Music

A mob of pro-Donald Trump rioters stormed the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 6), breaking through barriers and into the building, putting the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, along with other government offices and officials, into lockdown. As the country followed the news on television and social media, many

After a bear of a year in 2020, there’s a glimmer of promise early in 2021. And if you ask us, these up-and-coming artists are shining pretty dang bright. The Boot’s 2021 artists to watch vary in genre, style, influence and background, but these country, Americana, folk and bluegrass newcomers are all poised to have breakout years.

Jamie Lin Wilson doesn’t remember hearing Cross Canadian Ragweed‘s “Sick and Tired” for the very first time, but she does remember hearing the news that the venerable Oklahoma-bred alt-country band had enlisted Lee Ann Womack for the song. “I just thought that was the coolest,” Wilson recalls. “Having someone that is a mainstream country star comin’ in

Morgan Wallen took retail giant Walmart to task after copies of his upcoming opus Dangerous: The Double Album appeared on shelves at a small number of stores around the country this weekend. A spokesperson for Walmart says the album was prematurely displayed and sold ahead of its official January 8th release date at “less than

Florida Georgia Line singer Tyler Hubbard is stepping outside of the superstar country duo for an upcoming collaboration with Tim McGraw. Hubbard and McGraw join musical forces on a song titled “Undivided,” which is set for release on Jan. 13. Hubbard co-wrote the song with Chris Loocke during a time of introspection while he was

In 2021, we’ll get to see how country music’s best artists have spent their time in quarantine. This list of 36 highly anticipated country albums includes projects from superstars such as Eric Church and Carrie Underwood and relative newcomers including Midland and Willie Jones. Is your favorite artist planning on releasing a new album this year? The first batch of

Amanda Shires kisses 2020 goodbye with a newly released cover of Genesis’ “That’s All” — and an accompanying lyric video that truly encompasses the wild and wacky year that was. The song, Shires says, “defines 2020 for me — a true COVID anthem.” Shires’ “That’s All” lyric video, created by Deren Ney, features “murder hornets,”

Sturgill Simpson delivered his bluegrass take on his 2014 track, “Life of Sin,” on The Tonight Show Monday, January 4th. The musician and his top-notch backing band delivered the song from the Station Inn in Nashville — a bluegrass hub in the city — with mandolin player Sierra Hull ripping through a particularly impressive solo.

Blake Shelton‘s new song “Minimum Wage” may have upset some people on social media, but Ronnie Dunn gets it. The Brooks & Dunn singer came to Shelton’s defense after the younger of the two Oklahomans received backlash after performing the song on NBC last Thursday (Dec. 31). On Twitter, country fans sounded off about the idea

It’s always exciting to see who will give birth to the first baby of the new year: Will the baby be born at midnight on Jan. 1, or will it be a few minutes after? Will its “Happy Birthday” song be sung along with “Auld Lang Syne”? Several country artists were born in January —

Hailey Whitters kicks off 2021 with a bang, enlisting Little Big Town to help her sing “Fillin’ My Cup.” Accompanied by a music video starring Whitters as a runaway bride, the new tune adorned with Little Big Town’s big harmonies puts Whitters’ endearing talent front and center. Directed by Harper Smith, the clip has Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild,

For more than 25 years, Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe has hosted its “Alive at the Bluebird” series to raise funds for the Middle Tennessee nonprofit Alive Hospice. The event will continue in 2021 and feature performances from Kendell Marvel and Shane McAnally, among others, but will shift to a streaming format due to Covid-19. Beginning Thursday,

Chris Lane and his wife, former The Bachelor contestant Lauren Bushnell, have revealed that their first child will be a baby boy. The “Big, Big Plans” singer shared the news with his fans in a post to Instagram on New Year’s Day on Friday (Jan. 1). He posted a video in which he hits a

Twenty-one years ago today (Jan. 3, 2000), LeAnn Rimes kicked off the new year — and the new millennium — on a high note: It was on that date that her eponymous studio album, released on Oct. 26, 1999, went platinum, the first record to do so in the 2000s. The 12-track LeAnn Rimes album features

Dave Cobb has a tradition for welcoming artists he’s producing to RCA Studio A. When they first set foot in the Nashville studio, he runs through a litany of the greats who’ve previously recorded there. Dolly Parton threw a wrench in that routine when she arrived to sing “Words” for Barry Gibb’s new album Greenfields.

