Country
March Country Rookie of the Month: Carter Faith
Last year, Carter Faith hit three major life milestones: The North Carolina native not only graduated from Nashville’s Belmont University, but she made her debut performance at the Ryman Auditorium and released her six-song EP Let Love Be Love, via Pound It Out Loud Entertainment. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Now, Faith has inked a music publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, Billboard can exclusively reveal. “After I released the EP, it was really cool to see people in town that I looked up to really respond to it,” Faith tells Billboard. “They were willing to write with me and I would just randomly get set up to write with people at UMPG. [A&R Directors] Roxy King and Zach Lund reached out and loved what I was writing.” Top row (L-R): Zach Lund...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Won’t Take Dolly Parton’s Name Off Ballot
Dolly Parton remains under consideration for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — whether she likes it or not. Three days after the Queen of Nashville tried to pull her name from the list of nominees, writing, “I must respectfully bow out,” the foundation that runs the Hall has released its own statement indicating that since voting is already under way, they won’t be making any changes to the ballot. “All of us in the music community have seen Dolly Parton’s thoughtful note expressing her feeling that she has not earned the right to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” the foundation wrote in the statement (via Variety). “In addition to her incredible talent as an artist, her humility is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans around the world. “From its ince...
Judas Priest and Twisted Sister Members Commend Dolly Parton for Bowing Out of Rock Hall Nod: “A Classy Move”
Dolly Parton’s decision to withdraw herself from nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has garnered praise from rock and metal artists. Earlier this week, the country music legend bowed out of the Hall nod and said she didn’t feel she had “earned” it, explaining she needed to add to her rock ‘n’ roll cred. She added, “This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do! Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider both commended Parton for respectfully withdrawing. Advertisement Related Video “I think it was a classy move, really,” Faulkner told podcast Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen. “I think she recognizes her brand, and it didn’t necessarily fit into t...
2022 ACM Awards Shine on Billboard’s Country Charts
The 57th Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs) shine on Billboard’s country charts, as a bevy of songs and albums showcased on the March 7 show dot the March 19-dated tallies. For the first time, the ACM Awards were not broadcast on television, and instead, streamed live on Amazon Prime Video. It was the first major awards show to be exclusively livestreamed. The two-hour, commercial-free show began at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on March 7, and was hosted by Dolly Parton, with special co-hosts Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett. In 2021, the ACMs were broadcast on CBS-TV. Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album, which won the ACM award for album of the year, holds steady at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart for a 49th nonconsecutive week. The set earned 45,000 equivalent album units in the U...
How to Get Tickets to Alan Jackson’s 2022 Tour
It’s 5 o’clock all summer long as Alan Jackson sets out on his “Last Call: One More for the Road” tour. The Country Music Hall of Fame singer promises a send-off that’s anything but “Little Bitty” as he embarks on his final tour following the announcement last fall that he has been diagnosed with CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth), a neuropathical condition. In a statement, Jackson said: “I’ve always admired my heroes like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, and Charley Pride who just played as much as they wanted to, as long as they could. I’ve always thought I’d like to do that, and I’d like to as long as my health will allow. I’ll try to do as much as I can, but if I’m comin’ your way, come see me….” Get tickets here, and read on for more info including pre-sale dates. What Is Alan Jackso...
Steve Albini Offers to Produce Dolly Parton’s Rock Record
After Dolly Parton removed herself from consideration for the Rock and Roll of Fame, saying she first needed to make a great rock record, she got an offer from a man who’s helped more artists into those hallowed halls than just about anyone living: Steve Albini. Parton was nominated for the Class of 2022 in February alongside Eminem, Rage Against the Machine, and more. In a statement explaining why she would be declining potential Hall of Fame induction at this time, she said that she would like to be considered in the future, but only after she has “put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album… which I have always wanted to do!” Albini retweeted this statement and his offer was short and sweet: “Dolly Parton do you like analog recording,” he wrote, though so far she has not publicly...
