Country
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The Naomi Judd estate is offering fans a deeper look at the late singer-songwriter’s life and career through a virtual exhibit that will launch on May 1 to mark the second anniversary of The Judds‘ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Judd died in April 2022 at age 76.
The multi-faceted exhibit, launched by the Naomi Judd estate in collaboration with Definitive Authentic and Mercy Community Healthcare, will feature rare and never-before-seen artifacts. The inaugural collection, titled “Artist,” is the first of five archival collections to be rolled out this year, with each focusing on different areas of Judd’s life and work. “Artist” will focus on her work with daughter Wynonna Judd as part of the mother-daughter duo The Judds. In the six years that elapsed between 1984 and 1989, The Judds earned 14 No. 1 Hot Country Songs hits, including “Young Love,” “Why Not Me” and “Turn It Loose.” They also earned five Grammy wins for songs including “Mama He’s Crazy,” “Why Not Me” and “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
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The exhibit will include behind-the-scenes photos, awards, a personal stage map with handwritten notes, a script from the “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)” music video and more. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibit will benefit The Naomi Judd Mental Health Clinic: A Bridge to Hope, a new mental health wing at Mercy Community Healthcare in Franklin, Tenn. The facility will feature a larger mental health area, including counseling/psychiatric rooms, a parent-child interactive therapy room, a prayer area, a waiting room and more.
Judd’s husband, Larry Strickland, said in a statement, “It is such a blessing for me to honor my wife’s life by giving the fans a look into the detailed archives that Naomi kept all of these years. I’d often walk through the barn and wonder why she insisted on keeping all of these objects that at the time seemed to be collecting dust; however, I now see that these were more than just things. These were her memories… our memories. These releases are our family’s gift to you, her public, for being there for all of us for the past 40 years. I hope they bring you a sense of Peace & Hope in regards to her memory and the Legacy that is Naomi Judd.”
Kodi Chandler, director of Hill Entertainment Group and archivist for the Naomi Judd estate, said in a statement, “Naomi kept meticulous records of photographs and artifacts. Through these we are able to explore how she viewed herself. It is our honor to help the family curate these collections for release. This first collection, simply titled ‘Artist’ is how she documented her time as she was best known, as one half of The Judds. The subsequent collections introduce and revisit other facets of Naomi that we can’t wait to share with those who meant the most to her, the fans.”
Judd’s legacy as an artist and songwriter, and her success as part of The Judds, was previously feted via the album A Tribute to the Judds, which featured artists including Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Ashley McBryde performing Judds classics. The album supported the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Tennessee.
Also forthcoming is the first vinyl release in the United States of The Judds’ final studio album, 1990’s Love Can Build a Bridge, which will also include lyric sheets and never-before-seen photos from Naomi Judd’s personal scrapbooks.
Jelly Roll currently has a top 15 Country Airplay hit with his latest single, “Halfway to Hell,” from his 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel, but the singer says fans can expect more new music on the way — including some “crazy” collaborations, both within the country music genre and beyond it.
The Grammy-nominated artist recently told Audacy’s KMLE 107.9, “I got some features. I collabed with some crazy people in and out of genre. I reached, man. I tell you what, I ain’t got no shame. I’ll shoot my shot.”
Of course, collaborations have been a solid part of Jelly Roll’s music for years, whether with longtime friends such as Struggle Jennings, or work with Lil Wyte, Cody Johnson, Craig Morgan, Jessie Murph and his rendition of The Judds’ “Love Can Build a Bridge” with the Fisk Jubilee Singers and K. Michelle.
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Recently, Jelly Roll picked up three wins at the CMT Music Awards, an awards stage that holds special meaning for him, as in 2023, it served as a starting line of sorts to showcasing an artist who earned three No. 1 Country Airplay singles in 2023: “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor” and the Lainey Wilson collaboration “Save Me.” “Son of a Sinner” was from his album Ballads of the Broken, while the latter two are from his 2023 album, Whitsitt Chapel.
“I feel like the CMTs was the end of the Whitsitt Chapel era,” he continued on KMLE, noting that in 2023, he performed “Need a Favor,” his first single from the album, while earlier this year, he performed the album’s final single, “Halfway to Hell.”
