Music

James McMurtry took the title of his 2002 song “Red Dress” quite literally while playing a string of concerts earlier this month. The songwriter performed the song at gigs in Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee — and, on Friday night, in New Braunfels, Texas — dressed in drag to protest an increasing slate of anti-LGBTQ legislation being introduced across the nation. In an essay for Rolling Stone, McMurtry explains why he donned his red dress for the encore with opening act BettySoo (herself dressed as a man) and why the right-wing panic over drag...

Before Blake Shelton's name was widely known in country music, and before he was a judge on The Voice, fans may have seen him opening for Toby Keith's 2002 Shock'n Y'all Tour, Rascal Flatts' 2005 Here's to You Tour or the Flatts' 2006 Me and My Gang Tour. Every superstar starts out as an opening act, after all.Shelton first headlined his own trek in 2005; it was his Barn and Grill Tour. Other treks have included the Hillbilly Bone Tour, the Well Lit & Amplified Tour, the Ten Times Crazier Tour...

More than half a century after Jimi Hendrix moved to England to form rock’s preeminent transatlantic power trio with a couple of Brits, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. Now Billboard reports that a Manhattan federal judge decided Tuesday that England will also be the starting place for a lawsuit that Hendrix’s estate (Experience Hendrix, LLC) and Sony Music filed against Redding’s and Mitchell’s estates last year. The whole idea behind the lawsuit was to stop Redding’s and Mitchell’s heirs from seeking to expand their copyright claims; it was...

Iam Tongi will join his fellow American Idol finalists Megan Danielle and Colin Stough in competition during the Season 23 finale on Sunday (May 21). Ahead of the big night, Tongi has shared his first official single, "I'll Be Seeing You."The acoustic-led song was written by Francisco Martin VI, and in it, Tongi emotionally sings of keeping the memories of a lost loved one fresh in his mind. The song is astonishingly genuine as he confronts the fears that go along with losing a special someone. The serene instrumentation and Tongi's voice...

Old Becomes New While the original soundtrack cut "Daughters of Triton" doesn't appear in the film, the mix of old and new songs build a new musical world for the live-action princess Old becomes new on the official soundtrack for Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid, which stars Halle Bailey and will be released in theaters on May 26. Welcoming a new princess to the classic film more than three decades after its original release offers a chance for a new generation of children to build their own connection to the...

Thirty-one years ago today, on May 19, 1992, Billy Ray Cyrus recorded "Some Gave All." The song, which became the title track of Cyrus' freshman album, was written by the singer and his first wife, Cindy Smith Cyrus.Before penning "Some Gave All," the Cyruses spoke with a Vietnam War vet; the powerful tune includes lines such as "All gave some, some gave all / Some stood through for the red, white and blue / And some had to fall / And if you ever think of me / Think of all your liberties and...

new benito The Puerto Rican star dropped his latest track, which blends elements of dembow and Jersey club Bad Bunny has been laying low after his historic Coachella performance last month, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been working on new music. On Thursday, the Puerto Rican star released “Where She Goes,” an unexpected track that packs a few surprises. Trending First of all, the track title is in English — something that immediately got fans wondering if the entire song would be in English, too. It’s not; the lyrics...

Jimmie Allen turned to social media on Thursday afternoon (May 18) to offer a public apology to his wife, Alexis, for what he terms an "affair" after allegations of sexual assault surfaced against him, and he called himself a "victim of my weaknesses.""I want to publicly apologize to my wife Alexis after humiliating her with my affair," Allen begins in a typed statement shared on Instagram. "I'm embarrassed that my choices have brought shame on her. That's something that she did not deserve at all."Related: Jimmie Allen Accused of Rape and...

Ahead of the opening night of Garth Brooks’ new Las Vegas residency, the country superstar has already announced that his Plus One stand at the Colosseum at Caesars Place will extend into 2024. “When the 2023 shows went on sale, I felt extremely fortunate and blessed. To even think I would get do this for another year makes me happier than I can explain. Thank you for the chance,” Brooks said in a statement. Tickets for the 2023 Garth Brooks/Plus One residency quickly sold out when they went on sale...

Happy 71th birthday to George Strait! The singer was born on this day (May 18) in 1952.Strait was born in the small town of Poteet, Texas, just south of San Antonio, to parents John and Doris. His father was a math teacher and also owned a 2,000-acre ranch, where Strait and his siblings -- brother John Jr. (known as Buddy) and sister Pency -- worked on weekends and during the summers. However, when Strait was in fourth grade, his parents divorced, and his mother moved away with his sister, leaving...

WGA Strike The group performed acoustic renditions of “Beverly Hills” and "Buddy Holly" at the WGA picket line Weezer joined the WGA picket line Wednesday afternoon outside of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Members Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner performed acoustic renditions of “Beverly Hills” and “Buddy Holly” in support of striking Hollywood writers. The band is set to hit the road this summer for Indie Rock Roadtrip, their headlining 30-date tour with Modest Mouse, Future Islands, Spoon, Momma, Joyce Manor, and White Reaper. The trek kicks off...

When it comes to Jo Dee Messina's sophomore album, I'm Alright, the word "revisiting" almost seems out of place, even though twenty-five years have passed since its release in 1998. This feeling of uncertainty emerges because it's impossible to revisit an album that you have never lost touch with in the first place. The songs on this album were crafted to be the soundtrack for the long-haul journey, never to become a fixture of the past. This destiny is right in the title track's opening lines: "I knew we'd meet again, another time,...

Gatlin’s emotions are a complicated maze. On Wednesday, the indie pop songstress released her single “When You’re Breaking My Heart,” a catchy track that details her tendency to crave some toxicity in a partner. She premieres the “magical” video with Rolling Stone. “I think I like you better when/When you’re leaving me stranded,” Gatlin sings. “When you’re doing damage/Cause is it really love if it don’t tear you apart?/You’re saying you’re all in/But I think I like you better when you’re breaking my heart.” The video opens with Gatlin walking...

Fifty-six years ago today, on May 17, 1967, Glen Campbell had a career-changing day, although he likely wasn't aware of it at the time. It was on that date that the singer recorded "Gentle on My Mind," which was the title track of his August 1967 album."Gentle on My Mind" was written by John Hartford. So the rumor goes, the tunesmith penned the track after watching the movie Doctor Zhivago.“Everyone’s made a whole lot out of that," Hartford said of his inspiration for the tune. "I know it gave me...