Garth Brooks Bestows Keith Whitley with Opry Membership, Creates Hank Williams Dilemma
64 CommentsSaturday night, October 14th, 2023, was a special night at the Grand Ole Opry. Instead of presenting the regular Saturday night slate of performances, the Opry presented a tribute to country music legend Keith Whitley.
Kacey Musgraves Chose Unifying People Instead Of Political Commentary on “Golden Hour”
133 CommentsSome still consider Kacey Musgraves a performer prone to political activism due to some of the early songs in career such as the award-winning “Merry Go ‘Round” and “Follow Your Arrow.” But Musgraves these days is in a much more different place, despite how the media attempted to portray it.
Blackberry Smoke to Release the “Southern Ground Sessions EP”
18 CommentsIf you didn’t get your fill with Blackberry Smoke’s recent record ‘Find a Light,’ or it just increased your appetite for their infectious classic Southern rock vibe, well then you’re in luck. The Atlanta, Georgia boys will be releasing the ‘Southern Ground Sessions EP’ as an accompaniment to ‘Find A Light.’
Whiskey Myers Receives Massive Boost After “Yellowstone” Appearance
27 CommentsFans of the Texas Music Southern Rock band Whiskey Myers had fair warning they would be featured prominently in the most recent episode of the Paramount Network’s original series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner, but nobody had an idea it would result in such an incredible boost in exposure and sales for the band.
Album Review- Lori McKenna’s “The Tree”
51 CommentsMother of five Lori McKenna from Stoughton, Massachusetts is saving country music. You no longer have any legitimate license to say, “Oh, I’ve heard the name. Isn’t she a songwriter or something?” and consider yourself and enlightened music fan. Brushing Lori McKenna off is brushing off one of the greatest living songwriters of our generation.
Willie Nelson Announces Frank Sinatra Tribute Album “My Way”
29 CommentsAs first reported by Saving Country Music weeks ago, Willie Nelson’s next record will be a tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. Now we have confirmation and details of the new record to be called My Way that is set to be released on September 14th via Sony’s Legacy Recordings.
George Strait’s Cumulative #1’s Record Wrecked by Florida Georgia Line & Billboard
85 Comments“Meant To Be” recently helped Florida Georgia Line shatter what once was thought a bulletproof record—George Strait’s cumulative frames for songs cresting a week at #1. With a whopping 45 total #1’s spanning over a quarter century in the business, there’s a reason Strait earned the nickname “King” George over his Hall of Fame career.
Brandi Carlile Shows Needed Leadership in Launching “Girls Just Wanna” Festival
49 CommentsOnce again Brandi Carlile has proven why she is a gem of independent roots music, and an asset to the planet. While other people have talked, planned, promised, and threatened to throw an all-girl festival or tour in the roots realm, Carlile has hauled off and actually done it.
How Brooklyn Became a Bastion Of Independent Country Music
63 CommentsIn the late 80’s, there was a commercial for Pace Picante Sauce that featured a bunch of cowboys sitting around a campfire eating a chuck wagon dinner. When the cowboys ran out of Pace made in San Antonio (by folks who know what Picante sauce is supposed to taste like, the commercial proclaimed), the cook […]
Kenny Chesney’s “Better Boat” (co-written by Travis Meadows)
45 CommentsNearly everything about “Better Boat” is right. The songwriters Travis Meadows and Liz Rose are right. The entirety of the instrumentation being performed by Mac McAnally on an acoustic guitar is right. Kenny choosing songwriter Mindy Smith to perform the song with instead of some pop star is right.
Willie Nelson’s Earliest Recordings Released in “Things to Remember – The Pamper Demos”
15 CommentsFor the first time—at least in physical form—Willie Nelson’s earliest recordings have been compiled together and released as a proper album. Called ‘Things To Remember–The Pamper Demos,’ it contains the very first recordings of what would go on become some of Willie Nelson’s most iconic songs.
Corb Lund Hits Texas and the West on “Western Destinations” Tour
21 Comments“I’ve been wanting to do a tour like this for years and years, so I’m thrilled that it is finally happening,” says Corb Lund. “We’re playing a bunch of places we’ve never been before and it’s long overdue. I grew up in a rodeo and ranching family and I write songs about western life, so it makes sense for me to do a tour focused on this part of America.”
Women Performers Speak Out Against 50/50 Trolling of Festivals
35 CommentsPlain and simple, the trolling of music festivals on Twitter for not having 50/50 men vs. women on their lineups is very specifically hurting the cause to include more women on festival lineups. Expecting every festival to achieve 50/50 representation of women immediately is unreasonable to impossible in certain sectors of the music economy.