Author: Britt Pearson

Artist Showcase: Granger Smith… if you would’ve told me seven years ago the amount of success this guy has had in that time I would’ve 100% agreed with you that it would happen. From the first time I saw in his song “Gypsy Rain” online I was hooked and then I found his fun videos that made me learn more about his personality,  which then made me even more intrigued about his music.

Coming to a small venue in Iowa on the Iowa State University campus for the Ag kids, the turnout told me just how big Granger and his new alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr was going to be in the country community. My first interview with him that night he said one of his goals was to get 1 million views on this new character Earls video. At the time that I’m writing this article it is over six million views, Soooo I’d say he hit his goal.

We will get into Earl more next article, but with the number one song and two top tens Granger’s sound and country roots are definitely what Country music fans are looking for.  Granger has been on the Texas music scene for quite some time. Each one of his albums evolving into a different era of his career. Back when I first discovered his treasure trove of youtube videos there was no one in the midwest who had seemed to hear of him, but that was before some of the streaming types of radio had gotten massive traction.  

Songs like 5 More Minutes that grabbed at your heartstrings and his very popular Sleepin’ on the Interstate was  I found out how fiercely supportive of the military Granger is. Using military boots and the hill country of Texas he started a 100-mile walk with his band, brothers, and friends gaining national coverage of his support.

Then a few short years later doing a whirlwind run to stop at all the historical stops across the country plus his latest documentary film called “They Were There – a Hero’s Documentary”.  Along with all that he does along his tour stops for people just makes you appreciate him even more and with his latest albums, Remington and When the Good Guys Win, you get a mix of deep meaningful songs and songs like ‘Merica, and Don’t Tread on Me (featuring Earl Dibbles Jr.)  showcasing his patriotism for our great country with some humor too.

Granger has a road crew and band that are a tight-knit unit that has been with him for many years and they turn into a well-oiled machine when it comes to putting on some of the most fun shows for their fans. Going to his show also will not disappoint you… but make sure that you know the one phrase that bonds everyone there…and that is YeeYee.

From apparel, two energy drinks, two major TV network appearances, YeeYee has been called out through it all and shows no signs of wavering just like Granger Smith patriotism and dedication to support the country way of life.

It is hard not to support a man with a dream, a mission, and vision to bring his music to the masses and still be a family man with his beautiful wife Amber and three little ones that keep them both busy.  I’m very thankful to have been able to watch his success and getting to talk with him thru the years, I cannot wait to see what is next for him and there is no doubt we will be showcasing more of his songs right here in the future. Make sure to download “You’re in it” the latest from Granger. Here is just a couple of our interviews thru the years.

Jon Pardi is no stranger to the country cowboy way of life, growing up in northern California he was able to start singing and roping at an early age. His sound is a great mix between new school and old school country where you can tell who his influencers were, which it seemed like such a natural fit when Wrangler Jeans pulled him in as the new face of Wrangler Retro.

Since the first time I saw Jon Pardi perform in Nashville at the Silver Dollar Saloon back in 2013, to a PBR event he performed after in Minneapolis MN 2014, to a local county fair in Iowa even wearing their local FFA t-shirt on stage in 2015, to the main stage this last year at the massive Summerfest in Milwaukee Wisconsin, he has been as passionate about giving the crowd a fantastic show every time and has only gotten better!

Watching Jon bring back more of the classic styles on stage, in his videos, and in the arena has been refreshing. Watching him around a horse and meeting his lil red heeler “Cowboy” you know that he is just as real as his songs. He will admit some roping days are better than others but he enjoys it and keeps working hard at getting better. His work ethic fits right into the heritage that Wrangler Jeans has promoted during their continued span as America’s denim headquarters. Yet as this Retro Collection showcases their cutting-edge jeans and shirts featuring fresh designs, updated fabrics, and a variety of modern fit options, Wrangler Retro is for those who aren’t afraid to get a little dirt on their boots.

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Back in Texas.

A post shared by jonpardipics (@jonpardipics) on Mar 30, 2018 at 12:31pm PDT

It’s a funny thing about the rodeo world and the country music world, it is like living in a big-small town. Everyone seems to know everyone. When I was talking to singer/songwriter Brice Long back when he was doing RFD-TV’s Western Review during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo I was blown away when Brice had mentioned that he had written “heartache on the dance floor” along with a couple other songs with Jon and was excited to see them get such a great response!  I had mentioned to Brice that I was impressed with how comfortable Jon looked on the horse in his video and found out that it was actually one of Brice’s horses! Again, I realized what a fun small world when two guys that are in the country music scene can get together both in and out of the arena.

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#1 Party for #HeartacheOnTheDanceFloor thanks Shannan and J-Wine for the heartfelt words. So nice to celebrate this with my friends.

A post shared by Brice Long (@bricelongsongs) on Feb 21, 2018 at 5:08pm PST

With Jon Pardi’s love of the western lifestyle and bringing back a more traditional country sound and look, it is great to see that Wrangler Retro has taken notice and brought him to the forefront. His great success with his gold-selling breakthrough album California Sunrise, which debuted No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart and produced three consecutive No. 1 songs, “Dirt On My Boots,” “Head Over Boots,” and “Heartache on the Dancefloor.”  has him solidified in the country music listeners hearts just like Wrangler has done with their denim. I am excited to see what this year brings with their partnership. Already it was fun to watch this video of how Jon gets his jeans to have that custom tight look yet still have stack even with those long legs plus room for his boots!

