Country
The Judds Are Just the 4th Act to Go From Winning CMA Horizon Award to Country Music Hall of Fame
Garth Brooks: The superstar who took country to a whole new level won the horizon award in 1990 and was voted into the Hall in 2012—just 22 years later. It really can’t be done much faster than that. He beat Alan Jackson, Kentucky Headhunters, Lorrie Morgan and Travis Tritt for the horizon award. (Tritt nabbed the horizon award the following year. CMA rules allow artists two tries at the award.) Randy Travis: The country and gospel singer won the horizon award in 1986 and was voted into the Hall in 2016—30 years later. He beat the Forester Sisters, Kathy Mattea, Dan Seals and Dwight Yoakam for the horizon award. Ricky Skaggs: The country and bluegrass musician won the horizon award in 1982 and was voted into the Hall in 2018—36 years later. He beat John Anderson, Rosanne Cash, David Frizze...
Maren Morris, Luke Combs and Dan + Shay Nominated for CMA International Awards
Nominees were also revealed in categories including the Jo Walker-Meador international award (which honors outstanding achievement by an individual supporting country music’s marketing development outside of the U.S.); the Wesley Rose international media achievement award; the international country broadcaster award; and the Jeff Walker global country artist award. This year, the CMA introduced a new category, the Rob Potts international live music advancement award, which recognizes an individual’s significant contributions to the live music industry through helping to build live audiences for country music outside the United States. The award is named after the late Australian manager, promoter and CMA Board member Potts, whose career spanned more than 30 years, paving the way for Austra...
Garth Brooks Cancels Remaining 2021 Tour Dates Due to COVID-19
Garth Brooks thought his 2021 would be more “Learning to Live Again” and less “The Fever,” but COVID-19 had other ideas. Amid surging case numbers, the country music legend has cancelled the remaining five dates on his stadium tour. The news affects concerts scheduled in Cincinnati, OH, Charlotte, NC, Boston, MA, and Baltimore, MD. Additionally, a July show in Nashville, TN that had been rained out will not be rescheduled for this year. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded. “In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us,” Brooks said in a statement. “Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part. I have asked the wonderful cities of Cincinnati and Charlotte to wait too long and I don’t want to now d...
Trisha Yearwood Said Her COVID-19 Case Was ‘Mild,’ But ‘It Was Just No Joke’
Back in February, Trisha Yearwood revealed that she’d tested positive for COVID-19 and that she was quarantining at home with husband Garth Brooks, who at the time tested negative for the highly contagious novel coronavirus. In a new interview with PEOPLE (the TV Show!), the country singer revealed that she did not experience the kind of severe illness some people have suffered from while noting that her devoted hubby never left her side. “I had what was considered a mild case and I think that’s why we had — we were lucky that COVID didn’t go into our lungs, but that’s probably also why we have more trouble here,” she said, pointing to her face. “It was just no joke. He would not stay away from me. I’m like, ‘Dude, I cannot be resp...
Dan + Shay Show Off Their Dance Moves in ‘Steal My Love’ Video
Mooney, Smyers and company show off some fancy footwork throughout the remainder of the “Steal My Love” video, weaving theatrics and dance choreography in and out of the ongoing heist storyline. The song itself features a smooth groove reminiscent of ’90s teen pop, spearheaded by stacked harmonies and Mooney’s glossy, endlessly versatile vocals. Dan + Shay first premiered the “Steal My Love” video exclusively on Facebook. The song was penned by Smyers with Andy Albert, Ashley Gorley and Jordan Reynolds. (Reynolds was also a co-writer on Dan + Shay’s 2018 hit “Tequila.”) “Steal My Love” is from the duo’s fourth studio album Good Things, which came out Friday and became the first country album of the streaming era to earn RIAA gold status on the day of its release. Meanwhile, the album...
Ray Charles to Be Inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame
Ray Charles is set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside the rest of the class of 2022. Widely known for his genre-redefining contributions to R&B, soul, and gospel music, Charles was also responsible for breaking down color barriers in country music at the height of the Civil Rights era. His two-volume Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music from 1962, reissued back in 2019, was a personal passion project that ended up becoming a landmark release for both country at large and Charles individually. The album went on to become one of the best selling country LPs of the time, demonstrating the genre’s commercial potential. The single “I Can’t Stop Loving You” not only spent five weeks atop the Billboard 100, but is often considered the definitive version of the ...
