MEET THE H & S FEED & COUNTRY STORE PET OF THE WEEK: MISS CLAIRE

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Bob Ballard

This week’s H & S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week is “Miss Claire”, a sweet female 3 year old domestic shorthair kitty who loves meet new people, loves to cuddle and enjoys sitting in the window and watching birds. Miss Claire gets along well with other cats, is fully vaccinated, vetted, microchipped and ready to go!

And since Miss Claire is the Pet of the Week her adoption fee is only $30 this week!

If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Miss Claire or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.

Check out our visit about Miss Claire with Izzy from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:

Garth Brooks Has His Tenth Diamond Certification

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Garth Brooks continues to cement his status in music history. The legend has officially secured his tenth diamond award following the latest certification for his “Triple Live.” The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) officially pronounced the 2018 collection’s status yesterday as 13X platinum, which blows past the ten million-unit threshold required for diamond status. This makes Garth the only artist in history to have ten diamond-certified albums. Coming in a distant second: The Beatles, who have six. The Beatles are still the highest-selling artist in music history, with 207.5-million overall albums sold. Brooks is in second, with 200.5-million.

This day in Country Music History

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1953, Tex Ritter performed the theme to “High Noon” at the Academy Awards. “Do Not Forsake Me,” became the first country title to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Today in 1957, Elvis Presley bought Graceland, a former church on the outskirts of Memphis that had been converted into a 23 room mansion. It was named after the aunt of the previous owner.
Today in 1968, Tom T. Hall married “Truck Drivin’ Son-Of-A-Gun” songwriter Dixie Deen, shoo he affectionately calls “Miss Dixie.”
Today in 1974, the “Would You Lay With Me” album by Tanya Tucker was released.
Today in 1977, Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights” reached #1 on the Billboard country chart.
Today in 1984, RCA recording artists The Judds made their first stage appearance, opening for the Statler Brothers in Omaha, Nebraska.
Today in 1988, Porter Howell of Little Texas married his wife, Angela.
Today in 1988, Ricky Van Shelton scored his first number one with the Harland Howard classic “Life Turned Her That Way.”
Today in 1991, George Strait’s “Chill Of An Early Fall” album was released. Kathy Mattea also released “Time Passes By.”
Today in 1993, Patty Loveless’ single “Blame It On Your Heart” debuted on the charts.
Today in 1994, Neal McCoy picked up a #1 single in Billboard with “No Doubt About It.”
Today in 1996, Shania Twain’s album “The Woman In Me” officially became the best selling studio album ever by a female country artist after being certified for sales of six million copies. Patsy Cline’s “Greatest Hits” previously had that distinction.
Today in 1999, 67-year-old George Jones walked out of the hospital 13 days after his near fatal traffic accident.
Today in 1999, Kenny Chesney topped the “Radio & Records” charts with “How Forever Feels.”
Today in 2002, Martina McBride’s single “Blessed” hit number one on both the “Billboard” and “Radio & Records” charts.
Today in 2002, Diamond Rio’s Brian Prout announced that he and his wife, songwriter Stephanie Bentley — who wrote Faith Hill’s “Breathe” — were expecting their first child in October. The happy couple welcomed their daughter, Lily Arlina Kay Prout, on September 25th in Nashville.
Today in 2003, Kenny Chesney was on the 50-yard line of the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium announcing plans for the “Back Where I Come From 3: One Night At Neyland” concert, which turned out to be one of the biggest shows of his career.
Today in 2003, Terri Clark was in Nashville to celebrate the chart-topping success of her single “I Just Wanna Be Mad.”
Today in 2007, Billy Ray Cyrus was told by a judge on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” that he looked “like a crazy bear lost in a swamp.” Dance pro Julianne Hough, former McCartney bride Heather Mills and ‘N Sync alumnus Joey Fatone also performed in the episode.
Today in 2008, Charlie Daniels was recognized at a special reception in honor of his 50th anniversary in the music business.
Today in 2008, Wynonna and Travis Tritt were performers at the Lili Claire Foundation’s First Annual “Everyone’s A Miracle” Benefit Concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Jo Dee Messina and Lorrie Morgan also performed while Alison Krauss was among those attending the fundraising event.
Today in 2008, Kellie Pickler made a guest appearance on Fox’s “American Idol.”
Today in 2009, Jake Owen, Julianne Hough, and the Zac Brown Band received their trophies as the Academy of Country Music’s “Top New” winners. Owen took the title of Top New Male Vocalist, Hough was named Top New Female Vocalist, and Zac Brown Band earned Top New Duo or Group. They received their awards on the TV special “ACM Top New Artists,” hosted by Sara Evans.
Today in 2009, Lady Antebellum’s video for “I Run To You” premiered on com
Today in 2010, The Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffet collaborated on “Margaritaville,” “Chicken Fried,” and “Toes” on a new episode of “CMT Crossroads.”
Today in 2011, Craig Morgan received an award backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House in recognition of his heroics a few weeks earlier, in which he rescued two small kids from a burning house in Charlotte, Tennessee. He also received an honorary lifetime membership to the Tennessee City Fire Department.
Today in 2013, David Allan Coe was hospitalized after a car accident in Ocala, Florida. The then-73-year-old singer suffered multiple cuts, neck, side, and back injuries in the crash, and needed firefighters to remove him from his mangled vehicle. Coe had to cancel several shows because of the accident.
Today in 2013, Kacey Musgraves’ album “Same Trailer Different Park” was released.
Today in 2014, Luke Bryan’s “Spring Break 6…Like We Ain’t Ever” debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Today in 2015, Chris Janson put a new song, “Buy Me A Boat,” up for sale on iTunes. Within weeks, the track got him signed to Warner Bros.
Today in 2017, Cole Swindell played Peyton Manning’s annual Celebration of Caring benefit at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. Manning joins him on “You Never Even Called Me By Name.”

