One of the most powerful moments in the history of the CMA Awards. This year’s ceremony is set to take place tomorrow night, November 19 at Bridgestone Arena here in Nashville. But during the 2001 CMA Awards, the country was still reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks just two months earlier. The awards show was held on November 7, 2001, less than two months after the horrific attacks on September 11, and the country was obviously still in shock, still grieving, and still angry at what had happened. But for the most part, everyone was just hurting – everyone, including Alan Jackson. On October 28, 2001, just a little over the week before Alan was scheduled to perform his current single “Where I Come From” on the CMA Awards, Alan had woken up in the middle of the night with an idea for a song. He got out of bed, and sang the chorus into a handheld recorder – while he was still in his underwear – so he wouldn’t forget it: “I’m just a singer of simple songs I’m not a real political man I watch CNN but I’m not sure I could tell you The difference in Iraq and Iran…” He stayed home the next day and finished the song, but he had no plans or desire to record it. Alan didn’t want it to seem like he was trying to take advantage of a tragedy like 9/11 – but his wife and his producer, Keith Stegall, convinced Alan to take the song to the studio. According to Joe Galante, then-chairman of Alan’s record group, they knew immediately that the song was something special: “We just kind of looked at one another. Nobody spoke for a full minute.” Ahead of the awards show, Alan’s manager played the new song for executives at the Country Music Association, and they knew once they heard the song that they had to change up their plans. So when the time came, Alan took the stage, seated in front of a full orchestra, and delivered the first-ever performance of “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” in front of a grieving country. The response was immediate – and overwhelming. Alan got a standing ovation from the crowd at the CMA Awards, and the next day radio stations had pulled the live performance from the television broadcast to play on the air. With the sudden overwhelming demand for the song, his label rush released the studio version of the song and sent it out on November 26, 2001. They even pushed up the release date for his upcoming album, Drive, from May of 2002 to January, to get the song out sooner. In recent years, Alan reflected back on his CMA Awards performance of the song, admitting that it was a tough performance for him. “I just remember — other than being relieved that I got through it — that I just felt very proud that it seemed to cause a reaction in people. I was proud that I got to do it, and that it seemed like it meant something.” And he also admits that he was a little uncomfortable with the spotlight that was put on him for that song: “I’m not really big on chasing that spotlight, and it just put a lot of tension on me for a while and made me feel like it was hard to follow. It’s like they put you up on a pedestal, and I kept saying, ‘Look, I’m just a songwriter. I’m just a singer. It’s just a simple song. I’m not trying to get up on my soapbox. I’m just an old country guy who writes and sings songs.’” The song would go on to win Song of the Year and Single of the Year at both the CMA Awards and the ACM Awards in 2002, and it would also land Alan a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. More than the awards, though, the song was able to offer some kind of healing at a time when the country was still in shock and trying to make sense of such a horrific tragedy. And it also provided us with one of the greatest performances in the history of the CMA Awards. The post CMA Awards 2001: Alan Jackson Brings The Crowd To Tears With Debut Of “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of the saddest songs in country music history. If there’s one thing that cannot be denied about country music as a genre, it’s its storied history of delivering some of the most heartbreaking, devastating tracks ever recorded on tape. From iconic, genre-defining songs such as George Jones‘ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss’ “Whiskey Lullaby” to more underrated tracks such as Jason Isbell’s “The Elephant” and Chris Stapleton’s “Either Way,” you don’t have to look very far to find some absolute knife-twisters. One artist and subsequent song that quite frequently gets overlooked when it comes to being ranked among the most devastating of all time is none other than Cody Jinks and his 2015 single, “David.” In many ways, Cody Jinks is a lot of things. One part metalhead, one part Texas troubadour, the “Loud and Heavy” singer has both the depth and versatility few artists can ever dream of. Touching on themes of fatherhood, sobriety and his outlaw nature, Jinks has established himself as one of the premier artists in the country-rock scene. And of course, Jinks has proved his writing ability on a plethora of different standout tracks throughout his career, namely with popular ones such as “I’m Not the Devil,” “Somewhere Between I Love You and I’m Leavin'” and “Never Alone Always Lonely.” However, none of them quite hold the same weight to many the way “David” does. In case you’re somehow not familiar with “David,” the song was written independently by Jinks on his certified gold 2015 record, Adobe Sessions, and is one of the best narrative songs in country music history. Depicting a lost friendship between two childhood best friends who took radically different life paths, the narrator, who is revealed to be a former Marine turned police officer, recounts how the titular character, David, fell victim to a serious drug addiction. As fate would have it, tragically, their two paths would cross once again years down the road. In a devastating depiction of situational irony, the narrator sees David flying down the highway on patrol and bumps the police sirens to slow him down. Not knowing it was his former