Over the past year, Jelly Roll has picked up two Grammy nominations (for the all-genre best new artist, as well as best country duo/group performance for “Save Me”). He also won the Country Music Association’s new artist of the year honor last year.
When the Academy of Country Music Awards nominations were revealed last week, first-time nominee Jelly Roll earned four nominations, including the coveted entertainer of the year honor. Notably, the last artist to earn an ACM entertainer of the year nomination in his first year as a nominee was Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992, spearheaded by his hit “Achy Breaky Heart.” But Jelly’s already looking toward what’s ahead.
“New music is on the horizon,” Jelly Roll told KMLE. “It’s a new chapter.”
Listen to his interview below:
This week’s stack of new country songs includes fresh entries from two artists featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter: Shaboozey and Tanner Adell. In addition, Riley Green offers up songs from his new EP Way Out Here, while Trisha Yearwood releases a song she performed during the CMT Music Awards, the Luke Combs-celebrated group The Wilder Blue issues a ’90s country-influenced track and Kimmi Bitter offers a 1960s vintage vibe.
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Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
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Shaboozey has been in the headlines and gaining traction thanks to his work on songs on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter project. He follows with this mesh of perfect singalong melodies, acoustic guitar, horns and handclaps on this tip of the hat to boozy bar escapades. From his viral hit “Let It Burn” earlier this year, to his latest outing, this artist-writer knows how to craft a memorable song. This single, lifting from J-Kwon’s 2004 smash “Tipsy,” previews his album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, out May 31.
Trisha Yearwood, “Put It in a Song”
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Yearwood debuted this ballad on the recent CMT Music Awards, by performing it with its co-writers, Erin Enderlin and Jim “Moose” Brown. Yearwood’s vocal is pristine as always, never overpowering a lyric but collecting every nuance on this gorgeous song. Not unlike one of Yearwood’s signature hits, 1993’s “The Song Remembers When,” this song nods to the power of music to serve as a keeper and vessel for any number of emotion-stirring memories, from heartbreak to love.
Morgan Wade, “Time to Love, Time To Kill”
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From Wade’s upcoming Aug. 16 album Obsessed comes this stellar preview. Like all of the songs on Obsessed, Wade is the sole writer here, depicting the hazy moments of a relationship’s conclusion in visceral detail. Though they’ve each vocalized their intent to move on, as she sings in the song, “The truth is I’m at the starting line/ Just waiting on you.” As on previous songs, including her breakthrough hit “Wilder Days,” Wade’s voice crackles with unfiltered honesty, managing to be simultaneously sweet and bitingly truthful.
Connie Smith, Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches
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On Friday (April 12), Smith surprise-released her new album Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches, which pays homage to songs from country artists including Dottie West, George Jones and Loretta Lynn. She also includes a rendering of the 1970 Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner song “Once More,” her crystal-clear voice bolstered by steel guitars, fiddle and superb harmonies. Her take on “One of These Days,” originally recorded by the Glaser Brothers, highlights her soaring vocal, while elsewhere, she offers versions of Merle Haggard’s “The Fugitive” and Lynn’s “World of Forgotten People.” The album also marks the late pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins’ final recording with Smith prior to his passing in 2022. Smith’s voice is still an instrument of formidable power and style, while this gorgeous record is an essential listen for fans of old-school country.
Riley Green, “Jesus Saves”
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From his new seven-song EP Way Out Here, Green delves here into the life story of a homeless man and Army veteran who regularly sits by the side of a road, holding up sign emblazoned with “Jesus Saves.” A solo write from Green, this story also puts some of his most poignant songwriting on display. He chronicles the series of life twists that led the man to the side of the road: by the time he was eight, his father had left and his mother had died. The young boy grew up to join the military and headed off to war but upon returning, as the lyrics portray, “my whole world didn’t love me anymore.” From there, “Jesus Saves” traces a downward spiral of lost jobs, tragedies and broken relationships, all the while calling for compassion. This is undoubtedly one of Green’s new set’s strongest tracks.
