Rich Bailey
Rich Bailey Joins WIVK/Knoxville As PD
RICH BAILEY has been named PD at CUMULUS Country WIVK/KNOXVILLE. He previously spent 23 years as PD for SUMMITMEDIA crosstown Top 40 WWST (STAR 102.1) before leaving that job earlier this year. He has also programmed stations in CHARLESTON, SC (WMXZ ...
Bob Kingsley Dies At Age 80
Beloved Country music broadcaster and longtime countdown show host BOB KINGSLEY died today (10/17) at his home in WEATHERFORD, TX at the age of 80. He was being treated for bladder cancer, ...
The wait is over. Sam Hunt is back at it on Country radio and we assure you, your female demographic has never been more excited about anything. Get ready for request lines to light up because the new single, "Kinfolks," is everything listeners could have hoped for from the Cedartown, GA native. The song, written by Hunt alongside Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers and Josh Osborne, is full of confidence and Hunt's signature swag as he sings about introducing a special someone to his "Kinfolks." The chorus reads, "I wanna introduce you to my kinfolks / To my old friends / To the house in the pines where the road ends." Hunt continues, "Take you to my hometown / Where I grew up / Where I thought I knew it all before I knew what love was / Gave up on it / But honey you got my hopes up / And I'm thinkin' that I wanna introduce you to my kinfolks." How does he make everything sound so cool? The song has created a lot of buzz, making it the most-added record at Country radio in its first week with 125 Mediabase adds, and that station count will only continue to climb. “When I think of ‘Kinfolks,' when I think of that phrase, I think of my family, but also I think of my people back home – beyond family," shared Hunt." "It’s my buddies who’ve been a part of my story from the beginning. I’ve made a lot of new friends and met a lot of new people who are important to me since I’ve moved away, but that core group is still my core group. It’s like that old saying, ‘You can’t make old friends.’” We're sure Hunt will add you to his list of "kinfolks" if you jack up those spins!
Newcomer Lainey Wilson makes an impressive debut with the sexy, mid-tempo “Dirty Looks,” the first radio single from her Jay Joyce-produced ”Redneck Hollywood” EP. The Louisiana native co-wrote the song with Smith Ahnquist and Brent Anderson, and they no doubt had some fun in the writing room as they worked out how to give the title two very different meanings. First, there’s the more obvious one about a couple getting dirty looks from strangers as a result of their PDA in a bar. The second is spelled out in the chorus, where Wilson sings about her blue collar beau, “Somethin' 'bout rough hands on a hard-workin' man / I just wanna get all over you / Like the dirt on your shirt and your jeans and your boots / If you ask me, dirty looks / Good on you, boy.” Wilson moved to Nashville in a bumper-pull camper trailer, where she lived for three years while establishing herself in the city’s songwriting community. She landed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV, then a record deal with Broken Bow after independently releasing a self-titled EP in 2018. She was also chosen as part of CMT’s Next Women of Country class of 2019, and spent the early part of this year opening dates on Morgan Wallen’s “If I Know Me” tour. She’s paid her dues and earned her place, so it’s unlikely her inevitable success will lead to any dirty looks!
Few songs this year have been met with as much excitement (or surprise) as the pairing of superstars-in-the-making Dan + Shay with Pop prince Justin Bieber. Their smooth, mid-tempo collaboration is a tribute to their wives, and sounds precisely like what you’d expect from a Dan + Shay hit, just with the addition of an extra voice that actually fits in quite seamlessly with the pair’s already Pop-tinged vocal leanings. Produced by the duo’s Dan Smyers, and written by Shay Mooney, Smyers and Bieber, alongside Jessie Jo Dillon, Jordan Reynolds and Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, the song was warmly embraced by Country radio, earning 112 Mediabase adds. That made it easily the most-added single during its debut week. The lyrics center on spending all the time it takes learning every detail of their wives’ lives — their dreams, their favorite songs, the origin of their middle names, and “the good and the bad and everything in between.” As the three men sing in the song’s honeyed chorus, “I’d spend 10,000 hours and 10,000 more / Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours / And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try / If it's 10,000 hours or the rest of my life / I’m gonna love you.” Is it too much to hope for a collaboration with the Biebs on next month’s CMA Awards, where Dan + Shay are among the year’s most-nominated artists? Or perhaps the Pop star will make one or more appearances when Dan + Shay embark on their headlining arena tour in March, 2020. We’d wait 10,000 hours to see that.
