Jeff Giles
Country Singer Johnny Wright Dies at 97
Johnnie Wright, the singer best known for his 1965 hit ‘Hello Vietnam’ and his lengthy marriage to fellow country star Kitty Wells, passed away Tuesday morning in his Tennessee home. He was 97.
Wright rose to prominence in the ’50s as half of the duo Johnnie & Jack, which helped introduce Latin rhythms to the country charts with a string of hits that included ‘Ashes of Love,’ ‘Poison Love,’ an
Kenny Rogers Announces Dates for 30th Annual Christmas and Hits Tour
When you’ve been doing something as long as Kenny Rogers has been making music, the milestones are bound to pile up — and sure enough, this holiday season will mark an auspicious anniversary for the country legend.
When Rogers embarks on his annual Christmas and Hits tour this November 25, it’ll mark his 30th straight year of heading out on the road to bring holiday cheer to fans. Billy Dean will
JT Hodges Promises ‘Very, Very Diverse’ Debut Album
With his first single closing in on the country top 40 and a prime opening slot on his label boss’ latest tour, JT Hodges could hardly ask for a better start to his recording career.
Hodges won’t be satisfied with an auspicious beginning, however. He’s in this for the long haul, and to prove it, he’s getting ready to release a debut album that he promises will be “very, very diverse.”
Justin Bieber’s Christmas Album Will Feature the Band Perry
He’s sold more than four million albums in the last two years and is a more or less constant presence on the iTunes and Billboard charts. So when Justin Bieber announced that he was recording a Christmas album for this year’s holiday season, it automatically became one of the fourth quarter’s most highly anticipated releases.
At this point, Bieber could probably hum carols through a kazoo and turn
Gloriana Describes the ‘Evolving Process’ Behind Their New Album, ‘A Thousand Miles Left Behind’
Losing a band member is almost always difficult and it’s got to be particularly tough to learn your bandmate is leaving via Twitter, as the members of Gloriana discovered a couple of months ago, when vocalist and mandolin player Cheyenne Kimball announced she was quitting.
They took the news in stride, however, and regrouped as a trio, getting down to work on their upcoming sophomore release, ‘A T
Del McCoury Revisits ‘Old Memories’ with Bill Monroe Tribute Album
With more than five decades as a professional musician to his name, Del McCoury is an elder statesman of American music, but at an age when many artists tend to slow down, McCoury refuses to rest on his considerable laurels.
In fact, with a pair of albums out in 2011, he’s busier than ever.
Steel Magnolia Explains Why Their New Single, ‘Bulletproof,’ Is So ‘Different’
Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey have come a long way since their fateful meeting at a Nashville karaoke bar. They’re now engaged to be married, while also making up the rising country duo Steel Magnolia, with three top 40 singles and a pair of CMA Awards nominations on their growing list of achievements.
As their self-titled debut CD launches its fourth single, ‘Bulletproof,’ Jones and Linsey
Kenny Chesney Earns Platinum Record for ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’
For one of country’s biggest stars, Kenny Chesney is building quite an impressive heavy metal collection.
Chesney’s latest album, ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey,’ was recently certified platinum for sales of one million copies by the RIAA, becoming the 10th of his 14 releases to reach one of the industry’s most esteemed sales milestones.
Dixie Chicks, Willie Nelson, and More Join October 17 Concert for Texas Fire Relief
Even as rescue workers continue to battle the wildfires that have raged through Texas throughout September, organizers are putting together a benefit to help pay for some of the more than $250 million worth of damage the fires have left behind.
Scheduled for October 17, ‘Fire Relief: The Concert for Central Texas’ has lined up an impressive array of artists and bands with roots in the Lone Star St
Brantley Gilbert Is Proud to Be a Mama’s Boy
Rick Diamond, Getty Images
For most country artists, moving to Nashville is a matter of course because it simply makes sense to be right there in the middle of Music Row.
But for Brantley Gilbert, there were other factors to consider when it came time to decide whether he’d be picking up stakes and leaving his Georgia home. Like, for instance, his mama.
Hunter Hayes Declines Lauren Alaina’s Prom Invitation
At the tender age of 16, Lauren Alaina already has a lot going for her, including a fast-rising career in music, millions of fans from her stint on ‘American Idol,’ and a debut album mere weeks from release.
What she doesn’t have, however, is a date to the prom with fellow young country star Hunter Hayes.
Lady Antebellum’s ‘Own the Night’ Debuts at Number 1
In what might be the least surprising debut of the year, Lady Antebellum‘s new album has ended its first week at the top of the charts — pretty much all of them, in fact.
With sales of nearly 350,000 units, ‘Own the Night’ outpaced its competition by a wide margin, coming in at number one on the country charts, as well as Billboard’s overall Top 200 tally. As an added bonus, it also topped the alb