Music

Garth Brooks drew some criticism after his performance at the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris on Wednesday (Jan. 20), after he was filmed hugging all of the former presidents and first ladies in attendance, maskless, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. But a rep for the singer says he had taken every precaution in advance of the event.Brooks performed a stirring a cappella rendition of "Amazing Grace" after the incoming president and vice president were sworn into office during a ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. He offered...

Derick Almena, the operator of the “Ghost Ship” warehouse in Oakland where 36 people were killed in a fire, pleaded guilty to 36 charges of involuntary manslaughter Friday to avoid a second criminal trial related to the December 2016 blaze. The plea bargain carries a sentence of nine to 12 years in prison, CNN reports. However, the San Francisco Chronicle writes that when Almena is sentenced on March 8th, it’s expected he will spend just over two years in prison — factoring in time served and good behavior — if...

Floyd, Va., native Morgan Wade generated quite a buzz with the release of her song "Don't Cry" just before Christmas, and her debut album lives up to it. Reckless is due out on March 19, the singer announced on Friday (Jan. 22).Ten gorgeously crafted tracks await listeners on Reckless, combining Wade's ace songwriting skills with lush, but not overpowering, melodies. Sadler Vaden, both a solo artist and the guitarist for Jason Isbell's 400 Unit, produced the project, which was engineered by Paul Ebersold. Vaden's guitar tech turned him on to Wade, after the two...

“Not Shy” isn’t just the name of ITZY’s most recent album, it’s also become an unofficial motto for the buzzy Korean girl group, as they set their sights on the U.S. market in 2021. Phase one begins this week, with the release of ITZY’s new EP — aptly titled Not Shy (English Ver.) — which features four of their most popular songs completely re-sung in English. The EP, which is available for streaming or purchase now, includes full-English versions of the group’s hit tracks “DallaDalla,” “Icy,” “Wannabe,” and “Not Shy.”...

Lady A are the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry. Their entry into the hallowed country music institution was announced on Thursday evening (Jan. 21), and is effective immediately.Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott were surprised with their Opry invitation by friend and fellow artist Darius Rucker, also an Opry member, while taping their performance for the upcoming NBC special Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music. Fans will be able to watch the moment during the television event on Feb. 14.After Rucker delivered the news, under...

In 2012, the surviving members of the Beach Boys — Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks — put aside decades of bad blood to record a new album and launch a long 50th anniversary tour that had them playing their classics at venues from New Orleans JazzFest to London’s Royal Albert Hall. “The tour… blew away all my expectations,” Brian Wilson said afterward. “We had a blast, the fans were so supportive and I loved being able to record and sing with the guys.” By...

Fifteen years ago, Jan. 21 was a day of celebration for Carrie Underwood, and a hint at the superstar career that she was going to have. It was on this day in 2006 that the singer earned her first No. 1 hit on the country charts, with "Jesus, Take the Wheel," from her debut album, Some Hearts.While "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was Underwood's first country No. 1, it wasn't her first chart-topping hit overall. Previously, the now-superstar hit No. 1 on the pop charts with "Inside Your Heaven," which was released one month...

Weezer have shared their new song “All My Favorite Songs,” the first single off the band’s surprise new album OK Human, out January 29th. In the Colin Read-accompanying video, the band straddle the line between the virtual world and reality. The video opens on Rivers Cuomo who is distracted from scrolling on his phone, when he should be laying down a track in the studio with the band. Meanwhile, in another scene, a teenager appears dejected as he stares at his computer feed. Things take a turn for the better...

Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard brought their message of unity to American televisions on Wednesday night (Jan. 20). The pair performed "Undivided" during Celebrating America, a 90-minute special hosted by Tom Hanks and featuring a multitude of celebrities eager to celebrate President Joe Biden's inauguration.The two men stood bundled up from the Nashville cold on the east side of the Cumberland River, with familiar Music City skyscrapers flanking them as they spoke about, and then performed, a song they both say is a kind of mirror during divisive times. "Undivided" echoes the...

For a uniquely brutal year, 2020 had more than its share of fantastic music, and in our latest episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, we look back at the year’s best albums, from Bad Bunny’s Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gan to Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You. (The podcast previously covered many of the albums on Rolling Stone’s list, via interviews with Dua Lipa, Phoebe Bridgers, and Jason Isbell, among others.) Brittany Spanos, Rob Sheffield, and Simon Vozick-Levinson join host Brian Hiatt for the discussion, which dives deep on albums...

The C2C (Country 2 Country) Festival that was slated to take place in March has been postponed again due to ongoing concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.Festival organizers announced the news in a post to social media on Wednesday morning (Jan. 20), writing, "We are sad to say that C2C will not be able to go ahead in March 2021 as planned, but we look forward to seeing you all again in 2022!"The post goes on to explain that the decision is based on "current restrictions on mass gatherings and...

Black Pumas performed their Grammy-nominated track, “Colors,” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Tuesday, January 19th. To complement the song’s psychedelic soul, the Austin duo, their backing band, and a trio of singers delivered the track on a soundstage done up to recall the sets of music performance shows from the Sixties and Seventies. With some monochromatic, Mondrian-esque squares and rectangles floating against the beige backdrop, Black Pumas frontman Eric Burton crooned in his falsetto, “All my favorite colors/My sisters and my brothers/See ’em like no other/All my favorite...

Hugh X. Lewis, the country singer-songwriter who wrote numerous charting hits of the 1960s, has died at the age of 90, according to Music Row. His death was announced on Tuesday (Jan. 17), though he died on Dec. 29, 2020.Born on Dec. 25, 1930, Lewis was a Kentucky native who worked in coal mines early in his life to help support his dreams of a country music career. He had some regional success throughout the 1950s, and in 1963, he moved to Nashville and signed as a staff songwriter with Cedarwood Music, the...