Country Music 411

Twenty-one years ago today, on Nov. 13, 1999, Garth Brooks performed double duty on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. The singer served as the host of the show, while his alter ego, Chris Gaines, performed as the musical guest. Brooks’ appearance on SNL was widely regarded as a success. The country music hitmaker shared a skit with

Eric Church knows it might come as a surprise to some fans that his next batch of music — including his single “Stick That in Your Country Song“ and “Hell of a View,” “Crazyland,” “Bad Mother Trucker” and more — was actually all written and recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We made this project, we

Tim McGraw’s music on Big Machine Records is the focus of a new greatest hits album slated for later this month. McGraw Machine Hits: 2013-2019 will feature songs including “Humble and Kind,” “Shotgun Rider” and “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s,” his 2014 collaboration with wife Faith Hill. McGraw Machine Hits: 2013-2019 (Nov. 20) finds McGraw collaborating with other

As a Black man in the predominantly white country music industry, Darius Rucker has had to deal with his share of racist interactions over the years. The South Carolina native used to deal with it through a mix of both astonishment and forced acceptance — but not anymore. “The first time I walked into [a country

It never fails: The CMA Awards are on, and Thomas Rhett’s kids want to stay up late and watch the entire show. It always sounds like a good idea … until the next morning. “They always do [stay up to watch the show], and we always pay for it in the morning,” Rhett shared with

Doug Supernaw, the singer behind “I Don’t Call Him Daddy” and “Reno,” died Friday (Nov. 13) after battling Stage IV lung and bladder cancer. He was 60 years old, and had been in hospice care since October. Supernaw was diagnosed with Advanced Stage IV lung and bladder cancer in February of 2019, at which time he began

Carrie Underwood is decking the halls with Christmas cheer — and her stunning voice — with her new original tune, “My Favorite Time of Year.” Available exclusively through Amazon Music as part of Underwood’s new holiday album, My Gift, “My Favorite Time of Year” brings a jovial spirit while painting a Christmas scene complete with

Country music will be well represented at the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The annual event will feature performances from Dolly Parton, Jimmie Allen, Brett Young and Lauren Alaina in the parade’s new pandemic-conscious format. No crowds will be present for the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which usually finds onlookers packing the streets of New

Dolly Parton continues to dominate the 2020 holiday season: She recently announced a brand-new Christmas special, set to air on CBS in early December. The country icon will star in A Holly Dolly Christmas, an hour-long special named after her new Christmas album. She’ll be singing holiday classics, along with original tunes from the record, and sharing stories of

In 1971, Charley Pride stepped onto the CMA Awards stage to accept the Entertainer of the Year trophy — the first Black artist to do so. Nearly five decades later, at Wednesday night’s (Nov. 11) 2020 CMA Awards show, the pioneering country artist returned to the stage once again, when he was awarded the Willie Nelson Lifetime

Face shields and masks. Artists at banquet tables. No fans. The 2020 CMA Awards certainly looked different on TV on Wednesday night (Nov. 11). Behind-the-scenes photos from the show, however, still show the artists catching up in between performances and awards presentations, hanging out backstage and enjoying the night together. Eric Church and Luke Combs‘

Luke Combs earned his first CMA Entertainer of the Year nomination in 2020, but he didn’t look too bummed to lose out on the trophy on Wednesday night (Nov. 11). In fact, when Eric Church took home the award, Combs was downright pumped. As Church was announced as the winner of the CMA Awards’ highest honor,

This is why we can’t have nice things. Standard language in every concert cancellation and new concert announcement in 2020 insists that the health and safety of fans is most important. As it turns out, the artists need to check themselves, too. Six of the 22 scheduled CMA Awards performances were affected by COVID-19. That’s

In some ways, Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker‘s co-hosting gig at the 2020 CMA Awards perfectly represented the show’s blend of old and new, of tradition and fresh blood. McEntire was a tried-and-true emcee, with four years of experience helming the CMAs before Wednesday night (Nov. 11), but it was Rucker’s first time in the role. Rucker admitted

Jimmy Kimmel enlisted country star Chris Stapleton to hawk a fake COVID-19-era Christmas album on his late-night TV talk show on Wednesday night (Nov. 11) — and, honestly? We’d buy it. In the Jimmy Kimmel Live! sketch, Stapleton advertises A Very COVID Christmas, his first holiday album. Its future Christmas classics include “Disinfect the Halls,” “Oh, Cover

Miranda Lambert and her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, have been holed up at their farm outside of Nashville during most of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but they got all dressed up and looked really sharp for a big night out at the 2020 CMA Awards in Nashville on Wednesday night (Nov. 11). Though the event was

Clint Black and his wife Lisa Hartman Black prove inspiration can come from just about anywhere. When their time on The Masked Singer ended, the country singer was moved to write a new love song to sing with his bride of nearly 30 years. It took some effort, but “‘Til the End of Time’ will drop on