More senseless internet outrage. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve at least been mindful of the fact that the World Cup has been here in the U.S. this year. Though I wouldn’t claim to be a soccer fan in any way, shape or form, it’s been pretty incredible to see as of late. We’ve seen some major upsets like Paraguay besting Germany, the U.S. performing quite well and making it to Round 16 and Lionel Messi becoming the all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history with 19 goals. Most notably in the social media world, the viral Germany fan on X (formerly Twitter), Freddy, is on what can only be described as a generational run, meeting country superstar Ella Langley and recently being invited to the White House. Beyond Langley and Freddy, country music has surprisingly been a major hit for the U.S. men’s team. The connection was predominantly highlighted when John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” beat out Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” to become the victory song of the US Men’s National Soccer Team at this year’s World Cup. This was put on full display after the U.S.’s 2-0 victory over Australia on June 19th, when the squad serenaded the Seattle crowd after the win. They’d play it again weeks later after their 2-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina as well. The @USMNT faithful serenade their team with "Take Me Home, Country Roads" in Seattle pic.twitter.com/XI3Q3EkxhK — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2026 Additionally, coach Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentina native, would take to his Instagram story to share that he was prepping for a recent game by listening to Lainey Wilson and Weston McKennie was recently seen celebrating the aforementioned win over Bosnia & Herzegovina by singing along to Langley’s record-breaking smash hit, “Choosin’ Texas.” View this post on Instagram During the same celebration, McKennie and the rest of the squad were also vibing to none other than Darius Rucker’s hit cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel,” and it sparked some pretty stupid controversy. View this post on Instagram As most know by now, the history of “Wagon Wheel” is one of the most complicated in all of music. At first, the song was believed to be written by Old Crow’s frontman, Ketch Secor, after hearing an old Bob Dylan work tape, “Rock Me, Mama” from 1973. However, even Dylan’s version wasn’t the original. Dylan would tell Secor that he heard it from Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, a blues singer from Mississippi who had multiple songs recorded and made popular by Elvis Presley. As it turns out, Crudup didn’t write it either. Instead, he heard it from a fellow blues singer, Big Bill Broonzy, an African American blues singer who was born in Mississippi but moved with his family to Chicago in the 1920s. If you’re keeping track, “Wagon Wheel” (or at least the concept) would essentially change hands four times before Rucker recorded his version of the song in 2013 on his fourth studio album, True Believers. And as we all know by now, the former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman made it one of the most popular country songs of all time, getting a Diamond certification from the RIAA and recently passing over one billion streams on Spotify. Of course, Darius has never claimed “Wagon Wheel” as his own song and always lets his crowds know that it’s Old Crow’s original. This, however, hasn’t stopped people from blaming him for “stealing” the song and constantly reminding people that it’s not his — something most dedicated country fans already know. This was brought up once again over on X when Rucker would post the aforementioned video of the team celebrating using his cover of the song. Obviously, it was all in good fun, and the “Alright” singer was happy that the team was celebrating their victory by blasting his version. That still didn’t stop a miserable X user from getting upset at him, calling him fake (while using the wrong “you’re) and telling him to “put some respect on Old Crow’s name.” “Don’t act like your fake but came up with this song. Put some respect on Old Crows name.” Don’t act like your fake but came up with this song. Put some respect on Old Crows name — 901Conger (@RobertConger16) July 3, 2026 Rucker would fire back at him, reconfirming the fact that he always gives Old Crow Medicine Show credit for completing the song. Additionally, he’d point out the absurdity of getting mad that a cover became a hit, asking the X user if he tells people that “Tennessee Whiskey” is a cover at a Chris Stapleton show. “I never once said I wrote it. In fact most nights when I play, I yell. ‘The Old Crow Medicine Show’ Not the first cover to be a hit and won’t be the last. Do you go to Stapleton’s site and tell folks Tennessee Whiskey is a cover?” I never once said I wrote it. In fact most nights when I play, I yell.”The Old Crow Medicine Show” Not the first cover to be a hit and won’t be the last. Do u go to Stapletons sight and tell folks Tennessee Whiskey is a cover? https://t.co/lGPCUnnG79 — Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) July 3, 2026 The user would respond with a pair of pretty incoherent tweets, telling Rucker he’s not a fan of Stapleton and he used to be a fan of his until he “ran his mouth about Tennessee.” “I’ll keep it a buck with you I just really don’t like you I’ll still pray for ya and I used to be a fan of yours till You wanted to run your mouth about Tennessee.” I’ll keep it a buck with you I just really don’t like you I’ll still pray for ya and I used to be a fan of yours till You wanted to run your mouth about Tennessee. — 901Conger (@RobertConger16) July 3, 2026 So… nothing to do with “Wagon Wheel” then? Add this interaction to the long list of miserable, brain-dead interactions artists have to deal with online these days… Before you go, fire up both versions of “Wagon Wheel.” Old Crow Medicine Show’s version Darius’ version The post “I Never Once Said I Wrote It”: Darius Rucker Shuts Down Troll Claiming He Takes Credit For Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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He rarely gets radio airplay, but Zach Bryan is filling football stadiums larger than most artists could dream of. Continue reading…

