May 15th can’t come soon enough. Unsurprisingly, Stagecoach this year was quite eventful. On a action-filled weekend in the desert of Indio, California, Ella Langley would get things started by surprising fans with Theo Von for a performance of her smash hit with Riley Green, “you look like you love me” early on Friday. Couple that with Riley Green, Chase Rice, Diplo and more teaming up with Sydney Sweeney for some karaoke after high winds forced some sets to be cancelled night one, Cody Johnson bringing out Boyz II Men and Post Malone teaming up with the likes of Braxton Keith, Jake Worthington and Shaboozey to close out the festival and you have yourself a weekend for the ages. With that being said, however, one of the biggest announcements/moments of the festival came on Saturday night when the pride of West Virginia himself, Charles Wesley Godwin, announced the first single off his upcoming fourth studio album, “Better That Way” is coming Friday, May 15th featuring none other that Luke Combs. View this post on Instagram During the performance, Godwin would acknowledge the fact the new album has been in the works for quite awhile at this point before ultimately dropping the bomb that Combs is featured on the track, drawing a huge roar from the Stagecoach crowd. “It’s been two and a half years since our last album; I know that’s too long. But this has been a labor of love, and we turned a new one in in the wintertime. We have the first single on that album coming out on May 15th. It’s called “Better That Way.” I got my buddy Luke Combs on it.” If you’ve been keeping up with Godwin’s teasers on social media over the past six months or so, “Better That Way” was actually one of the first songs he teased and wrote for the album, posting it on Instagram all the way back in August. There, he’d note that he wrote the song with Scooter Carusoe (Eric Church’s “Hands of Time,” Kenny Chesney’s “Anything But Mine”) and Al Torrence, who is a long-time co-writer with the “Seneca Creek” singer. Since the announcement, fans have been all but losing their minds over the prospect of the West Virginian collaboration with Combs, who’s undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the genre today, and minutes ago, Godwin would take to Instagram to give us the first studio teaser of the track. Spoiler alert, it sounds incredible. View this post on Instagram Once again being produced by long-time collaborator, Al Torrence, I’m happy to report that the track sounds like classic CWG. Here, he’d once again tease the fully-produced chorus which sees him reflect on the thing that makes him the best version of himself- the steady love of his wife, Samantha. “I’m better When my jeans have lost ’bout half their blue I’m better When the work on the farm is done by noon Better, When her eyes of green are looking back at me Fell in love at 23, are still mine to this day Yeah, I’m just better that way…” Immediately after the chorus, Godwin let fans hear Combs for the first time presumably on the second chorus. Here, the “Hurricane” singer delivers a rock-solid vocal performance in typical fashion, once again continuing the theme of their lives being better with all the simple things in life. “Better with a pocket ace in a poker game Cover charge paid with that stray change Being a shoulder for a friend in need Picture frame, make you laugh memory Walkin’ this earth with my head held tall Hearing my name in a southern drawl Calling my mom ’cause I still can…” It’s safe to say fans (myself included) are already falling in love with the track. Taking to the comments on Instagram, they’d express how they cannot wait for the official release. “Yea this guy can’t miss” “I’LL BE BETTER WHEN THIS IS RELEASED” “This can’t come out soon enough” “I’m better after listening to this” “This song and album is gonna be sensational” “Obsessed already!!” “Song of the year“ “Heater” “Better That Way” is out everywhere Friday, May 16th, and it’s more than likely going to be an early contender for song of the year judging by this early preview.The post Charles Wesley Godwin Drops First Teaser Of New Luke Combs Duet, “Better That Way,” & Fans Are Already Obsessed first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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Following in the footsteps of the great Waylon Jennings… well sorta. As one of the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Tim McGraw has had a legacy in the genre that few can ever dream of. Scoring 49 #1s hits, 13 #1 albums, 21 ACM Awards, 11 ACM Awards and 3 Grammys, the “My Best Friend” singer is undoubtedly one of the most highly-decorated artists in the genre’s history. With nearly four decades worth of hits at this point, ranging from “Something Like That” and “Just to See You Smile” to modern hits like “Humble and Kind” and “Live Like You Were Dying,” it’s hard to imagine McGraw as anything other than a staple in the genre. Of course, there was a time in the early ’90s when the Louisiana native wasn’t a household name. After a few middling singles from his self-titled debut album to start his career, McGraw began to catch lightning in a bottle upon the release of his 1994 sophomore album, Not a Moment Too Soon. Right from the gate, he scored his first Top 10 hit with its lead single, “Indian Outlaw,” which subsequently became one of his controversial albeit successful songs to this day. Immediately after “Indian Outlaw” came what many fans still consider his staple song: none other than “Don’t Take the Girl.” Of course, “Don’t Take the Girl” has remained one of the most iconic country song of the 1990s, telling the heartwarming story about love and life that quickly turns heartbreaking thanks to an incredibly open-ended final verse and chorus. Though each verse takes place in different periods of life, the chorus always makes its way back to “please don’t take the girl.” Written by Craig Martin and Larry W. Johnson, the track became McGraw’s first-career #1 hit, a 3x platinum single and ultimately put him on the track to becoming the Country Music Hall of Famer he is today. Thanks to the success of the song and Not a Moment Too Soon as a whole, the 58-year-old singer/songwriter netted his first three CMA nominations at the 1994 show. Unsurprisingly, he’d be nominated for both Single and Song of the Year for “Don’t Take the Girl” as well as the Horizon Award, which served as the equivalent as today’s New Male/Female Artist of the