Music

Forty years ago today, on Sept. 4, 1981, George Strait released his debut album, Strait Country. The record was released on MCA Records. Three singles were released from Strait Country: “Unwound,” “Down and Out” and “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger (There’s One Coming Home);” both “Unwound” and “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger” landed

Singer-songwriter Yola has canceled two upcoming concert appearances after testing positive for Covid-19, according to a post on her social media. “Unfortunately Yola has tested positive for COVID-19 this morning,” the statement reads. “She is fully vaccinated, feeling ok with only mild symptoms at this time. However, she will no longer be able to perform

Scotty McCreery has released “Carolina to Me,” another song from his highly anticipated fifth album, Same Truck. The thoughtful track, which McCreery dropped on Friday (Aug. 27), follows his latest radio hit and first offering from the new LP, “You Time,” which is currently in the Top 10 and climbing on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Toning down a bit from

Everyone knows the feeling of waking up for a big day only to realize you’ve got a huge pimple, or your hair won’t cooperate. Well, for Keith Urban, his big day nemesis was a subconjunctival hemorrhage. “I wake up this morning, doing the Today show … big television moment, and I got this going on,”

When Ashland Craft first started making trips to Nashville to pursue her music career, she saw herself as a singer, but not a songwriter. “I had never really dove into the songwriting world,” admits Craft, who relocated to Music City full-time in 2019.  As she immersed herself in the city’s music scene, however, she realized not only

Jason Isbell has been an outspoken proponent of Covid vaccines and at the forefront of the live music industry’s attempts to safely play concerts during the pandemic. The Americana songwriter brought up both of those topics during a conversation with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the

Dan + Shay will join Carrie Underwood for a song on the Dear Evan Hansen movie soundtrack. Both artists have teased clips of “Only Us” on their respective Instagrams. The movie Dear Evan Hansen (Sept. 24) is a film adaptation of the Tony Awards-winning Broadway musical. After premiering in 2015, the music was specifically hailed, winning Best Score

Billy Ray Cyrus leads a group of country hitmakers committed to helping Waverly County rebuild after torrential rains flooded the middle Tennessee county last month. James Otto, Meghan Linsey, Drew Baldridge and Eric Paslay are also slated to play Waverly Strong: A Concert for Disaster Relief next Tuesday (Sept. 7) at Nashville’s City Winery. Actor

On Thursday (Sept. 2), several of country music’s hottest stars will light up in the Nashville skyline during the CMA Summer Jam TV special. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of the annual CMA Fest, the Country Music Association is offering fans a healthy serving of country music with the special event that features more

In 1935, Woody Guthrie documented the harsh conditions many endured during the Great Depression in “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh,” inspired by witnessing the Black Sunday dust storm in Texas from that April. On Wednesday, Lee Ann Womack released a new version of the song (under its original title, “Dusty Old Dust”)

Country newcomer Ashley Cooke knew ACM New Male Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen would be a perfect addition to her new single “Good Goodbye,” it was just a matter of making it happen. “We originally recorded ‘Good Goodbye’ as an individual song with just my voice on it, but something felt missing to give the song the

Michael Ray has a great Kid Rock story, although the rap-rocker-turned-country-artist may not agree. Talking to Taste of Country Nights, the “Whiskey and Rain” singer explained how he hooked the multi-genre veteran for “Higher Education,” the title track from his new EP. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Lee Brice and songwriter Tim Montana also join Ray on the

Depending on your age and preferred era of country music, you might think of Jerry Reed as the Snowman from the Smokey and the Bandit films, the most random Scooby-Doo special guest or the football coach from Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy. That’s not a bad pop cultural footprint for a guitarist and songwriter from Atlanta,

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 our most recent list.) Lily Meola, “Daydream” Lily Meola had already

The inspiration for Reyna Roberts’ new single “Raised Right” came from two sources: Star Wars and whiskey.  Roberts was at a theater to see Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, indulging in hot fudge sundaes adorned with mini lightsabers, and the title “Raised Right” kept coming to mind. Like any songwriter would do, she pulled out her phone