Nothing screams “AMERICA” like this video of the late, great Toby Keith singing one of his most patriotic songs in the back of an Uber (with the windows down) equipped with a karaoke machine. The Big Dog Daddy was obviously famous for being one of the best country music singers to ever do it. But he was also known for being someone who loved every second of life, and never passed up an opportunity to have a good time. Back in 2023, Keith got in an Uber that just so happened to have karaoke capabilities, and being him… he took the opportunity and made it iconic. Toby Keith’s official social media pages recently shared this throwback video of the legend doing his version of Carpool Karaoke, and it’s sure to bring a smile to your face. And with the 4th of July weekend finally here, it’ll also get you in the spirit to celebrate the United States of America. That’s because this video let the world know that Toby Keith’s go-to karaoke song was actually a song out of his very own catalogue: “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” The clip shows Toby Keith in the back of an Uber singing every lyric of his hit 2002 tune and loving every second of it. When the video picks up, Toby is towards the finale of the song, and he even changed up the “Statue of Liberty” line a bit: “Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass It’s the American way Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list And the Statue of Liberty started getting real pissed And the eagle will fly, man it’s gonna be hell When you hear mother freedom start ringin’ her bell And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you Oh, brought to you courtesy of the red white and blue.” Never gets old. Like I mentioned earlier, the video was originally posted in July of 2023, just seven months or so before Keith passed away. He still had his powerful voice and a smile on his face despite all that he was going through at the time. The Big Dog Daddy was even able to produce this moment that will be beloved and revisited for years to come… especially around this time of the year: “Kicking off the holiday weekend by throwing it back to that time Toby did karaoke of his own song. Who’s gonna be singing it loud and proud to celebrate 250 years of the red, white and blue?” View this post on Instagram If that doesn’t get you in the 4th of July spirit, I don’t know what will. Fans in the comments of the post were happy to see the video of Toby Keith, and admitted that it evokes both happy and sad emotions. Nothing beats hearing the Big Dog Daddy’s voice, and everyone wishes that he was still here with us to celebrate the holiday that he – a proud American – loved. RIP Toby Keith… everyone make sure to sing a little “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” this 4th of July in his honor.The post 4th Of July Throwback: Toby Keith Sings “Courtesy Of The Red, White & Blue” In The Back Of His Uber first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Another beautiful duet from Riley Green . This time, he joined Hannah McFarland on a song called “Go Again,” which of course follows several successful duets he’s done with other country ladies. His songs with Ella Langley in “You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do” were easily being the most successful of any of his duets, but he was always featured on Carly’s song “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” which is great too. Riley is gearing up to release his new album That’s Just Me on September 18th, which will feature the already-released Toby Keith-influenced “Think As You Drunk,” which includes a sample of Toby Keith’s 2005  hit, “As Good As I Once Was.” And today, released “Go Again” with his tour opener Hannah, and  they’ve been teasing a duet of some sort for a while now, and it’s another solo write from Riley, which are consistently some of his best songs. This one is rather sultry, finding him pleading with this girl to stay another night with him, telling her they can “lay in this damn bed all day,” “shut the world out” and “go again”: “Last night’s red wine has my head hurting You didn’t sleep a wink all night but somehow girl you still look perfect And I guess we knew that you’d be leaving But one night with you ain’t near enough For what I’m needing, so You can climb in that cab and catch that flight back to LA We can shut the blinds, shut out the world Lay in this damn bed all day We can both pretend we’ll meet up again when you pass through Or you can leave me a memory, it can be the end Or we can go again We can go again” Hannah comes in saying her heart is telling her to stay, even if she shouldn’t: “Boy we were hell on this hotel You made me laugh fumbling with my dress tripping over your damn boots This show’s in town for one night only I’ve got a plane to catch but my heart keeps telling me don’t leave” Hannah is a talented up-and-coming artist, they sound great together, and the sexy, sultry songs work very well for Riley, and I don’t see why this one will be any different . Of course, everything he did with Ella was lightning in a bottle and can’t be recreated, but Riley does solo writes SO well, better than anyone in mainstream country in my humble opinion… I mean, “Worst Way” and “Don’t Mind If I Do” were both solo writes by him just to name a few, so I think his track record on that front speaks for itself. It’s the next single from his aforementioned album, and I think the ladies in particular are really going to love it… check it out: “Go Again” “Think As You Drunk” Riley is currently on the road for his Cowboy As It Gets Tour, which is currently scheduled to wrap up in August. Cowboy As It Gets 2026 Tour Dates: 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 Releases Sultry Duet With Hannah McFarland, “Go Again” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.