BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 1 OF 19 INSIDE Kelsea, Combs Make Chart News >page 4 Zac Brown Band’s Great Escape >page 9 Austin Bashes Bolster Lineups >page 10 Country Singer Shifts To Politics >page 10 Makin’ Tracks: HARDY Gets ‘Rednecker’ >page 14 Country Coda: Historic Keith Whitley Moment >page 19 When Ian Fitchuk showed up at a Nashville studio on Feb. 20 for a Carly Pearce recording session, the moment had an awkward air about it. The Academy of Country Music had announced its nominations just hours earlier, and Fitchuk — who had never been an ACM finalist — appeared six different times on the ballot. He was up for producer of the year, and Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour — which he co-produced with Musgraves and buddy Daniel Tashian — was in the running for album. Fitchuk also became the first person nominated simultaneously in four different musician categories: bass player, drummer, piano/keyboards player and specialty instrument(s) player of the year. At least three people at the Feb. 20 session —Pearce, drummer Aaron Sterling and guitarist Derek Wells — were fellow nominees, but Fitchuk was the center of the conversation. For someone who makes his living in a support role, that spotlight brought some uneasiness. “I felt a little sheepish,” says Fitchuk during a break at a session in north Nashville, where he’s producing new music for Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards. “I have trouble accepting recognition.” Fitchuk has gotten plenty in recent years, particularly the kind musicians want most — numerous calls for repeat business — as he has steadily built his reputation in Nashville. He plays keyboards on most of the tracks on Maren Morris’ new Girl album and contributes piano and/or drums on the latest albums by Shania Twain, Chase Rice, Lucie Silvas, Midland, Ruston Kelly and Brett Eldredge . Fitchuk also plays bass on Dierks Bentley’s The Mountain, which will compete with Golden Hour for album of the year when the ACMs are handed out April 7 in Las Vegas. “He’s such a musical guy,” says The Mountain co-producer Ross Copperman. “[Engineer] Reid Shippen actually told me after we booked Ian on the session, ‘You know, Ross, Ian doesn’t really do bass on sessions, but I know what a great musician he is.’ Reid was that confident in him. We flew him out to Telluride [Colo.] to be the bass player.” Fitchuk’s approach to the instrument shows a nuanced uniqueness. In Bentley’s current single, “Living,” the bass lifts and rolls quietly from one measure into the next through the first verse, creating subtle movement to help push the narrative ACM Surprise: How Golden Hour Brought Six Nominations To A ‘Hack Of All Trades’ FITCHUK BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected]Country Update
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BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 1 OF 19
INSIDE
Kelsea, Combs Make Chart News
>page 4
Zac Brown Band’s Great Escape
>page 9
Austin Bashes Bolster Lineups
>page 10
Country Singer Shifts To Politics
>page 10
Makin’ Tracks: HARDY Gets ‘Rednecker’
>page 14
Country Coda: Historic Keith
Whitley Moment >page 19
When Ian Fitchuk showed up at a Nashville studio on Feb. 20 for a Carly Pearce recording session, the moment had an awkward air about it.
The Academy of Cou ntr y Music had annou nced its nominations just hours earlier, and Fitchuk — who had never been an ACM finalist — appeared six different times on the ballot. He was up for producer of the year, and Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour — which he co-produced with Musgraves and buddy Daniel Tashian — was in the running for album. Fitchuk also became t he f i rst p erson nom i nated simultaneously in four different musician categories: bass player, dr u m mer, pia no/ keyboa rds player and specialty instrument(s) player of the year.
At least three people at the Feb. 20 session —Pearce, drummer Aaron Sterling and guitarist Derek Wells — were fellow nominees, but Fitchuk was the center of the conversation. For someone who makes his living in a support role, that spotlight brought some uneasiness.
“I felt a little sheepish,” says Fitchuk during a break at a session in north Nashville, where he’s producing new music for Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards. “I have
trouble accepting recognition.”Fitchuk has gotten plenty in recent years, particularly the kind
musicians want most — numerous calls for repeat business — as he has steadily built his reputation in Nashville. He plays keyboards on most of the tracks on Maren Morris’ new Girl album and
contributes piano and/or drums on the latest albums by Shania Twain, Chase Rice, Lucie Silvas, Midland, Ruston Kelly and Brett Eldredge. Fitchuk also plays bass on Dierks Bentley’s The Mountain, which will compete with Golden Hour for album of the year when the ACMs are handed out April 7 in Las Vegas.
“He’s such a musical guy,” says The Mountain co-producer Ross Copperman. “[Engineer] Reid Shippen actually told me after we booked Ian on the session, ‘You know, Ross, Ian doesn’t really do bass on sessions, but I know what a great musician he is.’ Reid was that confident in him. We f lew him out to Telluride [Colo.] to be the bass player.”
Fitchuk’s approach to the instrument shows a nuanced uniqueness. In Bentley’s current single, “Living,” the bass lifts and rolls quietly from one measure into the next through the first verse, creating subtle movement to help push the narrative
ACM Surprise: How Golden Hour Brought Six Nominations To A ‘Hack Of All Trades’
forward without calling attention to Fitchuk. He clearly works well with others.“The fact that Ian plays drums doesn’t hurt,” says Bentley. “He and
[drummer] Matt [Chamberlain] really spoke well together on a musical communicational level.”
Fitchuk is well trained for that sort of communication. The Chicago native’s parents are classical musicians with side pursuits: His father plays viola but earned his college degree by studying voice; his mother is a flutist who is also a member of a bagpipe band. Both are music teachers as well, and they schooled their son by example to meld personal creativity into the needs of the group.
The younger Fitchuk was particularly enamored of pop records that featured complex arrangements or emotions, and he moved to Nashville in 2000 to study jazz piano at Belmont University. That didn’t last long — he joined jam band The Dahlia Llamas and toured long enough to realize he preferred steady local work over the grind of the road. Producing an album by singer-songwriter Griffin House in 2004 helped him transition into regular studio work, and Fitchuk became a part of Nashville’s underground scene.
Two 2009 projects — Landon Pigg’s melancholy track “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop” and Mindy Smith’s moody album Stupid Love — made a particular impression within the community, though it was years before that became apparent. Both Musgraves and Morris cited Smith’s album as an influence.
“It just goes to show: Do your best at all times,” reflects Fitchuk. “The seeds that you plant, you don’t have control over how they’re going to grow in the end.”
Morris had flirted with Fitchuk as a producer before she instead landed with busbee, but she recommended Fitchuk to Musgraves, who worked with him and Tashian to write and produce the first five tracks for what became Golden Hour. Her management, Sandbox Entertainment, thought so highly of the work that the company self-financed the album and unveiled it to Universal Music Group Nashville only after it was completed. Commercial expectations were not particularly high — “It seemed too arty,” says Fitchuk — but the album’s mix of acoustic and programmed elements, plus its moody vibe, connected at a deep level with her audience and the Nashville music community.
“She has this melancholic voice that is both comforting and sad at the same time,” he says. “Then we have that song ‘Happy & Sad.’ The topic of that song somewhat frames, I think, the album as a whole, which isn’t just trying to make you feel one way or another. It’s trying to accept the human experience as a complex and layered experience.”
Not surprisingly, Fitchuk has layered more work atop the notoriety Golden Hour has yielded. His professional dance card of late has included Edwards, Eldredge, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town, and he’s expecting to work with non-country acts Leon Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld. Some of those efforts have been joint projects with Tashian, who is likewise a fellow band member in Skyline Motel, a Fleetwood Mac-like ensemble they formed on the side with Nashville singer-songwriters Sarah Buxton and Kate York. Fitchuk primarily plays drums with the unit, which opened for Musgraves during her recent four-night stand at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in advance of a forthcoming EP.
Meanwhile, Fitchuk’s versatility is evident on Musgraves’ “Rainbow,” which is currently No. 38 on Country Airplay. His piano is the sole instrument backing her on the recording, taken from perhaps 11 attempts on 11 different days; she sang it at the close of each Golden Hour recording session, and the single is the best take of those informal performances.
He was the lone visible musician when she performed it at the Grammy Awards, where Golden Hour earned album of the year, and it was — much like the day that he secured those ACM nominations — a bit awkward. After he flubbed some chords in the dark at dress rehearsal, he asked for a light on the keyboard, but it was never clear until the on-camera live performance started that that request had been fulfilled. He froze slightly at the bridge, missed a chord and, for a split second, harbored a fear that without that chord, the whole song would fall apart. It did not — “Rainbow” was one of the highlights of the telecast — and Fitchuk does what comes naturally in explaining that situation: He puts the focus on the artist.
