Apple is adding renewable power to offset customer charging and support its operations, including third-party manufacturing in China.

They’re two of the most iconic country singers of all time, and they’re synonymous with each others careers… but do you know how they actually met? Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings spent decades building careers that were equally as legendary as they were totally fueled by a drive to do things their own way, and put out the music that they believed in. They fought record labels for creative freedom, never wavered on what they believed in, and became icons for not only putting out great music, but putting up the good fight to be able to do so and blazing the trail for so many who have come up behind them. Of course, they put out a lot of music together over the years, including country classic like Waylon & Willie in 1978, which featured the hit duet “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” in addition to being part of the first ever Platinum-selling country album, Wanted! The Outlaws in 1976 along with Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser. But before they became a duo of sorts, Willie and Waylon were playing in Austin, Texas, pioneering what we now call the outlaw movement, and it’s one of my favorite times in country music history. Though they didn’t actually meet in their home state of Texas, believe it or not… they met in Arizona. In the mid-60’s when Waylon was headlining JD’s, “a rowdy dance hall and drinking hole” as Willie puts it, Waylon was a big hit at the night club near Arizona State that college kids loved. Upon their first meeting sometime back in 1965, well before the outlaw movement had even started, Waylon informed Willie he wanted to move to Nashville and asked for the red headed stranger’s advice. Waylon wanted to leave Arizona because it was “too f***** confining for him” and he was ready for a change, which Willie, never one to stay in one place for too long, fully understood. And Willie, who’d had some previous success in Nashville as a writer but was struggling to find his voice as an artist there, also had some thoughts about it. He asked Waylon what he wanted to do in Music City, and detailed the fascinating conversation in his 2015 memoir It’s a Long Story: My Life, to which Waylon stated plainly: “Cut me some hit records, sell me some hit songs. What do you think, hoss?” Willie seemed a little hesitant in answering further, already picking up the fact that it would probably fall on deaf ears and Waylon was likely going to do what he wanted no matter what: “I think you’re gonna do what you’re gonna do, Waylon. But if you’re asking my advice…” And you can probably see where this is going… Willie told Waylon he should  “stay away from Nashville,” because record execs and people in the industry would try to change pretty much everything about Waylon, his music, and his way of doing things: “Well, sir, after having been in Nashville for some time, I don’t see it as your town. Nashville will wanna mold you, and you don’t need no molding. Nashville will wanna clean you, and you don’t need no cleaning… you need to stay away from Nashville.” Amen to that, Willie. Waylon assured Willie he heard him, though the next thing he knew, Waylon had left Phoenix and moved to Nashville, and just like Willie, was signed by Chet Akins to RCA Records. Of course, it worked out for both of them in the long run, and the pair completely changed the genre with their authentic music and refusal to follow a formula and conform completely to the Music City industry. It was a heck of a fight, though, and while Waylon primarily remained in Nashville for the majority of his career, signed to major labels, he did play in Texas a lot, especially in the 70’s, and it will never cease to amaze me just how much they went through and were willing to lose to keep the integrity in their music and stay true to who they were as artists and people. Their friendship last for decades, and now, their two incredibly talented sons Lukas Nelson and Shooter Jennings are working together in their professional endeavors, which is incredibly is an incredibly cool, full-circle moment for country music fans, and I’m sure an honor for them to carry on that legacy and do such an incredible job with it too. Along with their timeless lyrics and once-in-a-generation voices, it’s safe to say we’ll never see another Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings, but their story remains an inspiration for generations, and it all started in Tempe, Arizona. “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” The post How Did Willie Nelson And Waylon Jennings Meet Each Other? It Wasn’t In Texas… first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

From being banned by the Opry to becoming a member. There are several artists who have been banned by the Grand Ole Opry over the years, including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and maybe most famously, Hank Williams. But did you know Dierks Bentley was banned before he had even performed on the Opry’s historic stage? Unlike the others who have been unceremoniously invited not to come back, Dierks wasn’t under the influence of drugs or alcohol, cursing on stage, or kicking out the footlights when he had his invite to the Opry stripped away – because he never even got the chance to perform before being banned. Upon moving to Music City, Dierks took a job as a researcher at The Nashville Network. (Remember watching that channel growing up? Those were the days). Well part of job there was to follow the news on the latest country songs and albums. And because the network was located on Opryland grounds, he was in constantly in close proximity to the Opry House every day, and he began sneaking over to hang out backstage with the artists who were set to perform at night. Seems like that’s just some boots on the ground journalism to me… The aspiring singer spent a lot of time hanging out at the Opry, and his famous “What Was I Thinkin” song was even penned about a girl he met there on his early visits. Unfortunately for Dierks, apparently sneaking around wasn’t one of his best skills, and the habit eventually got him caught by then-Opry general manager, Pete Fisher, who permanently revoked his access. Of course, that permanent ban turned out to be not-so-permanent after all. Unlike Hank Williams, who passed away before he had the opportunity to have his Opry membership reinstated, Dierks had his ban lifted in 2003 when he performed at the Opry for the first time, and he was later inducted as member in 2005. But as the “Drunk On A Plane” singer later shared in an Opry interview, he still prefers to experience the Opry with the youthful spirit he once felt when he was still only sneaking in, even though he’s performed on the famous stage many times now: “We leave the door to our dressing room wide open so people can come in and say hi, and if we’re not getting ready, then I want to be on the stage watching the other bands… just remembering what it feels like to be part of the audience. I don’t ever want to lose that feeling of being a fan.” And he probably has a much easier time getting past security these days… These days Dierks is pretty firmly rooted in the country music scene in Nashville, despite trying to escape – and possibly move – to Colorado in 2020. During a recent appearance on Whiskey Riff Raff, Dierks had a pretty simple answer for why he decided to return to Music City: “My wife.” Happy wife, happy life, am I right? Bentley wanted to stay in Colorado, but he was outnumbered, and his wife insisted they get back to where they had put down their roots previously: “She wanted to be back in Nashville. The girls, I think, missed it as well too. There’s some therapy involved there because I really did not want to. The last song I put out on an album going into COVID was ‘How I’m Going Out,’ and it really was like, ‘When it’s my time to step off the merry-go-round, (I will).’ And I was honestly kind of ready to step off. I just love being in the mountains. I love being on my bike, or my skis, or anything just involving the outdoors. Fishing, hiking, camping… I was just ready for it. But I came back to Tennessee, and I have to say as usual, she’s right. My wife is right about a lot of things – most things.” @whiskeyriff Happy wife, happy life. @dierksbentley // New episode of Whiskey Riff Raff—out now available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #dierksbentley #countrymusic ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff The post How Dierks Bentley Became The First Country Artist Banned From The Grand Ole Opry Before Ever Performing There first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

President Trump is scheduled to hold a joint press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel. It was scheduled to begin at 3PM eastern, but you know how that goes. It could start . . .

Hamas just released a statement on returning the dead Israeli hostages back to Israel, claiming that they are working to retrieve the bodies and it’s taking great effort and special equipment to . . .