The Bull's Featured Artist

The Bull is all about New Hot Country and the artists who perform America's favorite music. This feature highlights the  artists with whom you might not yet be all that familiar or, in some cases, those who are interesting no matter how long they've been putting music on the charts. Listen daily to The Bull for more information on these performers and to hear their songs. And, check back often for more new Bull featured artists.

 Five Random Thomas Rhett Facts

It's Been another big year for Thomas Rhett, including posting more #1 Hits, sucessful nationwide touring and a return to co-hosting the CMA Fest again this year. Still under 30 and one of New Country's hottest artists, TR has the career and family balance that most performers aspire towards.  Here's some additional fun facts about The Bull's Featured Artist Thomas Rhett:

"A weird quirky thing about me is when I go to, like, my parent’s or my grandparent’s house, like for Thanksgiving or Christmas, there’s so many different kinds of food. I cannot handle when any of those foods touch each other. I have to either get two plates and put them on two plates or just not let ‘em touch on the same plate. If it touches, I just kind of eat the parts that don’t touch.”

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In 2017 Thomas and his wife, Lauren adopted a daughter, Willa Gray, from Uganda in May and welcomed biological
daughter Ada James three months later, in August...yes just like in the song "Life Changes."  The name "Willa" came up because of Lauren's idea to use Thomas' uncle Willard's name - shortening it to Willa. 

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Every night before a show, Rhett hosts a meet-and-greet where he’s often introduced to spouses of those serving overseas. He always obliges when they ask him to take a video sending a message to their loved ones and even after the night is over, those interactions have a lingering impact on the singer.

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Thomas Rhett is a popular guy and has tons of friends in Country music, but the one artist he hangs out with the most?  Justin Moore!  Random, but years back the guys hit it off and became really good friends.  They both love golfing, has been known to go on vacation together with their wives and even have the same birthday (March 30th).  Weird but true.

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Thomas Rhett's dad, Rhett Atkins, is also a popular Country artist and frequently would have friends like Tim McGraw come by the house when TR was a kid.  So, TR's real name is Thomas Rhett Atkins...and beacuse of this, it's not unusual for his wife Lauren to often refer to him in conversations by his first and middle name (it's a southern thing).  In interviews, you can hear Lauren say things like, "every time Thomas Rhett comes home, he hugs me" or "I always look forward to seeing Thomas Rhett at the end of my day"...it sounds a bit strange at first...like, why are you calling your husband by his first AND last name everytime?  Funny.

COLE SWINDELL

The Bull’s Top 10 Cole Swindell Fan Facts:

1. Swindell started his artist career with "Chillin' It," a demo that found success on satellite radio before becoming an FM radio staple in 2013. "You Should Be Here," "Ain't Worth the Whiskey" and "Middle of a Memory" followed, turning the small-town Georgia dreamer into a star very quickly. He had help. The 34-year-old is quick to thank contemporaries like Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan for paving the road for him.
2. You've likely never seen Swindell with a girlfriend, as he keeps his love life private and always walks red carpets solo. That doesn't mean he's hopelessly single. Cole has ridden Cupid's rollercoaster plenty over the last few years, but he always hits the “eject button” before he gets dumped.
3. In 2015 Swindell got a chance to perform with Alan Jackson, so he took to Instagram to share a throwback photo from his college days when he convincingly dressed as the '90s superstar.
4. So, you might have known this. For three years he sold T-shirts for Luke Bryan while the now-superstar singer toured the country. But, they met years before either one was famous.
5. Cole and Luke were both Sigma Chi at Georgia Southern University, although a few years separated them. One day Bryan stopped by the fraternity house to change his guitar strings and he was asked to play a song. That song — called "Small Town Favorite Son" — is what inspired Swindell to up his game.
6. Dierks Bentley admits he has Swindell's phone number listed as C-O-A-L in his cell phone because that's how he entered it when they first met years ago.  Cole ended up writing then recording “Flatliner” with Dierks at the beginning of his career.
7. Cole likes to tell everyone that he remembers everyone in his high school. His graduating class only had 25 kids in it! From there he'd go on to Georgia Southern University, where he'd eventually get a degree in marketing.
8. Cole’s favorite song?  George Strait’s “Carrying Your Love with Me.”  That is all.
9. He does have a guilty pleasure TV show.  OK, maybe he wouldn't appear on the Bachelorette, but he's a pretty big fan. He says he watches as much as he can.
10. Cole is a sports nut.  In high school he played football, baseball, basketball, golf and ran track!

Here is Cole performing live at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN, on April 26, 2016.

LUKE COMBS

New Country sensation Luke Combs makes a September appearance just down the road at Shoreline Amphitheatre as one of the opening acts for Jason Aldean. But, Luke also just recently announced he will embark on his own Headline Arena Tour for the first time next year. The "Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour" will hit 28 cities starting January 31, 2019. He will be joined by opening acts Lanco and Jameson Rodgers. Dates and locations are on his website. Hopefully, he will add in a NorCal date sometime soon.

Click HERE for 10 facts you may not know about Luke Combs, courtesy of CountryFanCast.

Check out this video of the newest song from Luke...not being played yet on "regular" country radio, but you can hear it now on Sonoma County's New Country Leader, 106.3 The Bull!