Industry Ink: Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Jelly Roll

Reigning two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs received RIAA Platinum certification for his cover of Tracy Chapman‘s Grammy Award-winning “Fast Car.” In celebration of the milestone, a new live performance video for the song – filmed earlier this spring during Combs’ sold-out show at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis – debuted yesterday (July 18).

“Fast Car” is from Combs’ acclaimed new album, Gettin’ Old, and continues his monumental success at radio as it is No. 5 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart, and Chapman, the sole writer on the track, sits at No. 2 on MusicRow‘s Top Songwriter Chart.

The song is No. 1 on both the Mediabase/Country Aircheck and Billboard Country Airplay charts this week – its third consecutive week atop the Billboard chart. This is Combs’16th consecutive No. 1 single at country radio, yet another historic feat. Garnering over 337 million global streams to date, “Fast Car” is also currently No. 2 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 chart.

Miranda Lambert. Photo: Courtesy of Miranda Lambert

Three-time Grammy Award-winner Miranda Lambert has launched a new MuttNation campaign, “It Takes Balls,” to raise awareness for the importance of spay and neuter, and to offer grant applications to low-cost programs in Tennessee, focusing on rural areas.

“Spay and neuter is the best way to keep pets out of overcrowded shelters, to reduce pet homelessness and to make sure your cats and dogs live happy and healthy lives,” says Lambert. “Sometimes it literally takes balls to do the right thing. Please spay or neuter your pets!”

Every day, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the U.S. While beloved for their cuteness, there is nothing cute at all about seeing them wind up in overcrowded shelters, especially as over 3.5 million dogs and cats are euthanized across the country every year, often due to lack of space. MuttNation is inviting lo- cost spay and neuter programs in Tennessee to complete and submit a grant application to help address this ongoing issue.

“We especially encourage low-cost spay and neuter clinics in rural Tennessee that serve multiple counties to apply,” adds Lambert, “and we hope to expand the program beyond Tennessee soon.”

Suzanne Durham & Jelly Roll. Photo: Andrea Thompson.

On Monday (July 17), Jelly Roll and his wife Bunnie visited a private concert and reception for Suzanne Durham, arranged by the James Bess Foundation.

Durham is a Nashville resident who was diagnosed with an inoperable and untreatable lung cancer and given less than five months to live. Having turned her own life around from drug and alcohol additions, she works as a house manager for a Nashville rehabilitation facility. She has transformed the lives of several individuals who also struggled with addiction, and wanted Jelly Roll to speak and sing for them.

Jelly Roll played a set including his hits “Need A Favor” and “Son Of A Sinner” with his guitarist Alex Mark Howard before having dinner with Durham and some of her closest friends and family.

The James Bess Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Nashville that grants wishes to adults battling a terminal illness. Named for James Bess, a man whose dying wish to meet Garth Brooks went unfulfilled due to lack of resources, the foundation began granting wishes in August of 2017 and have fulfilled 33 wishes nationwide.