Kelly stepped away from the spotlight to be there for Brandon Blackstock in his final days — not for herself, but for their children. Continue reading…

Now THAT is how you perform the “Star Spangled Banner.” Ahead of the NFC Championship between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, the home team decided to bring in a rising country music star who actually grew up in the state of Washington. There’s a good chance you’ve heard of him, and there’s an even better chance that you’ve sang “I SLEEP LIKE A BABY” at the top of your lungs. If you weren’t catching on already, I’m talking about Zach Top. The 28-year-old was born and raised in Sunnyside, Washington. In case you aren’t up to date on your geography, that state isn’t located in the southern U.S., where country accents are the most prevalent. It’s actually about as far north (and far west) as you can get. I only mention that because there’s a conspiracy theory that the “I Never Lie” singer might be lying about his country accent. But who cares when he sounds just like your favorite country music artist from yesteryear? Zach Top is the face of the neotraditional country movement, and he’s impressed with his musical ability so much that he got asked to perform the national anthem ahead of the NFC Championship that Seattle is hosting. Zach Top under theses arches! Don’t miss his national anthem ahead of the NFC Championship. pic.twitter.com/93PzNBcsdF — Lumen Field (@LumenField) January 25, 2026 They weren’t kidding when they said to not miss it. Just minutes before the game started, Zach Top stood out on Lumen Field and absolutely brought it with his rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” For those that weren’t familiar with his game, they are now. I guarantee that “Who is Zach Top?” was being Googled like crazy. Real country music fans already knew… and we’re seated for this bring-a-tear-to-your-eye national anthem: @Zachtopmusic performs the national anthem FOX pic.twitter.com/q52tYCO5Gy — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 25, 2026 COME ON WITH IT. That “Star Spangled Banner” had everything. A big ol’ flag, a mesmerizing flyover, and Zach Top hitting every single note of the song that celebrates America. It very well might be the highlight of the NFC Championship game… and it happened before the football was even snapped. NFL fans and country music fans alike loved everything about it: Zach Top with a killer National Anthem performance — Joe Delgado (@joedelgado3rd) January 25, 2026 Zach Top NFC Championship national anthem?? pic.twitter.com/NsCklXzQZ6 — Jake! (@JakeAndBall) January 25, 2026 Never heard of Zach Top but I think I just heard the national anthem performed at the highest level. What a voice! — Phill2ERA (@Phill2ERA) January 25, 2026 Zach Top did an incredible job singing the National Anthem! That is why he’s one of the fastest rising stars in country music! — Ezra Vickrey #TooSweetCosplay #NationsCorner (@Deadman469) January 25, 2026 Zach Top every time he steps in front of a microphone pic.twitter.com/ZDwMPr81mD — Rocco Foust (@rjfoust0) January 25, 2026 Zach Top just gave the best National Anthem performance I’ve ever heard. God bless America and thank you Lord for playoff football. — Josh Brown (@RhubarbBrown) January 25, 2026 Zach Top! — Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) January 25, 2026 Zach Top should be the Super Bowl halftime performer, not a man in a dress. — Jake Franklin Football (@JakeFranklinFB) January 25, 2026 Hey… they said it. Not me.The post Watch: Zach Top Delivers An Instant Classic National Anthem Before NFC Title Game first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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If you can believe it, even Dolly Parton has had a song or two banned from the radio. On this date in 1975, she released “The Bargain Store,” which according to Showbiz, was banned at almost every radio station when most DJ’s across the country refused to play her it because they viewed a lot of the lyrics as “suggestive.” Specifically, they didn’t like the line “you can easily afford the price,” which they (incorrectly) viewed as a thinly veiled reference to prostitution, though in the context of the song, it’s pretty obvious that’s not what it meant: “Why you take for instance this old broken heart If you will just replace the missing part You would be surprised to find how good it really is Take it and you never will be sorry that you did The bargain store is open, come inside You can easily afford the price Love is all you need to purchase all the merchandise And I can guarantee you’ll be completely satisfied” And while Dolly has certainly been a pioneer for woman not only in country music, but in general, she insist that she never thought of the song in that way at all and never meant to make it sexual: “When I wrote ‘The Bargain Store,’ I swear on my life that I was never thinking about love in any vulgar way. Somehow, this lyric is a dirty thing to a man. But I never saw it that way. Every man I know thinks it’s dirty.” I mean, she’s not wrong… and I wish I was surprised by that, but I’m really not… but it does make for quite a funny story. She told the whole tale in her book Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics that came out a couple years ago, explaining that she was using the concept of a “bargain” as a metaphor for a potential relationship: “All I was thinking of was the heart: ‘If you don’t mind the merchandise is slightly used, with a little mending it can be good as new.’ I was saying that you’ll be surprised at how good this broken heart is. Just take it. You’ll never be sorry that you did. Just come inside, come inside my heart. The words just meant that I’ve had relationships: I’ve been through stuff; I’m not new at this.” She also notes she was surprised to see the hesitancy from radio stations in terms of actually playing the song, because she knew how good it was when she wrote it and believed it could be a hit: “I thought for sure that I had written a hit song. And then the disc jockeys wouldn’t play it.” Honestly, the funniest part of the whole debacle is what she says next: “At that time, they were so difficult. Now you can show something much stronger on TV, and people don’t think a thing about it.” Truer words have never been spoken… it’s laughable to us now to think something like that could ever even have the threat of being banned, but times have certainly changed. It really makes you wonder what she thinks about radio now, seeing as not only will they play songs which are far more suggestive than this one, they’re not all that interested in even playing actual country music anymore. And as to how well the song did once the DJs finally decided to play it? Well, it ended up becoming her fifth #1 hit as a solo country artist on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that year, because it ended up picking up so steam at the stations that would actually put it in the rotation. You simply can’t touch a Queen… “The Bargain Store” The post “Every Man I Know Thinks It’s Dirty” — Why Country Radio DJs Refused To Play Dolly Parton’s Most Misunderstood #1 Hit first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

His debut album is still on the country charts. Luke Combs released his debut album This One’s for You nearly a decade ago in the summer of 2017, which quickly jumped to #1 on the Top Country Albums chart for 50 weeks, a record for a male artist at the time. Of course, huge hits like “Hurricane”, “When It Rains It Pours”, and “One Number Away” helped garner tons of attention, and country music fans around the world resonated deeply with his pure country sound and creative, fun and meaningful lyrics. Later, he released a deluxe edition called This One’s for You Too, which was released in June of 2018, and featured five new tracks including fan favorite “She Got the Best of Me” and “Beautiful Crazy,” which would later go on to be certified Diamond, helping Combs set a record for holding nearly 30% of all Diamond-certified country songs. And according to Forbes, Luke’s debut is continuing a historic run, recently passing the mark for spending 450 weeks on two different Billboard charts in the Top Country Albums chart and the Billboard 200 chart. This One’s for You is the first album by Combs to spend 450 weeks on either list, and it’s actually the only one of his albums to pass 400, though What You See Is What You Get, the sophomore follow-up, could eventually get there too. They also report that: “‘This One’s for You’ peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, which at the time, when it reached that high in the summer of 2018, a year after its debut, was a notable position for one of country’s newest figures. Two other sets, ‘The Prequel’ EP and ‘Gettin’ Old,’ also stalled in the same position. Combs topped the Billboard 200 for the first time with What You See Is What You Get, which ruled for two frames, while ‘Growin’ Up,’ a companion piece to ‘Gettin’ Old,’ missed the mark by just one spot. Three projects by Combs can be found on charts in the U.S. at the moment. ‘Gettin’ Old’ is present on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart, just like ‘This One’s for You,’ while ‘What You See Is What You Get’ only takes up space on the Top Country Albums list.” To say Combs remains a superstar in country music feels like an understatement, and the fact that these albums all remain on the country charts is a testament to his talent and staying power thanks to timeless, true country music. and he’s gearing up for another big release in March, as his first official album in two years, The Way I Am, is due out in March. It was produced by Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews. The Way I Am will feature a whopping 22 songs, including already-released songs like “Giving Her Away,” “15 Minutes,” “My Kinda Saturday Night,” and most recently “Sleepless in a Hotel Room.” I have no doubt this new project will follow suit in terms of the massive and lasting success. “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates March 21 Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV April 4 Scott Stadium – Charlottesville, VA April 11 Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, IA April 18 Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN April 25 Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH May 2 Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN May 9 Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Norman, OK May 15 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 16 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UKThe post Luke Combs’ Debut Album, ‘This One’s For You,’ Passes Huge Milestone On Country Charts Nearly A Decade After Its Release first appeared on Whiskey Riff.