Some artists take years to earn mainstream recognition, much less success. But Dustin Lynch, who moved to Nashville at age 18 to be a professional songwriter, struck platinum with his debut single, 2012’s “Cowboys and Angels.” The artist released the track nine years ago this month. Co-written by Josh Leo and Tim Nichols, “Cowboys and

Forty-six years ago today, on Jan. 2, 1975, Austin City Limits premiered on PBS. The show’s inaugural episode, which aired as part of a PBS pledge drive, featured Willie Nelson as its very first guest. ACL‘s original first episode actually taped on Oct. 13, 1974, and included an appearance by BW Stevenson. But when that recording was found unusable, Nelson

At first, Erin Rae’s new song “He’s Not Free” sounds like a sweetly rendered Southern pastoral, full of “early summer peaches” and “cold water glasses sweating.” But by the end of the first verse, when Rae rhymes “honeysuckle vines” with “Georgia voters stood in all-day lines” it’s clear that “He’s Not Free” is something else

Austin City Limits aired for the first time on Jan. 2, 1975. A stripped-down take on the musical variety show, ACL shed that glamour, glitz and cheeky comedy of the 1960s’ musical television offerings. Originally intended to promote the artists and music of Texas, the show has now become a major platform for artists of all genres

Faith Hill songs are some of the most popular of the last 20-plus years. Since her debut in 1993, the country superstar has sold more than 30 million records and scored more than a dozen No. 1 hits. From traditional-leaning material to uptempo contemporary country, Hill has recorded some of the best songs to come

Ahead of his new album Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1, due January 8th, Barry Gibb has released another track off the project: a collaboration with Dolly Parton on “Words.” Originally released as a single by the Bee Gees in 1968, the song was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. Parton kicks off

Eleven years ago today, on Jan. 1, 2010, singer-songwriter Jimmy Wayne kicked off the new year by starting a 1,700-mile walk, called Meet Me Halfway, to raise awareness about youth aging out of the foster care system. Wayne first had the idea for the walk in December 2009, while enjoying the comforts of his warm home: ”This guilty

When Phil Everly died on Jan. 3, 2014, it brought an end to the career of one of the most essential partnerships in the history of modern music. The Everly Brothers played a key role in the development of early rock ’n’ roll, but their roots were in country music, and their influence in both genres was

Austin City Limits marks the first six years of its Hall of Fame induction ceremonies with a special retrospective featuring performances by Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, Los Lobos, and more. The 14-song episode culminates in a salute to Stevie Ray Vaughan with an all-star rendition of “Texas Flood” by Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy,

Wedding bells are in the air for a Runaway June bandmate for the second time in a month. Jennifer Wayne shared on Wednesday (Dec. 30) that she’s engaged to country singer-songwriter Austin Moody. Moody popped the question on Monday afternoon (Dec. 28) outside of Nashville’s Ocean Way Recording Studios, according to People, who also shares a series

It’s not just any new year that we’re kicking off: It’s the end of 2020 that’s launching, and what better way to ring it in than with a country soundtrack? Whether your last year was actually fairly decent (you know, besides the pandemic) or one you’d like to leave in the dust (we’re guessing that’s most

So, How Was Your 2020? is a series in which our favorite entertainers answer our questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year. We’ll be rolling these pieces out throughout December. Dierks Bentley and his family were vacationing in Colorado when the pandemic began and Tennessee schools went remote, so they spent

When Jan. 1 rolls around, people all over the world make their resolutions for the new year, but Dolly Parton isn’t one of them. The country music hitmaker says she learned a long time ago that the motivational tool doesn’t work for her. “It’s always the same thing: I’m gonna exercise more this year, I’m

Russell Dickerson tells an intimate, true-to-life story with “Home Sweet,” his euphorically uptempo new ode to his love story with his wife. Just as he sings in the lyrics of the song, Dickerson and his wife of seven years, Kailey, didn’t have much money between them when they first got married. He describes the song