkeling, beach volleyball, and a pickleball tournament.
“We’ve always got a big group of friends and family that come down,” Bryan says. “It’s nice to go down there and get in the sun and get your vitamin D and feel good and have some margaritas. So most of the time we just sit there and sit by the pool and play music.
“One time I learned how to windsurf there and that didn’t go well,” he adds with a laugh. “So I gave up windsurfing.”
Notably, despite the ACM Award-nominated event’s continuously surging popularity, package prices remain consistent with last year.
“I want fans to come down there and go, ‘Wow, that was twice as good as we expected and we can’t believe that we got all this for this package [price],’” Bryan noted. “Whenever we’ve had our inputs go up, and wherever we’ve had to spend more money on this or that, I’ve taken it out of my pocket and never transferred it to the fans. I could have raised ticket prices 20% and paid off something else, but we chose not to do it that way. If things get a little more expensive, I take it on the chin, and that just feels like the right way to go about it.”
The general on sale for the event will launch June 28 at 3 p.m. ET at crashmyplaya.com. Previous attendees will have early access through an Alumni Pre-Sale starting at 11 a.m. EDT on June 28. Fan club members for Bryan, Aldean, Brown, and Lynch will also have the opportunity to purchase Pre-Sale packages on June 28 at 2 p.m. EDT.
A decade on, and having firmly established Crash My Playa as one of country music’s essential artist-driven events, Bryan says he’s always focused on ways “to be innovative, and keep it fresh and young. I must say I’ve thought about a Crash My Maui or a Crash My Bahamas, so if we can take that and go mobile … and always, it’s all about the fan experience for me. As long as we have the continued support from them and everybody’s excited, we’ll always do our part to stay ahead of the curve on it.”
Country music singer-songwriter Mark Chesnutt is recovering after undergoing emergency heart surgery. According to a June 18 post on Chesnutt’s Instagram page, he experienced a heart health issue and was hospitalized on Sunday. He underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery and is currently recovering. The surgery and recovery has also led Chesnutt to cancel some upcoming […]
Tanner Adell, known for her breakthrough hit “Buckle Bunny” and her contributions to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, has signed with Love Renaissance (LVRN).
The Atlanta-based Love Renaissance was founded in 2016 by Tunde Balogun, Justice Baiden, Junia Abaidoo, Carlon Ramong and Sean “Famoso” McNichol, and features a roster including 6LACK, Summer Walker, DVSN, SPINALL, and TxC. The multi-faceted label and management company offers creative direction, production, marketing and strategic partnerships. LVRN also operates the Atlanta-based LVRN Studios to further cultivate musical talent in the Atlanta area.
“They made it so obvious that they knew exactly who I was and exactly how they were going to help me achieve what I want to achieve,” Adell tells Billboard of her decision to sign with LVRN Records.
Trending on Billboard
Adell’s upbringing in both California and Wyoming has helped the singer-songwriter in crafting a unique fusion of country, pop and hip-hop on songs such as “Whiskey Blues” and “FU-150,” as well as a signature brand that blends big-city glitz and rural roots. Adell moved to Nashville three years ago with her sights set on a career in country music.
“I was writing in my bedroom, using beats I’d find on the internet. I moved here and just put my head down, working, and kept my vision as straight as I possibly could in trying to create a sound that I felt was unique to me, but relatable,” Adell told Billboard.
Adell, who was previously signed with Columbia Records, issued the song “Honky Tonk Heartbreak” in 2021, followed by her EP Last Call the following year. Most recently, she released her Buckle Bunny debut mixtape last year, followed by a deluxe version of the project, including “Love You a Little Bit,” “Throw It Back,” and “I Hate Texas.”
Then Queen Bey came calling.
On Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Adell joined with Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts on the song “Blackbiird,” and provided background vocals on “Ameriican Requiem.” Like her Cowboy Carter cohorts, Adell saw a surge in streaming. According to Luminate, the week after Beyonce released “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Adell saw a 188% increase in streaming activity.
This year, she’s built on that surge by performing at top festivals including CMA Fest, Stagecoach and C2C. Adell also wrote and recorded the song “Too Easy” for the soundtrack of the movie Twisters, with her work residing alongside music from artists Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Miranda Lambert.
