Country
Morgan Wallen’s ‘Sand in My Boots’ Officially Heads to Country Radio: Is Seven-Month Ban Over?
“Sand in My Boots” marks the first country radio release for Wallen since his music was temporarily banned from country radio stations, after TMZ posted a video Feb. 2 of Wallen uttering a racial slur outside his home in Nashville. Country radio station conglomerates, including iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Cox Media and Beasley, yanked Wallen’s music from the airwaves shortly after the video surfaced. Several country stations quietly added some of Wallen’s hits back this summer, including “Whiskey Glasses,” and then began playing “Boots” several weeks ago, prior to its official release. “Boots” stands at No. 39 in its seventh week on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Aug. 21 and gained 6% over the previous week, reaching 2.3 million audience impressions, according to MRC Data. Currently, 29...
Sturgill Simpson Shares Concept Album The Ballad of Dood and Juanita: Stream
The latest album from Sturgill Simpson is here. The Ballad of Dood and Juanita, the outlaw country revivalist’s third album just 12 months, is out today digitally and on CD, with vinyl copies coming December 3rd. The Ballad of Dood and Juanita is a concept album that Simpson wrote and recorded in just one week. Clocking in at 10 tracks, it features the same cast of musicians with whom he recorded last year’s LPs, Cuttin’ Grass, and also boasts a guest spot from none other than Willie Nelson. “I just wanted to write a story — not a collection of songs that tell a story, but an actual story, front to back,” Simpson said in a statement, going on to describe the album as “a simple tale of either redemption or revenge” and a “rollercoaster ride through all the styles of traditional country and ...
Academy of Country Music Sets New COVID-19 Protocols for ACM Honors & Party for a Cause
Carly Pearce is set to host this year’s ACM Honors, which will feature performances from Lauren Alaina, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Pearce herself, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack and more. This year’s Special Awards recipients will include Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary, producer RAC Clark, Luke Combs, Ross Copperman, Dan + Shay, Rascal Flatts, Joe Galante, Toby Keith, Lady A, Loretta Lynn, Gretchen Peters and the late Curly Putman. The ACM Honors ceremony will also celebrate the 55th ACM Awards Industry and Studio Recording Award winners, alongside the newly announced winners of the studio recording awards for the 56th ACM Awards, as well as songwriter of the year winner Hillary Lindsey. This year’s Party for a Cause performers include Lee Brice, Brett Eldredge, M...
9 Memorable Covers of Billie Eilish Songs
In August 2019, the 15-time Grammy champ offered her stripped-down take on Eilish’s debut song. In a video shared on Instagram, Keys sings emotionally while playing the piano, giving “Ocean Eyes” a soulful feel. A few months later, she covered the tune once more, this time recording it for Spotify’s Single Series. Vitamin String Quartet, “Bad Guy” There have been several notable covers of this Billboard Hot 100 hit, which spent 49 weeks on the chart. But one of the most memorable is VSQ’s take, which soundtracked a scene in the third episode of Bridgerton‘s steamy debut season. The quartet may have made the song suitable for a ballroom scene in a period romance series, but it also added to the fun with its bouncy strings, even sans vocals. Le...
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...
