Country

Seventy-four years ago today (May 7, 1949), Hank Williams earned his first No. 1 hit, with “Lovesick Blues.” The song, written by Cliff Friend and Irving Mills, was first included in the 1922 musical Oh, Ernest. Emmett Miller and country singer Rex Griffin each recorded “Lovesick Blues,” in 1925 and 1939, respectively. Inspired by their recordings,
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If Keith Urban pushed the boundaries of country music with his 2013 album Fuse, the country superstar broke straight through them like the Kool-Aid Man with 2016’s Ripcord. Urban’s ninth solo studio album, the record was released seven years ago today, on May 6, 2016. Both Ripcord‘s lead single, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” and its second release,
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Twenty-two years ago today, on May 5, 2001, Blake Shelton made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. He performed “Austin,” the first single from his self-titled freshman album. At the time of his debut, Shelton was about three months away from the release of his first record. “Austin,” meanwhile, was only beginning its four-month
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Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 120 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Morgan
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If you’ve spent even just a few minutes listening to country radio, chances are you’ve heard a song written by Luke Laird. The prolific songwriter, who moved to Music City over two decades ago, is the mastermind behind many country radio singles, nearly two dozen of which have topped the Billboard country charts. In other words, Laird
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Happy 64th birthday to Randy Travis! The singer was born on this day (May 4) in 1959, at Memorial Hospital in Monroe, N.C. Travis was born Randy Bruce Traywick, the second of six children to Harold and Bobbie Traywick. Influenced by his father, who listened to country music, Travis and his brother Ricky performed around
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Happy 46th birthday to Eric Church! The singer was born on this day (May 3) in 1977, in Granite Falls, N.C. Church developed an affinity for music early on, purchasing his first guitar and beginning to write songs when he was only 13 years old. By the time he was a senior in high school,
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In February, Dierks Bentley suggested that the Hot Country Knights‘ stint on his upcoming Gravel & Gold Tour might be their last, saying that the Knights are finally contemplating retirement. But as is often the case, Bentley and Knights seem to have different ideas — or at least, if they’re going out, they’re going out with
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On May 2, 1988, Clint Black signed a record deal with RCA Records, the label that’s been home to Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers and the Judds, among others. At the time, ZZ Top‘s manager, Bill Ham, was also steering Black’s career — a lucky break that was just one example of how the Katy, Texas-raised musician’s love
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