Today in 1958, twenty-year-old Merle Haggard was convicted of second-degree burglary, after a botched break-in attempt at a Bakersfield, California nightclub. He served two years and nine months in prison at San Quentin, and he really did “turn 21 in prison,” as he sang in his hit “Mama Tried.” He was paroled in 1960, and eventually pardoned by then-California governor, Ronald Reagan, in 1972.
Brantley Gilbert is doing what he can to support local farmers while he’s out on the road. Brantley just kicked off his “Fire’t Up Tour,” and during the trek he’s partnered with Farmer Veteran Coalition to purchase products for his catering that have been locally sourced, including meats, dairy and produce.
“I still live in the town where I grew up and I know that excitement for a show doesn’t start when doors open, it has the power to rally the community well ahead of when we show up to load-in and soundcheck,” Brantley shares. “Our goal is to help boost local economies, showcase the best foods from the region, and spend a bit of time thanking these great folks for all they do.”
As a bonus, farmers and their families who provide food for the tour will get a chance to stick around and dine with the tour, meet Brantley and catch the concert.
Brantley’s Fire’t Up Tour hits Moline, Illinois tomorrow.
Today in 1969, the first episode of “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” on CBS featured Bobbie Gentry, John Hartford, The Smothers Brothers, and Pat Paulsen as guests.
Little Big Town has a new number one. The band’s latest album, “Nightfall,” tops the “Billboard” Top Country Album chart, moving 31,000 equivalent album units in its first week.
“We’ve been blown away by the incredible response to this record,” Karen Fairchild tells “Billboard.” “The connection people are having with the songs is what we could have only hoped for. Thanks to our team for the most exciting launch we’ve ever had.”
The album is LBT’s fourth number one. They previously topped the chart with “The Breaker” (2017), “Tornado” (2012) and “The Reason Why” (2010).
Elsewhere on the charts…
Also debuting on the Top Country Album chart this week is Dustin Lynch, whose latest, “Tullahoma,” debuts at four.
Dan + Shay continue to dominate with their single “10,000 Hours,” featuring Justin Bieber. The song is spending its 16th week on top the “Billboard” Hot Country Songs chart, and its second week at number one on the Country Airplay chart.
Little Big Town fans will want to make sure to stay up late tomorrow. The band is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Late Night wiht Seth Meyers.” They’ll also appear on ABC’s “LIVE! with Kelly & Ryan” on Friday.
Source: Billboard
This day in 1989: “Deeper Than The Holler” by Randy Travis reached the top of the Billboard country chart.
The song debuted at number 42 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated November 19, 1988, and rocketed its way into the Top 30 the next week, moving up from number 42 to number 28. It charted for 18 weeks on that chart, and became Travis’ eighth Number One single on the country chart dated January 28, 1989. In addition, it was his sixth consecutive Number One.
Source: Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JJ4XvgGlRw
The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards went down last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and while it was a great night of music, the news of NBA star Kobe Bryant’s death certainly cast a shadow over the evening. In fact, the first words of the night came from Lizzo, who shouted, “Tonight is for Kobe” before her performance of “Cuz I Love You.”
Host Alicia Keys opened the show talking about the loss of Kobe, noting that everyone was feeling “crazy sadness” over his death, and that they were all “heartbroken” standing in the “house that Kobe Bryant built.” “We never imagined in a million years we’d have to start the show like this, so we wanted to do something do describe a tiny bit how we feel right now,” she added. She was then joined by Boyz II Men for their classic song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” and then cameras panned to Kobe’st jersey raised to the roof.
As for the winners, Tanya Tucker went into the GRAMMYs with the most nominations for a country artist, and walked away with two trophies, Best Country Album for “While I’m Living,” as well as Best Country Song for “Bring My Flowers Now.” The awards were her first wins, and it came 37 years after her first nomination.
“After almost 150 years in this business, after many dreams, it’s still unbelievable to me that I’d still have a few firsts left,” she shared in her Best Country Song acceptance speech. “After 14 trips, 14 nominations, this is the first win.” She added, “I just want to say that no matter how young or old you are, never stop following your dream.”
Other country winners included Dan + Shay, who nabbed Country Duo/Group Performance for “Speechless,” and Willie Nelson, who won Best Country Solo Performance for “Ride Me Back Home.”
Today in 1973, Tom T. Hall reached #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with “(Old Dogs-Children And) Watermelon Wine.”
“(Old Dogs, Children And) Watermelon Wine” was written by Tom T. Hall. It was released in November 1972 as the second and final single from the album, The Storyteller. The song was Hall’s third number one on the U.S. country singles chart and earned him his second nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. “(Old Dogs, Children And) Watermelon Wine” spent one week at the top and a total of thirteen weeks on the chart. On June 1, 2014, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” #93 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.
Source: Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqV9NZSGIa4
Kelsea Ballerini fans got some exciting news yesterday. The singer announced that her third album, “Kelsea,” will drop March 20th. Kelsea announced the news on Instagram with a picture of herself lying in the sun.
So far no other info about the album is known, although she did already release two singles fro the record, “Homecoming Queen?” and “Club.”
Today in 1953, Hank Williams’ “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” was #1 on the charts.
Meant to be a humorous song, as evidenced by its ironic title and chorus, the composition took on additional poignancy following Williams’ death. In fact, the urban legend that the song was #1 at the time of his demise is not far from the truth, as he did in fact die in the first hours of January 1953. Williams recorded the song at Castle Studio in Nashville on June 13, 1952 with backing provided by Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), Chet Atkins (lead guitar), Chuck Wright (bass) and probably Ernie Newton (bass). Atkins recalled later, “We recorded ‘I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive’ and after each take, he’d sit down in a chair. I remember thinking, ‘Hoss, you’re not jivin’,’ because he was so weak that all he could do was just sing a few lines, and then just fall in the chair.”
The song has been covered by artists such as The Delta Rhythm Boys, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams III, and The Little Willies. Steve Earle released an album titled I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive on April 26, 2011, although only the iTunes album download includes a cover of the song. Earle often covers the song in live performances.
Source: Wikipedia
Luke Bryan has signed on to help Cornerstone Building Brands and their Home For Good project build affordable homes across the United States.
Since starting the Home For Good project in 2016, the company, the largest manufacturer of exterior building products in North America, has donated over $2 million in products to Habitat for Humanity, which helped build more than 500 homes in 70 communities.
As the 2020 Home for Good project ambassador, Luke will help bring awareness to the affordable housing crisis facing the country. He notes, “I’m happy to lend my support of Cornerstone Building Brands’ ongoing efforts to raise awareness for available and affordable housing across the country.”
Source: Yahoo
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