“Kacey, thank God, came back in, and everything was fine,” he says. “It was terrifying, but I thought she did a great job.”
Fitchuk, who calls himself a “hack of all trades,” can thus be taken at face value when he looks ahead with humility to the ACMs, downplaying his role as a single musician and focusing on how he syncs up with the larger group, in which he clearly belongs.
“I don’t necessarily expect to win any of those musician categories,” he says. “I don’t. I’m just thankful that of all those people in all those categories, pretty much most of them are really close friends.”
Blake Shelton welcomed Brooks & Dunn as guest advisors for four episodes of the current season of NBC’s The Voice. From left: Ronnie Dunn, Shelton and Kix Brooks.
Rodney Atkins headlined a March 26 installment of the Country Music Association’s CMA Songwriters Series at Nashville’s Listening Room during the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival. From left: songwriter Shane Minor (“Chillin’ It”), Atkins and songwriter Rose Falcon (“Friday Night”).
Dustin Lynch visited Cumulus’ syndicated morning program, The Ty Bentli Show, in support of new single “Ridin’ Roads.” From left: Bentli, Lynch and Bentli Show co-hosts Tricia “T.J.” Jenkins and Chuck Wicks.
Scotty McCreery (center) celebrated the chart-topping success of “This Is It” with co-writers/co-producers Aaron Eshuis (left) and Frank Rogers during a March 20 No. 1 party hosted by ASCAP and BMI. A
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 2 OF 19
Kelsea Ballerini nets her sixth top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which combines airplay, streaming and sales data, as “Miss Me More” (Black River) jumps 14-8 on the list dated April 6.
The track is the just the second top 10 for a female artist unaccompanied by another act in 2019, following Maren Morris’ “Girl” (No. 9). That’s as many as in the same span last year — when the same two artists hit the top 10: Ballerini with “Legends” (No. 10 peak) and Morris with “I Could Use a Love Song” (No. 7). In 2017, two solo women also reached the region through the same stretch (Lauren Alaina and Carrie Underwood), down from six in 2016 and three in 2015.
“Miss” re-enters Country Streaming Songs at a new No. 14 high, up 30 percent to 5.5 million U.S. streams in the week ending March 28, according to Nielsen Music, while logging 7,000 sold in the same frame (down 2 percent) as it lifts 6-4 on Country Digital Song Sales. The track bumps 12-11 on Country Airplay, with a 5 percent boost to 19.6 million audience impressions in the week ending March 31.
Ballerini is supporting Kelly Clarkson on the latter’s Meaning of Life Tour and advising for Clarkson on NBC’s The Voice. “Miss,” which Ballerini co-wrote, is her first Hot Country Songs top 10 since “Legends.” She led the list for two weeks starting Sept. 24, 2016, with “Peter Pan.”
UP TO THE TOP 10 Jake Owen banks his ninth Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Down to the Honkytonk” (Big Loud) leaps 17-9. It boasts 24.2 million impressions (up 8 percent) as it climbs 10-7 on Country Airplay, 4.9 million U.S. streams (up 36 percent) and 5,000 sold (up 7 percent).
A TOAST FOR WALLEN Also on Hot Country Songs, Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses” (Big Loud) bumps 12-10 to become his second top 10. It’s up 11 percent to 8,000 sold, 9 percent to 16.2 million in radio reach and 8 percent to 6.2 million U.S. streams. Wallen first hit the top 10 with “Up Down” (featuring Florida Georgia Line; No. 5, June 2018).
ONE ‘HAPPY MAN’ Luke Combs continues his historic run atop all five of Billboard’s country charts simultaneously: Hot Country Songs, Country
Airplay, Country Streaming Songs, Country Digital Song Sales and Top Country Albums. He concurrently leads the lists for a third frame. Only Kane Brown has previously achieved the feat, on Oct. 28, 2017.
Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” (River House/Columbia Nashville) rules Country Airplay for a sixth week (40.1 million, up less than 1 percent), marking the list’s longest-leading No. 1 since Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man,” which dominated for six weeks beginning in January 2016. “Crazy” is the 21st song to top Country Airplay for at least six weeks in the chart’s 29-year history and is two frames shy of the record: Alan Jackson and Jimmy
Buffett’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” which led for eight weeks in 2003.
“Crazy” also commands Hot Country Songs and Country Streaming Songs (13.4 million, up 11 percent) for a sixth week. On Country Digital Song Sales, it prevails for a seventh week (11,000 sold, down 9 percent).
Meanwhile, Combs’ debut LP, This One’s for You, logs a 30th week at No. 1 on Top Country Albums (25,000 equivalent album units, up 3 percent). The set is just the 11th to reach the milestone since the chart launched in 1964 and is the first since Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now (31 weeks on top) in 2010-11. It’s the first album by a solo male to reach the threshold since Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All (34 weeks 1992-93), passing the 29-week
reigns of Chris Stapleton’s Traveller (2015-17) and Tim McGraw’s Not a Moment Too Soon (1994).
PARDI CLOCKS IN Jon Pardi adds his fourth Country Airplay top 10 as “Night Shift” (Capitol Nashville) strides 13-9 (21 million, up 10 percent). He collects his first top 10 since 2017’s No. 3-peaking “Heartache on the Dance Floor,” which followed the No. 1s “Dirt on My Boots” and “Head Over Boots.”
‘GOOD’ TIME Kane Brown banks his fourth Country Airplay top 10 as “Good as You” (Zone 4/RCA Nashville) hops 11-10 (20.9 million, up 11 percent). It follows his No. 1s “Lose It,” “Heaven” and “What Ifs” (featuring Lauren Alaina).
Kelsea Ballerini Adds One ‘More’ Hot Country Songs Top 10;
l53 60 2 BETTER OFF GONE Big Yellow Dog Logan Mize 1.258 +0.531 430 82 53
l54 57 6 TO A T RCA Nashville Ryan Hurd 1.143 +0.212 318 19 58
l55 58 3 AFTER A FEW Mercury Travis Denning 1.087 +0.189 474 22 52
l56 55 10 ROCKIN’ ALL NIGHT LONG Buena Vista/Capitol Nashville Adam Hambrick 1.050 +0.057 559 -1 50
l57 NEW MY MIRACLE Arista Nashville Brad Paisley 0.853 +0.280 262 157 59
58 59 5 SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW Southern Ground/Wheelhouse Zac Brown Band 0.840 -0.046 371 -37 55
59 56 5 ALCOHOL YOU LATER Riser House/Columbia Nashville Mitchell Tenpenny 0.773 -0.194 389 6 54
60 RE-ENTRY HOUSTON, WE GOT A PROBLEM River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 0.581 -0.114 80 -8 -
MOST ADDED®TITLE Imprint/Label Artist ADDSGOD’S COUNTRY Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton 80SOME OF IT EMI Nashville Eric Church 19KNOCKIN’ BOOTS Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan 19HEARTBREAK Atlantic/WMN Hunter Hayes 13THOUGHT ABOUT YOU McGraw/Columbia Nashville Tim McGraw 10LIVING Capitol Nashville Dierks Bentley 10RIDIN’ ROADS Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 10RAINBOW MCA Nashville Kacey Musgraves 9REARVIEW TOWN Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 9MY MIRACLE Arista Nashville Brad Paisley 8
AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
Reported worldwide boxscore figures for Country artists. Boxscore figures should be submitted to Bob Allen by phone (615-891-1976), fax (615-891-2054) or email ([email protected]).
