Music

The late Glen Campbell was born on this day, April 22, in 1936. He was the seventh of 12 children to John Campbell, a sharecropper, and his wife Carrie. After Campbell's uncle, known as "Boo," taught Campbell to play the guitar as a child, the future star relocated to Albuquerque, N.M., as a teenager, to play in his uncle's band. In 1958, Campbell formed his own band, the Western Wranglers, and in 1960, he relocated to Los Angeles to become a session musician.Campbell's debut album, Big Bluegrass Special, was released in 1962 on...

COURTS AND CRIME Lanez accused the prosecution of misusing "their authority to hide and suppress any and all exculpatory evidence that exonerates me, or furthers my innocence" Tory Lanez wrote an open letter on Friday addressed to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, claiming his innocence in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial. The post was shared on Lanez’s Instagram account and listed several accusations against Deputy District Attorneys Kathy Ta and Alex Bott. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, claimed that the Ta and Bott unlawfully misused “their...

Luke Bryan and his wife, Caroline, have said a somber goodbye to their family member, Carl.Carl was one of their miniature ponies that fans could find gracing Brett’s Barn's social media — a pony Caroline would often describe as tender and sweet in demeanor.This striking blue-eyed pony was unique, having crooked back legs due to over-breeding.Caroline turned to social media on April 20 to express the impact Carl had on their lives, and share sweet memories she would always cherish.“Yesterday was an extremely sad day for all of us at Brett’s Barn,”...

The three women of Chapel Hart don’t get to visit their Mississippi hometown as often as they’d like, but their tour bus driver recently presented them with an offer they couldn’t pass up. They could either take the short route to their destination or add an extra hour and go through Poplarville. “Our bus driver was like, ‘If we go up 59 I could pull off and y’all could stop at Wards in your hometown. We were like, ‘59!’” the trio’s lead singer Danica Hart says. The group, made up...

Rising country singer-songwriter Francesca Brown offers up a playful tribute to treating yourself well with her new track "Brussels Sprouts and Whiskey."The song, which is exclusively premiering at The Boot today, serves as the second single from the Los Angeles-based talent's upcoming album, set for release this fall. Propelled by whirling pedal steel and Brown's irresistible vocals, the tune is a must-hear for any classic country music fan."'Brussels Sprouts and Whiskey' tells the all too common tale of working your ass off feeling tired and hungry, yet selfishly needing a little...

Flippin' Her Fins The moody track arrives almost a year after the group's fifth LP, Dance Fever Florence and the Machine has shared a new song, “Mermaids,” which is part of the “universe” of the group’s recent LP Dance Fever. The track, produced by Dave Bayley, is a darkly layered pop tune that sees Florence Welch singing about the grey English weather, Britney Spears and “cheerful oblivion.” “You haven’t seen nothing/ until you’ve seen an English girl drink,” Welch croons over a propulsive synth beat. Welch previously teased the new...

Colbie Caillat finds sweetness in the memories of a relationship that didn't work out in "Worth It," her first solo release since putting out The Malibu Sessions in 2016. Soul-inflected vocal harmonies and the singer's signature brand of pop-country come together in this dreamy new track, which focuses on gratitude for time spent with a lover, even after the two part ways.The song's music video — which premieres exclusively via Taste of Country and The Boot on Thursday (April 20) — is equally ethereal.The clip shows Caillat stepping out of...

Fulton County sheriff’s deputies arrested Anastassios Manettas, an attorney representing one of the defendants in the sprawling trial of rapper Young Thug and 13 others accused of gang and racketeering charges in Atlanta. Manettas had been carrying prescription medicine and on Thursday, officers dragged him off at the security checkpoint. The sheriff’s office is still formalizing charges, said Fulton County sheriff Pat Labat, adding that drugs have been an issue during the trial. “We have increased the security protocol,” Labat said. “We will continue this moving forward. Anything coming into this courtroom will...

On April 20, 1993, Toby Keith released his self-titled debut album.A former oil industry worker and semi-pro football player, Keith was discovered after a friend of his -- a woman who worked as an American Airlines flight attendant -- slipped his demo to another pal of hers, music executive Harold Shedd. A record deal with Mercury Records followed, as did his debut full-length record.Toby Keith was launched with the hit single "Should've Been a Cowboy." Co-produced by Nelson Larkin and Shedd -- who also co-produced Toby Keith -- and written by...

Guest Appearance The song comes off the group's recent LP, Cracker Island Gorillaz stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform their recent single “Possession Island,” which features Beck. Accompanied by a video of the animated Gorillaz characters, the group gave the song an emotive rendition complete with a horn section. At the end, Beck joined Damon Albarn at his piano for a final duet. Gorillaz and Beck originally debuted “Possession Island” in September during a star-studded show at the Forum in Los Angeles. The song appears on the group’s eighth album,...

Ashley Judd celebrated her birthday on Wednesday (April 19), and the milestone day was bittersweet, bringing back memories of the actor's late mother Naomi Judd, who died by suicide on April 30, 2022.Naomi — who, together with Ashley's sister Wynonna, was one half of legendary country duo The Judds — died just 11 days after her daughter Ashley's birthday last year, and as her birthday approached once again in 2023, Ashley couldn't help but think about where she and her mom were a year ago today. They always celebrated Ashley's birthday...

Explosions Hit the Road Post-rock instrumental act map out first North American gigs since 2019 Post-rock instrumental act Explosions in the Sky will embark on their first North American tour since 2019 this fall. Dubbed The End Tour, the trek kicks off Sept. 15 in Houston and moves its way eastward over the span of three weeks, concluding Oct. 5 at New York’s Kings Theatre. The following month, the band will venture to Europe for a brief 11-date trek. The mysterious band didn’t elaborate on the meaning of the tour’s...

Forty-five years ago, in April 1978, Willie Nelson released Stardust. An album of pop standards, it became the best-selling record of his career and cemented his status as a musical iconoclast; at the time, however, it wasn't necessarily an obvious career move.In the late '70s, Nelson was in the midst of a commercial hot streak that had kicked off with 1975's Red Headed Stranger, and he was a reliable country music star. Stardust, however, featured covers of songs by Hoagy Carmichael, George and Ira Gershwin and Duke Ellington, and took...

🧇 = ❤️ The Roots joined the group for an acoustic version of the song on Fallon The Jonas Brothers took to the Tonight Show stairwell on Tuesday to perform an acoustic version of their new single “Waffle House” with The Roots. The “Musical Stairs” segment featured Mark Kelley on cello, “Captain” Kirk Douglas and Kevin Jonas on guitar, as Nick and Joe Jonas leading vocals. The track released in April and plays homage to the restaurant the brothers saw as their “sanctuary” growing up. “It was the place we...