Music

Slim Wilson lived a hell of a life. A tramp in the classic sense, he hopped trains and traveled the country, picking up all manner of scars from bullets and knives along the way. For money, he did odd jobs and threw dice, but Slim proudly proclaimed he wasn’t a gambler — he was a cheat. He was also a pimp, did time for murder, and was in Missouri State Penitentiary for armed robbery when he met the folklorist Bruce Jackson in 1964. On top of all that, Slim was,...

Luke Combs and his wife Nicole have been hitched for two years! The pair each took to social media individually to mark the occasion and gush about their partner, with the superstar calling his wife — a new mother to the couple's child — an "angel.""Can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I got to marry this angel," he writes next to a photo from their wedding on Aug. 1, 2020. "@nicolejcombs you make everyday of my life better than the one before. I love you so much and I can’t...

Flatbush Zombies’ Meechy Darko has teamed up with Freddie Gibbs and DJ/producer A-Trak for a new song, “On God,” off his upcoming solo debut, Gothic Luxury. Produced by Jay Versace and Dot Da Genius, “On God” begins with a grandiose flourish but settles into a groove that’s still propulsive, but also subtle and unsettling in its own ways. Meechy Darko and Freddie Gibbs trade sprawling, heavy, and brutally honest verses on the five-minute track, while A-Trak arrives at the end to show off his signature scratching skills.  Along with dropping...

Gary Allan is parting ways with his record label of more than 25 years, Universal Music Group Nashville. In a social media post shared on July 29, the "Watching Airplanes" singer announced the split, thanked his label for the support and shared his enthusiasm for his next chapter."For the last 25 years plus, UMG Nashville has been my record label home. I am very thankful to the staff members at Decca, MCA, and EMI for the belief and support they have had in me, but it is now time for...

On a quiet day in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Villano Antillano sips her margarita and smiles. “It tastes so good!” she teases as a sky full of cotton-candy clouds glows pink and purple over the San Juan Smokehouse. Antillano, 27, is one of the most compelling MCs in Spanish-language rap today, making memorable appearances on Argentinean producer Bizarrap’s celebrated freestyle video series, an onstage tribute to Ivy Queen, and a surprise cameo during Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti tour at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico that made noise across the island....

Twenty-three years ago today (Aug. 3, 1999) was a bittersweet day for the friends and family of Patsy Cline. It was on that date that the singer was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in honor of her many career achievements.Cline died tragically on March 5, 1963, when she was only 30 years old, when a small plane she was a passenger in crashed en route to her home in Nashville. She was a true pioneer in country music, becoming the first female country artist to headline her...

For many, Demi Lovato was one of the first artists to openly use “they/them” pronouns and identify as non-binary. And Lovato’s decision to change her pronouns, after being hyper-feminized as a teen star on Disney Channel, catalyzed discussions about gender identity. Some of those conversations often diminished Lovato’s gender identity as the butt of a joke, complete with a blatant disdain for their fluidity. In a recent interview on the Spout podcast, Lovato explained to host Tamara Dhia the usage of their pronouns, saying that she’s actually adopted she/her pronouns once...

Randy Travis is sending prayers to all those impacted by the devastating floods in eastern Kentucky.As he shared his support for impacted Kentuckians on social media, Travis posted a photograph that was particularly poignant because of its connection to his hit ballad from 2002, "Three Wooden Crosses."The photo depicts a scene from the eastern Kentucky flooding, of three roadside crosses all but submerged underneath the flooded water.He also posted some of the lyrics of the song, which tells the story of four passengers — a farmer, a preacher, a teacher...

ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Elton John stepped up their TikTok transition game to remotely perform a live rendition of the popular audio on the app that combines the former’s 1979 hit “Chiquitita” with the latter’s 1973 standout “Bennie and the Jets.” The TikTok audio seamlessly blends the “Chiquitita” into “Bennie and the Jets,” using only the piano instrumental from both tracks. In the collaborative video, Andersson sits at his jet-black piano and plays to the tune before the camera switches over to a pair of hands on a golden set...

Kenny Chesney brought a very special duet partner onstage to sing with him during the Denver stop of his 2022 Here and Now Tour: His mom, Karen Chandler.The singer invited his mom out to share the spotlight during his performance of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright," a No. 1 hit from his 2018 No Zip Code album. In the studio version of the song, Chesney's duet partner is David Lee Murphy, but the song took on a sweet new meaning as a mother-son duet.Chesney wrapped his arm around his mom as they...

The BeyHive (and much of music Twitter) swarmed songwriter Diane Warren’s account Monday after she asked, “How can there be 24 writers on a song?” accompanied by eye-roll emoji. The tweet was in reference to the credits on Beyoncé’s Renaissance standout, “Alien Superstar,” which has that same number of writers credited. Aside from some pointed replies about her age and a red-carpet moment with Mariah Carey that clearly stung (no BeyHive pun intended), what resulted from Warren’s shade — whether intentional or not — was a public schooling on Black...

Brett Young's talents as a romantic songwriter are well documented in hits like "Sleep Without You" and "In Case You Didn't Know," and his talents for a well-worded message of love aren't just limited to his music.On Monday (Aug. 1), the singer celebrated his wife Taylor Mills' birthday on social media with a sweet tribute to "the best mom, wife, partner and friend that I could ever dream of," alongside a snapshot of the two of them together."You age like a fine wine, baby!" Young goes on to say. "Not sure...