The duo have teamed up with other companies to launch Utilize, which seeks to change how the grid is used and regulated.

More history for “Choosin’ Texas.” Though Morgan Wallen has blown expectations through the roof in terms of all-genre hit songs over the past few years with the likes of “Last Night” and “Heartless,” Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has been flying up the charts in a way rarely done before for a country song. If you haven’t been paying attention to just how successful it’s been, let me give you a quick rundown of all the history it’s made over the past three months. Upon its release on October 7th, the track debuted at #37 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, also launching all the way to #7 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, both of which were career-highs for the “hungover” singer. Flashforward to December 2nd, it became Langley’s first career #1 hit on the aforementioned Hot Country Songs chart. In turn, it became the fastest solo female song to reach the top 10 at US Country Radio this decade, taking just eight weeks to crack the Top 10. Thanks to an incredible amount of buzz online and a last-minute push by fans, on Monday, February 9th, she went #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 with the monster track. Additionally, she became the first woman ever to triple up and score #1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Hot 100 chart simultaneously. In case you were wondering just how rare the feat was, Langley became just the seventh female artist IN HISTORY to go #1 on the Hot 100 with a country song. Making even more history last week, the “weren’t for the wind” singer would team up with Megan Moroney to become the only female country duo in history to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and 200 charts simultaneously, a feat that legends such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and many more all-time greats in the genre have never done. This was thanks to “Choosin’ Texas” spending its second week at #1 on the Hot 100 and Moroney’s junior album, Cloud 9, debuting at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. Just when you thought Langley was done making chart history, she joined elite company once again this week. With “Choosin’ Texas” still holding strong at #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, it was joined by her other red-hot single, “Be Her,” which rose from #3 to #2 this frame. In turn, the Alabama native is now the third female artist in the history of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart to occupy the top two spots, joining the likes of only Taylor Swift (“Red” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in Oct. 2012) and Beyoncé (“Texas Hold ‘Em” and “II Most Wanted” in April 2024). Of course, while Taylor started out as a country singer, Red was the album where she first started to experiment with more pop sounds. Beyonce isn’t a country singer, and Cowboy Carter was explicitly not a country album according to Beyonce herself, so one could make argument that Ella is the only female country artist ever to accomplish this impressive feat. Even broadening the feat to male artists, Langley becomes just the ninth artist in history to simultaneously score the #1 and #2 songs on the chart. With this, she joins Buck Owens, Willie Nelson, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay, as well as the aforementioned Swift and Beyoncé, to ever accomplish this. “Choosin’ Texas” The Dandelion Tour Dates 5/7/2026 Toledo, OH Huntington Center (+,&) 5/8/2026 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena (+,&) 5/14/2026 Estero, FL Hertz Arena (@, &) 5/15/2026 Savannah, GA Enmarket Arena (@, &) 6/18/2026 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre (+,&) 6/19/2026 Independence, MO Cable Dahmer Arena (+,&) 6/25/2026 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center (+,&) 6/26/2026 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park (+,&) 7/23/2026 Pikeville, KY Appalachian Wireless Arena (#, %) 7/24/2026 Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre (#, %) 7/25/2026 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum (#, %) 7/30/2026 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion (@, %) 7/31/2026 Canandaigua, NY CMAC (@, %) 8/13/2026 Austin, TX Moody Center (#, &) 8/14/2026 Corpus Christi, TX Hilliard Center (#, &) 8/15/2026 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena (#, &) @ Kameron Marlowe + Dylan Marlowe # Kaitlin Butts & Gabriella Rose % Laci Kaye BoothThe post Ella Langley Becomes The Third Female Artist In History To Score The Top Two Spots On Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Let this be a lesson to all the aspiring artists out there. While it’s definitely changed over the past decade or so, it seems like there’s still this commonly-held belief that the best way to become a superstar in country music is to get a deal with a major label. And that’s not to say that there aren’t benefits to getting a record deal: Labels have deep pockets and decades of