Year. Though McGraw would leave the show empty-handed, dropping Single of the Year to John Michael Montgomery’s “I Swear,” Song of the Year to Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” and the Horizon Award to Montgomery once again, you would have at least thought that he would have performed the twice-nominated #1 hit during the show. As it turns out, McGraw actually declined his first-ever CMA performance at the show, and it was for a pretty good reason. During a recent conversation with entrepreneur, investor and author, Tim Ferriss’ podcast, the Hall of Fame inductee was asked about the legacy of “Don’t Take the Girl.” After calling it the “epitome of what country music is all about,” McGraw would go onto to explain that the Country Music Association told him that he had to perform the song, which clocks in at 4:10 on the studio version in three minutes flat. “That song was one of my first stances as an artist where I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing or not. But it was my first opportunity to perform on the CMAs after ‘Don’t Take the Girl’ came out… They wanted me to do ‘Don’t Take the Girl,’ but they only gave me three minutes and the songs five minutes.” Obviously, a song as narrative-driven as “Don’t Take the Girl” couldn’t be cut down in any way, shape or form. As we know, unlike most songs, there’s no repetition in the chorus, meaning there was no way to cut corners without the performance simply not making sense and the song losing its meaning. Because of this, McGraw made the bold decision to decline his first invitation to perform at the show. “I was trying to explain to them that there’s no way to sing this song without telling the complete story or it wouldn’t make sense. So I actually turned down my first opportunity to perform on the CMAs because I couldn’t do the whole song.” When asked if he had any second-thoughts after declining, McGraw would say that he thought it was an “obvious choice” given the fact that a half-measure performance of the song wasn’t going to do himself or the CMAs any favors. “I think it was an obvious choice, and I wasn’t too worried because the song was doing so well. I just thought there’s no upside here to do a part of the song. It’s not going to do anything for me, and it’s not going to do anything for anybody else.” Looking back, it certainly didn’t leave any bad blood between McGraw and the CMAs. In the years following, he’s tied for the seventh-most wins in the history of the award show with 11, scoring a staggering 39 total nominations throughout his career. Waylon Jennings had a similar experience in 1970, but rather than decline to perform, producers decided to cut his time that night… Waylon was already in the building and prepared to perform his 1968 hit “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line,” but they told him they only had time for one verse and chorus. And guess what… Waylon walked right on out of there. Little bit different of a story, but same general principle… you can’t cut short on a great song. Watch the full podcast here: Pawn Shop Guitar Tour Dates July 9, 2026 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts * July 10, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center * July 11, 2026 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium *+≠^ July 16, 2026 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre * July 17, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center * July 18, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake * July 23, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion * July 24, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater * July 25, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center * July 30, 2026 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park *+≠^ July 31, 2026 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview * August 1, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater* August 6, 2026 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach * August 7, 2026 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek * August 8, 2026 – Daniel Island – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium ^ August 13, 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater * August 14, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater (PNC Music Pavilion) * August 15, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live * August 21, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater August 22, 2026 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre * August 23, 2026 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field *+≠^ August 27, 2026 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center *^ August 28, 2026 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre * August 29, 2026 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater * September 10, 2026 – Austin, TX – Moody Center *^ September 11, 2026 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion *^ September 12, 2026 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP * September 17, 2026 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater September 18, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center * September 19, 2026 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre * September 24, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre September 25, 2026 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre * September 26, 2026 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre * * 49 Winchester + The Chicks ≠ Lady A ^ Timothy Wayne The post Why Tim McGraw Declined His First Invitation To Perform At The CMA Awards first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Nothing like early 2000s Kenny. It’s kinda crazy when you think about just how long Kenny Chesney has managed to say at the top of the game. He dropped his first single in 1993 and had his first #1 hit in 1997. And nearly 30 years later he’s still releasing hit songs, headlining stadiums, and selling out residencies at the Las Vegas Sphere. For me, Kenny was undeniably the soundtrack of my high school years in the early 2000s. Songs like “Summertime,” “I Go Back,” “Young,” “Don’t Happen Twice,” and many others were summer staples, while ballads like “The Good Stuff” and “There Goes My Life” showed off a different side of his music that highlighted the incredible songwriting in country music at the time. It was that songwriting, in fact, that made a