Maybe leaving out your biggest stars wasn’t the right move after all. The 2025 Country Music Association Awards were last week, and credit where it’s due, it was actually one of the better shows we’ve seen in recent memory. Other than an awful collab between BigXthaPlug and Luke Combs, the performances were all pretty good, and the show actually highlighted some up-and-coming artists who were deserving of the attention while also paying tribute to legends like Vince Gill. But unfortunately for the CMA Awards, much of the conversation surrounding the show centered on who WASN’T there instead of those who were at Bridgestone Arena. The biggest name that was notably absent was, of course, Morgan Wallen. He’s the biggest artist in the genre by far, but he’s had a strained relationship with the awards show since being banned back in 2021 and leaving empty-handed in both 2022 and 2023. In 2024, Morgan finally won Entertainer of the Year, and deservedly so after dominating country music for a couple of years at that point, but by then the damage was done: Morgan wasn’t even in attendance to collect the award, and he hasn’t mentioned it in the year since. He did, however, take a not-so-thinly veiled shot at the awards show recently during a surprise appearance with Ella Langley at the Ryman Auditorium, when he told the crowd it “takes a lot more than an awards show” to get him to Broadway in downtown Nashville these days. Morgan wasn’t the only one who wasn’t in attendance either: Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany, were in Miami during the awards show, with Brittany commenting that they didn’t feel the need to be there since Jason has never gotten much love from the CMA Awards. Jelly Roll was another artist who was noticeably absent from both the show and the nominations, after being nominated for both Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year in 2024. He didn’t give a reason for not being there, and he’s been open about his mental health struggles and illness while on a recent tour in Australia so maybe he was just staying home to recover, but nonetheless it felt like a big absence from one of country’s hottest names right now. The list goes on an on: There was no Eric Church, Reba, Carrie Underwood, or even Luke Bryan, who has hosted the show the past few years. And of course there was no Turnpike Troubadours, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Muscadine Bloodline, or countless other artists who draw massive crowds despite not getting any mainstream attention. And whether you’re a fan of their music or not, it’s hard to deny that it hurts not only the credibility of the awards shows but also their ratings when fans can’t tune in to see the biggest artists in the genre. The ratings for the CMA Awards have been slipping the past few years, bottoming out at a new low last year of only 6.1 million viewers after peaking at 16.1 million viewers back in 2014, just over a decade ago. And this year the show once again hit a new low, drawing around 6.04 million viewers on ABC. Now, this was still the most-watched show in the timeslot, so there’s no arguing that the awards aren’t relevant or that they’re not still a massive draw for country fans. And the show was also made available to stream on Hulu the next day, so the dip in viewership could partly be attributed to people waiting until the following day instead of watching live. But it also seems to be a troubling side effect of leaving out country music’s biggest stars. We saw a ton of comments from folks wondering where Morgan Wallen was, and why the biggest name in country music wasn’t performing at the show, much less winning any awards. It seems like country fans are increasingly tuning out, even after the show has seemed to slow down on the gimmicks like pop collabs and random celebrities telling corny jokes that caused a massive decrease in ratings over the last decade. And when fans aren’t able to tune in to see their favorite artists, can you really blame them?The post CMA Awards Hit Another All-Time Ratings Low In 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The clip has fans speculating about the fate of one character who is conspicuously absent. Continue reading…

The power of songwriting. One of the best things to come out of the 2025 CMA Awards has been seeing so many people discover Stephen Wilson Jr. for the first time. The relative newcomer who describes his sound as “Death Cab for Country” delivered one of the standout moments of the night with a powerful performance of “Stand by Me,” and since then it seems like he’s been one of the most talked-about artists in country music. The 46-year old former scientist also has one of the most interesting stories in country music. He grew up boxing as a kid, following in the footsteps of his father, but fell in love with songwriting at a young age. He was briefly in a band, but then left and took a job as a food scientist for Mars, Inc. before finally leaving to pursue his career as a songwriter. Wilson signed a deal with Big Loud and released his debut album søn of dad back in 2023. The album was inspired by Wilson’s father, who passed away in 2018, and showcases his talent for songwriting as he navigates the feelings of grief that come with losing somebody so important to you. But as it turns out, it was another song about losing a loved one that inspired SWJ to get into songwriting in the first place. Ahead of the CMAs, Stephen spoke