50 Year Ago: George Strait Plays First Professional Gig
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From humble beginnings and low expectations to the very pinnacle of the country genre, George Strait is an inspiration for all those country performers getting up on stage to play their first professional gig.
Saving Country Music’s 2019 Essential Albums List
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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Saving Country Music’s most comprehensive list of top-rated albums for your listening consideration. As has happened every year since the site’s inception, more albums were reviewed this year than ever before, meaning this list has become more expansive than ever before.
On Carrie Underwood No Longer Hosting the CMA Awards
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Sorry to barge in on all your Holiday revelry, but the news just came down that Carrie Underwood won’t be returning to host the CMA Awards in 2020, which she’s done for the last dozen years. And yeah, it kind of feels like a thing that’s worth remarking on.
Cody Canada Drops The Departed Name (But There’s No Drama)
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You can’t blame Texas/Red Dirt fans for being a little jumpy these days. After the announcement from the Turnpike Troubadours earlier this year about their indefinite hiatus, some fans are worried what other bands 2019 might claim before the end of the year. But according to Cody Canada, everything is cool.
Saving Country Music’s 2019 Artist(s) of the Year
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Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year is specifically for a composition so moving and impactful, the mere notion of it gives you chills. Album of the Year is about the title that had the most positive impact in the genre, and what was the most enjoyable and fulfilling to listen to. But Artist of the Year goes much deeper.
Alan Jackson Taps Cool Openers for Upcoming 2020 Tour
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If you needed any more confirmation of just how cool Alan Jackson is, for the second year in a row he’s chosen the openers for his upcoming tour not out of the mostly paltry class of up-and-coming major label talent looking for attention. Instead, he’s turned to Lower Broadway in Nashville, and the stage of his own AJ’s Good Time Bar.
Tyler Childers Sets 3-Night Sold Out Record at Kentucky Arena
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Forget that in less than two months from now, Tyler Childers will be taking off on a national arena tour with fellow Kentuckian and producer Sturgill Simpson that is already some 25% sold out, Tyler Childers is selling out arenas on his own right at the moment, at least one near his hometown, and on consecutive nights.
The Shaky Boots Festival is Back, & Symbolizes Something Bigger
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Shaky Boots is returning as a replacement for the EDM/hip-hop festival, Shaky Beats. The rock fest Shaky Knees will still be held in 2020 the week before in Atlanta’s Central Park. Also as part of the return is more of an emphasis on independent country and Americana artists, as can be seen in the lineup.
Country and Rockabilly Legend Sleepy LaBeef Has Passed Away
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The country and rockabilly legend with a large frame and funny name has left us to entertain from that big stage in the sky. Sleepy LaBeef, born Thomas Paul LaBeff, passed away the day after Christmas at 84-years-old after a long decline in health, leaving a 6.5-foot hole to fill in the legacies of both rockabilly and country.
The Black Lillies Announce An Indefinite Hiatus
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Knoxville, Tennessee’s alt-country/Americana outfit The Black Lillies have announced an indefinite hiatus. In a statement released on Thursday, December 26th, the band said, “After eleven years, five albums, approximately 2000 shows, and countless relationships built along the way, the time has come for us to take a step back…”
Saving Country Music’s 2019 Album of the Year
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Album of the Year is not an accolade handed out lightly. Obviously, the title chosen has to be regarded as the best record of a given calendar year in Saving Country Music’s estimation. Though universal agreement will never coagulate around any album, there needs to be at least some groundswell of momentum behind the record.
UPDATED: Suspect Caught in Killing of Clayton Beathard
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23-year-old Michael D. Mosley was wanted in connection with the killing of Clayton Beathard, 22, and Paul Trapeni III, 21, and the injury of a third man on Saturday, December 21st shortly before 3AM outside the Dogwood Bar in Nashville on the 1900 block of Division Street. Clayton is the brother of Tucker Beathard, and the son of Casey Beathard.
Mile 0 Fest Announces Full 2020 Lineup & Daily Schedule
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Christmas came early for ticket holders of the Texas Music/Red Dirt/Americana-oriented Mile 0 Fest set to transpire in Key West, Florida on January 28th-February 1st, 2020, as well as for those still sitting on the fence about if they want to go, or those who might have a ticket waiting for them under the Christmas tree.