Because of the pandemic it could be a while before bars, taverns and honky-tonks are full of people knocking back ‘adult beverages,’ but that hasn’t stopped Little Big Town releasing their new single titled “Wine, Beer, Whiskey.” And yes, it name-drops a few popular brands with lines such as: “A Captain named Morgan.” With Little Big Town, you can always expect the unexpected, and this fun ear-worm is no different. It mixes in a heavy beat with a sort of Mariachi party vibe that won’t appeal to die-hard traditional country fans, but it’s 3 minutes of fun. “Wine, Beer Whiskey” is the 3rd single from their No. 1 album, Nightfall. You can see the lyric video on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGKXSz8OAB8
The writers’ royalties for “Wine, Beer Whiskey” will be split six ways: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Tofer Brown and Sean McConnell. Hopefully, there’ll be enough in the kitty to buy a couple of rounds when bars are back on track!
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“I Know Country” Q&A from www.IKnowCountry.com
QUESTION: Who married Highway 101 drummer, Cactus Moser, at her Leiper’s Fork, Tenn., home on June 10, 2012?
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Elvis in Nashville: It was exactly 50 years ago, June 1970, that Elvis was in Nashville at the height of his fame, and spent just 5 days in RCA Studio B – just across 17th Avenue from my former office.
Now, many artists take five days to record one song. In those five days, Elvis recorded more that 30 new songs. Elvis was a fast learner: he could often hear the demo just a couple of time then record the song in just a few takes. Those few days became known as “The Marathon Sessions” with Elvis and the RCA crew working long days and nights in the studio.
Among the songs Elvis recorded in those Marathon Sessions: “It’s Your Baby, You Rock It,” “The Fool,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Many of the tracks ended up on the albums Elvis Country and That’s the Way It Is.
Elvis manager Col. Tom Parker made the most of the event with lots of photo ops, getting then Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington to invite Elvis to address the State legislature. Newspaper photos taken during all that hoopla show Elvis looking really tired!
If it wasn’t for the pandemic, right now we’d be talking about everything that happened at the CMA Fest. It was scheduled for June 4 through 7, and 70,000 to 100,000 fans from all over the world were expected to be here to enjoy 300+ performances. Part of the fun of CMA Fest is the opportunity for fans to meet-and-greet with the country artists, and the Festival was originally known as ‘Fan Fair’ for that reason. This was the first time in its 48-year history that the festival had to be canceled.
It’s sad for the fans, but it’s really bad news for emerging artists who often use their appearances at CMA Fest to springboard their careers and create or expand their fan bases.
The good news: next year’s dates have already been announced. The CMA Fest will return to Nashville June 10 – 13, 2021. Four-day passes purchased for 2020 will be honored at the 2021 Fest, or refunds can be requested if purchased through Ticketmaster or the CMA Fest Box Office. Info at https://cmafest.com/
There are a lot Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about Covid-19 right now, but a really cool one features George Strait adapting his 1999 hit, “Write This Down.” There’s George – apparently hanging upside down, but not really – reminding Texans to be “extra friendly to our fellow Texans” by washing their hands, wearing a face mask and staying six feet apart. It’s on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CchreMt_dJI
You can rely on Ray Stevens to make you smile (“Don’t Look, Ethel!!”) and he can still do that while self-isolating thanks to the pandemic. Check out his new song, “Quatantined,” that he premiered on Larry’s Country Diner TV show. My favorite line: ”I’m washin’ my hands like a racoon with OCD…” Stevens is a national treasure who signed his first record deal (with Prep Records, a division of Capitol Records) in 1957… sixty-three years ago! Watch the “Quarantined” video on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjceaknzHQ
Billboard Country Airplay Top 5 (last week’s position in parentheses)
- (2) “After a Few” Travis Denning
- (1) “Does To Me” Luke Combs ft. Eric Church
- (5) “I Hope You’re Happy Now” Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
- (3) “Chasin’ You” Morgan Wallen
- (4) “Nobody But You” Blake Shelton w/Gwen Stefani
- “After A Few” is Travis Denning’s first No. 1. It took a record-setting 65 weeks from the date it entered the charts, making it the longest-ever journey to No. 1.
- “This is a great testament that sometimes great things take time,” Denning told Billboard. Denning co-wrote the song with Kelly Archer and Justin Weaver.
Top Country Album Chart
Jimmy Buffet’s Life On The Flip Side debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, mainly due to concert ticket/album tie-in deal, allowing fans to acquire the new album on its release date with purchase of tickets to upcoming Jimmy Buffet concerts. (Album sales tied to show dates that were canceled were not counted in the Billboard chart positioning.)
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“I Know Country” Q&A ANSWER:
Wynonna Judd. In August of the same year, Cactus Moser was involved in a motorcycle accident, unfortunately resulting in the amputation of his left leg below the knee.
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This week in Country Music history
Number One country songs over the decades…
June 8 – 12, 1969 Tammy Wynette’s fifth No. 1, “Singing My Song”
June 8 – 12, 1974 “I Will Always Love You” was the No. 1 Country single, from Dolly Parton’s 13th album Jolene
June 8 – 12, 1976 Johnny Cash was No. 1 with the novelty song “One Piece At A Time”
June 8 – 12, 1979 “She Believes In Me” by Kenny Rogers was No. 1 on the Country chart and crossed over to Billboard Hot 100 pop charts, reaching No. 5
June 8 – 12, 2011 “Old Alabama” was the No. 1 Country single by Brad Paisley, appropriately featuring the band Alabama
This week’s Country Music Birthdays
June 8 John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard), 1960
Sturgill Simpson (A Sailor’s Guide to Earth), 1978
June 10 Lee Brice, 1979
June 12 Chips Moman (producer),1937
Junior Brown, 1952
Chris Young, 1985
Preshias Harris is a music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Visit www.collegeofsongology.com for more details. Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
Harris is also the author of “I Know Country” with 366 daily country music questions and answers. You can buy and instantly download your e-book copy at www.IKnowCountry.com.
