One hell of a first introduction. In many ways, Eric Church is a bit of an enigma in country music. Oftentimes, he strays away from what many would consider to be classic hallmarks of the genre, including but not limited to rare uses of fiddle in many of his songs and the outright refusal to use steel guitar on many of his songs post Sinners Like Me. Despite this, Church has remained not only one of the best artists in the genre over the two decades but also one of the most important, influencing megastars like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs as well as alternative country standouts such as Carter Faith, Charles Wesley Godwin, Colby Acuff and more. As we know at this point, he’s always done things his own way. From getting kicked off the Rascal Flatts Me and My Gang Tour early in his career and pushing for the release of “Smoke a Little Smoke” despite HEAVY push back from his label to releasing Mr. Misunderstood directly to fans and most recently delivering the incredibly cinematic Evangeline vs. The Machine, Church has had a long history of never adhering to the conventions of whatever is trending in the genre at the moment. This “outsider” attitude, along with his stellar, non-radio-friendly songwriting, almost led to him not securing his first record deal. He’s discussed this before, but recently, he dove into even greater detail on Will Compton and Taylor Lewan’s podcast Bussin’ With The Boys. As the story goes, after doing his rounds in an attempt to get his first record deal, the Chief thought he had finally gotten his break during a meeting with BMG. Having a killer lineup of songs from his debut album, Sinners Like Me, ready, which included “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag” and the title track, he thought he had it in the bag. “I sat down, and from a cocky standpoint, [I] was thinking, ‘I bet I don’t get through one of these songs. I bet I never have to play two.’ I think I’m going to start ’em with this. We’ll have a deal done. I don’t even have to work hard here.” After delivering “How ‘Bout You,” which was criticized for having a “weird” beat, “Two Pink Lines,” which was deemed too controversial due to the topic of teen pregnancy, “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag,” which received pushback thanks to Church being “too young” to sing about Merle Haggard and finally “Sinners Like Me,” which proved to be the nail in the coffin thanks to it being a waltz, Church left empty handed. The “Springsteen” singer would then share the harsh words he received from the BMG exec, essentially telling him to go back to wherever he came from. “He said, Let me get this straight. You played me a song I didn’t like. You played me a song about pregnancy. You played me a song about Merle Haggard, and you’ve played me a f****** waltz… I don’t know where you’re from or what you did there before you came here, but I would go back and do that.” Unsurprisingly, Church was discouraged after being rejected and was planning on going back home. But as he recalls it, his late brother convinced him to stay and give it one more shot after a late, booze-fueled night at the Tin Roof on Broadway. That one more shot was a meeting with Arturo Buenahora, who at the time was the Senior Director of Creative Services and Production at Sony Music. And this time, Church walked in with a different song: “Lightning.” “Immediately, I’m not playing ‘How Bout You,’ Two Pink Lines,’ ‘Pledge Allegiance to the Hag’ or ‘Sinners Like Me.’ I’m gonna play what I want to play, and I played ‘Lightning,’ which is a song about a guy getting killed, the death penalty — not exactly what you would lead with.” Unlike the meeting with BMG, it only took Church halfway through “Lightning,” which has remained one of his best and a fan-favorite ’til this day, to secure a record deal with Sony. Recently, Buenahora would reflect on the meeting over two decades ago and note that he was impressed by Church because he was unique among the country artists who were popular at the time: “He just writes great songs. He was writing things that nobody else was writing. It was really honest and authentic, and none of it felt pretend. When your job is listening to songs all day, you hear all the ideas. People chase what’s working. He wasn’t chasing anybody.” And to this day, it remains one of Eric’s best songs: “Lightning” Watch the full Bussin’ With The Boys podcast here: The post How “Lightning” Landed Eric Church His First Record Deal first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Ella is continuing to use her platform in the best way possible. There’s no doubt that the two years has been nothing short of an absolute whirlwind for Ella Langley. While most of the music world was introduced to her through the record-breaking success of “Choosin’ Texas” over the past three months, the Alabama native has been making waves in the genre for the better part of three years at this point. As most country fans know, before “Choosin’ Texas” became the longest-running #1 hit by a female country artist on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 (10 weeks and counting), the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay chart simultaneously and just the seventh country song solely recorded by a woman to go #1 on the Hot 100 in the history of the chart, Langley scored massive success with the likes of her Riley Green-collaboration, “you look like you love me” as well as “weren’t for the wind.” During the time period before “Choosin’ Texas,” however, Langley was fighting her own personal battles. Famously, she’d open up shortly after the 2025 ACM Awards, where