Are you a TRUE country fan? Not unless you have a really good memory, I guess. “Taste of Country” posted a huge list of the, quote, “country music singalongs” that “every country fan should know by heart”. A lot of them are classics, like “Friends in Low Places” . . . “On the Road Again” . . . “Folsom Prison Blues” . . . and “Jolene”. But here are a few of the newer ones that made the list. If you can’t sing along to ALL of them, you’re not a “true” country fan.
1. “Redneck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson (2004)
2. “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood (2006)
3. “Summertime” by Kenny Chesney (2006)
4. “Gunpowder & Lead” by Miranda Lambert (2008)
5. “Need You Now” by Lady A (2009)
6. “Springsteen” by Eric Church (2012)
7. “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line (2012)
8. “Follow Your Arrow” by Kacey Musgraves (2013)
9. “Body Like a Back Road” by Sam Hunt (2017)
10. “Beer Never Broke My Heart” by Luke Combs (2019)
Luke Combs talk about his early days in Nashville . . . when he thought he had ZERO chance of making it. It came up again on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.Quote, “I didn’t move to Nashville to be a country artist. I just wanted to do music for a living. Sweeping floors in a studio would’ve been great to me, because I would be around music, I’d be trying to write songs, get a publishing deal.”In Luke’s mind, country singers were almost like movie stars. Annoyingly fit, tall, and handsome. He didn’t fit that mold.Quote, “Everybody that was doing music when I moved to town was hot. [We’re] talking 6’5″, abs . . . I mean, I didn’t have chance. And so I’m going, ‘Cool, I’ll just write songs for these handsome cats and that will be fine with me, you know?” What Luke does have is talent. In spades. He’s a brilliant songwriter with a terrific voice. Besides, I’ve never had someone request a song because the artist has great abs. If they did, I’d hang up.
Tim McGraw sees a similarity between his new song, “Standing Room Only”, and one of his greatest hits ever, “Live Like You Were Dying”. But why he thinks that . . . may surprise you. He talked about it in a recent interview.”Quote, ‘Live Like You Were Dying’ wasn’t about dying, it was about living. And to me, ‘Standing Room Only’ is about going out and living life to the fullest, and trying to be the best person you can be.”
When Carrie Underwood won “American Idol” in 2005, she was given a convertible Mustang. Well almost 18 years later, she still drives it. She said, quote,”[When I] have my car getting serviced, I’ll get to drive that car. It always makes me want to drive it more, because it was such a pivotal point in my life.” She said that was the car she used when she first moved to Tennessee and is “very, very glad” she still has it because it makes her feel good.
Miranda Lambert has spent two decades with Sony Music Nashville, but this week she announced that she’s leaving. She thanked Sony in an Instagram post, and added, “I can’t wait to see what my next adventure holds.” There’s no further comment from Miranda or Sony.
Sometimes I forget how awesome it is for new artists to get recognized. Kylie Morgan said she “cried like 17 times” after receiving her first-ever “CMT Music Awards” nomination. “If He Wanted To He Would” is up for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year. Voting is still open at vote.cmt.com.
We’ve been waiting for this. That country-based Rolling Stones tribute album, “Stoned Cold Country”, is out today. It’s loaded with country covers of Stones’ songs by artists like Eric Church, Maren Morris, Brooks & Dunn, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, Lainey Wilson, and Zac Brown Band.
Keifer Thompson is 47. He’s in the country duo Thompson Square with his wife Shawna.
Mia Hamm is 51. Retired women’s soccer star.
Rob Lowe is 59.
Gary Sinise is 68. Lieutenant Dan in “Forrest Gump”.
Kurt Russell is 72. Wyatt Earp in “Tombstone”, Santa in “The Christmas Chronicles”, and Snake Plissken in “Escape from New York”.
Patrick Duffy is 74. “Dallas” and “Step By Step” superstar.
John Sebastian is 79. Lead singer of The Lovin’ Spoonful . . . and the man who sang the incredible theme song to “Welcome Back, Kotter”.
Pattie Boyd is 79. Ex-wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton. “Layla” is about her.
