Music

“I just realized, Joni’s the least nervous person up here,” exclaimed Brandi Carlile halfway through a history Newport Folk Festival set that paid tribute to Joni Mitchell, in her first full set-length concert appearance in two decades. Over 13 songs, Mitchell, who last appeared at the festival 53 years ago, in 1969, held court as a star-studded crew of musicians (Carlile, Blake Mills, Lucius, Wynonna, Celisse, Taylor Goldsmith, Marcus Mumford, and many more) sat around on couches on-stage playing a mix of her favorite oldies (“Why Do Fools Fall in...

The U.K. will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and BBC revealed on Monday. Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra were named the winners of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year, and as champions, Ukraine would customarily host the 2023 event. But as Russia – which was blocked from participating this year – continues to invade the country, its winning broadcaster UA: PBC will officially pass off hosting responsibilities to the U.K., whose own Sam Ryder came in second place in the 2022 contest. “Following the...

Back in January, Adele indefinitely postponed her 24-date Las Vegas residency billed “Weekends With Adele” because the show wasn’t ready, citing delivery delays and Covid-19 complications. Now, the singer says she “finally” has everything in place and is ready to put on a show. On Monday, the singer shared the newly rescheduled dates with a few additional shows added to the schedule at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. “Words can’t explain how ecstatic I am to finally be able to announce these rescheduled shows. I truly was heartbroken to have to...

Country music’s place as a permanent fixture of American life and culture is a direct result of the Bristol Sessions.Over 12 days between July 25 and Aug. 5, 1927, in Bristol — a city on the border of Virginia and Tennessee — Victor Talking Machine Company record producer Ralph Peer recorded blues, ragtime, gospel and traditional Black and European folk songs for commercial release. The sounds, styles, techniques, intonations and lyrics committed to vinyl during those two weeks — everything from Maybelle Carter’s “scratch-style” guitar work to Jimmie Rodgers’ yodel,...

Jerrod Niemann's songwriting chops have never been in question; after all, he co-wrote Garth Brooks' 2001 hit "Good Ride Cowboy," and artists such as Jamey Johnson, Julie Roberts and Neal McCoy have recorded his tunes. However, the Kansas native didn't experience chart success under his own name until 2010, with the release of his major-label debut, Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury.Niemann's debut disc peaked at No. 1 on the country charts and spawned several radio hits, establishing Niemann as an artist in his own right. Below, The Boot looks back at...

On July 24, 1948 -- 74 years ago today -- Roy Acuff declared his candidacy for governor of Tennessee. But it wasn't the first time the country legend had become embroiled in state politics.According to Acuff's New York Times obituary, he was a "protest candidate" for governor in the 1944 primaries on the Republican and Democratic ballot. The reason? In 1943, then-Tennessee governor Prentice Cooper disparaged country music by declining to attend a party feting the Acuff-hosted Grand Ole Opry radio show going nationwide. According to the book Smile When You Call Me...

With her unmistakable bluegrass twang and impeccable soprano, Alison Krauss is one of country music’s most enduring and beloved voices. She's also one of its best talents: Krauss is the winner of 27 Grammy Awards — second only to Beyonce in terms of female artists.With more than 25 singles to her credit and an appearance on the iconic O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, Krauss has released some of the best country songs of the past 25 years. These 10 are her very best:10“Every Time You Say Goodbye”From: 'Every Time You Say Goodbye'...

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Danaher looks back on lessons learned in his new single "If I'd Have Known Then," which was released today (July 22)."This song was a reflection for me," Danaher says. "Looking back to your younger self and maybe shaking them and telling them to not get so worked up over some of the things going on in your life. Because though they may seem like mountains, they are going to be a hill in the grand scheme of how life is going to unfold."Danaher co-wrote "If I'd Have...

Rolling Loud got off to a rocky start Friday in Miami as headliner Kid Cudi left the stage mid-set after being bombarded by items thrown by audience members, while Kanye West made a brief appearance during Lil Durk’s performance despite dropping off the lineup less than a week earlier. Footage posted to social media initially showed Cudi being hit in the face with what appears to be a water bottle while performing. The “Day ‘n’ Nite” rapper is later shown threatening the audience with cutting his set short due to...

Like many of his peers, John Moreland figured he'd write new songs nonstop when the pandemic first hit in the spring of 2020. After all, he couldn't tour anymore and was basically stuck inside his home in Oklahoma like the rest of the world."Once I got over that initial 'Holy shit, what the fuck is going on' moment, I thought I was going to be really productive," Moreland admits to The Boot. "That totally didn't happen because my mind was so fucked by it all, it took a year before...

Grace Gaustad is speaking on the detrimental societal norms set on young women in her powerful video for the single “Beauty & the Beast,” which dropped Friday. The visual, premiering here at Rolling Stone, features an appearance by TikTok favorite Loren Gray and follows Gaustad as she gets plastic surgery on her face, leaving her unrecognizable. “In the age of social media, young people find themselves comparing their own identity and beauty to those that are disguised by smoke, mirrors, filters, and plastic surgery,” Gaustad tells Rolling Stone about the...

Shonka Dukureh, the actress who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in the recently-released Elvis movie, was found dead in her Nashville apartment on Thursday (July 21). The 44-year-old was just one month removed from watching her big screen debut in theaters.Metro Nashville Police confirmed Dukureh's death on social media, noting that she was found in her bedroom of an apartment she shared with her two young children. No foul play is evident, the tweet reads. Her death has not yet been classified.https://twitter.com/MNPDNashville/status/1550214892719783936Kothe Way is in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville. Dukureh — a Memphis native...

RZA’s alter ego Bobby Digital returns with new song “Troubleshooting” from the Wu-Tang Clan founding member’s upcoming soundtrack for the graphic novel of the same name, Bobby Digital and The Pit of Snakes. In the accompanying video, which features animated graphics inspired by the book, a bloody battle ensues while RZA deals with an internal battle, noting “trouble keeps on finding me… keeping me from love I need, that’s why I gotta take what’s mine.” “Trapped in a web of trouble/I untangled it,” he raps in another verse. “Wrangled up...