Earlier this week, the college football world lost a legend. It was on March 4 when the news of Coach Lou Holtz’s death was made official. The 89-year-old had reportedly been in hospice care for the past couple of weeks, and it was yesterday afternoon when the Holtz family shared that the coaching legend had passed away: “Louis Leo ‘Lou’ Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family… Holtz is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. His influence extended far beyond the football field through the Holtz Charitable Foundation and the many players, colleagues, and communities shaped by his leadership.” Louis Leo “Lou” Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family. Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia,… — Lou Holtz (@CoachLouHoltz88) March 4, 2026 Undoubtedly a massive loss. The college football coach was one of the most influential and respected figures in all of sports. His 50-plus year coaching career included stints at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, South Carolina, and most notably, Notre Dame. Holtz spent a decade with the Fighting Irish, and won the 1988 National Championship while he was in South Bend, Indiana. Many athletes, coaches, analysts, Garth Brooks, and other figures in sports paid tribute to the life that Lou Holtz lived after his passing. If you noticed that one of those things was not like the other, that wasn’t a typo. On garthbrooks.com, the only website that breaks news about Garth or anything that he’s doing, the singer shared a story titled “Remembering Lou Holtz, Notre Dame and a Never Before Moment in Time” that started by paying tribute to the late, great head coach… and then got into the massive concert that Garth Brooks held in South Bend, Indiana in 2018: “The passing of coaching legend Lou Holtz (March 4 at the age of 89) not only marks the end of one of the storied careers in college football – it marks the loss of a man who played a substantial role in Garth Brooks’ story… and indirectly helped give millions of music fans concert experiences they might never have had. It’s well known that Garth’s historic concert at Notre Dame Stadium in October 2018 provided the blueprint – and a sold-out ‘first show’ – for what would become his Stadium Tour, a four-year run that found him playing some of North America’s largest and most iconic sporting venues, entertaining millions of people (including tens of thousands on a return visit to the South Bend, Indiana campus in May 2022). And it might not have happened without the one-and-only Lou Holtz.” The tie-in that apparently caused Garth to share this story was Lou Holtz’s endorsement of the concert at Notre Dame Stadium, which was the first time the football field ever hosted a concert in its rich history. Granted, Holtz did fly to Nashville and stood by Garth while the announcement of the concert was made. The legendary coach famously and jokingly said that Brooks was going to play at the special place because “Elvis wasn’t available.” RIP Lou Holtz.The post Garth Brooks Eulogizes Coaching Legend Lou Holtz By… Sharing A Story About His 2018 Concert At Notre Dame first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Can’t be too careful these days. There’s a lot of money in music memorabilia and celebrity autographs. Look on eBay and you’ll see hundreds of thousands of autographs for sale, some going for big money and others…not. Of course most of those listings aren’t from fans who are parting with their personal collection: They’re from professionals who make a living off of getting autographs from celebrities and then using those to profit off that celebrity’s own fans. And look, I’m all for making a buck, and props to them for hustling to get the autographs and selling them, but it just seems a little scummy to me to use an artist’s kindness to get an autograph (for free) and then turn around and take advantage of that artist’s fans like that. Apparently John Rich feels that way too. An autograph seeker posted a video of the Big & Rich singer turning down his request outside of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, apparently thinking the guy was planning on selling it on eBay: “No, I don’t sign guitars you’re going to sell on eBay.” The guy tried to appeal to John, telling him he was a “patriot” like him, but Rich was unmoved: “It’s going on eBay… I know what eBay.com is and I see it on there all the time.” Apparently John was suspicious of the guy holding a cheap guitar that was still in the packaging, though he insisted that he was a fan. But the singer insisted that he only signs expensive guitars: “I only sign Gibsons… Bring me a Gibson or a Martin and I’ll sign it. I ain’t signing s— guitars.” Rich was pretty nice to the guy despite refusing to sign his guitar, even assuring him that he’d still be able to make some money without his signature: “You’ll get some other stars on it, you’ll be able to make some money on it.” Unfortunately for the guy, John held true to his word and eventually departed without signing the guitar – though his Big & Rich partner Big Kenny did indulge him and autograph it for him. @00judah I LITERALLY LOVE BIG KENNY @Big & Rich HE WAS VERY NICE AND NORMAL, I LIKE #johnrich TOO BUT HE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF AN EGO #bigandrich #bigkenny ♬ original sound – Judah Now, the guy insisted in the comments of the video that he really wasn’t trying to sell the guitar. But as many times as artists are asked for autographs only to see them end up for sale, you can’t blame them for being careful these days. And unfortunately, that means making snap judgments about whether somebody’s a real fan or simply somebody trying to make a buck. Luckily if you’re in the market for a John Rich-signed guitar…surprise, surprise, there are some available on eBay right now, with the cheapest one currently listed for $170. (It’s not a Gibson or a Martin, so that must be a fairly recent policy that Rich has implemented. Or maybe he just smelled bulls— and came up with that one on the fly). Oh well, better luck next time I guess.The post “I Only Sign Gibsons” – John Rich Turns Away Autograph Seeker After Suspecting He Was Trying To Sell It On eBay first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Fans were convinced Harper Grace had big engagement news — until the rising country singer finally explained what was really going on. Continue reading…