with the Bobby Bones Show about the song that made him fall in love with songwriting as a kid, while listening to the radio on the school bus: “The song ‘Don’t Take the Girl’ kind of made a mess out of me on the school bus when I was a kid.” Yeah, that’ll do it. Of course everybody knows the tearjerker from Tim McGraw that goes through the different phases of life with the common refrain of “Don’t Take the Girl” running throughout. It’s a heartbreaking song, especially if you’ve lost somebody close to you (I lost my fiancée a couple years ago and I still can’t listen to that damn song). But it wasn’t a heartbreak that made SWJ connect with the song so much, though he did have his own heartbreaking reason for being able to relate to it: “My momma kind of, had a bunch of issues. She was married to a really dangerous man at the time, my parents split up and I was really scared for her life. I was able to copy and paste her into that song.” While the song had nothing to do with domestic abuse, Stephen Wilson Jr. says that it was because he was able to see his mom in that song that he realized the power of songwriting: “That’s really what mystified me about songwriting, was like, that song had nothing to do with my story but I was able to copy and paste my story into it and still be affected by it. That’s the real wizardry, not just rhyming words. It’s being able to affect somebody’s heart so much that they see themselves in the song.” What a powerful experience to have as a kid. And to be able to realize just how great a song is when you can relate to it even if it’s not your own story just shows what a brilliant mind Stephen Wilson Jr. really is. I have a feeling there are big things in store for him, and I can’t wait to see what else he’s got in store for us too. @bobbybonesshow @Stephen Wilson Jr. ♬ original sound – Bobby Bones Show The post Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Heartbreaking Reason Tim McGraw’s “Don’t Take The Girl” Sparked His Love For Songwriting first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

An incredibly unique childhood experience. Post Malone is set to headline The Salvation Army’s Annual Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show during the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, as the Cowboys will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, November 27th at 3:30 PM at AT&T Stadium, which will air on CBS, and I’m sure it will be a surreal moment for Post and his entire family. Post’s performance will be extra special consider he is a Texas native and huge Cowboys fan, and his father actually worked for the Cowboys and managed concessions when Post was a kid. Of course, he says it’s an honor to be part of the show this year: “I’m from Texas. I grew up a Cowboys fan and have been watching this halftime show for years. It’s a real honor to be part of the Red Kettle Kickoff with The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys and help bring hope to so many people.” And it sounds like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is equally as excited. In fact, in an interview with Athlon Sports, Jones says he’s “extraordinarily excited” for the game, as well as Posty’s performance, and he shared a really neat story about Post as a child, when his dad was still working for the Cowboys. Post’s parents split up when he was young, so when he was with his dad while his mom was at work, he would sleep in a cot at Texas Stadium until his mom could come pick him up when he got off work. Jones said for four or five years, his dad, Rich, would bring him to work when he had late nights and let him go to bed so he could get enough sleep. He said there was about a four or five year stretch that he would sleep there every night: “You know his background. He used to come over every night and sleep in Texas Stadium. And he slept over there for years, because his mother was working. And then she would finish her work and then he’d go home. Oh, yeah, for several years. Probably four or five (years). Had a cot for him and he slept.” It’s no wonder he’s such a big fan of the Cowboys now… not only did his dad work for the time, but he literally slept at Texas Stadium, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys before they built AT&T Stadium, most nights. I feel like that’s any little boys absolute dream to sleep over at your favorite NFL teams stadium… There have been so many great Thanksgiving halftime performances in Dallas over the years from country artists like Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson and more, but this one from Posty will certainly be the most personal one yet, and I can’t wait to see it. While Post Malone is performing in Texas, back in Nashville, his bar Posty’s will be giving out free meals to on-duty, uniformed first responders from Wednesday, November 26, through Friday, November 28, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, which is super cool and a great way to give back during this special holiday season: View this post on Instagram The post Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Says Post Malone Used To Sleep At Texas Stadium While His Dad Was Working: “Had A Cot For Him” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Another new song from the duo. As the new generation of tomorrow’s country stars continue to be discovered seemingly by the minute on social media, there have been quite a few names that have broken through in a