In pretty good company. Justin Moore recently scored his 14th career #1 single with “Time’s Ticking,” which in the process set the record for the longest climb to the top of the charts with its 67 week run. Obviously fourteen #1 hits is impressive for any artist. There are plenty out there who go their entire career and never top the charts, and Justin has managed to be a consistent hitmaker for nearly two decades now with #1 hits like “Small Town USA,” “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” “Why We Drink,” and “You, Me and Whiskey.” In fact, Justin’s 14 chart-toppers puts him in the top 40 ALL TIME in country music – and ties him with another country legend, George Jones. It may be hard to believe, because he’s quite possibly the greatest country artist of all time, but the Possum only scored 14 #1 hits throughout his 50-year plus career. And Justin had a priceless reaction to finding out he had actually tied Jones with his latest hit. After “Time’s Ticking” topped the charts, Justin was speaking with radio hosts Big D & Bubba when they revealed to him that his fourteen chart toppers put him into a tie with not only Jones, but also country hitmaker Keith Urban. And it’s safe to say Justin was shocked to find himself in such good company: “Are you kidding me? Oh my gosh. That’s insane.” Justin admits that his goals have changed over the years, saying that at one point he would have been fine with just getting a record deal: “I mean, I remember when I moved to town, I was 18, this was ’02, and I thought, ‘Man, if I can just get a record deal, even if I don’t ever get to put anything out, then I can go back home and be proud.’ You know, stand tall, puff my chest out. And then we had a hit and I thought, ‘It’s alright if I’m a one hit wonder.’ Then you have one more, and another one, and another one. It’s amazing, man.” He sums it up with a goal that’s much more important than notching #1 hits: “I’m still trying to make my mom and dad proud.” Aren’t we all. I’ve said before it’s insane how underrated Justin is, especially considering the success he’s had at country radio. Justin is one of the few artists who got his start in the mid-2000s and managed to make it through the 2010s without falling into the “bro-country” sound that dominated the decade. The closest he came to changing his sound was on his 2016 Kinda Don’t Care album with singles like “Somebody Else Will” – but on that same album were stone-cold country songs like the album’s title track, as well as one of my favorite songs Justin’s ever recorded, the heartbreaker “Hell On A Highway.” To remain true to your sound for nearly 20 years is an impressive feat in and of itself, especially in an industry where the sound changes so drastically over the years and artists are quick to chase the next big thing. And not only has Justin remained authentic throughout his entire career, but he’s also been consistently releasing hits in three separate decades now: His first #1 single came in 2009 with “Small Town USA,” and his latest was his 2024 single “This Is My Dirt.” That’s an impressively long career of hits, especially considering all of the flash-in-the-pan artists who have come and gone over that time span. It’s a disservice to Justin, though, to only talk about his #1 hits when discussing his career. Some of his best songs – and in fact, some of his biggest hits – never hit #1 on the charts, and many of them never even made it to radio. One of the first songs you think about when you think of Justin Moore is probably “Bait A Hook,” a song that was released in 2011 and still goes viral every few months on TikTok. Though it’s one of Justin’s biggest hits, it only peaked at #17 on the charts. And songs like “Someday I Gotta Quit” from his 2019 Late Nights and Longnecks album or “Old Habits,” his duet with Miranda Lambert from Justin’s 2013 Off the Beaten Path album, are some of the best that he’s recorded. It’s no doubt a little shocking to find yourself in the company of greats like George Jones, or modern country legends like Keith Urban. Justin has often talked about the impact that Jones had on his career, and a couple of years ago even performed at a star-studded tribute concert to the Possum. Having 14 #1 hits is an impressive accomplishment for any artist, but there’s no doubt that for Justin, reaching the heights of one of his heroes like George Jones makes it just a little bit sweeter. The post Justin Moore Had A Priceless Reaction To Finding Out He Has The Same Number Of #1 Hits As George Jones first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Ella Langley might be riding the high of her sophomore record’s release, but that doesn’t mean she’s not one step ahead, thinking about what comes next in her career. Ella Langley is already off to a HOT start with Dandelion, which broke the record for biggest female album debut on Spotify this year as she racked up 17.2 MILLION streams the day it was released: ‘Dandelion’ by Ella Langley breaks the record for biggest female album debut on Spotify this year (17.2 MILLION streams). pic.twitter.com/HccONBOR4R — Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) April 11, 2026 This milestone adds to the success of “Choosin’ Texas,” continuing the career hot streak that Langley has unleashed. The song first topped the all-genre chart on February 9th, when it first hit #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, and she became the first woman ever to triple up and score #1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, and Hot 100 charts simultaneously. But this has not come without her fair share of low points. Last year, Langley was at a very low point mentally. In an interview shared by Chicago’s The Scotty Kay Show, Langley admitted that the week of the ACM Awards was one of the “toughest mental health weeks” she has had in a long time. She subsequently took some time off the road to reconnect with herself and her family, and she’s since opened up about how much that time changed her spiritual life, as she found a real relationship with God for the first time in her adult life. Through this introspective and healing season Langley had after taking a break, it heavily influenced the tracklist of this record, making it deeply personal. While it’s clear that Langley has a knack for songwriting that resonates with her audience, it’s not the only mark she wants to leave on the world throughout her career. Langley also hopes to be on our TV or movie screens one day. During a recent interview with Billboard, the “Butterfly Season” singer revealed that she hopes to begin acting very soon. Next year to be exact. To prime her for that answer, the publication asked her what her career bucket list includes. While many of the items on that list are music-related, she also mentioned another art form she hopes to get involved in. “[Saturday Night Live] — to be a musical guest and then one day, maybe host. Sell out stadiums, that’s always been my goal. I want to start acting in the next year. I like thrillers but also love comedy. I’m not a big romantic movie lady, so probably something funnier or a little more intense.” Expanding on her thoughts about wanting to act, she shared earlier this year that she really hopes to appear in a horror film one day — which might be shocking to some. Given that so many country stars make their crossover into acting through Taylor Sheridan shows or an adjacent avenue, I honestly thought that might be the route Langley would hope to dip her toe into. But she revealed to 93.3 The Bull in Utah that her acting dreams land in a genre far from Western drama. “(A) Thriller probably first, maybe. But I really want to do a horror movie. That’s like one of my big goals. Like an old school horror movie, not like this stuff that you can’t put on and let your daddy walk through the room.”  