I’d write the world’s worst song over getting a speeding ticket any day. The more we learn about  Lainey Wilson, the more her life seems like a movie at times. In the best way possible, might I add. From the fact that she lived in a camper in her friend’s front yard when she first moved to Nashville chasing her dream of being a country music singer, to learning that she was a Hannah Montana impersonator for years, and Lainey Wilson would open the stage for Hannah Montana, highlights the dedication she had to making her dreams come true. She’s a small-town girl who had big, big dreams and made them come true. Lainey Wilson recently shared another golden story from growing up in a hometown that makes you love the “Hang Tight Honey” singer even more. Wilson recently appeared on the Life With John Mayer show on SiriusXM radio, where she shared perhaps the most motivating thing that’s inspired a song from her. And no, it wasn’t the promise of collaborating with Dolly Parton or Reba. Lainey Wilson shared with Mayer that she was once given the option to write a song or accept a fat speeding ticket from the local judge (who just so happened also to be her neighbor). “I got a ticket when I was 15 for going 75 in a 45.” 15! Kind of frightening to think 15 year-olds are out here gunning it at 75 miles per hour… “Thank goodness the judge was my next-door neighbor. And he made me write a song about speeding.” I’d say the judge went easy on Wilson for that charge. And if there were any reason to write a #1 single, doing it to get out of the speeding ticket is as good a reason as any. Wilson then shared a little bit of how she recalled the tune when for John Mayer. “Going 75 in a 45.. Do, do do…” Honestly, for being written at 15 years old, this aged pretty gracefully and could make for a great chorus of a song today about chasing a past lover down a highway… Yes, that idea can be taken for free. I guess this is proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same for the “Can’t Sit Still” singer. She’s still moving at 100 miles per hour, but in a different area of life. View this post on Instagram Lainey Wilson Lived In A Camper In Her Friend’s Yard For Three Years After Moving To Nashville The queen of “bell-bottom country” has become one of the biggest artists in country music over the past couple of years. In 2021, she had her first #1 single with “Things A Man Oughta Know.” She won the CMA New Artist of the Year award at the 2022 ceremonies, and “Heart Like a Truck” became a massive hit and Lainey’s second #1 single with the help of TikTok and…well, Lainey’s bell bottom. Lainey has also scored #1 hits with her collaborations with Cole Swindell, “Never Say Never,” and HARDY with “wait in the truck,” as well as her single “Watermelon Moonshine.” And last year, Lainey swept Entertainer of the Year at both the CMA and the ACM Awards, officially cementing her superstar status. At this point, everything she touches pretty much turns to gold. So if you just started following her career, it probably seems like Lainey’s had a meteoric rise since the release of her major-label debut album back in 2021. But what you don’t see is the years of hard work that it took to get there. Lainey actually started at a young age…as a Hannah Montana impersonator. And when she would perform as the famous Miley Cyrus character, she would “open” for Hannah Montana as herself so she could play some of her own music. Then she began playing with a local band in her home state of Louisiana. But when she decided that she wanted to make a career out of music, she bought a camper and moved to Nashville – and lived in the camper for three years. Lainey talked about her time living in the trailer on the Just Being ERNEST podcast a while back: “When I decided I needed to be here full time, I ended up buying a camper trailer and moving it to Nashville. I lived in it the first three years I was here and finished college in it… It was a Flagstaff, it was like a 20-foot bumper pull. It did have a shower, but I flooded it at one point and then the floor started rotting out. I was always having problems with it.” Luckily for Lainey, she had one connection in Nashville when she moved here – and he let her park her camper in his studio parking lot. “I moved here in August of 2011…There was a guy from my hometown, his name was Jerry Cupit. He had some success in the ’90s with like Ken Mellons, Kevin Sharpe… And crazy story, my daddy’s daddy has always loved music, just wanted to support it any way he could. So in the ’70s he gave Jerry Cupit a few hundred bucks to help him move to Nashville and get started. And as a favor in return, Jerry let me live in his studio parking lot for free for those three years. So he was really my only contact that I knew.” But it wasn’t an easy road. Lainey talked about the struggles of living in a camper in a new city while trying to chase her dreams: “There has been some dark days for me. I was very lonely. I didn’t know hardly anybody in town. Tornadoes would roll through, the tornado sirens would be going off. The winters were cold, I’d have to sleep in three or four jackets, three pairs of socks just to stay warm.” See, it’s not all glitz and glamour. And Lainey admits that if she had known what it was going to take to “make it,” she’s not sure if she would have done it: “When I look back, honestly, if I had known it was going to be this hard, I don’t know if I would go and do it again.” The post A Judge Once Made 15-Year-Old Lainey Wilson Write A Song About Speeding Instead Of Giving Her A Ticket first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

