A pretty shocking revelation. It’s hard to understate just how much of a force to be reckoned with Chris Stapleton has become throughout his music career. With 11 Grammys, 19 CMA Awards, 11 ACM Awards and a plethora of other hardware from the likes of Billboard, the Americana Music Association, ASCAP and more, the Kentucky native is arguably the biggest and most critically-acclaimed country artist this century. Among all the awards, last week, Stapleton made history as the only artist to capture a double-diamond song from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as his cover of David Allan Coe’s “Tennessee Whiskey” officially sold over 20 million units in the U.S. Of course, there’s so much to talk about when discussing Stapleton’s career as a whole. From his iconic breakout during the 2015 CMA Awards that signaled the death of bro-country, to his laundry list of hits, to his long history as a songwriter in Nashville before his fame as a solo artist, the Chris Stapleton lore runs incredibly deep. Though I’d say it’s fairly common knowledge for hardcore Stapleton fans (and dedicated country fans in general), one piece of information that is oftentimes overlooked is the fact that he was a prominent member of The SteelDrivers. In case you’re not familiar with The SteelDrivers, they’re a Nashville-based bluegrass band founded back in 2005 by Mike Henderson. In the early days of the band, it was comprised of Henderson on mandolin, Stapleton himself as lead vocals/guitar, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, Richard Bailey on banjo and Mike Fleming on bass. It’s hard to truly overstate just how much success they had right out of the gate. In addition to scoring early hits with the likes of “If It Hadn’t Been For Love,” “Heaven Sent” and “Where Rainbows Never Die,” The SteelDrivers would also receive multiple Grammy nominations within their first few years as a band, with “Blue Side of the Mountain” receiving a nod for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2009 and Reckless receiving a nod for Best Bluegrass Album in 2011. As we know by now, Stapleton ended up leaving the band in 2010. At the time, it was reported that he departed in favor of focusing on raising his kids in addition to his incredibly successful songwriting career at the time. In turn, he was replaced by Gary Nichols, who performed with the band from 2010 to 2017. If you’ve paid close attention to the “Starting Over” singer over the past decade or so, however, it became quite apparent that he’s rarely spoken about his time with the band. While it would have been a bit reckless to say that there was bad blood between Stapleton and the group, there always seemed to be an air of uncertainty surrounding the exact reason for his departure. As it turns out, the reason for Stapleton’s departure from The SteelDrivers was actually MUCH different than originally stated back in 2010. In a recent appearance on the podcast, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, the Kentucky native dove into the strange argument that ultimately led to him leaving. As Stapleton described, one of the original members of the band, whom he wouldn’t name, developed a fear of flying at some point during his tenure, which seemingly led to disagreements over the direction of the band. “One of the guys in the band developed a fear of flying, and I had an opinion about what we needed to do. And everybody else in the band had a different opinion, so they got somebody else.” Shepard would then ask Stapleton if he was fired and/or kicked out of the band, and the “White Horse” singer didn’t deny it: “Technically, yes. I probably shouldn’t be saying that on here, but that’s technically the truth.” When asked if he was hurt by the firing, Stapleton would ultimately say yes. However, he seems to allude to the fact that he believed that they weren’t setting themselves up for the success he believed they could have had. “Well, sure, but I also didn’t believe that we were [setting the right course]. I was like, ‘Okay, well, I’ll do something else.'” Though Stapleton keeps this entire situation a bit vague, when you read between the lines, it seems as if he wanted the band to stay the course and become much bigger than they ultimately have been over the past decades. What’s fascinating is that this is the first confirmation we’ve gotten that he was outright fired from the band, which is obviously a huge departure from the original reports of him leaving the band due to his family and songwriting career. As of now, none of the original members of The SteelDrivers have commented on Stapleton’s newest revelations about his final days in the band. Watch the full podcast here: All-American Road Show Tour Dates May 23 – Nashville, Tennessee – Nissan Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 11 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena with Allen Stone June 13 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 17 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake with Allen Stone June 20 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 24 – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hersheypark Stadium with Grace Potter June 26 – North Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Coliseum with Grace Potter July 8 – Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 10 – Chula Vista, California – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 17 – Portland, Oregon – Providence Park with Grace Potter July 22 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena with The Teskey Brothers July 24 – George, Washington – The Gorge with Grace Potter July 29 – Shakopee, Minnesota – Mystic Lake Amphitheater  with Allen Stone August 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Paycor Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 8 – Detroit, Michigan – Ford Field with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 14 – Boston, Massachusetts – Fenway Park with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 18 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater with Maggie Rose August 21 – Atlanta, Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Ashley McBryde August 26 – Wantagh, New York – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater with Carter Faith August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki LaneThe post “Technically Kicked Out”: Chris Stapleton Reveals The Real Reason He Left The SteelDrivers first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A happy ending after all. (No pun intended if you’re familiar with Lee Brice‘s 2007 single “Happy Endings”). Brice shared good news with fans this morning after putting out the call for help yesterday from the Nashville community to find his missing – and pregnant – dog, Charlee. According to Brice, Charlee “slipped away from home,” and since then he had been on a desperate search to find their missing dog. “We’ve searched every back road, called every shelter, and prayed harder than we ever have.” Brice didn’t share the exact location that she went missing from, but said that by now she could be pretty much anywhere in the greater Nashville area: “She could be anywhere in or around