After seeing Langley star in the “Choosin’ Texas” music video, it’s clear she’s comfortable behind the camera. I can only imagine what she could deliver in a thriller role… I hope we get to see that in the near future. Fire up “Choosin’ Texas” before you go: The post Ella Langley Says She Hopes To Start Acting In The Next Year first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Amen. I think I speak for just about everyone when I say that politics in our country is an absolute mess at the moment. With both sides of the aisle seemingly growing further apart with no signs of stopping, it’s becoming harder and harder to find a true middle ground among the most vehement supporters of both parties. While many might call it a cop-out, you truly see it on both sides. On the left, you still have many who try desperately to police language, calling anyone who disagrees with them some form of derogatory term, whether it’s “racist,” “sexist,” or my least-favorite buzzword as of late, a Nazi (which severely dampens the atrocities committed by the group). With that being said, however, you see members of the right also contributing to this divide. Say what you will about the quality of it, but the Turning Point USA alternative Super Bowl halftime show was ultimately a bit of a microcosm of today’s political climate. While I’m no Bad Bunny fan, creating your own halftime show only added fuel to the flames of the current division we see plaguing the country. In many ways, you see it leaking into country music as well. In some cases, that conversation is perpetuated by the media, particularly the left-leaning publications, who insist on asking every single country artist they interview or profile to opine on the latest political topics. And it’s usually presented as an “opportunity” to either agree with the “correct” position, or explain why you didn’t really mean to take the “wrong” position. But aside from media interviews, you have artists who have made politics part of their brand. Mainstream artists like Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, John Rich, Nate Smith (though he peddled back on that a bit recently) and more have aligned themselves incredibly close to Trump and the MAGA movement, on the flip side, you have artists like Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Bryan Andrews and others seemingly making it their mission to oppose anything the administration (and the right in general) does. Of course, there are plenty of artists who have focused on uniting listeners regardless of their political affiliation — Dolly Parton, Eric Church and Cody Johnson come to mind. With that being said, however, Luke Combs has risen as the genre’s great uniter for this current generation. Undoubtedly, the “Beautiful Crazy” singer has had one of the most interesting careers from a public perspective, politically speaking. Despite the fact that his music has remained apolitical in nature throughout his career, he found himself in hot water back in 2020 when a video resurfaced of him appearing in a music video for “Can I Get An Outlaw” that contained Confederate flag imagery. After being called a “racist” for having the flag appear in the video, Combs would go on to apologize for its use and vowed to never display it again (which he never has). While you think that would have closed the door on that controversy, it didn’t. Instead, Combs began getting labeled as a liberal simply for apologizing for the use of the Confederate flag. After years of unnecessary speculation about his political leanings/party, recently, Combs would finally clear the air in an interview with the New York Times’ Popcast and explain how he’s never aligned himself with either party. “I would consider myself heavily moderate in everything. That’s to the point where I’m not liberal enough for liberals and I’m not conservative enough for conservatives. I kind of like it that way. I also kind of like people not really knowing what I have going on politically.”  In conjunction with being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026 and being one of four people to receive a magazine cover, Combs would open up about his politics once again today. He’d come out hot by rightfully saying that he couldn’t care less about an artist’s political leaning, instead implying that he’s judging them solely by the art they produce, rather than their beliefs. Additionally, he’d note that he’s fine with people judging him for the entire “separating the art from the artist” mindset. “I guess I’ve never understood why I would care what my favorite musical artist thinks about politics. Maybe that’s naive, or maybe that’s dumb– I’m judged all the time for my takes on these things, and that’s OK with me.” Using the hot-button issue of border immigration as an example, he’d then go on to note that he’s simply not willing to lose friends over politics. “Me and all my buddies, we discuss it mildly. But if it ever goes down the lane of ‘I don’t agree with this take’ or whatever, it’s like, well, just leave it. I’m not willing to lose my best friends over what they think about border immigration. That would be such a ridiculous reason to lose a friend.” Finally, Combs would wrap up by explaining that the difference in opinion between all of us in the country is what makes it beautiful, noting how we all have the right to express them without backlash. “Not everybody should have to be the same or believe the same thing. That’s the beauty of the country that we live in– the country that everyone is so up in arms about is the country that gives us all the opportunity to say what we want to say and do things the way we want to do them. I think we lose sight of that.” In a hyper-politicized era that has seen artists on both sides of the aisle push their politics onto fans, it feels so refreshing for an artist as popular as Combs to outright reject the tribalism between parties, steer clear of alienating fans and overall push a message of unity between people. While I’m sure there will be many who claim that he’s a coward for not taking hard stances on whatever current event is dominating political discourse (as we saw with Jelly Roll at the Grammys) I think he’s reflecting how many Americans feel. My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates April 18 Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN April 25 Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH May 2 Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN May 9 Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Norman, OK May 15 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 16 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UKThe post “I’m Not Willing To Lose My Best Friends Over What They Think About Border Immigration”: Luke Combs Continues To Push Back Against The Political Divide In The Country first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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