Music

Seventy-two years ago today, on June 11, 1949, Hank Williams made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. The then-25-year-old performed “Lovesick Blues,” his first No.1 hit, as well as his self-penned single “Mind Your Own Business” … and earned an incredible six encores. Williams began performing when he was still a teenager, but in addition

Fans of Morgan Wallen have been standing by their man since February, when a video of Wallen using a racial slur drew a swift country industry backlash. To show their unwavering devotion to the “Wasted on You” singer, they bought and streamed his LP Dangerous: The Double Album, making it a huge hit. Some even

No cable? No worries. The 2021 CMT Awards weren’t available to everyone to watch, which is a bummer, because the show was fast-paced and engaging from the top. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini hosted Wednesday night’s (June 9) show. It was a mix of live and recorded performances and celebrity segments that spilled past two hours

After a seven-year hiatus, singer-songwriter and industry veteran James McMurtry is due to release a new album. The Horses and the Hounds is set for release on Aug. 20, and will be McMurtry’s first with New West Records. The Horses and the Hounds promises McMurtry’s well-developed sound, which could only come from an experienced musician, accompanied by personal

Kid Rock certainly didn’t apologize for using a homophobic slur during an appearance at a resort and bar in Middle Tennessee over the weekend. On Facebook on Wednesday (June 9), the rock-rapper (real name: Robert Ritchie) acknowledged the controversy around his use of the word “f—-t,” a derogatory term used to describe gay men, during a recent performance.

Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, and Jon Randall performed the drinking song “Tequila Does” off their stripped-down album The Marfa Tapes during the 2021 CMT Music Awards. Seated around a campfire, the trio strummed guitars and harmonized, playing up the natural vibes of the LP, which was recorded mostly outdoors in west Texas. Lambert takes lead

Stars gathered on the 2021 CMT Awards red carpet, leaving behind the muted tones that represented a muted year in 2020. Hot pink seems to be the most popular color right now among country music’s best dressed at the show on Wednesday night (June 9) in Nashville. The annual June showcase has long been a place to be

Niko Moon has selected a second infectious groove in “No Sad Songs,” the follow-up to his No. 1 hit “Good Time.” The singer and songwriter continues to lean heavy on party vibes, but thus far, there’s nothing bro-ish about his lyrics. Along with wife Anna Moon and co-writers Alysa Vanderheym, Joshua Murty and Steven Lee Olsen,

In a new interview with The New Yorker, Mickey Guyton speaks frankly about her life as a new mom, and the tumultuous journey it took her to get here. Guyton — who welcomed her son, Grayson, in February – appears to be effortlessly juggling parenthood and her music career, calmly offering newborn recommendations and tag-teaming baby

Fifteen months after they last performed a live concert, Lynyrd Skynyrd returned to the stage on Friday to shake off the rust. The titans of Southern rock closed out Night One of the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, a country-leaning multi-day festival in Panama City Beach, Florida, that featured headlining sets by Brad Paisley and Luke

In February of 2020, Robyn Ottolini released an independent EP, I’m Not Always Hilarious, featuring “F-150″ — the song that would become a viral hit on TikTok and help earn her a record deal with Warner Music Nashville — and three other breakup-focused, sad-girl country songs. Trouble was, she was about to fall in love. His name is Stephen,

Singer-songwriter Kate Vargas‘ new song “Church of the Misdirection” is a warning: You’d be wise to view the world with skeptical eyes — after all, she sings, there’s “three steps to gaining believers: disarm, deceive and attract.” “Church of the Misdirection” — premiering exclusively on The Boot — was, Vargas explains, inspired loosely by Ma

Kid Rock angrily called a group of fans using their cell phones to record his concert “f–king f—ots” and gestured to his crotch in an onstage rant that was captured on camera. TMZ revealed video of the country-rock rapper using the homophobic slur — an incident that happened on Saturday night (June 5) at a bar

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. (Check out last week’s best songs.) Joey Cape, “It Could Be

