COUNTRY CHART Weekend of May 13-14:
2 LUKE COMBS Hurricane
3 KELSEA BALLERINI Yeah Boy
4 BRETT YOUNG In Case You Didn’t Know *
5 DIERKS BENTLEY Black
6 JOSH TURNER Hometown Girl
7 BRANTLEY GILBERT The Weekend
8 JASON ALDEAN Any Ol’ Barstool
9 KENNY CHESNEY Bar At The End of the World
10 DAN & SHAY How Not To
11 DARIUS RUCKER If I Told You
12 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE God, Your Mama, & Me
13 KEITH URBAN The Fighter w/Carrie Underwood
14 RASCAL FLATTS Yours If You Want It
15 DYLAN SCOTT My Girl
16 LADY ANTEBELLUM You Look Good
17 BLAKE SHELTON Every Time I Hear That Song
18 COLE SWINDELL Flatliner w/Dierks Bentley
19 MIDLAND Drinkin’ Problem
20 ZAC BROWN BAND My Old Man
COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS!
Thomas Rhett and Wife Welcome Arrival of a Daughter
Family Back Home After Finalizing Adoption in Uganda
Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren have announced the arrival of Willa
Gray Akins and went to social media Friday afternoon (May 12) to post a
photo of their daughter.
Earlier this year, the couple revealed plans to adopt a child from Africa. Meanwhile, Lauren is also pregnant and has an August due date.
According to People magazine, the family arrived home from Uganda on Thursday.
“On the way to the airport, it was like Christmas Day,” Rhett told the magazine.
“It felt like a dream,” his wife added. “I’ve dreamed of us all being on the same continent for so long. It finally feels like everyone is where they’re supposed to be.”
Lauren first met the 18-month-old in Uganda during a visit sponsored by the nonprofit 147 Million Orphans. At the time, the couple had been trying to conceive without success and began discussing adoption.
Rhett was emotionally moved when he saw a photo of Lauren holding the baby, who had been orphaned when she was a newborn.
“Lauren had this amazing glow about her and it just felt like she was already our daughter in a weird way,” he told People. ‘I just blurted out, ‘We should bring her home.'”
The couple made more than a dozen trips to Africa during the past year to finalize the adoption.
Earlier this year, the couple revealed plans to adopt a child from Africa. Meanwhile, Lauren is also pregnant and has an August due date.
According to People magazine, the family arrived home from Uganda on Thursday.
“On the way to the airport, it was like Christmas Day,” Rhett told the magazine.
“It felt like a dream,” his wife added. “I’ve dreamed of us all being on the same continent for so long. It finally feels like everyone is where they’re supposed to be.”
Lauren first met the 18-month-old in Uganda during a visit sponsored by the nonprofit 147 Million Orphans. At the time, the couple had been trying to conceive without success and began discussing adoption.
Rhett was emotionally moved when he saw a photo of Lauren holding the baby, who had been orphaned when she was a newborn.
“Lauren had this amazing glow about her and it just felt like she was already our daughter in a weird way,” he told People. ‘I just blurted out, ‘We should bring her home.'”
The couple made more than a dozen trips to Africa during the past year to finalize the adoption.
News of the adoption comes while Rhett is taking a brief break from
touring. He returns to the road May 20 in Madison, Mississippi. He has
three other concerts scheduled this month, including a May 27 appearance
at the Country 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, and a May 28 performance
at the Bayou Country Superfest in New Orleans.
Humor Is a Way of Life for Willie Nelson
CMT Hot 20 Countdown Interview Airs This Weekend
Willie Nelson is always good for a joke.
He loves them, and before he and Katie Cook wrapped their CMT Hot 20 Countdown interview on his bus in San Diego, they exchanged a few clean ones.
“I went on this blind date and I told the guy I’d meet him in the
bar,” Cook said. “I sat exactly where I would be, he comes walking over
and he was like, ‘Are you Katie?’ I’m like, ‘Are you John?’ He said,
‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘I’m not Katie.'”
“That’s good,” Nelson said. “I’ve got a drop joke that you might
like: Joke was on the second floor of this hotel, too close to the
window and he fell out on the ground. This guy walks up and says, ‘What
happened?’ He said, ‘I don’t know I just got here.'”
Humor is at the heart of how Nelson looks at life — and death. Rumors
and hoaxes about the music icon’s untimely end have followed the singer
since his 1980 No. 1 “On the Road Again” and he takes them all in
stride.
“There have been rumors out there,” he said, “‘One day, Willie was
out on the road singing ‘On the Road Again’ and a truck hit him.’ … Ever
since then I’ve been hearing those stories. I thought it was really
funny.”
At 84, Nelson shows no signs of stopping. In the last 60 years, he’s
recorded more than 110 albums (not counting his live sets and greatest
hits compilations), and he continues to tour all year long.
His latest collection, God’s Problem Child, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart. The lineup for his six-city Outlaw Music Festival
tour starting July 1 in New Orleans includes Bob Dylan and His Band,
the Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, My
Morning Jacket, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Margo Price,
Hayes Carll and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
When Cook asked Nelson if he saw age as just another number, he agreed.
