Music

On Tuesday evening, a video of Morgan Wallen casually tossing off a racial slur emerged. By Wednesday morning, his career was systematically being dismantled. In a blowback unprecedented for a white male country music star — the Chicks were ostracized for far less in 2003 — Wallen had his music removed from both country radio

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a quartet of special guests are bringing a Bob Dylan classic into a new era. A recently released cover finds the legendary band, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, the War and Treaty and Steve Earle covering Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” with the proceeds going to a good cause.

Happy birthday to Garth Brooks! The singer was born on Feb. 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Okla. Born Troyal Garth Brooks, the future country superstar is the youngest child of Troyal and Colleen Brooks. His parents deserve much of the credit for his success, since they hosted weekly talent shows for their family, in which they required

Luke Bryan wasted no time sharing some of his new music: Just a few hours after announcing the forthcoming deluxe version of his 2020 album Born Here, Live Here, Die Here, the country superstar released one of its newly added songs, “Country Does.” “Country Does” is an mid-tempo track about small-town life with vaguely Dr. Seuss-like, tongue-twister lyrics

In the four days since Morgan Wallen was captured on camera saying a racial slur, blowback from the country music industry has been sweeping. He’s been exiled from country radio, major talent agency WME dropped him as a client, and his record deal — a joint partnership between Big Loud and Republic Records — has

On Feb. 7, 1995, Shania Twain released her second album, The Woman in Me. The Canadian musician co-wrote the album with her then-husband, Robert John “Mutt” Lange; the latter also produced the full-length. Although the well-crafted songwriting points to Twain’s future pop success, the LP is squarely in the country realm. However, The Woman In Me has

Before her sophomore album debuted on Feb. 7, 1995, few people knew who Shania Twain was. But The Woman in Me, Twain’s second record, changed all of that for good. Instead of hitting the “sophomore slump,” Twain introduced herself to the world as a bona fide country superstar with The Woman in Me. The project produced eight singles;

Carly Pearce looks back on a failed relationship and finds fault on both sides in her new song “Should’ve Known Better.” The country singer dropped the track on Friday (Feb. 5), one day after announcing her forthcoming new album 29. Written by Pearce with Jordan Reynolds and Emily Shackleton, “Should’ve Known Better” at first sounds as though

Eric Church will give one of the biggest performances of his career on Sunday when he sings the National Anthem at the Super Bowl alongside Jazmine Sullivan. Today, Church made it clear that he doesn’t want it to be his only performance of 2021. “Hey guys, we are working on a North American tour,” Church

Forty-five years ago today (Feb. 6, 1976) was a day of celebration for Ronnie Milsap: It was on that date that the singer-songwriter was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, when he was just 33 years old. Milsap became an Opry member just as he was beginning to dominate the charts. At the time of his

Manhattan venue CBGB is remembered as the prototypical punk-rock hole in the wall, and an incubator for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame talents the Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie. Yet in the bigger picture, one of the most influential dive bars in music history made sense for Alan Jackson‘s first New York stop since 9/11,

Viral music sensation Lathan Warlick and country music hitmaker RaeLynn are in love, albeit not with each other. She has been married to Josh Davis for nearly five years; he, too, is happily married. So when the two music lovers came together to write a song last fall, it was their own respective loves that they

Dan + Shay deliver a heartfelt show of gratitude with their new song “Glad You Exist,” which was released on Friday. It’s the follow-up to their chart-topping hit “I Should Probably Goes to Bed” and latest from an upcoming project. Built around a percussive acoustic guitar part that could have easily powered an early John

Eric Church isn’t looking to repeat the experience he had making Heart & Soul, the singer’s upcoming triple album that gives two complementary views of the musician: the crux (exhibited in the pointed ”Stick That in Your Country Song“) and the essence (last month’s nostalgic “Heart on Fire“). That’s because Church gave all he had during the

Dierks Bentley always brings his guitar with him when he visits the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Really, he says he should be bringing a guitar case full of tissues. “You go to St. Jude and you bring a guitar thinking you’re gonna help raise some spirits and make people feel better,”