Ernest is just a vessel through which music fans can discover the country music artists of yesteryear… his words, not mine. The hit-making singer and songwriter recently joined The Pat McAfee Show and spoke on his role in the music world. Ernest has helped countless acts and artists craft No. 1 hits (like Morgan Wallen and Florida Georgia Line), and his own song “Would If I Could” reached the top of the charts back in 2024. He see’s all of his success in the modern country landscape as a way to lead others to the country music of the past. While speaking with McAfee – whom he’s actually worked with musically (Pat has decided to dabble in music and acting as of late) – Ernest explained his appreciation for the genre that his music calls home. He’s very much in tune with the history of country music, and if you need proof of that… he named his son Ryman. The “Flower Shops” singer loves the sound of older country music, and as he sees it, his modern songs are just one way to eventually lead country fans to the greats of the past. And he takes that responsibility seriously: “I’m glad that I exist in this timeline, because the industry will allow for a wide variety of things to fit underneath the country music genre. The more people that are coming to country music, and the more it spreads, I see that as an opportunity – as a disciple of traditional country music – it’s just more eyes on this too. There’s nothing wrong with making this. I love this. But while you are here, let me show you this. I treat it as almost getting to be a history teacher of country music. I can write songs that exist in today’s country music landscape. But I also want to put you on some Merle Haggard and George Jones and Keith Whitley and Ronnie Milsap. There’s layers to it that you should go find.” "I'm glad that I exist in this timeline because the industry will allow a wide variety of things to fit under the country music genre.. There's layers to country music" ~ @ernest615 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/aBFuZzIUA5 — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 5, 2026 There’s definitely layers to country music… that’s a good way of putting it. Though Ernest might have a handful of songs that sound more traditional, he typically leans more towards the modern sound that the genre has to offer (his upcoming album, Deep Blue, has more island vibes). But based upon that quote above, all he’s doing is just trying to get people to listen to country music in general… so that they can hear all the other great artists and songs the genre has to offer. Call Ernest a disciple or a “gateway artist,” whichever you prefer. The “Boat Named After You” singer actually talked a lot about his place in the country music world, how and why he helps so many different artists, and the legends that he looks up to (and tried to get to feature on his next album) in a recent interview with us here at the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, make sure to check it out by downloading the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Just search “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Audio Video The post “Put You On Some Merle Haggard”: Ernest On Why It’s Important For Today’s Artists To Lead Fans To The Country Music Greats first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Going to need a full cover ASAP. After an incredibly busy 2025 that included not one but TWO separate albums, April’s …And What Was Left Behind and November’s stripped-back Longleaf Lo-Fi, and an extended opening spot on reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind Tour, Muscadine Bloodline has shown no signs of slowing down heading into the new year. Not only have they already hinted at yet another record coming out this year, they’ve also plotted an intimate acoustic tour throughout the winter, also titled Longleaf Lo-Fi. With the tour kicking off earlier back in January in the Carolinas, Muscadine treated fans to a killer acoustic cover of James Taylor’s iconic ode to the state, “Carolina In My Mind.” And it’s safe to say at this point, they’re no strangers to pulling off some incredible covers from nearly all genres, also delivering a killer cover of Olivia Dean’s viral smash hit, “The Man I Need,” the same month. This sentiment was highlighted on a bigger scale on Longleaf Lo-Fi when they covered pop-punk band, The Story So Far’s, 2013 track, “Clairvoyant.” Last night, they returned with yet another killer cover, this time putting a groovy spin on none other than George Strait’s “Give It Away.” @muscadinebloodline What if “Give It Away” by George Strait was a Muscadine song???? Dusted off a little Texas royalty banger since we are pulling up to Beaumont and San Antonio this weekend!!! How we feeling about it??? #georgestrait #countryfunk #countrymusic #ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀsᴏɴɢ #texas ♬ original sound – Muscadine Bloodline Hardly needing an introduction, “Give It Away” was famously written by Jamey Johnson, as well as Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon. Being released as the lead single from the King’s 2006 album, It Just Comes Natural, the track made history when it became Strait’s record-setting 41st #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and breaking his previous tie with Conway Twitty. As one of the stand-out singles from Strait in the 21st century, it’s become a key part of his discography over the past twenty years. With that being said, however, it’s never quite sounded like this killer rendition from Muscadine. While Charlie Muncaster provides his always killer vocals here on their rendition of “Give It Away,” it’s Gary Stanton who is the true star of this cover. Laying down a downright dirty, swampy guitar lick with a little help from a looper, it’s arguably the most unique version of a Strait song I’ve heard in quite some time. Obviously, it’s another killer, unique cover from the Alabama duo, and it seems like just about everyone is sharing a similar opinion as well. Fans were quickly flooding the comment section, not only praising Stanton’s funky guitar work but also begging for a full cover/official release. “Gary’s having too much fun and wants to break out in to something funky!” Gary putting that STAAAANNNKKKK on it!” “Put this in the booth and put it out“ “I’d listen to you boys reading tax code” “Give it away by releasing it to us!” “I speak for all of us when I say RELEASE IT” “Hot Damn… That was good” “Man y’all put the STANK on it I love it” Before you go, fire up Strait’s original. Muscadine Bloodline Tour Dates March 6 – Beaumont, Texas – Jefferson Theatre March 7 – San Antonio, Texas – The Aztec Theatre March 28 – Opelika, Alabama – Auburn Rodeo April 18 – Georgetown, Texas – Two Step Inn May 31 – Panama City Beach, Florida – Gulf Coast Jam June 7 – Lexington, Kentucky – Railbird Music Festival June 19 – Winstead, Minnesota – Winstock June 20 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota – Denny Stanford Premiere Center June 21 – Bloomington, Illinois – Tailgates N’ TallboysThe post Muscadine Bloodline Lays Down Groovy Cover Of George Strait’s “Give It Away” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.