UK News, UK Chart News, Billboard Country Charts, Album & Single Releases, US News, Music News, Gossip, Press Releases, TV, Interviews, Videos, Birthdays
BREAKING NEWS
Country News – December 15,
2023 with Shannon McCombs
Country Music and
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, Brenda Lee tells the back story of
her #1 song “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” The song celebrates its 65th
anniversary this year and it’s Brenda Lee’s first #1 in 63 years!!!
Country News – December 20,
2023 with Shannon McCombs
It’s ALL about
CHRISTMAS! Reba talks about her Christmas tree tradition… Brenda Lee
talks about Christmas as a little girl. PLUS.. you’ll hear Kenny Chesney,
Brad Paisley, and Garth Brooks as they read, Twas The Night
Before Christmas!
UK NEWS
On the BBC Radio 2 Playlist
16 December 2023
B List:
Taylor Swift - Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) [B-B-B]
C List:
Sheryl Crow - Alarm Clock [C-C-C]
OUT
Foy Vance feat. Ed Sheeran, Elton John
& Keith Urban - Guiding Light (Anniversary Edition) [C-C-C]
removed from the “C” playlist
HOTDISC TOP 40 (Sunday 17th December 2023 chart)
The Hotdisc
monthly promotional album is digitally distributed to a massive list of DJs,
journalists, promoters, agents and other key people in the business. Every act
on Hotdisc receives feedback on how their track is performing in the Hotdisc
Top 40, which is compiled by the DJs themselves (songs are scored 1 – 10; with
or without comment or airplay).
This week Denny
Strickland with “Merry Christmas (Real World)” enjoyed a
second week at No.1 on the Hotdisc Top 40.
TW LW WOC Title Artist
1 2 3 Merry
Christmas (Real World) Denny Strickland ** No.1 (2 weeks) **
2 2 7 Teach Me, Pa
(Live) Raymond Froggatt (UK) ⬇
3 3 7 Puttin' Up
Hay Alex Miller
4 4 3 Closing
Your Eyes (Falling Apart) HMB Players
5 5 3 Silent Night
Frank Jennings
6 6 3 My Favourite
Things Lorrie Morgan
7 7 3 Kiss Me This Christmas American Blonde
9 12 7 I'm Sorry Nicola
Harris (UK)
10 17 3 Do You
Hear What I Hear Donna Frost
ICYMI: (Dec 2023) Learning To Live Big Ben: TuneIn is partnering with CountryLine Radio to distribute Garth
Brooks' The
Big 615 to the UK. CountryLine Co-Founder Nathalie Cox was
recently added to the station's lineup alongside Storme Warren and Sinead Burgess. Burgess shared on social media. Listen here.
(13 Dec 2023)
CMA is bringing the C2C: Country to Country Festival, including its acclaimed CMA
Songwriters Series (As previously announced SEE BLOG POST) in London, as
well as the CMA Presents Introducing Nashville lineup back overseas in
March.
CMA’s
international touring series, Introducing
Nashville, returns to the main stage of C2C for
the third year in a row. The 2024 lineups will include performances by Karley
Scott Collins, Greylan James, Conner Smith and Lauren
Watkins at The O2 in London March 8, SSE Arena in Belfast March 9, and Ovo
Hydro in Glasgow on March 10, 2024.
(15 Dec 2023) JUST THE TWO OF US: The Shires (Ben Earle & Crissie Rhodes) announced UK Tour dates from 20 April - 23 June 2024. The Tour is titled “the Two of Us”. "It will be just us two on stage, like our first ever tour. We are so, so excited to strip it all back musically and sing our songs in their purest form, and to see you all again"! shared Ben & Crissie.
Shows at Chelmsford (21 April) Norwich (4 May), Coventry (17 May) &
Milton Keynes (26 May) have already sold out. Limited and low availability
apply to most other shows Tickets are available on Ticketmaster UK (12 dates), wegottickets, venue websites and theshiresmusic.com | Follow The Shires on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok
(21 Dec 2023) CHRISTMAS NOTE: Country/Americana singer-songwriter Chloë Chadwick shared: “It's
been a special year for me in 2023. First and foremost, it was the year that I
decided to throw it all back on the line and make a comeback to the original
music scene after taking quite a bit of time out. I was extremely apprehensive
being honest, and I wasn't sure what to expect at all. However, this time last
year when I was in the studio working on new material to release in 2023, I
never really expected that I would be sat here now looking back on all the
achievements that have happened in the last 12 months. A year on and I am so
very proud to have released 4 singles, an EP, supports in both London and
Manchester to both extremely credible UK country artists Emilia Quinn and Jade
Helliwell, and over 80,000 people have streamed my music on Spotify alone
within this period! I played my own headline show in my birthplace of
Stoke-on-Trent to a packed out crowd! And so…it's not been a bad year has it”!!
In other news Chloë will be releasing new music early in 2024. She will
be performing at West Coast Folk
Fest at Blackpool Winter Gardens on Sunday 14th January headlining the
Acoustic Stage and will support
Morganway at Stage4 Beverley Winter Festival on Sunday 18th
February at East Riding Theatre (10 Lord Roberts Road, Beverley HU17 9BE) Ticket
Link Here
UK CHART NEWS
UK Albums
Congratulations are in
order for The Killers, who secured their eighth Official Number 1 album
with REBEL DIAMONDS.
The Las Vegas-formed rock
outfit, comprising Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and Mark
Stoermer, reach the summit with their second hits compilation. In doing so,
they surpass the peak of their first greatest hits release; 2013’s Direct Hits
which reached Number 5.
Rebel Diamonds joins Hot
Fuss (2004), Sam’s Town (2006), Day & Age (2008), Battle Born (2012),
Wonderful Wonderful (2017), Imploding the Mirage (2020) and Pressure Machine
(2021) in the group’s tally of chart-topping albums.
Nicki Minaj secured her
highest-charting LP in over a decade with Pink Friday 2 this week (3). Her
third Top 10 record to date, which includes collaborations with the likes of
Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and J. Cole, earns Nicki her highest peak since 2012, when
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded topped the chart.
