This day in 1999, Trisha Yearwood received a special proposal while making a guest appearance on the historic Ryman Auditorium stage. Grand Ole Opry member and segment host, Ricky Skaggs, invited her to become the 71st member of the Opry cast. She quickly accepted.
Brooks & Dunn are heading back on the road for their first tour in a decade. The duo announced dates for their “Reboot 2020 Tour,” which consists of 18 dates that kick off in May.
“So much for ‘we quit,’ huh?” Ronnie Dunn shares. “That horse that we were afraid of riding into the ground apparently didn’t share our sentiment…he gotta fire in his belly raring to go another round or two. I like the ring of it…’Brooks & Dunn ride again!’”
Kix Brooks shares, “The memories of playing live are what have kept the fire burning for us,” adding, “Live is where we’re most at home, and it’s gonna feel good to be back in the saddle, let’s rodeo! We’ll see y’all out there on the trail.”
The “Reboot 2020 Tour” kicks off May 15th in St. Louis, Missouri, wrapping September 19th in Chicago, Illinois.
Here’s the first set of dates:
May 15: St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
May 16: Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
May 22: Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
May 23: Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
May 29: Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
May 30: Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater
June 5: Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
June 6: Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman
June 26: Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
June 27: Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
August 28: Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Today in 1992, Johnny Cash was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Cash was alongside with Booker T. & The MGs, Jimi Hendrix, Sam & Dave, Bobby “Blue” Bland and others.
Miranda Lambert kicks off her “Wildcard” tour on Thursday in Tupelo, Mississippi, and she just announced that she’ll be honoring local heroes during the trek. At each stop on the tour Miranda will be giving away two concert tickets and two meet and greet passes to special first responders.
“I wanted to be able to spread that to every city we’re visiting on the Wildcard Tour,” Miranda shares, “and say thank you to the brave men and women who keep those places safe.” She adds, “It’s been incredibly inspiring to hear stories of local heroes, and I’m honored to have them as our guests every night.”
Today in 1976, Glen Campbell and “Rhinestone Cowboy” scored four GRAMMY nominations, including Record of the Year.
“Rhinestone Cowboy” was written by Larry Weiss and it appeared on Weiss’ 1974 20th Century Records album Black and Blue Suite. It did not, however, have much of a commercial impact as a single. In late 1974, Campbell heard the song on the radio and, during a tour of Australia, decided to learn it. Soon after his return to the United States, Campbell went to Al Coury’s office at Capitol Records, where he was approached about “a great new song” – “Rhinestone Cowboy”.[1]
Several music writers noted that Campbell identified with the subject matter of “Rhinestone Cowboy” – survival and making it, particularly when the chips are down – very strongly. As Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic put it, the song is about a veteran artist “who’s aware that he’s more than paid his dues during his career … but is still surviving, and someday, he’ll shine just like a rhinestone cowboy.”
Released in May 1975, “Rhinestone Cowboy” immediately caught on with both country and pop audiences. The song spent that summer climbing both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts before peaking at No. 1 by season’s end – three nonconsecutive weeks on the country chart, two weeks on the Hot 100. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 for 1975. It also topped the charts in Canada and several other countries.
Here’s the 1974 original from Larry Weiss:
And the hit Glen Campbell version:
Jake Owen is apparently a fan of “The Bachelor” and he isn’t at all down with “Bachelorette” Hannah Brown’s return to the show. In fact, he’s so against he actually wrote a song about it.
“Monday night, my girlfriend had the TV on and all you heard about on the new ‘Bachelor’ was Alabama Hannah, it was just Alabama Hannah everywhere,” he shared. “She won’t go away.” Jake shares that he met Hannah when he performed “Made For You” on “The Bachelorette,” and called her a “cool girl,” insisting his rant wasn’t “a dig at actual Alabama Hannah.”
Jake then shared his tune, which is written from “Bachelor” Peter Weber’s point of view, singing, “Alabama Hannah, what do you want? / If it’s love that you need, well then honey, it’s gone,” adding, “You had your chances, so won’t you leave me alone. / Alabama Hannah, won’t you go on back home.”
Jake insists the song is not a diss of Hannah, and she doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. “Well, this is one way to get a song written about you. This is some catchy shade @jakeowen,” she shared in a tweet, later adding on Instsagram Story, “It’s hilarious and even though it’s like a diss at me the whole time, I was tapping my foot along to it and laughing. You need to check it out!,” adding, “Jake, let me know when you need me for the music video.”
