No New “FairWell Fest” for 2026
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Major independent country mega festival FairWell Fest in Redmond, Oregon will not be returning in 2026. There’s also good indication that it will not be returning at all after first being held in 2023.
Patty Loveless Named to the Country Music Hall of Fame
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It was Kentucky that seeded the roots of country music in its earliest incarnations, it was Kentucky that gave rise to some of the most important artists of bluegrass in the 40s and 50s, and mainstream country music in the 90s, and it’s Kentucky that is fueling the country music revolution of today.
Finally! Tanya Tucker to Be Inducted to Country Music Hall of Fame
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Tanya Tucker’s life has been like a country song. That’s how she can sing them with such a convincing attitude, and conviction. And though it feels like she’s lived many lifetimes in her career, at 62, Tanya still has time to enjoy this accolade, and add to what now can be called a Hall of Fame career.
Holy $hit The 2023 CMT Awards Were Terrible
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This weekend, Police and Fire personnel had large swaths of downtown Austin cordoned off due to a mass casualty/hazardous exposure event, also known as the CMT Awards. The barriers and checkpoints weren’t there to keep freeloaders out, it was to keep the grotesque infection of pop country quarantined.
Album Review – Willie Nelson’s “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love”
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Willie Nelson will turn 90 on April 29th, and has shown no signs of slowing down, either on the road, or in the studio. His last album called “A Beautiful Time” was released last year on his birthday and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Album, and earned it entirely on the merit of the music.
Watch JP Harris Pay Tribute to Luke Bell at the Mother Church
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JP Harris was currently on tour at the time, and flew into Nashville last minute to perform the tribute. Early on in Luke Bell’s career, not only did JP Harris give Luke a place to stay and a job (JP Harris is also a full-time contractor), he also was a mentor to Luke, referring to him as “little brother.”
Album Review – Dillon Massengale’s “Buckleshines”
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In many respects it feels like a victory and cause for celebration any time a truly traditional country record is released. Making country music the right way requires such an uphill battle in today’s country landscape. When it comes to Dillon Massengale though, that’s just where the victories begin.
49 Winchester Adds to Anticipated 2023 Tour
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Few artists or bands in independent country are getting the same opportunities as 49 Winchester at the moment. Not only is reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs walking around in one of their T-shirts, he’s booked them to open a bunch of his shows in Europe later this year.
Apple’s “My Kind of Country” Gets It All Wrong
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In the current country music landscape, it is not country radio, it’s not the major labels on Music Row, it’s not even the media, or pop or hip-hop artists trying to break into the country mainstream that are blurring the lines of what country music is more than ever before. It is Apple Music above all entities.
New Surreal Film Chronicles Garth Brooks Meeting George Jones
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Well now, this is certainly something we were not expecting to see in 2023 or any other year, but here we go. There is a new film being released that chronicles Garth Brooks meeting George Jones before George is scheduled to be cryogenically frozen in 1994. Called Country Gold, the film stars actor Ben Hall.
Album Review – Luke Combs – “Growin’ Old”
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Luke Combs may be the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, but you get the distinct impression that he’s barely aware of it. There’s no cocksure attitude as he stands up there on stage in his Bass Pro fishing shirt with the flap across the back. He’s just a grown up pudgy choir kid from North Carolina.
Charles Wesley Godwin Signs with Big Loud Records
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One of the hottest up-and-coming artists in all of country music is now signed to the roster of one of the hottest labels in all of country music. Announced Wednesday afternoon (3-29), West Virginia native Charles Wesley Godwin has signed to Big Loud Records, which is the home of Morgan Wallen.
Ed Sheeran Couldn’t Be More Wrong About Music Critics
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With every single piece of recorded music now right at your fingertips, spending time reading professional reviews may seem silly. But the problem is that you have every single piece of recorded music right at your fingertips, which means we’ve gone from not enough options, to way too many.