After numerous false starts and postponements due to the pandemic, the 34th Annual Old Settler’s Festival finally got underway on Thursday, October 21st for early revelers in the campground, and on the main stages on Friday the 22nd, with Sarah Shook opening, and Jade Bird headlining.
In a recent interview, The Rock went deep with his independent country music knowledge, name dropping two guys you might have heard about around here, but certainly not in the mainstream, while also hinting he might be getting into the country music game himself.
With the recent deaths of some of country music’s oldest living legends and links to its past such as Don Maddox of Maddox Brothers and Rose at the age of 98, and Sue Thompson at 96, it seems like a suitable time to ask, who are some of the oldest legends of country music still living?
For Brent Cobb, the motivation to record a Gospel album isn’t just symbolism. Although he’d wanted to record a Gospel album for a long time, it was a near-death experience in July 2020 when the vehicle that he was driving with his young son inside, got T-boned at a crossroads
When I first heard that John Hinkley Jr. was making country music, the first instinct was to either be shocked by it, or mock it humorously. But after watching his YouTube videos, reading through the surprisingly supportive comments, there appears to be a deeper lesson here.
None of this might be happening right now if it wasn’t for Bloodshot Records. And when I say “this,” I mean this website, you reading it, many of the artists featured here, a.k.a. the independent country music movement that has given rise to so many of your favorite artists.
So here Zac Brown goes again, making ‘The Comeback’ to his roots. You know, just like he did on ‘Welcome Home.’ At this point, you have every right to be sporting a neck brace and calling up a shady ambulance-chasing lawyer from the whiplash Zac Brown has given you.
The latest album from Kacey Musgraves called ‘Star-Crossed’ is more pop than country. Nonetheless, in the polarizing time we live in, the recent decision by the Grammy Awards to move Star-Crossed from consideration in the country category has set off a firestorm.
The Royal Hounds are one of the bands who still embody that original Lower Broadway revivalist attitude. Playing standing residencies at Layla’s every Sunday night, and Robert’s Western World on Tuesdays, they’re rockabilly, they’re country, they’re wild and funny.
No name in entertainment is bigger in Texas than George Strait, and nobody more legendary than Willie Nelson, and both men are pairing up to help give the venue a proper Grand Opening, along with The Randy Rogers Band opening the show.
Senator Rand Paul is throwing his weight behind the effort to induct fellow Kentuckian Keith Whitley into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It adds even more name recognition behind the push by many to get the country legend whose career was tragically cut short.
Imagine having backed Hank Williams on his legendary Grand Ole Opry debut in 1949, or playing behind any of the other country music legends who performed on that hallowed stage during the Opry’s golden era. This was the fortune of steel guitarist Billy Robinson.
Any time Miranda Lambert releases the lead single to what is (presumably) an upcoming album, it’s worth stopping down and discussing, because it’s commonly a leading indicator as to what direction this modern queen of country music will point the brim of her Stetson.
The songs of Noel McKay, they’re like those one of a kind items, carefully crafted with their dovetailed joints and beveled edges, and proudly engraved with a maker’s mark. They’re well-loved, and presented to the world without commercial concern, and more for the memories they hold.
It appears the underlying issue for the band is guitarist Joe Don Rooney. In a recent interview, lead singer Gary LeVox revealed that the issue with fulfilling the planned farewell tour or any future plans is in fact Rooney. “I’ve never been OK with the way that it ended.”
Cody Johnson is what mainstream country music in 2021 should be: country, but widely appealing and pragmatic, while being unafraid to make you think and feel a little too. Perhaps more than any other Cody Johnson record, Human: The Double Album feels organic.
Brandi Carlie just turned in some monster numbers for her new album In These Silent Days released on October 1st. And even though she’s not included on the Billboard Country Albums Chart, her showing is good enough to hit #1 on a host of important lists.
A Grammy Awards screening committee who must make the tough decisions of which albums are considered “country” in the ever-mutating world of popular music has deemed that the latest album from Kacey Musgraves called Star-Crossed should not be eligible for ‘Best Country Album.’
A couple of deserving bands from the Texas and Red Dirt side of country are finally receiving their due with upcoming opportunities to step into the hallowed circle at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s just the latest sign things are opening up a bit under the new Opry management.
What makes ‘Blue’ so cool is not just that it found success with old songs from such a young singer. It’s that old songs were made cool to a younger audience, while the older audience who felt abandoned by country music of the era found someone they could root for as well.
The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed on all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now in country and roots music. It’s available on most all streaming formats, or you can use the song, artist, and album recommendations.
Over the last few weeks, many fans of Randy Travis have been celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the release of his debut album Storms of Life by spinning the latest, remastered edition of the album that also comes with three previously-unreleased tracks.
Sure, if you’ve been working all week and were looking forward to getting your face rocked off this weekend by the kind of raucous show Eric Church brings live, you may be feeling a sense of disappointment at this news. But I’m here to tell you, you’ve lucked out.
As soon as the fiddle melody hits your ears on the very first song “Dallas Lights,” you feel as at home as Joshua Ray Walker does under Big D’s truly splendid urban skyline. The next two songs “Three Strikes” and the well-written “Cowboy” are exactly what you want and expect…