UK Singles
For the second week in a row, and the fifth time in
chart history, Last Christmas is No.1 for Wham!
This time last year, it was still gaining support at No.1,
with consumption up 11.10% at 48,535. This year, it dipped 9.03%, week-on-week
albeit to a slightly higher level than this week last year, at 48,643 units
(754 digital downloads, 47,889 sales-equivalent streams | Total sales to date:
3,802,266). Its chances of staying No.1 next week – and therefore being the Christmas
No.1 – should receive a boost from its release, for the first time, on 7-inch
green vinyl today (December15).
WHAM! have pulled ahead in the race for 2023's Official
Christmas Number 1 - but with The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl issuing a brand-new
Fairytale of New York vinyl release and hype building around fellow contenders
Sam Ryder and Mariah Carey, it's still too early to count anyone out.
As of December 20th WHAM! were caught in a tight scuffle with
the UK's 2022 Eurovision entrant Sam Ryder in the last Official Christmas
Number 1 single First Look update, where just UK 42 chart units stood
between Last Christmas at Number 1 and Sam's Amazon Music Original You're Christmas to Me at Number 2. Ryder is really pulling out the big
guns of promo for one last push. With a special appearance on BBC Radio 1's
Breakfast show with Greg James he revealed he's played 26 shows in the last 6
days across the country.
The Christmas Number 1, was revealed live on BBC Radio 1's Official Chart with Jack Saunders Friday 22 December from 4pm. See officialcharts/christmas-number-1/
Christmas No1 2023: WHAM! After landing the Christmas No.1 for five years in a row,
LadBaby graciously stepped aside this year. Their decision not to compete
resulted in a more keenly-fought yet lower key competition with Last
Christmas by Wham! emerging to fill the void, taking the
Christmas title for the first time, while spending its third straight week
and sixth week in total at No.1.
The Christmas No.2 behind Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s
Christmas when first released in 1984, Last Christmas finally gets to
wear the yule crown after increasing consumption 27.02% week-on-week to 61,784
units, with a newly-released green vinyl 7-inch contributing 2,436
sales, a CD reissue 1,963 sales, and digital downloads 2,346
sales alongside sales-equivalent streams of 55,039.
In the whole of chart history, Last Christmas is only the
fourth oldie to be No.1 at Christmas, emulating Reet Petite by Jackie Wilson (a
1957 track that was No.1 in 1986); Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (No.1 at
Christmas in 1975 in its original incarnation, and No.1 again as a double
A-side with These Are The Days Of Our Lives in 1991); and Killing In The Name
by Rage Against The Machine, a 1992 track that became the unlikely Christmas
No.1 in 2009 ending a successful campaign to prevent The X Factor from
providing the Christmas No.1 for the fifth year in a row.
Speaking to Official Charts, WHAM!’s Andrew Ridgeley said: “Last
Christmas has finally ascended to the much-cherished and sought-after Official
Christmas Number 1, which was always the main goal. “George would be beside
himself [that] after all of these years, [we’ve] finally obtained Christmas
Number 1. Yog [George] said that he wrote Last Christmas with the intention of
writing a Christmas Number 1. It’s mission accomplished!”
Last Christmas was streamed a staggering 13.3 million
times over the past seven days, according to Official Charts Company
data - the most-streamed Christmas Number 1 ever during Christmas week. It’s
now the UK’s third biggest song of all time with a combined lifetime total of
5.34m chart units, comprising 1.93m sales and nearly 413 million streams.
Last Christmas’ tenacity was enough to ward off a challenge
from Sam Ryder, whose You’re Christmas To Me single
exploded 10-2 with consumption up 92.91% week-on-week to 55.858 units,
the highest for a No.2 for 27 weeks. That total includes 2,623 copies on CD –
in which format’s chart it debuts at No.1 – and 9,002 digital downloads.. Ryder
played more than 30 live shows in the week and may get another chance to reach
No.1 next week, but for the moment You’re Christmas To Me matches his previous
peak, as set by his 2022 debut hit and Eurovision entry, Space Man.
Meanwhile The Rolling Stones claimed 2023’s Official
Christmas Number 1 album with Hackney Diamonds (13,204 CDs, 2,536 vinyl, 43
blu-ray, 252 downloads, 425 streaming). Overall consumption of the album of 16,460
units was the lowest on record for a Christmas No.1 album. With guitarist
Keith Richards having turned 80 years old this week, he and bandmates Mick
Jagger and Ronnie Wood see their latest album return to the summit once again.
Hackney Diamonds topped the Official Albums Chart upon its release in October.
