Music

No matter what way you look at it, marriage is hard. Most of the time, even the happiest of unions is a work in progress. Now imagine trying to keep your marriage not just alive but thriving while also nurturing a superstar career in country music. Although it may seem glamorous — and, some of the

Eric Church‘s “Hell of a View” is a love song for rebels. The couple in its lyrics high-tail it out of their hometown together and, taking a few risks, make it work against the odds. “This ain’t for everybody / Toes hangin’ off the ledge like we got nothin’ to lose / Ain’t always Heaven,

Elizabeth Cook can’t remember how many times she’s performed on the Grand Ole Opry, except to say it’s “more than 400.” In fact, the veteran country singer holds the record for the most Opry performances by a non-member. It is a curious statistic. “The stat you don’t want is the one I got,” Cook says

Jason Aldean was on stage when the shooting began at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, and he hasn’t forgotten it. On social media, Aldean opens up about the pain of reliving the tragedy. A gunman killed 58 people when he opened fire from a hotel across the street from the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.

Singer-songwriter Tori Martin summons the spirit of a country queen in her performance for The Boot’s Guest Room Sessions. “What would Dolly do?” she asks in this song; press play above to watch. Faced with heartache and hardship in both her career and her personal life, Martin finds herself thinking about the one and only Dolly

“Ain’t no big deal, it’s just Armageddon,” Travis Tritt flippantly sings in his bluesy, Southern rock-flavored new single, “Ghost Town Nation.” It’s a fun-loving retelling of Hank Williams Jr.‘s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” focusing on all the ways that country folks can thrive during uncertain times. The song invites listeners to leave a troubled society

Mac Davis had a number of his songs recorded by Elvis Presley, most famously the 1969 tale of inner-city poverty “In the Ghetto.” The vivid depiction of social inequality was a Top 3 hit for Elvis and became as synonymous with the latter part of his career as “Suspicious Minds.” But for all its importance

After 20 years together, Rascal Flatts announced in January that they would be stepping out of the spotlight after a farewell tour (now canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic) and a year of celebrating their two decades as a band. It wasn’t a decision they took lightly, Flatts member Jay DeMarcus says, opening up

Cole Bradley is adorably in love in his new “Love Made Me” music video. Readers can watch the clip, premiering exclusively on The Boot, above. The “Love Made Me” video follows Bradley and a significant other (played by Izzy Dilger, a digital influencer and long-time family friend of Bradley’s) from morning to night. They’re clearly smitten,

John Rich turns the fate of the world over into the hands of a higher power in “Earth to God,” an of-the-times song that calls on people of all walks of life to focus on faith. The song was born out of Rich’s response to what has been a difficult year worldwide. “As I sit and

Singer-songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan has announced dates for his “Live and Well From East Nashville” virtual tour. The three-night series kicks off with a solo acoustic show on October 13th. Tasjan, a bandleader and guitarist, will have a different approach and location for each of the three shows, which run weekly through October 27th. The

Kelly Clarkson is being sued by her management company over alleged unpaid commissions. According to the lawsuit filed by Starstruck Management Group on Tuesday (Sept. 29) in Los Angeles Superior Court, the singer, The Voice coach and talk show host owes more than $1 million in unpaid commission. Variety reports that the suit claims Clarkson has paid

49 Winchester songwriter and lead singer Isaac Gibson found himself stranded overnight in the small town of Hays, Kan., and left with an idea for a song. The Appalachia-bred country-soul band is premiering the track exclusively with The Boot; press play below to watch a live performance of the tune. “Hays, Kansas” “walloped me,” Gibson admits,

Zara Larsson unleashes a remix of her buzzing hit single “WOW” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Get it HERE via TEN/Epic Records. Last month, “WOW” exploded on the heels of a sync during a romantic dance sequence between the two main characters in the Netflix Original hit film Work It. Watch it HERE. In the aftermath, the track vaulted up the charts of both Top 40 and Dance Radio

Kane Brown imagines a better future for all the children of the world — regardless of race or socioeconomic status — in his “Worldwide Beautiful” music video. “Worldwide Beautiful,” which also lends its name to Brown’s now-postponed 2020 tour, was first released back in June. The song is a timely call for racial justice and mutual

