Watch Chris Stapleton perform on The Tonight Show

Chris Stapleton was the musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for Monday, May 8, 2017.  Take a look at him performing, "I Was Wrong."  The song is from his now released album, "From A Room: Volume 1."

Stapleton also joined up with Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon for a comical look at the ZZ Top classic, "Legs."

Chris Stapleton honored with road sign

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials have added Chris Stapleton to the sign as travelers go into Johnson County, Kentucky.

From the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Highway District Office 12: "We were privileged to meet with Chris Stapleton on Saturday evening before his show in Pikeville to present him with a replica sign marking his name on the Country Music Highway in Johnson County. We also gave him a framed copy of the General Assembly resolution that added his name to the highway.Pictured in the new cover photo are Stephanie Healey of Paintsville Tourism/Country Music Highway Museum and her friend Wade, Greg Couch, D12 Engineerng Support Branch Manager; Steve Roberts, D12 Sign Crew Supervisor; Kentucky Tourism Commissioner Kristen Brancum, Chris, Sara George, D12 Information Officer; Governor's Office representative Ellen Adkisson, and D12 Chief District Engineer Mary Westfall-Holbrook. Mary is pictured above presenting Chris with the replica sign"

New signs were installed last week adding Chris Stapleton to the Country Music Highway in Johnson County. Highway District 12's sign crew took down the old signs and put up the new at the Johnson-Lawrence County line and the Johnson-Floyd County line.  His name is alongside Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, and Hylo Brown.  The US 23 Country Music Highway features those that made an impact in country music from eastern Kentucky.  Music Fans can visit the US 23 Country Music Museum in Paintsville, Kentucky.  Find out more online by clicking here.

Chris Stapleton to release two albums in 2017

Chris Stapleton has announced that he will be releasing not one, but TWO albums this year.  The first one, "From A Room: Volume 1" is set for release on May 5, 2017, on Mercury Records.  Volume 2 is set for release this fall.

Fans can pre-order the album via Itunes (click here), or through his website with various bundles that include shirts and vinyl albums.

The nine song album features the following songs:

Broken Halos (Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson)

Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning (Gary P. Nunn and Donna Sioux Farar)

Second One to Know (Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson)

Up to No Good Livin' (Chris Stapleton and Casey Beathard)

Either Way (Chris Stapleton, Tim James, and Kendall Marvel)

I Was Wrong (Chris Stapleton and Craig Wiseman)

Without Your Love (Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson)

Them Stems (Chris Stapleton, Jimmy Stewart, and Shawn Camp)

Death Row (Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson)

Chris Stapleton has had a pretty extensive 2017 tour.  It follows a series of extraordinary years for Stapleton since the release of his breakthrough double Platinum solo debut album, "Traveller." Released May 2015 on Mercury Records Nashville, "Traveller" initially debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart with more than 27,000 albums sold, making it one of the best-selling first weeks by a debut country artist in 2015. 

Following a historic turn on the 49th Annual CMA Awards in 2016, where Stapleton became the first artist to win Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the same awards – Traveller became the first album to re-enter the Billboard 200 all-genre album chart at No. 1, where is stayed for two straight weeks. The critically acclaimed album went on to win multiple Grammy and ACM Awards and was the #1 selling Country album of 2016 and the fourth-highest selling album of 2016 across all genres.

Chris Stapleton receives three ACM Award nominations

This morning, the Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for the ACM Awards.  Interestingly, Sturgill Simpson, who was awarded a Grammy for Best Country Album was left out of any of the nominees.  However, fellow Kentuckian, reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton is nominated in three categories. Once again, Stapleton is nominated in both the Male Vocalist of the Year category, and the Song of the Year category with “Tennessee Whiskey.”  Also, Stapleton received a nod in the Video of the Year category for “Fire Away.”.  Below is the complete list of nominees for the 2017 ACM Awards.  Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will return to host for the second consecutive year. The ACM Awards® are produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 2 (live 8:00-11:00 PM) on the CBS Television Network.

