Toby Keith was an incredibly country music artist, but by all accounts, he was an even better man. A rare combination, indeed, especially in the music industry, but I’ve never heard a bad word about him, in fact, quite the opposite… so many of his employees and friends have told stories of his pure generosity and kindness, but this is one of the best I’ve heard. Cledus T. Judd, whose real name is James Barry Poole, was a guest on the Try That In a Small Town podcast this week, where he talked about his journey in country music and how he brings comedy into that style of music. His highest-charting song “I Love NASCAR” is a parody of Toby Keith’s 2003 hit “I Love This Bar.” He’s parodied a lot of hit country songs throughout the years, and he was also a very close friend of Toby’s. He even went on tour with him at one point, and was the host of the show alongside opening acts like Keith Urban and Brooks & Dunn. This was at the height of Toby’s career, though a medical emergency came up while they were in Bakersfield, California, and Cledus’ mom had a heart attack. She lived in Georgia, so he was as far away as he could possibly be, and obviously at a very low point being so far from her. Cledus recalled “bawling [his] eyes out” in his bunk on the bus, and Toby walking on and basically getting in the bunk with him. He told him that he and some of his team had mapped out flights from every stop on the rest of the tour so he could leave at any point and be on a plane as quick as possible. Yes, Keith paid for flights from every city for his friend so he could be there if his mom needed him at a moments notice. It’s hard enough to find people like that at all, much less someone like Keith who was a global star and had everything and more a person could want: “He was good to my mother, he would call my mom and talk to her. Him and Trisha bought a Versace rocking chair for my daughter when she was born, which probably cost more than what it was to deliver her. It was a very expensive rocking chair. When we were out on that tour, my mother had a heart attack when we were in Bakersfield, California. I was as far away from Georgia as you could get. Toby knew I didn’t fly, and I was bawling my eyes out in my bunk. Toby came onto the bus, and pretty much got in the bunk with me. And he said, ‘Look here, hoss. I got this envelope here. I know you don’t like to fly, but what I’ve done is, I’ve bought you plane vouchers all the way back home if your mom gets sick. In Albuquerque, you can fly out of Albuquerque. If she gets sick in Phoenix, you can fly out of Phoenix. If you make it to Dallas, you go to Lovefield.’ He had this whole thing, him and David Mile, mapped out the whole way. And man, I just bawled my eyes out. I got on that bus, and we drove all the way across the country, three days, I think, to get home. And Sunday, I missed the last weekend of the tour, now you’ve got to understand, that was the best four months of my life. Here I am in Georgia on the last night of the tour when everybody’s out doing their thing. I was so hurt, I was sad, man.” It’s simply impressive, and speaks to the type of character Toby had. Even behind the scenes, he was an exceptional person and as generous and kind as someone could be. On the last night of the tour, Cledus was at home in Georgia, listening to the music of all his friends on the tour and just feeling down about not being there for the last night. It had been four of the best months of his life, and it was ending on a very sad note, no pun intended. His phone rang about 6:30 in the evening, and it was Toby’s acoustic guitar player on the other line: “About 6:30 that evening, my phone rings. And it was Joey Floyd, Toby‘s acoustic player right hand man. I thought, why is Joey calling me? He should be onstage right now. I answered the phone, it was just loud. and I said ‘Hello.’ And Joey said, ‘Shut up and hang on.’ I thought, what the hell? And the next thing I heard in the background, the late Toby Keith on that microphone saying, it’s in Virginia Beach, and he said ‘Hey everybody, we’re missing a member of the show tonight. Cledus T. Judd hosted this entire tour, and he was not able to be here tonight. His mom is sick, and he’s in Georgia. And I was just wondering if all 15,000 of y’all could give me a little Cledus chat just for a minute.’ And man what I heard on that phone was ‘Cledus, Cledus, Cledus’ from 15,000 people. and Joey handed Toby the phone, Toby said, Love you, pal. See you later.’ Who does that for somebody? Takes that time, you know… Toby’s making 50 grand a night on that tour. I know exactly what he was making, but Toby was a bigger than life figure. And he did that for me, he knew.” It’s just so heartwarming to hear things like this, and clearly, Toby’s kindness and generosity has stuck with Cledus all these years. It was all such an above and beyond thing to do, and there’s no doubt that Toby was one of the good ones, for sure. And if you want to read more on Toby’s generosity, read up on his OK Kids Corral… it will blow your mind. You can watch him tell the story here: The post Toby Keith Once Arranged A Flight Home At Every Stop While Tour Host’s Mom Was Sick: “I Was Bawling My Eyes Out” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