It’s difficult enough to connect with another human being in the time of Covid, but that didn’t stop Courtney Marie Andrews from taking things a step further — by traveling from her home in Nashville to an isolated cottage on the island of Nantucket, where a reliable wireless signal to do an interview is about

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers‘ friendship was a playful, flirtatious one, as both artists admitted time and again. That dynamic is on display in a newly released clip from one of Parton’s eponymous television variety shows, which is premiering exclusively on The Boot. “This is so much fun, and I knew it would be, because every

Four years ago, Amanda Shires wrote a song about abortion — about a group of women talking about another woman getting one, specifically. The subject matter was important, she knew, but the song itself wasn’t fitting quite right alongside her others, so she tucked it away. “I needed time, I think, to think about presenting it to the

Terry McBride plays the father, Patty Loveless plays the mother, and Chris Stapleton helped fill in the details of “Rebels & Angels,” the title track of McBride’s upcoming solo album. The song is a classic American love story delivered in three-quarters time. McBride, formerly the frontman and namesake of the ’90s band McBride & the Ride, wrote the

Michael Ray’s new song “Whiskey and Rain” is equal parts Ronnie Milsap and Gary Allan, a mix of the piano man’s Eighties swing and the Nineties lonesomeness of Allan’s Smoke Rings in the Dark. “It’s been nothing but a hangover trying to get over you,” Ray sings in a pronounced but easygoing twang, a sign

Zac Brown Band multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook and his wife, Brooke, have welcomed their third child. People reports that the country couple welcomed a daughter, Cecilia “Ceci” Ellen Cook, in Newnan, Georgia, on Friday (Sept. 25). Ceci joins her two older brothers, 3 1/2-year-old Charles “Charlie” Robert and Theron “Teddie” Maine, 2. “We could not feel

Nobody said it because so few understood it, but Granger Smith and his wife Amber’s immediate call to give back to the hospital where their 3-year-old son died was not intuitive. Within days, if not sooner, the couple was praising the staff and their efforts. It’s not that the nurses and doctors at the Dell

Filmore‘s debut album drops Friday (Sept. 25), and he’s celebrating with the release of a lyric video for his latest single, “Nothing’s Better.” The clip is premiering exclusively on The Boot; press play above to watch. To a beatbox-esque beat, a twangy guitar and a snap track, the song’s lyrics celebrate the freedom that comes

Willie Nelson has paired his political anthem “Vote ‘Em Out” — which the country legend premiered ahead of the 2018 midterms election — with a new animated video to spread its message before Election Day 2020. Nelson first performed the track at a 2018 rally in support of Beto O’Rourke during his Texas senatorial race

Florida Georgia Line‘s Tyler Hubbard is a boy dad for the second time in just over a year. The singer and his wife, Hayley, welcomed their third baby and second son on Thursday (Sept. 24). Atlas Roy Hubbard was born at 6:44PM in Nashville, weighing in at 8 lbs., 2 oz., and measuring 21 inches,

Eight years ago today, on Sept. 26, 2012, George Strait shocked the country music community by announcing that he was retiring from touring. The King of Country Music held a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame, announcing that his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour would be his farewell tour; the trek kicked off

Paul Cauthen and Orville Peck both bring a dash of soul to their solo music, but together, the pair dial it up as the Unrighteous Brothers. They’ve released under that moniker two Righteous Brothers covers, staying faithful to the original hits while adding just a bit of their own style. In a press release, Cauthen explains

Dolly Parton’s most memorable on-screen appearances, from concert specials to cameos with Oprah Winfrey and Bob Hope, are assembled for the new 19-DVD box set Dolly: The Ultimate Collection. One of the most cherished clips is from 1974, when Parton bid farewell to her frequent duet partner and confidant Porter Wagoner by singing “I Will

The year 2020 has been an emotional roller coaster for pretty much everyone, but Mickey Guyton‘s (metaphorical) ride has included a few more drops, loops and thrills. A decade ago, Guyton signed her record deal with Capitol Nashville. It wasn’t until 2015 that she released her debut single, the soaring breakup anthem “Better Than You

Caylee Hammack‘s debut album, If It Wasn’t for You, wraps up with the poppy, vaguely bombastic “New Level of Life.” The song finds the singer giving thanks to an ex for breaking up with her; she’s so much better off without him, she’s realized. It was a real situation Hammack found herself in, she tells