Stream or download the song “Taxidermy” from Kassi Ashton here: http://strm.to/Taxidermy
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Music video by Kassi Ashton performing Taxidermy. © 2018 UMG Recordings Inc
Could Keith Urban help the legendary Merle Haggard achieve another No. 1 song? It could happen with his latest hit, “Coming Home.” As you probably know, Keith wrote his current hit “Coming Home” based on a guitar lick he loved from Merle Haggard’s 1968 No. 1 hit, “Mama Tried.”
So, being able to give Merle another chart-topping song – which could be his first since 1987’s “Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star” – would be a huge thrill for Keith.
“It feels extraordinary,” says Keith. “I grew up with so much of his music in our house and that particular song – ‘Mama Tried’ that this guitar lick is taken from – is just so deep in my DNA. So, the idea that Hag may get another No. 1 song since the ‘80s is just about time [laughs] I’d say.”
Keith asked for and received the approval from Merle’s family to use the famous guitar lick and even credited Merle as a co-writer on the song.
“I’m especially grateful to Theresa Haggard and Ben Haggard who both gave the blessing for the support of this lick being used in the song and Merle being a writer on ‘Coming Home,’” says Keith.
He co-wrote the song with Julia Michaels, as well as J.R. Rotem, Nicolle Galyon and, of course, the late Merle Haggard.
Catch Keith on the road on his Graffiti U World Tour, which makes its next stop in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday (July 27th).
Keith Urban (giving Merle another hit) OC: …[laughs] I’d say. :30
“It feels extraordinary. I mean, Haggard, I grew up with so much of his music in our house and that particular song – ‘Mama Tried’ that this guitar lick is taken from – is just so deep in my DNA. So, the idea that Hag may get another No. 1 song since the ‘80s is just about time [laughs] I’d say.”
Keith Urban (grateful to Merle’s family) OC: …on ‘Coming Home.’ :17
“He’s the writer of writers right there. Every writer I know in Nashville loves Merle. And I’m especially grateful to Theresa Haggard and Ben Haggard who both gave the blessing for the support of this lick being used in the song and Merle being a writer on ‘Coming Home.’”
Travis Denning releases the music video to his debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs,” premiering exclusively on CMT today, view HERE. Directed by Justin Clough, the music video illustrates a young college student acquiring his first fake ID and the adventures that go along with using such classic college paraphernalia. The video features an actor who feels nervous energy while illegally buying his first case of beer at a liquor store, followed by a hero’s welcome at the house party when he arrives with his ill-gotten gains, and even a run-in with the police as the story develops. The video also includes a surprise cameo fans won’t want to miss. “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs” hit the Spotify U.S. Viral Chart upon its initial release, and Travis has been named one of Rolling Stone’s 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know this past June.
A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, Mercury Nashville’s Travis Denning vividly remembers the moment he realized he wanted to pursue music for a living. He was seven years old sitting in his Dad’s truck and heard AC/DC for the first time. From then on, he was hooked and devoured all types of music from country, pop, rock and heavy metal. Travis started playing local bars at the age of 16 and built a solid following from his distinctive songs and raucous guitar licks. He moved to Nashville in 2014 and within a year signed a publishing deal with Jeremy Stover’s RED Creative Group. After securing outside cuts by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and Chase Rice he caught the attention of Universal Music Group where he eventually signed a record deal in 2017. Travis just released his debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs,” an upbeat coming-of-age song that paints a picture of a young man reminiscing on his carefree college memories. The singer/songwriter recently opened shows for LANCO, Chase Rice, Justin Moore and Alan Jackson. When Travis is not touring, he is in the studio working on his debut album.
http://www.travisdenning.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/travisdenningmusic/ | https://www.instagram.com/travisrdenning/ | https://twitter.com/Travis_Denning
Jordan Davis celebrated his No. 1 smash “Singles You Up” with co-wrtiers Justin Ebach and Steven Dale Jones at a party in Nashville on Monday (July 30th). He was also honored with a platinum plaque for the song, which has sold more than one-million copies…AND that the tune is the most-played song on country radio this year.
