Music Country

In the spring of 1949, Hank Williams had his first Number One hit with “Lovesick Blues” and made his final appearance on the Louisiana Hayride. He would then join the Grand Ole Opry, where he made his triumphant debut that June, shortly after his son, Hank Jr., was born. In …

Sam Bush delivers a clear call to action in his rousing new song “Stop the Violence.” The amplified anthem, released as a standalone single, features the newgrass pioneer setting aside his expected fleet-fingered acoustic sound in favor of hard-charging Southern rock. It’s an effective way for Bush to get across …

When Americana duo Over the Rhine recorded their first batch of songs in March 1989, members Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist were just two aspiring songwriters, eager to bounce ideas off each other and tell their stories to whomever would listen. Thirty years later, Detweiler and Bergquist are an enduring …

Clint Black will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his 1989 album Killin’ Time with a summer tour, and on Monday the neo-traditionalist country singer added to his itinerary with the announcement of another trek: a co-headlining run with Trace Adkins. Dubbed the Hits. Hats. History. Tour, the venture unites the …

Songwriter Ian Fisher may work within the Americana and country world, but the Missouri native and high-school pal of modern-country star Chris Janson couldn’t be more of an outlier. Fisher has spent the last third of his life honing his craft in Europe, and that experience manifests itself in the …

Luke Combs made fans happy when he recorded the live favorite “Beautiful Crazy” for This One’s for You Too, the deluxe reissue of his 2017 debut album. Now Combs has cut another version, one that strips away the studio production for just guitar, some fiddle and his quintessentially country voice. …

Robert Earl Keen, the poet laureate of Texas Country and one half of the Stryker Brothers duo, has announced a 2019 springtime tour that will find the songwriter playing 20 dates. Keen, who rounded off 2018 with his annual Christmas tour and a return visit to George Strait’s Las Vegas …

Maddie & Tae show off their signature harmonies in a new acoustic performance video for their single “Die From a Broken Heart,” which will appear on the “Girl in a Country Song” duo’s upcoming second album. Centering on a conversation between mother and daughter, “Die From a Broken Heart” disguises …

“Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” is the latest track to be unveiled from country icon George Strait’s forthcoming album. A zesty, twang-filled song, it opens the new LP titled Honky Tonk Time Machine. It’s also a superb throwback to some of the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s most lively …

Ten years ago, Steve Earle took a break from recording original material to make Townes, a tribute to his longtime friend and colleague Townes Van Zandt. To Earle, Van Zandt was his Bob Dylan — or his “Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg,” alongside Guy Clark, whom Earle knew since the Seventies …