You hate to see it. Just weeks after the country music world was rocked by one of the highest-profile divorces in recent memory, with Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo announcing their split after 10 years, Jon Pardi has just announced he will be divorcing his wife, Summer. Taking to Instagram minutes ago in a joint post, Jon and Summer announced that they will be ending their marriage, citing it as a difficult decision. “After much thought, we have made the difficult decision to end our marriage. Our daughters will always remain our highest priority and we are committed to moving forward with love and respect as co-parents.  Thank you for your understanding, support, and respect as we navigate these changes as a family.” View this post on Instagram The couple have been together since 2017, before the two got engaged on the stage at Ryman Auditorium back in 2019. On November 21, 2020, they would marry at Saddle Woods Farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Since then, as alluded to in the post, they had two daughters, Presley Fawn, who is three, and Sienna Grace, who will be turning two this month. Throughout the years, Summer has starred in a plethora of music videos alongside the “Dirt On My Boots” singer, including “Heartache Medication” and most recently, “Boots Off” earlier in the year. Thankfully for the couple, it seems as if the split is an amecible one, focusing on their two daughters above everything else. Undoubtedly, divorce is never an easy thing to navigate, so keep the Pardi family in your prayers as they navigate a difficult time in their lives.The post Jon Pardi Announces He And His Wife, Summer, Are Filing For Divorce first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Continuing their donation streak. As we all know by now, pop superstar Taylor Swift and her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, are set to get married tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Permits filed with the city for street closures from July 2-4 reveal that the couple expects to host around 1,000 guests at the event, which will reportedly feature performances from Tim McGraw and Stevie Nicks. And trucks have been spotted unloading massive amounts of gear, with TMZ reporting that the couple would construct a giant garden inside the New York City arena. Earlier this month, the couple were on what many believed to be their bachelor and bachelorette parties. Taylor and her friends reportedly spent the weekend at her house in Rhode Island, complete with fireworks, while Travis and a group including his brother Jason Kelce spent a weekend in California that included a show from EDM producer and DJ Chris Lake and the NASCAR Cup Series race on the street course at Naval Base Coronado. In the days leading up to the wedding, the star couple has been on a bit of a donation spree. According to reps for the pop star, Swift and Kelce kicked off their wedding week by donating a total of $26 million to 20 different charities across the country. While most of the recipients are in New York, where the couple plans to tie the knot, they also made donations to several organizations in cities that have ties to the couple, including Los Angeles, Kansas City, Kelce’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and Swift’s hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania. The couple, who have a combined net worth of around $2.8 billion ($2.1 billion of which is thanks to Swift), got things started in Nashville yesterday by donating $2 million to The Store, a nonprofit grocery store founded by Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams Paisley. Today, Dolly Parton would confirm that the two donated an additional $2 million to her Imagination Library, her award-winning book-gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, regardless of the family’s income. After launching in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, the program quickly expanded, providing books to children across America, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. Taking to Instagram this morning, Dolly would thank Taylor and Travis for their donation, remarking that she’s “blown away” and “overjoyed” by their gratitude. Additionally, she’d promise that they will continue the Dollywood Foundation’s mission in bigger and better ways with the hefty $2 million donation. “Taylor and Travis, it’s Dolly, and I was just told that you two are making a donation of $2 million to my Imagination Library. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude. Now, it’s evident that you two have made giving back a key part of your lives. So, hey, when you have your firstborn, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!  The mission of the Dollywood Foundation is to ‘Dream More, Care More, Learn More and Be More.’ Thank you again for your very generous gift, and we’ll continue that mission even in bigger ways now with your money. So thank you, and know that I will always love you.” View this post on Instagram Other charities that received donations include Community Food Bank in Rhode Island, New York City’s City Harvest, Food Bank for NYC, New York Cares, Education Through Music in New York, Answer The Call in New York, Musical Mentors in New York, After-School All- Stars in New York, MSK Kids, the pediatric cancer program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Children & Teen and Adolescents & Young Adult Programs, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Helping Harvest in Reading, Pennsylvania, Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital and Harvesters – The Community Food Network, After-School All-Stars in Cleveland, Ohio, Feeding America National, ASPCA National, and Grammy In The Schools National.The post Dolly Parton Thanks Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce For $2 Million Donation To Imagination Library first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

What would a country music Super Bowl Halftime Show look like in 2030? Colby Acuff gave us his best guess, and told us who he thinks should be a part of the hypothetical (for now) country halftime show. Fresh off the release of his new album, Handmade Horsepower, the country music artist joined the Whiskey Riff Raff to talk about the viral origins of his “Dunk That Sh*t” 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 writing every song on the album himself, the short film that accompanies the project, and the impact artists like Sturgill Simpson have had on his career. And because we sat down with him in Nashville, Tennessee… we had to ask him about the Super Bowl coming to town in 2030. It was back in May when NFL owners voted during the league’s spring meeting to award Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 to Nashville, which will be the first time Music City has hosted the big game. And obviously, that’s gotten everyone talking about who could be headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show. You’d have to think 2030 is the year that country music finally returns to the event. We asked Colby Acuff how he would set up the show if he asked to do so, and his mind immediately went to one, singular country music superstar: “In my mind, I think it’s Luke Combs. How would you not put Luke on the stage? In my small opinion, I think obviously Luke Combs is the 2030 halftime show. It’s Luke, and then maybe he gets to look at (bringing other artists on). I don’t know how you don’t put him on that stage. I think that’s a tough one.” That’d definitely be a popular pick. Most assume that the 2030 Super Bowl Halftime Show will be a showcase of the country music genre. And if it does end up being so, there’s a high likelihood that multiple country acts would come together to entertain on the world’s biggest stage. Colby said there’s definitely a couple of other country artists – and Nashville-based bands – that come to mind, if Luke Combs does bring in some help: “Jelly Roll being from Nashville, I’m sure he’ll make an appearance. But you’ve also got bands like Kings of Leon. There’s plenty of other people. But if it was up to me, which it’s not, I put Luke on that stage with Cody Johnson. I would do it that way. I would put Eric Church in there too.” If Colby Acuff did have the power to make the executive decision on the Super Bowl lineup (and I wish he did), that’s one heck of a lineup right there. Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Eric Church, Jelly Roll and Kings of Leon just to spice things up? Sounds great to me. But if it did come down to just one artist, Acuff feels confident that the NFL would have a hard time passing up on one of country music’s brightest stars: “In the sports world, Luke has done so much. I just do not see a world where that does not happen.” @whiskeyriff @Colby Acuff @Luke Combs #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ DEEDS I DONE – Colby Acuff 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 On Why Luke Combs Is The Perfect Headliner For A Country Music Halftime Show At The 2030 Super Bowl in Nashville first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Even if you thought this Dutton Ranch character had it coming, you were shocked by the way it happened. Continue reading…

After a number of complications, and a fair share of waiting, Charley Crockett’s Clovis record is back in the hands of the fans… and the work put forth should earn him a Grammy for Best Traditional Country Album. It was late in April when fans of Crockett were stunned to see an unexpected album drop into their lap just three weeks after his highly anticipated Age Of The Ram was released. There were a lot of questions from the masses, but not from Charley… he described Clovis becoming available as, “You can drop a f***ing record whenever the f*** you want.” And that’s what he did. Though that didn’t play out exactly how he or his fans would have liked. Legal issues with the release – most likely stemming from his previous home at Island Records – made Clovis disappear from streaming as quickly as it had appeared. Ever since, fans have clamored for it to become available again. Today’s the day. Clovis is both a record and a statement. The 14-track album features a number of originals co-written by