Kentucky stars shined bright on CMA Awards

Chris Stapleton at CMA Awards.
Photo by Erika Goldring/FilmMagic

If you noticed carefully throughout the night, several Kentucky country music stars were featured on the CMA Award 50th anniversary broadcast.  Here are a few of those highlights:

Keith Whitley Remembered Twice

During Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood's melody of hits, they performed Keith Whitley's "Don't Close Your Eyes."  Then when Alan Jackson sang "Remember When" and George Strait sang "Troubadour," a photo of Keith Whitley was shown in the background as to honor the legends.

Trisha Yearwood pays tribute to Crystal Gayle & Loretta Lynn

Trisha Yearwood performed "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" as Crystal Gayle looked on in the audience beside her sister Loretta Lynn.  Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks also sang "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man," in tribute to Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty.

Bill Monroe and Keith Whitley Memoralized

During Alan Jackson and George Strait's duet, you will see photos on the wall in the background that included Bill Monroe and Keith Whitley among those that helped build the foundation of country music.

Ricky Skaggs & Dwight Yoakam Pickin' and Grinnin' in Opener

During the CMA Award show opener, Ricky Skaggs and Brad Paisley picked their way through "Country Boy," complete with fast guitar picking skills.  We also got to see Dwight Yoakam singing "Guitars, Cadillacs" during the opener.

Ricky Skaggs, Brad Paisley, and Charlie Daniels at the CMA Awards. Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images.

Roy Clark looks on as Dwight Yoakam sings "Guitars, Cadillacs" at the CMA Awards.
Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

Dwight Yoakam and Chris Stapleton singing "Seven Spanish Angels"

Here is some six degrees of Kentucky: Pikeville native Dwight Yoakam performed with Paintsville native Chris Stapleton on the hit tune, "Seven Spanish Angels."  That song was made famous with the performance by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson.  Willie Nelson leased part of Renfro Valley Entertainment Center back in the day, but has never played there.  One of the co-writers of that song, Eddie Setser, is from Corbin, Kentucky, which is home of the original KFC.

Chris Stapleton Takes Home 2 Awards

A humbled Chris Stapleton took home the award for Best Male Vocalist, along with Best Video for the powerful tune "Fire Away."

Darrell Scott is Long Time Gone

Laurel County native, Darrell Scott, has made a living on songwriting and performing.  He wrote "Long Time Gone" that the Dixie Chicks sang last night alongside Beyonce at the CMA Awards.  Ironically the tune is about the dismay of country music with the lyrics, "Now they sound tired but they don't sound Haggard / They got money but they don't have Cash / They got Junior but they don't have Hank..."

Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle in the audience

Believe me when I say this, it was just a disgrace that Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle were only given a few seconds of screentime rather than have them up on stage performing showing how it is done.

What were some of your favorite moments of the awards? Did your favorite win?

Chris Stapleton honored with Vanguard Award at 54th ASCAP Country Music Awards

Chris Stapleton

ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, presented acclaimed country singer, songwriter and performer Chris Stapleton with the ASCAP Vanguard Award at the 54th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The awards celebration, which honors the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed country songs of 2015, took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville on October 31st.

“Every so often, someone comes along with songwriting so masterful, a voice so powerful and a presence so captivating, that it stops you in your tracks,” says ASCAP President Paul Williams. “Chris Stapleton does just that. By distilling Southern sounds and themes into potent songs, he has brought raw soul back to the country charts, and established himself as one of the most respected and original artists in American music today. We are thrilled to honor him with the ASCAP Vanguard Award.”

The Vanguard Award recognizes the impact of outstanding ASCAP members on musical genres that will help shape the future of American music. Previous recipients include Walk The Moon, St. Vincent, fun., The Civil Wars, Third Day, Band of Horses, Sara Bareilles and more.

Chris Stapleton’s acclaimed album, Traveller, was released in May 2015 on Mercury Records Nashville and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. With more than 27,000 albums sold, it was the best-selling first week by a debut country artist that year. The album also received immediate and extensive critical acclaim that helped land Stapleton bookings on “Late Show with David Letterman,” “The View,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” among others.

Following an historic turn on the 2015 CMA Awards – Stapleton was the first artist to win Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the same awards – Traveller became the first album to re-enter the Billboard 200 all-genre album chart at #1, where it stayed for two weeks. Stapleton also performed a “show-stealing” (Rolling Stone) duet on the live awards show with superstar, friend and fellow ASCAP member Justin Timberlake, which Entertainment Weekly called “an unapologetic display of abnormal levels of talent.”