Luke Combs Tosses His Hat In The Ring For Super Bowl Halftime Show

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Bob Ballard

We can’t imagine any country artist not wanting to play the Super Bowl halftime show, but put Luke Combs down as one who’s come out and said he’d do it if asked. On the “Zach Sang Show” podcast, he was asked if he’d ever been approached to play the world’s biggest stage. “No, never have. Never have. Gosh, like, how does that even happen? I don’t even really know how that even happens, you know?” He would go on to say it’s long overdue for a country act to play the Super Bowl, pointing out, “How many of the top 100 streaming songs in all of music are country? A very high percentage, I think, now. Way more so than in history.” Then, he said what every country fan is thinking. “Super Bowl, come on, dude. We’re all waiting…make the call. One of us is ready.”

This day in Country Music History

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1985, Kris Kristofferson was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in New York.
Today in 1989, Ricky Van Shelton hit the top of the Billboard country singles chart with his remake of “From A Jack To A King.”
Today in 1996, Brooks & Dunn released the single, “My Maria.”
Today in 2000, “How Do You Like Me Now?!” by Toby Keith began a five-week period at the top of the Billboard country singles chart.
Today in 2003, the Dixie Chicks album, “Home,” was certified for shipments of 6-million copies.
Today in 2006, Kenny Chesney’s “Living In Fast Forward” began its three weeks at #1.
Today in 2009, on “American Idol,” Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis sang “I Told You So,” and Brad Paisley performed “Then.”
Today in 2013, Kellie Pickler got great footwork feedback as ABC-TV launched a new season of “Dancing With The Stars.” Wynonna competed with family members Naomi Judd, Ashley Judd and husband Cactus Moser seated in the studio audience.
Today in 2014, Jessie James Decker and her husband, NFL player Eric Decker, welcomed a daughter, Vivianne Rose Decker.
Today in 2014, John Rich launched a new fashion line, Redneck Riviera, during an event at Spinnaker in Panama City, Florida.
Today in 2017, Little Big Town started their two-week reign at #1 on the Billboard country albums chart, with “The Breaker.”
Today in 2017, music pioneer Chuck Berry died in St. Louis. As a songwriter, he enjoyed country hits with Buck Owens’ “Johnny B. Goode,” Emmylou Harris’ “(You Never Can Tell) C’est La Vie,” George Jones & Johnny Paycheck’s “Mabellene” and Waylon Jennings’ “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.” Hours later, Brad Paisley paid tribute by playing “Johnny B. Goode” during a concert in Kissimmee, Florida.
Today in 2019, Jordan Davis snagged a gold single from the RIAA for “Take It From Me,” while Jon Pardi’s “Night Shift” single also went gold.
Today in 2019, Luke Combs collected a double-platinum single from the RIAA for “Beautiful Crazy” and a triple-platinum single for “When It Rains It Pours.” The same day, Kacey Musgraves collected a platinum single from the RIAA for “Blowin’ Smoke” and Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” earned two multi-platinum singles from the RIAA, going triple- and quadruple-platinum.
Today in 2019, a representative for Jerry Lee Lewis announced that the Killer had been moved to a rehabilitation facility, two weeks after he was hospitalized with a stroke. He has since returned to music.
Today in 2019, Kathy Mattea received the American Master Award from the Berklee College of Music at Warner Music Nashville.
Today in 2019, Brooks & Dunn, Ray Stevens and retired producer/label executive Jerry Bradley were announced as the 2019 inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Ella Langley Premieres New Song At SXSW

