Country Music 411 Archives for 2022-01

Eric Church To Open Six-Story Bar & BBQ Restaurant In Nashville Called 'Chief's'

Eric Church is ready to put a drink in your hand.


The Chief is the latest country star opening up a bar on Lower Broadway in Downtown Nashville called Chief's.


“I am partnering with my closest friend and, in my opinion, the greatest hotel entrepreneur on earth, Ben Weprin, and the greatest barbecue chef in the world, Rodney Scott,” Church said in a press release.


He added. “This is my hometown. This is personal. This matters. Every detail of Chief’s will feel that way. I cannot wait to get started. See you in 2023.”


The future establishment will be located at 200 Broadway featuring a six-story bar, a seated live music venue, as well as a Whole Hog BBQ restaurant by Rodney Scott.
Chief’s is set to open sometime in 2023.

Maddie & Tae's Maddie Gives Update On Tae's Baby Girl

Maddie & Tae's Maddie Font says that Tae Kerr's newborn baby is "doing so good" after arriving earlier this month, three months ahead of her expected due date. She told Taste of Country, "Baby girl, Leighton, she is growing and just awesome and Tae is recovering so well."

 

Leighton Grace was born on January 17th and has been in the NICU at a Nashville area hospital ever since. Tae spent a month in the hospital after being put on bed rest after her 24-week checkup.

 

Maddie said, "It was really rough, the whole month of December, and it was a really hard time for everybody, but she's a champ and persevered like she always does."

Maddie added that she is ready to take on duties as an aunt as soon as Leighton is home. She said, "I'm in full auntie mode. I have a baby stroller and a car seat in my house, ready to rock. I got the pack-n-play ordered."

 

Maddie & Tae's new EP, called Through the Madness Vol. 1, will be released on Friday (January 28th). 

 

 

Kane Brown And Wife Get Matching 'Kodi' Tattoos

Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn, are celebrating the addition of their newborn daughter, Kodi, with some matching tattoos. The couple each got her name inked on their bodies -- Kane's along the side of his left hand and Katelyn's on her right forearm.

 

Kane showed off the new work on social media yesterday (Wednesday, January 26th) by sharing a photo with the caption "Kodi Jane" alongside a heart emoji. 

 

Kane and Katelyn already tattooed their two-year-old daughter Kingley's name.

Kodi was born on December 30th. 

 

 

Thomas Rhett Signed Vinyls Up For Grabs

Thomas Rhett is getting ready to release his new album, Where We Started, and there's so much to do to get ready for it.


On Thursday, TR shared a video clip on Twitter that he was doing this!
"If you guys need me, I’ll be here signing copies of #WhereWeStarted for the foreseeable future."


In the video clip, he mentioned that he was signing around 10,000 copies at his house.  He also said, "he thinks it's really cool to personalize each vinyl."


Get your hands on one of an autographed vinyl while you can on his website. The album drops on April 1.

 

 

Luke Combs Announces Wife's Pregnancy

Luke Combs is going to be a daddy. He and his wife, Nicole, are expecting a baby boy. He shared the news on social media late Thursday (Jan. 20).

 

One of the photos that Luke posted was of the couple holding a picture of their sonogram in front of her baby bump.

 

Luke Wrote: “Here we go y’all! Lil dude Combs is coming this Spring! Couldn’t be more excited to start a family with this babe. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride.”

 

This will be Luke and Nicole’s first child.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Luke Combs ???? (@lukecombs)

 

Blake Shelton One of The Highest Paid Musicians of 2021

Blake Shelton took home a HUGE paycheck in 2021 and ranked number nine in Rolling Stone‘s list of the 10 Highest Paid Musicians of 2021 beating out Taylor Swift‘s salary. 


Shelton is the only country star on the list, with an estimated income of $83 million. A major of Blake's income came from a “previously unreported catalog sale” of $50 million. He also earned an eight-figure salary on The Voice, plus the release of his new album, Body Language, and the Friends and Heroes Tour, which reportedly grossed $14.5 million. 


