Music Country

Reclusive “Ode to Billie Joe” and “Fancy” songwriter Bobbie Gentry continues to inspire a new generation of artists including indie rockers Mercury Rev, who have debuted their uniquely psychedelic jazz rendition of the Mississippi legend’s swampy “Okolona River Bottom Band,” with vocal assistance from Norah Jones. “Okolona” is the opening …

Steve Ripley, leader of Grammy-nominated country-rock band the Tractors, died Thursday at his home in Pawnee, Oklahoma, following a battle with cancer. He was 69. With Ripley as frontman, the Tractors scored their biggest hit with their rollicking debut single, “Baby Likes to Rock It,” in 1994, attracting critical attention …

Just before the end of 2018, Luke Combs promised to play a new song for fans if they could push him past one million followers on Instagram. The fans rallied and, true to his word, the CMA Award-winning artist posted a video of him singing the song “Every Little Bit …

In 2016, Rachel Reinert made the difficult decision to leave Gloriana and venture out on her own, having spent most of her 20s alongside brothers Mike and Tom Gossin as a member of that group — which had scored hits like “(Kissed You) Good Night” and opened shows on Taylor …

Country music videos in 2018 were a mix of the poignant and the empowering, as some clips movingly told end-of-life tales and others glamorously celebrated independence. Others still lampooned the very art of making videos. Here’s the 10 must-watch clips of the year. John Prine, “Summer’s End” A woman loses …

Kelly Clarkson took viewers on a rhythmic romp through her current single “Heat” on The Voice Tuesday night, turning up the feel-good temperature for an elimination night that was ultimately defined by controversy. Singing from a stage made to resemble an urban stoop and cityscape, Clarkson was flanked by a …

Jack White took my phone and locked it in a bag. To be fair, it was actually Yondr, a company that specializes in phone-free experiences, like White’s homecoming concert on Tuesday night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. But the no-technology, no-distractions edict was clearly the famously analog musician’s idea. And a …

On the evening of October 16th, ASCAP hosted an opening reception for its She Is the Music Song Camp, a three-day songwriting event for female-identifying songwriters, artists, engineers and producers. ASCAP and industry initiative She Is the Music, which counts Alicia Keys as a founding member, conceived the event, which …

For much of the Sixties, Elvis Presley‘s most visible presence was on the big screen, in a seemingly endless series of films that ranged from fun (Viva Las Vegas) to forgettable (Easy Come, Easy Go). For that reason alone, the King’s December 3rd, 1968, “comeback” special for NBC was a …

Season 15 of NBC’s The Voice continued Monday night with another round of Blind Auditions, during which a sworn country singer stole the show and others with twangy tendencies joined the field. Alabama’s Kirk Jay was the highlight of the night, capping off the show with a crystalline rendition of …