“Man of Steel” Robby Turner Has Passed Away
20 Comments
He played as a primary musician in the band for The Highwaymen. He was the final steel guitar player and producer for Waylon Jennings. He played on albums from Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton. He earned the nickname the “Man of Steel.”
Why Yelawolf’s “Love Story” Is Important to Country Music
46 Comments
Yelawolf has just released one of the biggest albums in American music at the moment. Love Story came in at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 last week, and where Radioactive flopped, Love Story has bounced. Love Story has some serious ties to country music that can’t go overlooked.
George Jones Explains What’s Wrong with Country Radio
66 Comments
The fight for country radio to actually represent the people it is supposed to serve is an eternal one, and nothing illustrates this more than a recently-unearthed interview with George Jones taped backstage at the Grand Ole Opry dating back to February 21st, 1998. Think about it: This was 17 years ago, but every point George Jones makes is a poignant one, and one that is still patently relevant today.
Woman Becomes Militant Lesbian After Hearing Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush”
28 Comments
“I used to be your average suburban mom of two. Trust me, I was very average,” says Susan Berkenstock of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “Now I have spiked hair, wear checkered shorts and deck shoes everyday, and all I want to do is go camping.” What was the cause of Mrs. Berkenstock’s lifestyle transformation? She claims it all happened while listening to the current country music hit from Little Big Town called “Girl Crush.”
Jason Isbell Releases “24 Frames” From Upcoming “Something More Than Free” Album
33 Comments
July 17th can’t get here quick enough for fans of the highly-decorated songwriter and Americana star Jason Isbell. That’s the day his much-anticipated release Something More Than Free hits stores—the followup to his heavily-decorated album Southeastern from 2013. Isbell has just made the new album available for pre-order, and has also released the first single from the album called “24 Frames.”
Album Review – Todd Grebe & Cold Country’s “Citizen”
17 Comments
Alaska via east Nashville is not a narrative you normally see play out in the itineraries of country records. But who would question whether the wilds of Alaska have enough wide open spaces, scenic vistas, or snarly honky tonks and hard times to inspire a good country song? Nobody would after listening to Todd Grebe & Cold Country’s new record Citizen.
Kid Rock Releases “First Kiss” to Country (Review)
74 Comments
So the “Wet Cigarette of Country Music” wants to dip his toes into the sharky waters of country music radio again, huh? Well I guess it couldn’t be any worse than what’s already there. Kid Rock must have led the most idyllic, kick ass adolescence and young adulthood imaginable if you go by the testimony […]
Yeah, It Kind of Sucks “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies…” Is in a Volkswagen Commercial
54 Comments
2015 is apparently the year to get paid in country music, and no stone is being left unturned, and apparently nobody is immune. From mainstream country artists who we once thought were the few remaining renegades with integrity that are now releasing trendy R&B singles, to some of our favorite country heroes’ faces, names, and songs ending up endorsing products or stamped on packaging.
Review – Love & Theft’s “Whiskey On My Breath”
55 Comments
Earlier this year, the news came out about Love & Theft really getting the shaft from their RCA label in Nashville. The story was they got dropped because they weren’t Bro-Country. They were told that in as many words. And even worse, it happened when they had masters sitting on a shelf with the label, so they were left in a lurch like so many major label acts are when the ax falls.
Album Review – Zac Brown Band’s “Jekyll + Hyde”
110 Comments
Music is not a skills competition. This isn’t the decathlon. They don’t hand out Grammy Awards for the band that can play songs from the most genres. They give Grammys to the artists who steady themselves and prove they are the best in a given musical discipline. I’ll give credit to the backing band of Weird Al for their alacrity. With the Zac Brown Band, I just want to hear good songs.
Woman Sexually Assaulted at Jason Aldean Concert in Oregon
30 Comments
A woman was sexually assaulted at the Jason Aldean concert in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, April 25th, and police are asking for the public’s help in finding or identifying the assailant. The incident happened around 9 p.m. at the Matthew Knight Arena on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene. It occurred on the main concourse level in a women’s restroom.
Hank Williams Jr. Signs to Big Machine’s NASH Icon
20 Comments
As first hypothesized by Saving Country Music in December of 2014, Hank Williams Jr. is the newest signee to NASH Icon—the joint venture between Cumulus Media and the Big Machine Label Group meant to give new life to aging artists who’ve been passed over by mainstream country radio. Hank Jr. joins Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn in NASH Icon’s inaugural class.
Cumulus Media’s VP Admits Country Can’t Be Delineated from Pop — Wants to Bring Taylor Swift Back to Country
74 Comments
“You don’t know these artists. You’re just listening to just a few hooks of their songs,” John Dickey says. “You tell me what they are. Florida Georgia Line – country, rock or pop? We can do Brantley Gilbert, Eric Church or Sam Hunt. You’re telling me Sam Hunt’s song is country? Today Country is successful because it’s co-oping other audiences into the format.