Music

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...

Dolly Parton has issued an open letter to her fans on the occasion of her 75th birthday. Part personal reflection, part inspirational challenge, Parton’s message, posted on the singer’s website, asks readers to be compassionate. “My wish is that everyone does something a little different today. Let’s call it a call for kindness. If you want to donate to your favorite cause, then donate. If you want to give an old friend a call during these lonely times, give them a call. If you can safely volunteer, then raise your...

Thirty-one years ago today (Jan. 19, 1990) was a career-changing day for Reba McEntire: It was on that date that the singer made her film debut, appearing in the movie Tremors.Tremors, which stars Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward and Michael Gross, is about residents in a small town who are forced to defend themselves against underground creatures that are trying to kill them off. McEntire plays Heather Gummer, part of a survivalist couple who helps protect the town from the deadly creatures. While the movie was the country icon's first foray into being officially billed as an actress,...

Garth Brooks will be performing at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Wednesday. The country star held a press conference on Monday to announce the news, Entertainment Tonight reports. “This is not a political statement, this is a statement of unity,” Brooks said. “This is kind of how I get to serve this country.” “This an honor for me to get to serve,” he continued, “and it’s one of the things that, if my family is around, no matter who the president-elect is, it’s...

Throughout a career that has spanned nearly three decades, Garth Brooks has provided no shortage of memorable moments -- especially in his live shows. Over the years, Brooks has brought (sometimes hundreds of thousands of) country music fans together -- even during his "retirement."In fact, when Brooks performs for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday (Jan. 20), it won't even be his first time singing at a presidential inauguration. He performed during President Barack Obama's 2008 inauguration, and he's played for every president since Jimmy Carter, with the exception of Ronald...

Stevie Wonder penned an open letter to Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday that celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. In a video featuring him reading the letter, he recounts meeting Dr. King, calling him a “true hero and you became an inspiration,” and elaborates on the need for a “Truth Commission” for racial justice. “More than any award that I have ever received, I want you to know that I am thankful how you influenced my place of love, which allowed me to try to push...

Graceland — the expansive Memphis, Tenn., homestead that once belonged to Elvis Presley — is now offering virtual tours to fans far and wide.The live virtual experience will take viewers inside the musical legend's home, providing an immersive look into his life even for those unable to travel to Tennessee amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The two-hour experience features a walk through Presley's mansion, a tour of his jet and a trip to his exhibit and entertainment complex, which includes cars, the singer's iconic jumpsuits and various other memorabilia. The tour concludes in Graceland's Meditation Garden,...

The New Radicals will reunite for the first time in over 20 years to perform “You Get What You Give” as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s virtual “Parade Across America” event. The 1998 hit single resurfaced on the 2020 campaign trail as the handpicked walk-on song for Vice President-elect’s husband Doug Emhoff – the soon-to-be Second Gentleman – during rallies. “If there’s one thing on Earth that would possibly make us get the band together, if only for a day, it is the hope that our song could be even...