In the town of Redding, California sits a restaurant named Lulu’s. In the corner of that restaurant sits a booth where Merle Haggard regularly parked himself to relax and eat his favorite meal, which, like him, was a bit strange in all the right ways. Lulu’s was founded in 1978, named for a woman that “came from a very questionable past in old San Francisco’s Barbary Coast”; pictures of this enigmatic woman can be found on stained glass windows and on the menu. Legend has it that she “traveled north up the Sacramento River and came upon the town of Redding. Sensing the need for a place to relax and enjoy good food and drinks, she opened a small roadhouse where Lulu’s currently stands.” Don’t worry if she was a real person, that’s not the point. Lulu’s is a staple of the Redding community, yes for it’s good food and great atmosphere, but also because Merle Haggard himself was a regular there while living in Palo Cedro, just a town or two over. Marci Biancalana has worked at Lulu’s for close to 40 years, starting as a server at 18, then bartending for a decade. After a short break to have and raise her daughter, she took over the manager role, where she’s remained for the last 25 years. (Side note: That’s a breed of waitress this country owes a huge debt of gratitude too.) She served Merle meals in the same corner booth that’s now adorned with his photograph and portrait: She told Redding.com: “He came in here for a long time. I knew Merle since the 1980s and then he just started coming in here every day… “People all around know that his booth is here and they’ll say, ‘Can we sit in Merle’s booth?” When Merle Haggard becomes a regular somewhere, it’s only a matter of time before the masses want to go see for themselves. It didn’t take long before customers began flocking in to get a picture and ask him to sign something while he sat in the same corner booth that overlooks the intersection of Pine Street and Cypress Avenue. But things really got busy when he happened to mention Lulu’s name in a 2009 Rolling Stone article: “As soon as that hit, we got phone call after phone call saying, ‘Hey, can I talk to Merle?’. No you can’t talk to Merle…  You know, it was amazing, just by that article how many phone calls we got and how many people would want to talk to him. People would walk in with their guitars and ask for an autograph on their guitar or ask for an autograph on their hat if he was here. Customers would say, “Oh my God, that’s Merle. I need to go get my hat or go get my guitar.” Merle Haggard could have afforded all the glitz and glamor the world could provide one man. He could have been waited on hand and foot by high class servers at expensive establishments, ordered bottle service, and done whatever else it is A-list celebrities do to pass the time. But no, he was a simple man who just wanted to sit in his usual booth, flirt with the usual waitresses, and order his usual meal. And what was the meal he regularly ordered? Dollar-sized pancakes and oysters with spinach and beans on the side, a combination that makes no sense but was just right for Merle Haggard. He would also throw in some sausage and rye toast on occasion. There’s something about those small, local establishments, where the clink of silverware echoes out of the kitchen and the waitress ask “Do you want more coffee, honey?” The places where everyone is the same, on the same playing field, whether you’re a nurse getting off night-shift, a truck driver pulling over for an early meal, or one of the most iconic country music singers the planet has ever seen. Our culture continually demands more, better, faster, newer, but is that really what we need? Is it even what we want? The next time you’re going out to eat, do yourself a favor and settle into the corner booth of a small diner or mom and pop restaurant. Put the phone down and just look around at life playing out around you. Smile at the hostess, watch the busboy, and drink that extra cup of coffee. Be a little more like Merle Haggard. Be a regular. Honestly, just be regular. Shortly after his death in 2016, Lulu’s staff members shared some stories of his time spent in their restaurant. Rest in peace, Merle Haggard, and a tip of the cap to his favorite restaurant that continues to honor his legacy. The post Merle Haggard’s Usual Order At His Favorite California Breakfast Diner Was… A Bit Unusual first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Morgan Wallen is making some changes. Big Loud, the label that Morgan Wallen calls home, has reportedly sold a minority stake in his catalog to Chord Music Partners. Sources close to the deal say that the purchase was made for $200 million. A Big Loud representative confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the transaction took place but did not disclose any further financial details or terms of the sale. The representative told the outlet: “Big Loud has sold a minority stake in Morgan Wallen’s master recording catalog to Chord Music