Country
Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins, Country Hall of Fame Member Who Played With George Jones, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan & More, Dies at 84
Hargus “Pig” Robbins, a Country Music Hall of Fame member and renowned session pianist who played with the likes of George Jones, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and many more, has died. He was 84. Robbins passed away on Sunday (Jan. 30), the Country Music Hall of Fame confirmed. In a statement from the Country Music Association, CEO Sarah Trahern wrote, “Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins was a defining sound for so much of the historic music out of Nashville. His talent spoke for itself through his decades-spanning career and work as a session pianist with countless artists across genres. Our hearts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said, “Like all successful session musicians, Pig Robbins was quick to adapt to any studio ...
Dolly Parton Praises Taylor Swift and Britney Spears: “You Have to Stand Up for Yourself”
Dolly Parton was one of 12 children and she broke into a notoriously misogynistic country scene in the 1960s, so she is perhaps the world’s preeminent expert on making her voice heard. In a new interview with Hollywood Life, she sang the praises of Britney Spears and Taylor Swift, applauding one’s triumph over an abusive conservatorship and the other pushing back against insults from Damon Albarn, saying, “You have to stand up for yourself.” “I really get rubbed wrong sometimes when people mistreat the artist. I don’t like that,” she said. “I don’t like to judge other people and their problems, but when all that stuff that happens, like with Britney Spears — when they get [wrapped up in] controversy like that, you have to kind of stand up for yourself.” She also defended Swift, who Albarn ...
Jay DeMarcus’ Red Street Records Launches Country Division
Rascal Flatts‘ Jay DeMarcus is expanding his Red Street brand with the launch of Red Street Country after launching the company as a Christian label, Red Street Records, in 2018. DeMarcus, who is Red Street’s owner/CEO, and owner/chairman Dan Crockett are celebrating the label’s expansion with a press conference Thursday (Jan. 27) at the label’s Nashville headquarters. DeMarcus and Crockett are funding both labels, which are self-distributed. Red Street Country’s first signing is singer-songwriter Ryan Griffin, whose self-released single, “Salt, Lime & Tequila,” reached No. 3 on Billboard‘s Country Digital Song Sales chart last year and No. 1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway. Griffin is working on a new album. Several notable music industry veterans have joined the Red Street Country tea...
Dolly Parton Finally Reveals Whether or Not Her Breasts Are Insured
Dolly Parton is speaking out on a longtime rumor surrounding her breasts. The country icon appeared on Wednesday’s (Jan. 26) episode of Today With Hoda and Jenna, where she laid speculation that she had her breasts insured to rest, following news that model Heidi Klum had her legs insured for $2 million. “Well, it’s not true about that,” Parton revealed. “Years ago, was it Betty Grable or one of the great famous stars that was famous also for her legs, and at that time I said, ‘Well, maybe I should get my boobs insured, since I’m famous for them.’ But it was just a joke. I didn’t do that.” Parton then cheekily responded to Klum’s insured legs. “By the way,” she teased, “you can get new boobs but you can’t get new legs.” The 76-year-old star celebrated her birthday on January 19 after ...
Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown Band & More Set for 2022 iHeartCountry Festival
Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown Band and Maren Morris are among the artists set for this year’s iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One, set for May 7, the event announced Tuesday (Jan. 25). This year’s performers will also include Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen, Scotty McCreery, Cody Johnson and more. iHeartMedia personality Bobby Bones will again host the event, to be held at Austin, Texas’s new Moody Center, which opens in April on the University of Texas campus. The show will broadcast live on iHeartMedia’s country stations and on iheartradio.com on May 7, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Country music fans across the country look forward to the iHeartCountry Festival each and every year,” said Rod...
How Kip Moore Turned ‘The Song That Got Away’ From a Decade Ago Into a New, Re-Recorded Single
What’s old is new again for Kip Moore’s latest radio single, “Crazy One More Time (Revisited),” which comes out today (Jan. 21) and goes to radio on Monday. “Crazy One More Time” originally appeared on Moore’s 2012 MCA Nashville debut, Up All Night. The country star released four singles from the album, including “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, and “Hey Pretty Girl,” which reached No. 2. Explore Explore Kip Moore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “To tell the truth, after ‘Pretty Girl,’ we were going to put out ‘Crazy One More Time’ [as a single],” Moore tells Billboard of the track he wrote with Chris Lindsey and Aimee Mayo. “But that would have been our fifth single from the album. I had been tou...