“This being my first time releasing music ever, I didn’t know what to expect. I think it took a couple of months to kinda catch on and see that this song’s really resonating with people,” says the Louisiana native. “I was just hoping people would buy into who I am as an artist and the music I was putting out, and I felt like ‘Singles You Up’ was the best way and the best song that defined what I wanted to do.”
Attending the party were numerous friends and family, including brother and frequent collaborator Jacob Davis, his two nieces, parents and his Uncle Stan Paul Davis, who Jordan said paved the way for him in Nashville having written several songs for artists such as Tracy Lawrence.
Jordan is climbing the country charts with “Take It From Me,” which he’ll perform in Xenia, Ohio on Tuesday (July 31st).
Jordan Davis (first No. 1 party) OC: …wanted to do. :45
“This being my first time releasing music ever, I didn’t know what to expect. I think it took a couple of months to kinda catch on and see that this song’s really resonating with people. The song being where it was at in the charts, whether it be in the 30s or the 20s, the amount of people showing up and knowing that song was kinda shocking. To where now, I think my band guys can even attest, we don’t even have to sing that song. Once we start into the first lick, I mean everybody jumps in. I was just hoping people would buy into who I am as an artist and the music I was putting out, and I felt like ‘Singles You Up’ was the best way and the best song that defined what I wanted to do.”
The Sun Chronicle notes, “as co-headliners of The Bandwagon Tour, Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town kept fans on their feet Saturday night for an evening of country music at its best.” With only 11 shows remaining, The Bandwagon Tour swept the East coast with stops Thursday, July 19 at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York, Friday at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut and on Saturday, July 21 at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Little Big Town perform in Hartford. Credit: Becky Fluke
L to R ID: Pistol Annies’ Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley, Miranda Lambert, and LittleBig Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman. Credit: BeckyFluke
Remaining tour stops on The Bandwagon Tour:
Thursday, August 2 – The Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, Alabama*
Friday, August 3 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida*
Saturday, August 4 – Coral Sky Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Florida*
Friday, August 10 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, Texas**
Saturday, August 11 – Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas**
Thursday, August 16 – Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien Center, New York*
Friday, August 17 – KeyBank Pavilion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania*
Saturday, August 18 – BB&T Pavilion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*
Thursday, August 23 – Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Ontario*
Friday, August 24 –DTE Energy Music Center, Clarkston, Michigan*
Saturday, August 25 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois*
*denotes Turnpike Troubadours select dates
**denotes The Steel Woods select dates
Tenille Townes joins for all dates
The members of Little Big Town are currently making their way up the country charts with “Summer Fever.”
With songs like “Rum” and “Dirt Rich” from their debut album, Pawn Shop, Brothers Osborne explained how they grew up and where they came from as a blue-collar family.
“We’re from Maryland, which is a very blue-collar state. Our dad’s a plumber, our mom’s a hairdresser. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but we still really loved life. We enjoyed ourselves so much, you know, and we tried to have the biggest time possible with what little we had,” says John Osborne. “We want to express that it’s okay to be that way, because we turned out alright. We’re doing fine. As long as you’re able to laugh and able to enjoy yourself with family and friends, you’re really living the good life.”
The guys are currently making their way up the country charts with “Shoot Me Straight” from their latest album, Port Saint Joe.
Brothers Osborne (blue collar background) OC: …good life. :47
JOHN: “We’re from Maryland, which is a very blue-collar state. Our dad’s a plumber, our mom’s a hairdresser. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but we still really loved life. We enjoyed ourselves so much, you know, and we tried to have the biggest time possible with what little we had. There’s songs like ‘Rum’ explains that – it’s about we can’t afford to go to the beach, but we’re gonna live it up like we’re at the beach. We don’t have money, but we’re richer than anyone could ever be. Pawn Shop, for example, it’s like we understand what it’s like when you have to sell what you have because you can’t afford to eat or keep the lights on. We want to express that it’s okay to be that way, because we turned out alright. We’re doing fine. As long as you’re able to laugh and able to enjoy yourself with family and friends, you’re really living the good life.”
