Music

Charley Pride left behind a legacy as a groundbreaker within country music. The Mississippi native was also a baseball talent — he played with several Negro Leagues teams and tried out for some Major League Baseball squads, too — and was later signed to RCA Records by Chet Atkins himself.That record deal accelerated Pride's career success, and he soon became a dominant force within the genre; in fact, between 1967 and 1984, only two of his singles missed the Top 10 of Billboard's country charts. Overall, he racked up 40 No. 1 hits,...

Courtney Love is calling out the lack of female artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — as well as the lack of women on the institution’s nomination board and voting body — in a scathing new op-ed the Hole singer penned in the Guardian. “The Rock Hall’s canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility,” she wrote. Love, herself now eligible for Rock Hall consideration, noted that of all of the inductees, just 8.48% are women, while adding that “the Rock Hall...

Reba McEntire took time to honor friends killed in a plane crash 32 years ago this week. On social media, the singer dedicated her current tour to the eight bandmates and crew who died on March 16, 1991."They were eight leading professionals in the music industry. But, most of all, they were my friends," she shared on Instagram.A plane traveling from San Diego to Indiana crashed when the tip of the wing hit a rock on the side of Otay Mountain.McEntire, her husband Narvel and her stylist remained at the hotel...

Late-Night TV Piano-driven single appears on her recent album, My 21st Century Blues During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Raye unleashed an emotional, powerful rendition of her recent single “Ice Cream Man.” The British Ghanian singer-songwriter performed the song on a white grand piano with the accompaniment of a six-piece string section, and allowed her soulful vocals to lead the way. “Ice Cream Man” comes off Raye’s recent album My 21st Century Blues, which dropped in February. The LP marked the musician’s long-awaited debut, following her success co-writing standout...

Margo Price joins forces with Sierra Ferrell for a fresh take on "Change of Heart." The stand-out single off Price's fourth studio album Strays recently spent an impressive fourteen weeks at No. 1 on the Americana radio charts.Released today (March 16), the pair bring an intimate feel to this new version of the tune, driven by perfectly layered harmonies, sweeping fiddle from Billy Contreras and warm acoustic guitar courtesy of Price's husband, talented singer-songwriter and co-writer Jeremy Ivey."I'm real excited to share this stripped down take on 'Change of Heart'...

Artificial intelligence is shaping up to be the largest disruptor to the music industry since digital downloads, and it poses one of the most important existential questions to music creation the art form itself has ever faced. As much-covered chatbots like ChatGPT and a growing list of AI songwriting software show, the AI music revolution is closer than anyone previously thought. Now, some of the largest advocacy groups in music are looking to get in front of the tech and ensure a future in which AI doesn’t replace human music...

It's time for a fresh edition of The Boot's Weekly Picks, which highlights great new tracks from the world of country, Americana, folk and everything in between.This week's edition features a stunning imagery-driven tale from Amanda Stewart, an energizing celebration of the ones you love by Jonathan Hutcherson, and a nostalgic traveling song from Rodney Rice.Keep reading to check out the latest installment of The Boot's Weekly Picks, and check back every week for more great tracks curated by our contributing team.Sug Daniels"When I'm Gone"Sug Daniels has appeared on the World Cafe stage alongside the Black...

Song originally appeared on the French band's recent LP, Alpha Zulu Phoenix have released a new version of their song “After Midnight” featuring vocals from Clairo. After teasing the remix on social media, the group debuted the track last night, marking their second-ever guest feature. “We’ve loved Claire since day one,” Phoenix said in a statement. “What a treat it is to have her sing with us! We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.” Clairo added, “I’ve been a massive fan of Phoenix for as long as...

Thirty-one years ago today (March 16, 1991), seven of Reba McEntire's band members, along with her tour manager, were tragically killed in a plane crash near San Diego, Calif. The aircraft was en route from a private concert that McEntire had played just a few hours earlier.On March 15, McEntire and her band performed for IBM executives and were next scheduled to perform in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The singer, her then-husband, Narvel Blackstock, and her stylist, Sandy Spika, elected to spend the night in California, as McEntire was recovering from a...

Texas songwriting legend will release Western Chill as a box set with graphic novel, DVD, and songbook Robert Earl Keen officially retired from touring in late 2022, but he’s still busy creating new things. The Texas singer-songwriter will release his new album Western Chill via his own Scriptorium Rex label on April 14, with a whole batch of extra goodies to accompany it. The album’s title track is fittingly laid back, a 6/8-time stroll that mixes a little jazzy melodicism in with its country swing. “It’s easy to be somebody,...

Growing up, Kendall Lujan always loved to sing, but being active in sports and having extreme stage fright kept her from pursuing it. Now a few years removed from college and singing background vocals for jazz and funk groups, the Portland-based artist’s passion will come full circle with the release of her debut self-titled EP on March 17.The four-song project recorded at the Map Room Recording Studio with producer Dominik Schmidt explores everything from growing up to how we preserve memories, relationships, heartbreak and more. It’s very much a coming-of-age project for...

Yusuf (f.k.a Cat Stevens) has spent much of the past decade crafting his new album King of a Land, and he’ll finally reveal it to the world on June 25. Ahead of the release, the artist shared the video for its lead single “Take The World Apart” on Wednesday. “Looking at the jagged journey of my music, beginning as I did in the 60’s, I would say this new record is a mosaic,” Yusuf said in a statement. “A very clearly defined description of where I’ve been and who I am.”...

Six new artists have been added to this year's roster of performers at the 2023 CMT Awards.Lainey Wilson, who earned the most nominations out of any artist at this year's awards, will take the stage to perform her recent radio hit "Heart Like a Truck." Blake Shelton will perform for the first time in five years for a rendition of his current single "No Body," while Cody Johnson will return after a groundbreaking year to share his powerfully vulnerable track "Human."Kelsea Ballerini, who is still fresh off the headline-making surprise...

British duo Everything But the Girl have shared another new song, “Run a Red Light,” from their forthcoming comeback album, Fuse, out April 21. The song is a smoldering ballad, with producer Ben Watt weaving buzzing synths and heavy kicks around a steady piano progression. Tracey Thorn captures the feeling of invincibility and vulnerability that late-night adventures conjure, building to a hook where she sings, “Run a red light, forget the morning, this is tonight.”  “I met a lot of characters during my years in clubland, and I wrote this...