The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers & Pete Drake to Join Country Music Hall of Fame
Bayers becomes the first drummer inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has played on sessions for Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Garth Brooks, among others. He has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry’s house band for 18 years, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019. Drake, who died in 1988, becomes the first pedal steel player to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He played on iconic country recordings including Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man,” George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” and on sessions for Ringo Starr, Elvis Presley and more. He was part of Nashville’s famed A-Team, and played on 118 gold and platinum albums throughout his career. In 2007, he was posthumously inducted into the Musicians ...
R.I.P. Nanci Griffith, Grammy-Winning Singer-Songwriter Dead at 68
Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk and country artist who pioneered the “folkabilly” sound, has died at 68. No cause of death has been revealed at this time, Variety reports. According to a statement from Gold Mountain Entertainment, “It was Nanci’s wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing.” In the 1990s, she survived two bouts with cancer. Griffith’s successes arrived in contradictory forms. A powerful vocalist, her biggest hits as a songwriter came for other artists, such as Kathy Mattea’s “Love at the Five and Dime,” Bette Midler’s “From a Distance,” and Suzy Bogguss’ “Outbound Plane.” And despite her chops as a writer, she won her only Grammy for a cover album, 1993’s Other Voices, Other Rooms, which fe...
Dan + Shay Talk New Album, ‘Good Things,’ Writing with Shawn Mendes and Drake’s Influence
Songs from the project began surfacing in October 2019 with the cross-format smash “10,000 Hours” with Justin Bieber. The song, which is the top streamed country song so far this year on Spotify, spent 21 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was the duo’s seventh chart topper on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The track landed Dan + Shay their third straight Grammy for best country duo/group performance, making them the first act to snare the award in three consecutive years. The pair, who co-wrote all of the songs on the album, worked with their usual impressive roster of Nashville top tunesmiths, including Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman and Jordan Reynolds. This time, they also added some leading pop songwriters to the mix — including Jason “Poo Bear” Bo...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Reunite for New Album Raise the Roof, Share “Can’t Let Go”: Stream
Few cover albums can be considered legendary, but then, few cover albums ascend to the lofty heights of 2007’s Raising Sand. More than a decade after they intertwined their indelible voices (and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year in the process), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited to announce Raise the Roof, a new album arriving November 19th on Rounder Records. To whet the appetite, the duo have shared their take on “Can’t Let Go,” a song by Randy Weeks that was made famous by Lucinda Williams. Like Raising Sand, Raise the Roof was produced by T-Bone Burnett. It includes songs by Merle Haggard, The Everly Brothers, Anne Briggs, Allen Toussaint, Geeshie Wiley, Bert Jansch, and more, as well as “High and Lonesome,” an original song co-written by...
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Reunite for ‘Raise the Roof’ Album, 2022 Tour
The first track, which was released Thursday (Aug. 12), is “Can’t Let Go,” originally recorded by Lucinda Williams. Like the other songs on the album, the swampy, surf-influenced “Can’t Let Go” features a driving beat. “We wanted it to move,” Krauss said of the album in a statement. “We brought other people in, other personalities within the band, and coming back together again in the studio brought a new intimacy to the harmonies.” Added Plant: “You hear something and you go, ‘Man, listen to that song, we got to sing that song!’ It’s a vacation, really — the perfect place to go that you least expected to find.” A follow-up was expected long before now with Plant, Krauss and Burnett returning to the studio shortly after the release of the original, but that project was scrapped. Repr...
Dolly Parton to Release Novel and Companion Album Next Year
From music to modeling to activism and beyond, Dolly Parton has done just about everything in life, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped trying new things. In fact, the country legend just revealed that she’s writing her first-ever novel (!) about a young woman who moves to Nashville to pursue her dreams as a musician. Even better, Parton plans on releasing it next year along with a companion album of new music. Entitled Run, Rose, Run, the 448-book is co-written by bestselling author James Patterson. Accompanying it is a full-length LP with songs based on its characters and situations. “I cannot be more excited about the release of my very first novel #RunRoseRun with @JP_Books,” tweeted Parton. “I hope you enjoy the book and the songs as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together!” Ac...
