Wayne Secrest, longtime bass player of the country-rock group Confederate Railroad, has died after a lengthy illness. His bandmates shared the news of Secrest’s passing onFacebooklate Saturday night. Secrest’s health issues had forced him to retire from touring late last year. “We shared millions of miles, thousands of concerts and …
Read More »Dierks Bentley on How Del McCoury Inspired New Seven Peaks Festival
When Dierks Bentley first came to check out Jed Selby’s ranch in Buena Vista, Colorado, last winter as a potential host for his Seven Peaks Festival, Selby knew straight away he was the real deal. “It’s the middle of winter and we walk out on the property and he asks …
Read More »Miranda Lambert on Carrie Underwood: 'She Can Sing Me Under the Table'
On Sunday night, Miranda Lambert performed “Keeper of the Flame,” from her double album The Weight of These Wings, on the ACM Awards stage. Written with Natalie Hemby and Liz Rose, it’s a song that acknowledges the trailblazing efforts of those who came first, as well as the importance of …
Read More »Hear Jason Boland's New Song With Sunny Sweeney 'I Don't Deserve You'
Red Dirt country singer Jason Boland is thankful for all the good things that have come his way during his 20-year career – especially his wife Mandy, the inspiration behind his atypical honky-tonk love song “I Don’t Deserve You.” Rather than take the tried-and-true approach to a love song, Boland …
Read More »Blackberry Smoke Talk Divided Nation, Tom Petty and New Album 'Find a Light'
Seated in the front lounge of a sleek black motor coach, Blackberry Smoke‘s Charlie Starr is looking out the window into the fresh spring greenery just beyond his reach, ignoring the muted television in the corner as the engine idles. Starr has a reserved ease about him, but the meaning …
Read More »Flashback: See Charlie Rich Sing 'Behind Closed Doors' on Late-Night TV
After nearly a decade of recording, musician Charlie Rich signed a deal with Epic Records in 1967, making it his sixth record label since signing with Sun in 1960. Rich’s bent for jazz and R&B made the idea of marketing him as a country artist less than ideal, but at …
Read More »Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam to Unite for LSD Tour
Three of the most acclaimed country and Americana artists of the past three decades are teaming for a North American tour this summer. Dubbed the LSD Tour, a clever play on their first names, it will feature singer-songwriters Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Dwight Yoakam all taking the stage at …
Read More »Keith Urban's SXSW Speech: 10 Things We Learned
Keith Urban might not have expected to learn of a long-lost relative when he showed up at the Austin Convention Center on Friday afternoon (an audience member claimed someone in her family was related to the country star), but that’s just what he got, along with a number of pitches …
Read More »Hear Randy Rogers Band, Radney Foster Salute Pat Green With 'Three Days'
When Pat Green released his major label debut album Three Days in 2001, it introduced the singer-songwriter to a national audience, with its follow-up, 2003’s Wave on Wave, raising his profile even higher via the hit title track. But in his native Texas, Green was already a star, adored by …
Read More »Cam Plots Stripped-Down 'Listening Room Series' Tour
Cam will take a decidedly scaled-down approach to playing shows in 2018, hitting the road in April for the “Listening Room Series” Tour. The “Diane” singer’s new trek will visit more than 10 cities, many of them in her native California. Eschewing the full-band format of previous tours, the “Listening …
Read More »