One of the most iconic ACM Awards performances in recent history…and it almost didn’t happen. We’re just one day away from the 60th Annual ACM Awards, which kick off tomorrow at 8 PM eastern on Amazon Prime, live from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Ella Langley leads the pack with eight nominations, having already won the award for New Female Artist of the Year while also racking up nominations for Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Female Artist of the Year, among others. And among the other leaders, Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson and Lainey Wilson are nominated for seven awards each, while Chris Stapleton has six nominations, including (of course) Entertainer of the Year. Several performers have already been announced for the 60th anniversary show, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Stapleton, Clint Black, Wynonna Judd, and Eric Church. Church has been a regular performer at the awards show over the years, despite not being featured the past two years. Back in 2022, he performed an incredible medley of some of his biggest hits, and the year before he had performed “Bunch Of Nothing” from his then-new album Heart & Soul. But it’s his performance from 2020 that still has people talking. We all know what was happening in 2020. In fact, the ACM Awards were not only postponed from April to September due to the COVID pandemic, but the performances were spread out between the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium and the Bluebird Cafe after originally being scheduled to take place in Las Vegas. And COVID wasn’t the only thing that was going on: Not only were we in the middle of a heated presidential election, but the summer of 2020 also featured unrest and protests following the death of George Floyd that had the country more divided than at any time in recent memory. Over the summer, Church had released his latest single “Stick That In Your Country Song,” which was obviously recorded before 2020 but seemed perfect for the moment as it addressed some of the major social issues of the time, while calling out country music for largely lacking substance and ignoring the problems that we were facing. “Sing about the man coming back from war 23 going on 54 He lost a friend, his sight, his hands Baby girl he’ll never see again Stick that in your country song Take that one to number one And get the whole world singing along Stick that in your country song” It was only natural that Church would perform the song on the ACM Awards, and it immediately became one of the standout performances, starting with Church strumming quietly onstage to Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag” before launching into a full-throttle, in-your-face performance of his newest single. It’s a performance that people are still talking about, and one that will be remembered (and re-watched) for years to come. But it almost didn’t happen. In an interview with Country Aircheck Weekly, ACM Awards Executive Producer RAC Clark tells the story of how the performance came together, starting with a work tape that Eric sent him in July featuring the “Ragged Old Flag” intro leading into “Stick That in Your Country Song.” But once they tried to turn that work tape into an ACM performance, they hit a roadblock: They couldn’t get permission to use “Ragged Old Flag.” “As we got into it, we found the Cash estate and publishers are very protective. No matter how much talking I did trying to get it cleared, it was a corporate wall.” Clark then suggested that Eric try appealing directly to Johnny Cash’s children. So that’s what he did. Eric wrote a letter to John and Rosanne Cash explaining his idea for the performance. And while he won’t share its exact contents, Clark credits that letter as the reason that they were ultimately able to use “Ragged Old Flag” for the performance. In addition to getting permission to use Johnny Cash’s performance of the recitation, Clark also had to get some help from an executive at BMG, which controls the publishing rights to “Ragged Old Flag.” And they also worked directly with Johnny Cash’s estate for approval on the images of Cash that were used during the video that played during the intro. As for the recording of Cash that they ultimately used, Clark said that particular performance came from a recitation that Johnny Cash did without instrumentation for a Ralph Emery special that they were able to clean up so that Eric could perform his own acoustic background music. While there were a lot of moving pieces and quite a few legal hurdles that had to be cleared in order to make the performance happen, ultimately it all came together for one badass moment that won’t soon be forgotten. As Clark put it: “There was a lot of sweat equity by a lot of people. Part of my job is to bring these things to life, but this was Eric’s vision. He pushed it over the top, and boy, did he deliver.” Did he ever. Watch Eric's performance of "Ragged Old Flag" by Johnny Cash and "Stick That In Your Country Song" live from the 55th @ACMAwards. #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/1eFIeroD55 — Eric Church (@ericchurch) September 17, 2020 The post Eric Church’s “Ragged Old Flag” Performance At The 2020 ACM Awards Almost Didn’t Happen Because The Johnny Cash Estate Wouldn’t Approve It first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The country music stars are out and about in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. While there are free pre-ACM Award concerts at The Star in Frisco leading up to the ACM Awards, some of country music’s finest are also putting on shows of their own at some of DFW’s iconic venues. Last night Jelly Roll hosted a “Jelly Roll & Friends” show at the world’s largest honky tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billy Bob's Texas (@billybobstexas) While the venue shared that some friends like Lainey Wilson, Russell Dickerson, Riley Green, Ernest, Dasha, and Ashley Cooke would be at the show, that list did not include the long list of surprise guests. Some guest appearances included Koe Wetzel, Jessie Murph, and the famed Post Malone. Given Jelly Roll and Post Malone are on their Big A** Stadium Tour right now, I’m not surprised in the slightest that he surprised fans at the famed honky tonk. But even if you expect something, that does not mean it’s exciting and might leave you star-struck. Jelly Roll welcomed Post Malone to the stage to perform their song “Losers,” and gave him a glowing introduction. “He is by far the biggest rockstar on planet earth. He is such a good guy. He said. ‘F yeah, Jelly Roll. Bill Bob’s on a Tuesday, I’m in!’ Y’all give it up for Post Malone.” Post Malone walks out from the side stage and gives Jelly Roll a big ole bear hug, thanking him for having him out before they dove into their duet. “Losers” appeared on Post Malone’s chart-topping debut country record, F-1 Trillion, and he has performed this duet with Jelly Roll many times since the record’s release last year. Based on their stage chemistry, these two seem to be more than just artists who sing together; they appear to share a genuine friendship and bond. The powerful message of “Losers” resonated deeply with Jelly Roll fans off the bat because of the outcast message the song portrays. It’s a healing song, just like many from Jelly Roll’s catalog, and when these two perform it live, you can tell they both have felt every word of the lyrics at one point in their lives. “Yeah, this one’s for the losersThe outcasts and the sinnersThe ain’t never been no winnersLet’s hear it for the LosersAin’t got nowhere to fit inThere’s a place you can always get in, ohYou might be lonely, but you’re never aloneYou’re right here where you’re supposed to beRight here with all the LosersThe ones like youAnd the ones like me…” Billy Bob’s was packed to the brim and was filled with stellar country music last night for an unofficial ACM Awards kickoff. Jelly Roll knows how to put on a show, and when he brings all his friends along, it’s one rocking time. Check it out. @lisa_pierce10 Jelly Roll x Post Malone Billy Bobs TX#jellyroll #postmalone #fyp #summerconcerts ♬ original sound – Lisa The post Post Malone Makes Surprise Appearance At Jelly Roll’s Billy Bob’s Texas Show Ahead Of ACM Awards first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The Limestone Kid is BACK. Parker McCollum is giving fans another sneak peek of what’s in store for his forthcoming self-titled record, releasing a new single titled “Big Sky.” In March, McCollum officially announced his fifth studio record, PARKER MCCOLLUM. Following the announcement, McCollum teased that he was confident in the songwriting featured on this record and felt like he was returning to the roots of his sound, specifically the sound of his debut album, The Limestone Kid. Studio tomorrow. Crazy to be recording my 5th studio album. I know for 100% fact that these songs and this record is best I’ve put together since the kid. Took me a long time to get back to this place as a songwriter. Feels good to be happy about my songs again. — Parker McCollum (@ParkerMcCollum) March 20, 2024 After the album was completed, and he was ready to announce it to his fans, he doubled down on his early feelings, noting it’s “the best thing I’ve ever done,” and how good it felt to get back to “writing and recording songs like I always wanted to”: “It is the best thing I’ve ever done. This record is honest, this record is raw, this record is one thousand percent authentic, Parker, and it feels really good to get back to writing and recording songs like I always wanted to.” With the singles McCollum has shared from the forthcoming record so far, these statements ring true, and I think shine very brightly on his latest single, “Big Sky.” “Big Sky” details a man living a nomadic lifestyle, wandering throughout various cities, stealing cars, and searching for himself along the way. While he’s not sure where he’s going or what he’s looking for, he is happy to spend time with friends made along the way and is letting the universe guide him. “I stole a car in Corsicana again Ran from the law like a Wichita wind Can’t remember all the places I’ve been I just wander through the wild Lookin’ for a new friend I just wander through the wild Lookin’ for a new friend” The sound of “Big Sky” goes back to the roots of The Kid, without a doubt. Penned by McCollum, Jarrod Morris, and Charlie Magnone, the lyrics of this tune are honest and highly relatable, as everyone has felt lost at some point along the road. Sonically, the song highlights that essential Texas country sound that McCollum blew up with. After one listen, you will find yourself humming the intoxicating melody… turn this one up to max volume. Comically, when McCollum began teasing this song on social media, some users on TikTok were quick to say it felt like a Cars anthem. But let’s not get confused. McCollum is in a league of his own, and this is not a Rascal Flatts “Light Is A Highway” comparison. For some, the lyrics about wandering through the wild and looking for purpose felt like a Lightning McQueen plot line, and I can see what they mean. I don’t see this comparison as negative in any way. Let’s face it: Cars is a cinematic masterpiece. @limestone.archive yes we’re gonna keep doing this. no Parker is not Rascal Flatts #cars #lightningmcqueen #parkermccollum #bigsky #countrymusic #ilovecountrymusic #fanpage #cars #trucktok ♬ Big Sky – Parker McCollum “This song describes Lightning before he made it to Radiator Springs. Wanna see it in a scene.” “This song is Radiator Springs coded.” “The crossover I didn’t know I needed.” Hey, maybe there are some licensing opportunities down the line for McCollum with “Big Sky.” If you want to hear the new music on the road this year, Parker is hitting the road on an extensive tour starting in Richmond, Virginia, this June and running through October, ending in Bismarck, North Dakota. You can check out all of the tour dates below or at Vivid Seats, which gives you free tickets just for going to concerts. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Parker McCollum (@parkermccollum) This post contains links from our Affiliate Partners program. If you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.The post Parker McCollum Releases New Single, “Big Sky,” From Upcoming Self-Titled Record first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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