Wasting zero time. Thanks to country music growing at what can only be described as an exponential rate over the past five or so years, there hasn’t been a shortage of smash hits in the genre as of late. Of course, the biggest of these is undoubtedly Chris Stapleton’s cover of “Tennessee Whiskey,” which became the first country song (and only the third song in history) to sell over 20 million units and receive double-diamond status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Then there are other smash hits released within the past decade, such as Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” (12x platinum), Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (12x platinum) and Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” (15x platinum), all of which have been nothing short of cross-over successes, charting well on both the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and procuring over one billion streams a piece on Spotify alone. Since 2024, however, it’s become pretty clear that Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s Hot 100 chart-topper, “I Had Some Help” is on pace to become not only one of the biggest country songs of the decade but potentially one of the biggest country songs of all time. Released on May 10, 2024, as Post’s debut country single, “I Had Some Help” was written by Wallen, Post, Ashley Gorley, Chandler Walters, Ernest, Louis Bell, Ryan Vojtesak and Jonathan Hoskins. Upon its release, you pretty much knew that, regardless of its overall quality, it was going to be nothing short of a monster success for the two music giants. And a smash hit it was, debuting at #1 on both the Hot 100 and staying there for an impressive six straight weeks. From a numbers perspective, it’s been nothing short of a monster. Just 10 months after its release, it reached over one billion streams on Spotify, becoming the fastest country song in history to reach the billion-stream mark. Since then, it currently sits at a staggering 1.38 billion streams on the platform along with a 5x platinum certification from the RIAA. What’s the most incredible part about the song’s existence? It only took 24 minutes to write. Appearing on The Net Positive Podcast with John Crist, Ernest opened up about his career both as a songwriter and artist, noting how it’s tough to balance the two. With that being said, however, the most fascinating tidbit came when he discussed the creation of “I Had Some Help.” Discussing the fact that the best songs of his career haven’t taken very long to write, the “Flower Shops” singer would drop the bomb that the track ultimately only took 24 minutes to complete from start to finish. “If we’re all honest with ourselves and we’re all good creatives, the best songs don’t take long. That’s been consistent for my career and Craig [Wiseman] would tell you the same thing… We wrote ‘I Had Some Help’ in like 24 minutes. There’s a 24-minute voice note of ‘I Had Some Help’ from start to finish.” Diving deeper into its creation, Ernest would confirm that the voice note still exists somewhere in Charles Handsome’s files. He’d also explain that Post and Wallen recorded the demo for the track immediately after they wrote it, noting that they drove to the bar that night listening to it. “It exists. The music’s going; the vibe’s going. We kinda start spitballing ideas; we get a good chunk. Boom, there’s the chorus, second verse. Everybody’s throwing in. And yeah, 24 minutes, we look up like, ‘Alright, let’s record the demo.’ We had Morgan and Post on the demo that evening.  We drove around from the studio to the bar. That night we were listening to ‘I Had Some Help,’ Morgan Wallen [and] Post Malone. We were like, ‘Oh yeah, we got one.'” With the song currently sitting with over 1.37 billion streams on Spotify alone and a 5x platinum status, it’s safe to say that was the most profitable 24 minutes of Ernest’s career so far. Watch the full podcast here: The post Ernest Reveals Post Malone & Morgan Wallen’s Smash Hit, “I Had Some Help,” Only Took 24 Minutes To Write From Start To Finish first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Keeping it real. Despite having an undoubtedly successful solo career as an artist, there’s no denying that Ernest’s biggest strength is his songwriting ability. Being a frequent collaborator with superstar, Morgan Wallen, over the past few years, the Tennessee native has co-written some of the biggest smashes of his career with the likes “I Had Some Help,” “Wasted On You,” “You Proof” and “Heartless.” It doesn’t stop there, however. His presence can be felt all throughout Wallen’s I’m The Problem, which recently spent its 13th frame at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart last week, co-writing its #1 hits, “I Got Better,” “Smile,” “Just In Case” and the title track. Of course, this doesn’t even mention the other dozens of successful deep cuts from Wallen’s most recent albums or the plethora of tracks such as “Losers,” “Wrong Ones” and “What Don’t Belong to Me,” all of which appear on Post Malone’s hit country debut, F-1 Trillion. In a recent appearance on The Net Positive Podcast with John Crist, Ernest opened up about his career both as a songwriter and artist. While discussing the balance between the two, the “Flower Shops” singer would ultimately admit that his career as an artist has been a bit neglected over the years due to his success and overall proficiency as a songwriter/co-writer for aforementioned artists such as Wallen and Post. “I know that I have neglected my artist career to be the songwriter that I am and to be in the ‘service industry’ of songwriting. I’ve also sacrificed weeks of my time where I could have been working on x, y or z as a songwriter to go out and grind as an artist. My artist career is not where my writer career is, and I have to try to fight the ‘what if.’ But I wouldn’t trade what I’ve built as a songwriter to be this as an artist because I think that the whole genre has been affected by our upbringing as songwriters.” Immediately after, Crist would ask the 34-year-old singer/songwriter how he handles bad co-writing sessions. Hilariously, he would allude to himself being “kinda good” at being an a**hole, joking that if a session is going nowhere, he’ll simply suggest the group go to Losers instead and come back with fresh ideas. “I’m good at kinda being, not an a**hole. [I’m like], ‘Nobody’s gonna sing this. Wouldn’t you rather go to Losers right now instead of trying to figure out why Jimmy cracked corn?'” Expanding on this more, Ernest would note that in his experience, the best songs of his career haven’t taken very long to write. In fact, he’d drop the bombshell that “I Had Some Help,” which went #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and became its 2024 Song of the Summer, was only written in a staggering 24 minutes. If we’re all honest with ourselves and we’re all good creatives, the best songs don’t take long. That’s been consistent for my career and Craig [Wiseman] would tell you the same thing… We wrote ‘I Had Some Help’ in like 24 minutes. There’s a 24-minute voice note of ‘I Had Some Help’ from start to finish.” With so many smash hits under his belt as a co-writer, it’s pretty safe to say that Ernest has gotten the whole songwriting process pretty down pat at this point. And as he said, if no one’s going to sing a song, why cut it in the first place? 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 “Nobody’s Gonna Sing This” – Ernest Reveals Why It’s Important To Be Brutally Honest During Writing Sessions first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Did Billy Bob Thornton really expose himself on Landman? Continue reading…

Superstar recognizing superstar. Artists in the music industry are normally quick to recognize other artists for their accomplishments. Chris Stapleton has always been great about complimenting others (even though he’s got the best voice in quite possibly the whole world), and he most recently shared a lot of praise for a former country-music-artist-turned-pop-star: Taylor Swift. Stapleton sat down on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard to talk about everything that’s going on in his career right now. If you’ve never listed to the podcast, Shepard’s show mainly focuses in on celebrity interviews, and the generally, he gets pretty deep on topics like family, mental health, struggles and shortcomings, and other more vulnerable points of conversation. The 51-year-old has previously shared that he has a passion for speaking with others, learning more about them, and hearing stories that could potentially help others in similar circumstances. He’s been at it for over six years, and Dax rarely ever passes on the opportunity to talk with someone interesting. He’s actually been on quite the kick of country music artists as guest, with Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and now Chris Stapleton all joining his show in just a matter of months. Though the discussion got deep in many part of the sprawling conversation, one particular portion that stood out was when Chris Stapleton had a lot of positive things to say about Taylor Swift, and even shared that he had attended her Eras Tour. Dax brought up the superstar by asking how it was work with her and Adele on their respective albums. Chris has teamed up with a dozen different pop stars, but his vocal duet with Taylor Swift, “I Bet You Think About Me,” is one of his most impressive. Chris said those two collaborations actually happened during COVID, but it was still an honor to be asked to help out: “Obviously you get honored when you get asked to be on anybody’s record. It’s such a compliment, particularly when it’s people as well loved as those two ladies.” And that wasn’t the end of the Taylor Swift conversation. Now, I wouldn’t go as far as calling Chris Stapleton a “Swiftie,” but he did admit that he’s a fan, and admires her work. Though he hasn’t seen the documentary about the Eras Tour (if he had, I would have called him a “Swiftie”), the country star said that he took his kids to one of the stops along the Eras Tour, and he was blown away: “I have not seen the documentary, but I did go to that show. I took my kids to (the Eras Tour). It was awesome. It was crazy. Every song was the production budget of most people’s whole show. Mine included… It’s an insane amount of work and energy to spend on something. To delegate and to trust and to manage… it’s unfathomable. Only a handful of people can pull that off, and she’s one of them.” That’s high praise coming from someone like Chris Stapleton. He later added that he and his kids were lucky enough to talk with Taylor Swift after the show they attended, and Stapleton found out that he and the “Blank Space” singer approach their tours a bit differently: “We talked to her briefly after the show and she was like, ‘Yeah I would sing the show and run for three hours on the treadmill to get ready for this.’ I don’t run three miles on a treadmill… ever.” Me either, Chris. Me either. You can hear Stapleton talk highly of Taylor Swift in his interview on the Armchair Expert podcast: Listen to Taylor Swift and Chris’ duet, “I Bet You Think About Me” The post “Only A Handful Can Pull That Off”: Chris Stapleton Admits He Was Blown Away By Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A long history of hits. Today is the living legend herself, Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday. Given her monumental work in the genre over the better part of the last five decades, there have been some major celebrations across Nashville and Tennessee at large over the past few days. On Saturday, January 17th, the Grand Ole Opry held a birthday celebration for the legend, “Opry Goes Dolly.” Though Parton herself wasn’t in attendance due to some ongoing health issues, Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Mark Wills, Sierra Hull and more were there to honor the living legend ahead of her 80th birthday. Most notably, today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee officially declared January 19th as “Dolly Parton Day” in the state. Highlighting her long history of philanthropy through both her Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library, he’d note that her works “exemplify the values of the Volunteer state.” “In addition to her artistic accomplishments, Dolly Parton has demonstrated an enduring commitment to philanthropy and services, most notably through the Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library, which began in Tennessee and has provided hundreds of millions of free books to children around the world, helping to promote early childhood literacy and educational opportunity. Dolly Parton’s generosity, humility and dedication to improving the lives of others exemplify the values of the Volunteer State and serve as an inspiration to Tennesseans and people worldwide.” View this post on Instagram Given that it’s the living legend’s birthday, I thought it was the perfect time to take a look at her biggest hits throughout her career. Obviously, Parton has a discography that few can ever dream of. With 25 #1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and an additional 11 #1 albums across multiple different charts, the “9 to 5” singer is no stranger to chart toppers. As of today, Parton has the most #1 hits for any female country artist in history on the aforementioned Hot Country Songs chart with 25, which is one ahead of fellow legend, Reba McEntire. Among these hits are career staples such as “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” “Islands in the Stream” and “I Will Always Love You.” In fact, “I Will Always Love You” actually appears on this list twice given the fact it was re-released eight years after it went #1, making it one of the few songs in history that went #1 two separate times with two different recordings. Amazingly, some career staples such as “Coat of Many Colors,” “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” “Hard Candy Christmas,” “My Tennessee Mountain Home” and more ultimately did not earn Parton a #1 spot throughout her career. With all of that being said, here are Parton’s 25 career #1 hits, ranging from her first chart-topper, “Joshua,” to her final #1 (as of today), her appearance on Brad Paisley’s 2005 single, “When I Get Where I’m Going.” Dolly Parton’s 25 #1 Hits “Joshua” Release Date: November 9, 1970 Weeks At #1: 1 “Jolene” Release Date: October 15, 1973 Weeks At #1: 1 “I Will Always Love You” Release Date: March 11, 1974 Weeks At #1: 1 “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” (Porter Wagoner) Release Date: July 15, 1974 Weeks At #1: 1 “Love Is Like a Butterfly” Release Date: August 5, 1974 Weeks At #1: 1 “The Bargain Store” Release Date: January 13, 1975 Weeks At #1: ` “Here You Come Again” Release Date: September 26, 1977 Weeks At #1: 5 “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” Release Date: February 27, 1978 Weeks At #1: 2 “Heartbreaker” Release Date: July 24, 1978 Weeks At #1: 3 “I Really Got the Feeling” Release Date: November 6, 1978 Weeks At #1: 1 “You’re the Only One” Release Date: May 14, 1979 Weeks At #1: 2 “Starting Over Again” Release Date: February 25, 1980 Weeks At #1: 1 “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” Release Date: June 23, 1980 Weeks At #1: 1 “9 to 5” Release Date: November 3, 1980 Weeks At #1: 1 “But You Know I Love You” Release Date: March 16, 1981 Weeks At #1: 1 “I Will Always Love You (1982 re-release) Release Date: July 12, 1982 Weeks At #1: 1 “Islands in the Stream” (Kenny Rogers) Release Date: August 15, 1983 Weeks At #1: 2 “Tennessee Homesick Blues” Release Date: May 14, 1984 Weeks At #1: 1 “Real Love” (with Kenny Rogers) Release Date: April 29, 1985 Weeks At #1: 1 “Think About Love” Release Date: November 11, 1985 Weeks At #1: 1 “To Know Him Is to Love Him” (with Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt) Release Date: January 26, 1987 Weeks At #1: 1 “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That” Release Date: April 24, 1989 Weeks At #1: 1 “Yellow Roses” Release Date: July 31, 1989 Weeks At #1: 1 “Rockin’ Years” (with Ricky Van Shelton) Release Date: February 4, 1991 Weeks At #1: 1 “When I Get Where I’m Going (Brad Paisley) Release Date: October 10, 2005 Weeks At #1: 1 The post From “Jolene” To “I Will Always Love You”: A Tribute To Dolly Parton’s 25 Chart-Topping Hits first appeared on Whiskey Riff.