Music

Wynonna Judd has a half-sister, actor Ashley Judd, but it turns out she also has a half-brother. After learning about her biological father’s son, the singer recently called him up to meet — at least over the telephone. Wynonna Judd was born Christina Claire Ciminella, and for years she thought her father was Michael Charles

Billy Joe Shaver, who died Wednesday at 81, wrote country songs about what he knew firsthand: sin and heartbreak, hard living and hard working, and ultimately salvation. Waylon Jennings famously cut a bunch of them for 1973’s Honky Tonk Heroes, and Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash would all record some too. Even Elvis

The title track of Mickey Guyton’s 2020 EP Bridges is meant to unify. “Bridges,” the song, talks of building bridges — metaphorically speaking — from one person to another, no matter the chasms of differences between us. “What if we took these stones we’ve been throwin’? / What if we laid ’em down? / What if we forget all

A heartbroken Emily Rose hits the road in the new music video for her single “Windshield.” Press play below to watch the clip, premiering exclusively on The Boot. Written by Rose, Ed Hill and Donnie Skaggs, “Windshield” dispenses some important wisdom over its traditional, steel guitar-flecked melody: “The windshield’s a whole lot bigger than the rearview mirror.” “The

Kelly Clarkson and Brett Eldredge meet “Under the Mistletoe” in their new Christmas duet. The festive love song, penned by Clarkson and Aben Eubanks, arrived on Wednesday (Oct. 28), just under two months out from the year-end holiday. A perfectly modern, Christmasy melody — with plenty of jingling bells, of course — accompanies Clarkson and Eldredge as they wonder

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum found the inspiration for its upcoming fundraising event from an unlikely source: penguins. At the beginning of the pandemic, when museums and nearly everything else were forced to close down, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium managed to create a viral moment by letting its penguins roam loose in the

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani might be one of the most unexpected celebrity romances in recent memory, but they’re going stronger than ever after five years together; in fact, as of Tuesday (Oct. 27), they’re engaged! The couple met in 2014, when Stefani joined The Voice. Shelton was an original member of the coaching panel, but

Buzzy Texas country singer-songwriter Koe Wetzel will release his first album with Columbia Records, the wryly named Sellout, on Nov. 20. He announced the news on Friday (Oct. 23) with the release of one of the project’s 14 tracks, “Good Die Young.” A pulsing bass line, pounding drums and rock-leaning guitars back Wetzel on the uptempo, but

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. Ross Cooper, “South of the Angels” Bona fide cowboy Ross Cooper

Ashley McBryde rounded the corner in an empty Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and saw it: Loretta Lynn‘s 1956 Gibson J-50 guitar, out from behind its protective glass and resting on a guitar stand. It was hers to play, but first, she had to try not to cry. “I managed to keep it

When Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967, the King of Rock and Roll and his new bride honeymooned in style at a futuristic estate in Palm Springs that you almost have to see to believe. Pictures of the property reveal a one-of-a-kind residence that remains a landmark to this day. Designed by renowned architect

Big-voiced Kentucky native Branden Martin is unapologetic about his boozy ways in his new single, “Drunk Again.” Press play below to hear the track, premiering exclusively on The Boot. Co-written by Martin and Jerry Salley, and produced by Kyle Manner, “Drunk Again” finds Martin sleepless late at night, and surely headed for a hangover the next morning. “I can

Jerry Jeff Walker, the “Mr. Bojangles” songwriter and a pioneer of the “cosmic cowboy” sound that would evolve into outlaw country, died Friday after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 78. Walker’s publicist confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. Born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, New York, in 1942, Walker made his way

Nashville songwriter Bryan Wayne Galentine has died. Country Aircheck reports that Galentine died on Thursday (Oct. 22) after battling ALS for more than three years. He was 53 years old. Galentine carved out a career under the name Bryan Wayne in the Nashville songwriting scene throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s by writing hits

Kix Brooks, Jason Isbell and more country artists are among the many who turned to social media on Saturday (Oct. 24) to honor Jerry Jeff Walker, who died on Friday (Oct. 23) at the age of 78. Brooks remembered Walker as “one of the great Lone Star bad asses” in a tweet, adding that the

Alexandra Duparc – aka SKANDRA – is finally showing the world her own music. The proactive musician and humanitarian has been touring the world since age 15 and working on a countless number of film scores/albums for other artists. Now, the Paris-based Pop artist has released a small collection of her own music – “Rivers,” “Tangerines” and