Baiden, head of A&R for LVRN, said in a statement, “It’s rare these days to be wowed and instantly connect to an artist. Tanner is a generational talent who will change how people feel, perceive, and digest country music. We believe in the stories she tells and her ability to relate to the everyday person; she will touch a global audience. Our decision to support her journey reflects how we at LVRN came into the business and how we see things: fearless, rebellious, loving, Renaissance!”
Amber Grimes, evp/GM of LVRN, added, “Given our profound affinity for storytelling, we were determined to collaborate with Tanner. She has a jaw-dropping story waiting to be shared through her songwriting. We are thrilled to welcome Tanner to our family, amplify her narrative, and continue to cultivate her success as an artist. Our commitment to nurturing talent and supporting artistic integrity extends across all genres.”
Adell recalled the detailed plan the label created for a forward-facing career vision.
“They had about 30 pages of where they felt my trajectory was going, showing how they understood my brand,” Adell told Billboard. “They had a vision for touring, and a deep dive into how the partnership would go if I signed with them. You never see that—it felt like these are real people who really care and understand me.”
Over the past year, Adell has been writing for a new project, one that will draw fans deeper into her story.
“I haven’t talked too much about my family, and my birth family and being adopted and how I’ve dealt with that,” Adell said. “I’m biracial. I was adopted by a white family, but they also adopted my siblings. I haven’t talked about finding my birth family, or any of that. I feel like my fans are ready, and I’m ready to give that part of myself to them. I’m ready to share that side of me. I feel like there will be a lot of people who will be healed.”
This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader who, throughout their career, has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry, such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions, and other goodwill efforts. The award honors the contributions of Cliffie Stone, who was known for his producing work along with his country music career.
Brown, 77, has had a storied career in the music industry, from playing piano with Elvis Presley and Emmylou Harris, to producing innumerable hits for such artists as Reba McEntire, George Strait and Trisha Yearwood, and serving as president of MCA Records Nashville. He has previously won seven ACM Awards, including producer of the year.
Yearwood, 59, emerged as one of the top voices in country music in the 90s, winning ACM new female vocalist of the year in 1991 and winning ACM female vocalist of the year in 1997. Along with a win for ACM video of the year in 2016, Yearwood has taken home three ACM Awards in her career. She has notched five No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart – “She’s in Love With the Boy,” “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl),” “Thinkin’ About You,” “Believe Me Baby (I Lied)” and “Perfect Love.”
Previous recipients include: Alabama, Connie Bradley, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Mike Dungan, Joe Galante, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, George Jones, The Judds, Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Conway Twitty, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr. and Dwight Yoakam.
When country music fans are asked about the Grand Ole Opry, one of the venue’s standout features is its famed circle of wood, set center stage, where numerous country music legends and newcomers have performed.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
But nearly 15 miles away is another circle that is illustrious in country music circles — the Bluebird Cafe’s in-the-round songwriter circles. For the past 42 years, the tiny music venue located in a cluster of stores off Hillsboro Pike in Nashville has provided what The Bluebird Cafe COO/GM Erika Wollam Nichols on Monday night called “a home for songs and songwriters.”
Indeed, over the past four decades, The Bluebird Cafe has been a place of camaraderie for songwriters, a place to test new songs before a discerning but supportive audience — and notably, a vessel of discovery of new generations of artists, as everyone from Taylor Swift to Garth Brooks has performed at the Bluebird early in their careers.
Trending on Billboard
On Monday night (June 17), the Bluebird Cafe hosted another of those “only in Nashville” moments, welcoming the 9x RIAA diamond-certified and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Post Malone to its ranks, in his first Bluebird Cafe performance.
Post Malone, who currently reigns atop the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth week with his Morgan Wallen collaboration “I Had Some Help,” has steadily been cementing his place in the country music sphere, having performed covers of country classics for years. More recently, he teamed with Wallen and HARDY to perform a tribute to the late Joe Diffie during the CMA Awards, as well as performing a set at country music festival Stagecoach, rendering a classic country-soaked performance during the ACM Awards, and teaming with Blake Shelton for the new song “Pour Me a Drink.”
