Gary Allan. Photo: Eric Adkins
Country music renaissance man Gary Allan released his long-awaited new album Ruthless today (June 25).
The 13-track project finds Allan tapping into the eclectic and tender-hearted themes ever-present in his prior releases, and settling into his ‘80s and ‘90s influences. He co-produced Ruthless with some of the minds behind his acclaimed breakout album Smoke Rings In The Dark, Mark Wright and Tony Brown, in addition to Jay Joyce and Greg Droman.
The tracklist, a sequence he has been collecting for eight years, reads like a who’s who of Music Row, with writers Jim Beavers, Sarah Buxton, Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon, Ryan Hurd, Matt Warren, Josh Kear, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, the late busbee, and more.
Allan recently spoke with MusicRow about Ruthless, making sad songs, and the last 25 years.
MusicRow: The first thing I noticed about Ruthless is there’s a lot of outside cuts, with 12 of the 13 songs. When did you start collecting these songs?
Allan: I have been collecting these songs over the past eight years. The album is an accumulation of three separate projects. One I did with my engineer Greg Droman and my road band–that’s like the “Little Glass of Wine” and “What I Can’t Talk About.” I did another project with Jay Joyce and the label didn’t really hear it. That was right in the middle of the “bro country” thing. We all decided we should just drag our feet until this goes away a little bit. And then the third time we did it was when I felt that ’90s trend coming back. I thought, let’s go get the whole crew that played on the Smoke Rings In The Dark album, and I’ll get Tony Brown and Mark Wright, and that was where these last batch came from.
The cool thing is I had eight years of songs that I had collected and you’re right, it’s probably the least [amount of songs I’ve co-written that] I’ve ever had on the record, but I just tried to be honest with myself. I wore out all those songs if my house, and those were the 13 that spoke to me the most.
“Waste of A Whiskey Drink” is the leading single for the project. What compelled you to this song when you heard it?
It’s tongue-in-cheek, it just made smile. I think we’ve all sat down at a bar with somebody and said, “Man, you don’t want none of that. That’s a waste of a whiskey drink and a big heartache coming if you get involved.”
Speaking on heartache, you have mastered that over the years with some of your biggest songs telling the story of heartache or love gone wrong (see “Watching Airplanes,” “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” “Best I Ever Had”). Do you feel like that’s what you’re known for now?
Yeah, that’s all my favorite stuff. I’ve been called the master of misery and there are all kinds of quotes from different magazines about my writing. With “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” I learned from Hillary [Lindsey] how you can write a sad song but still write every line to be positive. But sad songs have always been my favorite stuff. I’ve always loved the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and the album cuts on records. Even my favorite artists [put out a lot of sad songs.] I have always been blown away that [artists like] Merle Haggard weren’t playing the AT&T Center.
I’ve always viewed myself as like the guy in the bar or part of the bar band because that’s always been my favorite stuff. For instance, “A Little Glass Of Wine,” is an old Jesse Winchester song. I got turned onto him by songwriters Odie Blackmon and Jamie O’Hara. Jamie use to tell me that was his all-time favorite writer and that made me go and buy all of his stuff.
“What I Can’t Talk About” has such a great lyric. “That’s why I sing about what I can’t talk about.” What was your reaction when you heard that hook?
I thought that was my next big single. I cut that eight years ago. When you go in and you cut in the studio, in your head, you have the two or three songs that are the singles. I was so confident that I started cutting songs like “Little Glass Of Wine.” When I turned it in, they were like, “Man, I just think that’s too negative.” In hindsight, that was the beginning of the “bro country” thing. My manager talked to me about this a little bit. He said, “We just didn’t feel like you were going to fit into the current format, so eventually we started just dragging our feet.”
You are a co-writer on “Pretty Damn Close.” Tell me about writing that one.
