Chris Stapleton will always remember the words that legendary college basketball coach, Rick Pitino, shared at his basketball camp. Most of us only know Stapleton as the rocking country music star with arguably the best voice in all of the business. But what if I told you that he once had dreams to lace up his shoes and play college basketball under the bright lights? That might be a stretch to say honestly. That assumption is just based off of a picture that was shared by legendary college basketball coach Rick Pitino back in early 2024. He’s one of the only head coaches to lead two different universities to NCAA titles… if you disregard the fact that the NCAA took away his most recent national championship at the University of Louisville. As a Louisville fan, I don’t have the energy to get into that whole situation. You probably know what happened, and what led the NCAA to vacate Pitino’s 2013 NCAA title with the Louisville Cardinals. Since he left Louisville, he’s had coaching stints overseas, at Iona University, and now is the head coach of St. John’s up in New York. And way back in the day, he got his first national championship with the University of Kentucky. From 1989 to 1997, Pitino coached the Wildcats, and led them to one of their many NCAA titles in 1996. Somewhere in those years, he also hosted a Rick Pitino Basketball Camp in Lexington, Kentucky, and guess who was there? Chris Stapleton. The “White Horse” singer was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, so the timeline makes sense for him to have participated at the UK basketball camp. He must have had a rather memorable showing at the camp too, because many years later, the former Kentucky coach tracked down this photo of a young Stapleton and said this: “Chris Stapleton at Kentucky Wildcats basketball camp. Didn’t like the way he played defense. Told him to go into music instead. Don’t thank me Chris, it’s okay.” @ChrisStapleton at KY Wildcat basketball camp. Didn't like the way he played defense. Told him to go into music instead. Don't thank me Chris, it's ok pic.twitter.com/NRZioGzglw — Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) January 7, 2024 So because Stapleton didn’t play great defense (which is a staple of any Pitino led team), the Kentucky coach allegedly told him to spend his time doing something else other than basketball… like going into music. It’s great to imagine that the great Rick Pitino was responsible for Stapleton’s country music career. He’s obviously joking in that post, but thanks to a new episode of New Heights (hosted by the Kelce brothers) that featured Chris Stapleton, we now know that there was something that Pitino said during that camp that stuck with the country music superstar. Jason Kelce was asking Stapleton if playing and listening to multiple forms of music makes you a better musician. The “Broken Halos” singer’s mind immediately went to multi-sport athletes and how playing multiple sports can actually help make you better all around, which took him back to a quote from Pitino that the coach delivered at his Lexington camp: “I have to share this just because it popped into my head as you were saying that. When I was a kid, I went to Rick Pitino basketball camp. Rick Pitino spoke to us before the camp or whatever. He was like, ‘Now in order to be a good basketball player, you have to play three sports: one on one basketball, three on three basketball, and five on five basketball.’ That popped in my head as you were saying that.” So Rick Pitino DID have an impact on Chris Stapleton’s music career after all. I say that because Stapleton’s actual answer to the question shows that Pitino’s advice – which was partly joking and partly serious – did stick with the singer and songwriter: “I do think there’s something that can strengthen you as a musician if you can at least have a working knowledge of a lot of different kinds of music. But at some point, all these influences kind of converge into whatever it is that you are and that’s what that is.” You can hear more from Chris Stapleton (and get extra insight into his sports past) in the latest episode of New Heights: The post Chris Stapleton Shares The Advice From Rick Pitino That Stuck With Him When He Attended Basketball Camp As A Kid first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A noble goal for the up-and-coming Leon Majcen. On the latest episode of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast (which was actually a double episode), Leon Majcen talked to us about being raised by Bosnian refugee parents, almost quitting music altogether during 2020, his ambitious plan to release two to three albums a year for the next five years, and one of his career goals being that he does well enough to give back to his parents. Majcen was born in the Czech Republic to Bosnian and Croatian parents who had fled there from Bosnia during the Yugoslav War in mid-90s. Before he turned two, he and his parents relocated to Clearwater, Florida. Once they made the move, they wished for the best for their son, and encouraged him to pursue whatever he felt passionate about. That passion ended up being music, and a full circle moment confirmed that Leon Majcen was on the right path: “My mom definitely hoped I’d do something else. She wanted me to be a doctor. It just didn’t work out that way. With my dad, he was stoked. When my dad was young, he asked his dad for a guitar. His dad never got him a guitar. So when I was around 9, I asked my dad for a guitar. And I didn’t know any of this prior. I asked him for a guitar and he was like, ‘If you get a guitar, you can’t just let it sit in the corner collecting dust.’ My dad told me that later on (and said), ‘When I was around that age, I wanted to play too. My dad never gave me the opportunity.'” Ever since Leon Majcen (last name pronounced “might-sin”) got that guitar, he’s been chasing his country music dreams. His parents have been on his team all along the way. They made major sacrifices to bring him to the United States, and considering all they did to give Leon a better life, they felt it was only right that he pursue a career in music. Though they both express their worry and concern from time to time, they both know that their main goal in relocating to America was to give their son a better life: “He’s been super supportive. Both of my parents have. But my mom’s just been more scared for me… my dad kept encouraging me. He’d say, ‘We didn’t come to this country just so you could work some job you don’t want to work. Go write songs. If that’s what you want to do, do it well.’  @whiskeyriff @Leon Majcen on the latest Whiskey Riff Raff podcast #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #leonmajcen #countrymusic ♬ World Gone By – Cloverdale Version – Leon Majcen & Philip Bowen & Cloverdale Family Band And if you listen to any of Majcen’s music, he’s certainly doing the songwriting thing well, and he’s surely making his parents proud. Leon says that the support he’s felt from his parents has been invaluable to him and his career, and he hopes one day that he can give back to them as thanks for all that they’ve provided. In his head, retiring both of his parents with money made through his music is one of the career goals he’s chasing after the hardest: “My parents never really got to pick what they wanted to do. Especially after they came to the states. They just had to take whatever job they could. If I could give back to my parents somehow, just make their life a little bit easier, I’d count that as a win.” Majcen has the talent to do just that, and here’s to hoping that one day, those dreams become reality for Leon and his parents. To hear more about the country music singer’s journey thus far, and what he hopes to achieve in the near future, make sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Rising Country Star, Leon Majcen, Wishes To Do Well Enough To Help His Bosnian Refugee Parents Retire: “I’d Count That As A Win” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It’s hard to understate just how much of a force to be reckoned with Chris Stapleton has become throughout his music career. With 12 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 month, 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. At this point in his career, Stapleton has essentially accomplished all that an artist can possibly dream of, between the awards, hits, tours with legends such as George Strait and more. And these days, it seems as if he’s toying with the possibility of retiring. If you recall, back in January, the “White Horse” singer appeared on the podcast, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. Here, he’d tell the actor and podcast host that he has no plans to record a new record or even write a new song (his last record was Higher in 2023), citing that he wants to give some time back to his family. “I don’t know when I’m gonna make another record or write a new song, I’m probably not really in the mood. And that’s ok with me…. I don’t know how much longer I’ll even go play. I want to make a thoughtful decision… (my family) gave a lot for me to be sitting here with you and I owe them some things I think, some time in particular. I’ve done more than I’ve ever set out to do.” During the conversation with Shepard, he’d add that he’s truly searching for a creative spark as of late, and it’s admittedly a bit more elusive than it used to be in the past. “It’s important to find that. For me, fuel is the search. I’m gonna have to search for something. I’m gonna have to hunt for something. I don’t know what that is or where it’s going to come from… I’m not hanging up my spurs. I’m just saying I’m looking for the fire. I need the fire. And I want the fire to lead. Sometimes that’s more elusive now than it used to be.” Stapleton would follow those comments up with a very simple, one-word answer regarding plans of recording new music in a pre-Super Bowl interview with Rolling Stone as well: “Nope!” Today, the “You Should Probably Leave” singer appeared on Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, and reconfirmed that he has no intention of getting into the studio any time soon. When asked about whether he likes writing or recording better, Stapleton would candidly say that he enjoys both when they’re working but prefers the studio overall. Immediately after, he’d state he doesn’t have “any plans to go do much of that these days” regarding going to the studio. “I like it all when it’s working. I’m frustrated by it all when it’s not. I do enjoy writing, but I don’t do a lot of that anymore. I do enjoy going to the studio. The studio’s probably my favorite part, really, although, I don’t have any plans to go do much of that these days really either.” Overall, it looks like Stapleton is more than happy to simply hit the road and perform while balancing time with his family, something that I can’t blame him for. Though it might be a bit disappointing to not hear any new music from him, aside from some one-off singles and collaborations, I think fans (myself included) would much rather see him take his time, find that creative spark and deliver another stellar album whenever the time is right instead of pumping out a project just for the sake of it. 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 Lane The post “I Don’t Have Any Plans To Do Much Of That”: Chris Stapleton Reconfirms He’s Not Planning On Recording New Music Any Time Soon first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

