Country
CMA Festival Bans Confederate Flag Imagery “of Any Kind”
No “Southern pride” or sedition here. The CMA Festival has announced that Confederate flags will officially be banned from the annual event, which is scheduled to take place in Nashville next week. The new rule is noted by event organizers on the festival’s official website, with “Confederate flag imagery of any kind” listed among other objects prohibited on festival grounds including bikes, drones, fireworks, and drug paraphernalia. The news was first reported by Variety. “This year’s CMA Fest is our first major fan-facing event in nearly three years,” the Country Music Association said in a statement. “We have always had policies in place that protect the safety of our fans and ban discrimination, but we felt it was important to further refine our language to explicitly outline what will...
Jeff Tweedy Covers Angel Olsen’s “Big Time”: Stream
Jeff Tweedy has offered up his take on Angel Olsen‘s “Big Time.” The Wilco frontman released the cover on his Substack, Starship Casual, writing, “Here’s a song I learned from Angel Olsen’s new record that came out TODAY! Normally I put songs behind the paywall, but this album is brand-new and lovely, and I want everyone with ears to hear it” alongside a number of pictures of himself, Olsen, and her band. “And I’m losing, I’m losing, I’ve left it behind/ Guess I had to be losing to get here on time/ And I’m living, I’m loving, I’ve loved long before/ And I’m loving you big time, I’m loving you more,” he crooned on the song’s country-tinged chorus over simple acoustic guitar. Upon hearing the cover, Olsen had nothing but good things to say, tweeting, “Jeff!!! Covering ‘Big Time’! I owe you ...
CMA Fest Bans Confederate Flag Imagery at Country Music Fest
The CMA Fest is prohibiting any Confederate flag imagery at its four-day festival, following similar bans at other country music festivals. In a statement provided to The Tennessean, the Country Music Association said the decision to enact the policy this year was based on the personal safety of fans and to prevent discrimination. “This year’s CMA Fest is our first major fan-facing event in nearly three years. We have always had policies in place that protect the safety of our fans and ban discrimination, but we felt it was important to further refine our language to explicitly outline what will and will not be tolerated,” the statement said. After a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual festival that began in 1972 returns to Nashville, Tennessee, star...
Juneteenth Celebration 2022 to Feature The Roots, Killer Mike, Mickey Guyton, and More
Juneteenth 2022 marks the liberation of Black Americans from slavery 157 years ago. In celebration, The Roots, Killer Mike, Mickey Guyton, and more will take the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, June 19th for a special concert that will be broadcast live on CNN. Other artists on the roster for the evening include Earth Wind & Fire, Robert Glasper, Jhené Aiko, Anthony Hamilton, Billy Porter, Lucky Daye, Mary Mary, and Michelle Williams. Additionally, the show will feature the 68-piece symphony Re-Collective Orchestra. Conducted by Thomas Wilkins and Derek Hodge, the group will be the first all-Black orchestra to ever play the Hollywood Bowl in the venue’s 100-year history. See the full lineup poster below. “This is the most important event we’ve ever produced at Live Nation U...
Zach Bryan’s ‘American Heartbreak’ Launches With Biggest Week for a Country Album in 2022 So Far
Zach Bryan earns his first leader on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart, as the 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Oologah, Okla., launches American Heartbreak at No. 1 on the June 4-dated list. The hefty 34-track effort, released May 20, opens with 71,000 equivalent album units in the week ending May 26, according to Luminate – the biggest week for a country album in 2022. Of the set’s starting sum, streaming equivalent album (SEA) units comprise 64,500, equaling 84.1 million on-demand official streams – likewise the best streaming frame for a country album this year. The LP bows at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200, where it’s Bryan’s first entry. It currently premieres atop Americana/Folk Albums, becoming his first No. 1 among three top 10s, and Top Rock Albums, where it’s his firs...
‘Her Country’ Author Marissa Moss on the Inequalities Women Artists Face in Country Music
In new book, Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be, journalist Marissa Moss chronicles the way that the country music industry has proved inequitable for women artists, and especially women of color. Though she provides a broad history of women in country music — including the ongoing influence of pioneers like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, and a fond look at the early-’90s heyday when women artists achieved near parity with their male counterparts on radio — she primarily looks at the contemporary scene, through the careers of Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Mickey Guyton. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Despite their overwhelming talents, Lambert is the only one of that tri...
