Music

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...

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...