The reasons might not be as dramatic as reports have suggested. Continue reading…

The Food Network star had to slow down after sustaining a serious leg injury on set, but there was one commitment he simply wasn't willing to cancel. Continue reading…

Feeling blessed for his partner ahead of welcoming baby number two. Parker McCollum and his wife are preparing to welcome their second son into the world later this year. On Christmas Day, the couple announced to the world that their son, Major Yancy, would become a big brother. “McCollum party of 4 next Christmas!!!! Another BOY joining us summer 2026!!! Merry Christmas, everyone! Thank you, Jesus! HBD!!” View this post on Instagram McCollum has spoken about how special this time of life is for him, and being a dad while still getting to chase his dream as a musician has been the definition of living a good life. McCollum and Hallie Ray have found a great balance with the family being on the road, leaning into what might be an unconventional lifestyle while having both mom and dad present for Major. “He’s living a very good life. I don’t think he has any worries other than maybe when he’s hungry, which seems to be all the time. But it’s so good, I’ll tell you what the dad thing is, as much fun as I’ve ever had. Just being a family man and going home and having him and Hallie Ray there is pretty special. To get to miss them and then go home and they’re there, that’s a lot of fun.”  While McCollum is soaking up every moment he has with his son, he also noted how incredible his wife is as a mom, calling her a super mom. “Watching Hallie Ray be a mom, which is way harder than being a dad. At least at this point. It’s really impressive, man. It’s been a special time for us.” Recently, during a conversation with Cody Alan for SiriusXM’s The Highway, Alan asked McCollum how he feels about adding to their herd later this year. McCollum noted that he and his bride are beyond excited to have a second child, and while that might bring some chaos, they are ready for it all. “Golly, that’s real. We’re excited, man. I know Hallie Ray is really excited. Watching our wild animal run around the house right now, I’m like, ‘Are we really about to do this again?’ And we absolutely are. So man, Cody, we’ve just been so freaking blessed, dude. I mean, the music, the career has been awesome, and the family is healthy, and you know, Major, our little man we got right now, is just the freaking, you know, brightest light in the world, and setting the bar high for number two.” Cody then jokes with McCollum that he’s not sure how he and Hallie Ray are going to come up with a name for baby boy #2 better than Major. McCollum hilariously shares that if Hallie Ray would leave the baby naming up to him, their second son would end up with a name like Baller, and then reveals that when they were deciding on Major’s name, McCollum really wanted to name their son Cadillac McCollum and call him Cadillac Mac. I mean, that name would get you places in high school. View this post on Instagram Later in the conversation with Cody Alan, McCollum praises his wife for how steady she’s been during this pregnancy and as a mother. McCollum frequently dotes on how incredible a wife, mother, and partner that Hallie Ray is, but it sounds like he’s feeling a little extra appreciative for who he chose to marry as they prepare to welcome Major’s brother into the world. McCollum shared that Hallie Ray has maintained who she is, both mentally and physically, throughout all of their life phases, and he’s thankful for the routine they’ve got down pat. “Same exact person every single day. She needs about an hour in the morning to get the juices flowing. You know, I’m a morning person. It’s even before my eyes open. Every morning of my life, before my eyes even open, my brain’s going. I will lay there before I even open my eyes, and have a thousand thoughts in my head. It’s about an hour after she wakes up before she’s really kicked into gear. But she is the exact same person every single day. Opposites attracted there for sure. I’m all over the place. I’m nine different people before I get out of the shower in the morning. And she is just steady, man. I mean, you can’t rattle her.” Steady. High praise for the woman he loves. Things you love to hear. It’s evident that McCollums make a super parent duo, and I can’t wait to see their family grow and Major become a big brother. These kiddos hit the lottery with their parents. While you’re here, fire up an acoustic version of “Big Ole Fancy House,” which McCollum is getting ready to release later this month. The post “She Is Just Steady, Man” – Parker McCollum Praises His Wife, Hallie Ray, Ahead Of Welcoming Baby #2 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Ain’t that the truth. Lainey Wilson had what can only be described as a huge year in 2025. Undoubtedly, her biggest accomplishment was taking home her second-straight CMA Entertainer of the Year Award in November, becoming just the third woman in history to win in consecutive years. She also hosted the show solo, taking home Album of the Year for Whirlwind and Female Vocalist of the Year. She continued with several #1 radio hits, acted in her first major motion picture, the Colleen Hoover adaptation, Reminders Of Him, which will be out on March 13th, and embarked on the extensive, worldwide Whirlwind tour. In terms of her personal life, the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Duck Hodges, in February, and they have plans to get married next year. As 2026 slowly starts to warm up, Wilson is showing no signs of slowing down. Over the weekend, the Louisiana native made an appearance at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. As a part of her “Tough as Nails” exhibit in the museum, which is running through June, Wilson sat down to discuss her career journey with a group of local students. In addition to her discussion, she’d perform a few tracks such as her recent #1 hit, “Somewhere Over Laredo,” as well as a brand new, unreleased track titled “People Need Jesus,” which was penned alongside Tranny Anderson and Dallas Wilson of the Heart Wranglers. With both Anderson and Wilson on stage with her, the “4X4XU” singer and Anderson would allude to the track being inspired by some gossip being spread. In response, Lainey would note that either she or Anderson responded by saying, “Oh Lord, people need Jesus.” And from there, the song was born. The trio would then begin to perform the song, starting with the first verse, which depicts some hilarious small-town drama. “Preacher got caught with a trifling woman And wouldn’t his sweet, little wife Tear into town and probably hold a camera Just for a Facebook fight An ‘ol boy named Paul he was running from the law Yelled, ‘Hey y’all, watch this’ When the sun went down, mobile took a swim Right where the alligator sits” The hilarious first verse is immediately followed by the incredibly melodic, gospel-inspired chorus: “People need Jesus People need Jesus People need Jesus Ain’t that the gospel truth? People need Jesus People need Jesus And I need Jesus As much as they all do” Wilson would then pause for a minute to explain to the crowd how the rest of the song came to be. As she noted, she and Anderson finished the first verse and chorus before going to bed. After they woke up, they were texting ideas for rest of the song, well before Dallas woke up. “So then, we were texting back-and-forth that morning. Then Tranny sent me a couple lines and then Dallas wakes up. And he’s like, ‘Yo, what are y’all doing?’ I said, ‘Were writing a song through text messaging!’ Then we came up with this.” “Hate that the bank took himself to ?? At the ?? before it closed at six An ‘ol fart named Bart found something in the yard Bought to the neighborhood kids My girlfriend named Gena in her polka dot bikini Come off for the TikTok clout Well, I hit a deer sometime last year Told myself it’ll buff right out” Wilson would pause once again to ask the crowd how they liked the new song, noting that they’re still not 100% finished with writing it yet. She’d then explain that she wrote the bridge to the song after listening to a sermon from popular Dallas-based preacher, Robert Madu. “So I watched this sermon. There’s this preacher named Robert Madu. He preaches out of Dallas [at] this church called Social Dallas… And he was talking about discord, you know, talking bad about people… And as I was writing this song, talking bad about these people, this is what I thought to myself. “I don’t sew, but I’m sewing discord And I know that it just ain’t right So when it’s time for bed, I’mma read a little red Pray a little extra tonight.” Though I doubt this song ever gets released as a full-fledged radio single, it has all the makings to be a cult-classic for Wilson. I’m going to need a release ASAP. Watch here: @cass_shines People Need Jesus! Yes they do! And the people need this recently (partially) written, unreleased song. Loved hearing this one today at the Heart Wranglers writers round at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum! Trannie Anderson, Lainey Wilson, Dallas Wilson #HeartWranglers #NewSong #PeopleNeedJesus #WritersRound @Lainey Wilson @Lainey Wilson’s Wild Horses @Trannie Anderson ♬ original sound – Cassie Hines The post WATCH: Country Fans Are Already Obsessed With Lainey Wilson’s Unreleased New Song, “People Need Jesus” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This is one list where you’d rather not land in the Top 5. Nashville continues to be one of the premiere tourist destinations in the United States. 16.9 million people visited Nashville in 2024, and that annual visitor number is expected to gradually increase in the next couple of years. People evidently can’t get enough of the pedal taverns, artist-owned bars, hot chicken, and $15 beers. Though millions flock to “Music City” to immerse themselves in the country music and “culture” of Nashville, those that used to visit a decade ago barely recognize what the city has become. It’s safe to say that much of the Broadway strip and surrounding Downtown Nashville area have gone corporate, and the charm that used to draw in the masses has been replaced with charmless establishments (that often have a country music star’s name slapped on the outside). Why is that happening? Well, a lot of it has to do with “Old Nashville” establishments being priced out. Rent for properties continues to rise in the area, and thanks to new property appraisals in Nashville, there’s a concern that a lot of the bars and restaurants located on Broadway and elsewhere in Downtown Music City could soon shutter. Basically, the new property appraisals that were completed in 2024 have raised property taxes to heights that have never been seen before. Rob Mortenson, the head of the Broadway Entertainment Association, told FOX17 that the rising taxes could very well spell the end for some of staples of the Broadway scene: “These are folks that have been there for 40 years on Broadway, and, you know, they can’t pay the taxes. Their option is, I was told, we’re either going to go bankrupt or go to jail, one of the two, because we literally can’t pay the taxes.” There’s no doubt that Nashville has become a hotspot in recent years. The city’s growth has been astronomical, and that growth has resulted in property value – specifically in Davidson County, where the city of Nashville is located – to rise over 40%. You might think, “Oh, that’s great! People’s property is worth more now.” That might be true, but the hidden negative that comes with it: property taxes rise with property value. And as more and more Nashville staples close down or move out, there’s not a lot of authentic experiences remaining, and only the big corporations can afford to locate on and around Broadway. From my vantage point, the town is prioritizing tourists over locals, and apparently tourists just want copy-and-paste bars that “belong” to some of their favorite country artists. There’s no other way to put it… but a stroll down Broadway feels more corporate now than it does Nashville. That’s why a new ranking from InsureAndGo ranked Nashville as No. 4 on the list of the world’s Top 15 Tourist Trap Cities. They gave “Music City” an authenticity score of 3.8 out of ONE HUNDRED, which is just diabolical. But when you hear their explanation, it kind of makes sense: “Known as the ‘Country Music Capital of the World,’ Nashville has been a standout destination for those who want to get immersed in the music genre’s history for quite some time. However, the famous Broadway strip has lost a bit of its shine the more it curates for visitors. Branded bars and polished venues overshadow the more organic local music scene, contributing to its lower authenticity score according to those who’ve been there.” Only Chicago, Venice, and Las Vegas ranked higher than Nashville on the list. In defense of “Music City,” there’s still some authentic places around the city… you just won’t find them on Broadway (maybe besides Robert’s Western World). You’ll hardly ever see a local bar-hopping on the famous downtown street nowadays, and that’s because they stopped making the trek to Broadway as all of the authentic Honky Tonks were pushed out. But millions and millions of people keep traveling to Nashville, so though it might be a tourist trap… it’s an effective one at that.The post “A 3.8 Out Of 100”: Nashville Ranked 4th On List Of “World’s Biggest Tourist Trap Cities” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.