Luke Combs & Wife Nicole Expecting First Child
A baby is on the way for reigning CMA entertainer of the year Luke Combs and his wife Nicole Hocking. On Thursday (Jan. 20), the couple shared they are expecting their first child, a boy, in the spring. The couple shared a few pregnancy photos along with an image of a sonogram. The “Doin’ This” singer shared, “Here we go y’all! Lil dude Combs is coming this Spring! Couldn’t be more excited to start a family with this babe. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride @nicolejcombs.” Explore Explore Luke Combs See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Nicole also shared the pregnancy photos on her Instagram, with the caption, “this may be the best year yet 🤍baby BOY combs coming spring 2022!! we are so incredibly excited & thankful.” The couple got engaged in 2018,...
Keb’ Mo’ Sets His Heart Toward Home on New Album ‘Good to Be’
Keb’ Mo’ has lived in Nashville for more than a decade, but his latest album, Good to Be, out Friday on Concord Records, owes much of its genesis to the 70-year-old music icon’s childhood home in Compton, Calif. “In the years gone by, I would go to Compton and see my mom quite often, when she was alive — and I have one sister that still lives in Compton,” he tells Billboard. In 2018, just prior to his mother’s passing, Keb’ Mo’ purchased and renovated his childhood home. Explore Explore Keb’ Mo’ See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “She had been renting it out for some time,” he explains. “We bought it from her estate and fixed it up. We knocked the wall out between the little living room and the kitchen. We wanted to make it all it could be, to...
Lil Durk Brings Out Morgan Wallen for ‘Broadway Girls’ at MLK Freedom Fest
Lil Durk was joined by Morgan Wallen for a performance of their collaboration “Broadway Girls” during the MLK Freedom Fest at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday (Jan. 15). Prior to bringing Wallen onstage, the Chicago MC introduced the country singer as being “genuine at heart” and made a reference to him being caught on video last year using the N-word. “Can’t nobody cancel s— without me saying it, you know what I’m saying?” Durk told the crowd. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Durk recently scored his first No. 1 as a lead artist on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with the Wallen collab “Broadway Girls.” Dressed in a denim vest with dark pants, Wallen addressed the crowd before jumping into the track with Durk. “What’s up, N...
Morgan Wallen Makes Surprise Appearance at MLK Freedom Fest
Nearly a year after being caught on camera using a racial slur, Morgan Wallen appeared on stage at the event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. The country singer made a surprise appearance at Nashville’s MLK Freedom Fest on Saturday night, joining rapper Lil Durk for a performance of their recent collaborative single, “Broadway Girls.” In introducing Wallen, Lil Durk said he was “genuine at heart,” and added, “Can’t nobody cancel shit without me saying it, you know what I’m saying?” In February 2021, footage of Wallen using the n-word was posted to TMZ. In the video, which was filmed by his neighbor, Wallen was seen drunkenly yelling, “Take care of this pussy ass motherfucker. Take care of this pussy ass n****.” Wallen later attributed his behavior to being in the throes of a 72-hour bender....
Ralph Emery, Country Music Broadcaster and Hall of Fame Member, Dies at 88
Ralph Emery, a longtime country music broadcaster and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has died. He was 88. Emery’s passing was first reported on Saturday (Nov. 15) by the Tennessean, with a statement from his family that said he “passed away peacefully” that morning at Tristar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. His cause of death has not been revealed. Emery, born in 1933 in McEwen, Tennessee, had a successful career in the country music industry for more than 50 years, working in radio before shifting to television. Known as the dean of country music broadcasters, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 1989. Explore See latest videos, charts and news He notably interviewed a number of country music sta...
Jay Barker, Sara Evans’ Husband and Ex-Alabama Quarterback, Charged With Domestic Violence
Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, who is married to country music singer Sara Evans, was arrested Saturday (Jan. 15) on a felony domestic violence charge, Tennessee authorities said. Barker, 49, was booked into a Nashville county jail early Saturday morning, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office website. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and placed on a $10,000 bond with a 12-hour hold because it was a domestic violence case. He was released Saturday night after posting bond. Explore Explore Sara Evans See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Investigators did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press requesting details about the case. Barker did not answer a call from the AP and it was not immediately cl...