friend, David attempts to flee the scene before crashing the truck and dying in a floodplain. To make matters even worse, David’s mother was the responding E.R. nurse when he was rushed to the hospital, despite being dead on arrival. Ultimately, it’s one of those songs that takes every possible devastating turn imaginable, and for Jinks, this was 100% intentional. In a recent promo video for the 10th anniversary re-release of the aforementioned Adobe Sessions, the “Must Be the Whiskey” singer opened up about the some preconceived notions about the song and his mindset while writing. Setting the record straight, Jinks would reiterate that he never was a member of the military, noting that many have assumed that he depicts the narrator as being a former Marine. He’d then go on to say that it’s the song he gets asked about the most often due to the incredibly brutal nature of the track, also referencing that he was inspired by the legendary songwriter, Chris Knight. “I get specifically asked about the song, ‘David,’ more so than any song I have ever written. It’s cool to me because, as a songwriter, I did my job. I tell people, I joke around, I channeled my inner Chris Knight on that one, and I tried to make that song as sad as I could. And I know I succeeded at that. That song, it feels good, just cause I’ll never write another song like that.” Jinks would then go on to reveal that he took his time writing “David,” so much so, in fact, that it actually took him a year and a half to fully write and perfect. “It took me a year and a half to craft that. That’s one that I really, really worked hard, hard, hard on. It’s not your everyday, first-person kind of thing that I normally do.” As they say, “good things take time,” and with “David,” it’s certainly the case. Watch here: View this post on Instagram “David” Cody Jinks Tour Dates November 17 – Rutland, Vermont November 18 – Portland, Maine November 20 – Anchorage, Alaska December 6 – Thackerville, Oklahoma December 12-13 – Las Vegas, NevadaThe post Cody Jinks Took Over A Year & A Half To Write His Heartbreaking 2015 Track “David” – “I Tried To Make That Song As Sad As I Could” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Garth Brooks knows how to get the most (money) out of his fanbase. The country music legend just took to social media to announce that yet another box set is coming out, and this one is just in time for the Holiday season. Because the best way to spread Christmas cheer is buying a box set of Garth for only you to hear. You are likely familiar with the “Anthology” series that Brooks has been putting out over the years. It was earlier in 2025 when Garth and his team released The Anthology Part V: The Comeback – The First Five Years. Around this same time last year, Brooks shared the release of The Anthology Part IV: Going Home. Someone out there is gonna get a Garth Brooks box set for the second Christmas in a row, because it was just announced that The Anthology Part VI is coming to an Amazon cart or TalkShopLive order near you: “Announcing Garth Brooks The Anthology Part VI: The Comeback – The Next Five Years! If you’ve lived the music, now you can live the songs and the stories behind them. Anthology VI captures the most recent chapter of Garth’s incredible journey — Stadium highs, dive-bar roots, Vegas magic, and a historic return to Ireland!” View this post on Instagram The latest Anthology installment will cost you just $39.95, will ship out December 5th, and will include 6 CDs (do people still have CD players?), 60 songs, a live record from Garth’s Ireland show, and over 150 behind-the-scenes photos. Feel like that’s a pretty good deal if we were still living in 2007. Obviously, there are going to be Garth Brooks super fans who get The Anthology Part VI so they can see behind the curtain of Garth’s comeback, and how the “Friends in Low Places” singer navigated the COVID era with drive-in concerts and special Zoom sessions for fans. But there’s a wide crop of people who have moved into the digital age of consuming music and other media, and Garth is undoubtedly missing out on that crowd with these box sets. If you are reading this and find yourself on the fence about the box set, Garth Brooks is apparently set to give an inside look at the Anthology on December 1st at 7 pm E.T. The show describing the book and CD set will air on Amazon LIVE, Amazon Prime Video FAST, TalkShopLive and Garth Brooks’ website: GarthBrooks.com. If you are reading this and wish that Garth Brooks would release some of this stuff in a more modern fashion, that’s too bad. You better start working semi-annual box sets into your budget. Most artists out there have a desire to connect with younger, wider audiences. Brooks is content with keeping his collection of music exclusively on Amazon Music, and a TuneIn radio channel that plays his and only his music. Apple Music and Spotify users are out of luck when it comes to streaming Garth, but maybe the country music singer is happy with keeping his older fan base and occasionally convincing them to come up with $40 or $50 books for a book and 6-CD combo? At least this one isn’t exclusively available at Bass Pro Shops…The post OF COURSE Garth Brooks Has Another “Anthology” Box Set Coming Out Just In Time For The Holidays first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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There are a lot of things young people hate about the way older folks communicate, especially over text. There's the boomers' overuse of ellipses, the parents' insistence on using periods and other proper punctuation, and perhaps most hated of all, the thumbs up emoji.Gen Zers find the simple thumbs up to be passive-aggressive. Why? It's sometimes viewed as a low-effort reply to a text, email, or instant message. It can be seen as dismissive or abrupt, especially for generations like older Gen Zs and younger millennials who are hyperaware of our tone in digital communication and probably overuse exclamation points as a way of