Country Update

Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS JUNE 25, 2018 | PAGE 1 OF 21 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Morgan Wallen Jumps ‘Up’ >page 4 David Lee, Garth, Sugarland: When Is Garth, Trisha Aid A Comeback Not A Comeback? Emotional Hall Event >page 11 The swaggering lead track on David Lee Murphy’s No Zip Code “People don’t understand a lot of the stress, especially for new album, “Way Gone,” finds a woman moving into a new part of artists,” he says. “To continue to produce and stay relative in the her life with no concern for what lies in her rearview mirror: business, it’s hard. I kind of hit that safe zone of writing all the Griffin Follows “She ain’t comin’ back,” he concludes before it’s all over. time, and I was fortunate enough to have songs recorded by guys Scripps With It’s a great tongue-in-cheek moment, alluding — intentionally that allowed me to kind of get spoiled by staying home. I still Tulsa Sale or otherwise — to Murphy’s current place in country music. toured in the summer — not a whole lot, just enough to keep doing >page 11 When his Kenny Chesney collaboration “Everything’s Gonna it and enjoy being able to jump on a bus with my band and play.” Be Alright” hit No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart dated Chesney, using his Blue Chair imprint, persuaded Murphy June 23, it was the first time Murphy to make the album and landed it at had occupied its top slot in more than Reviver, where Murphy is committed Chris Stapleton 22 years, the second-longest gap at to continuing this new chapter. Down On The Farm No. 1 in the chart’s history. It’s a remarkable achievement. The >page 12 It’s not like Murphy retired after career trajectory for many artists is “Dust on the Bottle” peaked in 1995. fairly short — financial planners He amassed six top 10s as an artist, expect most acts will maintain Makin’ Tracks: then essentially stopped recording their earnings peak for only three Clare Dunn Has ‘More’ after he last charted in 2004 with to five years — and the list of artists >page 16 Koch Records, which folded shop. MURPHY TWAIN who’ve come back in a meaningful Murphy toured at his own pace but way after being out of the spotlight really found his niche as a songwriter, for an extended time is limited. earning hefty paychecks for penning Tanya Tucker endured a 10-year Country Coda: such titles as Jason Aldean’s “Big gap between No. 1 records from Tammy Wynette Green Tractor,” Thompson Square’s 1976-1986, a period that dovetailed Wedded To No. 1 “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” and with her shift from teen phenom to >page 21 Chesney’s “Living in Fast Forward.” competitive adult (within a year of her Like the woman in “Way Gone,” return to prominence, she cheekily hit Murphy wasn’t comin’ back to the No. 2 with “I’ll Come Back As Another SHENANDOAH studio in a formal way. Woman”). John Anderson — whose GIAMPAOLOSGURA TWAIN: BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 25, 2018 | PAGE 2 OF 21 early career included “Would You Catch a Falling Star,” a detailed assessment of a country singer on the wane — waited nine years after “Swingin’ ” hit No. 1 to return to the top in 1992 with “Straight Tequila Night.” Shania Twain took 15 years between two albums of original material, 2002’s Up! and 2017’s Now, as she worked through a painful divorce and Lyme disease-related voice loss. And Garth Brooks had a 10-year hiatus between his 2007 No. 1 “More Than a Memory” and 2017’s chart-topping “Ask Me How I Know.” Brooks, of course, famously walked away from the touring business to focus on his family, and his full-time return in 2014 was to a different world: The digital era had changed the dynamics for album sales and royalties, and the bro-country movement had altered the genre’s musical texture. Not only was he being measured against younger artists who had grown up with his music, he was also fighting comparisons with his own history. “Competing against that is tough,” he told Billboard in 2014. “But [you’re] Garth Brooks dropped by Cumulus’ Nash campus on June 19 to also competing against what people remember the show to be — and the stories promote his new single, “All Day Long,” on the syndicated Ty, Kelly and get better over time. So you’ve got your work cut out for you.” Chuck. From left: Ty Bentli, Brooks, Kelly Ford and Chuck Wicks. Perhaps the toughest obstacle is the generation gap. Murphy’s voice had been absent from current material long enough that he could have been a new artist to most listeners under age 35, while other fans would have welcomed his return. That said, his prior No. 1, “Dust on the Bottle,” remained in gold rotation on enough stations that it was easier for the listener to connect the dots between that guy and the singer on “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” “Dust” “has kept me in the minds of some younger people,” says Murphy. “There are certain songs that they love. They go crazy over ‘She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.’ That song has been out there since the ’90s. They go crazy over songs like ‘I Like It, I Love It,’ ‘Friends in Low Places.’ Those songs are still king of the ballpark.” Given that America likes to think of itself as a nation of second chances, a comeback ought to be celebrated. But some artists and/or their associates find discomfort with the idea. Fans hadn’t heard new material from Sugarland in eight years until songs from its new album, Bigger, emerged. Such media as NPR, Steve Wariner (center) received the artist career achievement award People and The Orange County Register referred to the duo’s “comeback” tour from Country Radio Broadcasters during the June 20 Country Radio or album, and even the lead single from Bigger, “Still the Same,” referenced its Hall of Fame Awards in Nashville. He is pictured with Townsquare time apart. But Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush declined to interview for senior vp programming Kurt Johnson (left) and CRB executive director this story, reasoning that because they were working on solo projects during Bill Mayne. their lengthy interim, they don’t really qualify as a comeback. Similarly, Reviver president/CEO David Ross bristled at the word “comeback” when applied to Murphy. “It’s not a comeback. It’s a return,” said Ross, suggesting that because Murphy had kept working during his years out of the spotlight that that changes the public’s perception. “He’s never gone away. He’s done it for others, he’s always done it for himself, [and] now we’re going to show everybody what he has.” Not everyone is uncomfortable with that label. Shenandoah lead singer Marty Raybon left the band for 17 years, and now that he’s back, the band is engineering a comeback on the road, where it mixes a few new songs with a load of ’80s and ’90s titles, including “Next to You, Next to Me,” “The Church on Cumberland Road” and “Two Dozen Roses.” The band admits to some early doubts about the reunion, though those faded once it started recording again. “We went in the studio wondering if we had it together,” says drummer Mike IMAGES KAMBOURIS/GETTY DIMITRIOS ALDEAN: McGuire, “but once we started that first song, you hear people talk about it’s Jason Aldean and Dustin Lynch were featured June 23-24 as Cody like riding a bicycle — it really was.” Alan hosted CMT’s Story Behind the Songs, shot at the Sandals Royal Its first run of success — 15 top 10 hits in seven years — was a blur. This Bahamian. From left: CMT correspondent Marley Sherwood, Aldean, time, it’s doing its best to store the memories. Alan and CMT Radio executive producer Ashlee McDonald. “We’re literally stopping and smelling the two dozen roses,” quips Raybon. Brooks is working his comeback hard. After concluding a three-year tour in December 2017, he released a new single, “All Day Long,” on June 19, with another album in the works. Meanwhile, Murphy has a follow-up single slated for July as Reviver pushes to make his comeback — or return, or whatever people choose to call it — complete. “When I did this deal, this wasn’t a record that was going to be a few spins on a Nash Icon station,” says Ross. “We believed 110 percent — not just in ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.’ When the No Zip Code record was made, there are songs on there that we made long-range plans to release far after ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ went to the top.” For his part, Murphy has played stadiums on Chesney’s current tour, and he’s enjoying the reception he has received since his emergence from the writing room. C.J. Solar led a trio of independent acts who performed June 21 during “I love being out on the road,” he says. “I think all country singers like to a private listener showcase at WFRY Watertown, N.Y. From left: Solar, play music because it makes people happy. Down deep inside, we want to see WFRY PD/music director Stan Soboleski and recording artists Dave people have fun.” McElroy and James Dupre. BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 25, 2018 | PAGE 4 OF 21 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] Morgan Wallen ‘Up’ To First Country Airplay No.

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