Music

Ashley McBryde carries on the great country tradition of giving bad men what they deserve in her new song “Martha Divine.” Only in this case, he gets to live knowing his loose trousers led to a wanton woman’s demise. Part Dixie Chicks‘ “Goodbye Earl” (as they were known then), part Carrie Underwood‘s ”Two Black Cadillacs,” “Martha Divine”

First-round Grammy voting gets underway on September 30th and runs through October 12th. For our 2021 Grammy preview issue, we asked a series of likely contenders for next year’s awards to reflect on their past experiences at the ceremony, look ahead to the future, and discuss the albums and singles that could earn them a statue

He’s been spending more time at home recently due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but Jon Pardi‘s still keeping plenty busy. “We’re building some stuff around my house that’s keeping me really occupied, and then between writing every week and whatever pops up, there’s a lot going on,” the singer shares. “I’m not just binging

Country music can trace its roots back in myriad directions, with influences hailing from Appalachia, the British Isles, Africa and south of the border. But the thread that pulls all of country music together is the lonely cry of the western cowboy. From the earliest years of television and radio, the ideals of cowboy life

Scotty McCreery‘s country accent keeps ”You Time” safely between the country buoys, but the lead single from his fourth studio album is his most progressive in half a decade. Producer Frank Rogers is back for the new song, but the pair lean left (slightly) of country music’s traditional center with vocal effects and guitar tones made popular by the

After more than a half-year hiatus because of the ongoing pandemic, the Time Jumpers will resume their Monday-night residency at Nashville club 3rd and Lindsley on October 5th. But the Western swing band will do so without Vince Gill. A member of the group since 2010, the multi-Grammy winner and current member of the Eagles,

Trisha Yearwood has unveiled a moving music video for “I’ll Carry You Home.” It’s the poignant ballad the country singer recently performed at the 2020 ACM Awards that hails from her 2019 studio effort, Every Girl. While Yearwood’s rendition at the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards served as a tribute to those we’ve lost this

It’s been about six months since Maren Morris and her husband, Ryan Hurd, welcomed baby boy Hayes in March. Now, the singer says she’s beginning to write songs again, and she’s been working on expanding her circle of co-writers. “I’m trying to mix it up and not always use my same, like, four friends that I’m really

Although the majority of 2020 has been a swirl of upheaval and unprecedented new normals, it’s hard to deny that the year has brought forth some moments of simplicity and opportunities to pause and strip down. A good example comes in the form of a new music video from Chris Stapleton for “Starting Over,” which showcases everything great

Drive-By Truckers have released a pointed lyric video for “21st Century USA,” one of the understated highlights from the band’s 2020 record, The Unraveling. “I wrote this song during a rest stop outside of Gillette, Wyoming in January of 2018,” says the band’s co-frontman Patterson Hood. “Its blending of the personal and political provided the

Keith Urban‘s father wasn’t one to express his emotions. In his childhood home, the country superstar admits, conversations about feelings were not often had. “I was raised in a house with a dad that was always like, ‘Shhh. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t talk about anything; say [it] in your music,'” Urban shares in a

It’s a country music cliche to say it’s the song that matters most, but for Luke Laird, that’s been the case from the very start of his dreams of a career in the industry. As a child in rural Hartstown, Pa., Laird “was just into whatever was on the radio, so I was a huge Michael Jackson

Josh Abbott Band have introduced their sixth studio album, The Highway Kind, with the set’s lilting title track. The song celebrates one’s journey toward fulfillment instead of focusing on an idealized destination. Released earlier this month, the tune’s twangy temperament and freewheeling lyrical drive should come as no surprise to fans of the country group who

Jason Isbell covered Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” in the latest segment of Amanda Shires’ I So Lounging livestream series, but not before addressing the recent controversy surrounding the musician. “There was a time in the past when our dear Van Morrison had such beautiful music, such beautiful songs, that everyone paid attention to him,” Isbell

Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are embarking on a new initiative to combat hunger nationwide. The couple has pledged to donate 1 million nutritious meals over the course of September as part their Million Meal Donation Tour. The tour kicked off in Detroit, Mich., on Sept. 8 and is currently making its way to