TEXAS REGIONAL RADIO REPORTWEEK ENDING MARCH 24, 2019
Texas Regional Radio Report Top 100 is compiled from weekly online playlist reports from 86 radio stations located in Texas and surrounding states, including reports from specialty shows, internet and satellite radio outlets. Songs are ranked by total plays. For tracking, complete chart methodology and more information, visit www.texasregionalradio.com, or contact Dave Smith at 817-283-7984. Copyright 2019, Texas Regional Radio Report
Country AirplayNEW AND ACTIVE
TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL
AUDIENCETOTAL
STATIONS ADDSWORLD FOR TWO Stoney Creek King Calaway 0.517 19 1
IF MY HEART HAD A HEART Awake Cassadee Pope 0.197 4 0
DARK HORSE Atlantic/WEA Devin Dawson 0.182 12 0
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 8 OF 19
MOST INCREASED PLAYSTITLE Imprint/Label Artist GAINGOD’S COUNTRY Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton +1457ONE THAT GOT AWAY Atlantic/WEA Michael Ray +726LOOK WHAT GOD GAVE HER Valory Thomas Rhett +657HERE TONIGHT BMLG Brett Young +580GIRL Columbia Nashville Maren Morris +502EYES ON YOU Dack Janiels/Broken Bow Chase Rice +496MAKE IT SWEET RCA Nashville Old Dominion +478SOME OF IT EMI Nashville Eric Church +477NIGHT SHIFT Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi +446GOOD AS YOU Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown +368
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCETITLE Imprint/Label Artist
GAIN(IN MIILIONS)
GOD’S COUNTRY Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton +9.143ONE THAT GOT AWAY Atlantic/WEA Michael Ray +3.309HERE TONIGHT BMLG Brett Young +3.258LOOK WHAT GOD GAVE HER Valory Thomas Rhett +2.892EYES ON YOU Dack Janiels/Broken Bow Chase Rice +2.155GOOD AS YOU Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown +2.078NIGHT SHIFT Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi +1.974KNOCKIN’ BOOTS Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan +1.955GIRL Columbia Nashville Maren Morris +1.879DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK Big Loud Jake Owen +1.743
RECURRENTSTHIS
WEEK TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL AUD.
(IN MILLIONS)1 GIRL LIKE YOU Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 25.417
2 THIS IS IT Triple Tigers Scotty McCreery 23.699
3 BEST SHOT Stoney Creek Jimmie Allen 22.071
4 SHE GOT THE BEST OF ME River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 19.472
5 TAKE IT FROM ME MCA Nashville Jordan Davis 16.698
6 SPEECHLESS Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay 15.496
7 GOOD GIRL Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 15.228
8 SIXTEEN Valory Thomas Rhett 14.214
9 TEQUILA Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay 13.331
10 WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan 12.924
BILLBOARD COUNTRY BOXSCOREGross Artist AttendanceTicket Price(s) Venue/Date(s) Capacity Promoter(s)
$2,972,763 ERIC CHURCH 31,570 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$149, $29 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C./March 15-16 31,570
$1,275,949 BLAKE SHELTON 13,785 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$129, $29 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn./March 15 13,785
ZAC BROWN BAND AT BRIDGESTONE“I don’t care what it says in the newspaper; this is the greatest country in the world.”
Zac Brown’s proclamation, a setup to the signature Zac Brown Band hit “Chicken Fried,” summarized the band’s biggest success during a March 28 stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Across two hours and 20 minutes, the group spun through a variety of styles — country ballads, classic-rock pieces, island-flecked chill music and Southern funk — to effect an escape from the daily stresses of modern American culture.
The set included more than two dozen titles, scads of solos and a surprise appearance by rock-bass veteran Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Mr. Big), who journeyed through a fearless cacophony of sound during an extended cover of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post.”
Except for the presence of a couple soldiers in full salute in the midst of “Chicken Fried,” Brown’s set was noticeably absent of production trickery. Large video screens used sometimes-fantastical animation to enhance the escapism, but the band relied mostly on tasteful musicianship and a small modicum of choreographed motion to make its emotional point. (The blocking was ragged enough that Brown actually wandered in front of fiddler Jimmy De Martini, clumsily messing up a videocam angle during an extended solo).
Guitarists Brown, Coy Bowles and Clay Cook all had opportunities to stretch out instrumentally and display their technical skills, as did De Martini in the fever-pitched pickin’ on The Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” But three well-received ballads — “Colder Weather,” “Free” and “Highway 20 Ride” — underscored the strength and passion in Brown’s lead voice and the enduring connection of a well-told story.
Their “Chicken Fried” allegiance to their country played well, but even stronger was Brown and company’s wide-ranging brand of country music.
RADIO & RECORDSThe Reviver Entertainment Group chose April Fools’ Day to announce a new imprint, DAVMORECORDS, guided by Reviver Records president Gator Michaels. The label’s moniker derives from the f irst names of Reviver Entertainment Group president/CEO David Ross and his father, veteran publishing/promotion executive Moe Shulman. New signees Thompson Square and Aaron Goodvin were assigned to DAVMORECORDS ... Joe Diffie started April 1 as the midday personality at KXBL Tulsa, Okla. The “Pickup Man” singer will voice-track the shows remotely, usually from his home in Nashville ... KXKC Lafayette, La., added Danita Maldonado as afternoon-drive host and web/social media manager. It marks a return to radio for Maldonado, who spent the last seven years as the Midland-Odessa, Texas-based owner of the Blaze social media firm ... Ashley Bourque rejoined Country Radio Broadcasters on April 1 as project manager/associate director brand marketing and strategic partnerships. She spent the last two years as an event planner with Chancey Charm and the George Jones Museum. Reach her here ... Connoisseur Media swapped nine stations involving iHeartMedia
and the Aloha Trust. The deal gives iHeartMedia seven stations in Erie, Pa., and Mina, N.Y., while Connoisseur picks up two signals in Frederick, Md., including country WFRE ... Westwood One landed The Ty Bentli Show as the first American country radio program to air in the United Kingdom. The show will air during afternoon drive on Country Hits Radio, a national signal launched by Bauer Media ... Carletta Blake joined WGAR Cleveland as PD, InsideRadio.com reported. She will arrive April 8 from WNCB Raleigh-Durham, N.C., where she served as PD/midday host ... Andrea Burtscher was promoted to KMLE Phoenix music director, according to InsideRadio.com. She adds the role to her existing duties as Entercom/Phoenix marketing/promotions director ... KXBL/KVOO Tulsa, Okla., PD Brian Jennings left the station after 15 months, Talkers.com reported ... Chuck Knight was named iHeartMedia/San Antonio-Austin regional senior vp programming, according to Talkers.com. Country signals in the territory include KAJA and KRPT San Antonio and KASE and KVET Austin.
’ROUND THE ROWThe RIAA hired Jackie Jones as vp artist and industry relations in Nashville. She was previously CMT director of music and talent … The Academy of Country Music made six staff changes, including two new hires and four promotions. Newcomers include ACM Lifting Lives and strategic partnerships coordinator Taylor Wolf and events assistant Danielle Bardier. Wolf was previously an HCA human resources coordinator, while Bardier is a former radio executive who spent 2018 as a sponsorship and event coordinator for Boston-based Harpoon Brewery. The ACM promoted executive vp finance and operations Tom Torii, from senior vp; director strategic partnerships Jen Heaton, from senior manager; manager events Lanni Gagnon, from coordinator; and manager awards and membership Carrie Tekautz, from coordinator … The Country Music Association promoted Catharine McNelly to senior director of communications after less than 18 months as a director. Concurrently, the CMA retained Stephanie Shank as manager of production and talent relations. She worked previously for CMA as a freelance communications manager. Reach McNelly here and Shank here … Zac Brown Band signed with William Morris Endeavor … Singer-songwriter Sam Riggs signed a publishing deal with Major Bob Music. Riggs is already affiliated with Triple 8 Management … Universal Music Publishing Nashville signed Claire Wright to her first songwriting contract … Sam Outlaw secured representation with The Anvil Management. He will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on May 3 … The 2019 American Music Awards are slated for Nov. 24 on ABC … Margaret Lewis Warwick died March 29 in Louisiana. As a songwriter, she penned David Houston’s “Mountain of Love,” Narvel Felts’ “Reconsider Me” and a handful of Jeannie C. Riley singles. Warwick and her husband, Alton Warwick, owned the rights to The Louisiana Hayride, a former barn dance show aired by KWKH Shreveport, La. A celebration of life is planned for April 2 at Shreveport’s Municipal Auditorium, which previously housed The Hayride. The family suggests memorial contributions be made in Warwick’s memory to an animal rescue agency.
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
With her song “Hold On” featured on the soundtrack for the movie Breakthrough, Mickey Guyton attended the film’s Nashville premiere on March 14. From left: Breakthrough star Chrissy Metz and producer DeVon Franklin, and Guyton.