Stapleton capped off his record year with four nominations and two wins at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards — Album of the Year (nominee), Best Country Album (winner), Best Country Song (nominee) and Best Country Solo Performance (winner). He is currently nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year, as well as Musical Event of the Year, alongside his wife, Morgane Stapleton, for their performance of “You Are My Sunshine” from producer Dave Cobb’s acclaimed Southern Family compilation, at the 50th annual CMA Awards, to be held November 2nd in Nashville.

Renowned and respected in Music City, Stapleton has also co-written six #1 hits for some of country music’s biggest stars and has continually worked as an in-demand session musician, providing masterful backup vocals and guitar work to countless pieces of music. ASCAP has featured Stapleton, a longtime member, at many ASCAP events during his career, including the Sundance ASCAP Music Café, the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, the ASCAP “We Write the Songs” showcase on Capitol Hill, the ASCAP Country Music Awards and more.

Chris Stapleton takes lead over 2016 CMA Award nominations

Kentucky native Chris Stapleton was surprised this morning with multiple CMA Award nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year. “The 50th Annual CMA Awards” aired live Wednesday, November 2 on ABC-TV. Country superstars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood presided over the evening, returning as hosts for the ninth consecutive year.

Below are the list of nominees in each category:

Entertainer of the Year: Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban

Single of the Year:

Die a Happy Man - Thomas Rhett

Humble & Kind - Tim McGraw

My Church - Maren Morris

Nobody to Blame - Chris Stapleton

Record Year - Eric Church

Album of the Year

Black - Dierks Bentley

Hero - Maren Morris

Mr. Misunderstood - Eric Church

Ripcord - Keith Urban

Storyteller - Carrie Underwood

Song of the Year

Burning House - Camaron "Cam" Ochs, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker

Die a Happy Man - Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett, Joe Spargur

Humble and Kind - Lori McKenna

Record Year - Eric Church and Jeff Hyde

My Church - busbee and Maren Morris

Female Vocalist of the Year: Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist of the Year: Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban

Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo of the Year: Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Joey + Rory, Maddie & Tae

Musical Event of the Year

Different For Girls - Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King

Home Alone Tonight - Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild

The Fighter - Keith Urban (featuring Carrie Underwood)

Think Of You - Chris Young (duet with Cassadee Pope)

You Are My Sunshine - Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton

Musician of the Year: Jerry Douglas, Paul Franklin, Dann Huff, Brent Mason, Derek Wells

Music Video of the Year

Burning House - Cam

Fire Away - Chris Stapleton

Humble and Kind - Tim McGraw

Record Year - Eric Church

Somewhere on a Beach - Dierks Bentley

New Artist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Cole Swindell

Chris Stapleton joins all-star lineup for Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam

Chris Stapleton - photo by Becky Fluke

Chris Stapleton will be joining forces with Rock and Roll superstar Kid Rock and comedy standout Larry The Cable Guy to help Charlie Daniels celebrate his 80th birthday on November 30 at Bridgestone Arena with a performance at the Charlie Daniels 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam.

Watch Chris Stapleton perform new tune, Hard Living

Chris Stapleton has made quite a few country music fans excited with the release of a new song, "Hard Living."  He has started playing it live the last few months.  Kentucky music fans can check him out at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on August 27th or Waterfront Park in Louisville on September 9th, 2016.

Chris Stapleton helps honor military families

Ben McKeown/AP Images for Budweiser

This past weekend, Budweiser teamed up with Kentucky native, Chris Stapleton, to deliver a $1 million donation to Folds of Honor in support of military family scholarships.  The donation was during his Fourth of July concert to 40,000 service members and their families at Fort Bragg.

The Mission Statement of Folds of Honor is, "Of the one million-plus dependents adversely affected by deployments, nearly nine out of 10 do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance. Since 2007, the Folds of Honor has carried forth this singular, noble mission. To close the gap, providing educational support to spouses and children of America's fallen and wounded soldiers."

