There’s paying tribute, and then there’s doing it like Cody Johnson. On the eve of the 60th ACM Awards, some of country music’s finest gathered for the “Play Something Country” gala honoring Brooks & Dunn. Two legends who have shaped the genre like few others. Held as part of ACM Lifting Lives, the event was … Read more
On the eve of the 2025 ACM Awards, Eric Church stepped into a room full of stars and legends and delivered a reminder of why Brooks & Dunn remain one of the most influential duos in country music history. At the ACM’s “Play Something Country” gala, Church honored the Hall of Famers with a stripped-down … Read more
The Academy of Country Music didn’t forget Beyoncé. They just didn’t vote for her. And that silence speaks louder than any nomination list ever could. When the 2025 ACM nominations dropped, Beyoncé’s name was nowhere to be found, not in Album of the Year, Song, or anything. The reaction online was surprisingly subdued, as if … Read more
They don’t make ’em like Alan Jackson anymore. In 1994, while today’s award shows are busy tripping over themselves with pop crossovers and choreographed lip-syncs, Alan Jackson was pulling off one of the most badass, silent middle fingers ever delivered on country television. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t flashy. But it was bold as hell, … Read more
When it comes to telling the story of Dolly Parton, one leading lady just won’t cut it. You need three. Dolly isn’t just a person. She’s an era, a movement, and a voice that’s carried across decades of rhinestone dreams and country grit. Dolly: An Original Musical will debut in Nashville this summer before heading … Read more
The woman who once gave country music its loudest “hell yeah” just slipped on a bedazzled costume, beat a pop star, an actress, and a bro-country alum, and walked away with the Masked Singer crown. No, it wasn’t some parody segment. That was Gretchen Wilson behind the glittering Pearl mask, and the May 7 finale … Read more
The ACM Entertainer of the Year award is the peak of recognition in country music. For decades, it was a mountain few women were allowed to climb. While male names dominated most of the early ballots, a handful of bold, unshakable women not only earned their place at the top but redefined what it meant … Read more
There’s country radio gold, and then there’s the kind of song that makes your tires hum a little louder when it hits. Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away” is that song. More than four decades after it first rolled off the lot in 1980, it still tears up the highway with enough swagger to put … Read more
Country music loves its legends, but sometimes it forgets the ones who did the heavy lifting without demanding the spotlight. Eddie Rabbitt was one of those artists. He helped define the sound of modern country in the late ’70s and early ’80s, wrote for Elvis Presley, delivered truck-driving anthems and crossover smashes, and then quietly … Read more
Back in 2018, Kelly Clarkson did something most celebrities tiptoe around. She casually admitted in a radio interview that she spanks her kids. And for a moment, the pop-country superstar found herself right in the middle of a cultural firestorm. In a chat with 94.1 in Atlanta, Clarkson said what many Southern-raised parents think and … Read more
If there’s one thing Dolly Parton is never short on, it’s charm. But behind the rhinestones and big hair, she’s got the sharpest wit in the room. A resurfaced clip proves that point and just so happens to feature another queen of daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey. The moment came during Dolly’s appearance as a guest … Read more
She once ruled both country and pop charts with that unmistakable smooth alto. Now, Anne Murray spends her days far from the stage, but her impact on music and her loyal fans hasn’t faded one bit. Long before crossover hits were the norm, Murray was breaking boundaries. The Nova Scotia native made history as the … Read more
Nearly two decades after winning American Idol, Carrie Underwood still feels the pressure. And it all comes flooding back with one sound. In a behind-the-scenes clip shared ahead of a recent Idol taping, Carrie sat at the judges’ table as the iconic theme music started to roll. The lights were hot, the cameras were live, … Read more
When Chris Stapleton walks into the ACM Awards on May 8, he won’t just be one of the night’s top nominees. He’ll be standing on the doorstep of country music history. With six nominations this year, he has the rare chance to do what was once unthinkable — pass George Strait as the most awarded … Read more
Two decades after she lit the match with her debut single, Miranda Lambert stepped onto the American Idol stage and made it clear she still knows exactly how to burn the place down. During the May 4 episode, Lambert performed “Kerosene,” the title track from her 2005 breakout album, in a moment that reminded the … Read more