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas” was a career record, but she’s already looking forward. At her recent appearance at SXSW, the singer unveiled a brand new song, “Something Simple.” It’s unclear if the song will appear on her upcoming album “Dandelion” or if it’s something separate from that; we’ll find out when the album drops on April 10.

@robertjw1x Unreleased new song from Ella Langley at Spotify top 20 event in Austin during SXSW #somethingsimple #ellalangley #stubbsbbq #sxsw2026 #atx ♬ original sound – Robertjw1x

This day in Country Music History

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1956, Elvis Presley got a number one Billboard country single with “Heartbreak Hotel.”
Today in 1969, Glen Campbell released both the album and the single “Galveston.”
Today in 1972, a 13-year-old Tanya Tucker entered a studio to record her first hit, “Delta Dawn.”
Today in 1986, the “Lost In The Fifties” album by Ronnie Milsap was released.
Today in 1989, Keith Whitley hit number one on the “Radio & Records” country chart with “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.”
Today in 1990, “Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart” by Randy Travis hit the top of the Billboard country chart, where it would stay for four weeks.
Today in 1992, Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire were among the winners at the 18th Annual People’s Choice Awards, taking home trophies in the Favorite Male and Female Country Music Performer categories. They also trumped their pop counterparts in capturing the awards for overall Favorite Male and Female Musical Performer.
Today in 1995, Suzy Bogguss and her husband, Doug Crider, became parents to son Ben.
Today in 1995, Clay Walker topped the country charts with “This Woman and This Man.”
Today in 1998, Shania Twain announced plans for her first world tour.
Today in 2000, Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” was certified for sales of 17-million in the U.S., making it the best-selling solo album by a female artist.
Today in 2001, quarterback Peyton Manning married Ashley Thompson, and Kenny Chesney sang “Me And You” at the wedding.
Today in 2002, Vince Gill was elected president of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He succeeded Marty Stuart, who enjoyed six consecutive terms as president.
Today in 2003, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines apologized to President George Bush for comments she made a week earlier in London, including saying she was ashamed she and Bush shared Texas as a home state.
Today in 2005, Keith Urban began a three-night performance at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. During his encore, Kenny Chesney joined him onstage to sing Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.”
Today in 2007, Loretta Lynn received an honorary doctorate from Boston’s Berklee College of Music in recognition of her contributions to contemporary music and for using her songs to tackle real-life situations faced by many women. The presentation was made on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, where Lynn performed that evening.
Today in 2008, two former Dallas policemen accused of assaulting Steve Holy and Holy’s friend the previous December were indicted on felony charges. Both were facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, while one of the ex-officers was also charged with kidnapping.
Today in 2009, Randy Travis was the guest mentor for “American Idol” finalists for the show’s “Grand Ole Opry Week.” In addition, his CD “I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis” arrived in stores, while Brad Paisley’s single “Then,” Rascal Flatts’ song “Forever,” and Alabama’s Jeff Cook’s solo CD “Ashes Won’t Burn” were released digitally.
Today in 2010, Taylor Swift was honored for a number of her career accomplishments at an event in Nashville. Her list of achievements included record sales of more than 13-million units and 25-million digital downloads. In addition, her CD “Fearless” was the best-selling album in the U.S. in both 2008 and 2009, and is the only disc ever to be named Album of the Year by the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, and capture the same honors at the GRAMMY Awards and the American Music Awards.
Today in 2011, the Zac Brown Band made their RodeoHouston debut.
Today in 2012, during Miranda Lambert’s “On Fire Tour,” she brought out Kelly Clarkson as a surprise to sing her own hit “Stronger.”
Today in 2013, George Strait’s appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which was part of his “Cowboy Rides Away” final tour, drew a record crowd of 80-thousand-28 people.
Today in 2013, Trace Adkins impressed fellow contestants on NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” with his acting ability, sweeping Susan Lucci off her feet in a soap-opera skit to promote Crystal Light. His team wins Donald Trump’s assignment in the episode, with Stephen Baldwin serving as project manager.
Today in 2014, the Band Perry performed their first USO concert for American troops at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.
Today in 2017, Jeff Bates spoke to inmates at the Henderson County Detention Center in Henderson, Kentucky, recounting his own incarceration for theft to feed addictions to methadone and alcohol. Bates hoped to inspire the convicts to retool their lives once they’re released.
Today in 2017, Loretta Lynn and B.B. King were honored with Governor’s Arts Awards at the Tennessee Governor’s Mansion in Nashville.

