Deserving & Disappointing Nominations in 2025 Country Grammys
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The Grammy Awards are supposed to be the one place where the critically-acclaimed, criminally-overlooked, and lifers of a respective genre get the recognition they deserve from a non-profit that puts the art first.
Kelsea Ballerini Seeks Breakout with “Love Me Like You Mean It”
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Just what country needed—a cute little pop girl pretending to be country, and pushing all the female singers who actually are country yet another step towards the back of a line that they’re already being crowded out of because of the sausage fest at the top of the country charts. Oh, and give an assist to country expat Taylor Swift who tweeted out her admiration for this song.
Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard to Release “Django & Jimmie” Album
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Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard are pairing up once again. This was the one nugget of important information squeezed between pot jokes when Willie Nelson made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday evening (3-21) as part of South by Southwest (SXSW) festivities in Austin, TX. It won’t be the first time the two country music legends have released an album together, and it may not be the last.
Female Supergroup “The Local Memories” Forms in Nashville
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Five beautiful and multi-talented women banding together to break down gender barriers in bluegrass, country, and beyond; that’s the story of the newly-formed female supergroup in Nashville called The Local Memories. It’s all the brain child of fiddle player, Berklee College of Music alumni, and former Outlaw Carnie Lucy B. Cochran.
The Next Music Reality Show Could Involve Songwriting
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NBC, Maroon 5 frontman and The Voice judge Adam Levine, and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dave Stewart are teaming up to work on a new reality TV show pilot called “Songland.” The idea is to be the songwriter’s equivalent to The Voice and American Idol and show that “the songwriter is king in the music business.” I don’t know if to laugh, cry, or cheer.
Dismissing Gary Overton – An Interview with Charlie Robison
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Almost a month removed now from Sony Nashville CEO Gary Overton declaring to The Tennessean of “If you’re not on country radio, you don’t exist,” and the shock waves are still resonating on Music Row and beyond. Taking the point, or becoming the rally cry for the opposition to Gary’s comments was Texas country artist Charlie Robison. Now that Gary Overton is gone, I asked Charlie Robison, is the result is satisfying?
Billboard’s Country Charts at a Critical Crossroads
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In 2015, the names and music residing at the top of Billboard’s respective genre charts seems topsy-turvy and misguided. While Sam Hunt and his music that resembles next to nothing country is at the top of the country charts, an artist like Brandi Carlile who does uphold some of those country standards has the top album in rock. A very serious case can be made that those two artists should be switched.
Dale Watson to Release New Album “Call Me Insane”
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Dale Watson has been slaving away at his Ameripolitan Studios in Austin, TX, working on his followup to 2014’s Truckin’ Session Vol. 3, and 2013’s El Rancho Azul, and just announced Wednesday (3-18) he’ll release his latest record Call Me Insane on June 9th. The news comes as Dale will make an appearance on Wednesday’s Jimmy Kimmel LIVE from SXSW sitting in with Kimmel’s band.
Johnny Cash American Recordings to be Released in Vinyl Box Set
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Vinyl audiophiles might be saving their nickels and dimes for the impending Record Store Day special releases, but beating RSD to the punch is a six-album vinyl box set from the Man in Black that’s going to be hard to resist. Just announced, UMe—the catalog division of the Universal Music Group—is releasing a box set of the entire Johnny Cash American Recordings-era music.
10 Predictions for Steven Tyler’s Country Music Career
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Hey, Saving Country Music is advocating that listeners actually wait to hear the upcoming country music record from Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler before passing judgement upon it. But you can’t help but appreciate the strange thought of Steven Tyler as a country star, so let’s take a second to try and predict what actually might happen once Steven Tyler officially goes country.
Brandi Carlile Soars in “The Firewatcher’s Daughter”
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Brandi Carlile is exactly the type of strong-willed, vibrant and inventive female artist country music needs, yet country’s charts continue to be crested by the likes of interlopers such as Sam Hunt. Can we trade Sam Hunt to rock for Brandi Carlile, players to be named later, drafts picks, and/or cash considerations? Everyone wants to talk about where to find relevant female talent for country music, well here it is.
Sony Nashville CEO Gary Overton is Stepping Down
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Well the saga of Sony Nashville CEO Gary Overton’s comments to The Tennessean of “If you’re not on country radio, you don’t exist” uttered in late February just took another interesting turn. Gary Overton is out at one of Music Row’s very top executive spots. Announced Tuesday morning (3-17), Gary Overton is stepping down from his position as Sony Nashville’s top executive at the end of March.
Eli Young Band Goes Metro with “Turn It On”
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Here we go country music fans, it’s time to usher in the new Metro-Politan era of poorly-conceived country music hyper-trends, so turn your dirt roads and tailgates in for club hookups and cocaine mirrors because it’s Katy bar the door, here come the dance club “country” songs at you hard and fast. Bro-Country who? That was so 2014.