Music

Seventy-six years ago today (Dec, 8, 1945) was an historic day for country music: It was on that date that Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs made their debut on the Grand Ole Opry, as part of Bill Monroe‘s Blue Grass Boys. Flatt and Scruggs’ appearances, which occurred at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, was a fortuitous one for the

Alt-country outfit Lucero has shared a surprising new single from their forthcoming album Should’ve Learned By Now.  The piano-driven ballad “Raining for Weeks” is the perfect, complementary departure from the band’s most recent singles. The track’s music video features lead singer Ben Nichols performing his guitar part alone in the rain, a fitting visual for a somber

There is something uneasy in the full moon — some eeriness, some mystery. A monthly reminder of our infinitesimal nature, the full moon inspired the poems of Hesiod, ancient Ojibwe lunar calendars, and still today, compels amateur astrologists to charge their Amazon-bought healing crystals beneath the new-age moonlight. Now it’s moved Matthew Houck, the artful

Watching the audience react to Shania Twain‘s medley at the 2022 People‘s Choice Awards was as much fun as seeing the energetic performance on stage. Twain offered a preview of her 2023 Queen of Me Tour with three songs from her catalog, and a new song called “Waking Up Dreaming.” “Any Man of Mine” came

Kentucky natives Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan have been tapped as headliners for Railbird Music Festival 2023. The two-day festival will return to Lexington, Ky., on June 3-4 and features an eclectic lineup of performers. Along with a closing set from Bryan, Saturday’s roster includes appearances from Weezer, Marcus Mumford, Whiskey Myers, Sheryl Crow, Charley

Since moving to Nashville nearly ten years ago, Maren Morris has gone from playing dive bars and writers’ rounds to headlining Bridgestone Arena. The importance of that career milestone wasn’t lost on the prolific songwriter, who took the stage for a memorable  performance on Friday (Dec 2). “This is truly astounding to me,” she told

Country music reached an inevitable crossroads in 2022. The dialogues around the genre’s history of exclusion — from the disappearance of women from country radio beginning in the early 2000s to the marginalized artists who’ve made history despite not fitting into the mainstream mold — continued to dominate the conversation. The year’s best country music

Chelsea Cutler and Quinn XCII took to social media to announce they have teamed up once again for a brand new track called ‘Let Me Down’. Their management company also made the announcement posting this via their Instagram; Like always when these two join forces they make a sure fire hit and this song is

Jaimee Harris offers comfort amidst grief with her powerful new track “Love is Gonna Come Again,” which is exclusively premiering at The Boot today (Nov. 29). Penned by Harris and Graham Weber, “Love is Gonna Come Again” is the impressive second single from the talented Texas-born singer-songwriter’s upcoming album, Boomerang Town. The intricate, emotional song taps

Garth Brooks‘ 2023 residency in Las Vegas hasn’t even started and he’s announcing plans for 2024. Twenty-seven dates weren’t enough for his fans to see him at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, so the singer is promising more. Specific dates for 2024 were not revealed with a release sharing news of this extension. Fans who

‘Homeward’ is the brilliant song taken from Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy’s latest album ‘Sonder’. Written by Kennedy himself, it showcases the artist on a bigger stage, that’s more electronic, and less acoustic. Not only is this an incredible song, this album also makes it’s case for album of the year. If you haven’t heard ‘Sonder’,

The New Orleans-based band Ever More Nest never rests on its laurels. Part of the city’s rising Americana scene and the ever-growing queer country scene, the outfit, led by Kelcy Mae Wilburn, crafts a dense folk-leaning sound that swirls with moody atmosphere and incongruous optimism. That duality is captured in the band’s new single, “Happy New Year,”

The defining moment of the new documentary Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon is when Johnny Cash says he found God in the darkness of East Tennessee’s Nickajack Cave in the fall of 1967. Cash, who retold the story many times in later years, was at the height of his fame and in

Cody Johnson has released his first-ever live album, Cody Johnson & the Rockin’ CJB Live, and it includes a powerful concert-recorded track of his smash hit, “‘Til You Can’t.” While the studio version of “‘Til You Can’t” packs a chest-thumping punch, the live version takes it to a whole new level. Complete with Johnson’s introduction

Kentucky native Brit Taylor recruited Texas country outfit Mike & the Moonpies for her new Christmas single “Lonely on Christmas.” The tune is an old-fashioned, honky tonk lament about the pain of not having anyone around during the holidays. In the music video, the Moonpies’ Mike Harmeier joins Taylor through her television from a bar.