Joohoney, Rapper of K-pop group Monsta X, has released his highly anticipated 4th Mixtape, PSYCHE, today. This release comes about two years after his last mixtape ‘DWTD (Do What They Do)’. PSYCHE consists of seven tracks, all of which Joohoney helped compose, arrange, and write lyrics on. This Mixtape, and the lyrics throughout it, take you through the different sides of Joohoney’s world as

It’s “Lonely” at the top. That’s the message Justin Bieber is sharing in his new collaboration with Benny Blanco. The accompanying clip finds actor Jacob Tremblay as a My World-era Biebs, complete with the side-swept hair and iconic purple hoodie, giving a peek behind the curtain of overnight childhood fame. “He was real nervous. He was like, ‘S—. Should

Paris Hilton is putting her feelings for her boyfriend, Carter Reum, into song. The 39-year-old heiress released a new dance track on Friday with Lodato called “I Blame You,” which is dedicated to him. “I Blame You” is available for purchase and streaming across all platforms, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc. All the proceeds from the

Willow’s songs explore the rise and pitfalls of her romantic relationships. Whether that be making  an empowering “hot girl” track for all the females listening, or a grungy track to describe the pain she went through. Willow’s main message is that we are multidimensional creatures, and it’s okay to feel different emotions. Sometimes we are

Photo Credit – Chase Thomson Going to an event by myself for the first time ever led me to writing “Ghosts,” the song I am sharing with you today. I remember standing at the back of the room, feeling so insignificant and small. I felt like I wasn’t interesting, smart, pretty, or experienced enough. Even

This is my absolute favourite song that I’ve written… Consider the feeling of meeting someone and their presence rendering you speechless. You become self-conscious and words don’t come out right… and you don’t want to let this chance slip away because you might never see them again. Experiencing this kind of love at first sight,

“Wish I Could Be Your Girl” is an intimate tale written by Kristiane on the floor of her apartment late one night over our quarantined summer.  “I couldn’t sleep and wanted to call somebody, but convinced myself it would be burdensome. So, I wrote “Should I call / Don’t wanna bother / Am I the

[embedded content] Eve Jihan Jeffers Cooper (born November 10, 1978) better known as rap star Eve (sylized as EVƎ) She has released four studio albums, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady (1999), Scorpion (2001), Eve-Olution (2002) and Lip Lock (2013). Eve achieved chart success with the singles, “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”, “Who’s That Girl”, “Gangsta Lovin’” and “Tambourine”. Besides solo materials, Eve earned

Driven by a competitive hunger, MOE rhymes with verbal athleticism, undeniable charisma, and fierce individuality. Posting up nearly 10 million streams independently, and landing a high-profile placement in NBA2K20, the Orlando rapper brings an unbreakable work ethic and the spirit of competition from the court to the culture on his 2020 debut for Epic Records. He

Chris Stapleton turned a road trip into his new song “Arkansas,” released on Friday (Oct. 23). Press play below to listen. In late 2019, Stapleton began playing “Arkansas” during some of his live shows, explaining that the song was born when Stapleton drove a car his wife Morgane picked out for his birthday from Oklahoma City back home to

Jerry Jeff Walker has never been one to do what he was supposed to do. A military dropout who scored a Top 10 hit in writing “Mr. Bojangles,” he left New York City for Austin, Texas, long before it was known as the “Live Music Capitol of the World.” And in the summer of 1973,

Thirty-six years ago today, on Oct. 25, 1984, Alabama — made up of Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook — accomplished a feat that had never been achieved by a country group before. It was on that date that they earned triple-platinum status, signifying sales of 3 million units, for both their Feels So Right and

Oct. 24, 1991, was a big day for Garth Brooks: It was on that date, 29 years ago, that the singer’s No Fences album was recognized for selling 5 million copies — the highest sales ever for a country artist at that time. No Fences, which was released in 1990, was Brooks’ sophomore album for Capitol Records. But while

No matter where you go, there’ll always be people who remember you from back when. Even award-winning songwriter Luke Dick and country superstar Miranda Lambert can’t outrun their raisin’ in the new song “Polyester.” Written by Dick and Chris DuBois, “Polyester” finds both Dick and Lambert reflecting on beating the odds: “20 to one, I wouldn’t get