Loretta Lynn was already doing the work before the industry started throwing around the term “trailblazer” like confetti. She wasn’t trying to be first. She was just being honest. In 1976, that honesty earned her the title of Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards, the first time a woman ever took home the … Read more
There are awkward awards show moments, and then there’s the 2003 ACM Awards—a night so messy and unapologetically chaotic that it still lives in infamy over 20 years later. It was country music at its most divided and one of its most unfiltered. In case you forgot, this was the height of the fallout between … Read more
Kellie Pickler might be facing one of the toughest stretches of her life, but she is not facing it alone. As her legal battle with her late husband’s parents, Kyle Jacobs, continues to unfold, an old friend from her American Idol days has stepped back into the picture. According to a new report from In … Read more
Beyoncé may sing about being untouchable, but this week proved even pop royalty can get checked. Queen Bey quietly folded after getting slapped with a cease and desist from Sphere Entertainment Group, scrubbing the Las Vegas Sphere from her Cowboy Carter tour visuals and replacing it with Allegiant Stadium. The change came during the third … Read more
Carrie Underwood may have sung it first, but Jamal Roberts might have finally made “Undo It” worth a second listen. The 27-year-old P.E. teacher from Meridian, Mississippi, marched onto the American Idol stage like a man with something to prove, and in just under three minutes, he flipped one of Carrie’s most criticized singles into … Read more
Breanna Nix took one of the biggest risks of the night on American Idol, and it paid off. For Judges’ Song Contest night, each contestant picked from three hand-selected tracks chosen by Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie. Breanna’s options were “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande, “The Blessing” by Elevation Worship, and Martina McBride’s … Read more
Back when John Foster first walked into the American Idol audition room, cowboy hat in hand and a nervous grin stitched across his face, he probably didn’t expect to get gut-checked by one of country’s biggest stars. Luke Bryan, never one to sugarcoat, looked him square in the eye and questioned whether the Louisiana kid … Read more
It was a night built for stars, and John Foster knew exactly what to do with it. On Monday’s episode of American Idol, the 18-year-old Louisiana native took on a song etched deep in the DNA of country music: George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart.” The performance didn’t just get him one step closer to … Read more
It was only a matter of time before someone asked the question that’s been floating around social media ever since John Foster strutted onto the American Idol stage with that Dwight Yoakam hat tilt and George Strait confidence. Is he Dwight’s kid? Nephew? Some long-lost third cousin twice removed? The answer, straight from the man … Read more
Lainey Wilson has already carved out her place in country music with a truckload of awards and a voice soaked in diesel and heartbreak, but now she’s trading her honky-tonk boots for a film script. According to Variety, the “Heart Like a Truck” hitmaker is officially making her feature film debut in the upcoming adaptation … Read more
John Foster didn’t just survive another round of American Idol. He strolled onto that stage in his denim and cowboy hat, smiled like he’d been doing this his whole life, and literally gave America something to talk about. During Sunday night’s “Iconic Women in Music” episode, the 18-year-old Louisiana native tackled Bonnie Raitt’s bluesy classic … Read more
For anyone who thought Carrie Underwood stepping in to replace Katy Perry on American Idol was a clean-cut return-to-roots moment, think again. According to a report by The U.S. Sun, Underwood’s seat at the judges’ table wasn’t even the network’s first plan. In fact, it sounds like it took more back-and-forth than fans might have … Read more
Every now and then, country music gives us a live TV moment so good, it deserves to be framed like a gold record. One of those came straight from the 2019 ACM Awards when Miranda Lambert, already deep into her post-Blake glow-up, threw the kind of shade you don’t recover from overnight. At that point, … Read more
The Covel family rolled into Churchill Downs not just as spectators, but as a tribute to a man whose dream had finally crossed the finish line. It wasn’t about winning the race. It was about showing up, standing tall, and cheering for a dream that started decades ago and didn’t quit when he did. Toby … Read more
He didn’t win, didn’t come close, and sure as hell didn’t care. Render Judgment might’ve finished 17th at the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, but Toby Keith’s horse pulled into Churchill Downs like he was leading the pack. Sometimes, just showing up means more than snatching a trophy, and this year’s Derby had a … Read more