Sam Hunt’s ‘Southside’ Debuts At No.1

Sam Hunt’s long-awaited sophomore album, Southside, debuted at the top of the Billboard Country Albums Chart, marking the superstar’s second…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

April 13, 2020

Sam Hunt; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMT/Viacom

Sam Hunt’s long-awaited sophomore album, Southside, debuted at the top of the Billboard Country Albums Chart, marking the superstar’s second consecutive No.1 album debut.

With sales over 45,900, Southside is the biggest country album debut of 2020 so far and also earns a spot in the Top 5 of the all-genre Billboard Top 200 chart. The 12-track record includes hits such as “Body Like a Backroad”, “Drinking Too Much”, “Downtown’s Dead”, “Kinfolks”, “Sinning with You” and Hunt’s latest single, “Hard To Forget.” Each track was co-written by the multi-platinum superstar.

Hunt will celebrate the new album with his Southside Summer Tour, which has now been pushed back to a July 10 launch date due to the COIVD-19 pandemic. Previously scheduled to kick off in late May, Hunt’s headlining run will now launch July 10 in Bangor, Maine. Rescheduled dates include Toronto (Aug. 26), St. Louis (Sept. 3), Milwaukee (Sept. 4), Detroit (Sept. 5), Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Sept. 6), Charlotte (Oct. 1), Raleigh (Oct. 2), Bristow, Va. (Oct. 3), West Palm Beach (Oct. 8), Tampa (Oct. 9) and Atlanta (Oct. 10). Full tour schedule below.

The Southside Summer Tour Schedule:
July 10 Bangor, Maine
July 11 Gilford, N.H.
July 17 Camden, N.J.
July 18 Mansfield, Mass.
July 19 Hartford, Conn.
July 24 Wantagh, N.Y.
July 25 Columbia, Md.
July 26 Virginia Beach, Va.
Aug. 6 Rogers, Ark.
Aug. 7 Southaven, Miss.
Aug. 8 Pelham, Ala.
Aug. 14 Holmdel, N.J.
Aug. 15 Burgettstown, Pa.
Aug. 16 Cincinnati, Ohio
Aug. 20 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Aug. 21 Fishers, Ind.
Aug. 22 Des Moines, Iowa
Aug. 26 Toronto, Ont.*
Aug. 27 Darien Center, N.Y.
Aug. 28 Syracuse, N.Y.
Aug. 29 Hershey, Pa.
Sept. 3 Maryland Heights, Mo.*
Sept. 4 Milwaukee, Wisc.*
Sept. 5 Clarkston, Mich.*
Sept. 6 Mt. Pleasant, Mich.*
Sept. 10 Austin, Texas
Sept. 11 The Woodlands, Texas
Sept. 12 Dallas, Texas
Sept. 17 Wheatland, Calif.
Sept. 18 Mountain View, Calif.
Sept. 19 Irvine, Calif.
Sept. 24 Chula Vista, Calif.
Sept. 25 Phoenix, Ariz.
Sept. 26 Albuquerque, N.M.
Oct. 1 Charlotte, N.C.*
Oct. 2 Raleigh, N.C.*
Oct. 3 Bristow, Va.*
Oct. 8 West Palm Beach, Fla.*
Oct. 9 Tampa, Fla.*
Oct. 10 Alpharetta, Ga.*
* indicates rescheduled tour date
Please note the June 20 Tinley Park, Ill. tour stop is canceled.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.