Congratualitons Blake!


Bruce Springsteen holds the top spot earning $590 million, most of which he earned when he made history with the record-breaking sale of his copyrights and master recordings to Sony Music, marking the largest sale of a solo catalog of all time.


Following The Boss in the No. 2 spot is rapper and businessman, Jay-Z, who earned $470 million. 


Paul Simon ($260 million), Kayne West ($250 million), Ryan Tedder ($200 million), Red Hot Chili Peppers ($145 million), Lindsey Buckingham ($100 million), and Mötley Crüe ($95 million) follow in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth spot, respectively.


Taylor Swift rounds out the top 10 and is the only female on the list earning $80 million dollars. Portions of Swift’s salary come from partnerships with Peloton and Starbucks, with the majority of her earnings coming from her re-recorded projects, Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Jordan Davis Surprises Couple By Performing Their First Dance Song Live

Jordan Davis made a surprise appearance at a wedding in New Jersey after making his debut appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday (January 14th).

 

As he rode away from the studio in New York City, Jordan recorded a video to social media in which he explained to viewers that he was going to perform a newlywed couple's first dance song, which happened to be "Buy Dirt."

 

Jordan said, "So we just wrapped up at Jimmy Fallon's, (and we) found out there's a wedding in New Jersey and the first dance song is 'Buy Dirt.' They had a DJ playing it, but we're only 35 minutes away, so we are going over to play the first dance song live."

 

Jordan made the couple's night by performing the song and congratulating them on their marriage.

 

The radio version of "Buy Dirt" featuring Luke Bryan is a Top Five and climbing on the country charts.

 

 

Maddie & Tae's Tae Kerr Has Been Hospitalized For A Month

Maddie & Tae's Tae Kerr, who is expecting her first child, recently revealed she had been put on bed rest and the duo had to cancel their winter tour because of it.

 

There's actually more to the story. Tae's husband, songwriter Josh Kerr, posted a picture of his wife in a hospital bed on social media yesterday (Wednesday, January 12th) writing, "Today marks 1 month of being in the hospital. T went in for a routine check up at 24 weeks then we were immediately admitted and we have been here since. Our sweet girl is doing great, she is just a little more excited than she is ready to be in the world. This hasn’t been easy but we’re leaning on God and trusting His plan. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers"

 

Baby girl Kerr isn't due until sometime this spring.

Maddie & Tae will release an EP called Through the Madness Vol. 1 on January 28th.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Josh Kerr (@joshkerrmusic)

 

Keith Urban Finds A 'Magical' Quality To His Latest Hit

Keith Urban’s latest hit, “Wild Hearts,” was pitched to him in May and it was partially re-written by Keith, recorded in his home studio and released to Country radio by August.

 

He tells us it's the fastest turnaround time for any of his singles, and the song itself seems to have what he calls a "magical" quality.

 

“We played it for a bunch of different people, and everybody just loved it. I think people were responding to the message. It’s a universal want, I think, to have a song motivate us at the times when we need it in our lives. This song was just magical, I think, how quick it was done, how quick it made its way into a finished record to how soon we were releasing it – all very, very fast through for anything I’ve ever done, so I think there’s other powers at work with this song.”

 

"Wild Hearts" is nearing the Top 20 on the country charts. It was co-written by Brad Tursi of Old Dominion, Jennifer Wayne of Runaway June and Eric Paslay.

 

Keith is set to kick off the North American leg of his first world tour in four years, The Speed of Now World Tour, on June 17th in Tampa, Florida. 

 

 

Walker Hayes Loses Football Bet, Changes Line In 'AA'

Walker Hayes lost a best when the University of Georgia beat his beloved University of Alabama on Monday (January 10th) night during the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

 

As the loser, he rewrote a line in his song "AA," replacing "Down in Alabama where they love Nick Saban" with "Down in Athens, Georgia where they love Kirby Smart," debuting it for fans via social media.

