Before selling millions of records and packing arenas, Darius Rucker and Hootie & The Blowfish were just a college band trying to make it work in South Carolina. Darius said, “Our first probably 10 gigs, 15 gigs, were strictly for beer.” But when they got more popular the compensation went up from two cases of beer to three. And money was so tight, they didn’t even have all their own equipment. He said, “We had to steal the PA from the university because we couldn’t afford a PA.”
Luke Combs says he’s down 30 pounds, and one of his big motivators was getting in better shape for hunting season. So to celebrate, Luke just went on an elk hunting trip and finally tagged a six-point bull after coming up empty on a New Mexico hunt last year. Luke has been open about his struggles with weight and says his long-term goal is simple . . . He wants to stay healthy enough to take his sons on an elk hunt of their own someday.
Dasha just revealed that she’s prepping for vocal cord surgery later this month at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Doctors recently found nodes on her vocal cords, and she says that years of nonstop touring finally caught up with her. Dasha’s recovery will include two weeks of complete silence and additional time after that to retrain her voice before returning to the stage again. But she’s still excited about her new album which will be released next year.
Riley Green’s new album “That’s Just Me” debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart. That’s the biggest debut of his career, and his first-ever Top 10 on the chart. “That’s Just Me” features collaborations with Brooks & Dunn, Randy Owen, Jake Worthington, and Hannah McFarland. And even though Riley is now one of the biggest names in all of country music, he said he still makes a point of writing from the perspective of his small-town Alabama roots.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is Santa Claus in the trailer for “The Man with the Bag”. It premieres December 2nd on Prime Video.
“Time” magazine released their “100 Next” list yesterday. It recognizes 100 people they consider to be rising stars in different industries. — Megan Maroney is on that list
Billy Joel told fans that his brain disorder sounds worse than it is. He says his balance isn’t good, and he’s lost some hearing, but he’s fine.
“24 Jump Street” and “Treasure Island” starring Hugh Jackman are set to come out next year.
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s son Kingston launched his music career with his first single, “Right Side of the Moon”.
TV Tonight: “Coven Academy”, “East of Eden”, and “Soulm8te”
Sarah Drew is 46. Dr. April Kepner on “Grey’s Anatomy”.
Zach Galifianakis is 57.
Cindy Margolis is 61. Former “The Price Is Right” model
Mark McGwire is 63. He broke Roger Maris’ home run record (61) in 1998 with 70 homers . . .
Randy Quaid is 76. Dennis Quaid’s crazy brother.
Rod Carew is 81. Major League Baseball Hall of Famer.
Julie Andrews is 91.
