The Biggest Takeaways from SXSW 2025
You don’t enjoy SXSW—the annual musical gathering in Austin, Texas every mid March. You endure it. You survive it. Here are Saving Country Music’s biggest takeaways from SXSW 2025.
Willie Nelson
Album Review – Charley Crockett’s “Lonesome Drifter”
“Lonesome Drifter” gives you another good haul of original Charley Crockett songs that are immediately entertaining, and that endear you ever further to the man and the mythos.
Willie Nelson Wants You To Know About This Revered Songwriter
We’re used to younger and up-and-coming artists paying tribute to Willie Nelson, or perhaps Willie toasting the legends who came before him like Frank Sinatra and Gershwin.
Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion Announces Packed 2025 Lineup
It’s one of the most frenetic and talent-rich events all year, resulting in one of the most sought-after tickets in music. It’s Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, and it happens on the Thursday of Austin’s greater SXSW gathering.
Iconic Willie Nelson Mural Demolished in Austin
The iconic Willie Nelson mural in downtown Austin, TX located at 407 E. 7th Street was destroyed on Monday morning, February 3rd, as the 100-year old building it was on the side of underwent demolition.
Dispelling The Myth That Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” is a Country Album
In the aftermath of Beyoncé winning the Grammy for Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards, it begs for a deeper look into the album, along with the marketing, conversation, and media coverage surrounding it
Country Music’s Oldest Living Legends & Links to the Past (3.0)
Every once in a while, it is important to stop down, pay tribute, and appreciate all of the living legends we still have around in country and roots music. Some trace back to the very formations of country.
Willie Nelson, Jimmy Carter, and the Notorious White House Pot Incident
Part of the story that’s rarely told is the cautionary tale portion. While Willie Nelson was puffing away on the roof of the White House, he had a cast on his foot. It happens to be that his weed consumption had something to do with it.
The Connection Between Willie Nelson and Texas Roadhouse Restaurants
Everyone knows about Willie Nelson’s country music legacy, his altruistic endeavors through Farm Aid and other initiatives. But not enough is made about Willie Nelson the entrepreneur.
40 Years Ago: Marty Stuart Helps Name The Highwaymen
Did you know that there was a very distinct possibility that The Highwaymen might have never been called “The Highwaymen,” and that they might have never recorded the iconic song that gave them their name?
Reckless Kelly, Steve Earle & More Help Arlyn Studios Celebrate 40 Years
The walls of some of of Austin’s recording spaces have witnessed such incredibly iconic moments being made, they have become iconic themselves. That’s definitely the fate of Arlyn Studios on Academy Drive.
George Strait to Receive Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award
At the 2024 CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 20th, George Strait will receive the highest award that the CMAs can dole out—the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. First awarded in 2012 …
Texas Country Music Legend Tommy Alverson Has Died
Tommy Alverson’s songs were of Texas, from Texas, and for Texas. Well before it became cliché for Texas artists to sing about Texas, Tommy Alverson was doing it. Down in Texas, he might as well be a patron saint.
Hero: The Many Deaths of Billy Joe Shaver
From suffering a heart attack mid performance on stage, to playing Russian roulette with an automatic pistol, these are the many times Outlaw country legend Billy Joe Shaver cheated death, and lived to become a hero.
Album Review – Willie Nelson’s “Last Leaf On The Tree”
For his latest project, Willie teams with his youngest son Micah. f nothing else, the album gave the two lots of quality and creative time together, and moments that will forever be preserved into the grooves of vinyl.
Willie Nelson Mural in Downtown Austin Faces Demolition
The mural is painted on the side of a 100-year-old building at 407 E. Seventh St., near Neches Street. Most recently the building housed the bar Mug Shots, but was abandoned when a fire in February resulted in structural damage.
On This Day: Ricky Nelson Stands Up for Country with “Garden Party”
Listening back to “Garden Party” now and regarding Ricky Nelson’s career at large, it feels like he deserves way more credit for making country music cool to rock ‘n roll kids, and a new generation.
Kris Kristofferson, Toby Keith and the Outlandish “Rolling Stone” Altercation
The media loves to place individuals firmly in the political binary, and then pit them against each other. It’s good for clicks and business, even if it causes collateral damage in communities or greater society in the process.
Kris Kristofferson: Country Music’s Poet Laureate and Revolutionary Lyricist Passes
It’s impossible to compose a proper summation of the career of Kris Kristofferson. You can’t tie a nice little bow around it, because it’s so bursting and effusive, and touches so many sectors of American society.
Willie Nelson / Oak Ridge Boys Sing Together for 1st Time
The new song comes from the new Oak Ridge Boys new album called “Mama’s Boys” to be released on October 25th. The album is not just a tribute to their own mothers, but mothers around the world.
Willie Nelson Plots Special Project with His Youngest Son
The through-line in the album is “facing death with grace”—something the 91-year-old Willie Nelson can relate to. Micah says he took a “sculptor’s approach” to the album, stating, “It’s an approach that I really love…”
91 Year Old Willie Nelson Makes Return to Stage After Prolonged Illness
We’d be lying if we didn’t say it’s been a tense couple weeks of nail biting and refreshing news feeds for many fans of Willie Nelson and country music. The 91-year-old was forced to cancel multiple shows.
On Jason Kelce’s Rant About Country Music
The two Kelce brothers host a podcast together called New Heights, and have the internet all agog after Jason Kelce (the brother NOT having intercourse with Taylor Swift) twisted off on country music during the latest episode.
“Always on My Mind,” “Suspicious Minds” Writer Mark James Dies
Some songwriters amass a master’s catalog of commercial hits, while others go on to only be known for a few select but significantly important compositions. In many respects, both of these things are true for Mark James.