Makin’ Tracks: Michael Ray Delivers a Classic Story Song With the Swampy ‘Holy Water’
When the video for Michael Ray’s “Holy Water” debuts March 16, some of the footage will take viewers to the Cassia Baptist Church — a little white house of worship in Eustis, Fla., that the singer attended three times a week during his youth. The preacher’s goal on many a Sunday is to define the line between right and wrong, though in practice, it’s not always so easy. That gray area in between is fertile ground for drama, and that’s a big reason that Ray recorded “Holy Water” in the first place. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “That’s what I love about the story,” he says. “It’s like a movie in your ears.” A short movie, though: The typical film lasts around two hours, while the action in “Holy Water” takes place in a scant three-and-a-half minutes, exploring a man of the cloth...
R.I.P. Bobbie Nelson, Founding Member of Willie Nelson’s Family Band Dead at 91
Bobbie Nelson, Willie Nelson’s older sister and an original member of his Family Band, died on Thursday (March 10th) at the age of 91. A quiet, yet steadying, presence on the piano at live shows, Nelson passed away while surrounded by family. “Her elegance, grace, beauty, and talent made this world a better place. She was the first member of Willie’s band, as his pianist and singer,” reads a statement from the Nelson family. “Our hearts are broken and she will be deeply missed. But we are so lucky to have had her in our lives. Please keep her family in your thoughts and give them the privacy they need at this time.” Born on New Year’s Day in 1931, Nelson was two years older than her more famous brother, but he still referred to her as his “Little Sister Bobbie” on stage. They played togeth...
Bobbie Nelson, Willie Nelson’s Sister and Longtime Bandmate, Dies at 91
Bobbie Nelson, the singer, pianist, and a regular collaborator with her younger brother Willie Nelson, has died at the age of 91. Nelson was the first member of the Willie Nelson and Family Band, and devoted more than 50 years to touring and recording with her brother. Music was in the family’s DNA. Raised in Abbot, Texas, it was Bobbie and Willie’s grandparents who inspired the youngsters to take up instruments and pursue a career in music. “My grandfather had said to me when I was learning to play the piano: You know, if you really work at this, you could earn your living playing music one day,” Bobbie once said. “And I never forgot that.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The siblings caught on quick. By their teens, they were cutting their te...
Makin’ Tracks: Jon Pardi’s ‘Last Night Lonely’ Marks a Punchy Transition to Different Days Ahead
Jon Pardi wrapped the singles from his Heartache Medication album with “Tequila Little Time,” a melodic, Mexicali-tinged mid-tempo song about a guy providing a shoulder — and a drink — to a broken-hearted woman at a bar. With “Last Night Lonely,” Pardi submits the first single from his next album, a swaggering country mid-tempo track about a guy once again buying a drink for a woman at a bar, essentially suggesting that this could be the first day of the rest of their lives… together. Explore Explore Jon Pardi See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It’s definitely got the same values, but it’s still a different story and it’s a different sound,” Pardi allows. “And it’s got a fiddle solo.” The fiddle was not envisioned by the three “Last Night Lonely” songwri...
Here’s What Dolly Parton Had to Say About a Potential Collab With Cardi B
Dolly Parton featuring … Cardi B? It may be more likely than you might think. Though the two artists are so different on the surface it feels like they could only ever be brought together by the spin of a wheel or some random online name generator, the 76-year-old country icon told E!’s Daily Pop Monday (March 7) that she can definitely see herself working with Cardi in the future. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Before taking the stage of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to host the 2022 ACM Awards, Parton sat down for a virtual interview and answered questions about the show, along with one query regarding a potential collaboration with one of today’s biggest rap superstars. “I might, if she’s willing,” Parton said of getting in the studio w...
Brothers Osborne Speak Out After Single Is Pulled From Country Radio
During Brothers Osborne‘s duo of the year acceptance speech at Monday evening’s (March 7) Academy of Country Music Awards, TJ Osborne was especially grateful for the momentum that an award win can give an artist. “About a week ago, they pulled our single from country radio, so I needed a little wind put in our sails,” Osborne explained to the audience attending the awards show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Osborne was referring to Brothers Osborne’s radio single, “I’m Not For Everyone,” which reached No. 33 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart dated March 5 and had been on the chart for 43 weeks. It is not on the chart dated March 12. Osborne did not specify if “they” is a reference to the duo’s label home, EMI Records Nashville. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest vid...