Post Malone had some help that evening, welcoming Lainey Wilson and songwriter Ashley Gorley for true Bluebird Cafe in-the-round style performance, with Wilson and Gorley. For Post, the industry-only event marked an even-deeper nod to his respect for the genre and those who work and create within it.
“I dreamed about playing the Bluebird, and there’s such an energy in this room,” Wilson said, before telling Post Malone, “I’m so glad you are getting to play this place.”
Gorley launched the writers’ round with a version of Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.” Throughout the evening, he also offered up a version of Nate Smith’s “World on Fire,” Chris Stapleton’s 2022 Grammy winner “You Should Probably Leave” (which Gorley noted he wrote back in 2011, saying, “Patience is a virtue”) and Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots.”
“I’d play songs from my album, but it doesn’t exist,” Gorley quipped — to which Wilson replied, “You could do a top 100 hits [album].”
Lainey Wilson
Adam DeGross
“Do people cuss during writers’ rounds?” Post Malone asked, before potentially setting a new record for how many F-bombs were dropped during a Bluebird Cafe performance — perhaps another sign of the immediate intimacy and comfort the 90-seat venue inspires.
When one of the performers needed a guitar pick, Wilson quipped to Post Malone, “I’m gonna get you to sign it and then sell it on Ebay.”
Wilson, Gorley and Post Malone swapped stories, jokes and songs, with Gorley performing several of the numerous hits he’s written with and for artists, while Wilson and Post Malone offered up a mix of their hits and newer music. Post Malone performed his 2016 song “Feeling Whitney,” a song he noted is not really inspired by the late singer Whitney Houston, but rather by a night of drinking in Texas.
In this acoustic setting, songs’ production was peeled back, highlighting the essential songcraft underpinning each, whether that was a more traditional country-flavored tune such as Wilson performing “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” or Post Malone offering up his massive pop hit “Sunflower,” which had been included in the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Later, Post Malone noted, “My whole life, I’ve loved shapes, from octagons to triangles to rhombuses,” he said jokingly. “But the shape I love most is the circle,” he added, before launching into his 2019 hit “Circles.”
As the evening went on and the writers’ comfort level increased, Post Malone repeatedly, jokingly called for rounds of shots — and hot dogs — for the audience, while noting a favorite drink concoction: White Tea, a mix of vodka, peach schnnaps and sours. Later, a server brought each of the performers out a concoction, and they sipped on the drinks as they continued the round.
Wilson performed a song from her upcoming album Whirlwind, due in August. She offered up “4×4 by You,” noting that she was still new to performing the song and bringing up the lyrics on her phone — with Post Malone holding up the phone for her so she could view the lyrics.
“I feel like writing this record and getting into the studio with my band made me feel at home,” she said. “I definitely felt at home when I wrote this song.”
Earlier in the set, she performed “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” telling the audience that her mother told her when she wrote the song, that Wilson’s great-grandfather caught one of the very last wild horses in Louisiana and farmed with it for years. “That’s the power of storytelling,” she shared. “Sometimes you are writing about something and you don’t know what you’re writing about until later on.”
Singer-songwriter Ernest was also in attendance, and joined the round to collaborate with Wilson on their first performance of a song from Ernest’s album Nashville, Tennessee. The two performed their duet of “I Would If I Could,” a two-decades-old song written by famed Nashville songcrafters Dean Dillon and Skip Ewing.
“I was doing this thing for Apple Music called ‘Lost and Found,’ songs that should be recorded that never got recorded,” Wilson said. She thanked Sony Music Publishing Nashville executive Anna Weisband for finding the song, before Ernest picked up his side of the song’s saga.
Unbeknownst to Wilson, hit songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon (and daughter of Dean Dillon) had also sent Ernest the song. “I had no idea that anybody else on Earth had heard this song,” Ernest said, noting that he reached out to Dean Dillon to tell him he would record it — and noted Dillon had forgotten he had written it. “He said, ‘Damn, son — if you are writing songs like this, what do you need me for?’ I said, ‘You wrote this song!’” Dillon later called Ernest and said, “You won’t believe me but [Sony Music Publishing Nashville leader] Rusty Gaston called me and said Lainey Wilson is going to record this song.’ So Lainey and I were like, ‘We have to do this together.’”