For more information on Folds of Honor, be sure to visit www.foldsofhonor.org.

Watch Chris Stapleton donate instruments to his high school

Chris Stapleton speaks with Johnson County High School band members.  Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Last week, Chris Stapleton returned to Johnson Central High School to help the school in a major way.  Not only did he perform two concerts, he also donated $57,000 worth of instruments through the ACM Lifting Lives Program.  He also helped build an outdoor stage with the students.  You can read more about his trip home by clicking here.

Break out the tissues as you watch the video below:

A trip home for Chris Stapleton

Yesterday and today, the town of Paintsville, Kentucky, was full of buzz thanks to a bearded man and his wife.  Chris Stapleton and Ram Trucks teamed up with ACM Lifting Lives when Stapleton visited his hometown, Paintsville, KY hometown for two concerts in the Johnson Central High School gym. 

During his visit, Ram Nation volunteers (a grassroots team of Ram truck owners) and students from the school's carpentry program dedicated an outdoor performance space, The Golden Eagle Stage Powered By RAM Trucks, for the school’s use.  

Chris Stapleton also donated $57,000 worth of instruments for the band.  A little history bit - back in the day, he graduated Valedictorian in his class and performed "Memories," a song he wrote.  This week, Stapleton got word that he was awarded Best New Male Artist from the Academy of Country Music.  That award will sit nicely on the shelf next to his CMA and Grammy awards.  Nevertheless, fame has not changed for Chris Stapleton as he is proud of where his roots originated in Johnson County, Kentucky.

Here are a few scenes from today:

Chris Stapleton Cupcake from Nonnie's Cake Corner 

Chris Stapleton with US 23 Country Music Highway Museum Staff - via Paintsville Adventures Tourism Facebook

Courtesy of Johnson Central High School

Courtesy of Johnson Central High School

Courtesy of Johnson Central High School

Chris Stapleton Homecoming

Shot and edited by Kevin Horn today as Chris Stapleton filmed his new commercial for Dodge Ram.

Posted by aroundpaintsville.com on Thursday, March 24, 2016

I was there when...

Remember in the movie “O, Brother Where Art Thou?” when the guys saw the women at the river?  One of them exclaimed “I seen them first!”  These days, there are so many music acts that we each have had that moment of seeing them before their career took off.  Here are a few of my personal favorite memories over the years.

Chris Stapleton releases music video for Fire Away

Chris Stapleton has released a powerful haunting new video for his song, "Fire Away."  The video aims to highlight mental health awareness and the Campaign to Change Direction's efforts to identify the five signs of emotional suffering: change in personality, agitation, withdrawal, decline in personal care and hopelessness. 

From the Campaign to Change Direction website:

The Campaign to Change Direction is a national initiative designed to change the culture of mental health in America. The Campaign encourages us all to learn and share the Five signs of emotional suffering:

• change in personality
• agitation
• withdrawal
• decline in personal care
• hopelessness

We would like to thank Chris and Morgane Stapleton for their compassion, courage and willingness to step up to create this important story – and the entire Stapleton team for their support of our mission. We would also like to thank actors Ben Foster and Margarita Levieva for their inspired and compelling performances. Finally, we would like to thank Tim Mattia whose direction brought Chris’ vision into focus. By lending their talent and their voices, these fine artists are helping us change the culture of mental health in America.

For more information, be sure to visit www.changedirection.org/

Academy of Country Music announces ACM Award nominees

Dierks Bentley announced the ACM Award nominees this morning live on CBS This Morning.  The ACM Awards will be held on April 3rd, live from Las Vegas, at 8:00 PM on CBS.  Dierks Bentley will be hosting with Luke Bryan.  Here is the list of the nominees:

See Chris Stapleton's Saturday Night Live Performances

Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews

I am pretty sure you could hear a big roar of wails from the hollers of Kentucky as we celebrated Chris Stapleton performing on Saturday Night Live last night.  Needless to say, he commanded the stage to show the tv and in-studio audience some honest country music.

Below are videos of his performances from NBC.com in case you missed it!

