Country
In-Demand Songwriter Natalie Hemby Steps Into Her Own With ‘Pins and Needles’
Now, with her Oct. 8 debut for Fantasy/Concord, Pins and Needles, Hemby is fully stepping into her own as an artist. “This is over 20 years of pent-up artist frustration,” she says of the new set, with a laugh. “The interesting part was that the label just loved all the songs. Kudos to Fantasy. They could have not signed me during a pandemic, because people were scaling back and tours were being halted — but they said, ‘No, we’re doing this deal.’” The album was produced and mixed by Hemby’s husband Mike Wrucke (Lambert, Pistol Annies), and includes several songs she co-wrote with artists including Lambert (“Banshee,” “It Takes One to Know One”) and Morris (“Heart Condition”) — but also songs co-written with Daniel Tashian and Rosi Golan (the...
Kenny Malone, Prolific Nashville Session Drummer, Dies at 83
“He expanded the vocabulary of Nashville drumming, and was always an innovator who invented his own unique style of hand drumming, often combining sticks and brushes with hand percussion to create a unique sound and feel that left lots of space for other instruments and the vocals,” Pomeroy said in a statement. Malone, from Denver, enlisted in the Navy and served 14 years, playing as a musician in the U.S. Navy Band. He came to Nashville in 1970 and started working with famed Nashville producer “Cowboy” Jack Clement and soon became one of the most utilized drummers and percussionists in town. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum said he worked on records by Bobby Bare, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, Dottie ...
Garth Brooks Explains Why He Once Signed Autographs for 23 Hours
In 1996, Fan Fair was celebrating its 25th anniversary, with an artist lineup that included Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Shania Twain and Billy Ray Cyrus, among others. Brooks dropped by the event unannounced, found a vacant area near a livestock building and began talking to fans. A crowd swelled around Brooks, who stayed and signed autographs for 23 hours and 10 minutes without a break. The following year, Brooks would play his now-legendary concert at New York City’s Central Park to an audience of over one million people. Though the relationship Brooks has with his fans is well known, the 59-year-old superstar told Midland that he had another motive for the marathon signing session. “I’d love to tell you that it was just done out of love and stuff but the real story ...
William Shatner Enlists Joe Jonas and Brad Paisley for Spoken Word Collabs: Stream
Boldly going where no man has gone before, William Shatner has dropped a pair of spoken word singles featuring none other than Joe Jonas and Brad Paisley. Stream them below. On “Clouds of Guilt,” the famed actor waxes poetic about the various ways guilt has impacted his life as the JoBro provides the song’s melodic hook. “Feel guilty when I leave/ Feel guilty when I stay/ Feel guilty when I’m down and out and when I’m overpaid/ Feel guilty when I’m right/ Feel guilty when I’m wrong/ I even feel a pinch of guilt just singing you this song,” he laments over Jonas’ peppy, doo-wop-style backing vocals. Meanwhile, his collab with Paisley, titled “So Far From the Moon,” finds the legendary thespian reflecting the 1969 cancelation of Star Trek and his divorce from first wife Gloria Rand over honk...
Kacey Musgraves Shares New Single “justified”: Stream
Now that the news has broken about Kacey Musgraves’ fourth studio album, star-crossed, the country-pop icon is wasting no time revving up the excitement surrounding the follow-up to her massively acclaimed Golden Hour. Today, Musgraves has shared the album’s second single, “justified,” along with its accompanying music video. star-crossed chronicles the heartbreak that resulted from Musgraves’ recent divorce, with much of its lyrics and artistic direction informed by one paradigm-shifting mushroom trip she took. “justified” feels right in line with Musgraves’ typical homey, slightly-psychedelic aesthetic, of course exhibiting the same heart-on-her-sleeve songwriting that she’s become so well known for. Check it out below. “justified” follows the release of star-crossed’s title track earlie...
George Strait, Garth Brooks, Darius Rucker & More Honor Charley Pride on CMT Special Tonight
The docu-special, which was filmed at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, will include Pride’s wife Rozene, as well as artists Jimmie Allen, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, George Strait, Wynonna, Ronnie Milsap, Reyna Roberts, Gladys Knight, Garth Brooks and more. In addition to artists performing their favorite Pride hits, the special also includes rare interview segments with Pride, as well as mementos from his country music career and his early work as a Negro League Baseball pitcher. Baseball legend Nolan Ryan is also featured on the special. During the broadcast, Guyton performs Pride’s 1971 hit “I’m Just Me,” while Allen performs 1969’s “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me).” “If I was to talk about Charley‘s musical legacy that he left behind, I would th...
