Over a THIRD of the songs on Billboard Hot 100 there right now are Morgan Wallen’s. Morgan’s album “One Thing at a Time” came out this month, and ALL 36 songs are now on the Hot 100 list. That’s a new record, and not just for country artists. This only happens when a huge artist puts out a huge album . . . “huge” as in a ton of songs. Taylor Swift had 26 in the Hot 100 after her 26-track version of “Fearless” came out two years ago. So if her next album somehow had 37 songs on it, Morgan’s record might fall. Half of the top 10 songs right now are Morgan’s, and “Last Night” is #1.
It was about three years ago when Bailey Zimmerman was working on a gas pipeline in Illinois. It was a union job and it paid well, but he had bigger plans. A song he wrote and performed on TikTok racked up over a million views. It was time to chase that dream so he put a call in to the union. “I was like, ‘Hey, I’m Bailey Zimmerman, and I want to quit.’ They were like, ‘Do you want to get taken off the work list?’ I was like, ‘No, I want to shred my card. I quit. I’ll never work for you again.'” He moved to Nashville, worked his butt off, and now he’s living the dream. He’s one of the openers on Morgan Wallen’s “One Night at a Time World Tour”, and his debut full-length album, “Religiously. The Album”, is out May 12th.
Kelsea Ballerini stopped her own show in New Jersey over the weekend . . . to ask if anyone was keeping tabs on Taylor Swift’s concert across the country. She said, “Is anyone stalking The Eras Tour? Has it started? Is ‘Cruel Summer’ on the setlist? . . . That’s my Super Bowl, I gotta be honest.”
Cole Swindell and his girlfriend Courtney Little are going strong. He posted a black and white video on social media to promote his new love song “Broken” where she made an appearance. It’s from his upcoming album “Stereotype Broken”, which comes out April 28th.
I want this to happen the next time I see a show at the Grand Ole Opry. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood made a surprise appearance on Saturday. Garth did his ’90s hit “Callin’ Baton Rouge” . . . and then Trisha joined him for a cover of “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”.
Here’s a fun collaboration. Lainey Wilson and Lukas Nelson recorded a song together called “More Than Friends”, and it’s coming out Friday. Each of them posted a split-screen tease on Instagram. Lukas is playing guitar and singing as Lainey joins him and adds a few comments.
Kathy Ireland is 60.
Holly Hunter is 65. The mom in “The Incredibles” movies.
Bobby Orr is 75. Hockey Hall-of-Famer.
Hal Linden is 92. “Barney Miller”.
