Next stop on The Garth Brooks World Tour? Atlanta, GA. Pearl/RCA’s Brooks will play Philips Arena Sept. 19 at 6:30 pm ET with special guest Trisha Yearwood. This follows the 10 dates he’ll play in Chicago in early Sept. and it’s the first time he’s played Atlanta in 18 years. Tickets go on sale Aug. 8 at 10 am ET and are available via Ticketmaster here or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
NEW YORK (AP) – To say Toby Keith has made a buck or two as a country singer is an understatement. Forbes magazine puts Keith at the top of its list of top-earning country artists. Forbes estimates Keith earned $65 million in the past year and $335 million over the past six. That’s from his music sales as well as his restaurants, his endorsement deal with Ford, his Wild Shot mescal and his Show Dog record label. He just squeaks past Taylor Swift, who is second on the list with $64 million. Kenny Chesney is third with $44 million, Jason Aldean in fourth with $37 million and Luke Bryan in fifth with $34 million.
Rodeo Clown and Barrelman Robbie Hodges visited the KHAZ Studio to talk with Theresa Trapp.
ROLLING WITH THE FLOW
Rodeo barrelman to entertain fans, protect bullfighters Phillipsburg
Robbie Hodges is living the dream.
He’s seeing the world, doing what he wants, making people laugh, all while hanging out in rodeo arenas across the country.
The Cave Springs, Georgia man will serve as barrelman and rodeo clown for this year’s Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg July 31-August 2. In other words, he “works” the barrel, moving it to its best spot to provide an oasis of safety for the bull riders and bullfighters. And if there are slow spots during the rodeo, he fills them with jokes and back-and-forth banter with the announcer.
He got his start in rodeo as a bareback rider, but he was always the jokester, the funny guy. “I hid my fear through funny comedy,” he says. “When I got ready to retire (from bareback riding), I wanted to be a barrelman. Fourteen illustrious years later, here I am,” he jokes.
He loves cracking jokes, even at his own expense. “I hate to say it, but I’m good. I’m not like (Seattle Seahawks football player) Richard Sherman,” he cracks. “I try to be cool. Hey, I’m a successful man. I live in an RV.”
He’s rodeoed at every corner of the country, from California to Davie, Florida, to New York, and Puyallup, Washington. And he’s won awards for his work. Robbie was the 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo barrelman and an alternate the next year. He has been nominated for some of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association’s highest honors: Clown of the Year twice, Comedy Act of the Year twice, and Coors Man in the Can four times.
In Phillipsburg, he’ll provide the laughs and banter with the announcer while cowboys are getting ready to compete. He loves the “walk and talk” – being in the arena, cracking jokes during slow times. “I like spontaneity and comedy. I like quick and funny.” Robbie comes up with his material off the cuff. “Most of my stuff is from the situation and the crowd. Ninety percent is from the crowd, and the other twelve percent I make up,” he jokes.
It’s Robbie’s second time in Phillipsburg. He worked the PBR in 2013 there.
He loves what he does, even when he jokes about it. “I don’t get too caught up in rodeo. I stop off at them because they pay, but the rest of the time, I’m seeing the world, playing the guitar and hanging out.”
The Phillipsburg Rodeo is July 31-August 1-2 at 8 pm each night. Tickets are $15 for reserved adult seats and $11 for children ages 3-12. General admission tickets are $13 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets are available at Heritage Insurance in Phillipsburg (785-543-2448). For more information, visit KansasBiggestRodeo.com.
Congratulations to Toni, John, Cheryl, Cindy and Scott!
Listen Wednesday, July 23 and Thursday, July 24, 2014 with Theresa Trapp on 99 KZ Country for chances to call in and win tickets for Restless Heart at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Saturday, July 26, 2014.
Alan Jackson: 25 Years of Keepin’ It Countrywill open Aug. 29 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The exhibit will highlight Jackson’s career and run through March 2015. Jackson will also be the museum’s next Artist-in-Residence, the first to do so while being the subject of an exhibit. “Fans will recognize artifacts from milestone moments in Alan’s career, as well as items from his life away from the stage that are as personal as many of the songs he has penned over the years,” says Dir.Kyle Young. More here.
CLEVELAND (AP) – Jason Aldean is sending “sincere condolences” to the family and friends of Cory Barron, a fan who was found dead after he was last seen at Aldean’s Cleveland concert. Police say Barron, of Fremont, Ohio, disappeared while attending Aldean’s concert on Friday. A worker found his body in a landfill 35 miles away. Police believe Barron may have fallen down a five-story garbage chute and landed in a large waste container. Police are investigating the death as a homicide.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Shania Twain will end her run in Las Vegas by the holidays. She will perform her final show on December 13. By the end of the run, she will have performed there for two years.
Congratulations to Julie, Craig, Jamie, Don and Christine!
Listen Tuesday, July 22, 2014 with Theresa Trapp on 99 KZ Country for chances to call in and will tickets and meet and greet passes for Little Texas at the Graham County Fair Saturday, July 26, 2014 in Hill City.