Chris Stapleton performing "Nobody to Blame" on Saturday Night Live on 1/16/2016

Chris Stapleton performing "Parachute" on Saturday Night Live 1/16/2016

Kentucky representative seeks to add Chris Stapleton on Country Music Highway

Chris Stapleton

This week started the Kentucky Legislative General Assembly and one of the resolutions introduced includes recognizing country music singer, Chris Stapleton. Representative Hubert Collins of House District 97 (Johnson, Mogan, and Wolfe Counties), proposed HJR18 on January 5, 2016 to the House of Representatives to direct the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to honor the accomplishments of Chris Stapleton by including him on the Country Music Highway on United States Route 23 in Johnson County, and erect the appropriate signs. It was then presented to the House Transportation Committee on January 6, 2016. The regular session will conclude on April 12, 2016.

The text of the joint resolution reads as follows:

"A JOINT RESOLUTION directing the Transportation Cabinet to include Chris Stapleton on the Country Music Highway on United States Highway 23 in Johnson County.

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton was born April 15, 1978, in Lexington, Kentucky, grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky, and graduated from Johnson Central High School; and

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001 to pursue a music career and shortly thereafter signed as a songwriter with the publishing house Sea Gayle Music; and

WHEREAS, from 2008 to 2010, Chris Stapleton was the lead singer and guitarist of the bluegrass band The Steel Drivers, which was nominated for three Grammys in the genre of Bluegrass; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, Chris Stapleton founded a Southern rock band called The Jompson Brothers, which at one point opened for the Zac Brown Band; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, Chris Stapleton signed to Mercury Nashville as a solo artist; and

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton has written over 1,000 songs and has had five number one hits to his writing credit; and

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton has co-written songs with artists such as Vince Gill, Peter Frampton, and Sheryl Crow; and

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton's debut solo album, "Traveller", was released on May 5, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton won the Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and New Artist of the Year at the 2015 Country Music Awards; and

WHEREAS, Chris Stapleton is a top nominee at the 2016 Grammy Awards, having been nominated for Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song for "Traveller", and for Album of the Year;

NOW, THEREFORE,

Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:

* Section 1. The Transportation Cabinet shall honor the accomplishments of Chris Stapleton by including him on the Country Music Highway on United States Route 23 in Johnson County, and shall, within 30 days of the effective date of this Resolution, erect appropriate signs denoting this designation."

The Country Music Highway is on US-23 in eastern Kentucky and features signage of the various country music singers, songwriters, and musicians that were raised there. The highway began thanks to Representative Hubert Collins with a bill introduced on March 1, 1994. It would later be recognized as a National Scenic Byway in June 2002. The highway runs 144 miles through Kentucky.

Those featured on the highway currently include Loretta Lynn, The Judds, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom T. Hall, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Crystal Gayle, Gary Stewart, and more. Music fans can take a trip to Butcher Holler, or see a show at one of the many entertainment venues along the way.

Chris Stapleton's success has been rewarded in multiple ways within the last few months. Stapleton was honored at the CMA Awards for Best Album, Best Male Vocalist, and Best New Artist. He is up for multiple Grammy Awards. He will be on Saturday Night Live on January 16th as one of their musical guests. He also played for over 150,000 during Nashville's New Year's Eve concert.

Saying goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016 with country music highlights

Are you like me and wonder where has time flown to?  It is officially 2016 and I have to say that I kicked it off right by seeing Kid Rock at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky.  I will admit that 2015 was somewhat of a good year for me.  I was able to interview several country music legends, as well as participate in the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies.  Probably the biggest highlight of the year is that I got married in mid-December.

I did a complete 2015 country music news in review recap over on Examiner last week.  Feel free to click here to read it if you would like to step back in time.

There are many things that I would like to try in 2016 when it comes to music stuff....

1) More stories on the history of those involved in Kentucky country music

2) More stories of places to check out that play country music here in Kentucky

3) More interviews

4) More photos

5) More about Appalachian region overall, as well as some background stories growing up.

6) More Nashville News Roundup posts that are also featured on WFKY Froggy 101.7 & 104.9

Without further due, here are some of the featured stories on my Nashville News Roundup, as heard on WFKY. You can listen to them online at www.froggykycountry.com, or on your radio dial.  My segment airs on Friday mornings just after 9:00 am.