“People do get old, that’s the way life is, and fortunately we’ve gotten this old. And hopefully we can get older.
“One of those heavy-thinkers, Seneca, said that you should look upon
death and comedy with the same countenance. I thought that’s pretty
interesting.
“You know we’re all gonna die one day,” he added, “It’s not not going to happen. So you have to have some kind of attitude about it, and I guess comedy is as good as any.”
The second part of of Cook’s interview with Nelson will air on an all-new CMT Hot 20 Countdown on Saturday and Sunday (May 13-14) at 9 a.m. ET/PT.
Little Big Town Unlocks the Key to Happiness
“Happy People” Video Shines a Light on Finding True Joy
If you’re looking to unlock the secret to happiness, look no further
than Little Big Town’s new single “Happy People” and this incredibly
heartwarming video which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a
skip in your step.
Beautiful hearts and souls of all ages from all walks of life show
off their smiles and a few of the things that make them happy, including
dancing, their significant other, their pets and their children. Look
closely and you’ll see a few cameos from LBT’s kids.
Written by Grammy-winner Lori McKenna and rising newcomer Hailey
Whitters, the song is an effervescent, heartfelt guide to joy and a
reminder to do “whatever makes you happy.” It reminds us that happiness
is something you make and that we have the power to create our own
happiness.
What makes you happy?
Americana Music Association Honors Van Morrison
Named 2017 Recipient of Lifetime Achievement for Songwriting
Van Morrison will receive the Americana Music Association’s 2017
lifetime achievement award for songwriting on Sept. 13 during the
organization’s Americana Honors and Awards show in Nashville.
The Irish-born singer-songwriter and six-time Grammy winner is
considered one of the most prolific recording artists and hardest
working performers of his era.
Morrison is a member of the Rock and Roll, Songwriters and the Irish Music halls of fame. Astral Weeks, Moondance
and “Gloria” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, while
“Brown Eyed Girl” followed eight years later in 2007. He received his
knighthood from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in February
2016.
Morrison will headline Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Sept. 14 as
part of the 2017 Americana Music Festival and Conference, which runs
from Sept. 12-17.
Blake Shelton Welcomes Back Kelly Clarkson to The Voice
Clarkson to Coach With Shelton and Adam Levine
Blake Shelton revealed that Kelly Clarkson will join him and Adam Levine as a coach on The Voice season 14, coming in spring 2018.
Shelton and Clarkson announced the news during a Facebook Live chat
on Thursday (May 11), and said that they’ve been trying to get Clarkson
to be a coach on the NBC singing competition for years.
She was previously Team Blake’s guest advisor with Miranda Lambert on season two.
“I’m finally not knocked up and I can join your show,” Clarkson joked when she joined the Facebook chat.
“I know,” Shelton said. “Oh my gosh. Will you stop getting pregnant every five seconds, please?”
Of course, Shelton was kidding. He loves her children.
Before signing off, Clarkson showed followers her collection of music
awards and mentioned that Shelton won’t be the only coach scouting for
country talent on season 14. The news follows speculation that Clarkson
was tapped to judge the ABC revival of American Idol. A fourth coach for the upcoming season has yet to be announced.
This fall, season 13 will feature coaches Shelton, Levine, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson.
Sam Outlaw Gets in “Trouble” Again
Singer-Songwriter Does His Best to Resist a Bad Girl in His New Video
A little bit of trouble in love can be a lot of fun, but Sam Outlaw knows too much trouble is just too much.
In his new single “Trouble,” the Southern Californian tells the tale
of a relationship lost because the woman in question was just bad news.
The melodious song blends folk and pop sensibilities with genuine
West Coast and classic country overtones in a perfect mix Outlaw has
appropriately deemed “SoCal country.”
The video takes us to streets of L.A. as the vixen in question sets
out on a seductive path of destruction while making her way Outlaw’s
West Hollywood show. And just when we think he’s overcome and resisted
her charms, he gets that familiar sparkle in his eyes.
It’s been a great year for Outlaw. His new album Tenderheart
debuted last month to rave reviews, and he just scored a nomination for
emerging act of the year at the 2017 Americana Honors and Awards.
Brett Eldredge to Perform During Miss USA Competition
Fifty-One Contestants Will Compete in Las Vegas on Sunday (May 14)
Performances by Brett Eldredge, Pitbull and Cirque du Soleil’s
Michael Jackson One will be part of the 2017 Miss USA competition on
Sunday (May 14) in Las Vegas.
Contestants representing all 50 states and Washington D.C. will
compete for the title of the next Miss USA during the two-hour event.
The judges are Halima Aden, the first woman to compete in a Miss USA
state competition wearing a hijab and a burkini, designer Carson
Kressley, former Miss Universe Brook Lee, Dress for Success founder
Nancy Lublin, The Real‘s Jeannie Mai and New York Times best selling author Janet Mock.
Julianne Hough and Emmy-winning actor Terrence J will co-host the event, which will air live on Fox at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday.
Jessie James Decker on Being a Girlboss
Driven Singer Talks Becoming a Media Mogul By 30
Whenever fans get a chance to chat with Jessie James Decker, they want to know everything about her.