Lauren Alaina gets contemplative in her latest single, "Getting Good." The opening line, "Once I fall in love then I'll be happy / But then you fall in love and there's still a hole," is a powerful concept to kick off the song. The track is backed by subtle acoustic instruments and highlights Alaina's signature vocals, which are restrained to keep the song's lyrical message as the focus. The sucker punch line in the song comes when she sings, "I'm afraid of both my parents dying / I call my dad, he answers right away / And I didn't hear a word 'cause I was thinking / About what hasn't happened yet but will someday." Overall, the tune showcases the singer’s maturity as a person and an artist. Alaina posted about the Emily Weisband-penned song on her 
Not so much a band as a self-described “collaborative movement,” The Highwomen materialized this past summer when they began making appearances together and talking up their self-titled debut album, which was released in September. This first radio single from the project finds the group’s Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires — all successful solo artists in their own right — trading lines, singing in unison, and sometimes harmonizing together on a midtempo female empowerment song with just enough humor to appeal to men as well. Written by Hemby and Rodney Clawson, the song perfectly describes the life of most women who juggle families and careers. Anyone who fits that description will nod knowingly at lines about “running the world while we're cleaning up the kitchen / Making bank, shaking hands, driving 80 / Trying to get home just to feed the baby.” Those head nods will morph into vigorous shakes of agreement when The Highwomen sing about how the effort feels “halfway right and halfway wrong,” but it “always gets better with wine.” And they’ll be laughing out loud at quips like, “Made in God's image, just a better version,” and, “If the shoe fits, we're gonna buy 11.” Hemby says of the track, ”’Redesigning Women' is the life most women are living today. We juggle so much in 24 hours, and I wanted to write a song that reflected the goodness, the madness and the hilarity of it all." Mission accomplished. Now pass the wine.
Carly Pearce and Lee Brice have joined forces for a bold new single sharing the pain on both sides of a breakup. The vulnerable song, penned by Pearce alongside Luke Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Randy Montana, is based off of Pearce's personal experience in following her heart, and might leave you overcome with emotion. Pearce sets the tone by singing, "It's all on me, it's my mistake / I said I don't love you a little too late." Pearce unveils just how much pain she caused as she continues to take the blame into the first verse: "Go run my name into the ground / Tell everyone you know just how / I slammed the door on our forever / But I promise you it's for the better." Brice joins in the chorus, where Pearce continues to console her ex-lover: "I hope you find what you were looking for / I hope your heart ain't hurting anymore / And you get moving on / All figured out and you don't hate me somehow / 'Cause I hope you're happy now." The blended voices of Brice and Pearce ooze maturity, and right when they have you wondering about the other side of the story, Brice brings it full circle by taking on the part of the other half, singing: "Who knew this heart could break this hard / Or a love like ours could fall apart / Without so much as a warning / I thought that I was what you wanted." Powerful stuff. While the collaboration between Pearce and Brice came as a surprise to many, after your first listen, you'll wonder why they didn't collaborate sooner! “I am so excited to share such a personal part of my story with one of the best male vocalists in our format,” Pearce says. “Lee has the kind of gruff yet vulnerable quality to his sound that I envisioned for this duet, and [I] am grateful he agreed to join me. This song is raw and real, truly something I think many people around the world will relate to.”
In the three years since the accidental death of his teenage son, Jerry, Craig Morgan wondered if he still had it in him to continue his music career, telling 
The fact that Justin Moore’s new single, “Why We Drink,” was inspired by his mother is nearly as funny as the song itself. Now, in fairness to Moore’s mom, he says he wrote the song after she asked him why he drinks so much, not the other way around. Regardless, the end result is a song that’s laugh-out-loud hilarious without resorting to being a ditty. Featuring some nice tempo for Fall, a lighthearted change of pace from the season’s more serious songs, and Moore’s trademark stone-country delivery, this one’s a winner. Moore wrote the song with Nashville A-listers Casey Beathard, David Lee Murphy and Jeremy Stover, and they clearly must have been having a blast coming up with lyrics like “'Cause it's alcohol abuse if you pour one down the sink / Yeah, that's why we drink.” Among the other reasons they cite: “‘Cause it’s Friday,” “‘Cause it’s Monday,” “‘Cause they’re ice cold,” ‘“Cause it’s hot out,” “‘Cause our team lost,” ‘’Cause our team won,” and our personal favorite, “'Cause 'Sweet Home Alabama' just came on.” Yep, if you’re looking for a reason to raise one, Moore’s got ya covered.
Who doesn't love a good walk down memory lane? That's exactly what we get with Billy Ray Cyrus and Johnny McGuire's new single, "Chevys And Fords." The tune has a nostalgic vibe that recalls life's memories and the freedom that comes with a vehicle. The evocative lyrics of the chorus say, "Stole my first whiskey kiss on the back of one / Heard my first Country song through the dash of one / Made millions of memories between those two doors / Yeah I come from a long line of Chevys and Fords." This single is the first for emerging solo artist McGuire, previously part of the duo Walker McGuire, and we couldn't think of anyone better to show him the ropes than Country veteran Cyrus. "Billy Ray is a living legend," said McGuire. "I’m so honored to be able to work on this project with him. His support has been incredible and I’m so grateful.” The mix of vocals from Cyrus and McGuire brings a sense of traditional Country to the ear, while the lyrics reflect sentimental memories: "They were red, white and rusty / All dented up and dusty / They were sitting in that church parking lot every Sunday / Out in front of the bars / Or parked under the stars / With a girl in your arms / Who don’t want nothin’ more / Than a guy from a long line of Chevys and Fords." C'mon, it doesn't get any more American than that! 
