Music

Ninety-seven years ago today (Nov. 28, 1925) was an historic day for country music: It was on that date that the WSM Barn Dance, later re-named the Grand Ole Opry, began broadcasting.On the evening of Nov. 28, 1925, on Nashville's WSM-AM radio station, announcer George D. "Judge" Hay introduced famed fiddle player Uncle Jimmy Thompson as the first performer for a new show, called the WSM Barn Dance. The following weeks included performances by Bill Monroe, the Crook Brothers, the Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers, Uncle Dave Macon, Sid Harkreader, DeFord Bailey and the...

Just in time for the holidays, Shania Twain is revisiting her classic Come on Over album from 1997, and repackaging the original track list with some live superstar duets.According to People, a new deluxe edition of Come on Over expands the track list to include some duet versions of its songs that she has performed live over the past few years. One of those dates back to 1999: It's a live performance of "You're Still the One" that Twain gave in Miami from superstar pop duet partner Elton John.Also included...

Johnny Cash's live album, At San Quentin, is one of the most iconic live albums of all time. Recorded at California's San Quentin State Prison on Feb. 24, 1969, and released in June of year, At San Quentin chronicles the second of Cash's series of prison concerts: His show at San Quentin followed his set at Folsom State Prison in January of 1968, but preceded performances at Osteraker Prison in Sweden (1972) and Tennessee State Prison (1974).At San Quentin became Cash's first No. 1 album on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. It also earned...

My Wack Pages Singer cites "bad case of vertigo" and Covid protocols for not-exactly-"hand-signed" copies of The Philosophy of Modern Song Bob Dylan has apologized to fans following the controversy surrounding the “hand-signed” copies of his new book The Philosophy of Modern Song, with the music legend admitting he employed an autopen after a “bad case of vertigo” and Covid protocols left him unable to personally autograph the limited-edition run. “I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a...

Tim McGraw has claimed a unique space in country music history. Alongside contemporaries like Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban, he's part of a rare class of country singers that have bridged the gap between 80s and 90s hitmakers — folks like George Strait, Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson — to today's roster of country radio stars.Released in 1991, McGraw's first single, "What Room Was the Holiday In," didn't chart but marked the launch of his accomplished career. He broke through in a big way with his sophomore album, Not a...

Unlike some of his past top-secret projects, Bad Bunny began dropping clues that he was working on his record-smashing album Un Verano Sin Ti months before it came out. He left little dispatches from a remote island on his Instagram and hinted at a breezy beach theme he was playing with starting in January. But even though he’d tipped fans off just a bit, he managed to pack jaw-dropping surprises onto the album when it came out in May, loading it with bright, adventurous sounds and unexpected collaborations with experimental...

What would “Whiskey Lullaby” have sounded like if Dierks Bentley was the one to record it instead of Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss? Or what if Blake Shelton had been the one who made “The House That Built Me” famous instead of Miranda Lambert? Neither scenario is a far-fetched idea -- both almost happened!Sometimes, a song is written with a particular artist in mind, but, for whatever reason, that artist decides to pass on it (for example, Jake Owen passed on the Shelton single “She’s Got a Way With Words” because...

Harmony House Nineties trio lends their iconic harmonies to the Harry's House gem "Boyfriends" Wilson Phillips’ last single was 2012’s “Good Vibrations,” which isn’t shocking considering it’s a cover of a song co-written by the father of two of the band’s members. But now the California trio have completely branched out for their first new song in 10 years: a rendition of Harry Styles’ “Boyfriends.” The penultimate Harry’s House track is a three-minute gem containing Ben Harper’s slide guitar, with Styles’ gentle vocals woven throughout. Wilson Phillips nail it so...

Dolly Parton is one of the most easily recognized country artists in the world, and while she may be most well-known for her voice and her one-of-a-kind looks, her fans have always been drawn to her spirit. One of Parton's best qualities is her positive outlook.It's rare that Parton is caught without a smile on her face, and that energy radiates into her music, her movies and even her Twitter account, where the singer actively shares her worlds of wisdom, often with the accompanying #Dollyism hashtag. The music icon is filled with great advice...

Bruce Springsteen appeared to The Tonight Show on Thursday night to perform Aretha Franklin’s “Don’t Play That Song” from Only the Strong Survive, his new LP of cover songs. Springsteen performed Franklin’s 1970 classic with the bombastic backing of a 20-piece “mini-orchestra,” as Springsteen described in an interview with Rolling Stone last week. The track is featured on Springsteen’s latest album, a collection of his takes on classic R&B singles from the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties. “We turned the music into rock and soul music,” Springsteen told Rolling Stone. “I...

Twenty-three years ago today (Nov. 25, 1999) was an unforgettable day for LeAnn Rimes: It was on that date that the then-17-year-old performed for Pope John Paul II.Rimes performed a tune, "I Believe in You," for the Pope as part of a special Thanksgiving Day concert. The song was written as the title cut of the four-hour CBS mini-series Jesus, which aired the following April. At the time of her performance for the Pope, Rimes had just released her fourth album, a self-titled record that included mostly country classics, plus...

From 1D to Jimi The track marks Malik's first official release of 2022 Zayn Malik is paying tribute to one of music’s greatest. On Friday, the R&B singer forayed into rock ‘n’ roll with the release of “Angel,” a cover of the Jimi Hendrix song, coinciding with the late legend’s 80th birthday. Opening with Hendrix’s signature guitar, Malik’s powerful vocals come in to sing the track that was released as part of the icon’s posthumous The Cry of Love LP. (Hendrix recorded the original song just months before his death.)...

Tyler Hubbard's wife Hayley is asking her fans to pray for her father as he battles multiple myeloma. She shared a lengthy post on social media about how things have been going for her dad, whom she refers to a "Papa Pete.""Calling all prayer warriors," she writes. "Papa Pete needs your prayers. By the grace of God, and wonderful people and some answered prayers, we checked him into Mayo Clinic last week where he’s been getting the best care from incredible nurses, doctors, and my mom."Hayley notes that prayers were...

Christmas Szn Carey's holiday domination is just getting started Consider Thanksgiving over — because Mariah Carey has arrived to officially kick off the Christmas season. Carey closed out the 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday with a cheerful performance of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Standing in front of the giant Turkey-themed entrance, Carey wore a magenta gown while she belted out the holiday hit, holding a matching parasol. Dancers dressed in matching red marching band uniforms surrounded her and were joined by ballet dancers. During the performance, a pair of green...