Blake Shelton (L) and Bryce Leatherwood on “The Voice.” Photo courtesy of NBC
Dec. 14 (UPI) — Country music artist Bryce Leatherwood was crowned the winner of The Voice Season 22 Tuesday night.
“Thank you COACH! Wow what a moment I will cherish forever. God bless every contestant, fan, and member of this beautiful team!” Leatherwood tweeted, giving a shout-out to his mentor on the NBC competition series, Blake Shelton.
Shelton tweeted at him: “You are so damn deserving of this. Thank you America and GET READY WORLD!!!”
Leatherwood is a 22-year-old singer from Statesboro, Ga.
“Leatherwood grew up going to his granddaddy’s farm where they would ride around together and listen to country music. Leatherwood couldn’t imagine life without his grandfather, who was diagnosed with lung cancer when Leatherwood was young but is still going strong to this day — and was seen multiple times on The Voice supporting his grandson from afar,” NBC said in a press release.
“Leatherwood is finishing up his final year at Georgia Southern University and completing a degree in business in hopes of managing his music career. The college bar scene is where he got experience on stage, and it’s also how he pays his bills.”
Bodie was the runner-up and Morgan Myles came in third place in this season’s finale.
Carson Daly was the host, and the coaches were Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Camila Cabello.
Gwen Stefani arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on September 6, 2001. The next month, Stefani appeared at a benefit concert for the City of Hope Spirit of Life Award dinner. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI | License Photo
As we approach the new year, you know we love to bring you tons of great lists and end-of-year content, and our Top 40 Country Albums of 2022 list will be here very soon.
But in addition to tons of great music coming out this year, we had a lot of our favorite artists on the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk about it, as well as giving some great insight into their lives and what inspires them.
And while of course, I would tell you to go back and listen to all of the ones you might’ve missed, I decided to narrow down my top 10 favorite episodes from this year.
Make sure you give ’em a download for your flight home, that three-hour drive to grandma’s house for Christmas dinner, or whatever holiday travel and plans you have this year.
Let’s get into it:
10. Justin Moore
Justin talked parenting, living in his hometown in Arkansas, writing “Bait a Hook” about Ben Roethlisberger and much more. Listen HERE.
9. Hailey Whitters
Hailey talked growing up in Iowa, her grandfather the “Grassman,” touring with Jon Pardi and much more. Listen HERE.
8. Ronnie Dunn
The great Ronnie Dunn talked music videos with Dale Earnhardt, the only time he fought with Kix Brooks, hog hunting from a helicopter and much more. Listen HERE.
7. Randall King
Randall talked small town West Texas and keeping his Texas license, transitioning to Nashville, the wild high speed chase that ended at his show and much more. Listen HERE.
6. American Aquarium
Frontman BJ Barham talked about the current state of mainstream country music, his relationship with the guys of Turnpike Troubadours, his new studio album Chicamacomico and much more. Listen HERE.
5. Kolby Cooper
Kolby talked about the great Waylon Jennings, being a dad and raising toddlers, smoking a joint ahead of his Grand Ole Opry debut and much more. Listen HERE.
4. Riley Green
Riley talked about his most memorable hunts, his go-to drink on stage, opening for Luke Combs on his world tour next year and much more. Listen HERE.
3. Jon Pardi
Kicking off my top three favorite’s, the always-funny Jon Pardi got into the upside to a hangover and how he cures one, his new Pardi Batch 112 Bourbon, hanging out with Kid Rock and much more.
If you want some great laughs, listen HERE.
2. Ben Burgess
Our most recent episode, Ben stopped by the podcast for the first time to talk about his debut studio album Tears the Size of Texas, getting out of a bad recording contract and moving to Nashville to pursue country music, writing for people like Lil Wayne, the Jonas Brothers and Morgan Wallen and much more.
Ben is a great storyteller and is so candid and funny, so definitely make sure you check that one out HERE.
1. Koe Wetzel
And for my favorite podcast episode of the year, Koe Wetzel stopped by not long before the release of Hell Paso to talk about his version of the wild strip club story with Parker McCollum, getting arrested in New Braunfels, Texas, his vision for the country album he’s working on now and much more.
Koe is of course very entertaining and always has some great and wild stories for us, so if you somehow missed it back in August, make sure you give it a listen HERE.
You certainly won’t regret it…
And of course, you can find all of the Whiskey Riff Raff episodes on Youtube, or you can download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here.
