Music

Seventy-two years ago today (Jan. 3, 1950) was an historic day for country music, although no one was aware of it at the time: It was on that date that the famous Sun Studio -- home of future recordings from Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others -- opened in Memphis, Tenn.Sam Phillips, a radio engineer at Memphis radio station WREC-AM, opened Sun Studio -- originally named Memphis Recording Service -- at 706 Union Ave., along with his good friend and assistant, Marion Keister. Phillips also opened Phillips Records...

“He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels,” Verdine White wrote in a tribute Fred White, drummer for the groundbreaking funk outfit Earth, Wind and Fire — and half-brother of lead singer Maurice and brother of bassist Verdine White — has died, his family announced on Jan. 1. White was 67 years old. “He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels,” Verdine White wrote in a tribute shared on Instagram. (He did...

Little Jimmy Dickens was born James Cecil Dickens in 1920, in the tiny town of Bolt, W. Va. Dickens may have been small in stature -- he was only 4 feet, 11 inches -- but his presence was larger than life.Originally performing for local radio stations under the stage name Jimmy the Kid, Dickens switched his moniker to Little Jimmy Dickens around the time he got his first record deal, with Columbia Records, in 1948. He quickly became an international sensation and was the first country artist to travel around...

New Year, New Music The 16-track album is inspired by Martyn Ware, Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Will Sergeant Moby released a new album, Ambient 23, on Sunday. Earlier in the month, the musician announced the LP, explaining that the 16-track set is inspired by his early ambient heroes, including Martyn Ware, Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Will Sergeant. “It’s a bit different than some of my more recent Ambient records because it’s almost exclusively made with weird old drum machines and old synths,” he added. Trending On its release...

Forty-eight years ago today, on Jan. 2, 1975, Austin City Limits premiered on PBS. The show's inaugural episode, which aired as part of a PBS pledge drive, featured Willie Nelson as its very first guest.ACL's original first episode actually taped on Oct. 13, 1974, and included an appearance by BW Stevenson. But when that recording was found unusable, Nelson became the first guest on the now-iconic show, singing "Good Hearted Woman," "Whiskey River," "Okie From Muskogee," and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."Austin City Limits was so popular that it was quickly made into a regular series....

Lola Mitchell — better known as the pioneering Southern female rapper Gangsta Boo who was a member of Three 6 Mafia — has died at age 43, Fox 13 in Memphis reports, with her rep confirming the rapper’s death to WREG 3 Memphis. According to Fox 13, she was found dead on Sunday afternoon. The cause of death has not been publicly released. DJ Paul, who founded Three 6 Mafia alongside Juicy J, shared a photo of Mitchell on social media on Sunday, in an apparent tribute. “Man we was...

Sixty-three years ago today, on Jan. 1, 1959, Johnny Cash kicked off the new year on a high note: It was on that date that the singer performed at the famous San Quentin State Prison in California, beginning a series of concerts held at various prisons throughout the rest of his career.Cash, who was arrested several times but never sentenced to prison, performed the concert out of the kindness of his heart and a feeling of compassion for those who had made bad choices as he once had. During his New...

The group had a string of big hits including "I'm So Excited," "Jump (for My Love)" and "Fire" Anita Pointer, of the Pointer Sisters, died on Saturday at age 74, her family in a statement.  “While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter, Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace,” said the statement issued by publicist Roger Neal. “She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her...

Serious Moonlight The duo performed covers of "Let's Dance" and “Everybody’s Coming To My House " on Miley's New Year's Eve show Miley Cyrus might have been without the red shoes during her time onstage at Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, but that didn’t stop the singer from belting out two songs with new-wave icon David Byrne. Related In an electric blue suit, Byrne joined the “Wrecking Ball” singer onstage for a powerhouse duet of the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance,” accompanied by a full band and a well-placed saxophone....

Twenty-eight years ago today (Jan. 1, 1994), Faith Hill started off the new year on a high note: She scored her very first No. 1 hit with her song "Wild One," from her debut album, Take Me as I Am."Wild One" stayed at the top of the charts for an astonishing four weeks -- the first time that a female country artist had accomplished that feat in 30 years. In addition to "Wild One," Take Me as I Am also spawned the No. 1 single "Piece of My Heart," and the album ultimately sold more...

Half a year removed from her runner-up finish on Season 20 of American Idol, HunterGirl is paving her way in country music by releasing her own original songs and touring all over the country.The Tennessee native certainly has experience playing on big stages, as she performed on national TV throughout her stint on the singing competition. However, she says curating her own show is much different from singing on Idol.One of the positives of playing her own shows versus singing on Idol is the amount of preparation time she has...

Hip-hop has something for everyone. That’s the beauty of the genre — but in some instances, it reflects ugly realities. Future’s I Never Liked You and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss are two 2022 rap albums that lean on misogynistic tropes, in their marketing and lyrical content, to great success. Future fully leaned into being the “toxic king” on his project, amplifying the late, controversial relationship expert Kevin Samuels and lacing the album with glimpses of chauvinist tyranny. Similarly, Her Loss was defined by Drake’s hypermasculine posturing, volleying jabs...

Shania Twain and Frederic Thiebaud's love story is one of redemption -- something beautiful out of pain and heartbreak -- and their marriage is one that will inspire hope in even the darkest of situations. Their love and respect for one another shines and makes us believe a little more in the power of love.As many country fans know, Twain and Thiebaud knew one another long before their engagement: Thiebaud was married to Twain's best friend, and after 14 years of marriage, the country star found out that her then-husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, was...

#LetsTryThisAgain "Just in time for New Years," the rapper wrote before heading into the new year Wiz Khalifa’s latest single, “#NeverDrinkingAgain,” is a last minute entry on his list of 2022 releases before heading into the new year. On the new track, the rapper recounts the night before to figure out where his will power clocked out for the evening. “Lotta women, no liquor/I don’t really want my head spinning/I know where to start, know the beginning,” he raps, retracing his steps through a hazy hangover. “It be like two...