As soon as she signed on for a CMT Facebook Live chat, comments from
followers immediately flooded the feed, asking about her new EP Gold, her hair perfumes, her clothing line and when she’s doing another season of her reality show.
And she’s accomplished all this before her 30th birthday while raising two children with her husband, NFL star Eric Decker.
“I’m working on my first lifestyle book now,” Decker told CMT.com. “I
just started working on it. I’m really excited about that. We are
getting back into television. And I’ll be shooting a music video. So
it’s lots of crazy stuff going on. But it’s all good.”
Decker says she gets her drive from her Italian mother, who instilled
in her children the belief that they can accomplish anything they
wanted in life through hard work and determination.
“She made me feel like I could do it all,” Decker said of her mom
during our CMT.com interview. “For me, I feel like I’m slowly
accomplishing what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always dreamed really
big and my mom planted that in all three of my siblings, ‘You guys can
do anything.'”
Out of all the initiatives that make Decker a mogul, she believes her
No. 1 purpose in life is passing on that legacy to her children as well
as her fans.
“I’ve so many dreams and things that I want to do,” she said. “I want
what I’m doing to feel worth it to me. So when people are telling me
that I’m inspiring them or helping them through a hard time, then that’s
worth it to me. I know in return my daughter’s looking up to that and
it’s going to inspire her to do good things.”
CMT.com: Did you see yourself being a mogul by 30?
Decker: When I was really young, I was so driven
that I always felt like this was possible. I definitely need to have
those moments where I sit back and I’m like, “Calm down for a second.
You’re doing it.” But I think that’s what’s keeps me going.
How much of Gold did you write? And tell me more about the title track.
It was tough because we have about 15 songs that we’re going to
slowly keep putting out, but we’ve put out five this EP. On this one, I
wrote two out of the five. One was the single “Lights Down Low” with
Alyssa Bonagura. “Girl on the Coast” I wrote alone. I’m excited because
the next five we’re putting out, I also wrote two of those alone, too.
This is the first time I’ve ever really put music out there that I’ve
ever written completely by myself. And I think I was always scared to
do that because I just didn’t know I could do it.
“Gold” is about being appreciative and grateful of your life, your
family and the love in it. I just feel like that’s where I’m at right
now. Everything is gold and I just couldn’t ask for anything better.
That was the perfect thing to call the record.
How often do you get to write for yourself?
I write in the weirdest places. I wrote “Girl on the Coast” in my car
with the kids in the back and Eric driving. I just wrote the whole
thing on my phone. I just typed out the lyrics. I mean, there’s another
song that’s going on the record called “Fall in Love” that I wrote. I
wrote the lyrics, the melody and everything in a hotel room by myself at
7 p.m. at night. I’ll come up with ideas and they’re so strong that I
can just knock them out and be done with it. So it’s kind of cool. All
of a sudden, I’ll get really inspired. It’s usually after I’ve had
coffee.
Do you get much time for yourself between raising a family
and everything that’s going on in your life? What’s your five minutes of
bliss?
I think I get my alone time when I have to go fly and do a work trip.
After work’s done, I go check into my hotel and I get to have a few
hours to myself to order room service and just be quiet and silent. But I
ended up missing my family by the time it’s time for bed.
How Reba McEntire Avoids the Same Old, Same Old
Forty Years of New and Different
It’s been almost exactly 40 years since she released her debut album Reba McEntire. You’d think that would make her very set in her ways.
And yet, she is changing all the time.
In a recent radio interview, she admitted that she likes to kind of reinvent herself.
“I like to try new things,” she said. “I don’t care who I’m learning
from. If it’s a great idea, I pattern after it. I don’t like to do the
same thing over and over. I get very bored with that. I have the
attention span of a 2-year-old sometimes, so I like to do new things.”
One new thing the country legend did recently was cut a song that had
been one of her favorites since 2008, Randy Houser’s “Back to God.”
“Randy Houser recorded this song on his first album. I loved it so
much then that I had to record it. It’s a powerful, timeless message.
There is so much pain and hurt in this world today. One thing I’ve
learned is that God turns the bad into good,” she wrote in the liner
notes for her Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope double-CD set. “So
let’s take all that pain, hurt, sadness and anger and give it all back
to God.”
Reba’s “Back to God” video is nominated for female video of the year at the 2017 CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville on June 7 on CMT.
Kelsea Ballerini Would Welcome Kelly Clarkson’s Judgment
It's an American Idol Kind of Logic
After American Idol‘s producers announced the show will be
making a comeback in 2018, rumors started circulating immediately about
who the judges might be.
One name being tossed around was Kelly Clarkson.
And the minute that near-news hit the socials, Kelsea Ballerini made her approval known.
If @kelly_clarkson is a judge, I'm trying out. https://t.co/VFvrE1AFbP— Kelsea Ballerini (@KelseaBallerini) May 10, 2017
Ballerini obviously doesn’t need the boost of a reality show to make
her into a star — she’s done just fine with that already, thank you —
but I get what she means. Having Clarkson at the judges’ table would
make so many hopefuls sign up and would be the right kind of fire to
reignite the show that crowned Clarkson its very first American Idol in 2002.
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