While the Bluebird Cafe is known for its policy of having the audience refrain from chatter while songwriters are performing, it’s also known as an “anything can happen” atmosphere. As the evening drew to a close, Post Malone launched into his current Hot 100 chart-topper (sans Wallen), with the crowd singing along to “I Had Some Help.”
Ashley Gorley
Adam DeGross
“This song is about drinkin’, and I might as well, to immerse myself,” he quipped, sipping on his drink before launching into the song.
True to that same spirit, they closed the evening with Ernest joining Post Malone to perform George Jones’ 1980 hit, “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will).”
“This is the most fun I’ve had, being able to play with Ashley and Lainey and Ernest,” Post said.
Two-time GMA Dove Award winner and CCM/country singer-songwriter Anne Wilson teamed with reigning CMA and ACM entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson to create a visual component to complement their collaboration “Praying Woman. In the process, the pair highlighted the importance of women uplifting and supporting women, whether spiritually, emotionally, or musically.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The song, featured on Anne’s recent album Rebel, was inspired by a conversation the two artists had regarding their respective families — and in particular, their faith-filled mothers.
“I loved working with her,” Anne previously told Billboard. “I met Lainey on Instagram in 2020. Then we met [in person] last year, and we wrote the song the same day… We were talking about our moms, and we both remember our moms praying a lot when we were kids, getting on their knees and praying for things, and we got to write a song to honor our moms and talk about what it means to be a woman who prays and faith.”
Trending on Billboard
Kentucky native Anne Wilson and Louisiana native Lainey Wilson wrote “Praying Woman” with Trannie Anderson, Jeff Pardo and Matthew West.
The two singer-songwriters filmed the video for “Praying Woman” backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, in the Opry’s “Women of Country” dressing room, which features photos of women artists including Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood. The setting was appropriate, given that Anne is a member of this year’s Grand Ole Opry NextStage program, which supports the discovery of new artists across the brand’s platforms. Lainey was a member of the program in 2021 and has continued supporting artists that are part of the program. Meanwhile, Lainey was also inducted into the Grand Ole Opry earlier this month.
“When Lainey and I wrote this song last year, I knew it was a special one. But to perform it in the Women of Country dressing room, where so many of the greats came before us, was a feeling I’ll never forget,” Anne said in a statement. “Lainey is like a big sister to me and I’m so blessed to have a mentor like her in my corner.”
In addition to “Praying Woman,” Anne’s Rebel project includes her top 5 Billboard Christian Airplay hit “Strong,” while Rebel debuted at No. 10 on the top Country Albums Chart and spent three weeks at the pinnacle of the Top Christian Albums chart.
Watch Anne Wilson’s video for “Praying Woman,” featuring Lainey Wilson, below:
[embedded content]
When Marty Stuart was approached about taking part in a Tom Petty tribute album, his first thought was “that’s a dangerous mission,” he recalls with a laugh. “Those songs were done right the first time.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
But his love for his late friend, who died in 2017, outweighed his trepidation. Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives join Willie Nelson, George Strait, Thomas Rhett, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs and Jamey Johnson, among others, on the outstanding Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, out Friday (June 21) through Big Machine Records and the Tom Petty estate.
The album comes with the blessing and involvement from some of those closest to Petty: his daughter Adria and producer George Drakoulias, who began working with Petty on 1994’s Wildflowers album, as well as Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, who play on two of the tracks. Drakoulias, Randall Poster and Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta serve as the set’s executive producers.
Trending on Billboard
When casting the album, the trio worked in tandem. “We had a lot of Zoom calls and we had a lot of fun,” Drakoulias says. “Between the three of us and Adria, the big thing was credibility, authenticity. We tried to make it up-and-comers, legends, stalwarts and people a little bit on the outside.”
