Music

What do you do if you’re a flight attendant and you see your favorite country star sitting in the front row? Well, if you’re the Southwest Airlines crew whose flight roster recently included Randy Travis, you throw a party. That’s exactly what happened on a recent flight, when the airline crew saw the country star

Willie Nelson will take readers on a deep dive into the stories behind some of his most famous and beloved songs with his upcoming book. Written by Nelson with David Ritz and award-winning musician Mickey Raphael, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs Written is set for release on Oct. 31, 2023, just days before his induction

The singer-songwriter is poised to have a breakout year with the upcoming Valley of Heart’s Delight Margo Cilker is keeping an eye out for an easier patch of ground in “Lowland Trail,” the first offering from her new album Valley of Heart’s Delight. The follow-up to Cilker’s acclaimed 2021 album Pohorylle, the new project will

Yep, Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are Swifties! The power couple attended Taylor Swift‘s Philadelphia Eras Tour stop on Sunday night (May 14), and from the looks of the video they took at the concert, Swift had Urban and Kidman singing and dancing along to every song. “We had the BEST night!!!” Urban wrote on

Twenty-two years ago today, on May 12, 2001, Tim McGraw became a doctor — sort of. It was on that date that the singer received an honorary doctorate degree in humanities from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. McGraw was briefly enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Monroe before moving to Nashville; the future country

Just in time for Mother’s Day, GRAMMY® Award-winning, global superstar (and now soon-to-be mom of two!!!) Meghan Trainor unwraps her “Mother (Remixes)” today via Epic Records. Listen HERE. She recharged her empowering anthem with three new remixes courtesy of Ellis, secs on the beach, and j.bird – Meghan’s younger brother Justin Trainor. With an infusion of hyper dancefloor-ready energy and unlimited sass, these remixes each add

The Texas wildman brings horns and swag to his latest offering with producer Beau Bedford “Hit it, quit it, live it, spit it….get nasty,” Paul Cauthen croons in his new song “Hometeam.” Like the tracks on his 2022 album Country Coming Down, the song leans hard into funk sounds and swaggering attitude. In fact, it’s

Jimmie Allen won’t be booked for any jobs for the foreseeable future. United Talent Agency (UTA) has suspended the singer after a lawsuit was filed accusing him of assault and sexual abuse. The move follows a suspension by his record label and removal from next month’s CMA Fest in Nashville. Allen had stayed remarkably busy over

Happy 68th birthday to Kix Brooks! The singer was born on this day (May 12) in 1955, in Shreveport, La. Born into a musical family, Brooks grew up living close to country star Johnny Horton. The future country star played gigs around town with Horton’s daughter, performing at clubs and writing songs, before relocating as

Jamey Johnson, Chapel Hart, Jake Owen, Exile, and Randy Travis will all appear at June Jam 2023, Alabama’s long-running charity concert benefiting disaster relief in Alabama. Set for June 3 in Fort Payne, Alabama, it marks the revival of the festival, first held in 1982. Along with Alabama’s Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, June Jam

Kelly Clarkson is speaking out after a blockbuster report alleged that the work environment on her daily talk show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, is toxic and “traumatizing.” In a statement she posted to social media on Friday evening (May 12), the singing superstar and television personality says she has always “led with my heart and

Nashville‘s ratings had been falling when ABC announced that it was canceling the TV drama, but the response to the news left no question about fans’ passion for the series. Lucky for them, their calls to save the show were answered within a month. Created by Callie Khouri, Nashville aired on ABC for four seasons after debuting on

Deep inside every hard-hitting Pearl Jam grunge-a-palooza lurks a bluegrass hoedown dying to do-si-do. Eddie Vedder himself has proven this time and again by switching between the rock group and his own solo ukulele ballads. And now the long-running bluegrass quartet Iron Horse — who have strummed, chicken-picked, and mandolin-ified songs by Metallica, Van Halen,

Margo Cilker quietly broke the internet with her acclaimed debut album Pohorylle. Cilker’s meditative view of rural living netted her a nomination for UK Americana Album of The Year alongside Brandi Carlile and Robert Plant, and earned Cilker a slew of festival performances and tours supporting American Aquarium, Hayes Carll, and Drive-By Truckers. Today, Cilker is