Miko Marks understands if you’re a bit confused about her new cover of “Hard Times.” Originally published in 1854, the song was written by Stephen Foster, an American songwriter whose well-known songs also include, among others, “Oh, Susanna” and “Camptown Races.” Perhaps you’ll be familiar with the versions by Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan or, perhaps

Last October, Texas lost two of its biggest musical legends: Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver. Walker wrote some of country music’s funniest, most heartbreaking songs, including 1968’s “Mr. Bojangles.” Shaver pioneered outlaw country, writing classics like “Georgia on a Fast Train” and “Ride Me Down Easy,” recorded by Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and

Morgan Wallen likely would have been among the top nominees at the 2021 ACM Awards, but not anymore. The Academy of Country Music has ruled the singer ineligible for this year’s awards show after he was caught on video using the N-word. The ACM announced its decision on Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 3), the latest in a swift

It all happened so fast. On Tuesday morning (Feb. 2), Morgan Wallen was country music’s fastest-rising star, but come Wednesday (Feb. 3), you can’t even find him on the radio. What, exactly, did Morgan Wallen say? Per TMZ, Wallen returned home from a night out in Nashville on Sunday (Jan. 31) and was saying goodbye to friends outside in his driveway,

Put on your dancin’ shoes: Mac Leaphart‘s new song “Honey, Shake!” will have you ready to groove. It’s premiering exclusively on The Boot; press play below to listen. Leaphart wrote “Honey, Shake!” alone, “out of necessity,” he explains. He was living in Charleston, S.C., playing hours-long bar sets, and while his setlists were largely made

Morgan Wallen is experiencing major blowback from country radio after video of him using the “n-word” surfaced on TMZ. According to a report in Variety, Cumulus Media directed its more than 400 stations around the country to remove Wallen’s songs from rotation. “Team, unfortunately country music star Morgan Wallen was captured on video Sunday evening

Morgan Wallen has issued an apology after he was caught using a racial slur on video. The country singer tells TMZ he is ”embarrassed and sorry” after footage surfaced of him using the N-word in a video a neighbor captured. TMZ broke the news of the video on Tuesday night (Feb. 2), posting a clip that

Darius Rucker caught a mood at his hometown IHOP and bought everyone breakfast. The “Beers and Sunshine” singer didn’t expect his gesture to make national news. “I was just looking around … and there was just a bunch of families, a bunch of kids,” he shares with Taste of Country Nights hosts Evan and Amber. “I really just

Luke Bryan‘s latest single, “Down to One,” is a mellow love song tinged with R&B, reminiscent of his early-to-mid-2010s catalog, and the track now has a music video that adds visuals as lush and spine-tingling as the tune’s lyrics. In the video, Bryan takes a backseat to a young couple who wander in and out

During an appearance on NBC’s Today on Monday, Dolly Parton said she was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom two different times by former president Trump. The country music icon said she had to decline. “I got offered the Freedom award from the Trump Administration. I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill and

When Blake Shelton returns to his coaching role on Season 20 of NBC’s The Voice, he’ll have some serious star power in his corner: Superstar duo Dan + Shay will be Battle Advisors for Team Blake this season. On Monday (Feb. 1), Shelton remarked during an interview with Access that bandmates Shay Mooney and Dan Smyers will provide invaluable

Negro spirituals sung by enslaved African-Americans are categorized as the oldest American folk songs. Thus, because country music is a descendant of blues and folk music, the Black musical tradition in the genre extends to the 17th century, well before the genre’s established 1920s roots. The inspirational fiber of country music was expertly refined and

All-vocal country group Home Free try their hand at one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest classics with their take on “American Pie,” singer-songwriter Don McLean’s beloved hit from 1971. Home Free’s version commemorates the 50th anniversary of the song’s original release, and includes a guest spot from none other than McLean himself. “Being in the studio

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. Jake Hoot featuring Kelly Clarkson, “I Would’ve Loved You” Jake Hoot’s debut

Tanya Tucker‘s older brother, Don, has died. The country icon revealed her family loss in a post to social media on Friday (Jan. 29), writing that he “got his wings” on Jan. 12. According to his obituary, Jesse Donald Tucker was 76 years old when he died on Jan. 12 after battling dementia and COVID-19.