We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.
Several country radio mainstays — and a couple of out-of-left-field dark horses — dominated the Billboard Country Airplay Charts in 2022, according to year-end data released by Billboard Country Update.
It should come as no surprise that Jason Aldean and Luke Combs place highly on this list. Both stalwarts at country radio and staple touring acts, chart-topping success seemed all but an inevitability for these two artists in 2022 — and they delivered, with hits solidly within the Top 10 most-played songs.
Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make” places fifth, with an overall audience of 426.64 million — and especially impressive feat, given that the song hit the radio airwaves in June, so fans only had half a year to hear it.
Meanwhile, Aldean comes in at No. 9 with “Trouble With a Heartbreak,” with an audience of 405.84 million. That song was his only Top 10 most-played single, but his duet with Carrie Underwood, “If I Didn’t Love You,” follows not far behind at No. 16.
Another radio favorite, Morgan Wallen, slides into the No. 8 spot with “Wasted on You.” Two more Wallen tracks, “You Proof” and “Sand in My Boots,” fall just outside the Top 10. If those seem like low numbers for the ever-ubiquitous Wallen, it’s worth noting that early on in 2022, some stations weren’t playing his music as a result of the racist slur scandal that he incurred the previous February, which led many stations to remove his songs from playlists in 2021.
Throwback songs did well on the radio in 2022, and two artists in particular — Scotty McCreery and Cole Swindell — reaped the benefits. Swindell earns the No. 6 spot on the year-end chart with “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” his ode to Jo Dee Messina’s 1996 hit,”Heads Carolina, Tails California.” McCreery made out even better, leaping to No. 4 with “Damn Strait,” his heartbreak ballad that tips its hat to the King of Country himself.
Country music’s female artists are perennially overlooked at country radio compared to their male counterparts, and once again, they are few and far between on this list of the Top 10 most-played songs of 2022. MacKenzie Porter gets a mention at No. 2 as the featured artist on Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ‘Bout You,” though her ranking would be more satisfying to equality-minded country fans if it were a song she took the lead on.
The 10th spot on the list does go to a song by Ingrid Andress, with a feature from Sam Hunt: The pulsing, broody earworm, “Wishful Drinking,” which became Andress’ second No. 1 hit — and Hunt’s 10th — earlier in 2022.
Hunt also appears within the Top 10 solo, courtesy of his No. 1 hit ballad “23,” which he put out in late 2021. Hunt’s track record at country radio is excellent but a little spotty; he has made radio history with songs like the record-breaking juggernaut “Body Like a Back Road,” but he’s also been known to go dark for months or even a year at a time, so the fact that he placed not one but two singles in the Top 10 most-played list for 2022 is a little surprising.
The real shocker, though, comes courtesy of the No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay song of the year: Parmalee’s “Take My Name.” The song has earned the top spot by a fairly wide margin, netting an audience of 609.52 million, compared to the No. 2 song, “Thinking ‘Bout You,” which brought in 534.61.
After a years-long stretch of lukewarm radio singles, the country rock act rebranded in 2019, ultimately putting out a duet with Blanco Brown called “Just the Way” late that year. Over the course of 2020, the song embarked on a slow, but ultimately successful climb to the top of the charts, and with the success of “Take My Name,” Parmalee prove that their success was no fluke.
Scroll down to see the Top 10 songs on the 2022 year-end list for the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Top 10 Most-Played Country Airplay Songs of 2022, per Billboard :
10. “Wishful Drinking,” Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt 9. “Trouble With a Heartbreak,” Jason Aldean 8. “Wasted on You,” Morgan Wallen 7. “23,” Sam Hunt 6. “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” Cole Swindell 5. “The Kind of Love We Make,” Luke Combs 4. “Damn Strait,” Scotty McCreery 3. “‘Til You Can’t,” Cody Johnson 2. “Thinking ‘Bout You,” Dustin Lynch ft. MacKenzie Porter 1. “Take My Name,” Parmalee
Top 22 Country Songs of 2022, Ranked
There are plenty of feel-good country jams on this list of the top country songs of 2022, but the No. 1 song is one of the best love songs of the decade. These 22 songs are ranked by critical acclaim, radio and sales success, and importance to the genre.
Seven of the 22 artists made our Top Country Songs list from 2021 as well, but there are no repeats. If a song made a previous list or didn’t spend most of its time on the charts in 2022, it’s not eligible. So, before you ask where your favorite song is (i.e. Cody Johnson, “‘Til You Can’t), be sure the miss isn’t just a technicality.
