Making a huge difference during his final send-off. On Saturday, the country music world came together at Nissan Stadium in Nashville to honor Alan Jackson with his star-studded Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale concert. The concert immediately became one of the hottest tickets of the year — the stadium was packed, the streets were packed and a big video board was placed on Broadway for a public showing. Just about everybody in business showed up to send off one of the best to ever play the game. Along with Alan, the show featured an all-star lineup of Eric Church, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack Of course, the living legend wrapped up his career by performing a plethora of career-defining tracks such as “Chattahoochee,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning),” “Remember When” and an additional 21 other hits throughout his illustrious career. Simply put, there could not have been a better, more fitting send-off for one of the most influential artists in the genre’s history, who not only has 19 ACM Awards, 17 CMA Awards, two Grammys, 50 Top 10 hits and 35 #1 hits, but also has inspired three generations of country fans at this point in his career. View this post on Instagram Though it’s been a large part of his story over the years, the driving force behind Jackson’s retirement was his diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, a degenerative nerve condition that made it hard for the country music legend to stand and keep his balance — something he announced back in 2021. While he assured fans the disease isn’t fatal, it’s made it harder for the legend to tour and deliver the performance that he wants for fans: “It’s starting to affect my performance on stage a little bit, where I don’t feel comfortable and I just wanted the fans and the public to know, if they’ve come to see me in the last few years or if they come to see me in the future if I play anymore, what’s going on.” Given this, the living legend made a major donation to aid researchers in their fight against the disease during the concert. Announced by the CMT Research Foundation, Jackson raised and donated over $2.25 million dollars to the non-profit through ticket sales, matching contributions and fan donations, thanks to the awareness he brought to the disease through his battle over the past five years. In case you’re not aware of the CMT Research Foundation, it’s a patient-led, non-profit organization that aims to raise funds to invest in science that will lead to treatments and cures for CMT, which affects over 150,000 Americans and over 3 million individuals worldwide. As for what his donation entails, the foundation would detail that the funding is supporting real, active progress for a smartphone tool that can track CMT progression, smarter drug delivery to the nerves affected by CMT, matching the right genetic treatment to CMT2A and blood tests that measure whether treatment is working. “Remember When” The post Alan Jackson’s Final Show Raises Over $2 Million For CMT Disease Research first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Oliver Anthony is back on social media, and for his 34th birthday, he decided to let fans know that new music is on the way. Life has been a whirlwind for the Virginia native ever since he released his debut single, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” back in 2023. The video of his in-the-woods performance was originally uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral, racking up millions upon millions of views before Anthony was even able to release the song on streaming platforms. Now, a couple of years and over 300 million streams later, Oliver Anthony is still navigating his way through the music industry, proving wrong those that said he’d have just 15 minutes of fame following his viral hit. That being said, he’s not interested in being a mega-star. The success of “Rich Men North of Richmond” has actually given the artist the flexibility to do as he wishes when it comes to his music, and he hasn’t wished to do all that much as of late. He took a hiatus from social media for quite some time, and only returned a couple of month ago in May with a rant against algorithms, AI and politics. Oliver had also stepped away from music and performing for a bit, but he’s since gotten back into the swing of things. And even has some new music coming this July. In a video posted to Facebook, a somewhat clean shaven (for his standards) Oliver Anthony first let everyone see how he was spending his 34th birthday, which took place on June 30. He expressed his thankfulness to make it to 34-years-old, and stated that he never thought he would have made it that far. Oliver Anthony then told his followers that he’s doing well, and that he had just bought a church in West Virginia. Though there’s still plenty of work to be done, he’s planning on doing a church service there in October. He then went on to talk about some upcoming shows that he’s doing at the end of August (Bluefield, West Virginia on August 29, and Farmville at Longwood on August 30). And at the very end of the video, Oliver Anthony shared that he’s got new music coming very soon. Whether that’s just one song, a couple of songs or an entire album remains to be seen, but there is some new stuff coming from Anthony in just a couple of weeks: “I have new music coming out on July 21st. I love you all. I really appreciate you.” Besides a couple of live cover songs that Oliver Anthony has put out in 2026, the artist hasn’t put out any music since 2025 when he released the haunting “Only God Can Save Us Now” and the fiery “Scornful Woman.” The latter did gain some traction for Anthony, but nothing close to the rocket ship that was “Rich Men North of Richmond.” If he’s chasing the success of that song – and I don’t think he is – Anthony could be fighting to get back to the top of that mountain for the rest of his life. It was a legitimate, cultural moment that he created… and at 34-years-old, he just seems grateful to be able to still be doing it.The post Oliver Anthony Celebrates His 34th Birthday By Letting Fans Know New Music Is On The Way first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