GET READY. It seems as if anything that The Red Clay Strays touch lately has turned to gold. After being one of the buzziest bands in the alt. country scene over the past few years, thanks to the success of Moment of Truth and Made by These Moments, the Alabama band broke out in a big way this past November. If you’ve been paying attention to them, you know they were bound to become a mainstay after winning Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2024 Americana Awards, winning New Vocal Duo or Group at the 2025 ACM Awards and scoring a 3x platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their breakout hit, “Wondering Why,” along with a gold certification for their debut album, Moment of Truth. As previously mentioned, however, their big mainstream break happened back in November thanks to their huge night at the 59th annual CMA Awards, delivering a killer performance of their current single, “People Hatin’” and, more importantly, dethroning Old Dominion as Vocal Group of the Year en route to their first-ever CMA win. Given the immense amount of hype surrounding the band over the past year, there has been a tangible amount of excitement surrounding the release of their third studio album, which was prematurely announced for a summer release by none other than Joe Rogan when the band appeared on his podcast back in September. Though we knew the album was slated to come out at some point in the summer for over six months at this point, we still hadn’t received an official release date. That all changed today. In addition to dropping the highly-anticipated single, “Demons In Your Choir, which even got its own billboard that ultimately teased the album’s title, the Strays officially announced this morning that their third studio album, Grateful, is set to release on Friday, June 5th. In the Instagram caption, they’d also add how much love was put into the album and that they can’t wait for fans to hear it. “We put a lot of love into this album and can’t wait for y’all to hear it.” View this post on Instagram Overall, Grateful will contain 11 tracks, including pre-released singles, “People Hatin’,” “If I Didn’t Know You” and today’s “Demons In Your Choir.” Once again, the album is set to be produced by the legendary Dave Cobb, who teamed up with the Strays to produce their sophomore album, Made By These Moments, along with other all-time records such as Chris Stapleton’s Traveller, Jason Isbell’s Southeastern, Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and many more. Though the entire tracklist has yet to be released, it’s extremely likely that the previously teased, “Revival,” which has been played at concerts recently and even got a studio teaser posted on Instagram recently, will be included on the record. There’s no denying that Grateful is shaping up to be the most anticipated album of the summer in country music. And if the quality of the first three singles released off the project are any indication of Revival itself, I think its pretty safe to say it will end up being on manys’ “Albums of the Year” lists once its finally released on June 5th. In particular, today’s release of “Demons In Your Choir” is a particularly stellar effort. Though the Strays are no stranger to gospel music, with many of their songs leaning into its influence, “Demons In Your Choir” stands head and shoulders above the crowd. Slow-burning in nature, the song takes it time to fully introduce the titular choir that was teased heavily upon its announcement. Once they’re fully included into the mix, it sounds incredible and sets the tone perfectly for Grateful, which looks to lean even heavier into their aforementioned gospel influence. Before you go, fire up “Demons In Your Choir.” “Demons In Your Choir” The Red Clay Strays Tour Dates March 17 – Houston, TX – Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo April 19 – Georgetown, TX – Two Step Inn 2026 April 24 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach 2026 May 1 – Memphis, TN – Riverbeat Festival 2026 May 24 – Norfolk, VA – Patriotic Fest 2026 June 5 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest June 13 – Columbus, OH – Buckeye Country Superfest 2026 June 18 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino June 21 – Bloomington, IL – Tailgates N’ Tallboys June 24 – Rexford, MT – The Red Clay Strays Fan Fest June 26 – Calgary, Canada – Country Thunder Alberta 2026 July 11 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club 2026 July 17 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin 2026 July 19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days July 30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion August 1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden August 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden August 15 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair September 6 – Aspen, CO – Jazz Aspen Snowmass 2026 September 19 – Pryor, OK – Born & Raised 2026 September 26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond October 22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena October 23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena November 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm ArenaThe post The Red Clay Strays Officially Announce Third Studio Album, “Grateful,” Release “Demons In Your Choir” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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