The new Little Big Town single, "Over Drinking," isn't your typical breakup song. The Country group does get grittier with the music, which sounds very different from their previous releases. The band's Karen Fairchild takes lead, as she sings, "No more propped on a barstool, tear in my beer / Drowning my sorrows, wishing you were here / No more 80-proof bourbon to get you off my mind / Ain't why I'm sitting here sipping one tonight." Fairchild's alto vocal range fits perfectly with the musical style, before her band members join her on the chorus, singing, "Yeah, I'm over drinking over you / I'm done with bottles or chasing the blues / I still go out with the boys and knock back a few / But I'm over drinking over you." The song was written by Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Steph Jones and Hillary Lindsey. Although the track is a far cry from LBT's happy-go-lucky songs, such as "Day Drinking" and "Pontoon," fans will appreciate the throwback Country traditionalism the group delivers.
Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have enjoyed blessed lives and careers, and they darn well know it. So while they actually wrote new single “Blessings” in 2016, it’s a perfect descriptor of how they feel about their current situations. The ballad opens with a soft, acoustic guitar, and takes a spiritual bent not just with its central theme of counting one’s blessings, but more directly in the line, “I’ll just say ‘Amen,’” and in a reference to God in the chorus. The focus is specifically on the happy marriages both men have, as they sing about their blessings, “I can't count 'em on one hand / But honey, look there on your finger / I’d say I'm a lucky man / God made two lovers out of strangers.” At the end of the song, the lyric “A couple kids, two or three” specifically reflects Hubbard’s home life, as he and his wife just welcomed their second child. “The song means a lot to Tyler and [me],” said Kelley. “It’s a special one … It’s a love song. It’s spiritual, and every day we wake up we count our blessings and are super thankful to live this life and play our shows to our fans every single night.” Added Hubbard, “We chose this song as our next single because we feel like it’s where we’re at in our life. It’s perfect timing, and it feels just right for Country radio at this point.” The support of Country radio has long been one of this duo’s key blessings, and it’s certain to continue with this sweet, simple, yet deceptively powerful song.
It’s rare when a Country single springs from, essentially, a "dad joke," but that’s the surprising origin of “One Night Standards.” Ashley McBryde, who wrote the song with Nicolette Hayford and Shane McAnally, says it started when the artist joked to her collaborators, “You know, hotel rooms ... they only have one night stand for a reason. They’re one night stand-ers.” But the song’s serious tone belies its jokey origins. The first single from McBryde’s upcoming sophomore album (due in 2020) is straightforward in its unvarnished — even brutal — honesty. It’s about a regret-free, pain-free one night stand. “I don’t even care if you’re here when I wake up,” the recently-nominated Country Music Association Awards New Artist of the Year contender sings in the chorus. “It’s just a room key, you ain’t gotta lie to me / Can’t you just use me, like I’m using you?” The mid-tempo song then drives the point home further by dispensing with the usual empty hookup promises: “How it goes is / The bar closes / There’s no king bed covered in roses / Just a room, without a view / No I don’t want a number, you ain’t gonna answer / Let’s just stick to the one night standards.” But McBryde makes clear nobody is getting hurt here — at least not more than they may already be hurting — singing lines like, “Lonely makes a heart ruthless,” and “Ain’t nobody gonna hurt nobody / Ain’t nothing wrong with needin’ somebody.” It’s a tantalizing taste of her next album, which will find McBryde collaborating once again with producer Jay Joyce. While we wait for that release, fans can catch McBryde on the road. She joins Miranda Lambert’s all-female Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour for select dates beginning October 17th.
Anyone who’s ever had their back to a wall, but chose not to go down without a fight, will immediately relate to “Hail Mary,” the inspiring new single from the promising Country duo Haley & Michaels. This self-penned track from the husband-and-wife team (Shannon Haley and Ryan Michaels) already made a splash when it was featured in the Netflix film “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.,” released earlier this year. “Hail Mary” provides the perfect soundtrack to the film’s true story of paralyzed barrel racer Amberley Snyder’s fight to return to her sport, and Haley & Michaels’ music video incorporates moving clips from the film. “I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me / This is our hail Mary,” they sing in the chorus, where Haley’s vocals are given a chance to really soar toward the end of the track. “We wrote this song about overcoming adversity and about some of the most challenging times on our musical journey together,” said Michaels. “We couldn’t have imagined a better way to release it than in such an inspiring movie.” The song already has an impressive list of early Country radio supporters, as well as more than 20 million Spotify streams to date. They will release their debut full-length album, "Hail Mary," on October 4th.
Now You Know EP