Priscilla Block, Jackson Dean, Frank Ray, Jelly Roll & Nate Smith named Class of 2023
Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has announced the lineup for the CRS 2023 New Faces of Country Music Show. To be held Wednesday, March 15th at Omni Nashville Hotel, this year’s sold out show will feature performances by Priscilla Block, Jackson Dean, Frank Ray, Jelly Roll, and Nate Smith.
“The radio and streaming partner constituencies of CRS have spoken and, word is, the future of country music is bright,” states CRB New Faces Committee Chairman Chuck Aly. “This year’s New Faces class comprises artists with admirable creative depth and burgeoning commercial impact. Translation: Don’t miss it!”
Country Radio Seminar will take place March 13-15 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Registration for CRS 2023 is open and is $649 per person.
CRS 2023 will feature a jam-packed schedule that includes Country Radio Seminar’s most anticipated events, including educational panels, virtual networking, and workshops designed to provide instant, actionable takeaways.
Formed in 1970, the annual New Faces of Country Music Show is one of the most anticipated events at Country Radio Seminar. Five emerging artists who have achieved significant success at Country Radio during the qualification period are selected each year to perform each year.
Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com
Good morning, and welcome to your Daily Briefing! This is business editor Nicole Young.
Only in Nashville can we get away with comparing housing market trends to the chorus of Morgan Wallen’s hit song “Up Down.”
Maybe? You think?
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The song certainly seems to fit the current market.
Growth and development reporter Melonee Hurt tells us home closings were down from last November. Home prices were up. Pending sales were down. Existing home inventory was up.
“Even though the housing market isn’t a character in a country drinking song, it does seem, well — drunk,” she writes.
Subscribers can read more here to learn what Greater Nashville Realtors President Steve Jolly says about the market, dig into the numbers and see what good news is in all of this.
Thank you for reading, and dive into more great stories from The Tennessean below.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Home prices meet country music: Welcome to Nashville
PUTTING on a brand new event is always risky, especially after COVID, but a strong line-up saw crowds gathered to the Sale Turf Club for the inaugural Sale Country Music Festival on Saturday, November 19.
There’s no events without event-goers. But there’s also no events without event promoters. Owner and director of Event People Australia, Scott Hollow, said the Sale Country Music Festival was part of an event attraction program through Wellington Shire Council.
Attendees enjoying themselves at the Sale Country Music Festival. Photo: Country Rock Shotz.
“It’s a three-year contract. It’s about getting out into different regional areas. So we’re thankful to the Council, plus the (Sale) Turf Club. It’s a good venue,” Mr Hollow said.
“The numbers are slightly down on what we hoped for, but there’s a lot of events going on. There’s a lot of promoters putting on events, so it’s busy after COVID.
“It’s a good base to build on. We’ll do a survey and get some feedback. And we’ll be here next year, same venue.”
The bill featured performances by Laurel and Phoebe, Ella & Sienna, Mick Harrington, Amber Lawrence, Casey Barnes, Travis Collins and Adam Brand. Dressed in their favourite country look, the crowd also enjoyed food trucks, beverages, and relaxing in their camping chairs.
Gary Turner, a radio journalist who took on the role of master of ceremonies, said the event was well-suited to Sale.
Radio journalist and master of ceremonies Gary Turner. Photo: Country Rock Shotz
“Nice town, lovely venue, lovely racecourse here, lovely townspeople here. Great crowd,” he said.
“I think we (organised) a great line-up. You know country music is all about new talent coming in and with country music, you just don’t know what’s around the corner, because there’s new talent all the time.”
One of the talented new acts were South Australian teenagers Ella & Sienna.
Ella & Sienna. Photo: Stefan Bradley
Sienna said they were excited to play after releasing their latest single last month, called ‘The City in July’, which followed their previous charting song, ‘Saved’.
“The response we’ve received from it is really great. Everybody seems to be really liking it,” Sienna said, shortly before their set.
Sienna from Ella & Sienna. Photo: Country Rock Shotz
Ella said they were lucky to perform alongside the other big names.
“It’s an awesome line-up. The best thing about this festival is we were able to bring out our whole band here,” Ella said.
“We’re here to play some new music, including some unreleased tracks, and some well-known covers that everyone can sing along to…we’ve got ‘Need You Now’ by Lady A, some bluesier (covers) and a song by The Chicks.”
