Music

Parker McCollum's single "To Be Loved By You" began with a comment about his now-fiancée, Hallie Ray Light, and a stream-of-consciousness songwriting session on his tour bus, and ended in a writers' room with songwriter extraordinaire Rhett Akins. The final lyrics, the singer says, are as they came out those days; in fact, Akins cautioned McCollum against messing with what they'd written.Below, McCollum shares the story behind "To Be Loved By You" — from his debut major-label album, Gold Chain Cowboy — with The Boot, in his own words.The first verse and chorus, I wrote...

Since July 7th, 2008, Ringo Starr has invited fans to join him in spreading peace and love on his birthday. His call to action: at noon on that date, say, think or post the words “#peaceandlove.” For 14 years, his birthday wish of “a wave of Peace and Love encircling the planet” has come to fruition with people across the globe participating. The tradition launched in Chicago in 2008 at the Hard Rock Café, where he shared cupcakes. He has celebrated his birthday Peace and Love initiative every year since...

Margo Price has shared plans for a live audiovisual EP called Live From the Other Side, and fans will only have to wait a few days to hear it. Featuring three tracks and an assembly of special guests, the collection will arrive on Friday (July 16).The idea for the live EP emerged after Price got together with four of her singer-songwriter friends — Allison Russell, Adia Victoria, Kyshona Armstrong and Kam Franklin — to record a collaborative version of her song "Hey Child." Shot in Nashville, the live version was Price's...

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 last week’s best songs.) Kate Vargas, “Glorieta to the Holy Place” Kate Vargas’ “Glorieta to the Holy Place” creaks and sighs with otherworldly atmosphere, recounting a difficult pilgrimage made in the name of faith and healing. “I wrote a prayer, a solemn swear to the maker/In...

It's not quite CMA Fest, but it's close. The newly announced CMA Summer Jam will bring Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs and more to the stage this summer for live musical event, to be taped for television.ABC will condense the two nights of entertainment into a three-hour broadcast version of CMA Summer Jam, scheduled for a date to be announced this summer. It's similar to what the network has done with their annual CMA Fest broadcast in years past, with at least one major change.Mickey Guyton, Carly Pearce, Gabby...

Continuing a tradition he started during his presidency, Barack Obama has shared his annual “Summer Playlist,” with Bob Dylan, Migos, the Rolling Stones, SZA and Brandi Carlile among the artists that Obama has on repeat. “With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer,” Obama tweeted Saturday. “Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately—it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between.” With so many folks getting together with family...

Jake Owen is saying goodbye to a beloved family member. The singer lost one of his German Shepherd dogs, Slash, on Saturday night (July 10) due to a sudden medical event.Owen paid tribute to his four-legged companion on social media on Sunday. "I lost one of my best friends last night unexpectedly. The drs said his stomach had 'flipped' and even with emergency surgery, it wasn't enough to save him," the singer wrote.A "stomach flip," also known as bloat or, more clinically, gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), is a life threatening...

Pandemic? What pandemic? That seemed to be the vibe among the 68,000 people at Garth Brooks’ concert at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday night, the first major stadium concert anywhere in the U.S. since the arrival of Covid-19. Social distancing? Nope. Masks? Maybe a few wore them. Heck, Brooks even shared M&M’s with the crowd at one point. While there is certainly some trepidation about a mass indoor gathering right now — especially with the emergence of the more transmissible delta variant — the semblance of normalcy outweighed...

Thirty-four years ago today (July 11, 1987) was an important day for George Strait: It was the date that the singer took over the No. 1 spot on the charts with his single "All My Ex's Live in Texas.""All My Ex's Live in Texas" was the second single from Strait's Ocean Front Property album, which was his first album to debut at No. 1. Written by Sanger D. and Linda J. Shafer, the tune's lyrics bemoan the fact that "Rosanna's down in Texarcana, wanted me to push her broom / And sweet Ilene's...

The Wallflowers performed three songs from their just-released new album Exit Wounds for CBS This Morning’s latest “Saturday Sessions.” Performing inside a Los Angeles mechanics garage, Jakob Dylan and company showcased “Roots and Wings,” “The Dive Bar in My Heart” and “I’ll Let You Down (But Will Not Give You Up)” from their latest LP, the band’s first album in over nine years. Earlier in the week, the Wallflowers also performed “Roots and Wings” during a visit to the Late Late Show Wwith James Corden, where Dylan also admitted he...

Lady A have canceled their planned appearance at the Lakefront Music Fest in Minnesota on Saturday (July 10) after singer Charles Kelley suffered appendicitis.Kelley's bandmates, Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott, turned to social media on Saturday morning to deliver the disappointing news to fans, writing, “After such a long wait, there isn’t much that could keep us from being with our fans. Unfortunately, Charles has appendicitis, so we’re sorry to say that we won’t be with you in Minnesota at Lakefront Music Fest tonight."“This morning Charles is in good hands...

The Baltimore Orioles announced Friday that a July 24th postgame concert by Diplo has been canceled amid allegations of sexual assault against the DJ/producer. “The Orioles will not hold the upcoming postgame performance on July 24 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards,” the team tweeted Friday. “Fans who purchased field passes with game tickets to the Diplo concert on July 24 will receive a refund.” While the Orioles did not specify why the concert was called off, the cancellation came just hours after the Baltimore Sun published a scathing letter...

Seventeen years ago today (July 10, 2004), Toby Keith stormed to the top of the charts with his song "Whiskey Girl." The tune was the third and final single from Keith's multi-platinum 2003 album Shock'n Y'all.Keith co-wrote "Whiskey Girl" with his good friend and frequent collaborator, Scotty Emerick. The song features lines such as "She ain't into wine and roses / Beer just makes her turn up her nose / And she can't stand the thought of sippin' champagne / No Cuervo Gold Margaritas / Just ain't enough good burn in tequila / She...

Just one month after announcing its 2021 lineup, Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks Festival has been canceled. Returning for its third year after a 2020 hiatus, the country star’s event was originally set for September 3rd to 5th in Buena Vista, Colorado. “Seven Peaks Music Festival is being cancelled for 2021 due to current capacity restrictions in place by local health officials,” the festival tweeted on Friday. “We are already planning for 2022, and a new location will be announced in the coming months.” Passes purchased for this year’s event will...