To me it’s like a George Strait song. That’s all I heard when we were writing it and that’s all I hear still when I listen to it. That “Something about her spinning around with the glitter in her hair,” just feels super ’80s and ’90s. I missed that. I miss writing with guitars. To me, that’s my favorite part about the ’90s sounds is the melodies and I think that’s what we’re lacking most right now.
Why did Ruthless stick out as the track from which you should title this project?
For me, I’m still a little kid looking at the shelf. So I always try to think of what looks cool on the shelf, so “Gary Allan – Ruthless” says “He’s gonna be here no matter what, he’s going to make it through this.”
You’re celebrating the release of Ruthless with a special performance tonight (June 25) at Assembly Hall in Fifth + Broadway. Have you gotten to play much recently now that the pandemic restrictions are lifting?
This will be my fifth show back. We had 462 days between shows, not that I was counting. It feels so good to be back.
It’s been 25 years since your first album Used Heart For Sale. What are some of the biggest things you’ve learned about yourself since then?
Just do what you do. That’s probably the hardest thing about being around for a long time is not to get jaded every time it takes a left turn. Even if you think [what the music industry is doing] sucks, you can’t go, “This sucks.” You have to go, “How do I sit in this?” I had the hardest time with the “bro country” thing, I didn’t like it. I didn’t understand it. But what I learned the most is don’t let other people define what you’re good at, what you’re awesome at, or what you feel good about. Just go do your thing and let the chips fall.
Big Machine Music Signs Songwriter/Producer Matt Dragstrem
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R, back row): BMM‘s Sr. Director of Royalties and Finance Grayson Stephens, Creative Coordinator Lizzy Gallatin, Creative Director Michelle Attardi, Catalog Manager Taylor Courtney; (L-R, front row): BMM’s General Manager Mike Molinar, Matt Dragstrem, BMM’s Vice President Alex Heddle; not pictured: BMM’s Vice President Tim Hunze. Photo: Courtesy of Big Machine Music
Big Machine Music has signed an exclusive co-publishing agreement with songwriter/producer Matt Dragstrem, which includes the acquisition of his Matt Drag Music catalog.
Dragstrem has written No. 1 hits such as “I’ll Name The Dogs” (Blake Shelton), “One Margarita” (Luke Bryan), “Why We Drink” (Justin Moore), “Sippin’ On Fire” (Florida Georgia Line), and “Be A Light” (Thomas Rhett ft. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin and Keith Urban) as well as landed cuts by artists Maren Morris, David Guetta, Jake Owen, Jason Aldean, Dan + Shay, G- Eazy, Charlie Puth, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, and more. He also has nearly a dozen songwriting and producer credits on Rhett’s Country Again: Side A and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album.
“I am excited to join the Big Machine Music team! I’ve known this talented crew for many years and it’s good to finally get to work with them. I’m eager to see what the future holds,” shares Dragstrem.
Dragstrem officially joins the reigning AIMP Nashville Publisher of the Year’s roster, which includes Laura Veltz, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ryan Hurd, Brett Young, Brandy Clark, Eric Paslay, Maddie & Tae and more.
BMM General Manager Mike Molinar says, “Drag has already established himself as a hit songwriter and producer while still at the beginning of what will be a legendary career. Alex Heddle, the rest of the team and I are so proud to welcome him to the Big Machine Music family!”
Charlie Worsham Releases Personal New Track From Upcoming EP ‘Sugarcane’
/by Lorie HollabaughCharlie Worsham. Photo: Jason Myers
Charlie Worsham is gearing up for the release of his brand new EP, Sugarcane, on July 16 via Warner Music Nashville. The first three releases from the new project, “Fist Through This Town,” “Believe In Love,” and the most recent track,“Half Drunk,” are available now.
Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town), Sugarcane is an emotional homecoming for Worsham. The origins of the new EP stem from his personal reflections from a daily writing exercise that grew into something much more universal. The six new songs celebrate the love, perseverance, struggle, and joy experienced through life and the people who are there with you through it all.
