Meet The Writer of Happy Does

 

“HAPPY DOES,” LITERALLY   Kenny Chesney Song Full Circles Greylan James’ Life Songwriter’s First Single Brings It ALL Back Home

WATCH: Writer of Kenny Chesney's "Happy Does" Greylan James shares his story.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At a time when the world needed a song about focusing on hope and the good things, Kenny Chesney decided to put out “Happy Does,” a percolating stroll about life’s joys often being a result of how you choose to see the world. What he didn’t know was Greylan James, one of the co-writers, had trick-or-treated as Kenny when he was 5 years old... and had met the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar when he was just 11, as one of the Cider Mountain Boys, playing “Rocky Top” on the banjo at a benefit just outside Knoxville.   “I remember that benefit at the Eagle Distributing warehouse, and that little boy,” Chesney marvels, having since seen the picture of their encounter. “Even at 11 years old, he had a look in his eye, and you could tell how much he loved music. When you see someone like that, you know how much songs mean.”   “I’d just gotten my first C, and I’d told my Dad, ‘I don’t need school, I’m gonna be a country star.’” James says. “When we were playing, I saw all these people closing in on something, and it was Peyton Manning and Kenny Chesney, who’d come in, which is like Jesus and God walking into a room. When my Dad and I went up to him after, my Dad asked if he had any advice, because I really wanted to be a singer.   “Kenny looked me in the eye. He said, ‘Here are my two things: Stay in school. Learn how to write songs.’ And I really took that to heart! Here’s Kenny Chesney telling me, and I listened with everything I’ve got.”   “When I heard the song,” Chesney says of “Happy Does” with a smile, “it was so positive and felt so happy! You couldn’t not smile listening, and I felt like the world needed a bit of that right now. To me, it was everything I was raised on – and it turns out Greylan was raised on the same stuff, too.”   For the 24-year-old, who named his first dog Chesney, the news the song was being cut was almost too much. “I literally grabbed my dog, ran into the yard, doing a big ugly cry – and my dog was licking tears off my face. My whole goal always was to learn how to write songs, and maybe one day... After I heard my hero for my whole life cut my song, everything else is gravy. And then we found out it’s a single.”   Even crazier, it turns out the song’s character, Sunaco Charlie, is an actual guy, whom James met at a gas station in Maynardville, Tennessee. “Sunaco Charlie’s a real dude, though I think I mispronounce it... I’d stopped to get some sunflower seeds, and there’s this African American cashier. We got to talking, and I thought about being caught in a minimum wage, dead end situation, and was trying take it in. I told him to have a great day at the end when we finished, and he went, ‘It is a great day! This is my last day. I’m quitting and going to Hollywood to be an actor!’ We fist-bumped, and I walked out.   “To me, what could be more ‘Happy Does’? Take your dream and go get it!”   For James, the name on the tag was still on his mind when he sat down with Jamie Paulin, Brock Berryhill and Brock Clawson to write that Monday. That idea of taking hold of your dreams that inspired a song is now turning into a once-in-a-lifetime first hit single experience.   “This is the magic,” Chesney says. “You wait all your life, save up all your dreams – and then the dam breaks. I couldn’t be happier or prouder than if it was me, because those firsts are everything! To see someone from back home, someone who loves and believes in the music so much be in this moment, that’s what it’s all about. And it’s a great song with a message I think a lot of us need right now.”   “I hope even more people found their own going to L.A. moment,” James says. “I’m sure having mine! My parents were out at the lake the first time I heard it on the radio, and I FaceTimed them, then they were telling everybody their son wrote this song. It was crazy, but awesome crazy. And just awesome, too.”

Greylan James (right) meets Kenny Chesney at 11 years old. | Courtesy of Greylan James

Lady A Invited To Opry

 

LADY A INVITED TO BECOME NEWEST MEMBERS OF GRAND OLE OPRY  Honor Will Be Part of NBC’s Two-Hour “GRAND OLE OPRY: 95 YEARS OF COUNTRY MUSIC” Airing Feb. 14 at 9 P.M. ET/PT

Charles, Hillary & Dave (Lady A) respond to their Opry Membership invitation by Opry Member Darius Rucker

WATCH THE MOMENT HERE

Nashville, Tenn. – January 21, 2021 –  GRAMMY®-winning group Lady A was surprised with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry during the group’s performance taping for the upcoming two-hour NBC special, “Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music” airing Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Opry member Darius Rucker extended the invitation to Hillary, Charles and Dave on the Opry stage today and announced their membership is effective immediately. The invitation and the group’s first performance as an Opry member will be shared with fans and viewers everywhere as very special moments during the television special. Lady A made their Opry debut on Nov. 2, 2007.

Eric Church 3 Albums in April

 

ERIC CHURCH’S THREE-ALBUM PROJECT: HEART & SOUL Highly Anticipated Albums Set for Release Friday, April 16: Heart Tuesday, April 20: & Friday, April 23: Soul Pre-Orders for All Three Albums Begin Friday, January 29 & Album Available Only to Church Choir

WATCH: Eric Church Announces Plans for Heart & Soul

BANNER ELK, N.C. – Speaking directly to fans in a video message delivered to the Church Choir today, January 21, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church confirmed that new music is on the horizon: “I have three albums coming out in April. They came out of my 28 days in the mountains of North Carolina, where the songs were recorded and written. The collection is entitled Heart & Soul.”