Official UK Top 100 Albums
Chart (Week Ending 21 December 2023)
15 December 2023 - 21 December 2023
TW LW WOC Artist Title
1 NE 1 The Killers ~ Rebel Diamonds
2 3 110 Michael Bublé ~ Christmas
3 NE 1 Nicki Minaj ~ Pink Friday 2
4 4 7 Taylor Swift ~ 1989
(Taylor's Version)
5 NE 1 Tate McRae ~ Think Later
6 5 8 The Rolling Stones ~ Hackney
Diamonds
7 11 149 The Weeknd ~ The Highlights
8 10 14 Olivia Rodrigo ~ Guts
9 6 3 Take That ~ This Life
10 12 27 Noah Kahan ~ Stick Season
39 37 23 Taylor Swift ~ Speak Now
(Taylor's Version)
45 42 96 Taylor Swift ~ Red
(Taylor's Version)
Official Singles
Chart Top 100 (Week Ending 21 December 2023)
15 December 2023 - 21
December 2023
TW LW WOC Artist Title
1 1 119 Wham! ~ Last
Christmas
2 5 11 Noah Kahan ~
Stick Season
3 2 129 Mariah Carey
~ All I Want For Christmas Is You
4 3 5 Jack Harlow ~
Lovin On Me
5 4 129 The Pogues ft
Kirsty MacColl ~ Fairytale Of New York
6 7 13 Ed Sheeran and
Elton John ~ Merry Christmas
7 6 71 Brenda Lee ~
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
8 8 58 Michael Bublé
~ It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
9 14 13 Tate McRae ~
Greedy
10 12 5 Sam Ryder ~
You're Christmas To Me
51 47 16 Zach
Bryan ft Kacey Musgraves ~ I Remember Everything (Peak: 19, 16 weeks -
07/09/2023 to 15/12/2023)
Official UK Country
Album Top 20 Chart (Week Ending 21
December 2023)
15 December 2023 - 21
December 2023
Taylor Swift with
FEARLESS (Taylor’s Version) held at No.1 (140 weeks; #1 peak)
Chris Stapleton with
HIGHER was a non-mover at No.2 (5 weeks; #1 peak)
Nathan Carter with
MUSIC MAN made a debut at No.3
Luke Combs with
GETTING’ OLD slipped 3-4 (38 weeks; #1 peak)
Zach Bryan with ZACH
BRYAN held at No.5 (12 weeks; #3 peak)
Lisa McHugh with
WATCH ME fell 11-18 (7 weeks; #3 peak)
Official UK Country
Album Top 20 Chart (Week Ending 28
December 2023)
22 December 2023 - 28
December 2023
Nathan Carter with
MUSIC MAN lifted 3-1 (2 weeks; #1 peak)
Taylor Swift with
FEARLESS (Taylor’s Version) slipped 1-2 (141 weeks; #1 peak)
Luke Combs with
GETTING’ OLD rose 4-3 (39 weeks; #1 peak)
Chris Stapleton with
HIGHER fell 2-4 (6 weeks; #1 peak)
Zach Bryan with ZACH
BRYAN was a non-mover No.5 (13 weeks; #3 peak)
COUNTRY ALBUM
RELEASES (Major)
(15 Dec 2023) Willie
Nelson & Various Artists - Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 (Live at
the Hollywood Bowl) (Sony Music Entertainment,) 53 songs, about 3 hr 15 min
BILLBOARD/ MEDIABASE Charts
Big Loud,
Wallen, Zimmerman Top ’23
To the surprise of
exactly no one who listened to any radio at all this year, Morgan Wallen
is 2023’s Country Aircheck/ Mediabase top airplay artist. His six top 15
singles, three No. 1s, six weeks at the chart pinnacle and three of the top 10
songs of the year powered Big Loud to the Label of the Year crown.
A deeper look at
the airplay totals, however, reveals a less obvious but no less momentous
story. The No. 1 song of 2023 – Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock And A Hard
Place” – begins to tell the tale. Only his second single to date, that song
joined “Religiously” (No. 35) and “Fall In Love” (No. 47) in putting Zimmerman
at No. 4 on the top airplay performers list. Above him at No. 3, Lainey
Wilson. Her “Heart Like A Truck” (No. 9), “Watermelon Moonshine” (No. 39)
and Hardy collab “Wait In The Truck” (No. 23) put her in the top 10 performers
for the first time. In fact, Zimmerman and Wilson are joined by Jordan Davis,
Tyler Hubbard and Jelly Roll in breaking into the top 10.
Beyond the five
artists making their top 10 debut, Wallen only cracked the top 10 for the first
time in 2020, while Kane Brown (2018) and Luke Combs (2017) are also relatively
new airplay stalwarts. For 2023, it’s only Thomas Rhett and Jason Aldean checking
in as long-tenured radio staples.
In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of December 16, 2023)
Starts Sun Dec 17, Ends Sat Dec 23, 2023
Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of December 16, 2023)
Country Album
Chart ** No.1 (32 non-consecutive weeks) ** ONE THING AT A TIME Morgan
Wallen
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (12 weeks) ** “I
Remember Everything” Zach Bryan
featuring Kacey Musgraves
Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** “World On
Fire” Nate Smith
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 ** “Rockin’
Around the Christmas Tree” Brenda Lee
Billboard 200
Nicki Minaj’s PINK FRIDAY 2 debuted atop the Billboard
200 albums chart (dated Dec. 23), marking her
third leader — and the most No. 1s among female rappers. She previously led the
tally with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012 and her debut studio set Pink
Friday in 2011.
Pink Friday 2 launches with 228,000
equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 14, according
to Luminate. That sum marks the largest week for a rap album by a woman in the
2020s decade, and the biggest for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman this
year.
The set also sold 25,000 copies sold on vinyl
— the largest week for a rap album by a woman since Luminate began
electronically tracking sales in 1991.
Of Pink Friday 2’s 228,000 equivalent album
units earned in the week ending Dec. 14, SEA units comprise 129,000 (equaling
169.87 million on-demand official streams of the 22 songs on the streaming
edition of the album), album sales comprise 92,000 and TEA units comprise
7,000.
With 169.87 million on-demand official streams
generated by Pink Friday 2’s songs, the set garners Minaj’s largest streaming
week ever, the 2020s decade’s biggest streaming week for a rap album by a
woman, and 2023’s largest streaming week for any R&B/hip-hop album by a
woman.
As Pink Friday 2 sold 92,000 copies, the album
registers the biggest sales week for any rap album by a woman in the 2020s
decade and the largest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman in
2023.
Morgan Wallen’s ONE THING AT A TIME fell 4-6 (63,000; down 3%)
Billboard Hot 100
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is
You” returned to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100,
as it adds a 13th total week at the chart’s highest bough.
The carol reigns in a record-extending fifth
holiday season. It was originally released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in
November 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more
prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the
first time in December 2017 and the top five for the first time in the 2018
holiday season. It led at last, prior to this week, over the holidays in 2019
(for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three) and 2022 (four).
No. 1 in a fifth season: Carey’s “Christmas”
is the first song to top the Hot 100 in five distinct runs on the chart, its
latest coronation following its commands in the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022
holiday seasons. (Just one other song has led in each of even two stays: Chubby
Checker’s “The Twist,” in in 1960 and 1962.)
The song tops the Hot 100 after Brenda Lee’s
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” spent the last two weeks at No. 1, having
led for the first time 65 years after its release.
Billboard the Year-End Charts: Billboard first launched the annual year-end charts back in the 1940s, and they have been published every year since. What exactly are these charts? They represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts dated Nov. 19, 2022, to Oct. 21, 2023. Visit Billboard‘s 2023 year-end charts here .
