Music

Kacey Musgraves' songs are some of the best-written in contemporary country music. The singer-songwriter was kicking around the fringes of the music business for years, releasing three independent albums and competing on Nashville Star in 2007, but she rocketed to national prominence with her major-label debut, Same Trailer Different Park, which bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart when it was released in March of 2013.Since her debut disc, Musgraves has released two more albums: Her sophomore project, Pageant Material, hit No. 1 on the charts, and her 2018 release, Golden Hour,...

James McMurtry wants to make one thing clear: His songs are not about him. “Oh, no, there’s none of that,” the songwriter says, scoffing at the very notion. “I don’t do autobiography. My songs are made up.” McMurtry is talking about The Horses and The Hounds, his stunning new record, and his first in six years, but he may as well be discussing his entire discography. For the past three-plus decades, the Texas singer has been writing songs that, even in the relatively writerly world of Americana, stand unparalleled for...

Maggie Rose's new album, Have a Seat, is a musical outstretching of arms."I think it's a very measured way of saying, 'This is where I am; this is who I am. I occupy this seat like only I can, just the way that you can only occupy your space that way,'" Rose muses of the title of her new album, out Friday (Aug. 20). "And it's the proverbial table that I think we all need to be making more room at, for more variety in music, in our culture."Since signing her first...

Sturgill Simpson is leaning against his kitchen counter, popping a few Costco animal crackers into his mouth while his wife Sarah tells a story about the time a horse tripped and nearly killed her husband. Simpson had decided to pick up riding again before filming his role in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma, and, while at a full gallop, he could feel the animal’s legs buckle. In a split-second moment, he had to decide whether or not to surrender to the fall and potentially be...

Oh Boy Records has released the second installment of its documentary, Big Old Goofy World, on YouTube. Directed by Joshua Britt and Nelson Hubbard, the series traces the history of Oh Boy, from its founding in 1981 by John Prine and his manager, Al Bunetta, to the present, as the label celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2021.Oh Boy is the second oldest artist-owned independent label in the country (the oldest is Reprise Records, founded by Frank Sinatra in 1960), and the oldest one in Nashville. Part Two of Big Old Goofy World expands...

Earlier this week, a Greenwich, Connecticut woman sued Bob Dylan, claiming that he sexually abused her over a six-week period at New York’s Chelsea Hotel in 1965 when she was 12 years old. She is identified only as “J.C.” in papers filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York.  “Between April and May of 1965 the defendant, Dylan, exploited his status as a musician by grooming J.C. to gain her trust,” reads the suit, “and obtain control over her as a part of his plan to sexually...

Garth Brooks has canceled the four remaining tour dates on his 2021 calendar and the Nashville show he was hoping to make good after a rainout in July. Rising rates of COVID-19 cases nationwide necessitated the decision.The move is not a total surprise as the singer said he'd re-evaluate these shows after last Saturday's stop in Nebraska. The five affected concerts include the Nashville show and planned stops in Cincinnati, Ohio (Sept. 18); Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 25); Baltimore, Md. (Oct. 2); and Boston, Mass. (Oct. 9).Ticketmaster will issue a full...

Daryl Hall & John Oates appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, performing a rendition of Hall & Oates 1976 song “Rich Girl” from their current tour. The live performance, filmed onstage in Mansfield, Massachusetts, gave the song an energized sense of nostalgia. The duo is currently on tour in the U.S., with shows scheduled through the fall around the country. They will perform at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl in October. Last year, Hall and Oates spoke with Rolling Stone about their prolific career. Hall said he still gets the same thrill...

Brothers Osborne's "I'm Not for Everyone" music video is a heartwarming clip starring none other than actor Leslie Jordan. It's an uplifting testament to celebrating individuality while also coming together, which fittingly ties into the song’s message of uniqueness.The duo's new video is framed around a Brothers Osborne performance at a dive bar. Tensions in the audience reach a tipping point after a particularly rowdy customer throws a beer at the brothers and knocks someone over.As a full-fledged bar fight erupts, award-winning actor and recent gospel music artist Jordan enters in a classically...

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have pulled out of the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion after the festival held in the Tennessee-Virginia border city of Bristol said it would not be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for entry. Isbell announced last week that he will only play venues and festivals that enact such a policy. In a statement, the organizers of the festival explained their decision not to require vaccination or a negative test. “The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) has had numerous conversations with...

Maren Morris performed a tongue-in-cheek stoner anthem about American marijuana legalization during her time as the guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night (Aug. 16). “Let’s light up legally — from the purple hazy mountains, from sea to THC,” the song concludes.“It’s hard to keep track of where you can and can’t smoke,” the country star explained before beginning “Blaze Across the USA,” a cross-country sweep of states where it’s legal to possess marijuana. Fans can watch her full monologue below, but the song begins at 8:30:During her time hosting Kimmel, Morris...

Twenty-two years ago, no one could avoid “Smooth,” that unlikely combo of Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas that won multiple Grammys, sold millions, and haunted all of us at weddings. But neither man seemed to take the idea of a sequel all too seriously. “We always talked about doing something,” Thomas says. “Usually I’d get a text from Carlos at 3 in the morning with Otis Redding doing ‘Day Tripper’ and Carlos saying, ‘We’re gonna do this song!’ It was always two guys drinking too much wine and having a...

Kelly Clarkson opens up about the origins of her success, her musical influences and more on a new installment of comedian Kevin Hart's talk show, Hart to Heart, which airs on NBC's Peacock. Of course, it's impossible for Clarkson to talk about her musical beginnings without mentioning American Idol.In September 2002, she was the show's very first winner, and although her experience on the show would go on to launch a massive pop career, the singer says that her perspective on the show was much different than the ones today's contestants experience. At...