Music

Fifty-five years ago today (April 1, 1967) was a big day for country music and the genre’s fans: It was on that date that the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Nashville, Tenn. The Country Music Association (CMA) originally established the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 and spent six years

With just over a week left until he releases his new album, Cole Swindell says he couldn’t wait to release the title track. “Stereotype” arrived on Thursday, March 31. The song is a declaration to the love of his life, and it’s hard not to assume his girlfriend Courtney Little was his muse. After all,

Lyle Lovett will release 12th of June, the Texas singer-songwriter’s first album in a decade, on May 13. The project’s title track and first single is out now alongside an accompanying video of Lovett recording in the studio. The 11-track 12th of June features a mix of Lovett’s originals as well as interpretations of songs

The title of Michael Ray‘s latest single sounds like a typical church song. However, “Holy Water” is not the story of redemption or saving grace — it’s the opposite. The song centers around a preacher who’s caught up in a scandalous side hustle selling moonshine. When he rolls up to the church in a new Lincoln,

Few people would know it now, but John Moreland‘s Oklahoma origins began in punk and hardcore bands. He even released a couple of punk albums with his Black Gold Band, with Things I Can’t Control being a collaboration with legendary punk producer and guitarist Stephen Egerton (Descendents, All). Since those early days, however, he has

Elliah Heifetz (pronounced “High-fits”) knows the value of a good song. He wouldn’t be here without one. The New York-based lyricist is releasing his debut country album, First Generation American, this Friday, April 1. Produced by Andrija Tokic, the album defiantly claims country music on behalf of people whose authenticity within the genre are questioned.

Miranda Lambert is not used to sitting still, so a few months into pandemic quarantine she and her husband, former NYPD officer Brendan McLoughlin, bought a shiny silver Airstream and headed up the East Coast from Nashville. They made “campfire casserole,” a specialty of Lambert’s dad, drank wine on the pop-up table, and named the

Fans holding tickets to see Eric Church‘s Gather Again Tour stop at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, got a surprise from the Chief this week — a cancellation. Church sent out a message to his fan club, the Church Choir, informing them that he was canceling the April 2 show. Tour stop cancellations and postponements

Since launching her career in 1971 with her self-titled debut, Bonnie Raitt has established herself as one of the greatest blueswomen – and guitarists – of all time. Come April 22, Raitt will release Just Like That…, her twenty-first album to date. With such an extensive discography to her name, there’s no shortage of essential listening.

Rhyan Sinclair may only be 21, but she’s far from being a new face in the country and Americana music scenes. The Lexington, Ky. native has been writing, recording and touring since she was 11 and has found a tight groove in recent years with her backing band The South 65. Sinclair documents her past decade

Brad Paisley has announced his return to the road. The country music singer-guitarist will kick off his World Tour 2022 over Memorial Day weekend with a show in Uncasville, Connecticut. The tour runs through the fall and includes a European leg — Paisley’s ninth tour of Europe — and his first tour of Australia. The international

Kelsea Ballerini has announced a new partnership with beauty brand CoverGirl. The singer shared her news in a statement, explaining that for her, the new venture marks the culmination of a dream she’s had ever since she was a young girl. “I’ve been a fan of CoverGirl for as long as I can remember,” Ballerini

With 25 studio albums released, 26 career Billboard Hot Country No. 1 singles, and over 150 major music industry awards to date, not many artists can beat the illustrious career of country superstar, Alan Jackson. Launching into the scene in 1989 with “Blue Blooded Woman” off his debut album Here in the Real World, it

Kacey Musgraves, Turnpike Troubadours, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and Willie Nelson will all perform at a new California country music festival. The Palomino Festival is set for Saturday, July 9, at the Brookside grounds at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The lineup leans hard into the alt-country sound, highlighting artists who mainly work

Live in the Vineyard Goes Country is coming in April, and you’ll want to be there for this three-day, ultra-personal concert experience. Enter to win a trip for two to fly to Napa Valley for the April 26-28 concert series that will feature Lee Brice, Joe Nichols, Chase Rice and more. You must be 21 years old