90’s country music legend Clint Black is currently hospitalized, and a severe infection has led him to cancel a show he had set for the 4th of July weekend. Country fans were gearing up to see the great Clint Black this Friday at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Mississippi prior to a concerning announcement that was made today through the country star’s social media. The show that was supposed to take place on July 3 has been canceled, and it’s because Black was hospitalized due to a severe tonsil infection. The post described the news – and the treatment that Clint Black is receiving – as follows: “Clint Black’s performance at the Pearl River Resort Casino, scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2026, has been cancelled due to a medical emergency. Clint was admitted to the hospital on Sunday with infected tonsils requiring emergency intravenous antibiotic treatment.” Most of the time, intravenous antibiotic treatments are reserved for those that are facing infections that have progressed to severe and sometimes life threatening levels. The good news is that, according to the statement that was released, Clint Black is responding to the medication well, and is expected to make a full recovery and be released from the hospital in the next couple of days: “Clint is on the mend and will make a full recovery and is expected to be discharged from the hospital later this week. Clint and his management team sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this cancellation may cause.” View this post on Instagram As you can see in the social media post, fans that had tickets to the Pearl River Resort show on July 3 can obtain full refunds for the cancelled show at the original point of purchase. Here’s to hoping that Clint Black recovers quickly and gets out of the hospital sooner rather than later. It sounds like the tonsil infection that he’s suffering from ended up being very serious. Artists like Ernest and Hannah Dasher went to the comment section of the post to offer their support, as did comedian Theo Von and many other fans that are wishing for the best for Clint in his recovery: “Hang in there CB!” “Get well, hoss.” “Heal up champ!” “Hope you feel better soon, we love you.” “Feel better Clint!” “Prayers for a speedy recovery.” “Get well soon!” “Sending the healing vibes.” “Rest up and heal quickly!” “Sending prayers for healing and strength.” We here at Whiskey Riff just hope that the country star that brought the world 13 number one hits, including “Killin’ Time” and “A Better Man” can get his health back to a place where he can continue to share his gift with his fans. His tour schedule says his next concert would be July 9 at the Carson Valley Inn Casino in Minden, Nevada. Considering the above statement says he’ll be discharged from the hospital later this week, that wouldn’t leave Black much time to rest and recover prior to that show. But above all else, hopefully Clint Black takes all the time he needs to get back to 100%.The post Country Music Legend, Clint Black, Cancels July 3rd Concert After Being Hospitalized With Serious Infection first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Colby Acuff’s most recent album release – Handmande Horsepower – might be the defining project of his career. The country music artist (and 2026 Whiskey Riff Madness champion) joined Whiskey Riff Raff to talk about the viral origins of his “Dunk That Shit” mantra, the art of meme marketing, why he thinks social media is broken, and shared his thoughts on some of the most talented artists in the genre still not getting the recognition they deserve. Colby also dove into his frustrations with modern country music, explained why he believes Nashville is still the place to be for aspiring artists, and shared why Handmade Horsepower is the record he wants to be remembered for. He also discussed the short film that accompanies the project, and the impact artists like Sturgill Simpson have had on his career. One could argue that Simpson’s pivot to the Johnny Blue Skies era of his career acted as a guiding light for Acuff, who himself decided to change things up with his latest album. Everything about the new record – from the look, to the in-your-face sound, to the approach – was completely different than anything he’s done in the past. He described it as planting his flag in the sand and letting people know here’s how things will be from here on out: “This whole year is about a rebrand for me. I left the label and then it took me probably a year and a half to actually figure out what I want the rest of my career to look like. In a way, I