There’s no doubt that Luke Combs has been a pillar of country music for the better part of a decade at this point. Being the second-highest-selling artist in the genre of all time, receiving not one but four certified diamond singles throughout his career and scoring crossover hits like his Grammy-nominated cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” the North Carolina native has continued to be one of the biggest stars to come out of the genre in recent memory. From the get-go, however, Combs never really fit the mold of a true country star during the era. Debuting in 2017 with This One’s For You, the genre was still in the throes of both bro and boyfriend-country. In turn, you had a plethora of pop country stars that both looked and acted like male models, highlighted by the likes of Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, Dustin Lynch, Jake Owen and many more. It was so bad at the time that the “Hurricane” singer was actually told by record executives that he was destined to be a songwriter, not an artist, because he “didn’t look the part” at the time (which still makes absolutely zero sense til this day). With all that being said, body image has always been a thing that the 9x CMA winner has struggled with. And in a recent interview with the New York Times’ Popcast, he got incredibly candid about how it’s affected him throughout his career. Late in the interview, co-host Jon Caramanica would ask Combs what form of self-doubt has he struggled with on his way to stardom. Not missing a beat, Combs would say his appearance, recalling how many times he felt he wouldn’t get a shot for being a “bigger dude.” “Definitely my appearance… It was like, ‘Am I really not going to get a shot because I’m a bigger dude?’ There’s a lot of self-doubt in that department. You know what I mean? I knew I could perform as good as anybody, I felt like. Put on a good show and write songs that I felt like people could enjoy… That was a hard pill to swallow because you can’t really change the way you look.” Joe Coscarelli, Popcast’s other host, would then ask Combs if there had ever been conversations with his management/label to change his appearance. In turn, he’d say no. Coscarelli then joked and asked him if he ever thought he needed to look like the aforementioned stars, such as Sam Hunt. Immediately, Combs would say yes and that he thinks about it til this day. “Bro, every day. I think about that every day still. I do the fasting thing and the gluten-free thing. The gluten-free thing started for mental health stuff… That’s where the gluten-free stuff came from, because I was trying to get to the bottom of why am I having this [OCD]? Obviously, there’s some genetic things that can’t be overcome, and I’m very good at dealing with it now after years and years of struggling with it.” The 35-year-old singer/songwriter would then get extremely honest about his struggles with his weight, noting how hard he’s tried to lose it over the years. “I’ve always struggled with my weight. It bugs me a lot that I can’t figure it out… It’s this puzzle I can’t figure out. People are gonna say, ‘Well, you just don’t eat as much.’ Well, yeah, I f****** tried that. But it’s a constant battle with two kids and the job that I have. I try to work out as much as I can. I’d say most weeks, I’d get three days in.” After touching on the balance between trying to maintain his mental and physical health, on top of being a husband, father and musician, Combs would admit that it’s hard. With that being said, he’d note how he embraces it and doesn’t like it when things come easily. Additionally, he’d note how he’s avoiding any medical weight-loss supplements such as Ozempic. “It’s hard. I don’t want my life to be this life of ease and everything’s easy. I like when things are hard… That stuff [Ozempic] scares me more than I think I would enjoy the benefits… This is going to sound so mental-illnessy when I say this to you guys, but I feel like I’ve never done anything hard in my life, as weird as that sounds. There’s maybe some guilt associated with I really enjoy my job. I really enjoy what I do. And I’ve been really blessed to make a really great living and reach a high level, and that never felt difficult. It was difficult, but I enjoyed the process so much that never once did I feel like, ‘God, I’m in this grind, and it’s awful. I hate it.’ Sure, there’s days that were tough. Sure, there’s times I was tired. But I’m not out digging ditches. It’s not that hard of a job. Anybody that does the music business and gives the whole “woe is me” thing has lost a little bit of perspective.” The “Beautiful Crazy” singer would wrap up the candid section by admitting that his struggles with body image are something that he still hasn’t beaten yet before promising that he will eventually. “It’s like this thing that I can’t conquer no matter how hard I try. It’s just been this impossible nut to crack for me. I will do it, but I’m not going to do it the short way… For me, I need to win the thing. I need to beat myself.” Watch the full podcast here: 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 “I Don’t Want This Life Of Ease”: Luke Combs Opens Up About Body Image & Why He Refuses To Take Any Weight-Loss Drugs first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Before they became bona fide legends. It’s hard to even put into words just how important both Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers are to the flourishing independent/alt. country scene today. Influencing the likes of Zach Bryan, Flatland Cavalry, Colter Wall, Colby Acuff, The Red Clay Strays and pretty much every other key name in the subgenre today, the pair have cemented themselves as a cornerstone of the genre in a time where the historically underappreciated alt. country scene has finally risen to national prominence. Of course, you can thank Bryan for proverbially blowing the hinges off the door in terms of overall popularity for independent acts across the genre, but as it stands, Simpson and Childers remain the forefathers of today’s alternative country movement. In many ways, the pair share a similar overall career trajectory. For Simpson, he burst on the scene in 2013 with the release of High Top Mountain before cementing himself with the all-time classic, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music in 2014. For Childers, it took a bit more time, but the results were just the same. After putting the then-smaller indie scene on notice in 2011 with Bottles and Bibles, he’d then release his classic, Purgatory, six years later in 2017. What truly defines the pair, in the years following, specifically, is just how diverse their discography has gotten with each subsequent release. The “Long White Line” singer, for lack of a better term, has nearly gone in every direction possible. Delivering an atmospheric journey on the Grammy-winning A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, a full-blown rock adventure in SOUND & FURY, a bluegrass double album on Cuttin’ Grass, the narrative-driven The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita and finally being rebirthed as Johnny Blue Skies on Passage Du Desir and the upcoming Mutiny After Midnight. Childers, while not being quite as genre-fluid as Simpson, has continually pushed the envelope over the past decade. After establishing his sound with Purgatory and Country Squire, he’s delivered an eclectic gospel album on Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, a full-blown bluegrass instrumental project with Long Violent History and a short but sweet bluegrass and traditional-centric offering on Rustin’ In The Rain. Most recently, he delivered his most boundary-pushing and diverse record yet with the Grammy-nominated Snipe Hunter, which also netted him his first-ever Grammy win for Best Country Song (“Bitin’ List”). Simply put, today’s country music scene would not be the same without Childers and Simpson, and with the two being more popular than ever, especially with Childers coming off a Grammy win and Simpson readying his second Johnny Blue Skies album, I thought now was the best time to highlight one of their rare appearances together. That appearance, of course, is none other than Simpson joining his fellow Kentucky native for a killer performance of “Whitehouse Road” at the Ryman Auditorium back in 2018. Though the “You Can Have the Crown” singer doesn’t sing throughout the performance, he provides some killer licks and fills throughout “Whitehouse Road,” highlighting his severely underrated ability as a guitarist that has been showcased more often over the years at his sprawling sets. It’s a bit hard to imagine, but this “Whitehouse Road” performance at the Ryman is one of the only videos online today of the two performing together, save for some collaborations with the likes of Wheeler Walker Jr. With that being said, if you’re a fan of Simpson and Childers (which you should be if you’re a country music fan), this performance is nothing short of a must-watch. Watch here: Snipe Hunt Tour Dates April 23 – Dallas, Texas – Dos Equis Pavilion – with Scott T. Smith June 4 – Birmingham, Alabama – The Coca-Cola Amphitheater – with Evan Honer & Scott. T Smith June 7 – Lexington, Kentucky – Railbird Music Festival June 10 – Darien Center, New York – Darien Lake Amphitheater – with Evan Honer June 11 – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hersheypark Stadium – with Evan Honer June 13 – Columbus, Ohio – Buckeye Country Superfest July 9 – St. Louis, Missouri – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – with Wednesday & Scott T. Smith July 12 – Chicago, Illinois – Wrigley Field – with Jon Batiste & Wednesday July 14 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater  – with Wednesday July 15 – Des Moines, Iowa – Casey’s Center – with Wednesday July 18 – Boulder, Colorado – Folsom Field – with Jon Batiste & Wednesday September 30 – Sacramento, California – Golden 1 Center – with Wednesday October 2 – Seattle, Washington – Climate Pledge Arena – with Wednesday October 3 – Portland, Oregon – Moda Center – with Wednesday and Scott T. Smith The post Throwback To Sturgill Simpson Joining Tyler Childers For A Killer Performance Of “Whitehouse Road” Back In 2018 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.