Thirty-six years ago today (Feb. 14, 1985) was a Valentine’s Day to remember for Randy Travis: It was on that date that the singer inked his record deal with Warner Bros. Records, only two weeks after recording what became his first single, “On the Other Hand.” Travis had already been rejected by every label in
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Fifty-four years ago today, on Feb. 13, 1967, Dolly Parton‘s debut album, appropriately titled, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released. The then-21-year-old Parton wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on the record, including two of its singles: “I Wasted My Tears,” which failed to chart, and “Something Fishy,” which landed in the Top 20. Curly Putman
First, there were the drafts of tweets that went unsent. Then there were the profanity-laced text messages to trusted friends. Finally, there were nerve-calming cooking videos on YouTube. Making some sense of the sadness and confusion I felt in the wake of the Morgan Wallen video took time. The disappointing revelation that country’s hottest new
Kameron Marlowe follows in the musical footsteps of fellow North Carolina native Luke Combs with his debut single, “Sober as a Drunk.” The song’s traditional country leanings, clever wordplay and barrel-chested baritone vocals all hearken back to Combs’ early hits — but Marlowe is rapidly proving his determination to leave his mark on country music, on his
Nineteen years ago today (Feb. 13, 2002) was a sad day in country music: It was on that date that Waylon Jennings died, from complications from diabetes. He was 64 years old. Jennings was born near Littlefield, Texas, and inherited his love of music from his mother. When he was eight years old, he began playing the guitar,
Kathy Mattea and her songwriter husband Jon Vezner owe their first meeting to a dead car battery. “Kathy lived upstairs at Wrensong, the publisher I used to write at,” Vezner tells The Boot. “I’d see her in the hallway from time to time. One morning I overheard her battery was dead, so I jumped her —
In 1984, Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias teamed up for a duet that bridged country music with Latin balladry: “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” recorded for Iglesias’ album 1100 Bel Air Place became a hit on the country, Spanish, and all-genre charts, and a milestone in Nelson’s long list of collaborations. For the
As the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down North America in March of 2020, Canadian country artist Leanne Pearson found her plans, both personal and professional, crumbling: She not only had to put her tour dates on hold and cancel her wedding plans, but also was separated from her fiance, Jordan Riley, for four months due to
Sixteen years ago today (Feb. 12, 2005), Rascal Flatts scored their third No. 1 hit with “Bless the Broken Road.” The song, from their album Feels Like Today, also became the trio’s first platinum-selling tune. “Bless the Broken Road” was written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna in 1994. The song was previously recorded
From Shania Twain to Luke Combs, a number of country artists have sung songs about flying solo — and loving it. So, instead of moping around, mourning your lack of a soulmate, seize the day and strut your beautiful, single stuff. Put your solo dancing shoes on and embrace the joys of being unattached! There’s
Chris Stapleton performed the country waltz “When I’m With You” on Wednesday night’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The song, a solo composition by Stapleton, appears on the singer’s latest album, Starting Over. Joined by his wife and singing partner Morgane in a darkened rehearsal space, Stapleton plays the song backed by
Olivia Ellen Lloyd‘s “Sorrow” presents its subject in a lighthearted way, but it’s rooted in serious matters. The song is premiering exclusively on The Boot; press play below to listen. Influenced by Lloyd’s own struggle with depression, “Sorrow” puts into words how the emotion can, so quickly, overwhelm you out of nowhere: It “comes along when
Morgan Wallen has broken his silence eight days after a video surfaced that shows him using the N-word. He says that moment came at the end of a 72-hour bender, and in a video message to fans posted on Wednesday night (Feb. 10), Wallen apologizes and gives an update what he’s been doing to change; he also asks those who’ve
Restless Road — the rising country trio of Zach Beeken, Garrett Nichols and Colton Pack — are celebrating their signing to Kane Brown’s 1021 Entertainment with a brand-new single. “Took One Look at Her Momma” celebrates the women we love, and perhaps more importantly, the people who made them that way. The protagonist of Restless Road’s
Nashville singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun made her late-night television debut on Tuesday with a sparse, haunting version of her piano-driven pop ballad “Breathe Again.” “Follow me down where the water runs deep,” Oladokun sings, switching from full-throated pop belting to a folky whisper from one line to the next. “I’ll let you drown in the worst
Jameson Rodgers and Luke Combs know how to let the good times roll. The country singers deliver the party right to your backyard in their fun new video for their new collaboration, “Cold Beer Calling My Name.” The clip premiered via YouTube on Tuesday night (Feb. 9), starring the two country singers as beer truck
Dwight Yoakam is suing Warner Music over the rights to some of his older, best-known recordings. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Yoakam filed suit against the music giant in federal court in California on Monday (Feb. 8), claiming that the label has refused to confirm his right to reclaim the copyrights to some of his
It’s been a decade since country music audiences first met Shy Carter. At 25, he helped write Sugarland‘s Top 5 hit “Stuck Like Glue,” a song that’s remarkable for Jennifer Nettles‘ rap break. Later he’d partner with Billy Currington to write “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” and add a rap break on the hitmaker’s
A few nights ago, Tanya Tucker was listening to Apple Music at her Texas ranch. She heard songs by her favorite singers including Nina Simone, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson — and then she heard herself. The song was “Mustang Ridge,” from her 2019 album While I’m Livin’, produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter
The Brother Brothers take an honest look at one of life’s hardest emotions in their new song “Sorrow.” Despite being plodding and melancholy, the track is full of gorgeous harmonies from identical twins Adam and David Moss. Written by the Mosses, “Sorrow” — which is premiering exclusively on The Boot — speaks specifically about a lost relationship,
Thomas Rhett has made a habit of teasing unreleased songs on social media, and his current single, “What’s Your Country Song,” will likely be included on an unannounced album on the horizon. In a new video posted to Instagram, Rhett reveals that he has “some new music coming pretty soon,” adding that he’s continued to work
Brooke Eden has weathered her fair share of storms, but these days, it’s nothing but blue skies ahead. Her new song “No Shade” reflects a turning point for the Florida native, both professionally and personally. “I’m so excited for this new music, and I am … I’m just in a very happy place in my life
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