Music

Chris Stapleton turned a road trip into his new song “Arkansas,” released on Friday (Oct. 23). Press play below to listen. In late 2019, Stapleton began playing “Arkansas” during some of his live shows, explaining that the song was born when Stapleton drove a car his wife Morgane picked out for his birthday from Oklahoma City back home to

Jerry Jeff Walker has never been one to do what he was supposed to do. A military dropout who scored a Top 10 hit in writing “Mr. Bojangles,” he left New York City for Austin, Texas, long before it was known as the “Live Music Capitol of the World.” And in the summer of 1973,

Thirty-six years ago today, on Oct. 25, 1984, Alabama — made up of Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook — accomplished a feat that had never been achieved by a country group before. It was on that date that they earned triple-platinum status, signifying sales of 3 million units, for both their Feels So Right and

Oct. 24, 1991, was a big day for Garth Brooks: It was on that date, 29 years ago, that the singer’s No Fences album was recognized for selling 5 million copies — the highest sales ever for a country artist at that time. No Fences, which was released in 1990, was Brooks’ sophomore album for Capitol Records. But while

No matter where you go, there’ll always be people who remember you from back when. Even award-winning songwriter Luke Dick and country superstar Miranda Lambert can’t outrun their raisin’ in the new song “Polyester.” Written by Dick and Chris DuBois, “Polyester” finds both Dick and Lambert reflecting on beating the odds: “20 to one, I wouldn’t get

Legacy Records has announced an expanded edition of Forever Words, the 2018 collaborative album that found artists like Chris Cornell and Elvis Costello setting poems and lyrics of Johnny Cash to music for the first time. The deluxe version of Forever Words will be released to streaming services in four “waves,” pairing a total of

Fourteen years ago today, on Oct. 24, 2006, Taylor Swift’s life was about to completely change. It was on that date that the then-16-year-old released her self-titled debut album on Big Machine Records. Swift released her first single, “Tim McGraw,” on June 19, 2006. The song, which Swift wrote with Liz Rose, peaked at No.

A new song from Dierks Bentley is not necessarily a sign that an album is imminent. The “Gone” singer says a conversation with Keith Urban inspired his current way of making and releasing music. “He goes, ‘You know, I’m not a huge hunter or fisherman, but I do have a catch and release policy,'” Bentley

Kylie Frey may have had no choice but to honor country music tradition on her new Rodeo Queen EP. The six-song project leans into fiddle and steel, bulls and broncs, and heartache. The Texas Regional Radio Report chart-topper “Spur of the Moment” begins Rodeo Queen. Frey, a Louisiana native, adds her untamed vocals to an unrequited

Charley Pride, the trailblazing country music vocalist behind such songs as “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” has been named the latest recipient of the Country Music Association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. This marks only the sixth time the award has been handed out since Nelson first received

Ten years ago today, on Oct. 23, 2010, Blake Shelton officially became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The singer was introduced by Jeannie Seely and inducted by Trace Adkins. Shelton, an avid Twitter user, was invited to join the Opry via a tweet on Sept. 28, 2010, during the Country Comes Home concert that

When the Avett Brothers released their The Third Gleam album in late August, they unintentionally met the moment. The eight-song project, recorded prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic, tackles isolation and injustice, but also resilience and love — a fortuitous choice of subject matter, given the spring and summer of quarantining and civil unrest that preceded its

Catch Miranda Lambert and her husband of nearly two years, Brendan McLoughlin, at home on their farm in Nashville in her new “Settling Down” music video. The clip debuted on Wednesday (Oct. 21). Directed by Trey Fanjoy, Lambert’s music video for the Top 40 single finds the couple enjoying time together amid some truly stunning

The CMT Music Awards celebrated the best in country music videos on Wednesday night. This year, the winners shared the wealth evenly: only Carrie Underwood was a repeat winner, taking home the top prize of Video of the Year and a trophy for Female Video of the Year, both for “Drinking Alone.” Jennifer Nettles also

Garth Brooks wore a work glove on his left hand as he apologized to fans for having to postpone his Fun album preview event after an accident on his farm. The singer and his wife, fellow artist Trisha Yearwood, appeared more than a little bummed and alluded to not being able to play guitar for the Facebook

