Staten Kirkland and Quinn O'Grady have become a beloved TV couple over the course of the first two seasons of 'Ransom Canyon.' Continue reading…

Of all the country stars dubbed an “outlaw,” Merle Haggard is easily one of the most qualified for the title. Merle rebelled early and often after the death of his father, racking up a long rap sheet that included car theft, armed robbery, hopping trains, skipping school, and assault. Some of these crimes were serious and others were petty, but the repeated nature of the offenses was amplified by his ability to escape from many of the work camps and detention centers where he was housed. An often cited figure is that Merle escaped prison a total of 17 times in his life, but author Marc Eliot dug deep while writing The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard and determined that Merle had a total of 17 entries on his rap sheet, but that the number of escapes was certainly in the single digits. Merle’s life may have been one totally and completely made up of crime had it not been for one of the most iconic moments in country music history. In 1960, Johnny Cash was playing one of his famed New Year’s Day concerts at San Quentin prison and a young, 20-something Merle Haggard happened to be in attendance. It’s often reported as 1958 (Merle wasn’t at San Quentin yet) or 1959 (Merle wasn’t in the audience), but it was actually 1960 when Cash played with Merle in the crowd. What he saw from Johnny both on and off stage convinced him to straighten his life out, at least from the criminal aspect, and truly give a career as a country artist a shot. You can read that entire story here. But, as you may expect from a young convict, Merle wasn’t impressed when he learned that some country music star was coming to perform at his prison. Rightly so, he was weary, as celebrities will often appear somewhere just to make a good headline and then scamper back to their money and mansions as quickly as possible. In a 2014 interview with the Des Moines Register, Haggard said: “I thought Johnny Cash was kind of corny, I didn’t care for him until after he came. There were 5,000 men in there that didn’t care if he lived or died and he was a tall, slim country boy with a corny band. He shouldn’t do that good.” However it didn’t take long for him to change his opinion once he saw the actual man the Johnny was. “He surprised me. He was wonderful, it was unbelievable. He captured those 5,000 men and I don’t believe there was a guy in there left that wasn’t a Johnny Cash fan.”  In another interview, Haggard gave more details on exactly what it was that endeared him to the convict crowd: “He had the right attitude. He chewed gum, looked arrogant and flipped the bird to the guards – he did everything the prisoners wanted to do. He was a mean mother from the South who was there because he loved us… it set a fire under me that hadn’t been there before.” If that doesn’t prove the power of Johnny Cash, the fact that he was able to breakthrough to a hardened, stubborn guy like Merle Haggard, than I don’t know what would. From thinking he’s corny and not really liking him to being a huge fan and changing his whole life because of one performance, that right there exemplifies what music is at its best and why it’s so important that we continue fighting for and promoting the real, quality music that continues to be made today. The post Merle Haggard Thought Johnny Cash Was “Kind Of Corny” Until He Saw Him Play At San Quentin Prison first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He comes from not one, but two different famous families. Continue reading…

I’d say it all worked out for him… Morgan Wallen is the biggest act in music, has broken multiple records and released several hit albums, all while selling out stadiums all over the world… But back in 2017 he was just getting started and was an opener on FGL’s Dig Your Roots Tour. He would later release his first hit single “Up Down,” which also featured FGL, and with them being at the top of the charts at the time, it really kickstarted his career. Morgan got to know them as friends and mentors, and he wrote with them quite a bit too. In fact, they penned Jason Aldean’s hit “You Make It Easy” together, which Morgan debated putting out as his own single. During a recent segment on his SiriusXM station, Morgan explained that he was coming off of some minor success with his debut single “The Way I Talk,” which peaked at #30 on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart. Most artists would kill to have a song crack the top 30, but it’s a far cry from the kind of insane radio success he’s used to now: “‘Up Down’ with Florida Georgia Line, some probably would say that was my breakthrough moment. ‘The Way I Talk’ had just not done so well on the radio. ‘Up Down’, with the help of the guys from Florida Georgia Line… their co-sign, it really meant a lot to me in that moment of my life.” The song was written by Morgan’s longtime friend and collaborator Hardy (who also appears in the music video), as well as Brad Clawson and CJ Solar. The song went on to have huge success, and was included on Morgan’s 2018 album If I Know Me. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, in addition to becoming a minor crossover hit, peaking at #49 on the Hot 100 chart. The song has since been certified 5× platinum by the RIAA. But it was in contention with “You Make It Easy” to be the next single, and Morgan debated using that one instead. He wasn’t sure if he should record it and keep it for himself, and the deciding factor ended up being his live show. Morgan felt like “Up Down” would be the best choice to play at his concerts, and he was certainly right about that. He added that he loved what Jason did with the song, and it all worked out because “You Make It Easy” ended up going to #1 too, Morgan’s first as a songwriter: “To give a little more back story, I had actually just written ‘You Make It Easy’ and I was trying to decide if I was going to keep ‘You Make It Easy’ for myself, or if I was going to give it away. And ‘Up Down’ kind of came in around the same time. I wanted to focus on what my live show was going to be like so I ended up choosing ‘Up Down’ as my single and letting ‘You Make It Easy’ go to Jason Aldean. So that was a pretty important moment, I think an important choice that I made to focus on my live show right then and there. I think it was a good decision, and also, Jason Aldean did a great job with that song.” While Morgan has a pretty large group of writers that help him with most of his music now, it’s easy to forget, like so many other country stars, he started out in Nashville as a songwriter and it’s cool to hear about some of the tough choices he made that ended up being a launching pad for his mega huge career. I know this song is a pop song, really, but I have to admit… it’s pretty dang catchy: “Up Down” The post Morgan Wallen Explains Why He Chose “Up Down” Over “You Make It Easy” As His Second Radio Single first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Which is his all-time best? This list of the legend's singles ranked worst to first makes a case for more than 50 he officially released to radio. Continue reading…