A Christmas miracle. In 2021, Cody Johnson released his A Cody Johnson Christmas album, which is a ten-song project full of holiday classics, including Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December.” Of coures, that song was first released in 1973 as the lead single for Merle’s Christmas album Merle Haggard’s Christmas Present, but it later became the the title track to a non-Christmas album four months later, as well. A solo write by Merle, the song became one of the signature songs of his career, and peaked at#1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart. But it wasn’t exactly inspired by Merle’s own personal life, and rather came from a conversation he had with his guitar player, Roy Nichols. Nichols had been through multiple divorces, and they had a habit of coming at the end of the year. When Merle asked him how he was doing with this latest relationship, Nichols responded: “If we just make it through December…” Merle being the songwriter that he is, that line immediately jumped out at him, and he used the phrase as the inspiration to what would become one of his most beloved songs, that many of us think of as a Christmas song, but technically really could apply to any time of the year. The actual inspiration was more about a man hoping his relationship could survive through the end of the year, and if it did, it might have a chance for more long term success. Of course, Merle spun it into a song about financial success, and the struggle to make it through the end of the year, expecting a to have better luck the following year. It tells the story of a man who got laid off at the factory and is struggling through what is supposed to be one of the happiest times of year, and he explains the sadness he feels knowing that his little girl won’t have the Christmas he wants to give her this year. And Cody Johnson has lived every word of that song. During a live performance of it for CMT a couple of years ago, Cody explained that when he first married his wife, Brandi, they were living paycheck to paycheck, and of course, the holidays only made it that much harder on them financially. Cody was working a regular job, but also pursuing a music career, and when he and Brandi went over to his parents house to celebrate Christmas, he didn’t realize that he was putting the last $20 they had for the month in their card as a gift: “One year, right after Brandi and I had gotten married, we were very broke. Like broke, broke. Like ramen noodles were a luxury kind of broke. We went to my mom and dad’s house, and I took $20; I didn’t know this at the time, but it was our last $20 for the rest of the month. And I put it in a Christmas card. On the way home, I was wondering why she looked at me all funny… she said, ‘Do you realize that was our last $20 until you get paid again on the first of the month?’ And I didn’t realize that. So here we are, I’ve got three quarters of a tank of gas, and that’s it, that’s all we had to our name.” As they drove home, as fate would have it, Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” came on the radio, and they both started crying because those words absolutely hit home: “And we drove home, and Merle Haggard’s ‘If We Make It Through December’ came on the radio. Merle always had a way of making people cry, and in the truck, we both cried. We were both wondering how we were going to make it through December until the next year.” Cody said they were thankful that his mom sent them home with leftovers, and for some reason, he decided to go check the mail, and there were two checks for $2,500 apiece in the mailbox for some of the first songs he wrote: “When we got home, she went in the house and was unpacking leftovers that mom had, thank God, had sent home with us. And for some reason, I checked the mail. I walked out to the end of the driveway, and I checked the mail. My first two songwriter checks from ASCAP came in. They were $2,500 apiece. And I walked into the house, and we cried again. And then we pushed the couch up close to the TV and we heated up leftovers and we watched ‘It’s A Wonderful Life,’ and then we cried again… Merle, thank you for writing this song.” It’s such a beautiful story, and while unfortunately I think many people can relate to Merle’s classic song, Cody has certainly come a long way since then, and I’m sure that time in his life where he and Brandi really struggled has only made him appreciate his success that much more. I can never get enough of hearing him sing it, either… “If We Make It Through December” The post Cody Johnson Recalls Not Being Able To Afford Ramen Noodles One Christmas, & Then A Miracle Happened first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A new court filing alleges that Riley donated eggs used by John Travolta and Kelly Preston. Continue reading…

The cause of death for Rob and Michele Reiner has been confirmed, and their son Nick’s next court appearance is on the books. Continue reading…

New music is coming soon. Riley Green has had a very successful year in 2025, which included winning multiple big awards for his duet with Ella Langley “You Look Like You Love Me,” as well as selling out shows all over the country on his Damn Country Music tour. He didn’t put out a ton of new music, aside from the deluxe edition of his 2024 album Don’t Mind If I Do, in addition to his Midtown Sessions EP, but fans didn’t get a full album, though it sounds like that is coming soon. During an appearance on the Like A Farmer podcast this week, Riley confirmed that new music is on the way “early” next year, and he’s been in the studio working on it already. He kept it pretty short and sweet, but I think fans will be excited to hear that they won’t have to wait much longer for some new tunes: “In the studio now, we’re gonna put some new music out early in the year. Excited about that.” He previously told Katie Neal during an interview on her Katie & Company radio show that this next batch of music is even more raw and stripped back than his aforementioned recent album. He explained that all of the new cuts are built around an acoustic track, and are much less produced than anything he’s done before… which is saying a lot, because I think Riley tends to keep it pretty simple all the time, which is what I love about his music: “I was gonna tell you about it… yeah, we recorded some new songs. There’s some country stuff. I feel like it’s a little raw… a little rougher recording, which I really enjoy. I think that was something we did right on this last album. I was excited about going into the studio and doing a little less production, kind of building around an acoustic track, and that’s literally what we did. Yeah, there’s some stuff that I feel like is a little different, a little less produced, which is kind of the direction I’ve wanted to go.” Over the weekend, Riley scored his fourth Country Airplay #1 with his second duet with Ella Langley, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” It’s Ella’s second on that chart, and they’re now just the second pair since the list launched in January 1990 to have earned multiple collaborative #1s, after Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani led in 2020 with “Nobody but You” and “Happy Anywhere.” For Riley, he becomes the first artist since Taylor Swift to land back-to-back Country Airplay #1s with songs written entirely on his or her own. One of his other solo writes, “Worst Way,” led the chart for two weeks in June. Stay tuned, Riley Green fans… more music is on the way soon. The full podcast is below. The full list of Riley’s tour dates for 2026 is available below. Cowboy As It Gets 2026 Tour Dates: April 16th, 2026 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center#~$ April 17th, 2026 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center#~$ *ON SALE 10/3 April 18th, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena#~$ May 7th, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion#~• May 8th, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre#~• June 18th, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~• June 19th, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center#~• June 20th, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~• June 25th, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$* June 26th, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$* July 16th, 2026 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~• July 23rd, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~• August 6th, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/• August 7th, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/• August 8th, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/• August 13th, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/• August 14th, 2026 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/• August 15th, 2026 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/• August 21st, 2026 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*^ August 22nd, 2026 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*^ #Justin Moore ~Drake White $Mackenzie Carpenter •Hannah McFarland *Adam Hood /Zach John KingThe post Riley Green Confirms New Music Is Coming Early In 2026: “In The Studio Now” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