Keith Urban took to socials last night (June 10th) to post an acoustic video version of his Top 5 hit, “Coming Home.” Check it out below.
Keith Urban just announced dates for his Graffiti U World Tour in Australia, and he’s taking along Julia Michaels who sings with him on his latest smash, “Coming Home.”
The trek will kick off January 23rd, 2019 in Newcastle, followed by two nights in Sydney (January 25th and 26th) and continues with stops in Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne (February 5th). Tickets go on sale August 6th.
AUSTRALIA!!! Tickets go on sale Monday, August 6 at 11am!! #GraffitiUWorldTour pic.twitter.com/b0GPSyRcAZ
— Keith Urban Central (@KeithUrbanCntrl) July 29, 2018
https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/1023675956609904640
He’s set to perform “Coming Home,” which is poised to enter the top of the country charts, plus a few other songs when he appears on NBC’s Today show as part of their Citi Summer Concert Series on Thursday (August 2nd).
On Friday (August 3rd), his Graffiti U World Tour heads to Philadelphia.
After years of friendship and months of preparation, three-time GRAMMY award-winner Darius Rucker and seven-time GRAMMY award-winning trio Lady Antebellum launched their co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour to a deafening welcome in Toronto, Ont. (7/19) and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (7/20) this past weekend. With what The Plain Dealer called “one of the biggest mainstream country pairings of the summer,” Cleveland Country Magazine noted that it is “hard to imagine who’s having more fun at the show — the fans or the acts on stage” with a playlist-worthy set spanning over 20 No. 1 hits between the two.
Today, PEOPLE.com shares an exclusive behind the scenes photo gallery highlighting Rucker and Lady A’s opening weekend as the run continues thrilling audiences across the U.S. all summer long.
“Charles, Hillary and Dave have been such good friends to me over the years – we even toured together once before during the summer of 2012,” explained Rucker. “It’s always exciting to be out on the road with our fans, but I knew it would be even more special with Lady Antebellum being part of the tour too. If the rest of the shows are as much fun as this past weekend, we’re in for a great summer!”
“We’ve been itching to get back on the road with Darius for a while now and we couldn’t have asked for a better opening run,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood. “You could just feel the energy between all the bands, crews and fans. The crowds made a lasting impression on us and we can already tell there are a lot of memories to be made this year.”
For a behind-the-scenes look at the launch of the Summer Plays On Tour exclusively through PEOPLE.com, clickHERE.
Rucker took the stage first, bringing fans to their feet with chart-toppers such as “Alright” and recent No. 1 “For The First Time” before Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum joined him for their collaborative “Straight To Hell,” the current single off Rucker’s latest album, When Was The Last Time. Lady Antebellum continued the musical celebration with hits of their own, including 6x Platinum “Need You Now” and current Top 15-and-climbing single “Heart Break,” with both acts uniting for a group encore that included a lively singalong of Rucker’s Hootie & the Blowfish classic “Hold My Hand.”
In addition to the critically acclaimed co-headliners, Triple Tigers Records newcomer Russell Dickerson opened the show with a punch of energy, treating fans to a dynamic set which included his chart-topping power ballad “Yours.”
After wrapping the first two nights of the Summer Plays On Tour, Rucker and Lady A temporarily parted ways as the trio headlined the Darien Lake Amphitheater in Darien Center, N.Y. (7/21) where the Buffalo News noted that from “the lawn to the front row, a crowd jammed into the venue.” Meanwhile, Rucker reunited with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates for a one-night only performance in Atlanta, Ga. The tour continues Thursday, July 26 in Bethel, N.Y. at the site of the famed Woodstock festival, with 29 additional dates through October.