 

Walker posted the video late Monday night writing, "Mighta lost a bet with @davidpollack47 @coachkirbysmart"

 

Walker closed out the video singing Georgia's praises and mentioning ESPN broadcaster David Pollack, to whom he lost the bet. Walker referred to David as the "greatest commentator of all time."

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Walker Hayes (@walkerhayes)

 

Maren Morris' New Single Born Out Of Julia Michaels' 'Get-To-Know-Me Questions'

On Friday (January 7th), Maren Morris released her new single, “Circles Around This Town.” It's the debut release from her next album, and Maren co-wrote the song with her husband, Ryan Hurd, as well as Jimmy Robbins (The Bones) and Julia Michaels.

 

This was Maren's first time to write with Julia so she wanted to bring some fresh ideas to the session and one of those was just the title, "Circles Around This Town." Maren tells us:

"So I brought that title in and they all went for it and Julia just started asking me about when I moved to Nashville and where did I move into, what car did I drive, like she was getting very specific with her get-to-know-me questions but what I realized later (was) what she was doing was writing the song."

 

As far as the video goes, Maren had the idea for it from the get go. She explained, “I could see the visuals for 'Circles Around This Town’ the moment I wrote the song. I’ve always been so inspired by the industrial, blown out colors of music videos from the 90s, so (director) Harper Smith and I wanted the aesthetics of this video to reflect that grainy, devil-may-care attitude of all my females heroes from that era: Sheryl, Fiona, Alanis.

 

Obviously, having a penchant for the nostalgic, we decided to recreate my teenage bedroom and pin old photos of me as a kid on the walls and have me typing on an old PC computer. I knew I didn’t want to take anything too seriously in this video, so all our amplified ‘signs of the universe’ are purposefully campy, but they also ask the viewer, ‘Is the universe actually showing you signs or do you just know when you need to make a real change?’

 

‘Circles Around This Town’ is my story, so I felt like I truly got to relive my journey from Texas to Nashville again.”

 

Maren is nominated for two Grammy awards this year -- Best Country Song for “Better Than We Found It” and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Chasing After You,” the chart-topping due with Ryan Hurd.

 

The Grammys were originally scheduled to take place later this month but have been postponed due the to rising number of Covid case. A rescheduled date has not yet been announced.

 

 

Michael Ray Breaks Down As "Whiskey And Rain" Hit's No. 1 On Country Radio

Michael Ray's "Whiskey And Rain" is the little song that could. 


Ray took the quiet road after his divorce from Carly Pearce and let time do what it does, and now "Whiskey And Rain" is the number 1 song on country radio this week.
He woke up Sunday morning (Jan. 9) and thanked fans for helping him hit that number 1 spot in an emotional video.


"We did it, man," he began holding back the tears.
He thanked his team, radio, fans adding, "This is a special one."
Chris Young was quick to comment, "Happy for you bro!"


If you haven't listened to Michael Ray's latest EP, Higher Education feat." Whiskey And Rain" add it to your 2022 playlist.


Back in August of 2021 when his EP dropped, Michael was asked in an interview if he was getting personal on the new EP. He was quick to say that he's not about throwing shade. 


Congratulations Michael!

 

 

Country Music Stars Remember Full House Actor Bob Saget

The country music community is mourning the loss of America’s favorite TV dad, Bob Saget, who was found dead in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday (Jan. 9) at the age of 65.

 

“I’m so sad to hear about Bob Saget passing away!” Sara Evans wrote. “We met on the set of Nashville Squares, and he was as funny as he was kind. Sending prayers to his family!”


Jana Kramer, who also appeared on Nashville Squares, also shared her memories of Saget. 
“Life is so precious. Hug ur loved ones as tight as you can… u never know when it’s gonna be the last time,” Kramer wrote alongside a broken heart emoji. “Was lucky to have met Bob and was honored to be a friend. Thanks for the laughs. Sending so much love and prayers to my friend @eattravelrock.”


Travis Denning shared his sadness, writing, “Full House was such a part of my upbringing, same for a million others.”


