Country

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

Carrie Underwood is having a fun summer before kicking off her Denim and Rhinestones Tour. The country superstar was spotted in Dollywood on Tuesday (July 19), according to a few fan posts on Twitter. A fellow park-goer posted a few photos of Underwood at the park, writing, “Carrie Underwood sightings at Dollywood today!!” One photo shows

Dale Watson turned to social media to ask fans for help in recovering a precious one-of-a-kind guitar after it was stolen in Houston on Saturday night (July 16). Watson posted a picture of his eye-catching, customized guitar on Instagram on Sunday (July 17), writing, “On Saturday, July 16th, at 5:11pm we went to eat dinner

Over the past couple of years, the ACM Awards have taken place in both their usual home of Las Vegas and their pandemic-era location of Nashville, but the 2023 awards show will move to a different city altogether: Next year’s ACMs will be held in the Dallas, Texas, area. Specifically, the awards show will be held