“‘Half Drunk’ tells the story of the first time I told my wife I loved her,” recalls Worsham. “I’d just been fired by my publisher and my manager had quit management that week, but I was singing that day in one of my favorite rooms in all the world, the Station Inn. Powered by Yazoo Pale Ale, applause, and a sense that this girl I was crazy about might just be more special and more permanent than the whole music industry thing, I turned to Kristen, said those three magic words, and she said ‘I love you too.’ I hope this song inspires a lot of drunken making out and maybe a few last-time-saying-I-love-you-
Since the release of his 2013 debut, Rubberband, Worsham has established himself as not only a solo talent but also a frequent collaborator with artists including Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Brandy Clark, Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and more. He’s toured extensively including numerous shows performing as of part of Old Crow Medicine Show as well as dates with Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and more.
Sugarcane Track List:
1. Sugarcane
2. For The Love
3. Half Drunk
4. Fist Through This Town
5. Believe In Love
6. Hang On To That
Rockabilly Pioneer Wanda Jackson To Give Her ‘Encore’
/by Lydia FarthingWanda Jackson. Photo: Emma Lee Photography
Rock & Roll, International Gospel, and Rockabilly Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson has teamed up with fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Joan Jett and Kenny Laguna on her 32nd album, Encore, due out on Aug. 20 via Big Machine Records/Blackheart Records. To give fans a taste of the set, Jackson’s take on Johnny Tillotson’s 1962 Rhythm & Blues smash “It Keeps Right On A Hurtin’” is available now.
The vocalist known for “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad,” “Mean, Mean Man,” “Fujiyama Mama,” and “Let’s Have A Party” wrote half of Encore’s songs, with an array of co-writers including triple Grammy Award winner Lori McKenna; ACM, CMA, and Grammy nominees Will Hoge and Luke Laird; Angaleena Presley; and Sonia Leigh.
“Real, authentic rock and roll is something you have to have inside. It can’t be taught, it can’t be faked. Wanda Jackson has it. Joan Jett has it. Encore has it. It is rare,” says Laguna.
Encore walks listeners through the rockabilly, country, and even punk colors of Jackson’s career and vocals over the years. Recorded just before announcing her retirement, Jackson’s signature tease delivers a resounding thump on “Big Baby.” On the jaunty “Can’t Keep A Good Girl Down,” she’s joined by Presley and Candi Carpenter, while Jett’s garage grunge comes out on “You Drive Me Wild.” Whether the funk “Treat Me Like A Lady” or the giddyup rockabilly of “Two Shots” with Elle King and Jett, Jackson remains every bit as in charge as ever. The album’s closing ballad, “That’s What Love Is,” also offers listeners a dose of clear-eyed tenderness.
“Right around the time I retired from performing and what I thought was the end of my career, I found myself back to writing songs with some of the great writers in Nashville. The songs you hear are truly my life story. This is the first time I have ever inserted so much of my personal life into my music. You’ll get a picture of my early life and have a peak into the closeness that my late husband Wendell and I had in our life together. I’m happy to share this with all of you. Your constant love and support has seen me through the ups and downs of my 64-year career. I love you all and God bless you,” shares Jackson.
Encore Tracklist:
1. Big Baby – Christopher Casello, Robin Lynn Grant
2. Two Shots (featuring Elle King and Joan Jett) – David Ryan Harris, Tanner Elle Schneider
3. You Drive Me Wild” – Joan Jett
4. Good Girl Down (featuring Angaleena Presley and Candi Carpenter) – Wanda Jackson, Vanessa Olivarez, Angaleena Presley
5. It Keeps Right On A Hurtin’ – Johnny Tillotson
6. We Gotta Stop – Wanda Jackson, Will Hoge, Vanessa Olivarez
7. Treat Me Like A Lady (featuring Joan Jett) – Wanda Jackson, Sonia Leigh, Vanessa Olivarez, Jordan Breanne Simpson
8. That What Love Is (featuring Joan Jett) – Wanda Jackson, Luke Laird, Lori McKenna, Jordan Breanne Simpson
Fiona Whelan Prine Named A Nominee For Member Of The National Council On The Arts
/by Lydia FarthingFiona Whelan Prine
President Joe Biden recently announced his intent to nominate 17 individuals to serve in key roles within his administration. Included in this nomination list is Fiona Whelan Prine as a member of the National Council on the Arts.