Ella from Ella & Sienna. Photo: Country Rock Shotz
Stratford’s own Mick Harrington spoke to the Gippsland Times immediately after his set.
“It’s good to come out to play for people coming out post-Covid… and to see smiling faces at events in Gippsland,” Mr Harrington said.
“I’m not the most country artist at this festival, but I think the crowd really got into it. I played a mixture of covers and originals.
“The good thing about every country music festival I’ve been to is that the artists are very down to earth, and just want to have fun.”
Mick Harrington. Photo: Country Rock Shotz.
Mr Harrington said he appreciated the opportunity to play a local show.
“I’ve got children, so it’s good to be able to play a gig and then get home to your family that night. I love being able to play music for people but also being home with your kids is good too,” he said.
Mr Harrington said he had new music out in late December, and a tour planned for next year.
“I’m taking a tour on the road next year called Australian Songbook, where I cover Australian songwriters from the ’50s until now.”
Country music singer Amber Lawrence. Photo: Stefan Bradley
Amber Lawrence was ready for a very important week in her music career, with her festival appearance and the ARIA Music Awards.
“I haven’t played down in Gippsland for so long. I’m lucky to be able to do these events,” Ms Lawrence said.
Ms Lawrence’s latest album Living for the Highlights was released in July and was nominated for Best Country Music Album at the ARIAs. It’s her second ARIA nomination, but she wasn’t feeling too confident about taking out the gong.
Amber Lawrence.Photo: Country Rock Shotz
“Who knows? I’m not expecting to win, no. But I’m there, I’m nominated and I’m happy about that.”
Adam Brand headlined the festival. Photo: Country Rock Shotz
Casey Barnes, who also performed at the festival, ended up winning the Best Country Music Album ARIA last Thursday for his record Light It Up. Festival headliner Adam Brand was also nominated in that category.
Adam Brand’s headlining performance had to be cut short near its end due to safety concerns over the lightning storm. Photo: Country Rock Shotz
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Those who happen to be visiting Nashville Sunday and want to check the Country Music Hall of Fame off their bucket list, or even locals who have not had a chance to go to the museum in a while, Sunday is your lucky day – CMHOF is offering free admission as part of its annual Ford Community Day, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund.
It will also be a busy day of performances and programs for the whole family, such as a performance by Runaway June and a songwriter session with Parker Welling. Charlie McKoy will also be featured as a musician spotlight.
People can bring their kids to the Taylor Swift Education Center for cool activities like a ukulele workshop and a musical instrument petting zoo.
People can also get some special discounts on food and at the museum store if you are a Ford driver. All you have to do is show your keys and get 10% off your purchase.
Those who want a membership to the museum can get $5 off on individual passes, or $10 off for the family.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free tickets can be reserved on the Country Music Hall of Fame’s website. There will also be a limited number of tickets available at the door.
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Ryan O’Bleness of Big Cat Country was nice enough to answer five questions about the Jacksonville Jaguars for us heading into Sunday’s games. If you want to see his questions with my answers you can bang it here.
1. Is Trevor Lawrence going to play? If not, what can we expect from CJ Beathard?
Lawerence is practicing on Friday. He is considered “day-to-day” with a toe injury. He did also speak to the media earlier this week, which usually is a good sign a player will give it a go, but that isn’t certain. If I had to guess right now, my gut feeling is that Lawrence will do everything he can to play on Sunday and is likely to suit up, especially after getting in at least a limited practice session.
As for Beathard, I think what you see is what you get with him. He is a solid backup quarterback and a guy you can trust to manage the game, but he’s likely not going to put the team on his shoulders and win a game solely due to his play. It would take a lot of help from the guys around him. He got some solid starting experience early in his career with the San Francisco 49ers and his career passing numbers aren’t bad, but obviously aren’t great. He’s completed 295 passes on 502 attempts (58.8 percent) for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also has four rushing touchdowns. Beathard’s only thrown five passes as a Jaguar (with four completions for 39 yards), so the sample size is way too small to judge his fit in Jacksonville right now.
2. Are you convinced Lawrence is a franchise QB? Why or why not?
Yes, I do believe Lawrence is a true franchise quarterback. It’s been a slower development process with him than many Jaguars fans were hoping for (Urban Meyer is at least partially to blame for that), and he still makes mistakes you would hope he would have corrected by now, but he’s playing quite well over the past four contests or so. Over those four games, Lawrence has completed 100 out of 139 passes (71.9 percent) for 994 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has had his struggles in the red zone this season, but that’s to be getting better.
