In 1958, Ray Price recorded his version of “City Lights,” and it climbed on the No. 1 spot of the Billboard Hot Country Songs singles chart and remained in that position for thirteen weeks. But there’s more to that! “City Lights” actually has several country music history pieces linked into it. First of all, it … Read more
In 2011, Kip Moore’s “Somethin’ ’bout a Truck” climbed the chart, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making it the only single in the country singer’s career to reach that peak so far. The song was also his first and only top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at … Read more
In 1982, Crystal Gayle recorded “Til I Gain Control Again” for her self-titled album. The song quickly soared to the top spot of Billboard Hot Country Songs, where it stayed for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks. Her recording is also accompanied by a music video where Gayle can be seen stunningly … Read more
In 1981, country-rock singer Juice Newton released her rendition of “Queen of Hearts” as the second single off her album Juice. “I did [‘Queen of Hearts’] live for about a year…Then I brought it to [producer] Richard Landis when we started the Juice album,” Newton later recalled. “He wasn’t convinced at that point that it … Read more
American singer-songwriter John Denver paid tribute to his most prized possession in his 1974 song “This Old Guitar.” Denver wrote the song about his 1910 Gibson acoustic jazz guitar, which his grandmother gave to him when he was only twelve years old. This was the same guitar his grandmother used to play as a young … Read more
In 1979, Anne Murray released her rendition of “Broken Hearted Me” as the first single off her fourteenth album, I’ll Always Love You. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and was a crossover success as it reached the No. 12 spot on US Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, the song … Read more
In 2016, Home Free made another music video, and this time they went with one of the hottest country songs played on the radio over the past decade, “My Church.” The a cappella group took the song’s gospel vibe one step further by giving it a real gospel twist. Shot in front of an old … Read more
Nearly five decades ago, country singer Johnny Russell released what would be the biggest hit of his entire career, “Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer.” It was the first single from his album of the same name. The song was his only top ten on the country chart, peaking at No. 4 on the … Read more
When Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson joined forces, the world expected nothing less than quality and brilliance. Luckily, we were never proven wrong when they’d written the hit song “Good Hearted Woman.” In 1969, the two outlaw legends found themselves on a tour together. While staying at the Fort Worther Motel in Fort Worth, Texas, … Read more
Over a decade ago, Chris Young released “The Man I Want to Be” as the third single and title track from his album of the same name. The song quickly snagged the top spot of Billboard Hot Country Songs; it was the singer’s second of five consecutive No. 1 hits on that chart. It also … Read more
In 1967, the most iconic country couple Johnny Cash and June Carter, released a version of the iconic duet “Jackson.” Not only did it reach No. 2 on the US Country charts, but it also won a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Performance Duet, Trio or Group. Perhaps no other country couple has … Read more
You will surely find hope and comfort in Alan Jackson’s “In The Garden.” The country superstar has always been very open about his Christian faith. So, it was no longer a surprise when he released his first gospel album, Precious Memories, in 2006. Unlike his previous ones, this album comprises traditional gospel songs – including … Read more
In 2001, Alan Jackson released “Where I Come From” as the third single from his album When Somebody Loves You. It became Jackson’s another No. 1 hit on the Billboard country charts. It was his only No. 1 from that album, and it received favorable reviews – especially from Thom Jurek of Allmusic, who described … Read more
Country artists have never held back when it comes to recording songs about the wars the United States has been involved in, supporting our troops through music – “8th of November” is just one of these songs. In 2006, country music duo Big & Rich released “8th of November” as the third and final single … Read more
Brandi Carlile takes the music business dominated by men, the National Rifle Association, and more to task in her 2019 song, “Cowgirls.” With finger-pointing lyrics, the singer asserts that “it’s time for you to let them cowgirls in.” At the same time, putting the genuineness of their country lifestyle into question, singing: “Just because you … Read more
Over six decades ago, The Platters recorded their version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” It was released off the group’s 1958 album Remember When? and became a No. 1 hit in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Rhythm and Blues chart. The … Read more
Power couple Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani had their fourth collaboration together when they released “Happy Anywhere” as a single via streaming and digital download in July 2020. Shelton and Stefani debuted the song during the TODAY Summer Concert Series, and the now-engaged couple could even hardly take their eyes off of each other while … Read more
Thirty-three years ago, Rosanne Cash recorded her rendition of “Tennessee Flat Top Box.” It was released in 1987 as the third single off her highly successful album King’s Record Shop, and it sailed to the top spot of Billboard Hot Country songs and Canadian RPM Country Tracks, making it the third of four consecutive No. … Read more
Ronnie Milsap’s First No. 1 Hit “Pure Love” Paved The Way to More Hits. When Ronnie Milsap landed his first No. 1 hit – “Pure Love” – on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in the late spring of 1973, it marked the end of his lengthy search. Milsap was one of the most popular … Read more
In 1950, Hank Snow wrote “I’m Moving On,” which has now become a country standard. This train song tells the tale of unfaithful love, and there’s perhaps no one who understood its message any more than Hank. The song absolutely speaks volumes about the singer’s gypsy-life lifestyle. Snow was born in the small community of … Read more
In 2011, Scotty McCreery won the tenth season of American Idol, and he had “I Love You This Big” as his coronation single. The sweeping ballad was then immediately released after the show’s finale as the first single off his debut album Clear as Day. It quickly entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at … Read more
In 2007, country superstars Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney recorded “Every Other Weekend,” which made the hearts of many country fans ache a little. The song was released as the third and final single off McEntire’s album Reba: Duets. However, for the song’s radio release, Chesney’s vocals were replaced by one of the song’s writers, … Read more
During the Houston Fest in 2017, the audience was in for a big treat when three soldiers owned up the stage for a breathtaking performance of “Seven Spanish Angels.” The soldiers are part of the United States Army Field Band’s Six-String Soldiers, renowned all over the internet for their incredible covers of bluegrass and country … Read more
When it comes to priorities, country singer Craig Campbell makes sure his family is on top, and these standards are clearly evident in his debut song “Family Man.” It was released in 2010 as the first single off his self-titled debut album and reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking … Read more
In 2016, country superstar Garth Brooks released “Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance” as the first single off his album, Gunslinger. But before it was released to the radio, the track was exclusively distributed through Brooks’ online music store, GhostTunes. In an exclusive partnership with Fritos, an American brand of corn chips and dipping sauces, … Read more
It’s been decades since country superstars Clint Black, and Steve Wariner gave us one of the best collaborations of all time with the song “Been There.” It was released as the second single off Black’s 2000 album D’lectrified – the first album in the country singer’s career that he produced by himself. The song then … Read more
Country singer Justin Moore kicked off his fifth studio album, Late Nights and Longnecks, with its lead single, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” which he released in October 2018. The Arkansas native once again tapped into a more emotional topic as he paid tribute to all the American soldiers and other heroes, … Read more
Alan Jackson’s “Monday Morning Church” is said to be one of the saddest country songs of all time, ranking No. 39 on Rolling Stone’s list. Billboard magazine’s Deborah Evans Price also called it “one of the most potent ballads in country music since George Jones’ ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today.‘” It was released as the … Read more
Country music superstar and former American Idol standout, Kellie Pickler, proves she is still a daddy’s girl in her song “The Letter to Daddy” despite the troubled life her father has lived. It was released in 2012 as a single off her third studio album, 100 Proof, where most of the songs were drawn from … Read more
In 2013, Tyler Farr broke through the country music scene with “Redneck Crazy”– released as the third single from his debut album of the same name. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs while No. 3 on Billboard Country Airplay. It also reached No. 29 on Billboard Hot 100. The song … Read more