Prine brings an expansive viewpoint to the American roots music community as President of Oh Boy Records, the country’s second-oldest independent record label still in operation. In that role, she oversees the multiple Grammy Award-winning recordings and publishing copyrights of her late husband, American music icon John Prine. She also serves as Founder and President of the newly established Hello in There Foundation. As one of Nashville’s most prominent and dedicated philanthropists, Whelan Prine has volunteered countless hours on behalf of Thistle Farms, a global nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to helping women survivors recover and heal from poverty, prostitution, trafficking, and addiction. Her many fundraising initiatives have helped raise over $3 million for the organization. In the last year alone, her community involvement has raised more than $1 million for important social causes, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Born and raised in Ireland, Whelan Prine is the eldest of six daughters born to Donal and Mary Whelan. She served as Business Manager for Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, considered Ireland’s premiere recording studio. Whelan Prine met John while working there with artists like U2, Van Morrison, and many others, later marrying in Nashville where they raised their three sons. Whelan Prine received her U.S. citizenship in 2004.
Additional nominations that President Biden intends to make are Michael Carpenter as a U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); Claire Cronin as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ireland; Jack Markell as a Representative of the United States of America to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; Cindy Hensley McCain as a U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture; Homer Wilkes as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, Department of Agriculture; Raymond Limon for Vice Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board of Directors; Max Vekich as a member of the Federal Maritime Commission; Stacey Brandenburg and Robert Garcia as Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation; and Kamilah Forbes, Christopher Morgan, Ismael Ahmed, Kinan Azmeh, Huascar Medina, Jake Shimabukuro, and Constance Williams as members of the National Council on the Arts.
Vincent Neil Emerson Releases Rodney Crowell-Produced Debut
/by Lorie HollabaughVincent Neil Emerson records his self-titled album at Sound Emporium Studios. Photo: Hannah Diane
Singer-songwriter Vincent Neil Emerson has released his self-titled album today, June 25 on La Honda Records and Thirty Tigers. The project includes his latest single, “High On Gettin’ By,” which follows the previously released tracks “Learnin’ To Drown” and “Texas Moon.” Emerson entered the studio with legendary Texas icon Rodney Crowell, who produced the self-titled project.
“I got drawn into this project as a producer because I was immediately drawn to the poetry of the songs that Vincent writes,” says Crowell. “To me, it’s in that Texas folk-singer tradition of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, myself and Steve Earle. When I heard Vincent’s songs, I said, ‘I get this. I understand it. I want to be a part of this.’ It’s really exciting to me that there’s another generation coming up with the sensibilities of really good, strong language and a respect for the tradition of poetic folk-singing and songwriting.”
Vincent Neil Emerson with producer Rodney Crowell at Sound Emporium Studios recording his self-titled album. Photo: Hannah Diane
Album opener “Texas Moon” is an ode about looking forward to returning home from the road, but always having the itch to get back on tour once you’re back, praised by MusicRow’s Robert K. Oermann as “an enchanting bluegrassy blend of rippling acoustic guitars, fiddle and banjo… highly promising.” Meanwhile, Emerson’s first release from the project, “Learnin’ To Drown,” is a raw song he wrote to confront his feelings about his father’s suicide. Allowing himself to reveal some of the most intimate details of his life was a scary yet freeing prospect for Emerson, an authentic torchbearer of the Texas songwriter tradition. “Learnin’ To Drown” earned placements on Spotify’s flagship Americana playlist, Indigo, Emerging Americana, Fresh Folk and Apple Music’s Best New Songs.
