Music

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...

A Jason Aldean mural recently popped up on the side of a Dollar General store in the singer's hometown of Macon, Ga. The wall the mural is painted on reads "Macon Greatest" and also features the likeness of Otis Redding.The likeness — artist unknown — has received hundreds of reactions on social media, with many commenters comparing the mural to the TV characters from Beavis and Butt-Head. In an interview with Big D and Bubba this week, Aldean moved away from those negative reactions and shared his thoughts."I started seeing pictures of it popping up on Facebook and...

Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch will host its inaugural 10-day Lucktoberfest in late October. Featuring a wide variety of performers and cultural experiences, the event will kick off Oct. 28 at the famed Spicewood, Texas, property and include performances by Tanya Tucker, Orville Peck, and the Black Opry Revue. Lucktoberfest will begin with Paul Cauthen’s popular Big Velvet Revue, with the colorful Tyler, Texas, native leading a showcase that will feature (as yet unannounced) special guests. His one-time duet partner Peck will anchor festivities the next night, which is billed as...

Carrie Underwood is having a fun summer before kicking off her Denim and Rhinestones Tour. The country superstar was spotted in Dollywood on Tuesday (July 19), according to a few fan posts on Twitter.A fellow park-goer posted a few photos of Underwood at the park, writing, "Carrie Underwood sightings at Dollywood today!!" One photo shows Underwood standing outside of a ride and the other photo shows the singer posing with a group of young women.The superstar was likely with her family — the young boy in a yellow tee in the first...

Dale Watson turned to social media to ask fans for help in recovering a precious one-of-a-kind guitar after it was stolen in Houston on Saturday night (July 16).Watson posted a picture of his eye-catching, customized guitar on Instagram on Sunday (July 17), writing, "On Saturday, July 16th, at 5:11pm we went to eat dinner at Christie’s Seafood Restaurant in Houston and my black van was stolen while we were eating dinner. All the merch, and my guitar was stolen."He closed with a plea for his social media followers to help...

Beyoncé is mere days from releasing Renaissance and is giving the Beyhive more nuggets of info on what to expect from the album. On Wednesday, Queen Bey shared the names via her Instagram story of the 16 songs featured on her LP, out next Friday. “Break My Soul,” her LP’s lead single sits at track No. 6, surrounded by tracks titled “Energy” and “Church Girl.” Other intriguing song names include “Alien Superstar,” “Thique,” and “America Has a Problem.” (It sure has a few.) The LP opens with what we assume...

Beyoncé is mere days from releasing Renaissance and is giving the Beyhive more nuggets of info on what to expect from the album. On Wednesday, Queen Bey shared the names via her Instagram story of the 16 songs featured on her LP, out next Friday. “Break My Soul,” her LP’s lead single sits at track No. 6, surrounded by tracks titled “Energy” and “Church Girl.” Other intriguing song names include “Alien Superstar,” “Thique,” and “America Has a Problem.” (It sure has a few.) The LP opens with what we assume...