Kimmi Bitter, “I Can’t Unlove You”
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Like the bulk of Bitter’s new album Old School, “I Can’t Unlove You” is immersed in a detailed study of 1960s countrypolitan sounds, from the Jordannaires-esque harmonies to the hushed percussion. Meanwhile, Bitter possesses a smooth, polished vocal that unmistakably draws comparisons to the late Patsy Cline (or even, to a much lesser extent, “Blue”-era LeAnn Rimes). Bitter and her musical cohorts on the album, most notably writer-producer Michael Gurley, fashion a superb vintage sound, but smartly meld it with original songs.
Tanner Adell, “Whiskey Blues”
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Adell surged to mainstream attention with her album Buckle Bunny and, like Shaboozey, is currently enjoying a rush of attention thanks to her inclusion on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. In her newly released song, she’s hellbent on (but not quite succeeding at) getting an ex-lover off her mind. The pop-country hybrid is catchy and polished, led by Adell’s airy, sparkling vocal, and a swirl of radio-ready production.
The Wilder Blue, “I’m Your Man”
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This versatile Texas quintet lays deep into ’90s honky-tonk on this toe-tappin’, flirty barn burner that makes the most of their tight-knit harmonies and top-notch lead vocals from frontman Zane Williams. They are part of Luke Combs’s current Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour, having previously featured Combs on a cover version of the Eagles’ “Seven Bridges Road.”
While many people’s New Year’s resolutions to hit the gym more often have long since fallen by the wayside, Jelly Roll seems to be sticking to his commitment. Speaking to People magazine, the “Son of a Sinner” singer — who in 2018 shared that he weighed more than 500 pounds in 2015 — said his training for an upcoming charity run has resulted in some serious weight loss.
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“I’m probably down 70-something pounds,” the 39-year-old star told the magazine. “I’ve been really kicking ass, man. I’m doing two to three miles a day, four to six days a week. I’m doing 20 to 30 minutes in the sauna, six minutes in a cold plunge every day. I’m eating healthy right now.”
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The hardcore training is taking place as Jelly is gearing up to participate in comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura’s May 7 2 Bears 5K run at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The event presented by Netflix is a Joke Fest and Por Osos has given Jelly Roll something to work towards and he said he’s very happy with the progress he’s made. “I feel really good. I was thinking, I plan on losing another 100, 100-and-something [pounds],” he said. “If I feel this good down this weight, man, I can only imagine what I’m going to feel like by the time I go on tour.”
Back in January, Jelly posted a video of his daily training walks and his challenge to himself to do the 5K. “I’m ready to go,” he said at the time. A month later, he spoke to People and said he wasn’t trying to out-run anyone, just do the best he can. “I don’t know if ‘running’ is going to be the word, but I’m definitely going to get the 3.1 miles done — probably a brisk power walk,” he said. “My goal is to be able to do a 15-minute mile.”
He noted at the time that his beloved wife, Bunnie Xo, would likely be there to support him, but not walk alongside because they move at a different pace. “Poor thing, she’d have to walk so slow compared to how fast she does 3.1 miles,” he joked. “For me, a 15-minute mile, [I’m] going to be huffing it a little bit. For Bunnie, a 15-minute mile is her sauntering.”
The singer who recently won three iHeartRadio Music Awards — along with snagging four nominations at the upcoming May 16 ACM Awards — is slated to kick off his Beautifully Broken headlining tour with Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay beginning on August 27 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Before that, he will take to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Tuesday (April 16) for a gig with Kelsea Ballerini, Terri Clark and Rhonda Vincent.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter holds atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 20), after debuting at No. 1 a week ago, as the set earned 125,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending April 11 (down 69%), according to Luminate.
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With a second week in the lead, Cowboy Carter has the most weeks at No. 1 for any Beyoncé album since her self-titled set spent three weeks at No. 1 (its first three weeks on the chart), in December 2013 and January 2014.
Of Beyoncé’s eight No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, three have spent two or more weeks at No. 1: Cowboy Carter (two, 2024), her self-titled effort (three, in 2013-14) and 4 (two, 2011). (Since her self-titled effort, she’s topped the list three more times, with Lemonade [one week at No. 1, 2016], Renaissance [one week, 2022] and now Cowboy Carter.)