“’High On Gettin’ By’ was one of the first songs I wrote for this record, if not the first song. It’s one of those that just kind of came out very free flowing and naturally,” shares Emerson. “I wrote it at a time in my life where I felt like everything was falling apart. I didn’t know what to do, so I started writing. This song probably means the most to me out of all the songs on the album, because it’s a blessing to be where I am right now.”
Vincent Neil Emerson Track List:
1. Texas Moon
2. Debtor’s Blues
3. High On The Mountain
4. Learnin’ To Drown
5. Ripplin’ And Wild
6. Durango
7. The Ballad Of The Choctaw-Apache
8. White Horse Saloon
9. High On Gettin’ By
10. Saddled Up And Tamed
Parker McCollum’s ‘Gold Chain Cowboy’ Slated For July 30
/by Lorie HollabaughParker McCollum will release his major label debut album, Gold Chain Cowboy, on July 30 via MCA Nashville.
He penned all 10 songs on the project, produced by Jon Randall, including his Platinum-selling No. 1 hit “Pretty Heart,” and his latest song on country radio “To Be Loved By You.”
McCollum shares songwriting credits with Randall, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Randy Montana, Rhett Akins, Miranda Lambert, Tony Lane and more on the new project. The album’s newest release, “Rest of My Life,” is available everywhere today (June 25).
Gold Chain Cowboy Track Listing:
1. Wait Outside – Parker McCollum, Jon Randall, Randy Rogers
2. Dallas (Featuring Danielle Bradbery) – Parker McCollum, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers
3. To Be Loved By You – Parker McCollum, Rhett Akins
4. Drinkin’ – Parker McCollum, Lee Miller
5. Falling Apart – Parker McCollum, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Randy Rogers
6. Heart Like Mine – Parker McCollum, Tony Lane, Ben West
7. Why Indiana – Parker McCollum, Erik Dylan, Randy Montana
8. Rest Of My Life – Parker McCollum
9. Pretty Heart – Parker McCollum, Randy Montana
10. Never Loved You At All – Parker McCollum, Corey Crowder, Brian Kelley
Gary Allan Makes Long-Awaited Return With ‘Ruthless,’ Eight Years In The Making [Interview]
/by LB CantrellGary Allan. Photo: Eric Adkins
Country music renaissance man Gary Allan released his long-awaited new album Ruthless today (June 25).
The 13-track project finds Allan tapping into the eclectic and tender-hearted themes ever-present in his prior releases, and settling into his ‘80s and ‘90s influences. He co-produced Ruthless with some of the minds behind his acclaimed breakout album Smoke Rings In The Dark, Mark Wright and Tony Brown, in addition to Jay Joyce and Greg Droman.
The tracklist, a sequence he has been collecting for eight years, reads like a who’s who of Music Row, with writers Jim Beavers, Sarah Buxton, Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon, Ryan Hurd, Matt Warren, Josh Kear, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, the late busbee, and more.
Allan recently spoke with MusicRow about Ruthless, making sad songs, and the last 25 years.
MusicRow: The first thing I noticed about Ruthless is there’s a lot of outside cuts, with 12 of the 13 songs. When did you start collecting these songs?
Allan: I have been collecting these songs over the past eight years. The album is an accumulation of three separate projects. One I did with my engineer Greg Droman and my road band–that’s like the “Little Glass of Wine” and “What I Can’t Talk About.” I did another project with Jay Joyce and the label didn’t really hear it. That was right in the middle of the “bro country” thing. We all decided we should just drag our feet until this goes away a little bit. And then the third time we did it was when I felt that ’90s trend coming back. I thought, let’s go get the whole crew that played on the Smoke Rings In The Dark album, and I’ll get Tony Brown and Mark Wright, and that was where these last batch came from.
The cool thing is I had eight years of songs that I had collected and you’re right, it’s probably the least [amount of songs I’ve co-written that] I’ve ever had on the record, but I just tried to be honest with myself. I wore out all those songs if my house, and those were the 13 that spoke to me the most.