experience in the music industry, as well as connections that are invaluable when it comes to getting your music produced or promoted. But over the past decade, we’ve seen more and more independent artists who are choosing to forego – or at least postpone – the major label and still finding mainstream success. And as it turns out, if you can do that, you might end up making quite a bit more money on down the road. Without getting too into the weeds of how recording contracts work, often times labels will front the money for an artist to record and release their album. Basically, the label gives them the money upfront, but the artist has to pay that amount back when the checks start coming in. (There’s generally at least a portion that’s not recoupable and doesn’t have to be paid back). Obviously though, a label isn’t going to front massive amounts of money to an artist just to recoup their initial investment: They want to make a buttload more off of that artist. So if they’re putting up an advance for an artist, that means the artist’s contract is going to be structured in a way that the label can profit on the back end of the deal – through percentages of their album sales, ticket sales, even merch sales and other revenue streams that don’t necessarily have to do with the music. But if an artist comes in and DOESN’T need that advance, and isn’t dependant on the label to sell tickets and promote their music…well, that artist has a lot more leverage to get a better contract that will allow them to keep a lot more money down the road. (This is all a gross oversimplification, but you get the general idea). That’s exactly why Luke Combs says getting passed over by his record label was one of the best things that ever happened to him. Luke is gearing up to drop his sixth studio album, The Way I Am, on March 20, and ahead of the album’s release he stopped by the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast where he discussed his early days of moving to Nashville and trying to make it in the music industry. The “Hurricane” singer would eventually sign a deal with Sony Music Nashville, where he’s still at today. But Sony passed on Luke the first time – something that would ultimately work out pretty well, because by the time they DID decide to sign him, he had more leverage in the negotiating process: “I got passed on by Sony my first year in Nashville, and then I ended up signing wtih them two years later, and that is one of the best things that ever happened to me. Because two years later I’ve got, my first album is done, I basically own the entire thing, I license it to the label, I’m already selling out my own shows. So then when it comes down to negotiating the points of the deal, I’m like, ‘Well I could just not sign and keep doing what I’m doing. I don’t NEED to sign.'” Of course he also recognized one major benefit to signing with a label: Their ability to get your song played on radio. “You couldn’t do that on your own. You need a team that knows how to play ball.” But because he had already established himself as an artist, with both a completed record in hand and an established fanbase that was buying tickets for his shows, Luke wasn’t desperate to sign a record deal – which gave him some leverage to negotiate a deal that would pay off for him in the long run because he didn’t need the advance “I’m like, ‘Don’t need it.’ I’d rather have the the percentage points back over time and say, ‘Well, maybe you guys keep no percentage of my merch and no percentage of my tickets and you keep 10% of the record because it’s huge now.’ So, the 10% may be more than the deal you were already offering me.” Now, that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with one way or the other, and it’s not even a slight at the record labels: If they’re taking the risk and paying millions of dollars to sign an artist and put out an album before they even know whether they’ll get that money back, I completely understand why they’d want to ensure that they’re able to profit if that album takes off. For every Luke Combs at a label, there are 10 more artists who never reach his level of success. And there’s no doubt that the relationship between Luke and Sony has been a profitable one for both sides. I have a feeling they’re both ecstatic about how things worked out now that Luke’s one of the biggest names in country music. But it just goes to show you: Sometimes it’s better to wait than taking the first deal that comes your way. Or as in Luke’s case, it can be a blessing in disguise to not get offered a deal at all. The post Luke Combs Explains Why Being Passed Up By His Record Label Ended Up Making Him A Ton Of Money first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Fox News Pentagon reporter Jennifer Griffin essentially accused War Secretary Pete Hegseth of lying today, claiming he’s saying one thing in his briefing but told the opposite to 60 Minutes. The only . . .

The Trump administration has just released a new video of the US military blowing the crap out of a bunch of Iranian naval ships and a submarine. US Central Command writes “U.S. . . .