Even in the blowout loss to the Detroit Lions last week, Lawrence was solid for the most part and was plagued by drops from his wide receivers.
Lawrence continues to flash the unlimited potential that he has been highly-touted for. It’s a matter of doing it consistently now, and head coach Doug Pederson is likely the right coach to get him there, but it appears Lawrence has been taking the right steps. Hopefully the toe injury isn’t a big setback.
3. The Jaguars started 2-1 and looked like they might be the Titans biggest threat in the division. What went wrong in the five game losing streak? Have they corrected the issues?
I think the biggest thing to remember is that this is still very much a rebuilding team with a new head coach, young players and a long culture of losing. Pederson is trying to change that, but this team is not yet ready to win consistently. In those first three games, what was clear is that Jacksonville had a lot more talent on its roster than originally anticipated. Lawrence’s play against the Indianapolis Colts (the first time) and Los Angeles Chargers was extremely strong. The defense also played well in those contests. There just seemed to be an energy within the team.
The team goes as Lawrence goes, though. He had a turnover-filled outing against the Philadelphia Eagles in a monsoon and that started the five-game losing streak. The defense took a big step back during the losing streak (the run defense regressed and the passing defense got even worse, especially with things like crossing routes in the middle of the field). There were questionable coaching calls from Pederson and his staff. Really the answer to what went wrong was “all of the above,” but each loss was only by one score, so there was some bad luck in there too.
Some of the issues have been corrected, but some still linger. Over the past four games, as I mentioned, Lawrence’s play has ascended. The decision-making from Pederson and his staff has been better in my opinion, too. However, the defense has still had issues stopping the run and the Lions torched the Jaguars through the air (337 passing yards). The 2-2 mark in those four games feels about right to me.
4. How many years are the Jags away from being a contender?
This team isn’t as far away as I thought it was entering the season. It’s hard to predict, but I would say about two years away from being a true contender in the AFC. With how weak the AFC South appears, it is certainly likely that Jacksonville will compete for a division crown next year in 2023, but at the current moment, I am not sold on that, and even if the Jaguars accomplished that, I wouldn’t bet on them being able to make noise in the playoffs. Keep in mind, the Jaguars add wide receiver Calvin Ridley in 2023 as well. I would expect the team to work out an extension with him
In 2024, Lawrence will be in his fourth year and very likely in the prime of his career. Other young building blocks like outside linebacker Travon Walker, inside linebackers Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma, cornerback Tyson Campbell and running back Travis Etienne Jr. will be veterans. Ridley (if still in Jacksonville in 2024, and also in 2023) and Christian Kirk would make a strong wide receiver tandem and the team will continue to add talent through the draft, free agency and trades. That is just my guess, but I could see a pretty loaded roster by 2024.
5. The Titans are a 4-point favorite in this one. Which side of that bet are you taking? Give us your score prediction.
The Jaguars haven’t beaten the Titans in Nashville since 2013 and have lost five in a row in the series overall. I will take Tennessee in this matchup every time until proven otherwise. After being embarrassed in Detroit last week, and assuming Lawrence is healthy enough to play, I do expect the team to be focused. I see this game being close. However, I will take the Titans to win and cover.
In The Three of Us, Georgette described her dad as “anything but” the boozing, life-of-the-party troublemaker he was often painted as. Rather, she wrote, “George Jones drank to fit in with the partyers, not because it came naturally.” She thinks he started overdoing it when he was first playing clubs and that was the sort of crowd he fell in with. “It was almost a defense mechanism,” she wrote, “a weapon against his introverted nature.”
Wynette may have been the tougher cookie, but “in a nutshell,” Georgette wrote, “my mom never trusted stardom, and my dad never liked it.” Jones “admitted he was shocked that people hold him in such esteem,” his daughter recalled, and if Wynette “heard that a movie star or a president was a fan, it never failed to amaze her.”
Wynette was also plagued by health issues that led to her own substance abuse troubles. According to biographer McDonough, she had a hysterectomy after Georgette’s birth in 1970, after which she developed an infection that caused a build-up of scar tissue and chronic gall bladder issues that left her in constant pain. She ended up addicted to painkillers, and then moved on to shots of Demerol when the pills stopped working, and she started taking Valium on tour.