she brought home four trophies on the night, noting that the week was one of the hardest mental health weeks she has had in a long time. “I won’t lie, this last week has been probably one of the toughest mental health weeks I’ve had in a long, in a long time. Which is crazy because so many good things are happening, so many things I’ve prayed for and dreamed about. It’s just a struggle, it’s a disease in my family, really. I think it’s important to talk about it and to share that, just because I might seem like that, I’m on top of a mountain right now doesn’t look like that all the time.” If you’ve been a fan of the “Be Her” singer for a while, you know that these trials and tribulations eventually led to her writing one of Dandelion’s lead singles, “Loving Life Again,” alongside Ernest and Devin Dawson, which she described as the “most sentimental” song she’s written. “It’s probably the… one of the most sentimental. I went through a time and a half last year. I took a couple of weeks off, and I got to refine myself. I got to have a lot of talks with the Lord, and I got to be re-grateful for all of the things that he’s given me. Back in May, a video from her concert in Estero, Florida, went particularly viral before performing the aforementioned track. Here, Langley would poignantly encourage fans to be grateful for every day, adding that just waking up healthy is a privilege not everyone has. Additionally, she’d thank the crowd for showing up and being present with her in the moment before telling them to put their trust in God during periods of doubt and hardships, promising that they’ll be back to loving life again. “I’m so grateful that every single person here bought a ticket, and they’re watching this, and they’re singing along, and you’re here with me having this moment in real life… I’m gonna tell you right now that if you’re in that spot that I was in. If you feel like, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to do it. I don’t know how to wake up in the morning.’ You trust Him, and you will be back to loving life again. I promise you that.” Just a few weeks later, the Alabama native has yet another speech before her performance of “Loving Life Again” go viral, this time at Railbird Festival in Lexington, Kentucky. @ellalangleyarchive I’m being so fr rn @Ella Langley #countrymusic ♬ original sound – Ella Langley Archive This time around, Langley decided to deliver a more motivational speech directly to the audience, reinforcing the fact that they are “good enough for today” even if they don’t feel like it. Beautifully, she’d explain that they will always be good enough thanks to the love that God shows us, telling them that there’s “no one else in this world that can give it to you the way that our Lord and Savior can.” “You are good enough today. The fact that you woke up this morning made you good enough for today. The fact that we have a God that loves us is why you are good enough today. You will always be good enough. We’ll always fall short but always be good enough for that kind of love. I hope today that if you heard anything from me in this set tonight, I want you to feel that kind of love. Because there’s no one else in this world that can give it to you the way that our Lord and Savior can — that type of love. I want you to wake up grateful for the day you’ve been given. Even the sh*t that goes wrong, at least you’re living this beautiful life that we have.” She’d then tell the Lexington crowd that she’s preaching to herself, clearly in reference to the trials she’s faced over the past year. Additionally, she’d express just how grateful she is to have the success she’s experienced lately, as well as the opportunity to be playing to these massive audiences. “That’s what I try to remind myself; I’m preaching to myself up here. If I wake up and feel like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this day. Yes, I can, because this is what I was put on this earth to do, and I’m gonna wake up with confidence and do it. And I’m gonna be grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to stand up here tonight in front of this crowd and sing the songs and get to do the thing that I’ve always wanted to do in this life. Today, I’m trying to speak to the person that doesn’t feel that way — the person that’s almost there or maybe not at all there. You are good enough, and there is a day you will be back to loving life again. This life is good. You will be back there to do that, I promise you.” You truly cannot help but love Ella Langley. In addition to being a torchbearer for the genre and women in country music, she’s been nothing short of a light in the darkness of today’s world. Despite country music being steeped in faith, there are few superstars who are using their platform to the extent she is to share her testimony and her faith journey. “Loving Life Again” The Dandelion Tour Dates 6/18/2026 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre (+,&) 6/19/2026 Independence, MO Cable Dahmer Arena (+,&) 6/25/2026 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center (+,&) 6/26/2026 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park (+,&) 7/23/2026 Pikeville, KY Appalachian Wireless Arena (#, %) 7/24/2026 Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre (#, %) 7/25/2026 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum (#, %) 7/30/2026 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion (@, %) 7/31/2026 Canandaigua, NY CMAC (@, %) 8/13/2026 Austin, TX Moody Center (#, &) 8/14/2026 Corpus Christi, TX Hilliard Center (#, &) 8/15/2026 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena (#, &) @ Kameron Marlowe + Dylan Marlowe # Kaitlin Butts & Gabriella Rose % Laci Kaye BoothThe post Ella Langley Goes Viral With Another Powerful Gospel Message: “The Fact We Have A God That Loves Us Is Why You’re Good Enough Today” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