Country Year-End Review
Country music was hotter in 2023 than it has
been in decades, and that current popularity came alongside a revival of the
genre’s past.
Nothing illustrated country’s heat more this
last year than its unprecedented chart performance during the summer. Jason Aldean’s
“Try That in a Small Town,” Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” gave country the top three titles on the all-genre Billboard
Hot 100 dated Aug. 5 for the first time in history.
Oliver Anthony Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” joined Wallen and Combs to repeat the feat
on the Aug. 26 chart.
Country was exceedingly hot during 2023.
Wallen, Combs, Strait and Kenny Chesney were all out filling stadiums, as was
Time magazine’s person of the year, Taylor Swift, whose journey to cultural influence started in country music. If the
genre could fully turn the corner in its outreach to listeners of ethnic
backgrounds, on top of its existing base, there’s no telling how much further
it could soar. But it’ll be tough to outdo its 2023 performance.
There were upticks in these 3 measures. After
a continued decline in Album sales (pure) since 2011 this year saw it’s first year on year increase by
15.5% to 7,478,000 total country album sales for 2023 as of Dec 11, 2023. This
years increase was helped enormously by 3 factors:
a) Morgan Wallen’s 41 week No.1 ONE THING AT A TIME b) Luke Combs’s set
GETTIN' OLD and c) Taylor Swift’s versions of
SPEAK NOW (Taylor's Version) , RED (Taylor's Version) & FEARLESS
(Taylor's Version) which were a constant on the Billboard Country Albums top 25
chart.
However, compared to 10 years ago country album sales are 80% down and
85% down compared to 2008.
Digital song sales have not been available for several years now
probably due to the huge drop off whilst on-demand streaming progressively
rose.
2022 2023
Album Consumption 69,980,000
85,571,000 ⬆+22.3%
Album Sales 6,457,000 7,478,000 ⬆+15.8%
Audio On-Demand
81,866,507,000
101,378,018,000 ⬆+23.8%
Year On Year comparison of US Country Album Sales based on data 3rd week in September (Digital album sales are also counted within album sales)
2022: 4,985,000 -22% year-on-year
2021: 6,395,000
2020: 6,259,000
2019: 7,087,000
2018: 11,401,000 (9,986,000 pure sales) | Albums Total for the year =
14,549,000 -26.5%
2017: 14,343,000 | Albums Total for the
year = 19,786,000
2016: 17,359,000
2015: 19,612,000 | Albums Total for the year =
26,441,000 (Physical
sales 17,002,000 (down 9%) + Digital sales 9,438,000 (down -0.4%))
2014: 20,715,000 | Albums Total for the year =
30,616,000 (Physical sales 20,964,000 (down 9%) + Digital
sales 9,652,000 (down -8.2%)) which was 17.0%
down on 2013
2013: no Sept data | Albums Total for the year = 36,901,000 total sales (Physical sales 26,384,000 +
Digital sales 10,518,000)
2012: 28 million | Total for year sales (44.6 million) were up
4.3% (25.3% percent of total country album sales were digital, far lower than
the 37% all-genre average) . Top Selling Billboard Artists: Taylor Swift (No.
2; 4.062 million), Jason Aldean (No. 6; 1.855 million), Carrie Underwood (No.
9; 1.497 million) and Luke Bryan (No. 10; 1.432 million) placed inside the
year’s Top Ten Artists by total album sales.
2011: 29 million | Albums Total for the year =
42.92 million
Country Music album sales (millions) in the
United States from 2008 to 2013
Year
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Country 47.66 46.13 43.72 42.92 44.6 36.46
Nate Smith earned his second consecutive career-opening No.1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Dec. 23) with “World on Fire” (Arista Nashville/RCA Nashville). The song increased by 9% to 29.8 million audience impressions Dec. 8-14, according to Luminate.
Smith first led the list with “Whiskey on You” for two weeks in February.
“If you would’ve told me in 2018 that right
now I’d be celebrating not my first but my second No. 1 at country radio, I
wouldn’t have believed it,” Smith told Billboard. “In December 2018, I was
absolutely devastated from the fact that my hometown of Paradise, Calif., had
just been destroyed by a fire. I had nothing left to my name, but friends and
family came around and helped push me forward.”
“World on Fire” is the 19th song to notch its
first week at No.1 on Country Airplay during 2023. Smith is the seventh artist
to score multiple leaders this year, joining Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Morgan
Wallen, with three apiece, and Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman,
each with two.
DOING ‘ALL’ RIGHT IN THE TOP 10 Chris Janson netted
his sixth Country Airplay top10 as “All I Need Is You” (BMLG) rose to No.9, up 6% to 17.2 million in audience. He last visited the tier with
“Done,” which reigned for two weeks in August 2020, marking his second
chart-topper.
Meanwhile, Luke
Combs earndc his 20th straight career-opening top
10 on the list (counting only singles promoted to radio) as “Where the Wild Things Are” (River House/Columbia Nashville) pushed to No.10 (16.6 million, up 16%). Carrie Underwood boasts the longest
career-starting streak of Country Airplay top 10s, with 27 in 2005-18. After
Combs’ 20, Tracy Lawrence now ranks third with 19 consecutive career-launching
top 10s in 1992-97. Overall, Keith Urban has linked the longest such run: 38
straight top 10s in 2000-17.
Country Airplay
** No.1 (1 week) ** “World on Fire” Nate Smith
29.784 million audience (+2.557 million gain) / 7346 radio plays (+550)
** Most Increased Audience ** No.3 “Everything
I Love” Morgan Wallen
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.58 “Ain't About You” HunterGirl
Debut No.60 “Chevrolet” Dustin Lynch Featuring Jelly Roll
NEWS
(11 Dec 2023) Lineup Announced for New Faces of Country
Music Show at CRS 2024
(Nashville,
Tenn. – Dec 11, 2023) The Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has unveiled the
lineup for the New Faces
of Country Music® Show at CRS 2024 (WEBSITE). This year's showcase will feature performances by George Birge (Records Nashville), Dillon Carmichael (Riser House), Corey Kent (SMN/RCA), Megan Moroney (SMN/Columbia), and Conner Smith (Valory Music).
