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The Independent
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Country musician Conner Smith fatally hit pedestrian with truck. No charges now, but probe ongoing
Country musician Conner Smith fatally hit a pedestrian while driving his truck in Nashville over the weekend, and he currently faces no charges as an investigation continues, police said. Metro Nashville Police said Smith, 24, hit Dorothy Dobbins, 77, Sunday evening while she was crossing the road inside a marked crosswalk. Dobbins, a retired attorney, later died at a hospital. The Tennessee Bar Association posted on its website that Dobbins had been out walking her dog when she was hit. Police say Smith showed no signs of impairment. They believe the 'preliminary contributing factor' appears to be that Smith did not yield the right of way to the pedestrian. Smith's attorney, Worrick Robinson, said his client is cooperating with the investigation. 'His heart goes out to Ms. Dobbins' family during this incredibly difficult time," Robinson said in a statement. Dobbins was a leader in the city's legal aid and family law communities, where she practiced for over 40 years, according to posts by the Bar Association and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. She played a 'foundational role in opening Nashville's first domestic violence shelter,' according to a Facebook post from the Legal Aid Society, and she wrote the state's first order of protection legislation. Smith was a 2024 new male artist of the year nominee at the Academy of Country Music Awards. He released his first full-length album, 'Smoky Mountains,' in 2024. The Nashville native has had gold-certified hits with 'Take it Slow' and 'Creek Will Rise,' according to his label, Big Machine. Smith had performed at Nashville's CMA Fest over the weekend.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Old Dominion's new album, 'Barbara,' won't lean on band's record-breaking laurels
When Old Dominion's eighth group of the year victory broke the tie for consecutive wins at the Academy of Country Music Awards last month, it changed the record books — but not their perspective. 'They're certainly wonderful honors that we get, but that's not in any way how we really measure our success or think. We can't let that kind of stuff creep in to the creative process because that's when we'll start to get off course,' said Matthew Ramsey, lead vocalist and guitarist. 'We try to protect each other from those outside influences a little bit and just make sure that we're … not chasing after some sort of reaction or award, or chasing after what we think the radio wants to play. We just have to make what we love.' Old Dominion has been celebrated for intertwining different musical styles while within country music. Along with Ramsey, the band includes Brad Tursi (guitar/banjo), Trevor Rosen (guitar/piano), Geoff Sprung (bass) and Whit Sellers (percussion). They have spent the last two years crafting 'Barbara,' out Aug. 22 via Columbia Nashville /Sony Music Nashville. The project follows 2023's ' Memory Lane' album and last year's ' Odies But Goodies ' compilation, which Ramsey says is even more eclectic than past works. 'We just write constantly. And we've had albums where we've kind of gone deeper into the well and picked out older songs,' explained the 47-year-old. 'This one, not so much the case.' The 13-track album is not named after a real woman but is an imagined composite of a person who embodies many of the group's various personality traits. It includes the released singles 'Me Most Nights' and 'Making Good Time,' along with the four-on-the-floor 'Talk Country' and the R&B-infused 'What Doesn't Kill a Memory.' Just as introspection is a fundamental element of country music, it's also the sweet spot on this album. 'Miss You Man' is dedicated to friend and writing collaborator Andrew Dorff, who died in 2016 during a vacation, while 'Goodnight Music City' reflects on the band's career. 'It has all the reverence about Nashville and a little bit of the jaded side to it, too. We've been through it in Nashville, as anyone goes through when they're trying to chase this crazy dream,' said Ramsey, who revealed the song is inspired by the children's book 'Goodnight Moon' by Margaret Wise Brown. 'It's such a meaningful song to us all … we've played it live one time at the Ryman Auditorium, and we were all crying by the end of it.' The band also looks within on 'Man or the Song,' as Ramsey questions, 'If I put my guitar down, would I disappear? / Move back to my hometown, would you still be here?' Ramsey says it's his favorite song. 'That's kind of what it feels like once you get to this level and you're surrounded by all these people that are helping you make your dreams come true,' he said. 'Who's around for the right reasons can certainly creep into the conversation. It can be a lonely profession … I hope you love me for me, and not for this crazy job I have.' Coinciding with the release of 'Barbara,' the band is prepping its 'How Good Is That' world tour which launches in September. Throughout the past decade, Old Dominion has earned a loyal fan base in a genre often criticized as rigid, with frequent debates about equal radio play, what determines pure country music and who should be allowed to participate. But while there's no denying the group is authentically country, the irony is not lost on them that they've been able to cut through the Nashville noise by not sticking to only traditional country sounds. 'Whenever we wrote a song and recorded it, we just wanted to make sure that we were not chasing anything other than the truest form of that song and what was going to deliver that message as clearly as we wanted it to be,' said Ramsey. 'Our fans now, I think, are coming to expect that from us; they're looking for the surprise that we're gonna throw in there, rather than the same old thing. … We don't take that for granted. We know that's a rare thing in the genre.' 'Barbara' will be released Aug. 22. 'Barbara' tracklist 1. 'Making Good Time' 2. 'Water My Flowers' 3. 'Me Most Nights' 4. 'Man or the Song' 5. 'Break Your Mama's Heart' 6. 'Miss You Man' 7. 'Talk Country' 8. 'Late Great Heartbreak' 9. 'Crying in a Beach Bar' 10. 'One of Us' 11. 'What Doesn't Kill a Memory' 12. 'Sip in the Right Direction' 13. 'Goodnight Music City' ___ Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Morgan Wallen Blocks Three Country Legends From A New No. 1 Smash