Partners, as part of a strategic investment to expand the label’s global footprint and fuel long-term artist development. The deal was executed with the support of the internal Big Loud team, alongside partners at Chord Music, Republic Records & UMG, PLUS Capital, Eisner, Loeb & Loeb, DLA Piper, Dickinson Wright and Armanino.” Many music fans know the name Big Loud, given its extensive portfolio, which includes titles by Ernest, HARDY, Charles Wesley Godwin, and more. According to a source, the deal offers attractive multipliers that “will earn out steadily for the next five to 10 years.” For those who might not understand how the music industry works, a typical record deal involves an artist signing with a record label, who works to fund, market, distribute, and promote the artist’s music. In return, the label usually owns the master recordings, which are the original recordings of the songs… that means they control how the music is used and monetized. They then have the legal rights to license the music for movies, commercials, streaming, and more. Artists will often receive just a royalty (a percentage of revenue). The artist’s catalog (their body of recorded work under that deal) becomes part of the label’s assets if they own the masters. This includes re-releases, box sets, and greatest hits compilations. This also means they can sell the rights to that catalog… remember when Taylor Swift was mad that Scooter Braun had acquired the rights to her masters when he purchased Big Machine from Scott Borchetta? She ultimately didn’t “own” her own music, and that’s why she opted to re-record a lot of it, the various “Taylor’s Versions.” These days, a number of record deals are more nuanced and allow artists to retain ownership of their masters, especially if they bring their own funding or already have a strong following… think of some of the Texas country artists like Parker McCollum or Cody Johnson. They both were already established, successful country acts in Texas when they signed deals, and they retained a certain level of ownership and/or creative control because of it. Got it? That’s just a quick and dirty breakdown of how that sorta works… and long story short, Big Loud can sell a small piece of Morgan’s catalog for a boatload of money, which will then allow them to continue to grow their business, sign more artists, make more superstars, etc… The strategic move will help expand the label’s footprint, it comes at the perfect time, given Wallen just announced his own publishing company, called Wilder Music, which is named after his son, Indigo Wilder. The Tennessean reports the publishing venture is a partnership with Warner Chappell Music Nashville. Wallen didn’t just announce his publishing company; he also shared that his first signee is hit singer/songwriter Jared Mullins. Wallen said on Warner Chappell’s Instagram that he is: “…humbled to be launching this new venture with Warner Chappell, and even more excited that Jared is the first signing at Wilder Music.” In a press release, Wallen noted that he’s seen Mullins’ talent firsthand. Mullins has written for artists like Little Big Town, Mitchell Tenpenny, Justin Moore, and Granger Smith, and has also collaborated with Wallen. “He brings passion, authenticity and fresh ideas in every write he’s in. It’s undeniable. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Warner Chappell Nashville (@warnerchappellnashville) Mullins also expressed his excitement about this venture and showed Wallen and the Warner Chappell team gratitude for signing him. “As an artist, he’s obviously one of the greatest of all time, but he’s also one of the best writers in the world. I’m extremely grateful and incredibly humbled that he believes in me enough to make me the first signing of Wilder Music.“ Warner Chappell is known for championing great songs and for signing and re-signing some of the best writers ever to put words and melodies together. Working with Jessi and getting to know the rest of the WCM crew has been amazing. I’m so thankful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us.” Morgan Wallen and his team are making big moves ahead of the release of his 37-track record, I’m The Problem, which is set to drop on May 16th.The post Morgan Wallen’s Label Sells $200 Million Stake In His Catalog As He Launches Publishing Company, Wilder Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

From fruity blends to fiery flavors, discover the most searched margarita recipes across the U.S. leading up to Cinco de Mayo 2025.

The following article, NSC Advisor Mike Waltz and Staffers Ousted from Trump Administration, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. National Security Council Advisor Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong resigned on May 1, after taking responsibility for the infamous Signal chat disaster from March. It’s the first major casualty from the scandal that put a leftist journalist into a sensitive Signal chat stream on the strikes against the Yemeni Houthis. Others may be … Continue reading NSC Advisor Mike Waltz and Staffers Ousted from Trump Administration ...