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Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, and for the first time in 2024, three albums debut in the top 10 at the same time, as the latest releases from J. Cole, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Benson Boone start at Nos. 2, 3 and 6, respectively. The last time the top 10 housed three debuts was on the Nov. 25, 2023-dated list, when Stray Kids, Chris Stapleton and Chris Brown saw their newest albums bow in the region.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 20, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on April 16. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Cowboy Carter’s second-week unit sum of 125,500, SEA units comprise 103,000 (down 54%, equaling 132.69 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), traditional album sales comprise 20,500 (down 88%) and TEA units comprise 2,000 (down 70%).
While Cowboy Carter’s CD and vinyl editions were available to purchase only via Beyoncé’s official webstore in the set’s first two weeks of release, those physical configurations became widely available to all retailers beginning on April 12. (The album has also been purchasable as a digital download, widely, since its release on March 29.)
At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, J. Cole’s surprise-release album Might Delete Later arrives with 115,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 105,000 (equaling 137.95 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 12 songs), album sales comprise 9,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album was only available to stream or to purchase as a digital download.
Might Delete Later was issued on April 5 without warning, and boasts collaborations with Gucci Mane, Cam’ron, Bas, Central Cee, Ari Lennox and Young Dro, among others.
Might Delete Later drew attention for its Kendrick Lamar diss track “7 Minute Drill,” which appears to find Cole responding to Lamar’s apparent disses directed at Cole and Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” A few days after the release of “7 Minute Drill,” Cole publicly apologized for releasing the track, saying it “don’t sit right with my spirit.” Ultimately, “7 Minute Drill” was removed from the tracklist of the streaming edition of Might Delete Later on April 12, one day after the end of the latest chart’s tracking week. (As of April 14, the song was still available on the digital download edition of the set.) “7 Minute Drill” was the most-streamed song on Might Delete Later during the album’s opening week.
Might Delete Later is J. Cole’s seventh album to reach the top two rungs on the Billboard 200, after he notched six earlier No. 1s in 2011-21. He has logged one other entry on the list, with the Forest Hills Drive: Live, which hit No. 71 in 2016.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER notches its fifth top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200, as Minisode 3: TOMORROW debuts at No. 3 with 107,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 103,500 (making it the top-selling album of the week), SEA units comprise 4,000 (equaling 5.54 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s sales were supported by its availability across 17 collectible CD editions (including exclusive editions sold by Barnes & Noble, Target and the act’s webstore), all containing randomized paper merchandise (but with the same audio tracklist).
With the Nos. 1-3 titles on the Billboard 200 each earning at least 100,000 equivalent album units, it’s the first time we’ve had as many albums clear 100,000 in a week since the Dec. 2, 2023-dated list. That week, Drake’s For All the Dogs jumped 4-1 with 145,000, Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) held at No. 2 with 137,000 and Dolly Parton’s Rockstar debuted at No. 3 with 128,000.
Future and Metro Boomin’s chart-topping We Don’t Trust You falls 2-4 in its third week on the list, earning 99,000 equivalent album units (down 24%). The set’s sequel album, We Still Don’t Trust You, was released on April 12 and will impact next week’s chart dated April 27.
Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time is pushed down 3-5, despite a 4% gain, with 72,000 equivalent album units earned.
Benson Boone’s debut full-length studio album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, skates in at No. 6 with 58,000 equivalent album units earned. It’s the first chart entry for the singer-songwriter. Of the set’s starting sum, SEA units comprise 52,000 (equaling 70.21 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 4,000 (largely from its digital download, as the set’s only physical availability was through a limited release on CD) and TEA units comprise 2,000. The album was led by the hit single “Beautiful Things” (the most-streamed song on the set), which has spent the last nine weeks inside the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (through the list dated April 13), peaking at No. 2.
Ariana Grande’s chart-topping Eternal Sunshine falls 4-7 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 equivalent album units earned (down 17%), Noah Kahan’s Stick Season slips 7-8 (though up 2%) with 45,000 units, Olivia Rodrigo’s former No. 1 Guts dips 6-9 with 43,000 (down 13%) and SZA’s chart-topping SOS drops 9-10, though with a 1% gain, to 40,000 units.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Chris Stapleton returned to Saturday Night Live to perform a pair of songs from his latest album. The 45-year-old country music star appeared for the third time as musical guest alongside host Ryan Gosling during the iconic sketch comedy show on April 13. Wearing his signature straw cowboy, Stapleton opened with a soaring performance of […]
Luke Combs is set to play two shows at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 12-13, as part of his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour. The two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner took a moment while at the field to perform a new song called “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”–but […]
Slash found the perfect singer for his cover of the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac song “Oh Well.” The Guns ‘N Roses guitarist roped in country rocker Chris Stapleton for a take on the song written by original Mac co-founder Green for the group’s third studio album, 1969’s Then Play On.