Jason Aldean still isn’t used to having to wear a mask, and he hopes he never is, but he dutifully wears one while in public. Since March, the “Got What I Got” singer has found a bright side to having to cover half of his face. The Taste of Country Nights crew asked Aldean about taking

Drew Parker’s real simple music video concept for his song “While You’re Gone” is also real country. Find the singer-songwriter atop his white Chevy Silverado, whittling down a case of cheap beer to drown his heartache in this clip. A single stationary camera captures the many scenes and increasingly unhinged moods of Parker as he

The Cadillac Three lean into their funky, jammy side for a surprise new album. Arriving Friday, Tabasco & Sweet Tea furthers the inspired jams the Nashville trio explored in select songs on their last album, Country Fuzz. Over 11 tracks mostly recorded on the band’s bus prior to quarantine, the group celebrates the topics they

Morgan Wallen‘s son, Indie, is the spitting image of his famous father in an adorable new Halloween picture his mother has posted online. Wallen’s former fiancee, Katie Smith, gave birth to son Indigo Wilder in July, and she turned to Instagram on Tuesday (Oct. 20) to share a too-cute-for-words picture of the adorable tyke dressed

In some respects, the Country Music Association has always done better than a lot of organizations within the “Nashville machine” at incorporating women into its mission. After all, it’s hard to imagine the CMA or the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s early years without the influence of longtime executive director Jo Walker-Meador. The

The SteelDrivers invited former Civil Wars member and current solo artist John Paul White further into the fold on their latest album, Bad for You, including with the song “Innocent Man.” The music video for the track is premiering exclusively on The Boot; press play above to watch. “When he steps behind a microphone, you can see that

Thirty years ago this month, Mary Chapin Carpenter released her 1990 album Shooting Straight in the Dark, a record that, up until “Shut Up and Kiss Me” in 1994, produced the Washington, D.C.-area songwriter’s highest charting single. The song was “Down at the Twist and Shout” and it helped introduce country-radio listeners to some authentically

Kelly Clarkson thought she knew all about Blake Shelton‘s pageant kid past when she brought up those days on a recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show — but, as it turns out, she didn’t quite know everything about her friend and fellow The Voice coach’s child performer past. To Clarkson, Shelton admits that he and his sister once talked

The Voice has turned out be a great venue for country music, thanks in part to country star Blake Shelton, who has served as one of the show’s coaches since its inception. Since 2011, Shelton and his fellow celebrity coaches — and their guest mentors — have helped introduce fans to country artists such as Cassadee Pope,

Russell Dickerson will mark the end of 2020 with new music. His sophomore album, Southern Symphony, is due out on Dec. 4 via Triple Tigers. The 10-track record is, Dickerson says in a press release, “hands down the best work I’ve created.” It features “humble and heartfelt ballads about love and nostalgia matched with his signature ‘RD

For the 30th installment of his group’s ongoing “Quarantunes” series, the Mavericks’ frontman Raul Malo takes a solo turn for a cover of Sam Cooke’s classic anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come.” In previous installments, the band has tackled songs by Neil Diamond and Simon & Garfunkel in addition to their own songs. In the

Doug Supernaw, who made his mark in country music during the late ’80s through the late ’90s with several Top 30 hits, including “I Don’t Call Him Daddy,” announced in February of 2019 that he is battling Stage IV cancer. Unfortunately, his condition has worsened, and as a result, he is now under hospice care. Supernaw’s

Fifteen years ago today, on Oct. 18, 2005, Carrie Underwood‘s life was about to change, although she had no way of knowing it at the time. It was on that date that Underwood’s single “Jesus, Take the Wheel” was released. “Jesus, Take the Wheel” was the debut single from Underwood’s freshman album, Some Hearts. It followed “Inside

Lauren Mascitti quietly pulled off two minor miracles in her new music video for “Losing My Mind.” On its surface, the clip — debuting exclusively on The Boot — easily matches the hurt of the traditionalist’s vocals … but dig deeper, and you’ll find a fair bit of “How’d they do that?” More than a few Nashville studio legends

Two years before Sturgill Simpson released his debut solo effort, 2013’s High Top Mountain, his band Sunday Valley put out their album To the Wind and on to Heaven, which included the slow-burning “I Don’t Mind.” On that LP, the tale of a love lost was a dusty slice of country-rock, with muscly drums butting