The Divide Between Pop and Country Isn’t Very Wide . . . According to Hank Williams Jr.
HANK WILLIAMS JR.’s new album “It’s About Time” came out on Friday, so “Billboard” asked him to reflect on changes in the music industry since he started having hits back in the 1960s. Instead, he brought up the similarities.
It was something he noticed while listening to old tapes of his father, HANK WILLIAMS SR., performing on the“Mother’s Best Flour” radio shows from the 1950s. He said, quote, “He was on stage in Pennsylvania, just talking to the audience.
“People say how things are pop or country [but] I thought, ‘There ain’t a damn thing different. [My dad’s] song‘Half As Much‘ did better in pop than in the hillbilly field.’
“I thought, ‘Your father just talked about having a song in 1951 that was #8 in the pop field. Tell me what’s new? Zero. That’s what’s new. Nothing.'”
Keith Urban Has “Empathy” for the Singers Who Audition on “Idol”
Even though KEITH URBAN has to judge the contestants on “American Idol”, he can’t imagine anything more frightening than being one of them. Quote, “It’s an intimidating thing. I have so much empathy for them when they come in to sing.
“I’m sitting behind a desk and they walk into this cold, sterile room. There’s no audience, no band, no microphone . . . and they have to cold sing in front of us. Unless they were naked I can’t think of a more awkward way to sing in front of somebody.”
Brett Eldredge Likes to Post Photos on Snapchat of Him Making Weird Faces
If you add BRETT ELDREDGE on Snapchat, expect to see photos of him looking like a complete goof. He says, quote, “One of the guys in my band, we have contests to see who can make the weirdest face. And we Snapchat to each other to see who can win.”
After a while he decided to share the silliness with the world. Quote, “[I said], ‘why don’t I just make a public account and just do it? So, I do.”
MIRANDA LAMBERT released a new song on Spotify called “Sweet By and By”. It’s her contribution to the“Southern Family” compilation album, which, you may recall, is how she met her boyfriend ANDERSON EAST.
(Listen to “Sweet By and By”, here.)
There’ve been reports that 83-year-old country legend MEL TILLIS is in serious condition after having colon surgery back on January 8th. Although he did have surgery, his rep says he’s doing fine and is “on the road to recovery.” (Tennessean)
CHRIS STAPLETON performed two songs from his “Traveller” album on “Saturday Night Live”. The first was“Parachute“ . . . and then he came back later and did “Nobody to Blame“.