Noted music supervisor Poster, who has won two Grammys for his work, adds they approached the project like a movie. “We [asked], ‘What are the variety of sounds and voices that render this story of this American storyteller?” Vital was making sure the project was a “proper testament to the Petty legacy,” he says.
Having the seal of approval of those close to Petty was “incredibly important,” Borchetta says, and helped lift the quality of the tribute. “That’s where Adria was critical. She’s a great protector of her father’s work, and having the Heartbreakers as part of the record is the icing on the cake. For Tom Petty fans, it’s going to feel like, ‘These guys signed off,’ and you can’t get a bigger endorsement than that.”
[embedded content]
Borchetta learned some lessons from working on previous tribute albums, including one for Motley Crüe in 2014. “Get the big artists to agree first and the dominoes fall in place,” he says — adding that Chris Stapleton, a huge Petty fan, was one of the first to say “yes.”
He also told artists to create their cover song “in your own image,” using the producer of their choice: “I want them to be equally involved in the decision-making and the creative. Every track is its own adventure.” Otherwise, Borchetta says, “I don’t think we would have gotten all the “yes”es. We said, ‘We’d love for you to participate. There are no guardrails.’”
That freedom led to artists putting their own spin on the songs, some of which wowed Drakoulias. “Tom’s vocal is great on ‘I Should Have Known It,’ but Stapleton’s version is so loud and crazy. I mean, it’s like this giant engine gets turned on. Everyone putting their fiddles and banjos on [songs], it was really endearing. I think everything feels really honest on the record.”
In addition to Stapleton’s grizzled “I Should Have Known It,” among the other highlights are Dolly Parton’s delicate “Southern Accents,” Margo Price’s spicy “Ways to be Wicked” (featuring Mike Campbell), Lainey Wilson and Wynonna’s powerful “Refugee,” and the set’s first single, Dierks Bentley’s bluegrass-inflected “American Girl.”
[embedded content]
Bentley’s version stands at No. 34 with a bullet on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated June 22. As for future radio singles, Borchetta says, “We don’t ever get a phone call from a radio station saying, ‘Hey, do you have any covers?’ We’ve got to handle it very carefully. There are serious conversations about what will be next. But we want to really do one at a time as far as radio, but with the DSPs, we’re cranking them out.”
Red Light Management, which has handled Petty’s estate for almost five years and has overseen several initiatives, including the deluxe box sets for Wildflowers and Live from the Fillmore 1997, came up with the concept and approached Big Machine.
PETTY COUNTRY
Courtesy Photo
Borchetta gave an immediate yes, “being such a big fan and knowing the catalog so well,” he says. “We had some great early conversations with Adria, and we were thrilled and honored to be able to represent this amazing body of work.”
Petty was seen, above all, as an incisive, often pointed songwriter and given Nashville’s reverence for songwriters, the executive producers felt a country tribute was the way to go. “The last poets live there,” Drakoulias says. “They take craft very seriously. They respect songs. They respect songwriters. There was an element of that.”
“He’s like Hank Williams,” Stuart says of Petty’s songwriting ability. “He could get you in four lines. You never know it when he gets your heart. I love his lyrics. After he passed away, I saw that whole stadium down in Gainesville singing ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ and I thought, that’s the stepping-off place to his legacy. People are going to keep singing his songs. And this record is just further proof of that.”
Plus, Petty had a life-long affinity for country music. In an interview from when he and the Heartbreakers first played the Grand Ole Opry in 1983, he said, “Country music was probably the first music I ever heard … My parents played it, and they actually listened to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio, and my grandmother talked to me about it for years. I’m a huge fan of country music, to be honest.” The Heartbreakers were the backing band on Johnny Cash’s 1996 Unchained album, and Petty inducted Carl Perkins into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The tribute album will hopefully introduce Petty’s music to a younger generation and a different audience. “We were seeking to connect how influenced Tom was by country music — and, in turn, how much influence and love he has had from country artists,” says Red Light Management president Will Botwin. “We feel the 20 great performances of his songs by a wonderful variety of country music artists on the Petty Country album accomplishes this in a very authentic and powerful way. His songs are a natural fit with country music artists & fans.”
