Love or hate Struggle Jennings or this album specifically, he is part of the extended family of Waylon Jennings and country music through his real grandfather Duane Eddy. He’s definitely also wrestled with demons.
The continued frustration with how the media and journalists decidedly outside of the country music fold decide to commentate on the genre irresponsibly was sent into the stratosphere recently by an article in NY Mag.
Fresh off his win for Best Traditional Country Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards, Zach Top had some great insight into this moment in country music from his perspective as an artist.
Where in previous years the Rock The Country announcements came with excitement by many and some eye rolls, this year was proceeded by widespread rebuke and condemnation of the performers.
Jelly Roll is finally starting to experience the widespread scrutiny his life, career, and music has deserved for a few years now. But it’s coming in a very unusual, and frankly, misguided manner.
The sum total of country’s participation in the 3 1/2 hour show was the 4 minute, 44 second performance. While voting and Grammy membership is not entirely in the Grammy’s control, the performances are.
Only appropriate that as the recently svelte Jelly Roll sauntered up to the stage to deliver his shake shack snake oil sermon, you heard Jelly Roll singing via the walk-up music, “I ain’t nothin’ but a liar.”
Tyler Childers is now a Grammy winner. So is Zach Top. Mavis Staples and I’m With Her also have two more Grammy Awards apiece. Chris Stapleton has another one for his massive trophy collection.
In the video, Jelly Roll is heard using the N-word three times. For context, this was two years after Morgan Wallen was caught on camera using the N-word, which became a big controversy in country music.
as bad of an assessment as one might come to about what’s unfolding on the country charts, nothing compares to the monstrosity that is transpiring over in rock. Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift?
With nominations in all of the categories he was eligible in, Tyler Childers leads all nominees in country music with four. Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert tie Childers.
The nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards were announced on Friday morning (11-7), with extra interest this year in country due to how the Grammys split the Best Country Album category into two categories.
It’s a very real possibility that Zach Top doesn’t win a single trophy at the 2025 CMA Awards. But in some respects, it doesn’t matter if he does. He’s already won as a traditionalist on an independent label.
Accusing someone of “gatekeeping” is just an intellectually lazy, thought and discussion-ending enterprise designed to win arguments online as opposed to addressing the very real and systemic issues.
In video taken at the Ghost Ranch of fellow country rapper Ryan Upchurch, Jelly Roll is heard using the N-word in conversation. Though the video has been out for months, the media has not reported on it.
It remains an unfortunate aspect of the modern media landscape that whenever higher institutions broach the subject of country music, it’s commonly done by someone uniquely unqualified to speak on the matter.
The trend of pop projects being pushed to the country market that started in earnest with Beyoncé is beginning to look less like a short-lived trend for 2024, and now becoming endemic.
It truly is a shame that it appears we have to bid adieu to Jon Pardi as a country music traditionalist, and one that was embedded in the mainstream no less, giving him a unique opportunity to change the music for the better.
The Grand Ole Opry’s 100th Anniversary celebration on Wednesday, March 19th was a big hit. The 3-hour special on NBC also did really well in the ratings, despite focusing on legends more than current stars.
We didn’t really know what to expect from the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th Anniversary celebration on NBC Wednesday night (3-19). We hoped it would be a cavalcade of actual country stars singing actual country music.
The Grand Ole Opry is officially celebrating its 100th birthday on Wednesday, March 19th with a 3-hour television special on NBC. Some big Opry stars will appear, and others won’t.
Oh thank God. The CMT Awards are no longer, at least for now, and likely forever. And it couldn’t have come sooner, or to a more deserving presentation. It was country music’s ugly stepchild of an awards show.
Railbird 2025 includes an excellent crop of top-of-the-line independent country and roots artists. But it’s the headliners Railbird has announced that have return patrons chirping
Instead of exploiting a moment when Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn still have tread left on the tires to give it another shot with original songs, we get a second installment in their Reboot series.