Last Christmas, Kanye West gifted fans with the gospel-inspired Jesus Is Born, his ninth album and first with the Sunday Service Choir. On Friday evening, the rapper-producer turned the holiday into a new tradition, releasing a five-song EP titled Emmanuel “inspired by ancient and Latin music.” Billed in a statement accompanying the surprise release as a “celebration of
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Twenty-one years ago today (Dec. 25, 1999) was a Christmas to remember for Faith Hill: It was on that date that the singer landed at the top of the country charts with her hit single, “Breathe;” the song stayed in the No. 1 spot for an astonishing six weeks. “Breathe,” written by Stephanie Bentley and Holly Lamar,
So, How Was Your 2020? is a series in which our favorite entertainers answer our questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year. We’ll be rolling these pieces out throughout December. Brent Cobb spent the year making what he calls “country music for grown folks,” which is to say, country songs that
Dan + Shay truly believe that Christmas is a season for giving. The country duo helped find and furnish three homes for families in need this year. Their reactions will warm your heart. Working with Safe Haven Family Shelter, a Nashville-based shelter-to-housing program, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney surprised the three families with houses to
The latest episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast is a definitive deep dive into Taylor Swift’s second surprise album of the year, Evermore. The discussion breaks down every track on the album, digging into fan theories, musical influences, and much more. Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield join host Brian Hiatt for the freewheeling
Garth Brooks says he usually only sings a small portion of the emotional “Belleau Wood” when it’s requested, but he pledged to get through it during his recent television special. He almost didn’t make it. “Belleau Wood” is an original song about a Christmas ceasefire during World War I. The lyrics tell of an American man who
Leslie West, the towering guitarist who created the hard-rock milestone “Mississippi Queen” with his band Mountain, died Wednesday morning. West’s brother, Larry West Weinstein, confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone. He was 75. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. On Monday, West was rushed to a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest at his
Chris Janson says that there’s one important Christmas tradition he grew up with that he’s hoping to pass on to his kids. “I have to attribute a lot to my dad for always making Christmas about someone else,” the singer explained backstage at CMA Country Christmas in 2019, before hitting the stage for his performance. ”He would always pick a family
John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, rapper and founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died at the age of 56. The group’s Grand Master Dee confirmed Fletcher’s death to Variety. No cause of death was provided. News of Fletcher’s death was first revealed by the Roots’ Questlove, with many others in the rap community also
As country music entered a new millennium, multiple stars of the 1990s added to their legacies. Indeed, some of 2000’s better songs come to mind whenever anyone brings up Sara Evans, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Travis Tritt and Lee Ann Womack. Beyond defining moments for established names, the year introduced potential new stars ranging
For Dayna Frank, owner of First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the feeling was completely indescribable. For Kerri Park, general manager at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, there was a palpable shift towards positivity. For Christine Karayan, owner of the Troubadour in Los Angeles, there was still some understandable hesitancy. It was Monday evening and Congressional
Nineties band Eve 6 has just one question for the various celebrities of Twitter: “Do you like the heart in a blender song?” Frontman Max Collins is referring, of course, to the band’s 1998 hit, “Inside Out,” which he also admits he was a virgin at the time of writing — despite the saucy “TIE
At the midway point of the 1990s, new artists stepped up to join the Class of ’89 (Garth Brooks, Lorrie Morgan, Alan Jackson, Clint Black and Travis Tritt) and established legends (the Highwaymen, George Strait) in the mainstream as country music veered toward the pop-friendly approach still heard on commercial radio. Within this musical landscape, newcomers
The White Stripes dropped a 90-minute Yule log video on Tuesday set to songs from the band’s recently released Greatest Hits compilation album — along with acoustic tracks, B-sides, and the band’s Christmas tune “Candy Cane Children.” The video, directed by Noah Sterling, features several looping animations ranging from a more innocuous image of a
New names dominated in 1990, the first year of one of country music’s most critically acclaimed and fiscally successful decades. Although Alabama, George Strait, the Judds and other established acts charted now-legendary hits, 1990 will be remembered as a year when the prior decade’s most promising big-label signings lived up to their potential. These Class of ’89 success
Despite the polarizing crossover success of 1980’s Urban Cowboy film and soundtrack, legends and old souls stood tall throughout the first year of a new decade. It’s hard now to imagine the legacies of Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton without their biggest songs of 1980. Meanwhile, Alabama, John Anderson, Emmylou Harris and
Fifty years ago, ace songwriter Kris Kristofferson, former rock ‘n’ roller Conway Twitty and gifted vocalists Lynn Anderson and Susan Raye joined such established stars as Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Ray Price, Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette and Porter Wagoner as the early ’70s’ brightest stars. The following rundown of those artists’ best work
The year 2020 has been an historic one, and not necessarily in good ways. The United States is still navigating life in a global pandemic, people across the country protested racial injustice with a renewed fervor throughout the summer, and we dealt with a contentious presidential election in the fall. In tumultuous times, many of us
For whatever reason, nostalgia for Barbara Mandrell‘s music seems minimal in comparison to the fame she earned as a recording artist and variety television show host. Nowadays, the common narrative on her peak commercial years (1977-1986) takes us from the celebrity appeal of Kenny Rogers to Randy Travis‘ role in a classic country revival. At best,