What Will Be Country Music's Songs of Summer 2021?
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2021 MAY 24 CountryInsider.com | Sign Up For Daily Email Here What Will Be Country Music’s Songs Of Summer 2021? If 2020 was the summer where everyone stayed home, 2021 will be the one where people can’t wait to get back out. With Memorial Day Weekend approaching, what are country radio’s programmers seeing as the singles for this season? “I think three are shaping up to be summer soundtracks with Luke Bryan’s ‘Waves’ front and center,” says Audacy Country Format Captain Tim Roberts. “It’s a super-chill track that captures summer and fun beautifully.” Also on Roberts’ summer fun list: Brian Kelley’s “Beach Cowboy,” “which I think is where a lot of brains drift toward daydreaming about summer beach fun,” and Old Dominion’s new “I Was on a Boat That Day.” (Continued on page 4) COUNTRY INSIDER TOP 5: WGAR’s “Wazz & Carletta” Look Back On Morning Show Pairing Ahead Of First Anniversary. Bobby Bones Show’s Eddie Garcia Blows Past $10K Goal To Walk From West Virginia To Tennessee. Morgan Wallen Debuts Miranda Lambert, Nicolle Galyon Co-Write On Instagram. Consultant Mike O’Malley: Don’t Be A Bystander In Your Own Show. Dustin Lynch Returns As Headliner for WEZL Charlotte’s Stars and Guitars Music Festival. 1 | MAY 24, 2021 CountryInsider.com Dani Lynn Howe Trey Poston Top 5 All-Time Middays/KYKR Top 5 All-Time Songs Leuck & Howe Morning Show, WLLR-FM Country Bands: Beaumont, TX by Female Artists: Quad Cities, IA/IL 1. Restless Heart 1. Safe in the Arms of Love - Martina McBride 2. Alabama 2. Drinking Alone - 3. Zac Brown Band Carrie Underwood 3. Turn on the Radio - 4. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Reba McEntire 5. Cross Canadian Ragweed 4. hole in the bottle - Kelsea Ballerini 5. Only Prettier - Miranda Lambert Morgan Wallen Debuts New Song On Instagram. Morgan Wallen has debuted his first new song since the release of “Dangerous: The Double Album” in January, playing a song called “Thought You Should Know” on an Instagram video. Wallen said he wrote the song for his mother: “Seemed like an appropriate time to share it,” he said. The song, which Wallen wrote with Miranda Lambert and Nicolle Galyon, is written in the voice of a musician with a history of bad decisions beginning to turn his life around. Listen HERE. Luke Bryan Adds Shows To 2022 Las Vegas Residency. Last week, ticket demand forced Carrie Underwood to add shows to her upcoming residency at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas. Now Luke Bryan’s doing the same thing. Bryan has tacked three shows onto his initial six-date run, which is set to start Feb. 11, 2022. Initially slated to play the new venue for six nights, he’ll now play nine, adding shows on Feb. 23, 25 and 26. Tickets went on sale to the public this morning. “We’re looking forward to putting on a unique show at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas,” Bryan said in a release. Eddie Of “Bobby Bones Show” To Walk From West Virginia To Tennessee. Taking a cue from George Strait’s “Carrying Your Love With Me,” Eddie Garcia from the Premiere Networks-distributed “The Bobby Bones Show” will walk from “West Virginia down to Tennessee” to benefit a national foster-care organization. An on-air discussion about Strait’s 1997 hit turned into a challenge for Garcia to make the walk. When Garcia committed to do it as a fundraiser for National Angels, setting a $10,000 goal, Bones and the crew kicked in more than $1,700 to get him started. By 11am ET Monday morning, the campaign had raised more than $19,000. The walking distance from southern West Virginia to northeastern Tennessee is approximately 75 miles. Dustin Lynch To Headline WEZL Charlotte’s 2021 Stars And Guitars Festival. iHeartMedia WEZL Charlotte, SC (103.5) brings back its annual Stars and Guitars festival for a sixth year on July 2 at Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens in nearby Mt. Pleasant. Dustin Lynch headlines with Tenille Arts, Travis Denning and Taylor Castro as support. “iHeartMedia Charleston is excited to bring back live events to the Lowcountry in a big way,” iHeartMedia Charleston Market President AJ Punjabi said in a release. 