As an ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year award-winning singer/songwriter and AMA nominee, Pardi can be seen next with Dierks Bentley on his upcoming Burning Man Tour, starting January 2019, with the iconic Wrangler patch no doubt on his Retros. Here is what both Jon and Dierks had to say about this year’s upcoming tour.

If you would like to see more of the Wrangler Retro collection click here, and make sure to catch Jon on the road with this upcoming tour and request his music to your local stations plus download his music on all the places you can. This country music singer is going places fast and we can’t wait to cover it all.

You can check out what Wrangler thinks about bringing on the Pardi in their tweet below. Make sure to follow Wrangler on social for all the newest updates on Jon and the newest Retro Trends.

Just like his music, @JonPardi puts old-school western flare back in style, kind of like our Wrangler Retro collection – inspired by the greats and worn by the bold. We’re excited to officially welcome the original #PardiAnimal to the Wrangler family. 🤠 pic.twitter.com/8emNOwdfRi

— Wrangler Jeans (@Wrangler) October 30, 2018

Follow Jon Pardi on social to hear all of his latest updates!

Website: http://www.jonpardi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonpardi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonpardipics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonpardi

When people talk country lifestyle it almost always seems that someone brings up Wrangler clothing. So it is no surprise that Texas native and country music singer/songwriter Cody Johnson has had a longstanding partnership with the iconic American country clothing giant.  From being a previous PRCA cowboy to rocking the stage every night he plays he puts the new generation of 20x’s thru the works.

As the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo wrapped up last month we watched Cody hit the stage after the Gold Buckle Ceremony at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa three nights in a row to a sold-out crowd and totally blew the doors off every night.

It is exciting to watch a whole new generation of country music listeners finding Cody for the first time. He recently partnered with Warner Music Nashville and has gotten more first-time radio play on radio stations who hadn’t picked him up before. It is hard to turn the massive radio stations onto an independent artist but Cody Johnson has proven himself time and time again as ranking right up there with the big players, yet remaining true to his roots. Which is why the Wrangler 20x and Resistol are perfect to partner with this soon to be a household name.  Cody mentions Wrangler numerous times on stage and also in a few of his songs, which is fitting due to the fact that Wrangler is so synonymous with country life.

Resistol Hats also wanted a piece of the Cody Johnson pie as they just came out with an entire hat collection for the cowboy. Plus Cody was awarded the Resistol Man of the Year. The collection is sharp with great lines and was available during the Cowboy Christmas that took place during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Cody has continuously sold-out shows like the Houston Rodeo, who again this year are bringing him back in their recently announced line up. It also includes country icons like George Strait and Brooks & Dunn. You can see the whole line-up for Houston here.

With his forthcoming LP called ‘Ain’t Nothing to It,’ set to land on January 19th he has given us a taste of the tracks back in October and it is bound to be another great one. He has talked about this one just being more simple, as he and Trent Willmon put it together as an album that they would just enjoy listening to, and of course, we will too! Cody Johnson’s passion for music comes across effortlessly, and there is no doubt when you see him up on that stage he is completely at home in his Wranglers, a Resistol, and guitar in his hand. Make sure if you have a chance you catch him out on the road, download his album, request more of his music on your local stations, and make sure to follow us as we follow Cody on his country music journey. Here is a quick clip with me and Cody from Las Vegas.

Here is that taste of his newest song stripped down called “Fenceposts,” which is due to appear on his upcoming album Ain’t Nothin’ to it. 

Find more great music and clips on Cody’s social!
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CodyJohnsonBand
Instagram: https://CodyJohnson.lnk.to/instagram
Facebook: https://CodyJohnson.lnk.to/facebook
Website: https://www.codyjohnsonmusic.com
Spotify: https://CodyJohnson.lnk.to/spotify

I was absolutely hooked the first time that I heard Little Dive Bar in Dalonaga by Ashley McBryde I knew I had to hear more. A voice that is not like the others on radio right now is very refreshing to the ears.

And then getting to meet Ashley I fell in love with her style even more. My abs hurt so much from laughing so hard in the short time that she came to the studio, you could tell that this girl is destined for musical success. I just couldn’t believe why I hadn’t heard of her sooner! Her follow up song to “Dive Bar” was “Girl Going Nowhere”.

I think that numerous people can relate to this especially if you’ve been from a small-town. The majority of people want to see you succeed however there are some that can’t wait to tell you that your dream is foolish and that you will always come back with your tail tucked.

The real and raw way Ashley puts these feelings into a song makes them quite unique and captivating. I couldn’t help but listen to her entire CD all the way through, which believe me, doesn’t happen often.

Ashley has been selling out venues since “Dive Bar” hit the airwaves and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon make sure if you have a chance you catch her out on the road, download her album, and requested it on your local stations…this girl is going to be making country music the way it should be again. Make sure to check out this extra Youtube clip that got me hooked on her humor and songwriting capability. With a start like this, I can’t wait to bring you more updates on her career.