Feel-Good Friday: Uplifting Country News From Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton & Tim McGraw
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Welcome to Feel-Good Friday, a weekly roundup of heartwarming stories, lighthearted videos, and inspiring country news that reminds us all there is still good in the world.
Brett Eldredge covers Rayland Baxter’s “The Woman For Me”
Brett Eldredge shared the music he listens to when he’s not writing or singing with fans this week on Instagram. In an intimate setting surrounded by candles, Eldredge takes out his acoustic guitar to cover Rayland Baxter’s “The Woman For Me.”
“I was on a hike this morning and I was reminded how much I love this song,” he says. “It’s about the search for the person that’s meant for you and the ups and the downs and the struggles and the loss of hope and the glimpses of hope.”
Chris Stapleton’s fake Covid-19 Christmas album is on point
Chris Stapleton joined Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday, Nov. 11, for a humorous sketch about a pretend new album he’s releasing called A Very COVID Christmas. In the nearly three-minute skit, Stapleton is shown donning a holiday sweater, face mask and shield as he puts a COVID-19 spin on holiday standards. The titles of the track listing of “new” songs include “Disinfect the Halls,” “Oh, Cover Your Mouth-Hole,” “Coughing Around the Christmas Tree,” “Oh, Clorox Wipes,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Pneumonia” and “Oh, CDC.”
Dolly Parton announces CBS Christmas special
Dolly Parton has been a mainstay on our Feel-Good Friday feature because she has brought so much light to a difficult year. The country legend continues to uplift fans with several concert specials. Today, she’ll take part in an Amazon Music special with “Dolly Parton’s Comin’ Home For Christmas” where she’ll perform music from her new album A Holly Dolly Christmas at noon CT via Amazon Music’s Twitch channel and within the Amazon Music mobile app via Twitch, as well as on Amazon Live – Amazon.com/live.
Earlier this week, she announced another holiday special on CBS. The one-hour A Holly Dolly Christmas will air Dec. 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET where she will also sing songs from her new holiday album as well as share her favorite Christmas stories.
Jon Pardi and Luke Combs celebrate Eric Church’s Entertainer of the Year win
The country community showed its support for each other Wednesday evening during the CMA Awards. When Eric Church won Entertainer of the Year for the first time, an excited Jon Pardi and Luke Combs were shown cheering him on from the audience. Backstage during a virtual press conference Combs, also an Entertainer of the Year nominee, shared his thoughts on The Chief taking home the top prize of the night.
“It was incredible to see him win,” Combs said. “I was super hyped when he won. He’s a hero of mine and it was cool to sit at the table with him and it was cool to see him win an award that he’s deserved more times than one.”
Shania Twain joins Kelsea Ballerini on “Hole In the Bottle”
After a week of social media teases between Kelsea Ballerini and Shania Twain, the pair have teamed up together on Ballerini’s latest single “Hole In the Bottle.” The feel-good track about drinking your problems away has the two country singers adding some humorous banter while namedropping some of Twain’s hits.
“They say don’t meet your heroes…unless your hero is Shania Twain…then meet her, know her, and make music with her,” Ballerini says in a statement. “She’s inspired me in every way and has become a mentor and friend and added some major sass and spice to hole in the bottle the way only Shania could.”
Adds Twain, “Kelsea and I have had some fun laughs together over the last couple of years! She joined me on stage back in 2017 when I headlined Stagecoach and we’ve had a chance to catch up over a glass of wine a couple of times since. We’ve also sent pieces of songs back and forth to each other and I have to say, she’s an incredible raw talent. I love ‘hole in the bottle,’ it really speaks to my own sense of humor and it was so cool to get to do it with a friend.”
Tim McGraw announces new hits album
Tim McGraw is looking back on some of his biggest hits over the years in his upcoming project MCGRAW MACHINE HITS: 2013-2019, out Nov. 20 via Big Machine Records and Spirit Music Group, will feature the country singer’s most recent hits.
“Every now and then you want to go back and hear a collection of songs exactly like you remember them,” McGraw says in a statement. “Even to go re-record doesn’t feel right because there’s something magical about what happened there when it happened.”
The track listing for MCGRAW MACHINE HITS: 2013-2019 is below.
1. “How I’ll Always Be”
2. “Humble And Kind”
3. “Top Of The World”
4. “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” with Catherine Dunn
5. “Shotgun Rider”
6. “Nashville Without You”
7. “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” featuring Faith Hill
8. “Southern Girl”
9. “Highway Don’t Care” featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
10. “One of Those Nights”
11. “Truck Yeah”
Bonus Tracks:
12. “Drive”
13. “May We All” (Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw)
14. “Redneck Girl” featuring Midland
