60 Years Ago: Kris Kristofferson Gets His Start in Music … As a Janitor
29 Comments
Kris Kristofferson had been named a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He’d also been an officer in the US Army. But he wanted to be a songwriter, so he had to start somewhere.
KOKE-FM & KOKEFEST Prove Not All Country Radio is The Same
16 Comments
The commonality of criticizing country radio within the ranks of country music’s classic and independent fans is pretty severe, and for good reason. Generally speaking, country radio is a blob of nationalized playlists and unimaginative music, and no curation by the DJs on the ground in local markets. But this doesn’t mean all radio is bad.
Miranda Lambert Cites Dolly Parton As Her Country Music Icon
39 Comments
PBS is gearing up for the release of the extensive 8 part, 16-hour Country Music Documentary starting September 15th directed by Ken Burns. And ahead of the release, PBS is trying to engage the country music public by asking people to share who their favorite country music icon is. They started by asking Miranda Lambert, Vince Gill, & Ray Benson.
Willie Nelson “Doing Great” After Health Problems – Resuming Tour
25 Comments
Willie Nelson had a lot of folks worried when late on August 7th, he released a statement saying, “To my fans, I’m sorry to cancel my tour, but I have a breathing problem that I need to have my doctor check out. I’ll be back Love, Willie.” The statement came after Willie had been performing at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
Blake Shelton’s New Song “Hell Right” (A Rant)
246 Comments
The entirety of Blake Shelton’s career just devolved quicker than a political discussion with your drunk and racist uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. All the headway country music has made over the last couple of years, and now we have to figure out how to maneuver around this “Hell Right” bullshit.
New Randy Travis Song Surfaces, “Lead Me Home”
21 Comments
Just like in May when a new song from Randy Travis surfaced called “One in a Row” unexpectedly, we have yet another new song from the Country Music Hall of Famer called “Lead Me Home” that has just been made available to the public via streaming services. The bluegrass-inspired “Lead Me Home” was originally an iTunes exclusive.
Tracklist & Songwriters for Miranda Lambert’s New Album “Wildcard”
58 Comments
Miranda Lambert’s latest album will be called “Wildcard.” Along with the album release date and artwork, we also get to see track list and songwriting collaborators Miranda Lambert worked with on the album. A regular champion of quality songwriters, ‘Wildcard’ will be no different, even if the sound and approach is.
Ryman Auditorium Becoming the Hot Venue for Live Records
17 Comments
It’s kind of curious that the Country Music Mother Church hasn’t become a conveyor belt for live records like some other important venues in country music have. Now after Jason Isbell released a Live from the Ryman album in 2018, others are getting in on the action, including Old Crow Medicine Show and Brothers Osborne.
Joe Rogan Gives Ringing Endorsement to Tyler Childers
30 Comments
If you tracked the rapid and uncanny ascent of Tyler Childers producer Sturgill Simpson, then you know that podcaster, comedian, and public personality Joe Rogan played a critical role in the explosion of interest in Sturgill’s album ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,’ and ultimately in his Grammy-winning career.
Riley Green Creates Buzz with “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”
56 Comments
It’s a new era in mainstream country music. Artists like Riley Green, and songs like “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” featuring ample steel guitar and twang aren’t being shied away from. They’re being favored as the hot commodity of the moment amid the dying embers of Bro Country. You can thank performers like Chris Stapleton, Jon Pardi, and Luke Combs for opening up this opportunity.
Album Review – Chuck Hawthorne’s “Fire Out Of Stone”
15 Comments
Chuck Hawthorne writes songs for you to lose yourself in, with lush characters you feel like you’ve known your whole life, dropped into scenes you can see and smell and touch, with all the little artifacts of life and references in the writing at or near perfect. From the best years for vintage motorcycles to the sacred rites of Native American traditions…
“Country Squire” by Tyler Childers Debuts at #1
100 Comments
Tyler Childers and his major label debut album Country Squire are #1 in country music. Tyler Childers joins a very select group of artists who’ve gone #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart with no significant mainstream radio play, including Sturgill Simpson, Aaron Watson, Blackberry Smoke, and Jason Isbell.
Details Revealed for New Cody Jinks Record “After The Fire”
44 Comments
As first reported by Saving Country Music in early June, a new album by Ft. Worth native and surging independent country traditionalist Cody Jinks called After The Fire will be released on October 11th. Now we have the album art and track listing to accompany the news, as well as other details.