Dolly Parton Offers Health Update

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Fans of Dolly Parton can breathe a huge sigh of relief. For the first time since last summer, the singer has made a public appearance, and while doing so, gave an update on the health issues that have kept her on the sidelines. While Parton has issued occasional videos reassuring fans that she was OK, this was the first time she showed up in person in almost a year. On Friday, Dolly delivered a keynote address on opening day for Dollywood, celebrating the park’s 41st anniversary. “I’ve not been touring, as you know; I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them,” she said. “I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over (late husband) Carl and a lot of other little things going on. I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”

This day in Country Music History

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1922, WSB radio in Atlanta was the first radio station to feature country music.
Today in 1951, Hank Williams recorded “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You),” “Howlin’ At The Moon,” and “My Heart Would Know.”
Today in 1955, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” by Bill Hayes reached the #1 spot on the pop music charts and stayed for five weeks. The hit song sold more than 7,000,000 records on more than 20 different labels. Coonskin caps started sprouting up everywhere as the Crockett craze spread like a frontier fire. “Davy Crockett” was a big TV show in the 1950s that starred Fess Parker in the memorable Walt Disney production.
Today in 1974, the first performance from the new Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, took place. President Richard Nixon helped open the new facility by playing three songs on the piano. He also played with a yo-yo on stage like Opry star Roy Acuff.
Today in 1987, George Strait earned a gold record for “Ocean Front Property.”
Today in 1991, seven members of Reba McEntire’s road band, as well as her tour manager, were killed when their plane crashed near San Diego. Singer/songwriter Chris Austin was also on the plane. Ironically, Reba would’ve been on the plane too, had she not decided to stay behind and get a good night’s sleep. Reba has described the incident as “the worst time in my life,” and her grief inspired her album, “For My Broken Heart.”
Today in 1995, David Ball’s album, “Thinkin’ Problem,” was certified platinum.
Today in 1996, Garth Brooks hit the top of the chart with “The Beaches of Cheyenne.”
Today in 1998, LeAnn Rimes single “Blue” went gold.
Today in 1999, Pam Tillis made her Broadway debut in “Smokey’s Joe Café.”
Today in 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented the first Diamond Awards to a slew of artists including Garth Brooks and the Beatles. The awards are given in recognition of albums and singles that have sold 10-million copies or more.
Today in 2001, a Nashville judge refused to let LeAnn Rimes out of a recording contract with Curb Records that was approved at the request of her parents when she was 12. The following November, LeAnn and Curb came to an agreement and she re-signed with the label.
Today in 2002, Tim McGraw’s “The Cowboy In Me” hit the top of the country charts.
Today in 2005, at the CMT Music Awards, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, and Big & Rich each earned three nominations and Keith Urban and Gretchen Wilson snagged three apiece.
Today in 2006, CMT aired Carrie Underwood’s video for “Don’t Forget To Remember Me.”
Today in 2011, Sara Evans earned a gold single for “A Little Bit Stronger.”
Today in 2020, in compliance with a request from Nashville mayor John Cooper, Dierks Bentley shut down his Whiskey Row bar to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Bentley also gifts each of his 90 hourly employees $1,000 to help them get through the next few weeks.
Today in 2021, Clint Black Cowboy Coffee launched.

H & S FEED & COUNTRY STORE PET OF THE WEEK: FOXY

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Bob Ballard

This week’s H&S Feed and Country Store Pet of the Week is “Foxy”, 6 month old female Whippet mix pooch. Foxy was surrendered by her previous owner who could no longer take care of her for health reasons. Foxy does great with other dogs, but is a little timid when it comes to cats. Foxy loves kids and would be a great family dog. Foxy is an affectionate and friendly girl who would love to meet you!

Foxy is fully vetted, spayed, vaccinated and microchipped and ready to for her ‘fur-ever’ home!

And because Foxy is the H&S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week, her adoption fee is only $50 this week!

If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Foxy or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.

Check out our visit about Foxy with Izzy from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:

TAG SEARCH RESULTS FOR: ""

NEWSLETTER