3 | MAY 24, 2021 CountryInsider.com 2021 Songs of Summer. (Continued from page 1) Cox Media Group Country Format Leader Johnny “For me, this song captures the spirit of summer: Chiang says two current songs stand out to him, in Be present, take in the moment, have gratitude terms of what a great summer song should be this for so many things,” Foxx says. “I believe this is the year. “When you listen to summer of love and joy Jimmie Allen’s ‘Freedom and new beginnings and Was a Highway,’ close celebrating the simple your eyes and you can things, creating new almost see yourself in a meaningful traditions.” convertible Mustang or open-top Jeep speeding Up in Boston, at down a deserted iHeartMedia “101-7 highway without a care The Bull,” APD Amanda in the world,” he says. Jo Parker hears the “Isn’t that what we all call, too, though her need after a year of quarantine?” Second there’s personal anthem is Elle Niko Moon’s “No Sad Songs.” “There is no better King and Miranda Lambert’s “Drunk (And I Don’t song title to describe what everyone wants, or Wanna Go Home).” “If you’ve been single this last doesn’t want, from their music these days,” Chiang year you’re a little #CovidThirsty — ready to get out says. there and meet people the old-fashioned way, by socializing in public,” she says. “This song is some Ashley Wilson, director of country programming fun we all need.” for iHeartMedia’s Kentucky/Indiana region, believes Chase Rice’s “Drinkin’ Beer. iHeartMedia “Q104.1” WTQR Greensboro, NC, PD Talkin’ God. Amen.” will JT Bosch sees “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” resonate with country’s raising its hand as the temperatures rise. core demo through the “Not only is Chase local to us here in North Carolina, summer and beyond. but the song just resonates with the world right “We have all been through now,” says Bosch, who also programs sister station the unthinkable in the last “Real Rock 105.7” WBVZ. “I can hear it being played year,” she says. “Now that at a lot of backyard parties this summer.” Bosch we can finally get back also expects Chris together with each other Lane’s latest, “Fill safely, there’s going to be a lot of drinking beer, Them Boots,” to make catching up, talking God, life, and just savoring these a quick impression simple experiences more than we ever have.” on his listeners since Lane hails from nearby From Cumulus Media VP Country Charlie Cook’s Kernersville. “That’s perspective, touring acts like Eric Church and Jason a fun song for us to Aldean will set the tone for the summer. Rising be playing a lot this singles like “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” and summer,” Bosch says. Lainey Wilson’s “Things a Man Oughta Know” will help their respective artists have good summers, For something a little and Cook believes Jameson Rodgers might be the steamier, there’s Lauren Alaina and Jon Pardi’s summer’s biggest beneficiary of touring. “He already “Getting Over Him,” a favorite of Jason McCollim, has a strong base, but it should increase as he does SVP Programming for iHeartMedia Markets Group – more shows,” Cook says. Austin & San Antonio. “With lyrics ‘hot like a match that burned out fast,’ this song will resonate with Brand Manager John Foxx at Audacy “New York’s anyone who’s ever experienced a brief summer Country 94.7” WNSH New York feels Rodgers has romance,” McCollim says. the right song for the time with “Cold Beer Calling My Name” feat. Luke Combs. (Continued on page 7) 4 | MAY 24, 2021 CountryInsider.com “Wazz & Carletta” Morning Show Pairing Was Fated. Before Steve Wazz and Carletta Blake launched “When it all fell into place for us to be able to do this, “Wazz & Carletta Mornings” at iHeartMedia WGAR- the last year has revitalized the love that I have for live FM Cleveland (99.5) on May 26, 2020, the friends and radio and for radio in general,” Blake says. “[Morning colleagues had previously teamed up on-air and as shows are] more conversational, and you get to have event hosts several times. “It’s crazy whenever you these deeper connections with people. The fact that I think back about all the different foreshadowing get to do it with one of my closest friends just makes it moments that we’ve had,” Blake tells Country Insider. that much better.” “I’m not necessarily a fate-ist, but it kind of feels like Wazz and Blake found launching a show amid the fate sometimes — that it all happened for a reason.” pandemic challenging. Wazz says it was important to not only spin the show in positive Wazz and Blake met nearly five years directions but also to keep things ago when both worked at radio “fresh and light.” stations in Raleigh, NC. Blake, then PD of iHeartMedia “B93.9” WNCB “We’re giving you some of the facts, Raleigh, teamed with Wazz, from but we’re also moving on to things the local Top 40 station, during a that will make you smile and to things hurricane warning. that will make you forget we’re in the middle of this pandemic,” he says.