These Boots are Made for Walkin

Kacey Musgraves discovered that her car was broken into the other night while in Nashville. The thief took off with 2 new pairs of cowboy boots, only to be caught a day later when he attempted to return them. The dumb criminal didn't realize that her name was on the receipt and the store owner recognized those boots as being hers.

DVR Alert

Chris Stapleton will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on January 16th.

Special Delivery

Just on his birthday of New Years Eve, Craig Wayne Boyd and his fiancee Taylor welcomed their new daughter, Dakota Lynn.  Little brother, Jaxson, was on hand to welcome in his new sister. Craig will be playing at Austin City Saloon on Friday, Jan 22nd.

GQ Hillbillies

Kentucky natives Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, along with Jason Isbell, were featured on GQ magazine's website with not one, but several feature articles on their domination of Nashville.  Read the overall view of them here.  Then their interview with Sturgill Simpson and interview with Chris Stapleton.  I personally love Chris Stapleton's quote, "This is the highest-level group of hillbillies you've ever put into GQmagazine. I'm sure of that."

Awesome Possum Fact of the Week: On this day in 2002, The "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack is certified quadruple-platinum. 

Download of the Week: Jon Pardi - Head Over Boots

A look back on country music in 2015

Today, as we look back on the year that was 2015, we share some good times, as well as shed some tears of some country music legends that we lost. Overall, there was a surge in new acts onto the country music scene, as well as a sense of urgency for country music to get back to its traditional roots.

Several new acts made a huge splash upon their arrival into country music, while others took a few years before they had the song that broadened their exposure to more fans. Chris Janson made a name for himself for the summer time hit, “Buy Me a Boat.” Thomas Rhett ended the year with his fifth consecutive number one hit. Going by just one name, Cam really turned heads with her slow ballad, “Burning House.” Other acts that made their way onto the country music stage were Maddie & Tae, Rissi Palmer, Brothers Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini, and Dylan Carmichael.

One act to move on beyond country music was Taylor Swift, who went on to gain more popularity in the pop rock field of music. With a world tour, new album, and other deals, she soared above quite a few notable acts in 2015. She didn’t forget her Nashville songwriting roots as she invited several country music acts to sing on stage with her, including Miranda Lambert. The Oak Ridge Boys were invited to come over to one of her shows after they performed at a nearby theatre.

Speaking of Miranda Lambert, this was a year of heartache and moving on for the young singer. Miranda and Blake Shelton filed for divorce and she moved to Nashville to start over. While she kept several of her animals, one cannot help but wonder whatever happened to her llama? By the end of the year, both Miranda and Blake were constant streams of revenue for tabloids wondering who are they dating and what really happened in their own relationship. Needless to say, we are all looking forward to seeing what kind of songwriting comes out of this.

Quite a few country music singers decided that 2015 would be the year to hang up their hat. George Strait rode off into the sunset with his Cowboy Rides Away tour, but later announcing a few Las Vegas dates. Shania Twain did her own farewell tour throughout the United States and Canada. It is amazing how Shania made a huge impact on the sound of modern country music, only to slowly fade away with her farewell tour. Kenny Rogers also announced his retirement and that 2016 will be his final tour so that he can spend more time with family.

Two legends that will probably never give up are Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. Despite both having brief hospital stays, they continued to record and play out on the road. Their “Django and Jimmie” album hit number one on the country music charts, much to the surprise of many. Their sons, Lukas Nelson and Ben Haggard, also share a few guitar licks up on stage next to their dads. The next generation of legends looks bright seeing those two on stage.

There was a lot of change along Music Row, with the demolition of quite a few historic buildings. Historic Nashville, Inc. Facebook page has kept up to date on the latest. Even lower Broadway was not spared the wrecking ball as a few buildings were torn down to make room for progress. One building that was not torn down was Historic Studio A after the fight led by Ben Folds to preserve this historic building.

Down the road, the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, both downtown and out by Opryland, were hit hard with the digital music download craze. Fans are not buying as many physical cds as before, even though they are purchasing more vinyl records. The Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree was once threatened of being shut down due to financial costs of production. By the end of the year, it was back up and running thanks to fan support to help save our musical heritage.

