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
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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
Last June, Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine assembled an eclectic roster of artists and friends to remember the late songwriter in music and words. In honor of what would have been Prine’s 74th birthday, the special will repeat — with added footage — on October 10th. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Kacey Musgraves,
Brothers Osborne have dropped another new song from their upcoming Skeletons album. It’s called “I’m Not for Everyone,” and it goes hard in making a case for the country music duo’s selective appeal; however, in doing so, it simultaneously manages to capture the group’s broad accessibility. That’s because the twangy number showcases just what Brothers Osborne
Newly crowned ACM Female Artist of the Year Maren Morris delivered one of the highlights of the 2020 ACM Awards on Wednesday night (Sept. 16), when she led her band in a warm, intimate rendition of “To Hell & Back” from the Ryman Auditorium stage. In a virtual press room after accepting her trophy, Morris admitted
The ACM Awards ended in a tie, and unlike in sports and politics, there’s no way to break it. Maybe Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood could have a karaoke contest — or they could arm wrestle? Of course, that would break CDC social distancing guidelines. If you missed it, ACM Awards host Keith Urban read two
On Wednesday night, Taylor Swift returned to the Academy of Country Music Awards stage for the first time in seven years to give the live debut of her Folklore cut “Betty,” which the pop star has released to country radio. We’ll have you, and we want you, @taylorswift13! It is so great to have Taylor back
Keith Urban dropped his new collaboration with Pink in advance of the 2020 ACM Awards. The superstars team for a soulful pop-country track titled “One Too Many,” which provides a new twist on an old theme, that they released online in the early-morning hours on Wednesday (Sept. 16). “One Too Many” is a classic drinking song on
There was something special about Nicole Kidman from the very start, Keith Urban admits. The country superstar says that after he first met the actor in early 2005, he knew she was worth fighting for. “She’s just the one, that was it,” Urban tells actor Dax Shepard on a recent episode of Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast
(Photo Credit: Dennis Leupold) Atlantic Records recording artist Kiiara has released her new single “Numb” (feat. DeathbyRomy and PVRIS) – listen HERE. The mesmerizing song was produced by Marco “MAG” Borrero (Noah Cyrus, Bebe Rexha, Charlotte Lawrence) and Louis Schoorl (5 Seconds of Summer, Kesha) and co-written with Melanie Fontana (Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Dua Lipa) and Michel “Lindgren” Schulz (BTS,
When Maren Morris takes the stage at the 2020 ACM Awards on Wednesday night (Sept. 16), it’ll be her first big awards show performance since giving birth to her son, Hayes Andrew Hurd, in late March. She’s hoping he’ll be able to watch the special moment, too. “I don’t know what time in the show
Brandi Carlile has posted an emotive cover of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” that was captured at her Washington State home. The song was included as part of Carlile’s full-album livestream re-imagining of 2009’s Give Up the Ghost on September 13th. Seated at a keyboard and flanked by a series of guitars and a poster documenting
It doesn’t matter how sweet and sentimental a relationship seems in the honeymoon phase: Sometimes, things turn sour quick. That’s the kind of love that Caylee Hammack sings about in her new single, “Just Friends.” What begins as a promising friendship-turned-romance quickly gets rocky, and when it ends, it takes away all the good feelings the two pals