Drakoulias agrees: “It’s a good way to remind country audiences what a great songwriter [he was]. There will definitely be a new awakening and a new sense of discovery [among those fans].”
While there are no plans yet for a single concert celebrating the album’s release, a number of the participating artists have been making appearances promoting the set. Bentley performed “American Girl” on Good Morning America, Wilson and Wynonna played “Refugee” on the Grand Ole Opry and CBS This Morning will air a piece on June 25.
Additionally, Thursday night (June 20) the Country Music Hall of Fame will host a release party, featuring Adria Petty, Borchetta and Drakoulius, as well as an early look at the Petty addition to the Hall’s Western Edge Exhibit.
PETTY COUNTRY TRACKLIST
1. “I Should Have Known It” by Chris Stapleton2. “Wildflowers” by Thomas Rhett3. “Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Luke Combs 4. “Southern Accents” by Dolly Parton5. “Here Comes My Girl” by Justin Moore6. “American Girl” by Dierks Bentley7. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Lady A8. “I Forgive It All” by Jamey Johnson9. “I Won’t Back Down” by Brothers Osborne10. “Refugee” by Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson11. “Angel Dream No. 2” by Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson12. “Learning To Fly” by Eli Young Band13. “Breakdown” by Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce14. “Yer So Bad” by Steve Earle15. “Ways To Be Wicked” by Margo Price feat. Mike Campbell16. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Midland17. “Free Fallin’” by The Cadillac Three feat. Breland18. “I Need To Know” by Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives19. “Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Rhiannon Giddens feat. Silkroad Ensemble and Benmont Tench20. “You Wreck Me (Live)” by George Strait
Jelly Roll is getting his first passport stamp. After barnstorming across the continental U.S. for the past two years, the “Save Me” singer announced his first-ever international shows on Tuesday morning (June 18). The gigs will include a July 8th show at the Meridian Center in St. Catharines, Ontario benefitting the Heather Winterstein Foundation, followed by a July 9 show at Ottawa’s Bluesfest, where he’ll join a lineup that includes Carly Rae Jepsen, Charley Crockett, Future Islands, Killer Mike, Maroon 5 and Mt. Joy, among others.
“The Heather Winterstein Foundation and the family of Heather Winterstein are grateful that Jelly Roll is honouring us with his very first Canadian concert on our behalf,” read a statement from Foundation executive director Jennifer Dockstader. “His dedication to raising awareness, sharing his story of healing, and supporting substance use disorder treatments are a beacon of hope for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike across Turtle Island. His message brings the struggles of our loved ones into the open and helps us celebrate the healing journeys of our relatives in our community, offering opportunities for equity and reconciliation.”
Trending on Billboard
Jelly Roll, 39, who has earned three No. 1 hits at Canadian radio to date, will visit Canada for the first time to play the benefit for the foundation dedicated to providing indigenous youth support for mental health and addictions, as well as scholarships to pursue careers in health care. Tickets for the show will be available during a presale starting at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday (June 20), with the general onsale beginning at 10 a.m. ET here.
“When the opportunity to bring in Jelly Roll surfaced, we jumped on it,” Ottawa Bluesfest executive and artistic director Mark Monahan said in a statement. “He has an amazing story, and he’s a great performer.” The visit from the country star is such a big deal that the festival will begin a day earlier to accommodate Jelly, who will perform on the RBC Stage; tickets for the July 9 gig will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday (June 19) here.
Prior to Tuesday’s announcement of the two Canadian gigs, Jelly Roll had not booked any dates in Canada — or overseas — due to visa restrictions tied to arrests and convictions earlier in his life.
“It’s funny, America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies,” Jelly told Jon Bon Jovi in an interview earlier this month. “We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor.” On Howard Stern‘s SiriusXM show last week after the host asked if Jelly’s past misdeeds are keeping him from using that passport, the singer said, “I actually got off the phone with a lawyer yesterday, We are working… it’s getting good, it’s starting to look promising. It didn’t look good even just six months ago, but it’s starting to look really promising.”
