The People’s Choice Country Awards Were Terrible (except Toby Keith)
78 CommentsYes, there was actually a country music awards show on Thursday night (9-28). But unless you are a massive Dan + Shay fan or just a glutton for punishment, you probably didn’t even notice or know about it.
On The Mike Huckabee Appointment and Resignation From the CMA Foundation
183 CommentsPolitical affiliations aside, Mike Huckabee may have been the most qualified individual in America for the position on the CMA Foundation he was appointed to. But none of this mattered to an expressly slim yet vociferous minority within the country music industry, and an especially politically-bias part of the country music press corps.
Alan Jackson: “I Love Chris Stapleton. But What He’s Making Now Really Isn’t Real Country”
213 CommentsAlan Jackson isn’t one to pull punches, or to not say what’s on his mind when somebody asks him. His Hall of Fame career has been marked by taking hard stances for the cause of real country music. Alan Jackson was recently interviewed as part of a GQ feature, and had some interesting things to say about Chris Stapleton.
Lineup for 2018 Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic Announced
5 CommentsA traditional like few others will transpire once again this summer when Willie Nelson celebrates the 4th of July by gathering together friends and family for his annual 4th of July Picnic. For the fourth year in a row, the event will be held at the Circuit of the Americas speedway just south of Austin, TX, and will include many long-standing invitees.
Saving Country Music’s 2018 Country Music Hall of Fame Picks & Prognostications
130 CommentsOnce again as spring nears, it becomes time for the annual exercise to ponder who perhaps the CMA will deem worthy for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. About this time the secret CMA-approved committee is going over their final ballots and whittling down the precious names to the few who will make it.
The Hellroys Bring The Hilarity in “Hellroys Is Real”
27 CommentsWhatever happened to the hilarious songs of Shel Silverstein and the innuendo of Roy Acuff’s early material? Like so much of the great stuff about country music, it’s mostly gone. That’s where the Hellroys out of Ohio come in with their new record, “Hellroys Is Real.”
Red Dirt Legend Brandon Jenkins Passes Away After Heart Surgery Complications
21 CommentsThe unthinkable for many Red Dirt fans has unfortunately come to pass as Saving Country Music has confirmed that Red Dirt Legend Brandon Jenkins has passed away after complications due to heart surgery. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native first entered the hospital after discovering he was suffering from a major heart issue in early February.
Hank Williams III: “The Systematic Elimination of Hank3 Will Be Over Soon.”
122 CommentsIt’s been some 3 1/2 years since Hank Williams III has played a live show, and since 2013 that he’s released new music, leaving many to wonder where the 3rd generation performer has disappeared to. A very rare response to a fan inquiry offers some new insight.
The Complex Issue of Achieving Gender Parity in Live Music
32 Comments“Just book more women! Why is this so hard?” This is often the simplified answer to the complex question of how to deal with the lack of equilibrium between the sexes being represented on the lineups of music festivals and other events throughout the music world.
Perfunctory Post on the 2018 ACM Awards Nominations (Predictions and Whatnot)
105 CommentsSo here we are once again staring at a list of the nominees for the ACM Awards, with few surprises, lots of predictable stuff, and finding ourselves full of self-reflection on if we should even care about the annual country music gala that is most susceptible to bloc voting and horse trading.
Scotty McCreery’s #1 Single Proves Most on Music Row Have No Idea What They’re Doing
83 CommentsMost major labels treat artist’s careers like bottle rockets. Either they blast off, or you get a dud and throw it out, and reach for another one. And there’s no in between. There’s no career development, no strategy beyond radio. Luckily for Scotty, some folks doing it for the love finally showed up.
Newest Additions to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#16)
15 CommentsCorporate country has figured out a way to weasel its same command and control structure strangling commercial radio into online playlists and leave many of the best and the brightest of country on the wayside. But Saving Country Music is doing its level best to even the playing field by offering a healthy alternative.
Steve Earle To Embark on 30th Anniversary Copperhead Road Tour
43 CommentsIf you’ve ever sat banging your head to “Copperhead Road” or singing along to “Devil’s Right Hand” and wished you could see all those songs played again in cycle like it was 1988 all over, then you will get your opportunity when Steve Earle embarks with The Dukes on a 30th Anniversary Tour commemorating Copperhead Road’s release.