Morgan Wallen Has #1 Album

 

MORGAN WALLEN’S DANGEROUS IS #1 DEBUTS ATOP BILLBOARD 200; EARNS THE LARGEST STREAMING WEEK FOR A COUNTRY ALBUM IN HISTORY — COVERS BILLBOARD MAGAZINE AS CRITICAL PRAISE POURS IN DOWNLOAD ALBUM ART NASHVILLE, TENN. (January 19, 2021) — Big Loud/Republic Records’ multi-platinum superstar Morgan Wallen is taking the world by storm with sophomore effort, Dangerous: The Double Album, debuting at #1 this week atop the Billboard 200 Albums chart and earning the largest streaming week for a Country album in history.

Grand Ole Opry 95th on NBC

 

BRAD PAISLEY & BLAKE SHELTON TO HOST ‘GRAND OLE OPRY: 95 YEARS OF COUNTRY MUSIC’ ON SUNDAY, FEB. 14 ON NBC Two-Hour Anniversary Special Showcases Nashville’s Most Famous Stage with Original Performances, Stunning Archival Footage and Amazing Behind the Scenes Stories

Brad Paisley & Blake Shelton

Nashville, TN. – Jan. 19, 2021 – Grand Ole Opry members Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton will serve as co-hosts for “Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music,” honoring the iconic Nashville show and the incredible country stars that call it home.  The two-hour special is set to air Sunday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

Carrie Underwood Gospel Album

 CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO RELEASE “MY SAVIOR” ALBUM OF GOSPEL HYMNS ON MARCH 26

Underwood Co-Produces “My Savior” with her “Cry Pretty” Co-Producer David Garcia

Album Cover Art and New Trailer Revealed for Spiritual Follow-Up to Underwood’s Chart-Topping Christmas Album “My Gift”

JANUARY 19, 2021 – Seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood will follow the extraordinary success of her recent Christmas album, My Gift, with an album of gospel hymns, titled My Savior.  The new album will be released on CD and Digital March 26, 2021, just prior to the Easter holiday, and on vinyl April 30.  My Savior is co-produced by Underwood and GRAMMY® Award winner David Garcia, with whom she co-produced her critically acclaimed 2018 album Cry Pretty, her seventh album to be certified Platinum or Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. 

Blake Shelton New Song

 

BLAKE SHELTON RELEASES NEW SINGLE “MINIMUM WAGE” TODAY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (January 15, 2021) – The riches of love don’t come with a price tag attached. It’s a classic theme in music and certainly a hallmark of the country genre, from Charley Pride’s “All I Have To Offer You Is Me” and John Anderson’s “Money In The Bank,” to Alan Jackson’s “Livin On Love” and Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire.” Warner Music Nashville superstar Blake Shelton taps into that storied tradition with his new single, “Minimum Wage,” available everywhere now (LISTEN HERE).

Kip Moore New Song & Album

 

KIP MOORE RELEASES PULSING NEW TRACK “HOW HIGH” TAKEN FROM HIS FORTHCOMING EXTENDED ALBUM WILD WORLD DELUXE -AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 12 AND TO PRE-ORDER NOW     Moore Announces WILD WORLD DELUXE: LIVE FROM THE RYMAN Socially-Distanced Show And Global Livestream Event On February 12 At 8pm CT - Tickets On Sale On Tuesday, Jan 19    Nashville, TN - January 15, 2021 - Multi-PLATINUM singer/ songwriter Kip Moore is kicking off 2021 by offering fans another song from his upcoming extended record WILD WORLD DELUXE, releasing the thumping while trippy new track “How High” today, available to listen here. Moore also shared a new video for the song produced and co-written by Moore (Bobby Terry, Luke Dick, Westin Davis). Directed by longtime collaborator PJ Brown, the eccentric focal character reels the viewer in and takes them on a spirited journey, available to watch here.

FGL New Album Out 2/12

 

LISTEN: “LIFE ROLLS ON” WITH FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE TITLE TRACK AVAILABLE NOW; FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY 12 DOWNLOAD ALBUM ART NASHVILLE, TENN. (January 15, 2021) — Global superstars Florida Georgia Line share some back porch wisdom on their anthemic release, “Life Rolls On,” available today (1/15). The title track anchors their upcoming fifth studio album via BMLG Records, a 16-song collection dropping February 12.

Tim McGraw/Tyler Hubbard Duet

 

TIM MCGRAW AND TYLER HUBBARD TEAM UP FOR “UNDIVIDED” VIDEO & SONG ARRIVE JANUARY 13 AT COUNTRY RADIO AND DSPS MEDIA ONLY NASHVILLE (January 5, 2021) - When friends talk music and those friends happen to be two music icons – three-time Grammy® winner and CMA Entertainer of the Year Tim McGraw and myriad American Music Award, Academy of Country Music and CMA Award winner of superstar duo Florida Georgia Line Tyler Hubbard – the result is “Undivided.” The upbeat and heartfelt collaboration arrives January 13 at Country radio and all streaming services, along with an official behind-the-scenes music video of the two friends in the studio. The song will be included on the Deluxe version of McGraw’s #1 album Here On Earth, out later this spring on Big Machine Records. Pre-order “Undivided” here – https://tim.lnk.to/undivided_preorderPR.