Music Country

Visionary record producer, label executive and music publisher Fred Foster, who guided the early careers of Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, among many others, died Wednesday in Nashville following a short illness. He was 87. The founder of Monument Records, which released Parton’s first hit single, “Dumb Blonde,” …

Dan + Shay, the power-country duo who won their first Grammy Award this year for their hit song “Tequila,” and perennial favorite Chris Stapleton were the top nominees when nominations for the 54th annual ACM Awards were announced Wednesday morning. Both Stapleton and Dan + Shay each received six nominations, …

A few days removed from delivering a stunning version of “The Joke” at the 2019 Grammy Awards, Brandi Carlile appeared on Ellen to play a haunting acoustic version of the two-time Grammy-winning track. “The Joke” has become a staple not only of Carlile’s live shows in the year since it …

There’s a certain poetic justice about Kacey Musgraves winning Album of the Year at Sunday’s Grammy awards — seven years ago this month, the then unknown artist from Texas made her debut at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) as part of Universal Music Group’s annual luncheon at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The …

Dale Watson evokes the sprawl of the Southwestern plains on his loping new track “David Buxkemper,” an ode to a West Texas fan from his upcoming Call Me Lucky LP. The song was inspired by a letter from the real-life David Buxkemper, who wrote Watson to express his appreciation for …

Legendary songwriter and musician John Hartford, who came into millions of homes each week playing banjo on the highly rated Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour from 1969 to 1972, forged his own Grammy-winning career as a versatile session musician, unique lyricist and compelling storyteller on hits like “Gentle on My Mind.” …

Greensky Bluegrass have unveiled a fourth track from their upcoming LPAll for Money, which will be released on January 18th. At nine minutes in length, “Courage for the Road” is a hard-driving acoustic tune featuring an extended middle section filled with frenetic, fleet-fingered solos. It’s the kind of exploratory jaunt …

Just ahead of the premiere of the Netflix film Dumplin’, featuring a soundtrack of her songs, Dolly Parton joined the film’s star and producer Jennifer Aniston on The Late Late Show With James Corden for a game of “Dolly Would or Dolly Wouldn’t?” Among the challenges posed to the always-game …

The initial lineup has been revealed for 2019’s DelFest, the eclectic Memorial Day weekend music event celebrating the legacy and continuing influence of bluegrass entertainer Del McCoury. In addition to the Del McCoury Band and the Travelin’ McCourys, which features the legendary performer’s sons, Ronnie and Rob, DelFest will include …