kind of want it to look like there are no rules and we can do whatever. I’d rather be known as a creative than I would as a talking head. This whole record is kind of planting the flag in the sand, or drawing a line in the sand – whatever you want to say – of just what to expect out of us in the future. Going back to that rock and roll but also ’70s outlaw sound. Trying to find that little piece of magic.” Acuff has previously been quoted saying that Handmade Horsepower was the album that he wanted to be known for. It’s still early to tell if that’s how it’ll play out (we’ll have to revisit the project later on with some hindsight), but as far as what he set out to do with the album… Colby feels like he nailed it: “Sonically (I feel like I reached that goal) for sure. Whether or not that happens, I don’t know. But I know we’ll be playing these songs for a long time. They’re fun to play. They’re great. It fits the thing that we want to do.” Another fun fact about the songs on Handmade Horsepower? Colby Acuff wrote every single one of them. That was always the plan going into the project, and once he knew what he wanted to say with his album (and he had a whole lot of great things to put out there) that came out earlier this month, Acuff knew he’d have to write the whole thing: “This record I wrote all by myself. My first all by myself record since Honky Tonk Heaven. It was important to me, especially with some of the content I was writing, it’s very against the grain here. Obviously ‘LIPSTICK ON A PIG’ is just a giant f*** you. The reality is I had to do this on my own. If I was going to do this big rebrand, and make this kind of record, and do all this stuff, I just felt like creatively, for me, as an artist for growth, I just felt like this was my thing to do.” @whiskeyriff @Colby Acuff #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff You can hear about all of that and more from Colby Acuff by checking out the interview on YouTube or making 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 Colby Acuff Says ‘Handmade Horsepower’ Is Him Planting His Flag In The Sand first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Doesn’t get more American than this for our country’s 250th birthday. Of course it hasn’t been quite that long since Eric Church launched his own whiskey brand, Whiskey JYPSI, back in 2023. The country music star teamed up with Raj Alva, a serial entrepreneur who shared the same passion for good whiskey and bourbon, and together they brought to life Whiskey JYPSI. Church and Alva co-founded the distillery, and trusted an experienced whiskey maker by the name of Ari Sussman to bring their vision for a whiskey that went against the norm into existence. While the brand itself might only be a few years old though, Whiskey JYPSI’s newest release has ties all the way back to our first president. Legacy Batch 003: “The Declaration” serves as the third release in the whiskey’s limited-edition Legacy Series, and was crafted as a modern reimagining of the spirits distilled by George Washington at his Mount Vernon estate. The Declaration blends three rare and aged stock whiskeys, including a 60% blend of 8-12 year old rye sourced from Indiana that’s finished with a top note from apple brandy barrels sourced directly from George Washington’s distillery at Mount Vernon. It also contains 30% corn, a 20-25% Canadian corn whiskey re-barreled in new American oak to add depth with notes of vanilla and cocoa. And it’s finished off with 10% malt, an 8-year-old American single malt from Virginia.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Whiskey JYPSI (@whiskeyjypsi) Speaking on the blend, Whiskey JYPSI whiskey maker Ari Sussman spoke about the importance of rye in American history: “Before bourbon there was rye. Rye was the whiskey of revolutionaries, and Maryland Style Rye was what George Washington himself distilled at Mount Vernon. It balanced rye’s characteristic spice with the sweetness of corn, and that balance is what we set out to create.” And Church said that he wanted to create something special for America’s 250th birthday: “To mark the 250th anniversary, we wanted to make something that is more than a commemorative bottle; it’s a testament to the grit, restlessness and innovation that built this country.” I tried The Declaration myself, and I’ll admit that I’m not usually a rye guy but this is one that could easily find its way into my standard rotation. It’s got a lot of caramel and vanilla notes that cut through that burn that you get from rye, and the aging gives it a depth that’s missing from a lot of the ryes on the market. Honestly, it may have changed my mind on ryes – or at least convinced me to give them another look. Speaking on the release, JYPSI co-founder Raj Alva said that the quality is a result of sourcing from some of the most historic distilleries in the country: “When Eric and I started JYPSI, we said we would have no rules other than producing the best products we could regardless of complexity or cost. Sourcing from one of the oldest and most historic distilleries in America to produce ‘The Declaration’ is a perfect example of that spirit.” It’s easily my favorite of the Whiskey JYPSI releases so far, and one that’s worthy of America’s 250th anniversary.The post Eric Church’s Whiskey JYPSI Celebrates America 250 With Limited Edition Release With Ties To George Washington Himself first appeared on Whiskey Riff.