Everything Old Is New Again

Kenny Chesney saying no to a 2021 tour was a blow this week. He moved it all to 2022. Going from town to town trying to do a stadium tour became just too complicated.

You do see some movement in the festival marketplace. Cullman’s Rock the South is back this August, and Topeka’s Kicker Country Stampede is back in June. Let’s hope what’s going on in Europe is not headed this way.

MLB baseball sounds like it’s ramping up the attendance, and the Oscars said no to Zoom acceptance speeches as they try to do some kind of normal show. Normal ... what is that, exactly?

Carrie Underwood’s Christian/Gospel/hymns album is out. If it goes the way Elvis Presley and Alan Jackson’s similar albums went, it will be a huge success. There was a time when Johnny Cash and many others were not afraid to spread their religious wings.

Then there’s the death of Connie Bradley. The local newspaper called her a luminary in its headline. She was a bright light for sure. In the ’80s many great leaders in Country music were women. Connie at ASCAP was such a force, as were Frances Preston at BMI, Jo Walker Meador at the CMA and Donna Hilley at Tree Publishing. The glass ceiling was broken decades ago on Music Row. Powerful women have been shaping things on 16th Ave. for decades. All four gave the place class, too. Their taste is seen in their respective buildings. Four Hall of Famers for sure!

As I write this, East Nashville is getting slammed with a hailstorm, dime to quarter size, and there have been deadly tornadoes in Alabama. A tornado just hit one of the Birmingham weathermen’s home while we was on the air warning people from the station. Jeez, 2021 is trying to out do 2020.

Dolly Parton is getting her ice cream flavor. Jeni’s is out April 8th with Strawberry Pretzel Pie, created in collaboration with Dolly. It features lipstick red strawberry sauce.

Two Country hit makers spent millions on L.A. property this week. Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard spent nearly four million for a home near the Beverly Center, and in Sherman Oaks, $2.35 million for Lil Nas X.

Variety wrote a long piece on Morgan Wallen again this week, mentioning the double/triple album streaming theory as a factor in his 10 week #1 album? Everyone in on that? The more cuts on an album the higher the streaming numbers? Hmmmm.

The Topeka festival booking for Wallen as a June 25 headliner? Variety says that was booked in September of last year. Maybe so, but the press release came this week.

Read the Variety piece. Pretty harsh, but you be the judge.