The New Faces
of Country Music Show serves as a platform to showcase five emerging artists
who have achieved notable success on Country Radio during the qualification
period, which spans from November 1, 2022, to October 31, 2023, for the 2024
show. The New Faces of Country Music Show will take place on Friday, March 1,
during CRS 2024.
(12 Dec 2023) Roster Update: Pop artist Gavin DeGraw has joined the Sony Music Nashville artist roster,
while recent departures from the label group's country roster include Drew Green, Ryan Hurd, Andrew Jannakos,
Jameson Rodgers and Rachel Wammack.
(12 Dec 2023) TV
Winner: The 2024 CMT Listen Up artists are Alana
Springsteen, Angie
K, Anne
Wilson, Carter
Faith, Charles
Wesley Godwin, Chayce
Beckham, Dylan
Marlowe, Ella
Langley, Fancy
Hagood, Jake
Worthington, Jordyn
Shellhart, Rvshvd, The Castellows and Wyatt Flores. The
year-long initiative offers cross-brand support for their music and videos
across CMT and the Paramount Media Network.
(12 Dec 2023) The Grand Ole Opry
and Opry NextStage hosted “Opry NextStage Live” on Dec. 6, which served
as a year-end celebration for this year’s Opry NextStage Class.
The show included
performances by 2023 members Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Ernest, Chapel
Hart, Corey Kent and Kameron Marlowe. Lainey
Wilson was the evening’s emcee and headliner. The festivities wrapped
a busy year for this class of eight acts, as they collectively scored two No.
1s, released 10 albums, earned 17 major award nominations and took the Opry
stage 23 times.
(12 Dec 2023) Carrie Underwood has extended her “Reflection:
The Las Vegas Residency” with six new dates in October 2024. The
announcement comes on the heels of last week’s sold-out performances at the
Resorts World Theatre.
Following
her run of sold-out “Reflection” performances this past September, Underwood
returned to the Resorts World Theatre stage on Nov. 29 to kick off her final
run of residency shows for this year. Playing now through Saturday (Dec. 16),
the run of remaining 2023 performances includes various Christmas songs from
her album, My Gift (Special Edition),
and other holiday favorites, which she has added nightly to the show as a
special treat to celebrate the season.
(13 Dec 2023) American Idol season
21 contestant Haven Madison has signed with 19 Recordings/BMG.
“I had the privilege of working at companies where Faith Hill and Taylor Swift began their careers,” says BMG Nashville President Jon Loba. “While Haven Madison is not a country artist, she has the same spirit and clarity Faith and Taylor had about what their vision was for their careers, along with a razor sharpness about who they were and what they wanted to say to the world. We can’t wait for everyone to hear Haven’s music and see her evolution over the last year.”
Having released music independently since 2020, Madison’s discography includes tracks “Already Gone” and “Therapy” as well as an EP, All The Things I Didn’t Say.
Competing on
Season 21 of ABC’s American Idol last year
and making it to the final Top 8, Haven proved her incomparable vocal and
songwriting chops early on in the competition. Performing her own original
songs like the wistful “Fifteen” and heartfelt “Still Need You” that she wrote
about her brother’s fight against depression and suicide, Haven earned instant
and ample praise from all the judges - Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie
- and even guest judge Ed Sheeran throughout her run on the show. Keep
Up With Haven Madison WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK |
(14 Dec 2023) Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally‘s Shucked is coming to Nashville, making its debut at Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Jackson Hall Nov. 5 – 10, 2024. The Music City dates will be the start of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy’s North American tour.
Shucked is currently playing on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City. It has received limitless praise from critics and theater fans alike, is currently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
(14 Dec 2023) CRS 2024 Panel To Feature Nashville Label Heads: In a panel titled “Leadership, Strategy, And Optimizing Country’s Surge In 2024” at the upcoming Country Radio Seminar (CRS), prominent label heads will come together to offer a comprehensive exploration of the current state and the burgeoning moment in the country music industry.
Scheduled for Friday, March 1, the panelists include Randy Goodman (Sony Music Nashville), Ben Kline (Warner Music Nashville), Cris Lacy (Warner Music Nashville), Jon Loba (BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville) and Cindy Mabe (Universal Music Group Nashville). It will be moderated by Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association (CMA).
(14 Dec 2023) Blake Shelton, Morgan Wallen, More Added To ‘New
Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash’: More performers
have been added
to New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, the
special hosted by Elle
King and Entertainment
Tonight’s Rachel
Smith.
Trace Adkins, Grace Bowers,
Kane Brown, Jackson Dean, Hardy, Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney,
Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Blake Shelton, Trombone Shorty,
Morgan Wallen and Bailey
Zimmerman have been added to the star-studded list of
performers set to help ring in the New Year on the Music City special.
(15 Dec 2023) One Man Brand: Old Dominion has partnered with Good Time Design on a new bar concept, Odie's, opening next summer at the former location of ReBar (1919 Division) in Nashville. “We wanted it to be a place where a group of songwriters who might have a band could play,” says the group's Trevor Rosen, “or someone starting out might be able to be part of a writers thing and get heard. You know, pay it forward because all these years later, we know it works. That’s much better than just a temple to who we think we are.” Watch the announcement HERE.
(15 Dec 2023) Tornado Relief: Hardy, Nate Smith, Alana Springsteen, Dylan Marlowe,
Chayce Beckham, Abby Anderson, Trey Lewis, Graham Barham, Payton Smith and Jay
Allen are among the artists performing a Dec. 17 Nashville
tornado relief benefit concert, Unplugged
For Tennessee, at Exit/In. Proceeds benefit Hands On Nashville and
the American Red
Cross – Tennessee Region to help out in the aftermath of
the Dec. 9 tornadoes that claimed six lives.
“Nashville always seems to find a way to heal and come together after a tragedy,” said Matt Wilson, Founder of Media Farm Agency. “And music is a universal part of the healing process in our city. This benefit came together extremely fast, thanks to the help of our team and our great friends that wanted to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by the storm. We are so thankful for the artists who volunteered so quickly to help and donate their time and talent for such a worthy cause.”
