Music Country

Two years ago, as a college freshman, country singer-songwriter Liddy Clark began writing papers on the relationship between country music and the NRA. In one essay, she pondered what it might take for country music to take a stance that strayed from the “pro-Second Amendment, ‘don’t take my guns away’ …

When Guy Clark recorded his 1988 album Old Friends, he enlisted a bevy of musician buds to fulfill the title, from Rosanne Cash and Vince Gill to Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. Those last two appear on Steve Earle‘s new version of the LP’s title track, the latest song released …

On her Grammy-winning album Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves combined traditional acoustic instruments and a synthetic vocoder effect in “Oh, What a World,” creating a standout track that inspired the name of her 2019 headlining tour. At the third of four sold-out Oh, What a World: Tour dates at Nashville’s Ryman …

Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile offer a powerful meditation on the struggle for understanding in their new duet “Common.” The song appears on Morris’ new album Girl. Rather than trafficking in uplifting platitudes, “Common” takes a more somber, alienated look at human relations. “When it’s over, when it’s done, when …

Maren Morris stepped onstage at her hometown stadium in Arlington, Texas, in October to sing a song with the night’s headliner, Taylor Swift. “I . . . categorize myself as a superfan,” Swift told the audience. “I listened to [her] album over and over. I know soon she will be playing stadiums this size.” …

It’s rare that one gets to witness the passing of the torch from one generation to the next, but that’s exactly what happened at the annual Country Cares for St. Jude Songwriter’s Dinner in Memphis on January 26th. It started out as an impromptu sing-along, but Michael Ray and Jake …

Chris Stapleton will resume his ongoing All-American Road Show with a string of just announced summer tour dates. As on past installments of the Road Show — which began in 2017 —Stapleton will be joined by a diverse lineup of special guests. The tour begins July 9th in Allentown, Pennsylvania, …

From her Tony-winning title role in Broadway’s Hello, Dolly! to one of her signature songs, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” – sung on film by Marilyn Monroe and covered in 1983 by Emmylou Harris – Carol Channing’s effervescent presence on the stage and in film and TV roles was …

Townes Van Zandt sings about a quest for freedom on the folky “All I Need,” a previously unreleased song from an upcoming posthumous collection, Sky Blue. The archival set is due out March 7th – what would have been the singer-songwriter’s 75th birthday – via TVZ Records and Fat Possum …

Joy Williams will undertake a U.S. tour in February in support of her upcoming album Front Porch. While no release date has been set for the LP, she has shared the tracks “Canary” and “The Trouble With Wanting,” and this week unveiled a live cover of a Nineties gem: Depeche …