Wynonna Judd Talks Mother Naomi’s Death: ‘I Feel So Helpless’
Wynonna Judd on Sunday (May 29) opened up about the death of her mother and singing partner, Naomi Judd, who died by suicide April 30 following a long struggle with mental health issues. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she wrote about the pain of her mother’s death and her feelings of helplessness. First asking “WHAT DO I KNOW?” — imagining her life coach was asking her that very question — she proceeded to answer it in several ways. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I DO know, that the pain of losing Mom on 4/30 to suicide is so great, that I often feel like I’m not ever going to be able to fully accept and surrender to the truth that she left the way she did,” she wrote. “This cannot be how The Judds story ends,” adding a hear...
Wilco Unveil Double Album Cruel Country: Stream
Wilco have unveiled their new double album Cruel Country via dBpm Records. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. Cruel Country is the band’s follow-up to 2019’s Ode to Joy, and features lead single “Falling Apart (Right Now)” and “Tired of Taking It Out on You” among its sprawling twenty-one tracks. The two-disc studio set finds the indie rockers fully leaning into the country music rumblings that have followed them since their 1995 debut album A.M. “I think there’s been an assumption over the years that Wilco is some sort of country band,” frontman Jeff Tweedy wrote upon announcing the album. “There’s a lot of evidence to support that way of thinking about our band because there have been elements of country music in everything we’ve ever done. But to be honest, we’ve never been par...
Wynonna and Waxahatchee Bravely Face the “Other Side” on New Single: Stream
Wynonna Judd hasn’t let losing her mother Naomi Judd get in the way of making music. Less than a month after the sudden death of her former bandmate in The Judds, the country music legend has teamed up with modern indie-folk icon Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield) for a spirited new song called “Other Side.” An upbeat, breezy country number, “Other Side” seems topically relevant, serving as a beacon of light in the midst of tragedy. “I got a heart, got a heart of gold/ Casts a shadow, dark and cold/ If we move our way against the tide/ There’s something on the other side,” the pair sing in blissful harmony over a steady drum beat and fingerpicked guitars. “In the midst of everything that has happened, I said that I would continue to sing,” Wynonna explained in a statement. “So, here I am....
No ‘Trouble’ At All: Jason Aldean Scores His 25th Country Airplay No. 1
Jason Aldean notches his 25th leader on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart with “Trouble With a Heartbreak,” up 15% to 24.9 million audience impressions, according to Luminate, as it crowns the May 28-dated tally. The song — which Kurt Allison, Brett Beavers, Tully Kennedy and John Morgan wrote — is from Aldean’s double album Macon, Georgia, which was released in two 15-song halves; Macon arrived at its No. 3 high on Top Country Albums last November and Georgia started at No. 2 earlier this May. “Trouble” is from Georgia. Aldean adds his fourth Country Airplay leader in succession, following “If I Didn’t Love You,” with Carrie Underwood (No. 1 for three frames starting last October), “Blame It on You” (one week, last July) and “Got What I Got” (one, October 2020). [embedded content] Aldean,...
Zac Brown Band’s John Driskell Hopkins Diagnosed With ALS
John Driskell Hopkins, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/writer for Zac Brown Band, has revealed he has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Hopkins appeared alongside his ZBB bandmates in a video message to discuss his diagnosis and his future with the band. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Over the past several years, I’ve noticed some balance issues and some stiffness in my hands,” Hopkins said. “After careful analysis by some of the country’s top neurologists, I’ve been diagnosed with ALS. Because my symptoms have been slow-progressing from the start, we believe they will continue to be ...
Wynonna Judd Moving Forward with The Judds’ Final Tour As Celebration of Naomi
Prior to Naomi Judd’s passing last month, she and her daughter Wynonna had announced their first tour as The Judds in over the decade. Now, Wynonna has announced that the tour will take place as scheduled, serving as a celebration of her mother. Wynonna will be joined on the road by a number of special guests, including Martina McBride, Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood, and others to be announced. The tour will now conclude with a newly announced hometown show in The Judds’ native Kentucky on October 29th, with Faith Hill set to perform with Wynonna on stage at the Rupp Arena in Louisville. Advertisement Related Video “I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38+ years, who continue to show up for me when I n...