With Stapleton’s signature gruff vocal leading the track, the blues rock tune from Slash’s upcoming sixth solo album, Orgy of the Damned (May 17), dropped on on Friday morning (April 12). It finds the country singer growling out the iconic lines, “I can’t help about the shape I’m in/ I can’t sing, I ain’t pretty and my legs are thin/ But don’t ask me what I think of you/ I might not give the answer that you want me to/ Oh well” over the top-hatted guitarist’s signature paint-peeling riffs.
The song has a long history of covers, including takes by everyone from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to Kenny Wayne Shepherd, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Haim, Aerosmith, Jason Isbell, Joe Jackson and the Eels, among many others.
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“So, this is the original Fleetwood Mac, which was founded by Peter Green, one of the greatest singer-songwriter-guitar players, he’s less known in the public, but very well known to us guitar players re the 60s British blues and he’s up there with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Nick Taylor,” Slash said in a statement. “I remember hearing the song on the radio when I was probably 13, they used to play both the older version of Fleetwood Mac and the new version of the band with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham a lot. I always loved this song, and it’s a great guitar riff. I jammed it with the Blues Ball back in the ‘90s, and I’ve played it live here and there. I knew from the beginning I wanted to do the song on this record. It was also one of the songs that I was trying to figure out who would be the right vocalist for it, and one of the ideas I had was Chris Stapleton, who is one of the most brilliant singer songwriters today. He’s also got such a gritty and distinctive voice, so I called him up and he did an amazing job. I mean, his voice is so cool.”
It is the second single to date from Slash’s album, following on the heels of his previously released take on the blues standard “Killing Floor,” which features AC/DC singer Brian Johnson on vocals and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler on harmonica.
Orgy is described as an homage to Slash’s love of classic blues, with vocals from Gary Clark Jr., ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Chris Robinson and Beth Hart. The house band supporting the guitarist on the record included two of his 1990s bandmates from Blues Ball, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, as well as drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.
The album’s track list includes covers of songs by Robert Johnson, T. Bone Walker, Steppenwolf, Albert King, Stevie Wonder and Willie Dixon, among others. Robinson is the musical guest on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live with host Ryan Gosling.
Slash will take the songs on the road this summer with his S.E.R.P.E.N.T festival featuring the Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Jackie Venson, and Larkin Poe. The North American outing is slated to kick off on July 5 at the KettleHouse Amphitheater in Bonner, Montana.
Check out Slash’s preview and listen to the whole song below.
Jelly Roll is facing a federal lawsuit from a well-known Philadelphia wedding band called Jellyroll, claiming that the rapper’s stage name violates the group’s trademark rights.
In a complaint filed Monday in federal court, attorneys for Kurt Titchenell accused the rapper-turned-country singer (Jason DeFord) of infringing his trademark to Jellyroll — the name he’s used for decades for an act the Philadelphia Inquirer has labeled as “Philly’s favorite wedding band.”
The lawsuit claims that Jelly Roll’s increasing popularity — his “Need A Favor” reached No. 13 on the Hot 100 in November — has flooded the market with his name, making it difficult for prospective clients to find Titchenell’s band.
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“Prior to the defendant’s recent rise in notoriety, a search of the name of Jellyroll … returned references to the plaintiff,” his lawyers write in their complaint, obtained by Billboard. “Now, any such search on Google returns multiple references to defendant, perhaps as many as 18-20 references, before any reference to plaintiff’s entertainment dance band known as Jellyroll can be found.”
News of the lawsuit against Jelly Roll was first reported by Court Watch.
Titchnell claims he’s been using the name for his band since 1980. In a 2019 Inquirer article marking the band’s 40th anniversary, the newspaper described Jellyroll as a group that nearly every Philadelphian has likely heard at some point, at one of thousands of weddings, galas and other public events.