placating the recipient. When you're used to writing and receiving chirpy messages like Happy to help! and No worries!, the humble thumbs up can feel rude in comparison—even though it's meant to be a positive response.Gen Zers have been campaigning against the thumbs up for years now, and recently, one of them decided it was time to call the fight and declare victory.In a tongue-in-cheek LinkedIn post, Yanni Pappas proudly proclaimed that "Gen Z has successfully canceled the thumbs-up emoji (?), and I am SO proud of us for this win. We've been fighting for years, and our hard work has finally paid off. This is truly one of our best contributions to society."Pappas' post struck a serious nerve with LinkedIn users, racking up over 800 comments and thousands of likes (which, ironically, are signified by a thumbs up).Pappas' Gen Z peers (and a few generational defectors) were quick to chime in with their elation over the news:"I honestly loathe it. Am I being dramatic for thinking it’s basically the corporate middle finger?""[the thumbs up] stresses me OUTTTTT, so thank you for canceling it Gen Z," wrote one self-described millennial."Another step forward toward abolishing passive aggressiveness"But before the celebration could get too far, Gen Xers got wind of the news and stormed in with their trademarked brands of sarcasm and stubbornness.In true Gen X fashion, they went out of their way to be as purposefully passive-aggressive in their replies as possible. In addition to the many of them that simply replied with a thumbs up (Pappas walked right into that one) here's a small sampling of the replies: Go Ahead Yes GIF Giphy "GenX here. We’re ignoring you and using it any way. ?""? ty for the update""You used it twice in your message. It's not going anywhere.""You can pry my ? from my cold, dead hands.""Gen Z does not have the authority to cancel. Please respect your elders."Jennifer George probably had the most on brand reply when she simply wrote, "ok."(Every generation knows that a typed out "OK" might as well be a giant middle finger.)All jokey inter-generational wars aside, understanding how our tone might be interpreted by others is an important topic—both in our personal lives and in the workplace. Miscommunications in digital form can cause serious conflict that could easily be avoided. Charlie Day Ok GIF Giphy One poll found that Americans overwhelmingly find their workplaces to be passive-aggressive, and that such behavior is actually incentivized by modern office culture (As per my last email, anyone?). Roughly half of people surveyed would consider quitting their job if a coworker, client, or manager was consistently being passive-aggressive.The same survey ranked the most passive-aggressive text messages phrases:“K”“Nevermind”“???”“Fine”“Sure”“Yup”“Ha”“No worries”“IDK”With so many simple words, phrases, and emojis "out of bounds," how can different generations all get on the same page? Well, when it comes to emojis, at least, a growing number of people are choosing to forego them entirely and just type out a real reply.Emojis can be loaded with problematic undertones or inadvertent meanings. "Hearting" a message at work might not always be viewed as appropriate, for example. Even simple emojis like a smiley face, while not offensive or aggressive, could be viewed as unprofessional.The biggest problem, though, is that emojis have become so commonplace that they often leave the other person feeling unseen. Sascha Kirpalani, an adolescent and adult psychotherapist, tells Mint, “You feel this pressure to respond to a message but don’t have the emotional bandwidth to frame a response at the time so you leave an emoji to at least acknowledge it." Kirpalani adds that in this day and age of easy "reacjis" (using an emoji to react to a message), written words feel far more impactful and special to the recipient.Ashley Carman of The Verge agrees. "Messages that only get a 'read' or a 'reaction' feel like unacknowledged bids for attention. You’re typically sharing or saying something because you want to connect with a person over something you sent, whether it’s a link to a story, a meme, or a 'what’s up.' A reaction is equivalent to a head nod in response. If that happened in person, it’d be really strange! People expect to hear something in return for their reach-out, at least I do."When the thumbs up emoji was first invented in 1999 (though it didn't become standard and widespread until about 2010), it was a cute and fun visual shorthand to inject into conversation. But now "reacjis" have become the lowest-effort way you can possibly engage with another person, to the point that they're almost meaningless. Worse than meaningless, actually. Psychology Today adds that, "Zoomers perceive the thumbs-up emoji as a hostile gesture because overuse of a positive tends to lead to insincerity, which becomes a negative."Two things can be true: Gen X and other thumbs-up lovers can be more aware of the ways in which their texting comes across as rude or dismissive. Instead of a thumbs up, how about taking five seconds to type out "That sounds great," or "Sounds good to me!"?The younger generations, for their part, could be a little less sensitive to older folks with different and very valid communication styles. Just like how boomers grew up writing postcards where ellipses were used to save space, Gen Xers came up in a time where a smiley face or thumbs up didn't have any secret passive-aggressive meaning.Language evolves over time—there's nothing we can do about that, and emojis are now a part of that language. It'll be fascinating to see how the words, phrases, and symbols Gen Z has adopted one day mean something completely different to the younger Gen Alpha.

A singular masterpiece. The post The one song Bob Dylan called “the greatest ever written” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Singers for the Dead. The post Which band member sang the lead vocals on the most Grateful Dead songs? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.