Charley and his frequent collaborator, Shooter Jennings. It also features a Johnny Cash cover, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” and boasts a handful of other co-writers. And when you take a look at the entirety of Clovis, it’s clear that the album exists to spite the experience he’s had depending on previous labels (he’s now releasing this one through Atlantic Outpost). I mean… feel free to call any of these connections a stretch, but the first track of the album being “The Hallelujah Trail” after parting from his former record label can’t be a coincidence, right? The characters within the story the song – Cuatro and Cholla – might even represent Charley and Shooter themselves: “Cuatro, and Cholla, the best of friends Cuatro died but then he came back again A fabled story, away out west He rides forever, no fear of death Out here on the Hallelujah Stick it to ya, outlaw trail!” Then you’ve got Crockett’s Johnny Cash cover, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” which tells the story of a man named Billy who gets shot down. His previous Age of the Ram project was fully encompassed by a fictional outlaw named Billy McLane. That right there seems like an intentional cover choice. And in “I Ain’t Riding Anymore,” which has one of the most infectious riffs of any song released this year, Crockett sings of being tired of the chess game that is the music industry, and continuing on his music career for himself and himself only. That same sentiment is echoed in “Waylon Rides Again,” which doesn’t need much of an explanation. Literal chains are used as a musical instrument in that one, and the final song of the album is Charley Crockett riding off into the sunset with lines like this: “I’ll admit there’s somethin’ out in Tennessee But on my life it ain’t ever done much for me. They all know, ain’t no use to pretend.” Though that’s the perfect exclamation point for Clovis, one of the best lines in the new album finds a home in “Honky Tonk Philosophy.” If there was a set of lyrics that seemed to capture Crockett’s current mood the best, it just might be the subtle line proclaiming that he’s done being anyone else but himself: “There was a time when I missed my self, But that was when I was someone else.” Now that he’s broken from the chains of his former record label, and now saddles up with Atlantic Outpost, it’s a new era of Crockett’s career. Charley will likely set out to do whatever he wants, when he wants to… as long as there’s no legal hangups, of course. After all, following a brief hiccup, he’s already tapped into that power by pushing to and ultimately releasing Clovis, and arguably overshadowing Age of the Ram by doing so. The intentional overshadowing, the “I can drop art whenever I like” attitude, the inconvenient spat of fighting the law… it’s all fitting. Clovis is Crockett stepping into the outlaw role himself, standing up against those who he felt were holding him down and announcing to the world that he’s riding again. That’s why the record might be the most important work of Charley Crockett’s already impressive career. It’s a stellar album front to back, and I’d argue that Clovis showcases Crockett’s range better than any of his previous albums, and that’s no slight to his sprawling catalogue. It’s rather just an exemplary compliment of the second project of his to release in 2026. The mixing on “Hallelujah Trail” is majestic (no surprise there with Shooter producing), and feels fresh. The storytelling and structure of “Top Hand” sounds like its from a different era, as does “Last Night At The Alamo.” Heck, the title track of the album is a four-plus-minute cinematic score. Clovis is unique and intriguing at every corner, and fits into country music past, present and future, all at once. Which is why I could definitely see Charley Crockett accepting a Grammy for the project in 2027. It’s a surprise album that has all the feel of a magnum opus. Dream Chaser by Willie Nelson would probably like a word, but Clovis has to be the leader in the clubhouse for the Best Traditional Country Album at the 2027 Grammy Awards right now. And that’s a category that Charley Crockett is familiar with. Just last year, the Recording Academy put his Dollar A Day record up against Margo Price’s Hard Headed Woman, Willie Nelson’s Oh What A Beautiful World, Lukas Nelson’s American Romance, and Zach Top’s Ain’t In It For My Health. Top actually walked away with last year’s Grammy in that category. But in 2027, the Grammy for Best Traditional Country Album should be Crockett’s to lose. Clovis is a masterpiece, and could go down as the country crooner’s best ever work (so far)… and that could be confirmed by Charley going from Grammy-nominee to Grammy award-winner. Go ahead and listen to a few of the tracks here, but make sure to do yourself a favor and listen to the album front to back: “Hallelujah Trail” “Last Night At The Alamo” “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town”   “I Ain’t Riding Anymore”   “Waylon Rides Again” The post Charley Crockett’s Grammy Award-Worthy ‘Clovis’ Finally Makes Its Triumphant Return first appeared on Whiskey Riff.