Officially Declaring June 20th, 2025 a Country Music Holiday
29 Comments
By the power vested in me by the great seal of Saving Country Music, June 20th, 2025 is officially being declared a country music holiday due to the incredible level and volume of top-anticipated album releases.
Texas Country’s Prodigal Son Pat Green Returns “Home”
31 Comments
Without anyone left to please but himself, Pat Green is free to exorcise his demons, get some stuff off his chest, make the album he wants to, and hopefully reconnect with those grassroots in Texas country that once helped carry him to the top, and he once turned his back on. To some his name will continue to be mud, but that doesn’t mean his musical output will be.
Live Review – Dwight Yoakam at the Britt Pavilion
43 Comments
A blanket of thick smoke had settled down in the valleys of Southern Oregon as it tends to do seasonally when the region burns in annual wildfires that have become especially ravaging over the last few years. But that didn’t hold back the crush of eager patrons flocking to the legendary Britt Pavilion in the picturesque town of Jacksonville, Oregon to take in a performance by legendary country music artist Dwight Yoakam.
Album Review – Kip Moore’s “Wild Ones”
77 Comments
Though it would be unfair to lump Kip Moore in with the inner sanctum of the Bro-Country sect, the biggest song of his career so far has been the decidedly Bro mega hit “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck.” Kip was already veering somewhat in the direction of the style we see reveal itself in full force on Wild Ones before the release, so we can’t be wholeheartedly surprised by the overall style of this album.
Study: Pop Fans the Most Closed-Minded of All Genres, Don’t Reciprocate Love for Country
66 Comments
McMaster University, a research university in Ontario, Canada, recently partnered with phone manufacturer Nokia to study the listening habits of music fans in their new Digital Music Lab. The massive project is researching around 20 million song downloads to attempt to study how we listen to music. As researchers cull through the crush of data, they have been releasing certain findings…
Kinky Friedman to Release New Album “The Loneliest Man I Ever Met” – First in 40 Years
13 Comments
A Jewish-American, Kinky was a seminal part of the Austin, TX music scene in the 70’s when Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and songwriters like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Ray Wylie Hubbard helped revolutionize country music with their independent spirit and progressive approach. Kinky was one of the hucksters of the movement.
Stoney LaRue Officially Charged with Domestic Abuse
12 Comments
Red Dirt country artist Stoney LaRue has officially been charged with domestic abuse stemming from a July 20th incident where he allegedly pushed his live-in girlfriend Amanda Winsworth down a flight of stairs. The domestic assault and battery charge Stoney faces is a misdemeanor in Oklahoma.
Jason James Brings The Voices of the Old Greats Back Alive in Debut Album
33 Comments
Jason James isn’t afraid to to pen a song in a traditional style and then challenge himself to sing it with the same heart and passion as one of the old greats. Nobody will ever replace George Jones or ‘Ol Hank, but that doesn’t mean others can’t try to reach for that same level of excellence, and pay forward the traditions of country to a new era of listeners who still find value in the classic modes.
Song Review – Carrie Underwood’s “Smoke Break”
92 Comments
A fairly raucous, country rock song with a sound wide enough to fill an arena, it reveals a different side of Carrie compared to what we’ve heard more recently. The single is an ode to the hard working closet smoker and drinker who despite claiming to avoid bad habits, admits to partaking in a bit of vice every once in a while to take the edge off of a dreary existence.
5 Simple Solutions to Help Save Country Music
84 Comments
We bitch, we moan, we criticize, we celebrate the symbolic little victories that give us hope that a sea change for country music is imminent, or at least slowly taking hold, even though in many respects things only seem to get worse every year. And we look for ways to implement meaningful solutions to the problems plaguing country music so it can once again become a medium of creativity.
Willie Nelson Replaced by Steven Tyler As Headliner at Tennessee Music Festival
19 Comments
The inaugural Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival set to transpire in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville on September 26th and 27th, just made a rookie move by replacing headliner Willie Nelson with country music interloper/carpetbagger Steven Tyler—a.k.a. the frontman for the legendary rock band Aerosmith.
Saving Country Music’s 85 Greatest Country Songwriters of All Time
368 Comments
The only thing I hate more than lists is the reactions to lists. I started this list some 2 1/2 years ago and then shelved it from concerns of the reactions and criticisms that come with posting a list of this type. But inspired by Rolling Stone’s recent list of the “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time” (and disappointed there wasn’t more country music representation), I decided to finish this list and publish it.
Many of Today’s Country Artists Find Actual Country Music “Boring”
114 Comments
I believe it was the Buddha who once said “life is suffering.” And though you would think mainstream country artists who make their living playing music to massive audiences, they have problems too apparently, and recently the biggest one appears to be having to play music that fits within the confines of the country music genre. Oh, the horror.