Music

Eleven years ago today, on March 12, 2010, Miranda Lambert struck gold. It was on that date that her single “White Liar,” from her 2009 album Revolution, was certified gold, for sales of 500,000 units. “White Liar,” written by Lambert and Natalie Hemby, was the second single released from Revolution. “I was listening to a lot

Nicole Rayy knows the power of a sad song. Her new music video for her own single “Sad Song” — premiering exclusively on The Boot — encapsulates the gloomy sort of days when the only things that hit right are some sweet treats, a romantic movie and a downtrodden soundtrack. In the new clip, Rayy

Maren Morris joined Ellen DeGeneres for an in-the-studio conversation on DeGeneres’ talk show on Thursday to chat about her upcoming performance on the Grammy Awards and why she thinks country music is getting more socially conscious. Morris, whose hit “The Bones” is nominated for Best Country Song at Sunday’s Grammys, confirmed she’ll be performing on

Margo Price and Nathaniel Rateliff are the two latest artists to be tapped to share the stage for CMT Crossroads. The performance from singer-songwriters, both of whom have found success within the Americana realm, will air in late March. Price and Rateliff’s CMT Crossroads episode is a significant one: Not only are both artists debuting on the

Luke Combs was recently engaged to his now-wife, Nicole Hocking, when he, Drew Parker and Rob Williford sat down to songwrite for the first time in the couple’s home together. They’d recently moved in, and if you ask Parker, it was the decision to write in that location and at that time that got them “Forever

Wednesday (March 10) is Carrie Underwood‘s 38th birthday, but she’s the one doling out the gifts. The country star used the occasion to share “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” one of the songs from her upcoming gospel album, My Savior, with fans. “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” originally composed by Robert Lowry, dates back

Hiss Golden Messenger have announced the details of their next album, Quietly Blowing It. Coming on the heels of leader M.C. Taylor’s Grammy-nominated 2019 record Terms of My Surrender, the new project from the North Carolina singer-songwriter will be released in June. The second offering from the album is the sparse ballad “If It Comes

The 2021 Grammy Awards are coming up soon, and some of the best and brightest artists in country and Americana music will be involved in the broadcast on what’s billed every year as Music’s Biggest Night. Some of the biggest stars and hottest emerging artists in country music and its related genres have scored Grammy

Country music, more than many other genres, is known for its lyrical wordplay. Double entendre, puns, unexpected turns of phrase — the best country stars and songwriters don’t shy away from a literary device. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that when these artists are playing with words, they sometimes decide to play a little dirty.

Thomas Rhett has been busy during the COVID-19 pandemic, writing and recording new music, and soon, fans will get to hear plenty of what he’s been up to. The country star has announced plans for a double album, Country Again, coming this year. Country Again, Side A, the first half of the record, is due out

Willie Jones made his late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday with his powerful single “American Dream,” originally released in January. The song appears on the Louisiana native’s album Right Now. An unflinching examination of racial inequality and broken promises in the country where Jones was raised, “American Dream” deals directly

Monday (March 8) marked five years to the day since Rory Feek laid his wife, Joey Feek, to rest in a private service at the couple’s Pottsville, Tenn., farm. Now, the singer is paying homage to his late partner with a deeply personal new song, “One Angel,” and music video to match. “One Angel” was written by

In 1965, the Grammy Awards began honoring country artists for their albums with an award designated specifically for vocal and instrumental country records. The first trophy, then for a category designated Best Country & Western Album, was given to Roger Miller at that year’s 7th Annual Grammy Awards, for Dang Me / Chug-a-Lug. Miller would go on

Jordan Davis’ new music video for his hit single, “Almost Maybes,” features a familiar face. Hannah Brown from The Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars makes her music video debut … and the setting quite suits her past experiences. The video is set as a nostalgic walk down memory lane, shot as if one continually

Dolly Parton is many things to so many people: singer-songwriter, actress, humorist, icon. But to nearly 2 million kids around the world, she’s their librarian. Since 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program has delivered meticulously chosen, personalized, age-appropriate books every month to children up to five years old — all free of charge. Parton’s charitable