big way over the past year. In particular, youth seems to be one of the biggest factors at play with artists such as Ty Myers, Hudson Westbrook, Waylon Wyatt and Vincent Mason all breaking out in their late teens and early 20s. With that being said, however, two of the hottest stars flying out today’s new generation of social media stars are undoubtedly Sam Barber and Avery Anna. While both artists have respectively put up monster numbers to start their careers on their own, mainly Barber catching fire with his 2023 single, “Straight and Narrow” as well as his monster debut album, Restless Mind and Anna going viral on TikTok seemingly weekly, when the pair team up, it’s been nothing short of gold. Of course, this is best displayed on their smash hit from last year, “Indigo,” which not only received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) but also scored the duo their first-ever placement on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #40. Additionally, it’s been nothing short of a giant both on streaming and TikTok, garnering over 313 million streams on Spotify alone and being used in a staggering 180,900 unique videos on the social media platform. They’d follow that up with yet another successful outing on the aforementioned Restless Mind when the two teamed up for yet another duet on the title track. Though the song didn’t quite catch the same attention as “Indigo,” “Restless Mind” still garnered the duo a healthy 76 million streams on Spotify. Simply put, Barber and Anna are arguably the hottest duo in country music at the moment, outside of the likes of Ella Langley and Riley Green, of course, and it looks like they’re going to keep that momentum going into 2026 with another brand new collaboration. Over the weekend at their show in Atlanta, Georgia at The Eastern, the pair performed a new, unreleased track titled “Fear In God,” one that they debuted just a few weeks ago at Red West Fest in Salt Lake City, Utah. Introducing the track, Anna would note that the song was written by her and Barber after a long discussion about the difference between the anxiety that comes with the fear of the world, compared to the grace and strength found in the fear of God. She’d also highlight the fact that her faith has been such a key factor in her journey as an artist: “Part of my story that I really wanted to tell, and luckily I was able to write this song with Sam and really be able to tell that, is there’s only one person that’s ever walked this earth that knows how you feel and has carried your sorrow with you. And his name is Jesus Christ.  I’m fortunate enough to know that to my core, and so there’s something that really helps me throughout my life when I’m really struggling and whenever I’m anxious. And that is, Biblically, when you have fear in the world, it means anxiety and stress and sorrow. But when you have your fear in God, it means reverence and courage and strength. That’s something that me and Sam got to talking about, and we wrote this song… It’s called ‘Fear In God.'” What results is another rock-solid effort from the duo. After Barber sets the tone early in the first verse with his gritty vocals, Anna enters in the chorus where the pair remark that “the fear in God will be your saving grace.” Feeling incredibly soulful and a bit bluesy overall, the track comes to a crescendo when the pair sing: “Face to face, on the fence Bow my head, there’s a voice that says Hurry up son, it’s getting late And the Devil dies at the end of the day He’s gonna tempt you, you’re gonna shake Get on your knees and you go on and pray The fear in God will be your saving grace Take ye as you come now” As of now, “Fear In God” has no release date. With that being said, however, there’s a high likelihood that it winds up on Barber’s sophomore album, which he recently revealed is coming in “early in the new year.” Watch here: @otter1911 Unreleased song.. already in love with it! @Avery Anna @Sam Barber ♬ original sound – Autumn White Sam Barber Tour Dates January 30-31 – Oxford, Mississippi – The Lyric Oxford * February 5 – Salem, Virginia – Salem Civic Center * February 6 – Washington, D.C. – The Anthem $# February 7 – Columbia, South Carolina – Township Auditorium $# March 12-13 – Madison, Wisconsin – The Sylvee $# March 14 – Waukee, Iowa – Vibrant Music Hall & March 19 – Fort Wayne, Indiana – Clyde Theatre & March 20 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – GLC Live at 20 Monroe & April 24 – Indio, California – Stagecoach May 7 – Omaha, Nebraska – The Astro Amphitheater +* May 8 – Wichita, Kansas – Wave Outdoors +* May 9 – Little Rock, Arkansas – First Security Amphitheater +* May 14 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – The Dome +* May 15 – Charleston, South Carolina – Firefly Distillery +* May 16 – Huntsville, Alabama – The Orion Amphitheater +* May 21 – Clearwater, Florida – The BayCare Sound +* May 22 – Pompano Beach, Florida – Pompano Beach Amphitheater +* May 23 – St. Augustine, Florida – St. Augustine Amphitheater +* June 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina – Red Hat Amphitheater $# June 5 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater $# June 6 – Lexington, Kentucky – Railbird Music Festival * Bebe Stockwell $ Waylon Wyatt # Wild Horses & Clover County + Michael MarcagiThe post “His Name Is Jesus Christ” – Sam Barber & Avery Anna Perform Powerful, Unreleased Song, “Fear In God” In Atlanta first appeared on Whiskey Riff.