New Warner Music Nashville signee Tucker Beathard (center) stopped in at WFMS Indianapolis during his radio promotion tour. He’s shown with WMN Northeast/Midwest manager/WAR radio and streaming Anna Cage and Cumulus/Indianapolis operations manager Christopher “Boomer” Layfield.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 9 OF 19JA
MUSIC NOTESThe lineups for two annual country-centered Austin bashes took stronger shape on April 1 with talent announcements for Willie Nelson’s signature Fourth of July Picnic and for Jack Ingram’s contribution to the two-day Mack, Jack & McConaughey benefit with former football coach Mack Brown and actor Matthew McConaughey. Nelson’s show, slated for Circuit of the Americas’ Austin 360 Amphitheater, w i l l feat u re Luke Combs , Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Hayes Carll, among others, on Independence Day. The Jack Ingram & Friends show on April 26 at the Austin City Limits Live Moody Theater boasts Wade Bowen, Butch Walker, Holly Williams and more to be named. A previously announced April 25 Mack, Jack & McConaughey concert featuring Chris Stapleton is already sold out.
C.W. McCall, best known for his 1975 m i l l ion-sel l i n g novelt y “C onvoy,” managed to become mayor of Ouray, Colo. So maybe one of The Lost Trailers can make it in the U.S. Senate. Stokes Nielson, who sang lead on the defunct band’s 2008 hit “Holler Back,” announced on March 29 his candidacy for the seat of retiring Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander. Earliest competition for the Brentwood, Tenn., resident comes from a Democratic attorney, James Mackler. Election Day is still 18 months away, so the field will likely expand.
Wanda Jackson announced her retirement from touring on March 28, citing travel and safety issues. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she garnered three top five country singles in the 1950s and 1960s while establishing herself as a female pioneer in rockabilly. Now 81, she still plans to make public appearances, though she’ll be more selective about the commitments on her calendar.
Aaron Watson set a June 21 release date for his next album, Red Bandana, with current single “Kiss That Girl Goodbye” pacing the 20-track collection. Watson shares the release date with Buddy & Julie Miller, whose Breakdown on 20th Ave. South represents their first album in a decade. Also on the way are Will Carter’s Good Bad Idea on April 12 and Jenny Tolman’s There Goes the Neighborhood on July 19.
INGRAM
Aaron Watson hung with KFDI Wichita, Kan., assistant PD/music director Carol Hughes (left) and Big Label director of West promotion Gwen Foster when he played the Cotillion on March 22.
ON THIS DATE IN COUNTRY MUSIC
April 2 • 2010 — Reba McEntire brings out two
su r prise acts du ring a concer t at t he Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.: Brooks & Dunn join her on “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” and Kelly Clarkson appears for “Because of You.”
• 1994 — Little Texas tops the Billboard cou ntr y char t for t he f irst t ime w it h “My Love.”
April 3 • 2011 — Warner Bros. releases Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” to radio. • 2002 — Brad Paisley receives the Nashville Songwriters Association
International’s songwriter/artist of the year award.
April 4 • 2018 — Kane Brown collects platinum awards from the RIAA for his
self-titled album and for the single “Heaven.”
April 5 • 2017 — The Country Music Association announces Alan Jackson,
the late Jerry Reed and songwriter Don Schlitz as the 2017 inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
April 6 • 2009 — The Academy of Country Music hails George Strait as artist
of the decade during a taping for a CBS-TV special at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
• 1999 — Columbia releases Montgomery Gentry’s debut album, Tattoos & Scars.
April 7 • 2016 — Carrie Underwood performs “Something in the Water” as
American Idol airs for the last time on Fox. • 1959 — Marty Robbins records “El Paso” and “Big Iron” in the same
session at Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville while cutting the entire Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album in a single day.
April 8 • 2004 — MLB’s San Diego Padres play their first game at the new Petco
Park. Rhett Akins, Chad Brock and Daryle Singletary perform “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and former President Jimmy Carter throws the first pitch. The Padres beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-3.
Source: RolandNote.com, the Ultimate Country Music Database
CLARKSON
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 10 OF 19D
Hot Country SongsSALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BYHot Country Songs
“Girl” climbs 18-15 on Hot Country Songs. It rises by 22 percent to 10.3 million in audience
as it pushes 24-20 on Country Airplay and gains by 7 percent to 6.8 million U.S. streams.
15MAREN
MORRISGirl
The debut single from the Arkansasnative re-enters Hot Country Songs at No. 45. It gains a boost of 24 percent
to 1.8 million streams while bulleting at No. 56 on Country Airplay (1.1 million
impressions, up 6 percent).
45ADAM
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 11 OF 19
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
l1 1 1 47 BEAUTIFUL CRAZY HH No. 1 (6 weeks) HH Luke Combs S.MOFFATT (L.COMBS,W.B.DURRETTE,R.WILLIFORD) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
1 1
2 2 2 63 TEQUILA Dan + Shay D.SMYERS,S.HENDRICKS (D.SMYERS,J.REYNOLDS,N.GALYON) WARNER BROS./WAR RC 1
3 3 3 70 MEANT TO BE Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line WILSHIRE (B.REXHA,T.HUBBARD,J.MILLER,D.A.GARCIA) WARNER BROS./BMLG RC 1
l4 6 8 28 HERE TONIGHT Brett Young D.HUFF (B.YOUNG,B.CAVER,J.EBACH,C.KELLEY) BMLG 2 4
5 5 4 45 SPEECHLESS Dan + Shay D.SMYERS,S.HENDRICKS (D.SMYERS,S.MOONEY,J.REYNOLDS,L.VELTZ) WARNER BROS./WAR RC 1
l6 7 10 32 EYES ON YOU Chase Rice C. DESTEFANO (C.RICE,C. DESTEFANO,A.GORLEY) DACK JANIELS/BROKEN BOW 6 6
l7 10 11 23 GOOD AS YOU Kane Brown D.HUFF (K.BROWN,B.BERRYHILL,S.CARTER,T.PHILLIPS,W.WEATHERLY) ZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 10 7
l8 14 17 22 MISS ME MORE HH Streaming Gainer HH Kelsea Ballerini F.G.WHITEHEAD,J.MASSEY (K.BALLERINI,D.H.HODGES,B.MCLAUGHLIN) BLACK RIVER
11 8
l9 17 13 33 DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK Jake Owen J.MOI (R.CLAWSON,L.LAIRD,S.MCANALLY) BIG LOUD 7 9
l10 12 15 24 WHISKEY GLASSES HH Digital Gainer HH Morgan Wallen J.MOI (B.BURGESS,K.KADISH) BIG LOUD
16 10
l11 15 18 27 ONE THAT GOT AWAY HH Airplay Gainer HH Michael Ray S.HENDRICKS (J.FRASURE,T. ROSEN,M.RAMSEY,J.OSBORNE) ATLANTIC/WEA
3 11
l12 16 16 5 LOOK WHAT GOD GAVE HER Thomas Rhett D.HUFF,J.BUNETTA,THOMAS RHETT (THOMAS RHETT,R.AKINS,J.BUNETTA,J.K.HINDLIN,A.MALIK,J.H.RYAN) VALORY 15 5
l13 11 12 31 THERE WAS THIS GIRL Riley Green D.HUFF (R.GREEN,ERIK DYLAN) BMLG 4 11
l14 13 14 25 MAKE IT SWEET Old Dominion S.MCANALLY (M.RAMSEY,T. ROSEN,W.SELLERS,G.SPRUNG,B.TURSI,S.MCANALLY) RCA NASHVILLE 5 12
l21 25 25 27 LOVE AIN’T Eli Young Band D.HUFF (R.COPPERMAN,A.GORLEY,S.MCANALLY) VALORY 12 21
l22 26 27 36 CAUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY Rodney Atkins Featuring The Fisk Jubilee Singers R.ATKINS,T.HEWITT,B.BOLLINGER (C.HARRINGTON,J.M.SCHMIDT,M.WALKER) CURB 22 22
l23 27 29 22 LOVE SOMEONE Brett Eldredge R. COPPERMAN,B.ELDREDGE (B.ELDREDGE,R.COPPERMAN,H.MORGAN) ATLANTIC/WMN 17 23
l25 29 31 7 EVERY LITTLE HONKY TONK BAR George Strait C.AINLAY,G.STRAIT (G.STRAIT,B.STRAIT,D.DILLON) MCA NASHVILLE 19 25
For week ending March 28, 2019. Figures are rounded. Compiled from a national sample of retail store and rack sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music.
