2025 Cotton Fest Boasts Incredible Lineup
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Cotton Fest boasts being “The biggest BYOB country music festival in west Texas,” and who’s gonna argue or check the math with a lineup like that? Coeds from Tech, roughnecks from The Patch, and everyone in-between will be there.
The Deslondes to Release New Album “Hurry Home”
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There’s just something about the 5-piece collective of New Orleans country and roots songwriters traveling under the combined name The Deslondes that fills the heart with a renewed spirit when they take the stage and perform. It’s the feeling that you’ve been invited into someone’s living room to watch and intimate and heartfelt gathering.
Important Developments From This Week’s Country Radio Charts
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As we continue to ponder what country radio might look like after the impending implosion of iHeartMedia and corporate radio as we know it, some very interesting developments emerged on the country radio charts this week.
The Midland Authenticity Dilemma
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As time has gone on, I find myself disliking these dudes more and more because I can’t beat back the obvious reality that we’re being misled about these guys. Midland is a machination of the big Music Row industrial complex, no different than most major label artists.
Sturgill Simpson Manager Marc Dottore Talks Surprising Success on “Inside Nashville”
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Ever wonder what would happen if one of the deep insiders in the big Music Row system broke free and started spilling the beans on all the stuff that happens behind-the-scenes? That is exactly what former radio promoter and executive Tom Moran is doing on his Inside Nashville podcast.
Nominees Announced for the 2017 Americana Music Awards
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The Americana Music Association announced the nominees for their 2017 awards on Tuesday afternoon (5-9) via a live press conference from the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Ford Theater. Along with announcing the nominees, the presentation included performances from multiple Americana artists.
Album Review – John Moreland’s “Big Bad Luv”
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‘Big Bad Luv’ is exactly the type of album that John Moreland needed to make, where his songcraft suffers none, but is bolstered by the virtue of a more compositional approach to the music itself. And this is the only place he could improve or “evolve,” because the songwriting was already at the pinnacle.
Willie Nelson’s “God’s Problem Child” Debuts at #1
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Notch yet another #1 for Willie. 84 years of age, and Billboard’s new rules that register streaming data in the album tabulations can’t keep Willie Nelson from topping the charts this week with his first record of original material in three years, God’s Problem Child. Willie also notches another Top 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Fest Announces 2017 Lineup
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Dwight Yoakam will headline the 17th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival presented by the Birthplace of Country Music. Famous for straddling the two state lines of Tennessee and Virginia, and being the location where Ralph Peer’s Bristol Sessions gave birth to the recorded legacy of country and roots music.
We Have A Bigger Problem Now. It’s Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Backroad.”
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“Body Like a Backroad.” It looks to shatter even the incredible and previously-thought insurmountable records of Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise.” Right now we sit in an eerily-similar position as we did in May of 2013. “Body Like A Backroad” is absolutely dominating every single song chart that country music has.
CMT’s “Sun Records” Will Not Be Renewed for Second Season
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A show that gave a fresh shot in the arm to the legacy of Sun Records and artists like Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis will not be renewed for a second season. CMT’s series ‘Sun Records’ has been canceled after an eight episode run behind the network’s now signature series, ‘Nashville.’
Kody West Is Anything But “Green” On Debut Album
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In many sectors, the future of country music is rife with uncertainty as you’re forced to squint hard at the current tiers of top stars and up-and-comers and wonder where this all will lead us years down the road. But when it comes to the Texas country scene, there is no cause for concern for who’s gonna fill the shoes.
This Whole Miley Cyrus “Going Country” Business
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Yes, I read the Billboard cover story about Miley’s new music, and I walked away feeling confident that this will not be Miley’s big “gone country” moment. When she’s saying things like “My main concern isn’t radio,” then the least of our worries is that it will be country.