American Idol hopeful Ash Ruder delivered a heartstring-tugging original song during the latest round of auditions in the show’s Sunday night (March 7) episode, and her performance left all three judges blinking back tears. Even more powerful was the backstory behind the song, which she wrote as a surprise for her dad, Bryan, on his birthday. “I always

Don McLean‘s classic song “American Pie” details “the day the music died”: Feb. 3, 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. Sadly, however, the three rockabilly artists weren’t the first, and were far from the last, musicians to die in a plane crash. Given the

Walker Hayes is back with his first new song of 2021. It’s called “I Hope You Miss Me,” and the summery anthem is sure to put a smile on your face with its poppy atmosphere and nostalgic narrative. The tune was co-written by Hayes with Shane McAnally, Sam Summer, Nick Ruth and Sean Smalls; it was

Thomas Rhett is the latest country singer to go big with plans for a double album. The project’s first half, Country Again: Side A, will be available April 30th and includes the lead single “What’s Your Country Song,” along with two newly released tracks, “Growing Up” and “Want It Again.” Where several of Rhett’s hit

Thirty-five years ago today (March 7, 1986) was a big day for Randy Travis. It was on that date that the singer made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry, three months before his freshman album, Storms of Life, was released on Warner Bros. Travis, who was introduced during his Opry debut by Little Jimmy Dickens, sang

Twenty-three years ago today (March 7, 1998) was a life-changing day for Sara Evans. It was on that date that the singer made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry. Evans was working on her sophomore album, No Place That Far, when she made her first Opry appearance. The then-27-year-old sang the Hank Williams classic “Your

Brett Kissel believes we’ve just started a new era of country music, one that will be well-documented by historians in the decades to come. Concert anthems that call for waving a lighter in the air, or the kind of communal dancing we were once used to are on timeout. Hits like Luke Bryan‘s “Country Girl” or Florida Georgia

On March 5th, 1963, a plane carrying one of country music’s most famous voices, Patsy Cline, crashed in the woods near Camden, Tennessee, killing all onboard: Cline, Grand Ole Opry members Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins, and pilot Randy Hughes. Cline was on her way home from Kansas City, Kansas, where she’d played a benefit

Hardcore Dan + Shay fans are well aware of musician Dan Smyers’ love for dogs. The country singer-songwriter already has a big group of his own pups, and now, he and his wife, Abby, have rescued a tiny 16-year-old pooch who’s experiencing a whole host of health problems. The couple came across the dog at Wags and

Twenty-two years ago today (March 6, 1999) was a big day for Sara Evans. It was on that date that the Missouri native scored her first No. 1 hit with “No Place That Far,” the title track from her sophomore album. “No Place That Far” was helped along by country music icon Vince Gill, who sings

Miranda Lambert‘s “Tin Man” is already her most vulnerable moment but on The Marfa Tapes, the singer decided to reveal even more. The mistakes, the wrong notes, the cracked vocals, the missing words — Lambert says you can hear all of it. “You can hear the cows and the wind,” she tells Taste of Country Nights. “In

In honor of this month’s Bandcamp Friday, Dawn Landes has released a stripped-down duet with the late Justin Townes Earle. Recorded roughly a decade ago, it’s a plainspoken, finger-picked version of Dolly Parton’s “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.” Earle and Landes recorded the song at Landes’ Brooklyn studio while the two singer-songwriters were on

Fifty-eight years ago today (March 5, 1963) was a tragic day for the country music community: It was on that date that Patsy Cline, along with Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas, was killed in a plane crash while on her way home from a benefit concert in Kansas City, Kan. Although she was ill with the

Seventeen years ago today (March 5), Gretchen Wilson was enjoying her last few moments of relative anonymity. It was on this date in 2004 that Wilson’s debut single, “Redneck Woman,” from her freshman album, Here for the Party, exploded onto the airwaves. Wilson, who grew up listening to country music, name-checks some of her own favorite

When the Steel Woods‘ co-founder Jason “Rowdy” Cope died unexpectedly at the age of 42 in January, the band had recently been recording new music. On May 14, Cope’s surviving bandmates will move forward with that work, releasing a new album, All of Your Stones. The Steel Woods’ new record is their third, and a press release