For inquiries about any Nielsen Music data, please contact Josh Bennett at 615-807-1338 or [email protected]
The week’s most popular country songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music. Descending titles below No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks.
COUNTRY MARKET WATCHA Weekly National Music Sales Report
Hot Country Songs
ALBUMSDIGITAL
ALBUMS*DIGITAL TRACKS
This Week 198,000 53,000 663,000
Last Week 207,000 57,000 688,000
Change -4.3% -7.0% -3.6%
This Week Last Year 282,000 75,000 914,000
Change -29.8% -29.3% -27.5%
*Digital album sales are also counted within album sales.
Weekly Unit SalesYear-Over-Year Album Sales2018 2019 CHANGE
Albums 3,395,000 2,539,000 -25.2%
Digital Tracks 11,395,000 8,304,000 -27.1%
YEAR-TO-DATE
Overall Unit Sales
2018 2019 CHANGE
Physical 2,426,000 1,754,000 -27.7%
Digital 970,000 786,000 -19.0%
Sales by Album Format
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 12 OF 19
ALBUM SALES
’19
’18
DIGITAL TRACKS SALES
’19
’18
3.39 million
2.53 million
000.0 million
’15
’14
8.30 million
11.39 million
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
l26 30 32 25 I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU Chris Lane J.MOI (A.GORLEY,M.HARDY,H.PHELPS,J.RODGERS) BIG LOUD 39 26
l27 31 30 4 THE BONES Maren Morris G.KURSTIN (M.MORRIS,J.ROBBINS,L.VELTZ) COLUMBIA NASHVILLE - 27
l28 32 33 12 ALL TO MYSELF Dan + Shay D.SMYERS,S.HENDRICKS (D.SMYERS,S.MOONEY,N.GALYON,J.REYNOLDS) WARNER BROS./WAR 30 28
l29 34 35 9 SOME OF IT Eric Church J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,J.HYDE,C.DANIELS,B.PINSON) EMI NASHVILLE 23 29
l30 33 36 8 RAISED ON COUNTRY Chris Young C.CROWDER,C.YOUNG (C.YOUNG,C.R.BARLOWE,C.CROWDER) RCA NASHVILLE 25 30
l31 39 50 12 REARVIEW TOWN Jason Aldean M.KNOX (N.THRASHER,B.PINSON,K.LOVELACE) MACON/BROKEN BOW 31 24
l32 35 34 15 WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL TOWN Brantley Gilbert + Lindsay Ell D.HUFF (B.GILBERT,R.AKINS,B.BERRYHILL,J.DUNNE) VALORY 26 31
The week’s top-streamed and top-selling paid download country songs, respectively, from sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music. Charts update weekly on Tuesdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2019, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS COUNTRY DIGITAL SONG SALES
Top Country Albums ranks the most popular country albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2019, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
Americana/Folk Albums ranks the most popular Americana/folk albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2019, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
AMERICANA/ FOLK ALBUMS
SALES, DATA COMPILED BY
COUNTRY STREAMING SONGS
STREAMING & SALES DATA COMPILED BY
SALES DATA COMPILED BY
The track zooms by 32 percent to3,000 sold as it arrives on Country
Digital Song Sales at No. 23. On Hot Country Songs, it pushes 34-29.
23ERIC
CHURCHSome of It
DA
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 13 OF 19TH
IS
WEE
K
LAST
W
EEK
2 W
EEKS
A
GO
WEE
KS
ON
CH
T
ARTIST TITLEIMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL
CERT
.
PEA
K
POS.
l1 1 2 95 LUKE COMBS THIS ONE’S FOR YOURIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 538883*/SMN 2 1
6 4 4 19 MUMFORD & SONS DELTAGENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD 0240*/GLASSNOTE 1
7 6 10 69 CHRIS STAPLETON FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 2MERCURY NASHVILLE 027408*/UMGN 0 1
l8 7 7 113 SIMON & GARFUNKEL SIMON AND GARFUNKEL’S GREATEST HITSCOLUMBIA 31350/LEGACY 3
l9 8 9 99 CHRIS STAPLETON FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1MERCURY NASHVILLE 026379*/UMGN 1 1
l10 RE-ENTRY 15 BRANDI CARLILE BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOULOW COUNTRY SOUND/ELEKTRA 565226*/EMG 1
Ridiculous battles in redneck history:• August 1973: A diner at a Memphis restaurant breaks Jerry Lee Lewis’ nose after Lewis calls the man’s female companion a “redneck whore.”• December 1985: Johnny Paycheck shoots a patron at an Ohio bar after the man asks the singer if he has ever eaten turtle meat.• December 2010: A Florida trailer park resident is arrested for breaking his neighbor’s glasses in an argument about the late Conway Twitty’s sexual orientation.Add to that hodgepodge of believe-it-or-
not fights a fictitious laugher — HARDY’s debut single, “Rednecker.” The title isn’t even a real word, and the chorus is a litany of pride in stuff that most people would likely not want to argue about: whose accent is the most Southern, who can stuff more chewing tobacco between their cheek and gum, who lives in a smaller town.
“It means different things for different people,” says HARDY. “I have a lot of people that come up and tell me it’s hilarious, and a lot of people come up and tell me it’s badass. I think that’s one really cool thing about that song. It’s a statement song, but depending on the listener, some people just get humor out of it. Some people get offended and think that I’m talking to them, which is fine because that’s kind of what the song stands for.”
“Rednecker” was a late-night mistake during a January 2018 songwriting retreat in Winter Park, Colo. A bevy of writers lodged in a large, private house and had a fairly relaxing routine for a few days: ski in the morning, write songs in the afternoon and hang out at night. There’s a small amount of uncertainty about some of the details — “To be honest, it was a little fuzzy because we were in Colorado,” confesses HARDY — but that initial writing session took place in the attic room occupied by co-writer Jordan M. Schmidt (“You Make It Easy,” “Drunk Me”), somewhere around 2 a.m. Schmidt played a track he had written that day for HARDY and co-writer Andy Albert (“Good Girl,” “If the Boot Fits”), and Albert offered an unfiltered critique.
“I was like, ‘Man, this track is really good; it just needs to sound a little rednecker,’ ” remembers Albert. “HARDY just had his eyes light up, and so did Jordan, and then we were just like, ‘OK, we aren’t leaving this room till we write that song.’ ”
It came along fast. HARDY chipped in the opening line of the chorus, “My town’s smaller than your town,” and Schmidt threw out the next: “And I got a bigger buck and bass on my wall.”
It was unusual. They had no guitars and no actual instruments in the room, so they just hammered out lyrics with an eye toward consistent phrasing. The chorus wound to its ultimate, ridiculous conclusion — “You may think that you’re redneck/But I’m rednecker than you” — and they settled in next on the verses. The opening stanza recognized the back-roads cred of the song’s antagonist, while the second verse let the protagonist build his own small-town qualifications even higher. The writers found a number of images that screamed “small town” — including a Mossy Oak hat, a Southern Pride tattoo and a floorboard covered in Slim Jim wrappers — while steering clear of clichés.
“I honestly give a lot of that credit to HARDY,” says Albert. “That’s sort of his expertise. He’s from a real small town in Mississippi, and he sees things and has lived that life for a long time and knows things about the details that
have otherwise not been referenced before and are beyond the cliché. The song wouldn’t be the same if we had wrote it with anybody but him.”
Weeks went by after they returned to Nashville before they decided to finish “Rednecker.” They added a bridge, which allowed them to drop in a Dale Earnhardt reference.
“Listen,” says Schmidt, “you’ve got to get as many Earnhardt references as you can in a song called ‘Rednecker.’ ”
They also put together a melody and the supporting arrangement during that second writing session, with Schmidt driving that part of the conversation under the influence of a new purchase: an EverTune guitar, which never goes out of tune. He commandeered the demo, too, and once the production kicked in, they took “Rednecker” more seriously.
“I kind of always just considered it this joke song,” admits Schmidt. “I was like, ‘I bet we’ll do a demo someday, but it’s not really high on anybody’s priority list.’ And then once we did the demo, we were all like, ‘Holy shit, this is awesome. I think people are going to dig this.’ ”
Indeed, Blake Shelton took a hard look at “Rednecker” as a possible collaboration. Granger Smith was interested, too, but HARDY had undergone a transformation in the months after they had written it.
