While Connecticut Demos Chris Murphy and Rosa DeLauro are leading the race for the craziest members of Congress, Murphy has already lapped DeLauro — twice.

To put things plainly, the 1990s were simpler times. The food tasted better. The people were friendlier. The country music was next level. That’s at least how it seems as we look back on that period, right? It’s easy to look at the 90s through rose colored glasses, but then you see videos like this one of Toby Keith and Troy Aikman (who was then quarterbacking the Dallas Cowboys) and it really does seem like it was the best decade of all time. The Big Dog Daddy loved him some Dallas Cowboys, and he and Troy Aikman became friends. Keith was interested in the NFL, and Aikman loved country music and even wanted to try his hand in making his own (more on that later). And at one point in 1994, Aikman got a front row seat to a performance of what was then a freshly released hit song “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” Keith describes the song in the video as the track that “took us off hamburger and put us on T-Bone,” which got a laugh out of Troy Aikman. The Dallas Cowboys star also chuckled later in the song when the Big Dog Daddy ad-libbed a portion of the chorus and changed it to “Should’ve Been A Redskin,” which was one of Dallas’ biggest rivalries back in the day. It’s a blast from the past, and whole lot of fun to watch and reminisce on: “Toby Keith might’ve been born and bred in Oklahoma, but he had a soft spot for the Dallas Cowboys just down the road. A proud Sooners fan in college ball, he still backed America’s Team on Sundays, performing at Texas Stadium and later AT&T Stadium for big games and halftime shows. He struck up a friendship with Troy Aikman and was a familiar face on the sidelines through the years.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Truck Stop Chic (@truckstopchic) Now, let’s get to that country music career of Troy Aikman’s, shall we? The former quarterback and current NFL analyst spoke with the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast back in 2021 about the off-ramp he took into the country music space at one point. He was very frank about it, and said that he doesn’t look back fondly on it: “You know, they always say ‘stay in your lane.’ I kind of like my lane, Jimmy. I try to stay in it. Not to say that over the years, I’ve been asked to do cameos and Jerry Maguire and different things. I’ve done a country and Western album. It was awful. I don’t even know if they call it ‘country and Western’ anymore. It was a country album, I should say.” Yeah if you are to give it a listen, I’m not even sure you could call it music. As for when those country music projects came up, and why Aikman decided to do them, the former Cowboy said that he felt as though he had to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented to him. That’s why he did a song with Waylon Jennings, and another with Toby Keith: “I did one after our first Super Bowl, a bunch of us Cowboys, (Jay) Novacek, Joe Avezzano, our special teams coach, and some other people did it, Randy White. And then in the mid-’90s, toward the end of my career, I did a song with Waylon Jennings and did another one with Toby Keith. Not that I’ve ever aspired to be a singer. I can’t sing at all. But just some opportunities that come up, and you say, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ You never know when these things might come up again, so you do them.” Want to hear some of Troy Aikman’s work? It’s honestly really funny to imagine the Troy Aikman that calls NFL games alongside Joe Buck for ESPN singing country music. Saying the word “singing” there is probably generous… but if you are brave enough, you can check out some of his country music work below. The first is the song he did with his good friend Toby Keith. “Two Pairs of Levis” How about that? And just for good measure, I’m gonna link Troy Aikman’s “Oklahoma Nights” from the Super Boys project Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy. It’s… certainly something. “Oklahoma Nights” The post Remember When Country Star Toby Keith & Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman Released A Song Together? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Inspired by a true, and spooky, story. Johnny Cash owned a home called Cinnamon Hill, which was in Jamaica, and was a place that he and his family would vacation at often. In fact, in December of 1981, the family was robbed at gunpoint at their Jamaican mansion in the Caribbean while sitting down for Christmas dinner. Three men broke into the Cinnamon Hill estate, where Cash, along with June, their son John Carter Cash (who was 11), and a few other friends and family members were celebrating the holidays. More on that story HERE. Cash purchased the home in 1972, and used it as an escape from the hustle and bustle of Nashville and his busy music career. In fact, Cash has an entire song called “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” that was inspired by a paranormal experience in Jamaica, which happened at nearby Rose Hall estate. In his book Cash, The Autobiography, he recalled seeing “the apparition of a woman in white,” who was in her 30’s, while at a dinner party. He saw her walk into the dining room and towards the kitchen, though he wrote he was never scared of any of the possible ghosts: “We’ve never had any trouble with these souls. They mean us no harm, I believe, and we’re certainly not scared of them; they just don’t produce that kind of emotion.” Johnny Cash was a strong Christian, so I’m sure that was a big part of the reason he was never scared, but Annie Palmer had quite the reputation. She was a famous Haitan Voodoo practitioner, and she owned the Rose Hall estate in the 1820s and ’30s. She was said to haunt Rose Hall after being murdered there by her lover, a slave named Takoo, who she had been with during the slave rebellion of 1831. Historical records indicate that she actually died of natural causes, though Cash was fascinated by the stories of her nonetheless, introducing the song at shows by saying: “They tell tales about Annie and the slaves. There were about 5,000 on the plantation, 5,000 slaves. She had her favorites and she had the ones that weren’t her favorites. Down on the sea there are three palm trees waving in the breeze and they say that Annie’s three husbands are buried under those trees.” He included the song on his 1973 album