Today in 1968, Johnny Cash recorded the live album, “Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison” in California – he remade “Folsom Prison Blues” in the process. Also on hand – June Carter, The Carter Family, Carl Perkins and The Statler Brothers.
Despite little initial investment by Columbia, At Folsom Prison was a hit in the United States, reaching number one on the country charts and the top 15 of the national album chart. The lead single, a live version of “Folsom Prison Blues”, was a top 40 hit, Cash’s first since 1964’s “Understand Your Man”. At Folsom Prison received positive reviews and revitalized Cash’s career, becoming the first in a series of live albums recorded at prisons that includes “At San Quentin” (1969), “På Österåker” (1973), and “A Concert Behind Prison Walls” (1976). The album was re-released with additional tracks in 1999, a three-disc set in 2008, and a five LP box set with bonus rehearsals in 2018 for Record Store Day. It was certified triple platinum in 2003 for US sales exceeding three million.
The album release of At Folsom Prison was prepared in four months. Despite the recent success of “Rosanna’s Going Wild”, a Cash single released just before the Folsom concerts that reached number two on the country charts, Columbia initially invested little in the album or its single “Folsom Prison Blues”. This was due partially to Columbia’s efforts to promote pop stars instead of country artists. Nevertheless, the single charted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 25, 1968; it also hit the country charts a week later. The single suffered a setback, however, when Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968. Radio stations ceased playing the single due to the macabre line: “I shot a man in Reno/Just to watch him die”. Reeling in the success prior to the assassination, Columbia demanded Johnston remix the single with the line removed. Despite protests from Cash, the single was edited and re-released. The new version became a success, reaching number one on the country charts and the top forty on the national charts. The single prompted the album to climb the album charts, eventually reaching number one on the Top Country Albums chart and number thirteen on the Pop Albums chart—the forerunner to the Billboard 200. By August 1968, Folsom had shipped over 300,000 copies; two months later it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over 500,000.
Source: Wikipedia
Zac Brown Band has made their summer plans. The band just announced dates for the brand new “Roar With the Lions Tour,” which kicks off with two shows in Gilford, New Hampshire, May 24th and 25th.
“Our summer tour is inspired by the folklore surrounding the figure of the lion,” Zac shares. “I am a Leo, and all of the guys in the band are lions. They exemplify strength, courage, intelligence, and loyalty, and work in tandem to defend their territory and one another.”
He adds, “The crowd is our pride – rooted in togetherness and fiercely loyal. They always show up for each other, no matter what, just like our fans always show up for us. We can’t wait to hear you roar with us!”
The trek, which includes shows at New York’s CitiField, and Chicago’s Wrigley Field, will wrap October 18th in Vancouver, British Columbia. It will feature special guests Greg Alan Isakov and St. Paul and the Broken Bells on select dates. Check out the first few dates below and click here for a complete schedule.
May 24 & 25: Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
May 29: Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
May 30: Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
May 31: Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
June 4: Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
June 5: Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
June 12: Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
June 13: Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 14: Darien, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
June 18: Burgettstown, PA – S&T Bank Music Park
June 19: Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
Today in 1949, Loretta Webb married Oliver “Mooney” Lynn in Butcher Holler, Kentucky. Mooney gave Loretta her first guitar, became her first manager, and inspired some of her feisty music. They were married until his death in 1996.
We don’t want to think about a world without Dolly Parton, but apparently Dolly has. In case you missed it, the singer revealed during her “Dolly Parton’s America” podcast that she has tons of songs banked up so there will still be new Dolly music after she’s gone.
“There’s enough stuff to go on forever with my music, to do compilation albums, to do, actually, new and original stuff, and I am purposely trying to put songs down for that very purpose,” she shared. “To have a click track and my vocals, to where any arrangement can be done. So I think ahead.”
She adds, “Anybody could produce that. Anyone, any producer in the world — a hot shot producer, when I’m gone, they could take my songs, …and build a complete arrangement around that,” noting, “So that will go on forever.”
As for why she’s thinking so far ahead, she offers, “I’m one of those people that believe in being prepared. I don’t ever wanna leave my stuff in the same shape like Prince, or Aretha Franklin, or anybody that don’t plan ahead.”
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