Dan + Shay’s ‘Good Things’ Debuts in Top 10 on Billboard 200 & Top Country Albums Charts
The new set arrives with multiple hit singles, as “Glad You Exist” led the Country Airplay chart dated Aug. 21, marking the duo’s eighth No. 1; it spends a second week at its No. 2 high on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart. Newest single “Steal My Love” debuts at No. 26 on Hot Country Songs and ranks at No. 42 on Country Airplay with 1.9 million in radio-reach. The LP also includes Dan + Shay’s Justin Bieber collab “10,000 Hours,” which ruled Hot Country Songs for 21 weeks (or a still-impressive 3,528 hours) beginning in October 2019 and topped Country Airplay for two weeks starting in January 2020, and “I Should Probably Go to Bed,” which reached Nos. 4 and 2 on the respective rankings this January. ‘CHASING’ L...
AmericanaFest Requiring Proof of Vaccination or Negative COVID Test for Attendance
AmericanaFest has revealed updated health and safety guidelines for this year’s festival, which is slated for Sept. 22-25 at several venues in Nashville. According to the new protocols, all festival attendees are required to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry to any of the festival’s events, including concerts and panels. Proof of full vaccination must show a final dose at least 14 days prior to Sept. 22, while a negative COVID-19 test must be within 72 hours to enter any of the official AmericanaFest-produced events. Masks are encouraged for indoor events, regardless of vaccination status. “The safety of our community including attendees, artists, speakers, partners, volunteers and staff for AmericanaFest 2021 and the Americana Honors & Awards is our ...
Loretta Lynn ‘Heartbroken’ After Ranch Foreman Wayne Spears Dies in Middle Tennessee Flood
Lynn herself is “completely safe and healthy,” Lynn’s granddaughter and fellow musician Tayla Lynn said on social media. The official Facebook account for Loretta Lynn’s Ranch also shared a video of flood damage to the property, noting that the main road to the ranch was washed away. The ranch’s amenities include a full-service RV park, more than 300 power and water campsites, 18 cabins and numerous activities such as hiking, fishing, volleyball, campfire shows and more. The New York Times reports at least 22 people have been killed, with 50 others missing, in Middle Tennessee after flash floods ravaged the area over the weekend. Humphreys County has a population of around 18,500. According to the National Weather Service, nearby McEwen, Tenn. (also located in Humphreys County), reco...
Kacey Musgraves Drops New Song, Announces Upcoming Album & Film ‘Star-Crossed’
Kacey Musgraves announced on Monday (Aug. 23), that she will release her upcoming studio album, Star-Crossed, on Sept. 10 via Interscope/UMG Nashville. She also dropped the project’s title track. For the new project, Musgraves reunited with Ian Fitchuk and Tashian, her collaborators on the Grammy-winning 2018 project Golden Hour. A press release for Star-Crossed describes the album as being “structured as a modern-day tragedy in three acts,” one that relates “an extremely personal journey of heartache and healing.” The 15-song album marks the first since Musgraves’ divorce from fellow musician Ruston Kelly. The couple wed in 2017 and announced their split in July 2020. In the title track, which was also released Monday, Musgraves includes the lines, “Signed the papers yesterday/ You ...
R.I.P. Don Everly, One-Half of The Everly Brothers Dies at 84
Don Everly, one-half of influential musical duo The Everly Brothers along with his brother Phil, died Saturday (August 22nd) at the age of 84. “Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a representative said in a statement. “Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams … with his soulmate and wife, Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother.” A cause of death was not specified. The Everly Brothers arrived onto the scene in the late 1950s, performing rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll songs in close harmonies that would influence bands for years to come. Throughout their career, they had over two dozen Top 40 hits, including “Cathy’s Clown,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do is Dream,” and “Bye Bye Love.” With 35 Top 100 singles, they’re second to onl...
Keith Urban, Jason Isbell, Travis Tritt & Others Mourn Death of Country Music Legend Tom T. Hall
Nicknamed “The Storyteller,” Hall — who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019 — was renowned for his songs’ rich narratives, vivid descriptions and homespun observations. “My second concert (at the age of 5 !!) was Tom T. Hall,” Urban added on Twitter. “What a gifted literary musical artist he was. Peace be with all of his friends, family, and admirers today. Thank you Mr. Hall.” Tritt paid tribute to Hall, tweeting, “RIP to Tom T. Hall. One of the greatest story telling songwriters ever! I used to pick and sing with him every year at Earl Scruggs’s home.” Luke Bryan also showed his appreciation for Hall. “Literally one of the finest song writers to ever live,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “Truly the most ...