Any Old Wind That Blows, and it captures part of her horrific reputation as a plantation owner, where she was said to be very cruel to everyone around her, including her multiple husbands and other lovers. Annie was born in England, but moved to Haiti when she was just 10 years old in 1812, and eventually moved to Jamaica at the age of 18, where she married into ownership of Rose Hall. Cash owned the Cinnamon Hill estate until his death, and his estate sold it in 2012 to the Rollins family, from whom he had originally bought the property in the early 1970s. Cinnamon Hill is now open to the public, and you can take tours of the home and see the beauty of the Cash’s beautiful vacation home in the Caribbean. This song takes on a whole different meaning now, though, doesn’t it? Take a listen for yourself: “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” The post Johnny Cash Wrote A Song About His Haunted Experience In Jamaica, “The Ballad of Annie Palmer” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Hittin’ the road. Riding the highs of the success of their fourth studio album, Norther, last year, 2025 has proven to be yet another successful year for Shane Smith & the Saints. As one of the most exciting bands coming out of the ultra-talented Texas scene, Smith and Co. have been quite busy lately despite not releasing much music throughout the year. Making appearances at the likes of Two Step Inn, Koe Wetzel’s “Stronger Together” Texas benefit concert, Turnpike Troubadour’s Wild America Tour, all while headlining sold-out shows of their own, the Red Dirt band hasn’t taken many breaks from the road lately — and they’re showing no signs of stopping heading into 2026. Just announced, the Saints are hitting the road once again in 2026 on their Live Free Tour, which will run from February to April across North America. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shane Smith & the Saints (@shanesmithmusic) In case you missed it, the tour’s title shares the same name as their first and only new release of the year, an anthem they released back in April with Turtlebox, “Live Free (See Me Running).” The song, which celebrates living boldly, received high praise from fans and Turtlebox’s co-founder, Jonathan McKenzie, who called the track stunning: “Shane’s song is a perfect embodiment of the ethos of Turtlebox. We have always been and will continue to be a brand that chooses to LIVE FREE and encourages our customers to do the same. When you layer his song over the visual assets we’ve gathered, the results are stunning. I get chill bumps every time I watch this video and listen to this song.” As for the Live Free Tour itself, it will begin on February 5th in Greensboro, North Carolina, before wrapping up on April 4th in Chandler, Arizona. Along the way, Smith and Co. will visit 22 different cities, including the likes of Orlando, Cleveland, Nashville, Sacramento, Vancouver and more. Openers for the tour have not been announced for the bulk of the dates. However, Wade Forster, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Ken Pomeroy will make appearances during their back-to-back nights at the Ryman Auditorium on February 20th and 21st. General on sale begins this Friday, October 24th at 10 a.m. local time. However, pre-sale access for both general admission and VIP tickets is live now and can be accessed using the code: SAINTS26. After seeing them for the first time this past April at Two Step Inn, I can safely say that the Saints are one of the best live bands in the entire genre. Sounding just like they do in the studio and arguably even better, you will not want to miss them when they come to your city. Smith’s vocals alone are worth the incredibly fair price of admission. Live Free Tour Dates February 5 – Greensboro, North Carolina – Piedmont Hall, Greensboro Coliseum Complex February 6 – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – House of Blues Myrtle Beach February 7 – Orlando, Florida – House of Blues Orlando February 12 – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – XL Live February 13 – Cleveland, Ohio – Globe Iron February 14 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – GLC Live at 20 Monroe February 15 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The Pabst Theater February 20 – Nashville, Tennessee – Ryman Auditorium *^ February 21 – Nashville, Tennessee – Ryman Auditorium #^ February 25 – Columbia, Missouri – The Blue Note February 26 – Des Moines, Iowa – Val Air Ballroom February 27 – Newkirk, Oklahoma – 7 Clans First Council Casino March 20 – Deadwood, South Dakota – Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel & Casino March 21 – Billings, Montana – The Pub Station – Ballroom March 22 – Great Falls, Montana – The Newberry March 25 – Airway Heights, Washington – Spokane Live March 26 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom March 27 – Calgary, Alberta – The Palace Theater March 28 – Edmonton, Alberta – Midway Music Hall April 2 – Sacramento, California – Ace of Spades April 3 – Anaheim, California – House of Blues Anaheim April 4 – Chandler, Arizona – Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass * Ray Wylie Hubbard ^ Ken Pomery # Wade ForsterThe post Shane Smith & The Saints Announce 2026 “Live Free” Tour first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Yesterday the North Carolina Senate passed the new congressional map giving Republicans one more seat in Congress, and today the House passed it as well. The new map will soon become the . . .

Google’s AI has been targeting Robby Starbuck in an insane way with completely fake attacks on him, which Starbuck says their AI worked overtime to make believable with links to fake articles . . .

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel announced on Tuesday that he withdrew from his Senate confirmation hearing after losing too many Republican votes over his leaked texts. Paul Ingrassia was scheduled to testify in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) cast doubt on the nominee’s confirmation in light of Ingrassia’s alleged remarks in a group chat, saying, “He’s not going to pass.”...

Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and said he has “a Nazi streak,” according to a text chat viewed by POLITICO. Ingrassia, who has a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled Thursday, made the remarks in a chain with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers, according to the chat...