H A R DY had penned several Florida Georgia Line hits — including “Simple,” “Talk You Out of It” and the Morgan Wallen
collaboration “Up Down” — and FGL and Big Loud were lobbying HARDY to become an artist. He took his time making that decision.
“We would talk to him a little bit, and I would see him four months later, and I’m like, ‘Wow, you look like you lost weight.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, I lost 20 pounds.’” recalls producer Joey Moi (Jake Owen, FGL). “Two months later, he’s down like another 15 pounds. You could see he was starting to really contemplate doing the artist thing and getting himself excited about it. Finally we all started talking and he wanted to do it.”
HARDY was convinced “Rednecker” had big potential, and he persuaded his co-writers to nix the Shelton and Smith opportunities so he could tackle it. Once he signed with Big Loud, Moi and co-producer/keyboard player Dave Cohen built a new track from the ground up, amping up the Southern rock elements, then taking a group of musicians into Ocean Way to fill it out.
HARDY “loved that big adrenaline-style rock,” says Moi. “The ideological stamp of the record was to just kind of make sure it rocked, make sure the drums were real big, make sure the solos were like Southern rock. It’s not twangy banjo. We kind of avoided all of the modern, super-poppy gags that are going on and kept it more rock/Southern rock-type stuff.”
“Rednecker” emerged as the most-streamed track from HARDY’s debut EP, and the connection was palpable as fans passionately sang the words verbatim at live shows. Big Loud released it to country radio via PlayMPE on Feb. 1; it rides to No. 44 in its eighth week on Country Airplay as it establishes him with country listeners as a new small-town spokesman.
“That one just represents my sound,” says HARDY. “It was a good way to lead off and introduce people to who I am and kind of what my lyrics, what my songwriting is like, what my sound is. It just sounds like a cornerstone, kind of a career song, if it takes off.”
It’s a ridiculous redneck battle that’s absolutely worth the fight.
HARDY’s ‘Rednecker’ Vaults Him From Ace Songwriter To Budding Vocal Star
BULLETSl Awarded on Country Airplay to titles gaining audience or remaining flat from the previous week. A song will also receive a bullet if its percentage loss in audience does not exceed the percentage of monitored
station downtime for the format. Titles that decline in audience but increase in detections will also receive a bullet if the total audience erosion for the week does not exceed 3%. Bullets are awarded on Country Indicator to titles gaining plays or remaining flat from the previous week.
TIESOn Country Airplay, if two songs are tied in total audience, the song with the larger increase in audience is placed first. On Country Indicator, if two songs are tied in total plays, the song with the larger increase in plays is placed first.
RECURRENTSOn Country Airplay, descending titles below No. 10 in either audience or detections are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks, provided that they are not still
gaining enough audience points to bullet or if they rank below No. 10 and post a third consecutive week of (non-bulleted) audience decline, regardless of total chart weeks. On Country Indicator, descending, non-bulleted titles below No. 10 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks or if they post a third consecutive week of decline in plays after 10 weeks.
HOT SHOT DEBUTAwarded to the highest-ranking new entry on Country Airplay and Country Indicator, respectively.
MOST ADDEDThe total number of new adds officially reported to Billboard by each reporting station, or by an automatic-add threshold (seven plays for the first time in a chart tracking week, according to Nielsen BDS) for stations that do not report adds.
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCE/PLAYSMost Increased Audience on Country Airplay and Most Increased Plays on Country Indicator list the songs with the greatest week-to-week increases in total audience or plays, respectively.
AIRPOWERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles ranking inside top 20 in plays and audience rankings for the first time, with increases in both plays and audience.
BREAKERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles achieving airplay (at least one detection) at 60% of reporting stations for the first time.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 16 OF 19
Country Airplay IndexTITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 17 OF 19
A
AFTER A FEW I’m About To Go RED On Ya Music, BMI/Travis Denning Music, BMI/ole, BMI/Crack The Glass Songs, BMI/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Sound Wagon Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP (T.Denning, K.Archer, J.Weaver) 55
ALCOHOL YOU LATER Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Sam Sumser Music, ASCAP/Lava Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Lucky Mic Publishing, BMI/Music Of Parallel, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (M.Tenpenny, S.Sumser, M.Lotten) 59
ALL TO MYSELF Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/A Girl Named Charlie, BMI/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP (D.Smyers, S.Mooney, N.Galyon, J.Reynolds) 30
B
BACK TO LIFE W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Bennett’s Dad’s Songs, SESAC/Songs Of Rhythm House Black, SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC/Roc Nation US Music, SESAC/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Farm Thang Music, BMI/Me Gusta Music, BMI (C.R.Barlowe, N.Moon, S.Mooney, F.Wilhelm) 37
BEAUTIFUL CRAZY Big Machine Music, BMI/Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works Of RHA Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Rowdy Rob Music, BMI (L.Combs, W.B.Durrette, R.Williford) 1
BETTER OFF GONE Year Of The Dog Music, ASCAP/Shakapublishing, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP (A.Stoklasa, D.Woods) 53
BUY MY OWN DRINKS BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/BMG Silver Songs, SESAC/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP/Champagne Whiskey Publishing, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/Legends Of Magic Mustang Music, SESAC/Music Of Platinum Pen, SESAC/Wild Wild West Songs, SESAC/Thunder Cookie, SESAC/Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Songwriters of Platinum Pen Publishing, BMI/Hannah Mulholland Music, BMI (H.Mulholland, J.Wayne, N.Cooke, H.Lindsey, J.Kear) 27
C
CAUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Goes Something Like THIS Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Make It Matter Music, BMI/Sixteen Stars Music, BMI (C.Harrington, J.M.Schmidt, M.Walker) 22
CLOSER TO YOU BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/1217 Songs, ASCAP/Still Working For The Woman, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Low Z Music, BMI (H.Lindsey, G.Sampson, T.Verges) 36
D
DAY DRUNK Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/SongsbyME, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/Hey Kiddo Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (M.Evans, C. DeStefano, L.Robbins) 40
DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK Round Hill Works, BMI/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Clawson, L.Laird, S.McAnally) 7
E
EVERY LITTLE HONKY TONK BAR Day Money Music, ASCAP/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., ASCAP/Living For The Night Music, BMI/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., BMI/Ohio Creek Music, BMI/Dean’s Cabin Publishing, LLC, BMI (G.Strait, B.Strait, D.Dillon) 19
EVERY LITTLE THING BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Kailey’s Dream, BMI/So Essential Tunes, SESAC/Not Just Another Song Publishing, SESAC/Hillbilly Science And Research Publishing, SESAC/Trailerlily Music, SESAC (R.Dickerson, P.Welling, C.Brown) 35
EYES ON YOU Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Dack Janiel’s Publishing, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP (C.Rice, C. DeStefano, A.Gorley) 6
F
FEELS LIKE A PARTY ole Purple Cape Music, BMI/Mars Marley Music, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (P.Brust, C.Lucas, T.Hubbard, C.Crowder) 28
G
GIRL International Dog Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia) Pty Ltd., APRA/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Kurstin Music, ASCAP (M.Morris, S.Aarons, G.Kurstin) 20
GIRL GOIN’ NOWHERE Songs Of Song Factory, BMI/Universal Tunes, SESAC (A.McBryde, J.Bussey) 50
GOD’S COUNTRY Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Neon Cross Music, BMI (M.Hardy, J.M.Schmidt, D.Dawson) 24
GOOD AS YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/TDP Publishing, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI (K.Brown, B.Berryhill, S.Carter, T.Phillips, W.Weatherly) 10
GOOD VIBES ole Red Vinyl Music, BMI/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Miller Crow Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP (C.Janson, Z.Crowell, A.Gorley) 45
H
HERE TONIGHT Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/Memory Days, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/The Best I Could Do Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (B.Young, B.Caver, J.Ebach, C.Kelley) 2
HOUSTON, WE GOT A PROBLEM Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP (L.Combs, R.Montana, J.Singleton) 60
I
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (A.Gorley, M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rodgers) 39