New music is finally on the horizon from the “No One Else On Earth” singer. Though you typically hear names such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and the like being named as the defining voices of country music in the late 80s and 90s, there’s no doubt that Wynonna Judd deserves to be in the same company. As we know, she and her mother, Naomi Judd, were nothing short of a power duo in the ’80s, scoring five Grammys, nine CMA Awards and 14 #1 hits. As a solo artist, Wynonna also carved her own path in the ’90s, scoring huge hits with the likes of her rendition of “I Saw the Light,” “No One Else On Earth,” “She Is His Only Weakness” and “To Be Loved By You.” The past decade has been nothing short of trying for Wynonna, however, highlighted by the death of her mother in 2022. Thankfully, it seems as if she’s doing much better recently. This led to her debuting her first new song since 2022 at Stagecoach, “Kentucky Queen,” which was released today. In tandem with “Kentucky Queen’s” release, the Virginia native announced the release of her first album since 2016, The Hard Truth, on Friday, October 2nd. View this post on Instagram Discussing The Hard Truth, Wynonna would explain that it’s her most personal album to date, diving deep into her journey of heartbreak, healing and faith throughout the difficult past few years. Additionally, she’d note that the record challenged her unlike any other before, making her face her perfectionism and embrace honest emotion. “I’ve spent a lifetime singing about heartbreak, healing, faith, and survival, but I’ve never made a record like this one. These songs tell the truth about where I’ve been, what I’ve lost, what I’ve overcome, and who I’ve become. This album asked me to be brave enough to tell the truth—even when my voice shook. It challenged me to let go of perfectionism and embrace the beauty of honest emotion.
” Additionally, Wynonna tells fans that she hopes that they feel seen, through their personal struggles and heartbreak, while listening to the record. “My hope is that when you hear these songs, you feel what I was feeling while writing and recording them. If they help someone feel seen, understood, or a little less alone, then every hard truth was worth telling.” She’d note that the album took over five years to fully develop, with every song being written and recorded on her farm in Franklin, Tennessee, and her husband, Scott “Cactus” Moser, producing the record. In addition to the album announcement, the “Tell Me Why” singer also announced a short run of album release shows in Lexington, Somerset and Ashland, Kentucky from September 30th to October 2nd. Pre-sale for members of her fan club will begin on Monday, June 15th, with general sale beginning on Friday, June 19th. The Hard Truth Tracklist “Prelude (All Downhill From Ashland)” “All Downhill From Ashland” (feat. The War And Treaty) “Everything” (feat. Patterson Hood) “Am I Missing Out” “Broken And Blessed” “Hear Me Now” (feat. Iron & Wine) “The Hopeful Lie” (feat. The War And Treaty) “Kentucky Queen” “Girl Who Could Sing” “Drive” “Love Ain’t Got The Best Of Me” Before you go, fire up today’s lead single, “Kentucky Queen.” The Hard Truth Album Release Show Dates September 30 – Lexington, Kentucky – Lexington Opera House October 1 – Somerset, Kentucky – The Virginia October 2 – Ashland, Kentucky – Paramount Theater AshlandThe post “It’s Time To Tell My Story” – Wynonna Judd Announces Her First Album In 10 Years, ‘The Hard Truth’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Mother Nature forcing a change of plans. It’s been a rainy couple of weeks in the south. Here in Nashville, we had a beautiful spring with almost no rain, but the past month or so has been as wet as I can remember since I moved here 10 years ago. And down in Alabama, it’s been much the same story: Yesterday, on June 8, parts of Alabama received up to 9 inches of rain, with Huntsville reporting over 7 inches in 24 hours. And unfortunately, all the water has forced Rock the South to make a change to their schedule. The festival was originally slated to kick off on June 11 in Decatur, Alabama, featuring headliners Riley Green, Zach Top and Jason Aldean. But Rock the South announced today that they have been forced to reschedule due to what organizers called “unprecedented rainfall” – though fans who are able to make it to the new dates are getting a reward: An additional day at no extra charge. Rock the South will now take place on October 1-4, with all three of the original headliners slated to return for the rescheduled dates, and Jessie Murph added as a headliner for the fourth day. Ticket holders who are able to make it to the rescheduled dates will get the fourth day at no additional cost, but the festival also announced that details will be sent out next week for those who will be unable to attend in October. Updated daily lineups will also be announced in the coming weeks, though the festival says that fortunately most of the scheduled artists are going to be able to make it to the new dates. You can read their full statement here: “Due to unprecedented amounts of rainfall across the state of Alabama this past week we’ve made the difficult decision with the City of Decatur to reschedule the festival from this coming weekend to the weekend of October 1st through 4th. All three previously announced