The Milk Carton Kids are set to release their first new album in four years this spring and are giving eager listeners a preview of what’s to come with their new single “When You’re Gone.”  Released today (Dec. 2), the bluegrass-leaning track is a somber number about yearning for a lost love. The narrator laments that

Dolly Parton may now be enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t feel a little guilty about it. Ahead of the ceremony in November, the country icon experienced a whirlwind of emotions over her induction, which went ahead, despite her encouraging voters to look elsewhere. “I still

Thirty-three years ago today (Dec. 2, 1989), Randy Travis had a good reason to celebrate: It was on that date that he earned his 10th No. 1 song with “It’s Just a Matter of Time.” “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” written by Brook Benton and Clyde Otis, was from Travis’ fourth studio album, No

Accomplished country singer-songwriter Jenny Tolman and her husband, Grammy-nominated producer Dave Brainard, are expecting their first child on Christmas Eve. The magical moments of excitement, love and anticipation that blossomed after the couple realized they’d welcome a new bundle of joy into their family served as a spark of creative inspiration for Tolman. Premiering exclusively at The

Chris Janson is hitting the road again. The “Buy Me a Boat” singer has announced a lengthy headlining tour that begins later this month and stretches into summer 2023. His newly announced Heavy & Western Tour kicks off on Dec. 17 with an appearance at Jingle Fest in Saint Charles, Mo. and continues with a stop on

Morgan Wallen will be chasin’ his fans across the globe next year. On Thursday, the controversial country artist announced a massive tour highlighted by 17 stadium stops for 2023, following the success of his Dangerous album. He also announced a trio of new singles. “2023 is gonna be a special year… I got a lot

Another new year is about to begin, which means a whole new crop of great music will be coming soon.  In 2022, country, Americana, bluegrass and folk fans were treated to landmark releases from legendary acts and burgeoning new artists. As we move into 2023, listeners have plenty of upcoming albums to look forward to

Born Nov. 30, 1975, in Fort Myers, Fla., Malinda Gayle McCready — better known as Mindy McCready — burst onto the country music scene in the mid-1990s with the release of her 1996 debut album, Ten Thousand Angels, on BNA Records.  The record was a massive success, spawning four successful singles, including her first and only No.

Lainey Wilson managed to pull a fast one on her fans in the most recent episode of Yellowstone, as she debuted another new song. However, this time around she wasn’t on camera singing. During Episode 4 on Sunday (Nov. 27), a previously unheard song titled “New Friends” plays during a scene featuring Jamie Dutton (Wes

In his round X-ray specs and solar-system button-up, Garrett T. Capps looks like he’s just emerged from the farthest reaches of outer space. The San Antonio musician sounds like it, too. Since forming his band NASA Country in 2017, Capps has been working to introduce an unconventional new sound into country music, one that mixes

Zach Bryan, Caamp and Hank Williams Jr. are set to headline Under the Big Sky Music, Rodeo and Roundup 2023. Located in scenic Whitefish, Mont., the eclectic festival will hold its fourth year of festivities on July 14-16. The three-day event will feature performances from a mix of rising artists and established acts from country, Americana, folk and beyond.

When you’ve got Brandi Carlile and Allison Russell in your corner, you know you’ve got something special. Roberta Lea just crowdfunded her debut solo LP on Kickstarter, netting $22,000 – an extra $4000 beyond her original goal. Lea has been releasing music as she tours with the Black Opry Revue, usually alongside Jett Holden, Tylar

The family of late country music legend Loretta Lynn has supported a petition to rename a Kentucky park in her honor. Carla Engle, a longtime fan of Lynn’s, independently organized a Change.org petition to rename Paintsville Lake State Park in Paintsville, Ky., to Loretta Lynn State Park. Since its launch last month, shortly after Lynn’s death

Celebrated singer-songwriters Adam Hood and Jason Eady have joined forces for an uplifting new collaboration. Released on Nov. 25, their new single “Broke Not Broken” was recorded by the longtime pals less than six hours after they co-wrote it. “We wrote this song about searching for hope when the clouds roll in and it’s hard to find,” Hood and

Just in time for the holidays, Shania Twain is revisiting her classic Come on Over album from 1997, and repackaging the original track list with some live superstar duets. According to People, a new deluxe edition of Come on Over expands the track list to include some duet versions of its songs that she has