Album Review – Cody Johnson’s “Leather”
54 CommentsCody doubles down on his country roots, strengthens his commitment to quality songs, and even refines his sound with surprising sparsity and depth to the point where you’re nearly stunned at some of the results.
Alan Jackson Receives Rare Award for Preserving Country’s Roots
28 CommentsOnly seven other people have received the award, and Alan Jackson is only the fourth artist. George Jones won the award in 2015 posthumously, as did Merle Haggard in 2016. Marty Stuart also won the award in 2007. “That’s pretty good company there with two of my heroes of all time, George and Merle,” Alan Jackson said.
Don’t Let Grammy Drama Overshadow The Gravity of the Awards
42 CommentsIt seems few if anyone is thinking about the music itself amid the Grammy Awards drama, or the artists who on Sunday will get the opportunity to experience something they’ve dreamed of happening from the first time they chose to pursue music, which is hearing their name called to receive a Grammy Award.
Tumbleweed & Wild Hare Country Festivals Won’t Happen in 2020
9 CommentsTwo important independent festivals that are working hard to support and expand Texas, Red Dirt, Americana, and independent country music beyond its traditional borders will not be happening in 2020. Both the Tumbleweed Festival near Kansas City, and the Wild Hare Country Festival in Oregon have cancelled for 2020.
Dierks Bentley’s “Hot Country Knights” Just Got Real
54 CommentsHot Country Knights have released their first song called “Pick Her Up” with Travis Tritt guesting on the track, and granted, it’s a little silly and will have some mistaking it as some twangy version of Bro-Country because a pickup truck is mentioned. But taking the song in stride with the spirit behind Hot Country Knights, it’s kind of badass.
New Version of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies” Is Finally Here
20 CommentsEver since the Netflix series The Ranch debuted on April 1st, 2016, folks have wanted to get their hands on a copy of the new version of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” which finds Shooter Jennings and Lukas Nelson getting together to recreate the magic of their famous fathers.
Mary Gauthier & Folk Alliance Remember David Olney
2 CommentsTo many, David Olney is the songwriter who lost consciousness mid performance at the 30A Songwriters Festival last weekend and passed away in a poetic manner. Some knew of him before hearing the compelling story, and many didn’t. But to the folk and songwriting community, David Olney was a pillar of the craft, and a close friend.
Sam Hunt Drunk Driving Court Delay is Not a Good Look
25 CommentsLook, we all make mistakes, and Sam Hunt is no criminal, unless the offense is high crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated against the institution of country music. But he did screw up, and big time when he went driving down the wrong side of a principal highway in Nashville early in the morning on November 21st.
Longtime Merle Haggard Piano Player Mark Yeary Dies
9 CommentsMark Yeary, a California native who played piano for Merle Haggard in his famous backing band The Strangers for nearly 20 years, passed away on Friday, January 17th at his home in Arizona City, Arizona. Yeary died due to a cardiac arrest episode according to Bakersfield.com. He was 67-years-old. Growing up in Orange County, California, […]
Album Review – Dustin Lynch’s “Tullahoma”
77 CommentsThe career of Dustin Lynch is now such a catastrophic natural disaster, it is visible from space. Need a coaster to keep those unsightly water stains off your coffee table? Maybe something to shove under the leg of that tipsy table to keep it from wobbling? Shit, who are we kidding. Nobody even buys CDs anymore, so you can’t even use it for that.
Sweeping Streaming Song Theft Expands Amid DistroKid Inaction
9 CommentsThe good news is that since the posting of the initial story, 20 of the 24 original fake accounts have been removed. The bad news is that during the ongoing investigation, more fake accounts and victims have been found and confirmed, while an additional 13 new accounts appeared after the initial investigation using more sophisticated efforts.
New John Anderson Music Coming After Health Scare
50 CommentsAt 65-years-old and coming off serious health issues, John Anderson is feeling a little reflective these days. The caramel-voiced country crooner who we could talk about having a strong candidacy for the Country Music Hall of Fame in the coming years is being coy about what exactly the health scare was, you can tell he’s lost some weight.
Album Review – Eleven Hundred Springs – “Here ‘Tis”
14 CommentsOver the years, Eleven Hundred Springs and Matt Hillyer would stretch their footprint beyond Dallas and Texas, but they found their calling as Dallas’s country music house band, becoming synonymous with the city, and the only right answer when someone asked who one of the coolest country bands in the DFW area were.