Keith Richards is one of the most influential guitarists of all time and The Rolling Stones’ music was an inspiration for countless musicians who started by covering their songs and then went on to write their own material. That is usually how artists begin and evolve to the point where they become a reference for younger generations with the albums they write and record. The Stones and Richards were inspired by many American Blues and Rock artists, and the guitarist has always praised them. Over the decades, Keith has talked about many of his heroes and once mentioned two American musicians who, in his opinion, cannot be covered, because no one could sound as good as they did on the songs they recorded. The 2 musicians Keith Richards said can't be covered Buddy Holly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qQzuvfvBdE "(When listening to) Elvis and Chuck Berry, (I realized) 'Hey, this ain't no one man show. (These are) guys, this is a band! I'm listening to bands playing together, I'm listening to guys that know how to play with each other. These are connections between the drums, between the bass, between the guitar, between the voice. This is where it's at. Without intellectualizing about it, I realize now that 'Hey, it's the way that these guys are playing together that is interesting. Especially listening to Buddy Holly and The Crickets, hey, this is the template mate." "Ask Paul McCartney, ask John Lennon if you could. He (Buddy) is a cat that writes them, plays them, produces, sings them. In other words (does) the whole package in one. Yet, I don't know anybody that's yet dare to try to seriously cover 'Peggy Sue', even now. Some people do it on stage," Keith Richards said in an interview with Guitar Moves in 2015 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Although Keith said Buddy is almost impossible to cover, The Rolling Stones did record a version of his song "Not Fade Away". It was released as a single by the British band in 1964, seven years after it had originally been released by the American artist. It was their first major hit in the United Kingdom and became the A-side of the band's first American single. Keith said Buddy was a genius He holds Buddy in the highest regard and considers him one of the most important Rock artists of all time. When asked who the five geniuses of Rock and Roll were, he mentioned him as one of them. "It's really easy to spot them, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, there's five for start. There are a couple more, they are the seminal pieces," he told Howard Stern in 2023. As Keith said in his autobiography "Life" he didn't have the chance to see Buddy Holly playing live. "I just used to read the magazines, like New Musical Express: 'Eddie Cochran appearing with Buddy Holly.' Wow, when I grow up I’ll get a ticket. Of course they all croaked before then," he said. Buddy Holly was seven years older than Keith Richards, so when he tragically died in a plane crash in 1959 at the age of 22, the British musician was only 15. Eddie Cochran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw8MXhFupno "Eddie Cochran 'C'Mon Everybody', 'Summertime Blues', 'Somethin' Else', nobody is gonna touch this stuff with a stick, because you can't get near it. Even now you can't get near it. (Eddie and Buddy) were part of our turn on. But we (Stones) realized that whoever, Elvis, Buddy and Eddie were listening to were some other cats. We found that they were people like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters. (We listened to them) to find out where these cats had got it from. Because we knew nothing came out of a vacuum. Then I realized, when I finally met Muddy and we talked, (he said) 'Robert Johnson', that's the cat!" "Then I realized that I reached a sort of pinnacle of where I wanted to know where these guys are coming from. Because there (were) weird things going on, like World War II, there were no records being made at all. All the vinyl is going into rubber tires for the bombers and for war related material." Keith Richards continued: "So at the end of World War II, you have all of these cats that have not made a record at least for four or five years. They've been playing, they've been working throughout the war. That's why you've got this incredible burst in 1946, 1947, 1948 of this incredible black music," Keith Richards said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). The guitarist has said that artists like Eddie Cochran started a real musical and cultural revolution. Something that, according to him, continued to evolve afterwards as new important bands emerged. Like Buddy Holly, Cochran also tragically died at an early age. He passed away in a car crash in England back in 1960 at the age of 21. He had the chance to release only one complete album during his career: "Singin' To My Baby'. Keith Richards was part of Eddie Cochran's new documentary "Don't Forget Me" (2026)The post The 2 musicians Keith Richards said can’t be covered appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.