Happy birthday to Reba McEntire! The singer was born on March 28, 1955, in McAlester, Okla. McEntire is the third of four siblings born to Clark and Jacqueline McEntire, the latter of whom aspired to be a singer but became an elementary school teacher instead. However, Jacqueline McEntire passed on her love of music to

Fresh off a thrilling, emotional performance at his annual Luck Reunion in Texas, Willie Nelson is once again gearing up to lead the multi-artist Outlaw Music Festival Tour in 2022. The summer package gets underway June 24 in St. Louis and features a rotating all-star cast of artists including Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit,

Fifty-seven years ago today, on March 27, 1965, Roger Miller‘s “King of the Road” hit No. 1 on the country charts. Produced by Jerry Kennedy, the song appears on 1965’s The Return of Roger Miller, and is an ode to the freewheeling road lifestyle. The protagonist of “King of the Road” hints at doing nefarious things to

The Grammy Award for Best Americana Album has gone through a lot of changes over the past 35 years. In 1987, the Grammys gave out their first award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. The category went through a small name change in 1991, when the word ”recording” was replaced with “album.” Although the term ”Americana” had been gaining traction in the music

Allison Russell stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to deliver a raucous, soulful performance of her song “4th Day Prayer”. Backed by a live band that included the duo Sista Strings and singer-guitarist Joy Clark, Russell gave the song a vibrant sensibility that matched the colorful stage backdrop. “4th Day Prayer” comes off the singer-songwriter’s debut

As she contemplated her upcoming performance at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday (March 27), Reba McEntire wasn’t feeling all that excited, and she didn’t know why. Then, just days before the ceremony, she had a realization. “I was very emotional yesterday about the Oscars,” McEntire told Taste of Country and other outlets on

Happy 54rd birthday, Kenny Chesney! The singer was born on this day, March 26, in 1968. Chesney was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and raised in nearby Luttrell. He played football and baseball in high school and might have become a professional athlete if he hadn’t received a guitar for Christmas one year and gotten into

Nate Smith recruited singer-songwriter Tenille Townes for a new version of his song “I Don’t Wanna Go to Heaven.” This version finds the two singers alternating verses on the soaring love song about finding a piece of heaven with a partner. They join their voices in the chorus, creating a harmony that builds throughout the rest

Maren Morris just wanted to take the night off from the stream of online criticism — and worse — that she regularly encounters. Two days after the 2022 ACM Awards where she gave the live debut of “Circles Around This Town,” Morris fired off a tweet at the “turkey-necked fake Christian Karens” who swarm her

i just handed in the official track list for my album oh my🤮 — Tate McRae (@tatemcrae) March 8, 2022 Tate McRae has hinted that she’s finished her highly anticipated debut studio album, and also dropped a brand new single from it, the beautifully written ‘Chaotic’. The rising Canadian musician  has so far previewed her debut

Eighteen years after grabbing America’s attention on a USA Network show called Nashville Star, Miranda Lambert is an Entertainer of the Year. Her mentor for the television show was Clint Black, and recently he opened up about the advice he gave her back then. Black mentored all of the contestants throughout Season 1 of Nashville

The courtship of Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd is a true Nashville fairytale. The pair met in 2013; at the time, both were scrappy songwriters coming up in Music City who just so happened to be paired together for a studio session. Their creative chemistry was obvious: During the writing date, Morris and Hurd wrote

Every week, The Boot highlights recent favorites from country, Americana, folk and everything in between. In every list, you’ll find picks from our contributing team that we think you’ll love. Keep reading to check out the latest installment of The Boot’s Weekly Picks. Sam Outlaw “Lonely Man” Jonah Tolchin “Black Hole” Jonah Tolchin wrote “Black Hole” while regularly

Hank Williams Jr. will highlight his affinity for the blues on a new album produced by Dan Auerbach. Rich White Honky Blues, the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s first album since 2016’s It’s About Time, arrives June 17. Auerbach recorded the album live with a backing band that included Kenny Brown, Eric Deaton, and