headliners will remain on the lineup: Zach Top on Thursday, Oct. 1; Jason Aldean on Friday, Oct. 2; and Riley Green on Sunday, Oct. 4. The festival weekend will now expand to four days with a headlining performance from Jessie Murph on Saturday, Oct. 3 at no additional cost to ticket holders. Most scheduled artists are able to perform on the revised dates and we will announce the updated daily lineups in the coming weeks. The safety of our festival attendees, artists, and staff is paramount, and we’re confident that the rescheduled dates will ensure an enjoyable festival experience for all. Festival tickets and camping packages for the original dates will be honored on the newly rescheduled dates. We will email purchasers next week with details for those unable to attend Rock the South this October. Please continue to check www.rockthesouth.com for details surrounding the new dates of the festival and additional information.” This year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever, with not only an additional day but with the festival also moving to a new home. Starting in 2026, Rock the South will be moving to The Fields at Decatur, located in Decatur, Alabama, just south of Huntsville and about an hour from Birmingham. The new home for the festival will be owned by Peachtree Entertainment, the creative geniuses behind Rock the South and several of the country’s other top festivals and live events. And with 150 acres, the new location will allow for expanded campgrounds and long-term investments in infrastructure and improvements to help make it the best experience possible for fans. But what does that mean for fans? Well for starters, more shaded areas, improved campgrounds with professionally engineered drainage to provide a better (and dryer) experience for campers, and – for the first time ever – a second stage, presented by Raised Rowdy. It’s obviously a bummer that the festival is being forced to postpone due to factors outside its control, but fans are not only going to get an additional day for no extra charge and hopefully much better weather in October than we’re getting right now. Gonna be well worth the wait.The post Rock The South Rescheduled To October Due To Historic Rainfall, Adding An Extra Day At No Additional Charge first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He’s now one of the most recognized and successful mainstream artists in country music… but there was a time when Eric Church was the undisputed underdog. Eric has spent decades in the industry, doing things his way, and now, he has tons of other business ventures and mentors younger artists, like Ella Langley, and he’s certainly made it in terms of his legendary career up to this point. And during an appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast today, Eric says he very much saw other artists as competition when he was coming up, and there were tons of them that he had real beef with. He often felt like he was overlooked for others who most people wouldn’t even know now, so many years later, and it’s because he just believed so much in his music and was working his a** off to build a solid career. But for a long time, he saw others getting nominated for awards, and as he put it, “flying past me” to achieve success when it might have been undeserved. Eric admitted that he had a chip on his shoulder, so to speak, because of it, though not everyone he was up against was unworthy. Eric described it as a “lion know[ing] a lion,” and eventually, the cream rises to the top and it all worked out: “Oh, there’s been a bunch. Well, early on, the thing that aggravated me is, we’re out there grinding and working hard, and I believe in our music, and I think it’s good, and then I’m seeing all these guys who will have a hit that, you don’t even know them now. But at that time, they were all flying past me and they were the new thing. They’d win the award, they would get nominated, all that stuff. So I took that personal. I wore a chip on my shoulder for a while with that stuff. And then there’s been competition, yeah, there’s been a bunch. I mean, guys that are great. That’s just like sports though, like, I always say this, a lion knows a lion. And I know the ones that I’ve encountered that are good and are real, and I know the ones that aren’t. And it won’t be long before the other people realize the same thing, but there are some that have been lions, that are lions, and I know it. And those are the ones that are fun to you know get there and mix it up with.” He thinks it’s actually a good thing to have that kind of healthy competition with people who are just as good, if not better, than you, and he welcomes that sort of challenge even still: “You actually look at him and go, yeah man, that’s a dude, you know. And it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing when I go to make a record, or I go to write a song, I know that dude‘s out stalking around. That’s good. It’s a competition. It’s a good thing.” In many ways, Eric is in a class of his own in terms of being a mainstream country star who has managed to still fight against the machine so many times, and I think that has given him a really unique perspective and honestly, most country artists usually say there isn’t any competition, or there’s never any beef, so it’s really refreshing to hear actually admit that’s true, just like any other profession. And like he says, that can actually be a good thing. Check out the full podcast below. The post “You Don’t Even Know Them Now” — Eric Church On The Frustration Of Watching Other Artists Have Success Early In His Career first appeared on Whiskey Riff.