Curtis Grimes celebrates lifelong friends in his single “Friends,” and his brand-new music video for the song captures those special relationships. The new clip is premiering exclusively on The Boot; press play below to watch. Grimes and director Paul Galvan “wanted to capture the elements of what makes something feel like home and that make us

Miranda Lambert strolled into her Nashville bar and restaurant on Sunday night (June 6) and found singer Jon Pardi there, ready to dance. The pair two-stepped on the balcony to George Strait‘s “Check Yes or No” while dozens of fans watched from below, most with cell phones pointed upward to capture the moment. Pardi definitely led

Country icon and everyone’s favorite rum connoisseur Kenny Chesney has spent half his life in the music industry. As an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, Chesney begin his career in 1993, at just 25 years old. But now, with two-plus decades in the business behind him, Chesney has recorded more than a dozen studio albums (many which have been certified

Flatland Cavalry gear up for the July 2nd release of their new album Welcome to Countryland with a string of just announced tour dates. The Texas country-roots band’s headlining Welcome to Countryland Tour kicks off this weekend and runs through September and includes a few shows supporting Luke Combs. Along with the confirmed tour, Flatland

Rising country star Brit Taylor‘s new single “At Least There’s No Babies” wraps up her debut album, Real Me. Released on Friday (June 4), the brand-new song is one of three on forthcoming deluxe edition of the project, due out next month. “The album Real Me told my story, and it wasn’t always easy to share

Though the true identity of the man behind the famous fringed masks is a secret, his talent is not. And now, Orville Peck has the co-sign from pop star Lady Gaga to prove it. For the 10th anniversary edition of Gaga’s 2011 album Born This Way, she enlisted the help of various artists to put new spins

On June 5, 1993, Toby Keith earned his first No. 1 song on the Hot Country Songs Billboard chart, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Keith wrote the song himself; it was his debut single. Co-produced by Nelson Larkin and Harold Shedd — the pair that also co-produced all of Keith’s self-titled 1993 debut album – “Should’ve Been

Breland and Keith Urban have teamed up for the new collaboration “Throw It Back,” a club-ready mix of guitar twang and propulsive hip-hop beats. This song follows the pair’s Big Beat-indebted collaboration “Out the Cage,” which appeared on Urban’s album The Speed of Now Part 1. Built around a banjo and guitar riff that bears

Early in their career, the Wandering Hearts formed a friendship with Marty Stuart; in fact, it was the singer-songwriter who first invited the UK-based trio to come to the United States, after they opened for him on a 2017 UK tour. Stuart liked what he heard, and he wasted no time pitching the group a song. “Back

John Mayer has just released a new single, and the track features guest vocals from Maren Morris. “Last Train Home” is the first single from Mayer’s upcoming album, Sob Rock. The singer-songwriter and guitarist dropped the new track on Friday (June 4), featuring the Grammy-winning country and pop singer on background vocals. The song draws

Eighteen years ago today, on June 5, 2003, Dwight Yoakam was honored for his extraordinary music and acting careers with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yoakam first moved to Los Angeles, Calif., in the late 1970s, as much for the musical influences of artists such as Clarence White, the Byrds and Gram Parsons as

Lady Gaga has released the second cover song from Born This Way the Tenth Anniversary with Orville Peck’s reinvention of the title track as “Born This Way (The Country Road Version).” The new release follows Big Freedia’s update of “Judas” and is one of six Born This Way tracks to be covered as part of

Kalie Shorr has just released a stellar new cover of a Chicks classic, and it’s a must-hear for any fan of the classic country trio, as well as country’s next generation. Shorr has re-recorded the Chicks’ “Cowboy, Take Me Away,” which gave them a No. 1 hit when they released it as the second single

Brad Paisley began playing the guitar at the young age of eight, taught by his maternal grandfather. When he was 10, he performed at church in his first live performance. Even though Paisley grew up in a small town in West Virginia and was known for his growing musical talent, no one could have predicted his superstardom