Thirty-four years ago today (May 9, 1989) was one of the saddest days in the history of country music: It was on that date that Keith Whitley died, at just 33 years old. Whitley was found dead in his home by his brother-in-law, Lane Palmer, who had been with the singer-songwriter earlier that morning. The two men

There’s never been a duo quite like Brooks & Dunn. Originally staking out separate careers as solo artists, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn formed a pair at the suggestion of Arista Records founder Tim DuBois in 1990 and became the most successful duo in country music history. Certified six-times platinum, their 1992 debut, Brand New Man, spawned

Released in 1963, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is often cited as one of the most influential and important albums of the 20th century. The record stands as one of the artistic centerpieces of the 1960s folk movement, thanks to its brilliant and raw lyrical imagery. One of that album’s most renowned tracks is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s

The 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards will be held tonight (May 11) and available to stream on Prime Video live from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, beginning at 8PM ET. An assortment of trophies were given out ahead of the star-studded ceremony, including the titles of New Female Artist of the Year, which

The most-nominated artist at this year’s ACMs commanded the stage with a hard-rock flourish Hardy brought an intense performance of “Truck Bed” to the 2023 ACM Awards in Frisco, Texas, where he was one of the evening’s top nominees. The song appears on Hardy’s album The Mockingbird & The Crow, which also features his recent

The country icon closed the show with the first taste of her upcoming album Rockstar Dolly Parton closed out the 2023 ACM Awards with the live debut of her new song “World on Fire.” Parton also co-hosted the two-hour show alongside Garth Brooks. Performing with a line of backup dancers that doubled as a choir,

A studio version of the collab is out now Ed Sheeran made his ACM Awards debut on Thursday night, but he didn’t go it alone: The English pop star was joined by Luke Combs to perform Sheeran’s song “Life Goes On,” off his album – (Subtract). A studio version of the collab was released after

Fresh off the release of their first new single in more than five years, “Mean Old Sun,” and premiering it live at Stagecoach, the Turnpike Troubadours have announced a string of tour dates for late summer and throughout the fall. The tour, which will follow the August 25 release of their album A Cat in

Megan Danielle and Colin Stough joined forces for a duet during Sunday night’s (May 7) episode of American Idol. For the most recent episode of the signing competition, regular judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were in the U.K. celebrating the recent coronation. So, Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran temporarily took their seats and tasked contestants with covering

Twenty-two years ago today, on May 5, 2001, Blake Shelton made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. He performed “Austin,” the first single from his self-titled freshman album. At the time of his debut, Shelton was about three months away from the release of his first record. “Austin,” meanwhile, was only beginning its four-month

‘When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?)” appears on Tucker’s upcoming album Sweet Western Sound Tanya Tucker sings a moving ballad about aging and mortality in her new song “When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go).” It’s the second release from the incoming Country Music Hall of Fame member’s

The Entertainer of the Year category is the most hotly contended in the upcoming 2023 ACM Awards. Which one of the deserving artists who are nominated should win the category? We’re letting Taste of Country and The Boot readers decide. Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown and Morgan Wallen

Thirty-four years ago today (May 6), Naomi Judd wed Larry Strickland at Christ Church in Nashville. Both of Judd’s daughters, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd, served as bridesmaids at the spring 1989 ceremony. In addition to her duties as a bridesmaid, Wynonna Judd also performed during the ceremony, along with band member Don Potter. Naomi Judd’s marriage to Strickland was her

The singer for the country trio the Band Perry returns as a solo artist with a wiser outlook and an upcoming EP Kimberly Perry, who was the singer in the country trio the Band Perry when they were radio stars a decade back, re-interprets her group’s signature 2010 hit with her new release, “If I

Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert are teaming up for a series of duets that will be featured on the CBS drama, Fire Country. The two artists announced news of the collaborations and teased one of the songs in a short clip shared to social media this week. “Got some exciting news for y’all! @DierksBentley and I have a

Country music is the music of real life, and its fans keep the music close to them at all times — especially the big occasions. There’s no bigger moment in a person’s life than the day they exchange vows, and country music is rich with love songs filled with pledges of undying love and devotion,