I DON’T REMEMBER ME (BEFORE YOU) Trampy McCauley, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Songstein Publishing, ASCAP/All The Kings Pens, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (J. Osborne, T.J. Osborne, M.Dragstrem, S.McAnally) 43
K
KNOCKIN’ BOOTS BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Still Working For The Woman, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Nite Writer Music, ASCAP (H.Lindsey, G.Sampson, J.M.Nite) 48
L
LADIES IN THE ‘90S Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Lylas Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Cookie Jar Music LLP, PRS (Lauren Alaina, J.Frasure, A.Wadge) 42
LIVING EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Nite Writer Music, ASCAP/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/DudeTunes, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (R.Copperman, J.M.Nite, A.Gorley, D.Bentley) 46
LOOK WHAT GOD GAVE HER EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Music Of Big Family, BMI/Dragon Bunny Music, BMI/Don Wyan Music, BMI/Maru La La, BMI/MaruSongs, LLC, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Rap Kingpin Music, ASCAP/Prescription Songs, LLC., ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (Thomas Rhett, R.Akins, J.Bunetta, J.K.Hindlin, A.Malik, J.H.Ryan) 15
LOVE AIN’T EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Copperman, A.Gorley, S.McAnally) 12
LOVE SOMEONE Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Paris Not France Music, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Heather Feather Songs, BMI (B.Eldredge, R.Copperman, H.Morgan) 17
LOVE WINS Carrie-Okie Music, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (C.Underwood, D.A.Garcia, Brett James) 14
LOVE YOU TOO LATE Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Colden Rainey Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/243 Music, ASCAP/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Whiskey Tub Music, BMI (C.Swindell, Michael Ray, B.Kinney) 34
M
MAKE IT SWEET Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Rezsongs, ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, ASCAP/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Tiny Handstand, ASCAP/Sharkules Music, ASCAP/We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, W.Sellers, G.Sprung, B.Tursi, S.McAnally) 5
MAKE ME WANT TO Red Lining Music, SESAC/Sony/ATV Lakeview, SESAC/Amplified Hour Songs, SESAC/Pedal Down Music, ASCAP/Sounds Of Soperman Music Publishing, ASCAP/Curb Songs, ASCAP/Dreamark Publishing, ASCAP (J.Allen, P.Sikes, J.Denmark) 51
MISS ME MORE Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/KNB Music, ASCAP/3 Weddings Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Bob Ochoa’s Homemade Salsa, ASCAP (K.Ballerini, D.H.Hodges, B.McLaughlin) 11
MY MIRACLE Not Listed (Not Listed) 57
N
NIGHT SHIFT Maxx Music, BMI/Let The Road Pave Itself, BMI/Razor And Tie Music Publishing, BMI/Mike Curb Music, BMI/Rain Town Music, BMI (T.Brown, P.LaRue, B.Montana) 9
NOTHING TO DO TOWN Curb Songs, ASCAP/Curb Congregation Songs, SESAC/Music Good Vibes Publishing, BMI/Good Times Music, SESAC/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/No Bridge Publishing, ASCAP (D.Scott, M.Alderman, C.Taylor) 47
O
THE ONES THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT BACK HOME Big Music Machine, BMI/Double Barrel Ace Music, BMI/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Paulywood Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Plum Nelly, BMI/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Real Big Red Tunes, ASCAP (J.Moore, P.DiGiovanni, C.McGill, J.S.Stover) 32
ONE THAT GOT AWAY Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (J.Frasure, T. Rosen, M.Ramsey, J.Osborne) 3
ON MY WAY TO YOU WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/External Combustion Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Heytone Music, ASCAP (Brett James, T.Lane) 13
P
PRAYED FOR YOU Pedal Down Music, ASCAP/Big Spaces Music, BMI/Tunes Of Big Deal Music, SESAC/Songs Of Porterfied Music, SESAC/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP (M.Stell, A.Bowers, A.Veltz) 49
R
RAINBOW HappyGoWrucke, BMI/Creative Pulse Music, BMI/These Are Pulse Songs, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/351 Music, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI (N.Hemby, S.McAnally, K.Musgraves) 38
RAISED ON COUNTRY Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/They’ve Gone To Plaid Publishing, BMI/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Roc Nation US Music, SESAC/Songs Of Rhythm House Black, SESAC/Bennett’s Dad’s Songs, SESAC/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (C.Young, C.R.Barlowe, C.Crowder) 25
REARVIEW TOWN Songs Of Peer Ltd., ASCAP/Team Thrash, ASCAP/Songs Of Peer, BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI/New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Own My Own Music Publishing, ASCAP (N.Thrasher, B.Pinson, K.Lovelace) 31
RIDIN’ ROADS Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Miller Crow Music, ASCAP/Kyler’s Kinda Night, ASCAP (D.Lynch, A.Gorley, Z.Crowell) 52
ROCKIN’ ALL NIGHT LONG Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Crack The Glass Songs, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Garda Songs, SESAC/King Pen Songs, SESAC/Songs Of Downtown, SESAC (A.Hambrick, K.Archer, P.Good) 56
SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER Year Of The Dog Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Be Barry Quiet, BMI/Creative Pulse Music, BMI/Pulse Nation, BMI (T.Townes, L.Laird, Bary Dean) 29
SOME OF IT Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Mammaw’s Fried Okra Music, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI (E.Church, J.Hyde, C.Daniels, B.Pinson) 23
SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW Weimerhound Music, BMI/Day For The Dead Publishing, SESAC/Reach Music Tunes, SESAC/Andrew Watt Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Siva Moon Publishing, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Simonetti Music Publishing, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Mendes Music, BMI (Z.A.Brown, A.Wotman, N.Moon, B.Simonetti, S.Mendes) 58
T
TALK YOU OUT OF IT Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC (M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rogers, A.Vanderheym) 21
THERE WAS THIS GIRL Riley Green Publishing Designee, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Tawnes Van Hawke Publishing, BMI (R.Green, Erik Dylan) 4
THOUGHT ABOUT YOU Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Country And Western Music, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Big Loud Brad Music, BMI/Big Loud Brett Songs, BMI (L.T.Miller, B.Warren, B.D.Warren) 41
TO A T Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Lake Allegan Pub Club, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Spicer And Everyting Nicer, ASCAP/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Never Veltz So Good Publishing, BMI (R.J.Hurd, N.Spicer, L.Veltz) 54
W
WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL TOWN Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Revelry Music, BMI/Badlandsmgmt, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (B.Gilbert, R.Akins, B.Berryhill, J.Dunne) 26
WHAT WHISKEY DOES EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Little Britches Music, BMI/Gattis Music, BMI/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP (R.Houser, K.Gattis, H.Lindsey) 33
WHISKEY GLASSES Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Allegro, ASCAP/Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs, ASCAP/Rezven Music, ASCAP/Moving Targest In The Dark, ASCAP (B.Burgess, K.Kadish) 16
Hot Country Songs IndexTITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 18 OF 19
A
ALL TO MYSELF Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/A Girl Named Charlie, BMI/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP (D.Smyers, S.Mooney, N.Galyon, J.Reynolds) 28
B
BACK TO LIFE W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Bennett’s Dad’s Songs, SESAC/Songs Of Rhythm House Black, SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC/Roc Nation US Music, SESAC/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Farm Thang Music, BMI/Me Gusta Music, BMI (C.R.Barlowe, N.Moon, S.Mooney, F.Wilhelm) 44
BEAUTIFUL CRAZY Big Machine Music, BMI/Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works Of RHA Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Rowdy Rob Music, BMI (L.Combs, W.B.Durrette, R.Williford) 1
THE BONES International Dog Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Jammy Rabbins Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs Jimmy Robbins, ASCAP/Extraordinary Alien Publishing, ASCAP/Oh Denise Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI (M.Morris, J.Robbins, L.Veltz) 27
BUY MY OWN DRINKS BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/BMG Silver Songs, SESAC/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP/Champagne Whiskey Publishing, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/Legends Of Magic Mustang Music, SESAC/Music Of Platinum Pen, SESAC/Wild Wild West Songs, SESAC/Thunder Cookie, SESAC/Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Songwriters of Platinum Pen Publishing, BMI/Hannah Mulholland Music, BMI (H.Mulholland, J.Wayne, N.Cooke, H.Lindsey, J.Kear) 36
C
CAUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Goes Something Like THIS Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Make It Matter Music, BMI/Sixteen Stars Music, BMI (C.Harrington, J.M.Schmidt, M.Walker) 22
CLOSER TO YOU BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/1217 Songs, ASCAP/Still Working For The Woman, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Low Z Music, BMI (H.Lindsey, G.Sampson, T.Verges) 38