In media interviews, Jelly Roll has said that his mother gave him the nickname as a child. He used the name on a 2003 self-released mixtape called The Plain Shmear Tape, and then on dozens of subsequent releases over nearly two-decades as a little-known Nashville rapper.
The two artists appear to have peacefully co-existed until recently, when Jelly Roll climbed the charts and became a household name. Following his breakout 2021 hit “Son of a Sinner” and last year’s “Need A Favor,” he was nominated for Best New Artist at this year’s Grammy Awards, and won a trio of major awards at this year’s Country Music Awards.
In Monday’s lawsuit, Titchenell’s attorneys say they sent a cease-and-desist letter to Jelly Roll in February, which led to “several conversations” over the naming issue. But they say no resolution was reached – and they even suggested that they felt insulted in the process: “At one point defendant’s counsel inquired as to whether defendant really was in competition with plaintiff.”
Now, they’re seeking an immediate court order that would stop him from using the name “Jelly Roll.” They specifically pointed to an upcoming concert at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center in October.
“Despite his receipt of a demand to cease and desist using plaintiff’s registered service mark, defendant has ignored this demand and continues to use plaintiff’s registered service mark knowing that it continues to irreparably harm plaintiff but has nevertheless callously disregarded the rights of plaintiff to his own service mark,” Titchenell’s attorneys write.
An attorney for Jelly Roll did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
As introspective, guitar-based songs from artists including Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves continue proliferating streaming consumption and music charts, Amazon Music aims to capture this cultural surge with its newly launched playlist Bonfire, which started globally on Friday (April 12).
The playlist will launch with more than 50 songs, focusing more on mood than genre and capturing a cross-section of artists such as Mumford & Sons, Bryan, Dylan Gossett, Boygenius, Kahan, Musgraves, Lizzy McAlpine and more.
“This is a huge movement,” Emily Cohen, country programming lead for Amazon Music, tells Billboard. “We’ve seen storytellers bubble up and connect with our listeners, artists like Zach Bryan and Hozier. For us, we see what customers are into and double down on what they love. We felt it needed to be in one place where people could listen to these artists together. It’s creating a true collection of ‘Bonfire’ songs. Artists don’t want to be put in a box or be defined, so it’s an amalgamation of country, alternative and indie-folk that is bubbling up.”
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Among the songs initially part of the playlist are Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” Kahan’s “Stick Season,” Musgraves’ “Deeper Well,” Hozier’s “Too Sweet,” The Red Clay Strays’ “Wondering Why,” Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met,” Black Pumas’ “More Than a Love Song,” and the Joy Oladokun/Chris Stapleton collaboration “Sweet Symphony.”
“Listening to this, it is elemental and outdoorsy in its vibe,” Cohen says. “They are all sonically connected. I think a unique thread through all of these artists is they are authentic. You know who they are through their songwriting and fans react to that.”
The playlist is highlighted by Big Loud Records artist Charles Wesley Godwin’s new Amazon Music Original cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Godwin released his latest album, Family Ties, last year.
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“I believe Gordon to have been one of the greatest songwriters of our time and felt this opportunity with Amazon Music was perfect to shine a light on one of his most popular songs a little over 50 years after its original release date,” Godwin said via a statement. “Hopefully, through this version that me and the guys recorded, a new generation of music listeners can be introduced to Gordon’s music and become fans of his themselves.”
Godwin is set to debut his rendition of the song when he performs at the annual Stagecoach Festival on Sunday, April 28. Music fans can watch the performance as the festival will be livestreamed on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Prime Video. The Morgantown, West Virginia, native will open shows for Luke Combs’ stadium tour in 2024. In addition to Stagecoach, Godwin will perform at festivals including Bourbon and Beyond, as well as Bonnaroo.
“He’s an incredible songwriter,” Cohen says. “He’s such a powerhouse. He’s becoming his own version of Bruce Springsteen onstage, rock and country—he’s an embodiment of what we’re trying to achieve with this playlist.”
“It’s such an honor to be included in a playlist like this with so many amazing artists,” Godwin added in a statement. “Keeping company like this is all I ever could have wished for when I set out on this path of music. ‘bonfire’ is so fitting for those special moments in life when we’re enjoying the company of our friends and family.”