Jelly Roll has been open about his past brushes with the law and his jail time, including dozens of stints behind bars on drug charges going back to when he was 14, as well as an arrest at 16 for aggravated robbery that landed him a year in prison when he was tried as an adult; he faced a potential 20-year sentence in that case, though he served just over a year behind bars and seven years of probation. He’s also talked about the regrets he had about the time in 2008 when, at 23, he was locked up on drug dealing charges while his daughter Bailee was born.
Among the repercussions of his youthful indiscretions were, until recently, an inability to secure a passport and to book shows outside of the U.S. due to legal restrictions on travel by former felons.
This week’s batch of new country tunes includes George Strait offering a tender, focused aim at life’s important moments, while Luke Combs brings songs from her familial-focused album Fathers & Sons.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Meanwhile, Carter Faith teams with Alison Krauss for a heartbreak anthem, while Don Louis offers a dance-worthy earworm, and Jenna Paulette delves into her country roots.
George Strait, “The Little Things”
Trending on Billboard
[embedded content]
Strait’s warm, conversational, and compelling voice expertly renders an introspective musing at the myriad moments — sunsets, a gentle rain, spending time with loved ones, or “an old Merle Haggard song” — that infuse life with joy. Heightened by tender string work, this ballad is included on Strait’s upcoming album, Cowboys & Dreamers, set for Sept. 6. Strait has always had an ear for a great song, and his latest, which he wrote with Bubba Strait and Monty Criswell, proves The King never misses.
Luke Combs, “Remember Him That Way”
[embedded content]
This two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner celebrated Father’s Day by dropping the dozen-song ode to the lifelong arc of familial bonds between dads and their sons with the album Fathers & Sons.
In one song from the album, “Remember Him That Way,” he vividly recalls all the ways he thought of his father as strong and dependable throughout his life and muses as his father grows older and more frail, “That ‘S’ on his chest is starting to fade/ But I’ll always remember him that way.” Combs wrote the song with Jonathan Singleton, Erik Dylan and Jessi Alexander.
Combs has notched 17 Billboard Country Airplay No. 1s, with a slate of songs ranging from heartbreak anthems to beer-soaked barn burners. But with his new album, he recalibrates the depths of his music, bringing fans deeper into his current perspective as a father to two young boys, while also encapsulating universal themes of the generational relationships between parents and their children.
Don Louis, “Liquor Talkin’”
[embedded content]
Given the success of a line of massive hits songs stacking up this summer that fuse pop and hip-hop rhythms with country twang and rural, barroom-inspired lyrics, Don Louis’ latest feels like a natural candidate for the next global country-tinged smash.
“Not a doctor, I’m not a lawyer/ Feels like right now I can do anything,” sings Louis, who possesses an attention-commanding, gravelly drawl. Against a thumping, hip-hop groove tailor-made for dancing, “Liquor Talkin’” captures the confidence-heightening results stemming from a night of imbibing. Louis wrote the song with Cale Dodds and Thomas Kipp Williams, while the song is the title track to his upcoming album, out Aug. 23 via EMPIRE / Money Myers Entertainment LLC.
Jenna Paulette, “Wild Is Her Favorite Color”
[embedded content]
Paulette sketches a musical portrait of an independent-minded woman who knows what she loves, from her favorite country song (The Chicks’ “Ready to Run”) and her favorite drink (tequila sunrise) to her favorite, passionate hue–and no, it’s not fire-engine red, but rather, as Paulette puts it, “A little deeper shade of dangerous.” Paulette’s lilting voice adds a perfect blend of spice and sugar, adding a mysterious tint to this bright, breezy production. “Wild Is Her Favorite Color” is from her upcoming album Horseback, out Sept. 6.
Carter Faith and Alison Krauss, “Blue Bird”
[embedded content]
Carter Faith, who recently inked a label deal with UMG Nashville, teams with one of the most luminous voices in country and bluegrass, Alison Krauss, for the new song “Blue Bird.” Faith more than holds her own with an ethereal soprano that pairs exquisitely with Krauss’ backing vocals. This dazzling meditation on the crackling ache of youthful heartbreak finds Faith asking, “Is he why you’re blue? Is he why you sing like you do?” Faith wrote the song with Tofer Brown and Lauren Hungate.