Remaining stops on the Summer Plays On Tour:
Thursday, July 26, Bethel, N.Y. – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Friday, July 27, Gilford, N.H. – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Saturday, July 28, Hartford, Conn. – XFINITY Theatre
Thursday, August 2, Columbia, Md. – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Friday, August 3, Holmdel, N.J. – PNC Bank Arts Center
Saturday, August 4, Wantagh, N.Y. – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Thursday, August 16, Mountain View, Calif. – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Friday, August 17, Sacramento, Calif. – Toyota Amphitheatre
Sunday, August 19, Auburn, Wash. – White River Amphitheatre
Thursday, August 23, Phoenix, Ariz. – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Friday, August 24, Irvine, Calif. – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 25, San Diego, Calif. – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
Friday, August 31, Welch, Minn. – Treasure Island Resort & Casino
Saturday, September 1, Milwaukee, Wis. – American Family Insurance Amphitheatre
Sunday, September 2, Mount Pleasant, Mich. – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
Thursday, September 6, Cincinnati, Ohio – Riverbend Music Center
Friday, September 7, Clarkston, Mich. – DTE Energy Music Theatre
Saturday, September 8, Pittsburgh, Pa. – KeyBank Pavilion
Thursday, September 13, Saint Louis, Mo. – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Friday, September 14, Indianapolis, Ind. – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Saturday, September 15, Tinley Park, Ill. – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Thursday, September 20, Virginia Beach, Va. – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Friday, September 21, Camden, N.J. – BB&T Pavilion
Saturday, September 22, Mansfield, Mass. – Xfinity Center
Thursday, September 27, Alpharetta, Ga. – Verizon Amphitheatre*
Friday, September 28, Tampa, Fla. – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Saturday, September 29, West Palm Beach, Fla. – Coral Sky Amphitheatre
Thursday, October 4, Raleigh, N.C. – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Friday, October 5, Charlotte, N.C. – PNC Music Pavilion
Saturday, October 6, Bristow, Va. – Jiffy Lube Live
* denotes the show is Lady Antebellum only
Charles Kelley (Summer Plays On opening weekend) OC: …not going to be me. 1:02
“It’s crazy fun. You know, you forget how many hits that Darius Rucker has. It’s between all his hits as a solo artist, and he gets to pull all these amazing hits like ‘Hold My Hand’ and ‘Let Her Cry’ from the Hootie & the Blowfish days. And then with our set too, I mean, we’ve finally gotten to that point where it’s an hour and a half full of radio hits. It’s fun, you know. So, we’ve got Russell Dickerson starts the night, who he’s on fire, so he starts the night then Darius goes up and plays his set and then we play our set. There’s a little interaction that goes on between the sets, and then at the end we do this giant jam together. It’s really spontaneous too. I want people to see it. I mean, it’s a true collaborative night, you know? It’s three, four hours of just no one knows what’s coming up next, and I think that’s what is really exciting about it. But we’ve had a blast, and we’ve already gotten a little golf in. I can say that I’ve already gotten into Darius’ pocket, so I’m excited about that. We’re gonna do a little running tab and at the end of the tour, somebody’s cutting a check, and I hope it’s not gonna be me.”
Dierks Bentley will perform on the star-studded fourth annual WE Day special tomorrow night (August 17th).
Dierks, who will perform his recent No. 1 song “Woman, Amen,” will be joined on the television special that was taped this past Spring by Jennifer Aniston, Whoopi Goldbern, Will Ferrell, Cyndi Lauper, Martin Sheen, Selena Gomez and host John Stamos, among others.
WE Day is a celebration of doing good, honoring youth and families across the country who prove that when they put their individual resources together, they can help on a global level. WE Day includes a series of 19 stadium-sized events held across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Caribbean as a catalyst to support the movement of young people leading change. Students can’t buy a ticket to WE Day – youth earn their way by the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice.
In a WE video (see below), Dierks talks about ways his children learn how to help others. “We constantly think about ways to give our kids as much of a balance as possible,” he says. “One of our favorite things to do is just go to Second Harvest, which is a food bank in Nashville, and pack backpacks for kids. They learn about the fact that these kids get their food from school. That’s the only place they really eat…It really helps them understand the privileges they have and hopefully plants a little bit of a seed in them for having that compassion and interest in helping folks in their community.”
Catch Dierks and the rest of the all-star cast on the WE Day special airing at 8pm Friday night on ABC.