D
DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK Round Hill Works, BMI/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Clawson, L.Laird, S.McAnally) 9
E
EVERY LITTLE HONKY TONK BAR Day Money Music, ASCAP/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., ASCAP/Living For The Night Music, BMI/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., BMI/Ohio Creek Music, BMI/Dean’s Cabin Publishing, LLC, BMI (G.Strait, B.Strait, D.Dillon) 25
EVERY LITTLE THING BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Kailey’s Dream, BMI/So Essential Tunes, SESAC/Not Just Another Song Publishing, SESAC/Hillbilly Science And Research Publishing, SESAC/Trailerlily Music, SESAC (R.Dickerson, P.Welling, C.Brown) 50
EYES ON YOU Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Dack Janiel’s Publishing, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP (C.Rice, C. DeStefano, A.Gorley) 6
F
FEELS LIKE A PARTY ole Purple Cape Music, BMI/Mars Marley Music, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (P.Brust, C.Lucas, T.Hubbard, C.Crowder) 40
G
GIRL International Dog Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia) Pty Ltd., APRA/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Kurstin Music, ASCAP (M.Morris, S.Aarons, G.Kurstin) 15
GOD’S COUNTRY Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Neon Cross Music, BMI (M.Hardy, J.M.Schmidt, D.Dawson) 46
GOOD AS YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/TDP Publishing, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI (K.Brown, B.Berryhill, S.Carter, T.Phillips, W.Weatherly) 7
H
HERE TONIGHT Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/Memory Days, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/The Best I Could Do Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (B.Young, B.Caver, J.Ebach, C.Kelley) 4
I
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (A.Gorley, M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rodgers) 26
LOOK WHAT GOD GAVE HER EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Music Of Big Family, BMI/Dragon Bunny Music, BMI/Don Wyan Music, BMI/Maru La La, BMI/MaruSongs, LLC, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Rap Kingpin Music, ASCAP/Prescription Songs, LLC., ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (Thomas Rhett, R.Akins, J.Bunetta, J.K.Hindlin, A.Malik, J.H.Ryan) 12
LOVE AIN’T EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Copperman, A.Gorley, S.McAnally) 21
LOVE SOMEONE Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Paris Not France Music, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Heather Feather Songs, BMI (B.Eldredge, R.Copperman, H.Morgan) 23
LOVE WINS Carrie-Okie Music, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (C.Underwood, D.A.Garcia, Brett James) 20
LOVE YOU TOO LATE Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Colden Rainey Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/243 Music, ASCAP/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Whiskey Tub Music, BMI (C.Swindell, Michael Ray, B.Kinney) 34
M
MAKE IT SWEET Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Rezsongs, ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, ASCAP/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Tiny Handstand, ASCAP/Sharkules Music, ASCAP/We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, W.Sellers, G.Sprung, B.Tursi, S.McAnally) 14
MEANT TO BE BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Kiss Me If You Can Music, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP (B.Rexha, T.Hubbard, J.Miller, D.A.Garcia) 3
MISS ME MORE Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/KNB Music, ASCAP/3 Weddings Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Bob Ochoa’s Homemade Salsa, ASCAP (K.Ballerini, D.H.Hodges, B.McLaughlin) 8
N
NIGHT SHIFT Maxx Music, BMI/Let The Road Pave Itself, BMI/Razor And Tie Music Publishing, BMI/Mike Curb Music, BMI/Rain Town Music, BMI (T.Brown, P.LaRue, B.Montana) 16
NOTHING TO DO TOWN Curb Songs, ASCAP/Curb Congregation Songs, SESAC/Music Good Vibes Publishing, BMI/Good Times Music, SESAC/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/No Bridge Publishing, ASCAP (D.Scott, M.Alderman, C.Taylor) 39
O
ONE MAN BAND Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Rezsongs, ASCAP/Reehits World, ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, ASCAP/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, B.Tursi, J.Osborne) 49
ONE THAT GOT AWAY Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (J.Frasure, T. Rosen, M.Ramsey, J.Osborne) 11
ON MY WAY TO YOU WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/External Combustion Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Heytone Music, ASCAP (Brett James, T.Lane) 19
P
PRAYED FOR YOU Pedal Down Music, ASCAP/Big Spaces Music, BMI/Tunes Of Big Deal Music, SESAC/Songs Of Porterfied Music, SESAC/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP (M.Stell, A.Bowers, A.Veltz) 48
R
RAINBOW HappyGoWrucke, BMI/Creative Pulse Music, BMI/These Are Pulse Songs, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/351 Music, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI (N.Hemby, S.McAnally, K.Musgraves) 24
RAISED ON COUNTRY Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/They’ve Gone To Plaid Publishing, BMI/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Roc Nation US Music, SESAC/Songs Of Rhythm House Black, SESAC/Bennett’s Dad’s Songs, SESAC/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (C.Young, C.R.Barlowe, C.Crowder) 30
REARVIEW TOWN Songs Of Peer Ltd., ASCAP/Team Thrash, ASCAP/Songs Of Peer, BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI/New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Own My Own Music Publishing, ASCAP (N.Thrasher, B.Pinson, K.Lovelace) 31
RIDIN’ ROADS Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Miller Crow Music, ASCAP/Kyler’s Kinda Night, ASCAP (D.Lynch, A.Gorley, Z.Crowell) 42
ROCKIN’ ALL NIGHT LONG Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Crack The Glass Songs, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Garda Songs, SESAC/King Pen Songs, SESAC/Songs Of Downtown, SESAC (A.Hambrick, K.Archer, P.Good) 45
SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER Year Of The Dog Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Be Barry Quiet, BMI/Creative Pulse Music, BMI/Pulse Nation, BMI (T.Townes, L.Laird, Bary Dean) 33
SOME OF IT Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Mammaw’s Fried Okra Music, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI (E.Church, J.Hyde, C.Daniels, B.Pinson) 29
SPEECHLESS Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Never Veltz So Good Publishing, BMI (D.Smyers, S.Mooney, J.Reynolds, L.Veltz) 5
T
TALK YOU OUT OF IT Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC (M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rogers, A.Vanderheym) 18
TEQUILA WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/A Girl Named Charlie, BMI (D.Smyers, J.Reynolds, N.Galyon) 2
THERE WAS THIS GIRL Riley Green Publishing Designee, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Tawnes Van Hawke Publishing, BMI (R.Green, Erik Dylan) 13
TO A T Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Lake Allegan Pub Club, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Spicer And Everyting Nicer, ASCAP/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Never Veltz So Good Publishing, BMI (R.J.Hurd, N.Spicer, L.Veltz) 41
W
WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL TOWN Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Revelry Music, BMI/Badlandsmgmt, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (B.Gilbert, R.Akins, B.Berryhill, J.Dunne) 32
WHAT WHISKEY DOES EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Little Britches Music, BMI/Gattis Music, BMI/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP (R.Houser, K.Gattis, H.Lindsey) 47
WHISKEY GLASSES Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Allegro, ASCAP/Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs, ASCAP/Rezven Music, ASCAP/Moving Targest In The Dark, ASCAP (B.Burgess, K.Kadish) 10
WORLD FOR TWO EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Lets Get Brunch Publishing, BMI/Artist 101 Publishing Group, BMI (R.Copperman, J.Osborne, J.Abrahart) 43
On April 8, 1989, Keith Whitley’s “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” began
a two-week stay atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Penned by Sonny Curtis and Ron Hellard, the ballad appeared on Whitley’s second album, Don’t Close Your Eyes, his last released during his lifetime. “R ain” hit No. 1 just before he died of alcohol poisoning at his Nashville home on May 9, 1989. He was 33.
“Rain” became Whitley’s third of five Hot Country Songs No. 1s (among 10 top 10s), follow ing
“When You Say Not hing at A ll ” and “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” He
posthumously added his fourth and fifth leaders, “I Wonder Do You Think of Me” and “It Ain’t Nothin’,” in 1989-90.
Born in Ashland, Ky., Whitley began as a bluegrass artist. He eventually moved to Nashville and signed with RCA Records in 1984. In 1986, he married country singer Lorrie Morgan. After Whitley’s passing, she added her vocals to his previously recorded “’Til a Tear Becomes a Rose,” which hit No. 13 on Hot Country Songs in 1990. It also won vocal event of the year at the 1990 Country Music Association Awards. —JIM ASKER
30 Years AgoKeith Whitley Scored His Last No. 1 Before Passing
“I’m No Stranger to the Rain” topped Hot Country Songs
Whitley, circa 1988.
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 1, 2019 | PAGE 19 OF 19