Willie Nelson once said he’d rather die than retire, and he was not kidding. He’s got a bunch of stuff going on right now . . . including a very funny Bic lighter commercial that also stars Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. It shows Willie using a Bic to light up a fat . . . candle. Then he gets a video call from Snoop who lost his Bic, followed by Martha who pops up looking for her candle. Willie plays innocent as he lights his “favorite herb scent” candle. There’s also music news from Willie. He’s going to release a new album on March 3rd. It’s a tribute to legendary Nashville songwriter Harlan Howard, and it’s called “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love”. Harlan has written hits for Ray Charles, Patsy Cline, and Conway Twitty. He’s also THE guy who described country music as “three chords and the truth”. The album’s first single is Willie’s take on “Busted”. Did we mention Willie will be turning 90 on April 29th?
Lainey Wilson brought a nine-year-old fan onstage last week, who underwent open heart surgery. Her name is Davey Jean, and Lainey saw her in the crowd holding a sign that said, “Our biggest littlest fan has had open heart surgery.” Lainey told the crowd, quote, “If anybody’s got a heart like a truck, it’s her.” Then she dedicated her performance of “Heart Like A Truck” to her.
AllCountryNews.com posted their favorite homes owned by country’s biggest stars. George Strait’s 8,000-square-foot place in San Antonio made the list. So did Shania Twain’s vacation spot in the Bahamas. And Taylor Swift’s absurd, $17 million beachfront mansion in Rhode Island is one of the most valuable properties in the whole state.
Kelsea Ballerini knows everyone’s wondering if she’s dating “Outer Banks” actor Chase Stokes, but she’s still being coy about it. She hit up TikTok with a video of herself saying she should stop reading all the headlines, as she points at those headlines. The caption reads, “I’m about to break up with the Internet.”
Amy Grant hosted her niece’s wedding to her wife. It happened on the same hillside on her farm that Amy married Vince Gill back in 2000. And Amy doesn’t want to hear criticism because it was a same-sex wedding. She said, “You should be able to be who you are with your family, and be loved by them.”
CMT has announced another “Next Women of Country”, and it’s their largest class ever. There are 16 artists, including Megan Moroney, Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Kasey Tyndall, Mackenzie Carpenter,Catie Offerman, Kimberly Kelly, and Pillbox Patti. The full list is as Billboard.com.
Mark Collie is 67. Country singer who you know as Frankie Gray on “Nashville”. Mark’s biggest hit was “Even the Man in the Moon is Cryin'”. He’s also written songs for Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, and George Jones.
Kevin Costner is 68.