“Waste of A Whiskey Drink” is the leading single for the project. What compelled you to this song when you heard it?
It’s tongue-in-cheek, it just made smile. I think we’ve all sat down at a bar with somebody and said, “Man, you don’t want none of that. That’s a waste of a whiskey drink and a big heartache coming if you get involved.”
Speaking on heartache, you have mastered that over the years with some of your biggest songs telling the story of heartache or love gone wrong (see “Watching Airplanes,” “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” “Best I Ever Had”). Do you feel like that’s what you’re known for now?
Yeah, that’s all my favorite stuff. I’ve been called the master of misery and there are all kinds of quotes from different magazines about my writing. With “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” I learned from Hillary [Lindsey] how you can write a sad song but still write every line to be positive. But sad songs have always been my favorite stuff. I’ve always loved the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and the album cuts on records. Even my favorite artists [put out a lot of sad songs.] I have always been blown away that [artists like] Merle Haggard weren’t playing the AT&T Center.
I’ve always viewed myself as like the guy in the bar or part of the bar band because that’s always been my favorite stuff. For instance, “A Little Glass Of Wine,” is an old Jesse Winchester song. I got turned onto him by songwriters Odie Blackmon and Jamie O’Hara. Jamie use to tell me that was his all-time favorite writer and that made me go and buy all of his stuff.
“What I Can’t Talk About” has such a great lyric. “That’s why I sing about what I can’t talk about.” What was your reaction when you heard that hook?
I thought that was my next big single. I cut that eight years ago. When you go in and you cut in the studio, in your head, you have the two or three songs that are the singles. I was so confident that I started cutting songs like “Little Glass Of Wine.” When I turned it in, they were like, “Man, I just think that’s too negative.” In hindsight, that was the beginning of the “bro country” thing. My manager talked to me about this a little bit. He said, “We just didn’t feel like you were going to fit into the current format, so eventually we started just dragging our feet.”
You are a co-writer on “Pretty Damn Close.” Tell me about writing that one.
To me it’s like a George Strait song. That’s all I heard when we were writing it and that’s all I hear still when I listen to it. That “Something about her spinning around with the glitter in her hair,” just feels super ’80s and ’90s. I missed that. I miss writing with guitars. To me, that’s my favorite part about the ’90s sounds is the melodies and I think that’s what we’re lacking most right now.
Why did Ruthless stick out as the track from which you should title this project?
For me, I’m still a little kid looking at the shelf. So I always try to think of what looks cool on the shelf, so “Gary Allan – Ruthless” says “He’s gonna be here no matter what, he’s going to make it through this.”
You’re celebrating the release of Ruthless with a special performance tonight (June 25) at Assembly Hall in Fifth + Broadway. Have you gotten to play much recently now that the pandemic restrictions are lifting?
This will be my fifth show back. We had 462 days between shows, not that I was counting. It feels so good to be back.
It’s been 25 years since your first album Used Heart For Sale. What are some of the biggest things you’ve learned about yourself since then?
Just do what you do. That’s probably the hardest thing about being around for a long time is not to get jaded every time it takes a left turn. Even if you think [what the music industry is doing] sucks, you can’t go, “This sucks.” You have to go, “How do I sit in this?” I had the hardest time with the “bro country” thing, I didn’t like it. I didn’t understand it. But what I learned the most is don’t let other people define what you’re good at, what you’re awesome at, or what you feel good about. Just go do your thing and let the chips fall.
Victoria Shaw, Cooper Alan Form Cooped Up Records
/by Lydia FarthingPictured (back row, L-R): Victoria Shaw (Cooped Up Records), Cooper Alan (Cooped Up Records), Meredith Billings (of Keller Turner Andrews & Ghanem, PLLC). (front row): Cooper Alan. Photo: Aaron Crisler/Conduit Media
Country artist Cooper Alan and hit songwriter/industry member Victoria Shaw have partnered to form Cooped Up Records. Based in Nashville, Alan is also the first signee to the new independent label.