(18 Dec 2023) Town & Country: Songwriter Bridgette Tatum has departed SoNash Publishing, which she co-created and where she served as VP . She plans to focus on her own production and artist creative/mentoring services venture, Tatum Town. As a songwriter, Tatum has had more than 100 cuts, including Jason Aldean's "She's Country."
(18 Dec
2023) All Things At A Time: Beyond the obvious – Morgan Wallen and Big Loud atop
airplay rankings – 2023 has been a sea change in country music, and the details
are in Country
Aircheck's December print issue. Five of the top 10 airplay
artists make their debut on the list this year. The genre's recorded music
market share, and the format's ratings share, are both up. In The
Interview, Jason
Aldean gives insight into his career. CMA radio winners
share their stories. And labels preview their 2024 music priorities. Get the
issue here.
(19 Dec
2023) Reba McEntire Reveals Her Secret to Feeling
Joyful and Reflects on Her First-Ever Season on The Voice (PEOPLE Exclusive).
McEntire had two contestants heading into Tuesday night's finale: Jacquie Roar
and Ruby Leigh.
GOSSIP
Christmas will be a whole lot quieter this year in Luke Bryan's household: His family has decided to skip Pranksmas this year.For those not in the know, Pranksmas is the Bryan family's annual tradition of pulling pranks on each other. Gags, jump scares, spooky masks and good old fashioned air horns are just a few favorite tools of Pranksmas, which usually lasts all December long. Spearheaded by the singer's prank-loving wife Caroline, Pranksmas takes aim at all members of the family: Nobody is safe, not even Bryan's kids or his 76-year-old mother, LeClair… Read More
AMERICANA NEWS
(13 Dec 2023) Americana On Your Screens: Molly
Tuttle - Where Did All the Wild Things Go? (Live)
(17 Dec 2023) Americana Duo The Glass Hours
share new single from their debut LP
The Glass
Hours are American songwriters Brad Armstrong and Megan
Barbera. Their music blurs between Sunday afternoon country-folk and the golden
age of the 1970s. Their self-titled nine-song debut album will be released
by Cornelius Chapel Records on March 1, 2024. With the
exception of Sue Westcott on fiddle (Chet Atkins, Tom Jones),
the album was written, performed, recorded and produced by Brad and Megan in
Brad’s home studio in Red Hook, New York.
Americana UK premiered their new single "Scarlet Tongues"
Combining influences from Megan’s mountain roots and Brad’s southern roots, The Glass Hours (WEBSITE) is currently based in New York's Hudson Valley. Prior to forming The Glass Hours, Megan and Brad have written, performed and recorded for various independent projects. Megan’s songs have been licensed worldwide to brands such as Naturalizer Shoes and San Miguel Beverage Co. Brad was a member of Alabama’s Dexateens, 13ghosts and Maria Taylor’s touring band, and has supported artists like Jason Isbell, Alabama Shakes, Drive-By Truckers, John Moreland, Meat Puppets, Azure Ray and Magnolia Electric Company, among many others.
(18 Dec 2023) Americana act The
Steel Wheels have shared new single “Yes I Know” (tagged
Folk )from forthcoming album SIDEWAYS, out February 9, 2024
(Pre-order/pre-save Sideways)
Speaking about the song, The
Steel Wheels’ Trent Wagler said: ““Yes I Know” dips into that feeling when
you can see the moment you’re in with someone else as a beautiful moment, while
simultaneously seeing the future-that no relationship is static. Is “forever” a
useful idea to comfort our fears? Maybe, or maybe it can be inspiring to
remember all relationships will eventually end. For me, there are times of year
when forever feels more real than others: The heat of the summer, when the days
last 16 hours feel full of forever energy, while the month or so of leaves
changing in the fall always confronts me with change and the passage of
time.
The video (Watch Here) for
the song started as more of a 2-week autumnal leaf study. I live in
Harrisonburg, VA down the block from a beautiful city park. I wanted to try to
film the changing of the leaves, so I started recording the same video every
day for a couple of weeks in October/November. The video logs my small daily
nature walks and the transformative show of the seasonal shifts. “
(22 Dec 2023) The staff at the
Americana Music Association want to wish you a happy holiday season with
some new festive tunes. Listen to their new holiday playlist SPOTIFY |
APPLE MUSIC
MUSIC NEWS
(12 Dec 2023) Taylor Swift has donated $1 million
(£795,000) to help support those affected by the recent tornadoes in
Tennessee. Severe storms and tornadoes swept through parts of the U.S. state on
Saturday, killing at least six people and causing extensive property damage.
In response to
the devastation, the 33-year-old singer made a sizeable donation to the
Tennessee Emergency Response Fund at the Community Foundation of Middle
Tennessee. On Monday, CEO Hal Cato confirmed Swift's contribution to the
organisation, which helps residents by providing financial assistance, food,
temporary housing, and debris clean-up.
Swift previously donated $1 million to the Middle
Tennessee Emergency Response Fund in March 2020 to support victims of those
tornadoes.
AWARDS
(14 Dec 2023) Luke Combs was presented the 2023 CMA International Artist Achievement
Award and New Zealand-born artist Kaylee Bell the CMA Jeff Walker Global Artist
Award during events surrounding the 57th Annual CMA Awards. SEE BLOG POST
(20 Dec 2023) The second annual People’s Choice Country Awards will return in 2024, airing
live from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
across NBC and Peacock.
2023’s
inaugural show, hosted by Opry
members Little Big Town, recognized country talent with winners
chosen entirely by the fans across various categories. Throughout the
night, Toby Keith and Wynonna Judd were
honored with awards, and viewers were treated to star-studded performances
from Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, Hardy, Jelly
Roll, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town
and more.
TOUR / LIVE
EVENTS
(11 Dec 2023) Tour Support: Big Loud's Larry Fleet kicks off the 21-city Earned It Tour Feb. 15 in Johnson City,
TN, wrapping April 19 in Houston. Support includes Austin Williams, Dalton Dover and Everette.
Fellow Big Loud artist Hailey Whitters will headline the Can't Tie'r Down Tour beginning Feb.
15 in St. Louis and concluding March 30 in Warrendale, PA.
