Music

Tony Rice, the bluegrass guitarist and vocalist known for his elegant, innovative flatpicking, died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina. He was 69. Rice’s death was confirmed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, which inducted him into its Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Born David Anthony Rice in Virginia on June 8th, 1951, Rice learned about bluegrass from his father, an amateur musician who raised his family in Los Angeles, and Tony’s older brother Larry Rice, who played mandolin. When Tony was 20, he joined his...

Dolly Parton had already been a country star for a number of years by the time she released her 16th studio album, Here You Come Again, but the crossover success of the record launched the second phase of her career, in pop music, and earned the superstar her first gold album on Dec. 27, 1977 -- 43 years ago today.Parton first came to widespread national recognition on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967, and she scored a string of hit singles as duets with Wagoner, as well as a number of successful solo...

After years on the real estate market — at continually reduced prices — Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch has finally been sold. The Santa Barbara County, California property, which has been owned by a venture between the Michael Jackson estate and a real estate investment firm since the singer’s death in 2009, recently sold for $22 million to businessman Ron Burkle; the billionaire previously served as Jackson’s advisor on business matters in the mid-2000s, when the singer struggled with debt due to his lavish lifestyle, the Wall Street Journal reports. Jackson...

Bluegrass great Tony Rice died on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). The lauded singer, songwriter and guitarist was 69 years old.According to a statement from the International Bluegrass Music Association, released on Saturday (Dec. 26), Rice was at home in Reidsville, N.C., when he died. A cause of death was not given, though a Facebook post from Ricky Skaggs on behalf of Rice's family reports that his death occurred "sometime during Christmas morning while making his coffee.""Not only was Tony a brilliant guitar player but he was also one of the...

A day before Christmas, Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell gifted fans with their surprise “December” performance, which the guitarist and keyboardist recently recorded live at the band’s Barn studio in Vermont. The six-song, 45-minute gig featured six Phish tracks: Acoustic renditions of “If I Could,” “Mountains in the Mist,” “Wingsuit,” and “Joy,” a stripped-down electric take on Big Boat’s “Miss You” and — to conclude the surprise performance — a 15-minute rendition of fan favorite “The Squirming Coil.” In addition to streaming services, “December” is available to purchase through...

Vince Gill had just begun a career-making hot streak when he released "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away" as the second single from his sixth studio album, I Still Believe in You. The song became his second straight No. 1 hit on Dec. 26, 1992 -- 28 years ago today.Several of the songs on I Still Believe in You appear to have been inspired by the marital turbulence that Gill was experiencing with his first wife, Sweethearts of the Rodeo singer Janis Oliver. The album's title song -- with which scored...

Gorillaz have closed out their series of Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez videos with “The Lost Chord,” inspired by the technicolor monster movies of decades past. The latest visual picks up where “The Valley of the Pagans” video left off: With the animated Gorillaz members washed up on the shores of Plastic Beach, a nod to the band’s 2010 album. After coming to, the group encounter a giant, laser-eyed Kraken-like creature played by the song’s featured guest, British singer Leee John, who destroys the island before receding back into...

Fifty-six years ago today (Dec. 24, 1964) was an unforgettable day for Glen Campbell: It was on that date that the country crooner made his debut appearance with the Beach Boys, filling in for an ailing Brian Wilson at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.Both Campbell and the Beach Boys were in the early days of their success when Campbell hit the road with the band. Campbell had released his third album, The Astounding 12-String Guitar of Glen Campbell, earlier that year, but he was still four years away...

Last Christmas, Kanye West gifted fans with the gospel-inspired Jesus Is Born, his ninth album and first with the Sunday Service Choir. On Friday evening, the rapper-producer turned the holiday into a new tradition, releasing a five-song EP titled Emmanuel “inspired by ancient and Latin music.” Billed in a statement accompanying the surprise release as a “celebration of the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ,” the 12-minute EP, executive produced and composed by West, include the Christian prayer “Requiem Aeternam” (“Eternal Rest”) and the choral work “O Magnum Mysterium.” The Sunday Service...

Twenty-one years ago today (Dec. 25, 1999) was a Christmas to remember for Faith Hill: It was on that date that the singer landed at the top of the country charts with her hit single, "Breathe;" the song stayed in the No. 1 spot for an astonishing six weeks."Breathe," written by Stephanie Bentley and Holly Lamar, was the lead-off single from and title track of Hill's fourth studio album. With sexy lines such as, "I can feel you breathe / It's washing over me / Suddenly I'm melting into you / There's...

So, How Was Your 2020? is a series in which our favorite entertainers answer our questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year. We’ll be rolling these pieces out throughout December. Brent Cobb spent the year making what he calls “country music for grown folks,” which is to say, country songs that are more about full hearts and open minds than empty beer cans and truck beds. In October, he released the album Keep ‘Em on They Toes, recorded with producer Brad Cook in Durham, North Carolina,...

Dan + Shay truly believe that Christmas is a season for giving. The country duo helped find and furnish three homes for families in need this year. Their reactions will warm your heart.Working with Safe Haven Family Shelter, a Nashville-based shelter-to-housing program, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney surprised the three families with houses to call their own, adding stability at a pivotal time in their lives. Each family shown has children and now each child has a bedroom to cal his or her own."I've actually accomplished the hardest thing I...

The latest episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast is a definitive deep dive into Taylor Swift’s second surprise album of the year, Evermore. The discussion breaks down every track on the album, digging into fan theories, musical influences, and much more. Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield join host Brian Hiatt for the freewheeling episode, wherein our enthused panel manages to compare moments on the album to the works of Genesis, Mogwai, Natalie Maines, Sally Rooney, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Carole King, Adam Duritz, and countless others. To hear...

Garth Brooks says he usually only sings a small portion of the emotional "Belleau Wood" when it's requested, but he pledged to get through it during his recent television special. He almost didn't make it."Belleau Wood" is an original song about a Christmas ceasefire during World War I. The lyrics tell of an American man who hears a German soldier singing "Silent Night" from across the battle field. He stands up from his bunker to join him, knowing that if his trust is misguided he'd be killed. It's a sweet moment, one that shows...