It’s been a couple of years since the Dale Watson-founded Ameripolitan Awards and the corresponding weekend of events have occurred due to COVID-19. But 2023 promises to be a rousing comeback with a stellar lineup of musicians slated to perform February 17th to 19th in Memphis, Tennessee.
So now here comes Blake Shelton with a photoshopped mullet, releasing what he’s marketing as a 90s-style country single called “No Body.” But unlike some of these other artists professing their proficiency with 90s country, ol’ Blake Shelton was actually around and playing music at the tail end of the era.
Country music is country music, and the best definition of what country music is, is that you know it when you hear it. It’s self-evident. But the genre has birthed many subgenres, many stylistic movements over the years, and at times has seen a splintering and Balkanization.
The best in country music don’t make music because they want to. They make country music because they have to. It’s not a means to an end financially. It’s a requisite emotionally and spiritually. Making country music is how a true country music artist unburdens their soul.
The Opry Entertainment Group has partnered with global ticketing company AXS to become the country music company’s exclusive ticketing partner moving forward. This means that all ticketing for the Grand Ole Opry and the Opry House venue, the historic Ryman Auditorium…
Sure, if you’ve been working all week and were looking forward to getting your face rocked off this weekend by the kind of raucous show Eric Church brings live, you may be feeling a sense of disappointment at this news. But I’m here to tell you, you’ve lucked out.
As an up-and-coming artist from Texas, Miranda Lambert once played there to five people when she was just 14, just trying to get her name out there. The Firehouse Saloon was that kind of place that would give local performers and up-and-comers a chance. Ironically, it’s now gone up in flames.
The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating its 95th Anniversary with a big primetime special on Sunday, February 14th on NBC. Called ‘Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music,’ it comes as the Opry is enjoying arguably one of its biggest resurgences in interest in the institution’s history.
Look, I’ve made an entire career out of rearing back and reefing guys like Blake Shelton and their bad “country” songs square in the nuts. But the flack he is receiving over this dumb “Minimum Wage” song is completely unfounded and inappropriate.
Taking some of the most arcane and overlooked entries into the North American songbook, penning songs inspired by such compositions, and singing them with such passion and conviction that the appeal for them far surpasses the otherwise niche audience for such music, Colter Wall is the 2020 SCM Artist of the Year.
It’s not that ‘Fun’ isn’t without it’s moments. But Garth Brooks is too much of a cheeseball, and too surrounded by yes men to be given the reigns to produce his own stuff. Or what you get is a record like ‘Fun.’
Earl Thomas Conley passed away in April of 2019 at the age of 77, but we haven’t heard the last of him just yet. Consisting of twelve songs all written or co-written by Conley, the tracks were originally recorded as demos in the early and mid 90’s.
Look, you can make too much of these kinds of things for sure. But coming from a big platform and going completely unchecked, a little bit of marketing could turn into a big aberration of the truth, so some spirit dissent is warranted in this situation. Blake Shelton is not the “King of Country.”
Country artist Adam Wakefield—who rose to popularity through the NBC singing competition The Voice, and also performed in the bluegrass band The SteelDrivers—is facing accusations of rape from a woman stemming from an incident in October 2017.
Quite a few country fans were left angered and agog when they saw that Gwen Stefani would be receiving an Opry berth when many more deserving country artists—including some who could benefit from both performing during this period of hardship—are once again being passed over
What a great little late career record this is. With all the death and sadness country music has been suffering from lately, it feels so good to get something special from a guy you remember fondly from the past, who proves he still has plenty to offer in the present. You don’t need to rely on weepy-eyed reflection or nostalgia to get into this record.
As tax season approaches and we get the opportunity to tie a bow around the doings of 2019, it’s always interesting to look back on the year at the Grand Ole Opry to see which performing members are paying their proper dues to country music’s most historic institution, and which one’s aren’t.
At 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.
There are those highly-anticipated albums that are hinted at for years by artists or labels, yet it seems like it takes forever for them to ever see the light of day, or albums whose release dates keep getting pushed back. And then there’s the very curious case of Garth Brooks and his latest album simply entitled “Fun.”
One sign that mainstream country music continues to improve is the decrease in “country” songs that were worthy of rants in 2019 compared to previous years. However there were a few exceptions in 2019, and songs worthy of taking out back to the woodshed. Our full-throated opposition to these monstrosities misappropriated as “country.”
The name of the tour is definitely a little dubious for the venues Garth has selected to play so far. But those complaining about Garth’s efforts here are missing the bigger picture. “I think he recognizes the significant role that smaller venues play in keeping country music going.”
The entirety of Blake Shelton’s career just devolved quicker than a political discussion with your drunk and racist uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. All the headway country music has made over the last couple of years, and now we have to figure out how to maneuver around this “Hell Right” bullshit.
None of this is real ladies and gentlemen. From the fake controversies, to the gaming of the meme culture and social media to make 30-second snippets somehow compete with actual songs on charts, to the paying for streams to create false positives on breakout hits, the malfeasance in the monogenre space with country music as the heel…
Singer, songwriter, performer, and Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe is no longer singed with Warner Music Nashville, Saving Country Music has confirmed. Monroe exited the label on May 1st. No reason has been given by Monroe’s management, or Warner Nashville for the departure.