Music

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...

DJ and producer Squeak, a member of Chicago’s Pivot Gang alongside rapper Saba, was shot and killed in Chicago Monday, according to a representative from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The 26-year-old — born Javunte Wheeler — leaves behind a devastated community of artists, friends, and family, including a daughter. While other Pivot Gang members like Saba, Joseph Chilliams, Squeak’s older brother Frsh Waters, and MFn Melo rap, Squeak served as one of Pivot Gang’s in-house producers, his moody style often characterized by dreamy, mellow soundscapes, even at their...

Luke Bryan is filling out his 2021 Farm Tour bill. On Monday (Aug. 16), the singer announced that Dylan Scott, Whitney Duncan, the Peach Pickers and DJ Rock will serve as special guests for this year's month-long trek across various small-town venues.Kicking off Sept. 9 in Marshall, Wisc., the tour — which is Bryan's 12th Farm Tour to date — will hit six stops over the course of that month.The Peach Pickers and DJ Rock are Farm Tour mainstays: One or both of the acts have opened for Bryan ever since he...

The Specials will release an album of cover songs, Protest Songs – 1924-2012, on September 24th. The release will include 12 new versions of protest songs by artists like Bob Marley, Leonard Cohen and Frank Zappa. The British group has previewed the album with a rendition of “Freedom Highway,” a song by the Staple Singers that was written for the civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. “The beginning of 2020 saw us all together making a reggae record before we each fell ill with COVID 19 and...

Jason Aldean told his concert crowd in New York that the coolest thing was looking out and not seeing one person wearing a mask."I've had just about enough of this s--t," he told them on Aug. 7.The concert took place one day after Live Nation announced it would allow artists the choice to implement COVID-19 safety mandates for fans. One week later, the live music promoter changed that to require that fans show proof of being vaccinated, or a negative COVID-19 test, to enter, effective Oct. 4.Aldean, who was playing the last of three...

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. (Check out our most recent list.) Caleb Lee Hutchinson, “Slot Machine Syndrome” American Idol season 16 runner-up Caleb Lee Hutchinson recorded his new EP Slot Machine Syndrome with Brent Cobb, and it arrives September 17th. The project’s title track shows a more grown-up, more defined...