Around the corner from the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, the new George Jones Museum opened up in the spring of 2015. The first floor contains a merchandise area, alongside a café. The second floor holds a mass collection of memorabilia showcasing the life of George Jones. Upstairs on the third floor is a bar where one can take a swig of White Lightning Moonshine, made just for the museum.

Down the road from the museum is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This year’s induction class included the Oak Ridge Boys, the Browns, and Grady Martin. When the inductees were announced, the Hall of Fame went ahead and presented Jim Ed Brown his medallion while he was in the hospital. He would pass away soon after that presentation.

With the Oak Ridge Boys inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, you would think they would start slowing down. That isn’t the case and Joe Bonsall has mentioned several times that as long as they are all healthy, they will continue singing and performing for the fans. Needless to say, the fans listen and provide sold out crowds, including 40 consecutive years at the Kentucky State Fair.

As 2015 comes to a close, we must remember those that have passed away. Early in 2015, the Grand Ole Opry lost one of its longest living legends when Little Jimmy Dickens passed away. A proper farewell party was held there at the Grand Ole Opry with a multitude of guests that shared their stories of the funniest man on stage. His steel guitar player, Buddy Emmons, passed away later in the year. The country music community lost the beautiful Lynn Anderson, who blessed us with her tune, “Rose Garden,” over the years. Ramona Jones, the wife of Grandpa Jones, was an accomplished fiddle player and songwriter. Colonel Jon Hensley was a close friend and manager to Shooter Jennings, as well as Wanda Jackson. He was Vice-President of Black Country Rock Records and helped influenced others to support their local musicians, especially in his home state of Kentucky. Another Kentucky native, Jean Ritchie, would make an impact in the Appalachian folk music world with her songs and dulcimer playing. We also lost Dixie Hall, the wife of Tom T. Hall, who made a name for herself by writing many bluegrass and country music tunes over the years.

Another influence into the scene of Nashville was Billy Block, who greeted new country music acts with open arms to appear on his weekly “Billy Block Show.” Quite a few music careers got their start into stardom thanks to Billy Block. Sadly, the Nashville music community lost Billy Block in March of 2015.

Several hit songwriters passed away in 2015, including Don Pfrimmer (George Jones’ “You and Me and Time,” Tammy Wynette’s “Let’s Call It a Day Today,” Ronnie Milsap’s “She Keeps the Home Fires Burning” and “My Heart,” and Diamond Rio’s “Meet in the Middle”), Don Chapel (“When the Grass Grows Over Me” sung by George Jones), Billy Sherrill (Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man”), Red Lane (Tammy Wynette “Til I Get it Right”), and Bobby Emmons (Waylon Jennings “Wurlitzer Prize” and Tanya Tucker “Love Me Like You Use To”).

One artist that could claim 2015 as the year of triumph and achievement, it would be eastern Kentucky native, Chris Stapleton. Critics and fans raved over his long awaited album, “Traveller.” His peers nominated and later awarded him with multiple CMA trophies for song of the year, album of the year, and male vocalist of the year. Chris Stapleton's performance with Justin Timberlake escalated into being named one of the best award show performances for quite some time. Stapleton saw a surge of tour dates and more sold out shows, including 3 at the famed Ryman Auditorium. With his wife, Morgane, by his side, they easily could be named one of the best love stories intertwined with musical chords and lyrics.

It will be interesting to see what 2016 holds in the field of country music. Who will be the next big star of tomorrow?

Kentucky country music shines through Chris Stapleton

Unless you live under a rock with no access to the internet since last night, you perhaps are just finding out that Kentucky native Chris Stapleton made a huge impact on the CMA Awards.  Not only did he win New Artist of the Year, but he took home the honors for Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.  Chris Stapleton's performance with Justin Timberlake also blew through the social media airwaves with excitement.

Just a couple of years ago, Chris Stapleton performed at the World Chicken Festival in London, Kentucky.

And he was interviewed by my good pal, Kip Jervis:

Needless to say, we are proud of our fellow Kentuckian, Chris Stapleton.  Now let us hope that the record label doesn't sit and wait on his next album.  This is the very music that folks are wanting to hear!