the Nashville area… by now she could be anywhere from way south of Franklin, to past Dickson west of town, or any surrounding areas.” And he also shared a heartfelt message to his beloved dog while asking the community to keep their eyes out: “Charlee, if you’re out there, hang on, my pretty girl. Daddy’s coming for you. To everyone reading this, y’all know how much our four-legged friends mean to us country folks. If you’ve seen a pregnant dog that looks like her, or heard anything at all, please message me, comment below, or share this post. Any little clue could bring her home to her babies… and to us.” His post got a ton of response from the community, with many suggesting hiring a drone company to search for the dog or providing other helpful tips to get her back home. And luckily, it worked. Last night, he shared the news of a possible sighting in the Kingston Springs area of Tennessee, after a dog that was possibly Charlee had been spotted on a security camera. Brice shared the good news this morning that Charlee had been found, and though she does have a broken leg, it seems like she’s going to be just fine: “Here she is in her bed. Her little leg is broken but she’s gonna fix that. She’s so happy to be home, I’m so happy to have her home. Thank y’all so much for all y’all did, all my friends texting me and everybody on social media and all that. I’m just so glad I did that because, man, 24 hours to find, you know, somebody so special. Appreciate y’all again and again.” You love to see it. Hopefully Charlee heals fast from her injury, but there’s no doubt that Brice is over the moon to have his baby home. As he said in his original post, dogs are more than pets: They’re family members. It’s not a stretch to say that I like my dog better than most people, and I couldn’t imagine the mess I would be if she went missing for two weeks, or the relief and happiness I would feel when I got her back. But a favor to ask of Lee Brice: Don’t worry about writing a song about the ordeal. I can’t handle dog songs, because I always end up an emotional mess.The post Lee Brice Shares The Best Possible Update After Asking For Help Finding His Missing Dog first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Could Chris Stapleton be retiring?! Say it ain't so! Continue reading…

It was mostly good news for Lee Brice and his family this week. Continue reading…

He can’t say she didn’t warn him. This past Friday, Megan Moroney released a new song called “Wish I Didn’t,” from her forthcoming album Cloud 9, which was accompanied by a very cinematic music video inspired by the 2005 movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” You might also recognize her co-star, Dylan Efron, whose last name you probably recognize because he is the brother to Hollywood actor Zac Efron, notably of High School Musical fame. Dylan has been on reality shows like Season 3 of Peacock’s The Traitors, and more recently he finished in fourth place on Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars, alongside his professional partner Daniella Karagach, which is what I know him from, but he did a great job in this video and it sounds like they got their hands dirty in terms of doing some of the more involved stunts on their own. Megan wrote the song with Emily Weisband, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird, and it definitely leans into her pop sensibilities and sounds like a radio hit for sure, and during an appearance on Apple Music’s Zane Lowe Show, she opened up about the inspiration behind it… and it’s pretty much exactly what you think. She explained that she was dating a guy who was starting to show some early red flags, and she sat him down to have the conversation that must be incredibly unique to dating a famous musician… there will be songs whether it ends well or not: “I was just kind of dating this guy, and it was one of those moments where a little bit of a red flag had popped up. And I had warned him, I was like, ‘Don’t do this. If you’re gonna act like I think you’re gonna act, just don’t. Let’s handshake and call it a day.’ I literally had the conversation, like, ‘There will be songs. And I’m warning you, because I don’t wanna do this to you if you think this is gonna go any differently than me just walking away with you being unscathed after.’ It’s that aspect, but it’s also, like, I was just in a funny mood that day and kind of making fun of the fact that like, that’s probably one of the top three things guys think about when they’re dating me. Like, oh, am I gonna get a song written about me? And so it was kind of just like leaning into that and kind of making fun of the situation that I have created for myself as an artist and a songwriter who overshares.” And in terms of the mystery man who is the subject of “Wish I Didn’t”? Well, he’s long gone… “Long gone.” I guess he can at least have this song to show for himself, though I’m not so sure that’s a good thing… Megan is very open about how much her dating life inspires her music and becomes the subject matter she often sings about, but as long as she gives them a warning first, I’d say all’s fair… @zanelowe There will be songs… @Megan Moroney on her new track Wish I Didn’t. #meganmoroney #meganmoroneymusic #wishididnt #newmusic #newmusicdaily ♬ original sound – Zane Lowe The video itself is a play on the 2005 movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” and we do see Megan in a more mature, daring look in parts of the video in terms of the all black leather look, which you can get a full look at in the post from TooFaced cosmetics (she wore their makeup in the video). It’s not the glittery, fluffy pageant dresses she usually wears onstage, but she looks incredible: View this post on Instagram You can watch the full music video below. Cloud 9 Tracklist 1. “Cloud 9” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Ernest Keith Smith)* 2. “Medicine” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 3. “6 Months Later” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Rob Hatch, and David “Messy” Mescon)* 4. “Stupid” (Megan Moroney, Amy Allen, and David “Messy” Mescon)* 5. “Beautiful Things” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 6. “Convincing” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 7. “Liars & Tigers & Bears” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* 8. “I Only Miss You (ft. Ed Sheeran)” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, and Ed Sheeran)* 9. “Wedding Dress” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, and Colin Healy)+ 10. “Change of Heart” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)* 11. “Bells & Whistles (ft. Kacey Musgraves)” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)* 12. “Table for Two” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)^ 13. “Wish I Didn’t” (Megan Moroney, Emily Weisband, Hillary Lindsey, and Luke Laird)* 14. “Who Hurt You?” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* 15. “Waiting on the Rain” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)*The post Megan Moroney Reveals The Brutally Honest Warning She Gave The Guy Who Inspired “Wish I Didn’t” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.