On to the next round.
The first round of the NCAA tournament is in the books, and there weren’t a ton of upsets in the opening games of March Madness.
But in Whiskey Riff Madness bracket, we had some barn burners.
This year for our annual tournament we teamed up with our good friends at Rock the Country, a festival for “We The People,” to bring you a bracket for “We The People” featuring 64 of the most red, white and blue-blooded American country songs of all time – and let you, the readers, vote for your favorites.
With over 25,000 votes cast in the first round, there are some early favorites already: As you can imagine, Toby Keith is going to be hard to beat when it comes to patriotic country songs. But before we get into the next round of voting, let’s take a look at some of the results from the round of 64.
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise, but Toby’s classic “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue” was the biggest winner of the first round, taking over 97% of the vote against #16-seed “All American” by Clay Walker. But not far behind was “Where The Stars & Stripes And The Eagle Fly” by Aaron Tippin, which also got 97% of the vote in its matchup with Chely Wright’s “Bumper Of My SUV.”
And it wasn’t just one blowout victory for Toby Keith: All of his songs in the tournament won their matchups with at least 90% of the vote, which isn’t really a surprise for the first round given the fact that Toby is well-known for his patriotic country music.
One of my favorite matchups of the first round was John Michael Montgomery going up against his nephew Dillon Carmichael. But unfortunately for the newcomer, his “Red, White, Camo and Blue” was no match for his uncle’s “Letters From Home,” which is moving on to the round of 32.
And in another battle of a legend vs. a newcomer, Travis Denning’s “Red, White & Blue” really didn’t stand a chance against the classic “God Bless the USA” from Lee Greenwood, which got just over 93% of the vote for an easy first round victory.
So those were some of the blowouts. But there were far more close matchups and upsets, so let’s look at some of those.
In a matchup between a 7-seed and a 10-seed, “Travelin’ Soldier” by the Dixie Chicks pulled off the upset against “8th of November” by Big & Rich in a battle that went back and forth for a while before the Chicks managed to pull away. And in what may be a case of some recency bias, 11-seed “American Nights” by Zach Bryan ended up coming out on top over 7-seed “Some Gave All” by Billy Ray Cyrus. (This one may also have been hurt by people who don’t remember when Billy Ray was normal).
And in a surprising (to me) upset, “Ballad Of A Southern Man” by Whiskey Myers ended up coming out on top over “Heartland” by the King of Country Music himself, Mr. George Strait. Of course Whiskey Myers fans always show out for March Madness, so they may be the sleeper of the tournament right now.
The closest matchup, though, came from the battle between “All-American Girl” by Carrie Underwood and “Arlington” by Trace Adkins. And listen, I’m not one to say that the voters got it wrong because I respect democracy, but I’m just saying that “All-American Girl” wouldn’t have been my pick…but it’s the voters opinions that matter, and by only a handful of votes, the 11-seed from Carrie Underwood pulls off the upset over the #6 seed from Trace Adkins.
What a wild finish to that one.
Well the decisions are only going to get even harder as we move deeper into the tournament. Let’s take a look at the bracket after the first round of voting:
And here’s a closer look at each region.
South
East
Midwest
West
We’ve got two Toby Keith songs going up against each other, Whiskey Myers running into a potential buzzsaw in its Cinderella run having to go up against Hank Williams Jr., and two legends in Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard meeting head-to-head. I’m just glad I’m not the one who has to decide on these.
Voting is open NOW for the Round of 32, and ends at 11:59 PM central time on Wednesday, March 26.
You can vote down below, or by clicking the link here, and you can vote as many times as you want if you have a favorite that you want to see move on to the next round.
If the last round was any indication, some of these matchups are going to be CLOSE, so throw a few extra votes to your favorite song if you really want to see it stay alive. And of course if you haven’t already, start making your plans to celebrate America in person this summer at Rock the Country, coming to a small town near you with some of the best country music that would make Uncle Sam proud to be an American.
This year, Rock the Country will feature a stacked lineup featuring headliners Kid Rock, Nickelback, Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with performances from incredible artists like Travis Tritt, Treaty Oak Revival, Tracy Lawrence, Aaron Lewis, Big & Rich, Shenandoah, and more. The lineup varies by city, so make sure to check out the closest one to you and get your tickets soon before they’re sold out and you’re left on the outside looking in like the British were in 1776.
Rock the Country Dates:
April 4-5 – Livingston, LA
April 25-26 – Knoxville, TN
May 2-3 – Poplar Bluff, MO
May 9-10 – Ocala, FL
May 30-31 – York, PA
June 13-14 – Hastings, MI
June 20-21 – Little Rock, AR
July 11-12 – Ashland, KY
July 18-19 – Sioux Falls, SD
July 25-26 – Anderson, SC