young aspiring artist named Taylor Swift fall in love with country music. Swift was recently named one of the 30 greatest living American songwriters by the New York Times, and in an interview she spoke about her love for songwriting, the process behind writing songs, and much more. Of course Taylor got her start in country music, when she dropped her self-titled debut album in 2006 after singing with Big Machine Records the year before. And according to Taylor, it was the lyricism in songs from artists like Kenny Chesney that drew her to songwriting: “I think the first songs that I fell in love with was the type of songwriting that I think folk and country is really known for. It’s like that storytime structure. Songs like “Harper Valley PTA” or “Goodbye Earl” by the Dixie Chicks or any amazing Kenny Chesney song.” Taylor went on to explain that it was the storytelling songs that really drew her in to country music: “A hypothetical structure would be, first verse, little girl learns a lesson that in the chorus her mom teaches her about. Then the little girl grows up, and now she’s a teenager, and she realizes, ‘Oh, my God, my mom was right about this.’ Now the second time you hear the hook, that same hook means something a little bit different because she’s grown up in her life. Then the bridge, maybe she goes on in her life, she has a little girl, she imparts that wisdom onto her. And if you really want to get me to cry, bring back that same first line of the song and end the song with it.” The structure Taylor is describing can be easily found in Kenny Chesney songs like “There Goes My Life,” “That’s Why I’m Here,” or “I Lost It,” songs that pack a full storyline (and often a full lifetime) into 4 minutes of lyrics. You also hear it in country classics like “Don’t Take the Girl” by Tim McGraw or “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss. And according to Taylor, when she first fell in love with those songs, she though country music was where she needed to be: “That was the first thing that made me think, ‘It’s gotta be country music.’ That was the first type that I really fell in love with.” Of course it wasn’t just country music that influenced her songwriting: Taylor admits that emo music appealed to her because of the impact of their lyrics, citing bands like Dashboard Confessional and Fall Out Boy for their ability to “take a common phrase and then they’d just twist the knife of it.” I think anybody who grew up in the early 2000s probably listened to “Sugar We’re Going Down” or “Vindicated” while going through the typical teenage angst: I can tell you both of those songs were on my burnt CDs right alongside Kenny Chesney, so it’s no surprise that Taylor was influenced by their songwriting too. There’s no doubt that Kenny Chesney has inspired quite a few artists by now, given how long and successful his career has been. He’s had Megan Moroney out on tour with him and has taken her under his wing, and even back in the late 2000s/early 2010s he was at the forefront of “beachy” country, which then took off with artists like Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley and Jake Owen. Of course it’s also not a stretch to draw a line between that era of country music and the “bro country” era that followed, which moved from tequila on the beach to Fireball around a bonfire. But it just goes to show what an impact Kenny Chesney has had during his career, and why it was no surprise when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year. When the biggest artist in the world is citing you as an inspiration, you’ve clearly made quite the impact.The post Taylor Swift Credits Kenny Chesney’s Music For Her Love Of Songwriting: “It’s Gotta Be Country Music” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

I mean, without the voice, it would make it a lot hard to tell. Over the weekend, Lainey Wilson headlined Stagecoach and she decided to go under cover before her set and see if any of the fans would realize it was her. We’ve seen artists like Eric Church do similar things at their own shows, and you’d be surprised how easily they get around, and even interact with fans who have no clue, without them in their usual stage garb. Being that they were in California, Lainey wanted to transform into Britney West from southern California, and she put on a black wig with a short bob style, and of course, the most important part of the transformation was her voice, and Lainey went full on Valley girl with her accent, which is what really sold it all. In a video on TikTok, Lainey shared the transformation as well as some clips of her talk to fans, and there’s a funny part in the video where her fiancé Duck tells her how “annoying” the voice is, and it’s definitely a far cry from her usually thick Louisiana twang that is a huge part of who Lainey is (many people have accused her of “faking it” but I think that’s probably people who have never been to certain parts of the South and actually heard people talk). As Lainey walked around the Stagecoach grounds, she asked people who they were excited to see, one little girl said actually said Lainey, and Lainey did eventually tell everyone she talked to that it was really her, and they were shocked. I mean, they really had no idea, and if you weren’t expecting that, and who would be, then I could see how she might easily fool you. Check it out: @laineywilsonBritney West comin’ atcha from the streets of Stagecoach ♬ original sound – Lainey Wilson Many fans in the comments were convinced they would have known it was Lainey right away, while others were loving her accent change: “I wouldn’t have known! The Cali girl voice is on point.” “Iconic, the voice – I would absolutely ask if you were Lainey’s sister though!!” “Love Brittany West.” “Our Hannah Montana.” “The voice change is so good.” “I wish more artist did this, SO FUN!” “Girlllll how do you do that!” “I am obsessed with this.” “I would know INSTANTLY it was you girl.” “As a Brittany this was hilarious.” “I’m from Temecula and today years old realizing I do talk like that lol.” “Bruh. How? Because I would have known immediately lol” “It’s the accent that threw people so hard!! All for the plot! Love it! ‘It’s Briiiiitttt!!!'” “How are you sooo good at the valley girl accent??” You just never know who you might run into at Stagecoach. The post Lainey Wilson Goes Undercover At Stagecoach, Fools Fans With Hilarious Valley Girl Accent first appeared on Whiskey Riff.