For the second straight year, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., has been canceled. Heavy rains brought about by Hurricane Ida forced the cancelation of this weekend’s (Sept. 2-5) event. Jason Isbell, Breland, Grace Potter and Niko Moon were among the country artists set to perform at Bonnaroo this year. A lengthy Twitter thread

Reyna Roberts shows the world who she truly is with her song “Raised Right.” In the successor to “Stompin’ Grounds” and “67 (Winchester),” Roberts continues to let her fierce voice fly as the swampy country-rock song that details the various elements of her formative years. Interestingly enough, the idea for “Raised Right” came to Roberts while

Musical spouses Jeremy Ivey and Margo Price are frequent collaborators on each other’s records, and their latest team effort “All Kinds of Blue” celebrates their affection for one another. The pair released the song on Tuesday and put out a live video to accompany it. A road-worthy rock number sprinkled with bright blasts of harmonica,

Canadian-born and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tenille Townes‘ “Girl Who Didn’t Care” music video is inspiring and powerful. Like the song itself, she wanted the clip to serve as inspiration for women to not be deterred by big dreams, but to chase them. “I believe it’s a really powerful thing to see real people living out real stories of chasing their

Chris Young‘s crew knew Kane Brown was there. His crowd knew it, too, but somehow the singer was the last to be let in on a big surprise in Pennsylvania on Sunday night (Aug. 29). Prior to Sunday, Brown and Young had never shared a stage to sing their chart-topping hit “Famous Friends,” and Young didn’t

Just imagine: Your favorite country stars, a nice glass of wine and YOU in Napa Valley, Calif. It could happen! We want to send you to Live in the Vineyard Goes Country. We’ll fly you to California, where you’ll see intimate and exclusive performances from Darius Rucker, Old Dominion, Zac Brown Band, Cole Swindell, Chris

Asleep at the Wheel mark 50 years together as a band with the upcoming album Half a Hundred Years. It’s an all-star project, with artists like Lyle Lovett and Lee Ann Womack joining Wheel leader Ray Benson and his big Texas band. For “Take Me Back to Tulsa,” released on Friday, two Lone Star icons

Randy Travis pulled an unreleased song called “Ain’t No Use” from the vault to share with fans as part of a special anniversary celebration. It makes you wonder what else he’s hiding. How does a song so rich in country tradition remain locked up for 35 years? Credit Travis, who wrote the lyrics with John Lindley,

Jason Aldean has been forced to postpone a concert that was originally slated to take place in Alabama on Saturday night (Aug. 28) due to Hurricane Ida, which threatens a storm surge, heavy rain and the possibility of tornadoes. Aldean and his band were set to perform at the Wharf Amphitheatre in Orange Beach, Ala.,

There isn’t an artist in country music who’s been as successful for as long as George Strait has. In addition to earning a total of 60 No. 1 hits, Strait is the only artist in the history of music to have a Top 10 hit every year for 30 years. Strait got his start in

Reyna Roberts is a study in contrasts in her assertive new song “Raised Right.” The Alabama native released the country-rock anthem on Friday and it follows her 2020 single “Stompin’ Grounds.” Built around a handclap rhythm and swampy guitar lick, “Raised Right” has Roberts outlining some fundamentals of her upbringing. “At your worst, be on

Maddie and Tae are continuing to lean in to their playful side with their latest release, “Life Ain’t Fair.” The very first shot of the song’s accompanying lyric video — a big pitcher of lemonade — speaks exactly to what the song is about. It’s a music version of that old proverb:“When life gives you

Kid Rock‘s two shows that were slated to take place in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 27-28) have been canceled due to COVID-19. The rocker, rapper and sometimes country singer was scheduled to perform at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth on those nights. He turned to Twitter on Thursday (Aug. 26)

Rising artist Drew Parker can count country star Luke Combs among his close friends. Parker — who co-wrote Jake Owen‘s hit “Homemade” and is currently promoting a single of his own, “While You’re Gone” — co-wrote Combs’ song “1, 2 Many,” but their friendship dates back well beyond their time as co-writers. Parker and Combs have known each other for

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, along with Brittney Spencer, paid tribute to Charlie Watts with a thunderous performance of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” during Isbell’s Thursday night concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Spencer, who opened the show and will also open one of Isbell’s upcoming residency concerts at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, handled the