“It’s like Alabama and Jimmy Buffett had a baby.” In an industry that never stops moving, one can argue that Ernest is one of the busiest of all artists working today. In addition to co-writing not one but four of Morgan Wallen’s multi-platinum, #1 hits off I’m The Problem, “I Got Better” (platinum), “Smile” (2x platinum), “Just In Case” (2x platinum) and the title track (3x platinum), the “Flower Shops” has been incredibly busy on his own throughout 2025. Back in May, just a week before I’m The Problem’s release, he teamed up with Miranda Lambert, Snoop Dogg, Rhys Rutherford, Cody Lohden, Chandler Walters and Jake Worthington for the incredibly diverse, collaborative album, Cadillac Sessions. And just six months later, Ernest would return in November to deliver his second project of 2025, the steel-soaked love letter to his home in Nashville, Live From The South. In between projects, the “Flower Shops” singer would also tour with the likes of Lainey Wilson and Old Dominion. Additionally, he’d deliver a recording of the long-lost Toby Keith track, “End of the Night,” and even help former All-Pro punter Pat McAfee record his first-ever song, “Dookie,” along with an additional six songs that are coming soon. With all of that being said, Ernest has stayed busy throughout 2025, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down heading into 2026. Yesterday, he’d turn heads by collaborating with Brooks & Dunn on an Instagram post, signalling he’s helping them record their first new record in 18 years. “You’re texting the right guy this morning, Ronnie Dunn. I got my ring on and everything. I got my f***** country-smash ring on so, and I got nothing to do. I’ll go f*** with a guitar and see what happens. I’m assuming you need tempo, show-bangers, smash. ‘Hard Workin’ Man’ 2.0. Probably not another cowboy song. Of course, I say that, and you’ll probably take a cowboy song so. I’m going to try to write a hit.” Even better for fans of the “Tennessee Queen” singer, during a recent conversation with Bobby Bones last week, he confirmed that he has already finished his next album (for those counting, that will be three projects in a 12-month stretch). Noting that he just has to shoot the cover art for the album, Ernest would tell Bones that the record will be coming “sometime like spring break,” which all but confirms it’s coming at some point in March or early April at the latest. “I’ve recorded and finished my next album, and I’m going to shoot the album art soon. And I’m going to put it out sometime like spring break. It’s going to be the perfect time for boat season.” As for what to expect from the album, which is still untitled, Ernest would reveal it will have some beachy/island vibes mixed with some of his patented southern flair. He’d go as far as to call it Alabama meeting Jimmy Buffett. “There’s a little island inspiration in this next album for sure. And just like a little southern, too. It’s like Alabama and Jimmy Buffett had a baby.”  It’s safe to say that you cannot go wrong with either Alabama or Jimmy Buffett. I can’t say I’ve ever heard someone use those two artists as a way to describe their project (maybe early Zac Brown Band could apply), but I’m beyond excited to see what he has in store for this one. If it’s anything like Live From The South, we’ll be in for another treat from the Nashville native. Watch the full podcast here: Live From The South 2026 Dates: 1/21 – Denver, Colo. – Mission Ballroom* 1/23 – Salt Lake City, Utah – The Complex* 1/24 – Reno, Nev. – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino* 1/29 – Solana Beach, Calif. – Belly Up* 1/30 – Anaheim, Calif. – House of Blues* 1/31 – Sacramento, Calif. – Ace of Spades* 2/7 – Indio, Calif. – Fantasy Springs Casino 2/19 – Athens, Ga. – Georgia Theatre > 2/26 – Jacksonville, Fla. – FIVE > 2/27 – Charleston, S.C. – Charleston Music Hall > 2/28 – Norfolk, Va. – NorVa > 3/5 – Indianapolis, Ind. – The Egyptian > 3/6 – Rosemont, Ill. – Joe’s Live > 3/7 – Columbus, Ohio – The Bluestone > 3/11 – Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Intersection # 3/13 – Detroit, Mich. – Filmore # 3/14 – McKees Rocks, Pa. – Roxian Theatre # 3/19 – Durant, Okla. – Choctaw Casino 3/26 – Boston, Mass. – House of Blues* 3/27 – New York, N.Y.– Irving Plaza* 3/28 – Bensalem, Pa. – Parx Casino* 4/2 – Houston, Texas – White Oak Music Hall* 4/3 – New Braunfels, Texas – Gruene Hall* 4/4 – Ft. Worth, Texas – Billy Bob’s* 4/16 – St. Louis, Mo. – Hawthorn # 4/18 – Minneapolis, Minn. – First Avenue # * Support By Chandler Walters > Support By Cody Lohden # Support By Rhys RutherfordThe post Ernest Has Already Finished His Next Record & It’s Dropping This Spring: “It’s Like Alabama & Jimmy Buffett Had A Baby” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.