Morgan Wallen's new promotional single 'Superman' earns the singer yet another quick win on the Billboard charts this week. The tune was the final track to be shared from his album I'm the Problem before the project appeared in full and fans could buy and stream the complete set. Excitement around the lengthy studio effort – I'm the Problem features 37 songs – paired with Wallen's immense popularity, ensured that the track opens in the top spot on a pair of genre-specific rankings in America. In one case, it blocks three of the most beloved stars in country music from securing another champion. 'Superman' launches atop both the Country Digital Song Sales and Country Streaming Songs charts. On the former tally, which looks only at pure purchases of individual tunes in the style, Wallen beats 'Trailblazer,' the new collaboration between Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson. That track is forced to settle for second place as it arrives. According to Luminate, 'Superman' sold 4,000 copies in its first tracking frame. 'Trailblazer' managed a little less than 3,200. So, the competition wasn't very close between the two. It's worth noting that 'Trailblazer' was released midweek instead of on Friday, when the tracking period begins. The three women performed it at the Academy of Country Music Awards, which McEntire also hosted. The cut arrived on streaming sites and download platforms like iTunes and Amazon just before the trio premiered it live on Sunday, days after 'Superman' was released. Wallen collects his seventeenth No. 1 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart with 'Superman.' McEntire, Lambert, and Wilson have all reached the summit before, but 'Trailblazer' would have been an important win to add to their discographies. Among the three, Lambert claims the most champions, with three. Wilson has scored a pair, and McEntire — despite her lengthy career — has only reached the summit once. Amazingly, between McEntire, Lambert, and Wilson, the trio has only nabbed half a dozen No. 1s on the Country Digital Song Sales chart. Wallen almost triples that sum on his own. 'Superman' gives Wallen his forty-third top 10 on the tally. That's just two more than the three trailblazing female singers have collectively scored.
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Country singer Kane Brown shows off dramatic fitness transformation in viral before and after photos
Kane Brown is proving he is taking his fitness seriously. The 31-year-old country singer turned heads after he shared before and after photos of his dramatic body transformation on social media. 'From April 1st on the (left) until today (right) I've been super dedicated to fitness and health. I would love others to come on this journey with me,' Brown wrote in his caption on Instagram next to a muscle and 100 emojis. In the side-by-side shirtless photos, Brown showed off his body tattoos and toned abs as a result of his dedicated fitness. While the Miles On It singer did not reveal his exact workout routine or diet, Brown invited his fans to join him in his health journey. 'That's wild in less than two months! Congrats!' one fan wrote in the comments section. Another comment read, 'I've been trying to hype myself up to start running again. Getting started is the hardest part. Congrats on your progress!!' 'Such motivation, I needed this reminder of what discipline and consistency looks like. What are some of your biggest tips? As I start my fitness journey to getting in the best shape of my life,' a fan asked. The father-of-three is not the only country singer who has been dedicated to his fitness. Country music star Jelly Roll recently admitted the biggest challenge he faced during his weight-loss journey after he shed nearly 90kg. 'Food, man,' Jelly Roll told Fox News Digital at the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards. For the country star, the weight loss was not just about his fitness, but a constant struggle with his relationship with food. 'If you're really battling obesity, you got to start at the dinner table, man. The walking's great, all the other stuff's great, but you got to fight that addiction at the dinner table,' he said. Jelly Roll has been consistent in his efforts to lose weight, confessing he was addicted to food in the same way that he was previously addicted to drugs. 'The battle was with the food addiction, changing the way I've looked at food for the last 39 years,' he told People last year. 'I've never had a healthy relationship with food, so that was the hard part. But once you get into that discipline and commitment, it's like an avalanche. Once that little snowball started rolling, it was on its way.' In October 2024, the Son of a Sinner singer shared a video on Instagram, where his trainer noted that he had reached a major milestone in his weight-loss journey. 'We just passed the halfway point of the tour, and Jelly's been crushing it,' his trainer said. 'We're either walking [around] the arena, playing basketball, boxing. He just surpassed his 100-pound (45kg) weight loss.'
CTV News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Noah Kahan to headline first ‘Rock the Runway' show in London
Noah Kahan performs "Stick Season" during the 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
