Mornings with KP

This song had me in a chokehold in 2010 – During a late-night writing session with Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, and hit songwriter Josh Kear – Lady A’s “Need You Now” was born

The original lyric was “It’s 1:15 in the morning, and I’m a little drunk…” and to make it sound smoother, they switched it to “It’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk, and I need you now…”

And in the early drafts, Charles sang the entire song by himself, and when Hilary tried some harmony lines, it quickly turned into a duet. “Need You Now” became one of the biggest cross-genre country hits of the late 2000s, winning four Grammys in 2011 and changing Lady A’s career overnight

Megan Moroney's viral daddy/daughter moment on TikTok; Fans want to see Post Malone perform a future Super Bowl Halftime Show following his Thanksgiving performance at Texas Stadium; The Johnny Cash estate is suing Coca-Cola for using an impersonator to voice their commercial

Jelly Roll visits the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility to deliver over 300 meals for staff and inmates; Zach Bryan's ex-girlfriend, Brianna Chickenfry, says his new girl used her Sports Illustrated photo as hairstyle inspiration; Ella Langley was seen hanging out with Farmer John, cueing dating rumors and a "love-triangle" callout

Tracy Lawrence fried up over 5,500 turkeys this Thanksgiving for those in need - Tucker Wetmore, Dustin Lynch, Jamey Johnson, and more show up with turkeys amid crisis; Viewership is low for the CMAs, fans argue artists have an 'obligation' to show up for award shows - "We show up, so should you!"

Zach Bryan posted to his Instagram his comments on AI songwriting, throwing shade to artists who are afraid AI will replace them - Gavin Adcock fires back, inferring Zach's music already sounds AI; Another feud is fueling, this time between Gavin Adcock and Americana singer Benjamin Tod

Today is a big day for country radio, it’s been 100 years since the debut of the Grand Ole Opry, the home of country music, and one of the longest-running radio broadcasts in U.S history

The radio program, WSM Barn Dance, aired for the first time on WSM in Nashville, with its very first performer, 77-year-old Uncle Jimmy Thompson, who fiddled for hours during the broadcast. Barn Dance would eventually become the Grand Ole Opry, showcasing folk, fiddles, ballads, string bands, and what people called “hillbilly” music - the country music industry really didn’t exist yet.

The Opry played a critical role in popularizing country music across North America, creating a launchpad for generations of country artists and defining Nashville’s role as “Music City.”

Morgan Wallen is selling fans exclusive CDs...but how will we play them? I haven't had a CD player since 2010; Zach Bryan is not afraid of AI songwriters, says if artists are worried, it says more about their songwriting ability than the state of technology; Lainey Wilson called Ella Langley before the CMAs to talk about critics who try to pit them against each other

Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones says Post Malone used to sleep on a cot at Texas Stadium as a kid, before he was famous; Swifties could see their day in court as judge moves Ticketmaster antitrust lawsuit forward; Luke Combs tells Peyton Manning that he "sucked" at football in high school

Happy Thanksgiving! Looking back on a couple of standout moments from country music's past. Y’all remember when Toby Keith performed the half-time show for the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium in 2003?

Yeah, Toby’s performance of “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” was controversial, critics thought the song was too politically charged for a holiday broadcast. Or, how about Carrie Underwood’s 2010 performance on the same field?

And then my personal favorite…Dolly Parton’s iconic 2023 half-time performance, where she showed up dressed as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader at 77 years old…becoming one of the most viral Thanksgiving half-time moments ever. Some people had the nerve to tell Dolly to “dress more appropriate..."

The Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 100th anniversary this Friday and you can watch it LIVE for free; Yellowstone's Kacey Dutton is getting a spinoff series on Paramount+; and R&B singer Ne-Yo made his Grand Ole Opry debut this week with a performance of his new "country/r&b fusion" single, "Simple Things"