Known for capturing the essence of an eternal summer, Florida native John K quietly cemented himself as an independent artist to watch in 2017 when he was handpicked as Elvis Duran’s “Artist of the Month,” allowing him to appear on the TODAY Show with a performance of his breakout single “OT.” Crediting his soulful vocals and effortless cool to

Country stars have contributed theme songs to some great television shows and movies over the years. Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and George Strait are among the country stars who have recorded songs for television and film, and you’ll also find two very different songs from two very different films from Dolly Parton on

When Michael Trotter sat down on the staircase inside his home in Albion, Michigan, one day in 2017, he was ready to end his life. Grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq, Trotter thought that maybe his life insurance policy could solve his wife and young son’s financial woes if he died. “I felt

Tyler Childers surprise-released a brand-new album on Friday (Sept. 18), using his platform to, largely without fanfare, express his opinions on systemic racism, Southern pride and empathy. Long Violent History is a nine-song, mostly instrumental record that concludes with its weighty, thoughtful title track. Old-time fiddle songs titled, among other things, “Squirrel Hunter,” “Midnight on the

Dolly Parton was among the many who turned to social media to mark the death of longtime Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday night (Sept. 18) at the age of 87. In an emotional post, Parton says that although Ginsburg was “small in stature,” her commitment and her achievements were enormous

LA-based actress, singer/songwriter, Camie Llano has a unique way to express herself and create through her imagination. Born and raised in Colombia, her passion for music started from an early age, realizing she had a remarkably good ear, she began self-teaching herself piano and guitar. Camie took every opportunity she had to sing, participating in

As the joke goes, the world won’t end tomorrow, because it’s already tomorrow in Australia. It’s flawed logic, of course, but it’s still comforting, on an evening six months or so into the novel coronavirus pandemic, to see Keith Urban pop up on the video chat screen from Down Under. “I’ll give you the lotto numbers,”

The country music community has been honoring the memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, following the Supreme Court Justice’s death on Friday at 87. On Saturday, Dolly Parton posted a poetic statement on Instagram, with a photo of Justice Ginsburg in her judicial robe. View this post on Instagram She was small in stature but even

Hailey Whitters‘ “Happy People” is the “whatever puts a smile on your face” in the lyrics. The singer-songwriter has released a lighthearted animated music video for the song, first cut by Little Big Town. Whitters co-wrote “Happy People” with lauded songwriter Lori McKenna, who has also released a take on the song, on 2018’s The Tree. Little Big Town

The 2020 ACM Awards were a history-making show in a number of ways — including, the Academy of Country Music has shared, who had knowledge of this year’s winners ahead of time. In a new story from Billboard, the ACM explains that, for the first time ever, the organization’s CEO, Damon Whiteside, was given the winners list

It was 47 years ago today, on Sept. 19, 1973, that singer-songwriter Gram Parsons passed away. Parsons was only 26 years old when he died, from an overdose of morphine and alcohol. A Florida native, Parsons began his professional music career with the Byrds in 1968, before launching into a series of other musical endeavors, including

After hosting the ACM Awards this week and releasing a smoldering duet with Pink, Keith Urban drops his new album The Speed of Now Part 1. While Urban’s brand of up-tempo, rock-influenced country music is well-represented over the 16 songs, he’s not afraid to color way outside the genre’s lines — most notably in the

Wynonna Judd remembers exactly where she was when she heard that John Prine had died, of COVID-19, in early April. “I was sitting in the kitchen,” she recalls in a press release, and she felt called to sing his song “Angel From Montgomery” that night. She was working on a new project with her husband, Cactus

Keith Urban‘s 11th studio album opens with a collaboration, “Out the Cage,” featuring Chic guitarist Nile Rogers and country-meets-rap artist Breland. Urban and Breland penned the song together during a writing session in Nashville — one of four they wrote together that day, in fact. To The Boot, Urban describes Breland as a “kindred spirit”:

As she addressed media outlets in a virtual press room after winning the ACM Female Artist of the Year trophy on Wednesday night (Sept. 16), Maren Morris admitted that her victory still didn’t feel quite real. “I mean, I’m in shock still,” the singer said. After all, the category was one she never really saw herself