Jordan Davis tweeted, "Damn…RIP @bobsaget…That's sad,"


Mitchell Tenpenny wrote a tribute on Instagram sharing a snap of him, Bob, and Jimmie Allen, "Got to meet and hang out with Bob when me and @jimmieallen did Nashville Squares. He was so kind to us and most of all very funny. He took extra time to make us feel special and I’ll never forget that. RIP to a legend."


Our hearts are with Bob Saget’s family, friends, and fans around the world.

Chris Young Surprises Fan Covering His Song at Nashville Bar

You never know who's going to hear you sing when you're out in Nashville!


Chris Young caught a fan singing his song 2009 hit, "Gettin' You Home" out at a Nashville bar so he filmed himself walking up to the stage. 


The stunned fan quickly noticed that it was Chris Young and shockingly said, "What's up, Chris?! Thank you, my brother!"


Later, Chris uploaded the TikTok video to share the emotional moment with his fans, writing, "Never know what song you will hear at a bar in Nashville. Shout out to everyone chasing their dreams and putting in the hard work." He captioned it,  "Living the dream. Don't stop chasing yours."

 

@chrisyoungmusic Living the dream. Don’t stop chasing yours. #nashville #countrymusic #chrisyoung ? Gettin' You Home - Chris Young

 

Surprise! Carrie Underwood Performs In Cobra Kai Netflix Series

In case you missed it, Cobra Kai's much-anticipated fourth season featured a surprise cameo from Carrie Underwood!


Carrie rocked a red leather mini-skirt and jacket and performed a cover of Survivor’s “The Moment Of The Truth,” a song that also appears in the 1984 film, The Karate Kid.


Her surprise performance took place at the All Valley Karate Tournament where the Cobra Kai, Miyagi-Do, and Eagle Fang dojos faced off against each other.


Back in August Carrie expressed her love for the show on social media which caught the attention of the show’s creators. 


"I grew up watching Daniel and Johnny, and I can't believe I actually get to be a small part of the legacy that is The Karate Kid," the Grammy winner said in a statement. "Once I discovered Cobra Kai a few years ago, it became one of my favorite shows!"
Cobra Kai season 4 was released on Netflix on December 31, 2021. 


To celebrate, Underwood planned a Cobra Kai watch party on New Year’s Eve and sported a special souvenir from the set.

 

 

Maren Morris Teases New Song Dropping Friday

Maren Morris is starting the new year with a new song!


On Monday, Maren shared the title and release date of her new song on social media that's dropping on Friday (January 7).


"???? get lost, get found. ???? Circles Around This Town out Friday," she wrote on her Twitter.

Carly Pearce Gives Glittering Performance of "Diamondback" On Jimmy Fallon

In a rhinestone studded dress and microphone, Carly Pearce shined making her Tonight Show debut on Monday night!


Carly performed "Diamondback" the song she co-wrote with friend Kelsea Ballerini off her album 29: Written In Stone.


Ahead of the show, her drummer and tour manager, Mike Blong, shared a photo of his drum set on Instagram. Fans were quick to notice the custom drum head appears to be an exact replica of the engagement ring Michael Ray proposed with in December 2018.  Or is it just a diamond drum head to compliment the song?


"The devil’s in the details????????????????,"  wrote one fan alongside photos of the drum head and an image of Carly flashing her engagement ring from 2018.  


Another fan replied, “OMG are you telling me she put an image of her former ????  on her drum!?!? That is so awesomely savage and I love it!”  


I mean her whole album is the honest truth of her messy divorce. Make of it what you want. Carly shined bright like a diamond on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! Heck of a way to kick off 2022!

 

 

Kane Brown And Wife Surprise Fans With Baby Announcement

Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn, managed to keep a very big secret -- they were expecting a baby girl, who made her entrance into the world on December 30th in Nashville. Kodi Jane Brown is the couple's second daughter. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 9 oz.

 

Kane broke the news on social media on New Year's Eve (Friday, December 31st) with a couple of pictures writing, "New year, New family member. welcome to the family Kodi Jane.  secrets finally out."

 

Kodi joins two-year-old big sister Kingsley Rose.