Carrie Underwood has added six
new October 2024 dates to her Reflection Las Vegas residency.
(11 Dec 2023) Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings and Turnpike
Troubadours are set to headline the Under The Big Sky Music, Rodeo & Roundup Festival in
Whitefish, Montana July 12-14.
Others slated to perform at the panoramic 360-acre Big
Mountain Ranch include Tanya Tucker, Brothers Osborne, Sierra
Ferrell, Paul Cauthen, Charles Wesley Godwin, City
and Colour, Mt. Joy, Zach Top and more.
(12 Dec 2023) Just So Metal: Columbia's Megan
Moroney joins the RIAA's "Class
of 2023" as one of 57 artists across all genres earning first-time gold
or platinum certifications. She has the highest solo certification in
the country genre with her double platinum single, “Tennessee Orange.”
Also making this year's class are Katelyn
Brown (double platinum duet "Thank God" with
husband Kane Brown), Hailey
Whitters (platinum single "Everything She
Ain't") and gold-certified Bryan
Martin, Ian
Munsick and Wyatt
Flores.
(12 Dec 2023) Festive All: Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett and Luke Bryan will
headline GoldenSky Country
Music Festival Oct. 18-20 at
Discovery Park in Sacramento. The lineup also includes Bailey Zimmerman, Riley Green, Gabby Barrett and more
(15 Dec 2023) Thinkin' Bout NYE: Artists including Kane
Brown, Jackson
Dean, Hardy, Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Blake Shelton, Morgan Wallen and Bailey Zimmerman have
been added to the New Year's Eve
Live: Nashville's Big Bash lineup.
Additionally, CMT/SXM's Cody
Alan and CBS' Lonnie Quinn will be corresponding
from New York City’s Times Square, along with performer Dustin Lynch. The show
airs live Dec. 31 beginning at 7:30pm ET on CBS and Paramount+.
TV
(12 Dec 2023) Lainey Wilson performed "Wildflowers
And Wildhorses" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live (Dec 12).
(14 Dec 2023) Performances from Thursday night's (Dec 14) CMA Country Christmas included:
Lady A's "What
Christmas Means To Me"
Jon Pardi's "Beer For
Santa"
Lainey Wilson and Zach Williams' "Go Tell
It On A Mountain"
Jordan Davis' "O Come
All Ye Faithful"
The War And Treaty's "Christmas
(Baby Please Come Home)"
Ashley McBryde and Lindsey Sterling's
"You're A
Mean One, Mr Grinch"
Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant's "Hark The
Herald Angels Sing"
PRESS RELEASES
(12 Dec 2023) Oklahoma native/Texas-based troubadour Corey Kent is adding to his monumental year with the upcoming release
of his new project, ’23—a one take,
stripped-back project that Kent made specifically for his fans—out December 28th (PRE-SAVE HERE). This also comes alongside the
announcement that Corey will return to the UK in January 2024 to support Ashley
McBryde, which kicks off on the 17th January in Southampton and
includes Eventim Apollo in London on the 20th January.
The announce was accompanied by the release of “Southeast Oklahoma Pines,” a love letter that pays homage to his
hometown of Broken Bow, Oklahoma.
(12 Dec 2023) NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following an explosive year with numerous sold-out
shows across North America, multi-Platinum country rocker Brantley Gilbert gears up for the Off The Rails Tour 2024,
with special guests Dylan Marlowe, Struggle Jennings and Demun
Jones. To purchase tickets and for additional information,
visit BrantleyGilbert.com.
“I can’t wait to hit the
road and give BG Nation a taste of how we’ve been amping things up for
the Off The Rails Tour,” shares Gilbert. “I’m a big
fan of all the guys joining us, so I’m really looking forward to what they’ll
bring to the whole show.
(12 Dec 2023) NEW YORK, NY - Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music
Entertainment, released Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live
At The Hollywood Bowl, produced by Blackbird Presents, in
deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray, Digital and 2xLP configurations on Friday, Dec. 15.
The digital edition of Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live At The Hollywood Bowl features 52 performances including 13 digital-only bonus tracks exclusive to this release.
So far, four preview
tracks have been released including Dave Matthews (who
inducted Willie into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last month) doing "Funny
How Time Slips Away," The Avett Brothers (who
joined Willie earlier this fall for his yearly Outlaw Festival tour)
performing "Pick Up The Tempo,"
Willie's son Lukas Nelson delivering
a gorgeous version of "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground"
and a just-released, all-star chorus of dozens of guests joining Willie for a
rendition of "On The Road Again"
coupled with "Happy Birthday."
The deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray edition of Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live
At The Hollywood Bowl includes three-hours of video
performances from the concert along with three video bonus performances, 39
audio tracks and a multi-page booklet. A 2xLP vinyl edition featuring select
highlights from the event will also be available Friday, Dec. 15. Both
configurations can be pre-ordered and singles can be previewed HERE.
2023 has proved a banner
year for Willie, who recorded two new studio albums for Legacy: I
Don't Know a Thing About Love (Willie's musical tribute to
legendary American songwriter Harlan Howard, released in March) and Bluegrass (Willie
performing 12 of his favorite self-penned classics with a bluegrass ensemble).
Released Sept. 15, Willie's Bluegrass entered
the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart (Sept. 30)
at No. 1, marking his first appearance on the chart in its 21-year history.
Willie's roots-inspired album has been nominated for the Grammy Award in the
Best Bluegrass Album category.
(14 Dec 2023) Nashville, TN - Multi-platinum and Billion streaming band Parmalee will
kick off 2024 with a performance of their new single “Gonna Love You” on ABC’s Good Morning America on Tuesday, January 9.
“This has been such a great year for us, and we are thrilled
to start 2024 with the television debut of ‘Gonna Love You,’” said lead singer Matt Thomas. “This song and the music video are so important to us and
give a glimpse into some of the adversity we have encountered.
But it's always been about the music and our fans, and we absolutely would not
be here without their incredible support.”