Alan, born and bred in North Carolina, spent 4 years at UNC Chapel Hill where he and his friends soon became the go to band for great music and high energy, all-night performances. After graduation, Alan moved to Music City where he had the luck of meeting Shaw, hit songwriter and producer with credits for Garth Brooks, Ricky Martin, and Lady A to name few, who quickly signed him to a publishing deal.
At the beginning of quarantine, Alan decided to introduce his music to social media’s country music lovers, who like him, were “cooped up” at home. 14 months later, he has amassed over 3.4 million TikTok followers, over 250k Instagram followers, three No. 1 singles on the iTunes Country/all genre charts, and over 35 million digital streams, along with charting on the Billboard Country streaming charts. Alan’s singles include “Climate Change,” “15 to 12,” and his newest release “Colt 45 Country Remix” featuring Rvshvd, which is available now on all digital platforms.
“Cooped Up Records couldn’t be more excited to have Cooper Alan as our first signing,” says Shaw, Co-CEO of Cooped Up Records.
Alan, the other Co-CEO of Cooped Up Records jokingly adds, “Signing him was a no brainer.”
Alan kicks off the In Real Life Tour in Memphis, Tennessee on July 7. He will perform alongside fellow TikTok artist Alexandra Kay. Five of the nine shows will also feature up-and-coming special guest Thomas Mac. Dates are below and tickets are available here.
Chart Action: Brantley Gilbert And Friends Earn Most Added Distinction
/by Alex ParryBrantley Gilbert‘s new single with Hardy and Toby Keith dominated the most added lists on the Billboard, Mediabase, and MusicRow radio charts this week. “The Worst Country Song Of All Time” gained 141 cumulative adds across all three country charts.
The song also achieved the highest debut across the charts landing at No. 32 on Billboard, No. 44 on Mediabase, and No. 58 on MusicRow. Gilbert penned the single with Hardy, Hunter Phelps, and Will Weatherly.
“Hardy threw the idea on the table, and he said, ‘Guys, I know this is crazy, but I had a title I put down in my phone: ‘The Worst Country Song Of All Time,’” Gilbert elaborates. “We all laughed it off because obviously it was a joke. Then we all were throwing out lines we thought were funny. The next thing you know, we’ve got this song written, and the rest is history in the making.”
Chris Tomlin Teams Up With Tyler Hubbard, Jimmie Allen, Russell Dickerson On Summer EP
/by Lorie HollabaughChris Tomlin has revealed the track list and special guests for his upcoming Chris Tomlin & Friends Summer EP, due out July 2.
Produced by Corey Crowder, the EP includes three new songs featuring Florida Georgia Line‘s Tyler Hubbard who also served as executive producer, Jimmie Allen, and Russell Dickerson. The project also contains two previously-released tracks featuring Dickerson, Florida Georgia Line, and Thomas Rhett from Chris Tomlin & Friends, his No. 1 debuting album released last year.
The 2020 project currently has over 150 million global streams and featured two songs that placed in Spotify’s Viral 50. The album included Tomlin’s second longest running No. 1 song, “Who You Are To Me” featuring Lady A, that topped the charts for six consecutive weeks.
Chris Tomlin & Friends Summer EP Track List:
1. Good To Be Loved feat. Tyler Hubbard – Chris Tomlin, Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder, Blessing Offor
2. Talk To Him feat. Russell Dickerson – Chris Tomlin, Russell Dickerson, Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder, Ashley Gorley
3. Love People”feat. Jimmie Allen – Chris Tomlin, Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder, Dave Barnes
4. Thank You Lord feat. Florida Georgia Line & Thomas Rhett – Chris Tomlin, Thomas Rhett, Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder, David Garcia
5. Sing feat. Russell Dickerson & Florida Georgia Line – Chris Tomlin, Corey Crowder, Brian Kelley, Tyler Hubbard, Cary Barlowe