Sam Hunt is an amazing country artist but we almost never heard of him because of his lifelong dream as a kid to be a professional bull-rider.

It seems Sam originally had plans to be a bull-rider, back when he was about nine years old growing up in Georgia.

“I remember being really excited when I got into riding horses, and one Christmas I got a Mustang that I named Comanche, and that was a really exciting time. I rode all the time after that. I was able to ride whenever I wanted to,” Hunt said in a recent radio interview. “I remember one year, it probably started from the horse-riding thing, but I got into wanting to be a bull rider.

“I was still pretty young, so one Christmas we got a little steer calf. It had a little rope, and I’d try to ride the calf.”

But eventually, Hunt recalled, that little calf grew up. And that was pretty much the end of that.”

Source: CMT

Taylor Swift has been named one of “Entertainment Weekly’s” Entertainers of the Year. In a new interview for the magazine, Swift addresses rumors she’s engaged to Joe Alwyn, and has some choice words for people who aren’t following COVID-19 protocol.

There’s a writer credited on Taylor’s new hit album “Folklore,” the mysterious William Bowery. Taylor is no stranger to pseudonyms, and fans have a feeling Mr. Bowery is actually her rumored betrothed Joe. When grilled by the magazine, Taylor only gives up that the “only people” who knew about her album were her family, management team and her “boyfriend.” That rules out “fiance” for now, but William Bowery could still be Joe!

When it comes to those who don’t want to play by the pandemic rules, Taylor is thinking about how that affects those on the frontlines of coronavirus. “A lot of people don’t seem to have their eyes open to that, or a lot of people don’t care, which is upsetting,” she says. “You hope people would respect it and understand that going out for a night isn’t worth the ripple effect that it causes.”

Being a husband and father has long been one of Tim McGraw’s favorite things, but when it comes to Christmas, that gotten more complicated and Tim and wife Faith Hill have become empty-nesters this year.

The good news? Audrey, Gracie and Maggie are all expected to return to the coop this holiday season, but it’s also got Tim thinking about his own rite of passage – when he graduated to ‘manning up’ on Christmas.

He was about 11 and his mom asked him to put together a doll house for his sisters. “That was the first time that I actually got to participate,” says Tim. “To…like, be the man of the house with my mom and put together all the Christmas stuff for my sisters.”

Florida Georgia Line has officially announced its fifth studio album, sharing that “Life Rolls On” will be released on February 12. The duo also shared the cover for the project, which features band members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley outside in a field on a sunny day.

“It’s time y’all! Humbled and excited to announce our fifth studio album, [Life Rolls On] is out February 12th!” they wrote on social media on Friday. “This year has been a wild ride and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, you have to keep your head up high. This new music truly represents where we are in our lives right now and we can’t wait for y’all to hear it.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYN7Nsg7CF/?utm_source=ig_embed

“Billboard” is out with their 2020 Year-end charts, with Luke Combs earning the title of overall Top Country Artist.

Luke is also the Top Country Male of 2020, the Top Hot Country Songs Artist and has the Top Country Album, with “What You See Is What You Get,” and his previous album, “This One’s For You” is at two on that list.

Others topping “Billboard’s” year-end list include:

Maren Morris – Top Country Artist – Female
Dan + Shay – Top Country Duo/Group
Gabby Barrett – Top New Country Artist
Gabby’s “I Hope” – Top Hot Country Song
Morgan Wallen’s “Chasin You” – Top Country Airplay Song

Top Ten Country Artists of 2020

Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Kane Brown
Maren Morris
Jason Aldean
Sam Hunt
Gabby Barrett
Blake Shelton
Thomas Rhett
Dan + Shay

Source: Billboard