“God So Loved The World”
is described as “a true reflection of Lady Redneck’s small-town roots and
unwavering faith”. Each song tells a story that is relatable and honest,
making her music resonate with listeners from all walks of life. The album
features three #1 hits on the UK iTunes Christian/Gospel Songs chart, including
“Pray for Peace,” which received a nomination for “Christian Songwriter of the
Year” at the Josie Music Awards held at the Grand Ole Opry.
The title track, “God So Loved The
World,” released as a single on Sept 29. It has already made an impact on the
international music scene, reaching #1 on the UK iTunes and been streamed over
35K times.
Dallas-based Christian and country singer-songwriter released her festive single Silver Bells (written by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) on December 15th, 2023 to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
For more information on Lady Redneck and her music, visit her website at www.ladyredneck.org.
This achievement also makes Grant and Gill the
first artists to headline 100 shows at the Ryman. Grammy-nominated stand-up
comedian and Nashville native Nate Bargatze surprised the duo on stage with a
Hatch Show Print commemorating the 12-show run and centennial milestone.
Since the first show in 2008,
“Christmas at the Ryman” has become one of Music City’s most treasured
traditions, with fans from across the country and worldwide flocking to the
historic venue to take in the holiday sounds of two of Nashville’s most cherished
performers. Over the years, the husband-and-wife duo has filled the show with
Christmas favorites such as “Let It Snow,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas,” “Tennessee Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” and “O Come All Ye
Faithful.”
INTERVIEWS
(13 Dec 2023) Interview: Eric Paslay on UK crowds, ‘Perfect
Stranger’ EP and what’s coming next EF COUNTRY by Laura Cooney
(14 Dec 2023) Brooke Eden Opens Up About
Challenging The Conventions Of Country and more!
(14 Dec 2023) CBS MORNINGS: Willie Nelson shares the secret to writer's
block and his approach to songwriting: "I haven't quit"
"I wrote this thing one time that says, 'I don't
really want to write another song but don't tell that to my mind.' It keeps
throwing out words and I have to make 'em rhyme." — On the heels of his
book release, Energy Follows Thought, Willie Nelson
sits down on CBS Mornings to discuss his songwriting and chronicles the
highlights of his career. Watch here
(14 Dec 2023) Maren Morris sat down for an interview with Howard
Stern covering everything from her recent split with
husband Ryan Hurd to the time she auditioned for American Idol but
didn’t make the cut. Maren shared was rejected by “American Idol” and also honored
the late Christine McVie with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird".
REVIEWS
(11 Dec 2024) Megan Moroney shimmered
and shined during her
sold-out show at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on Thursday night (Dec. 7).
“The Lucky Tour” stop also marked milestone moments for the up-and-coming star.
Splashes of pink light and disco ball reflections swirled as the unforgettable
night unfolded. Logan
Crosby and Mackenzie Carpenter were the two
openers.
WATCH
ICYMI: The latest
season of Dancing with the Stars
recently came to an end. Co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro
celebrated the finale with a special holiday-themed performance. They united to sing and dance to the classic Christmas tune, “Santa
Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (watch on YouTube) In addition to being actors,
television personalities, and former competitors on DWTS (Hough
was a pro, Ribeiro was the star who won Season 19), both Ribeiro and Hough are
singers. Julianne is a two-time ACM Award-winning country
artist.
(14 Dec 2023) Cody
Johnson performed “Away
In A Manger" with Carl and Sheila Johnson,
"Santa Claus Is Back In
Town," "If We Make It Through
December" and "I’ll Be Home For
Christmas" during his CMT Christmas special.
Jon
Pardi sang "400
Horsepower Sleigh"
on NBC's Today (12/14).
(17 Dec 2024) Performances from
Sunday night's (Dec 17) airing of Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Celebration on CBS included
a group "On The
Road Again" singalong,
Nelson and Sheryl
Crow's "Far
Away Places," The Chicks' "Bloody Mary Morning," Dave
Matthews' "Funny
How Time Slips Away," Nelson
and Snoop Dogg's
"Roll
Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die," and Chris
Stapleton's "Always
On My Mind."
(18
Dec 2023) Award
Winning Country Singer-Songwriter Brenda Cay was announced as American Songwriters Lyric Winner for 2024. Her single "Remind
Me of Me" dropped on December 8, 2023 and her music video now is available
HERE
(18 Dec 2023) Happy Holidays from CMA! During this holiday season, the Country Music Association take time to celebrate how you inspired them throughout 2023.
BABY NEWS
Crib
Note: Zac Brown Band's Caroline
Jones and her husband, professional sailor Nick Dana, welcomed
their first child, son Declan
Tudor Dana, at their home Nov. 29. She called
the birth "the most intense, raw and surreal experience
of my life" in a social media post Friday (12/15). "Nick and I are
overjoyed, overwhelmed, and very grateful to be able to soak up this time as a
new family of three."
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays in the week ahead
December 18: Tracy Byrd (1966), Cledus T
Judd (1964)
December 19: the late Bill Carlisle (Carlisles) (1908; died March 17, 2003 (aged 94)),
the late Little Jimmy Dickens (1920;
died Jan 2, 2015 (aged 94), Janie Fricke
(1947)
December 21: Albert Lee (1953), Lee Roy
Parnell (1956), Christy Forester
(Forester Sisters) (1962), Eric Gunderson (Love And Theft)
Birthday 22: Chuck Mead (BR5-49) (1960), Hawkshaw
Hawkins - (1921; died March 5, 1963 (aged 41); in the 1963 plane crash that
also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas), Lori McKenna Lorraine Giroux (1968)
Birthday 25: Jimmy Buffett (1946), Barbara
Mandrell (1948), Steve Wariner
(1954), the late Kimber Clayton
(1964; died Aug 14, 2006 at the age of 41 due to kidney disease complications) Alecia Elliott (1982), Alicia
Alba (formerly The
Adelaides) , Lucas Nelson (1988)
December 26: Audrey Wiggins (1967), Jenna Johnson (Track 45),
December 27: Karla Bonoff (1951), Shay Mooney (Dan + Shay), Walker Hayes (1979), Thomm Jutz (1969)
December 28: the late Joe Diffie (1958), Marcus
Hummon (1960), Marty Roe
(Diamond Rio) (1960), Cathy Burch
(Burch Sisters) (1960)
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