Before Blake Shelton became a country superstar and The Voice coach, he was just another aspiring singer with a dream. He took an early step toward stardom, however, on July 31, 2001, when he released his self-titled debut album. Blake Shelton features 10 songs, including the singles “Austin,” “All Over Me” and “Ol’ Red.” ”Austin” had been released in April of
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On July 30, 1983, George Jones landed at No. 1 on the charts with “I Always Get Lucky With You.” Co-written by Merle Haggard, the song appears on Jones’ 1983 LP Shine On. “I Always Get Lucky With You” is sung from the perspective of someone with so-so luck (“I keep two strikes against me /
Thirty-seven years ago today (July 30, 1985), Alabama had 8 million reasons to celebrate. It was on that date that the group became the first country act to earn quadruple-platinum status — twice over, nonetheless! The band achieved the feat with both their 1981 album Feels So Right and 1982’s Mountain Music. Feels So Right, which was
Dan + Shay weren’t originally Dan + Shay. Sure, they were always Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, but the singers reveal that folders holding their early demos came with a different vision. The pair wanted to pay tribute to one of their favorite artists and influences: Tim McGraw. Fate — or casual common sense —
When Martina McBride was a young girl (around 8 or 9 years old), she began performing with the band her father fronted, the Schiffters — a play on their last name, Schiff. Back then, no one could have predicted that a Kansas-born girl living on a dairy farm would become a massive country music superstar
Vince Gill has canceled several upcoming shows after his wife, Christian singer Amy Grant, was hospitalized on Wednesday (July 27). Country Now reports that Gill has canceled upcoming performances that were scheduled to take place on Thursday (July 28) at the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, N.C., as well as Friday (July 29) and Saturday (July
Willie Nelson‘s 2022 Farm Aid festival is set for Sept. 24, and the country legend recently revealed the location and the lineup for the one-day food and music festival. In an announcement this week, Nelson shared that the event will take place at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, N.C. The festival
It is nearly impossible to feel cynical at the Newport Folk Festival. Despite the state of the world during any given year (increasingly bad), the annual festival in Newport, R.I., offers a reliable supply of life-affirming moments and incredible performances. This year saw the festival return to full-scale after last year’s COVID-restricted “Folk On” event, and
Twenty years ago today, on July 27, 2002, Kenny Chesney added another No. 1 hit to the growing list of “good stuff” that was happening in his career. It was on that date that the singer soared to the top of the charts with his song “The Good Stuff” and held reign for seven straight weeks. “The
Maren Morris was born and raised in Texas but she quickly found a place in Nashville as one of country music’s brightest stars. Though she’s a prolific writer whose songs have been recorded by Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson and more, Morris’ raw performing talent has continued to propelled her into the spotlight. Morris signed with Columbia in September
Eleven years ago today, on July 26, 2011, Eric Church’s career was about to shift into overdrive: It was on that date that the singer released his third studio album, Chief, launching himself into a new level of success. Church co-wrote all but one of the songs on Chief, purposefully stepping outside of the box while
Brandi Carlile always has a few tricks up her sleeve. On the last night of this year’s Newport Folk Festival, Carlile surprised the audience by bringing out Joni Mitchell for an exceedingly rare live appearance — her first at the festival in over 50 years. Billed as “Brandi Carlile and Friends,” the Sunday evening set
Country music’s place as a permanent fixture of American life and culture is a direct result of the Bristol Sessions. Over 12 days between July 25 and Aug. 5, 1927, in Bristol — a city on the border of Virginia and Tennessee — Victor Talking Machine Company record producer Ralph Peer recorded blues, ragtime, gospel
Rascal Flatts‘ 2015 hit, “I Like the Sound of That,” gets retooled as a laidback reggae jam as part of the new compilation album, Country Goes Reggae. Released on Friday (July 22), Country Goes Reggae revamps a collection of country classics and newer hits, with help from producers Christian and Frank Berman (aka the Berman
Jerrod Niemann‘s songwriting chops have never been in question; after all, he co-wrote Garth Brooks‘ 2001 hit “Good Ride Cowboy,” and artists such as Jamey Johnson, Julie Roberts and Neal McCoy have recorded his tunes. However, the Kansas native didn’t experience chart success under his own name until 2010, with the release of his major-label debut,
Like many of his peers, John Moreland figured he’d write new songs nonstop when the pandemic first hit in the spring of 2020. After all, he couldn’t tour anymore and was basically stuck inside his home in Oklahoma like the rest of the world. “Once I got over that initial ‘Holy shit, what the fuck
With her unmistakable bluegrass twang and impeccable soprano, Alison Krauss is one of country music’s most enduring and beloved voices. She’s also one of its best talents: Krauss is the winner of 27 Grammy Awards — second only to Beyonce in terms of female artists. With more than 25 singles to her credit and an
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Danaher looks back on lessons learned in his new single “If I’d Have Known Then,” which was released today (July 22). “This song was a reflection for me,” Danaher says. “Looking back to your younger self and maybe shaking them and telling them to not get so worked up over some of
Fiddle, heartache and an uncompromising rootsy production take center stage on Jon Pardi’s ebullient new song, “Mr. Saturday Night.” Benjy Davis, Joe Ragosta and Reid Isbell co-wrote the rootsy up-tempo tune, which opens with its chorus as Pardi reflects on his infamous friends-given label “Mr. Saturday Night.” As he reveals, he’s “Mr. never-missed-a-good-time” only because he’s
Shonka Dukureh, the actress who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in the recently-released Elvis movie, was found dead in her Nashville apartment on Thursday (July 21). The 44-year-old was just one month removed from watching her big screen debut in theaters. Metro Nashville Police confirmed Dukureh’s death on social media, noting that she was found in her bedroom of