Mary Chapin Carpenter knows how to tell a story. The five-time Grammy winner and hit songwriter—including her own hits “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her and “I Feel Lucky”—has sold more than 14 million albums over the course of her 25-plus-year career. And she has no plans to slow down. With her 14th studio album, The Things…… MORE
It wasn’t a hard question for Jason Aldean when we asked him to name five songs or artists that made a mark in his life. With six studio albums (and another in the works) under his belt, the “Lights Come On” singer thought back to his formative years and pulled out his favorite songs that have stuck with…… MORE
The music business is a crazy and competitive world and artists are constantly being challenged with developing new ways to market themselves, their music and their tours. Props to Keith Urban for utilizing one of his favorite forms of artistic expression—tattoos—to promote his upcoming Ripcord World Tour. In a new video, Keith not only gets…… MORE
FAST FACTS Hometown: Aledo, Ill. Current Single: “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)” Influences: Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tammy Wynette, Dwight Yoakam, Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn In Brief: Like the title of her brand-new album—Midwest Farmer’s Daughter—suggests, Margo grew up in the tiny Midwestern town of Aledo, Ill., which is also the home of ’90s…… MORE
The music business is a crazy and competitive world and artists are constantly being challenged with developing new ways to market themselves, their music and their tours. Props to Keith Urban for utilizing one of his favorite forms of artistic expression—tattoos—to promote his upcoming Ripcord World Tour. In a new video, Keith not only gets…… MORE
Award-winning fiddler, radio and television star, and former wife of Hee Haw mainstay Grandpa Jones, Ramona Jones passed away on Tuesday (Nov. 17) at the age of 91 in Goodlettsville, Tenn. Born Ramona Riggins of Raglesville, Ind., the multi-instrumentalist frequently appeared on Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry as Grandpa’s duet partner, and together…… MORE
You might want to stock up on tissue before Dec. 10. That’s when NBC will air Dolly Parton’s semi-autobiographical movie Coat of Many Colors, and from the looks of the trailer, you might drop a tear or two when you watch it. Jennifer Nettles is almost unrecognizable and absolutely riveting as she sheds the high-glam makeup…… MORE
Wow! After seeing the cover for Scotty McCreery’s debut book, Go Big or Go Home, it’s easy to understand why Nash Country Weekly readers voted him country music’s sexiest hunk. Look at those blue eyes! Of course, inside the cover, Scotty reveals he’s much more than a pretty face. Go Big or Go Home tells…… MORE
She may still be wrestling with morning sickness . . . or all-day sickness, it sounds like . . . but Jana Kramer is looking ADORBS, with the cutest little baby bump. And she wasn’t afraid to show it off during a chat with AOL.com. Jana hopped off of her producer’s chair to reveal her…… MORE
It’s a heartbreak-to-happiness story to hear and it had to be difficult to tell, but in September, the life and career Sugarland’s Kristian Bush is the subject of the documentary Walk Tall: The Journey of Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. The past four years have been riddled with monumental events for Kristian. On August 13, 2011, while…… MORE
It would have been enough just to make a movie about Dolly Parton’s childhood, but we have just learned that Jennifer Nettles will star as Dolly’s mother, Avie Lee Parton, in the film Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Jennifer recently starred as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago, her Broadway debut. The movie is…… MORE
It would have been enough just to make a movie about Dolly Parton’s childhood, but we have just learned that Jennifer Nettles will star as Dolly’s mother, Avie Lee Parton, in the film Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Jennifer recently starred as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago, her Broadway debut. The movie is…… MORE
Sadly, it would appear that bad news really does come in threes. Jake Owen and his wife, Lacey, have announced that they are ending their three-year marriage. The announcement comes on the heels of the previously announced divorce of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert and the separation of Reba McEntire and her husband, Narvel Blackstock.…… MORE
Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of country singer Daron Norwood. According to Lubbock’s NBC affiliate, KCBD, Daron was found dead in his Hereford, Texas, apartment Wednesday night (July 22) at the age of 49. No cause of death is known at this time, but there is no reason to suspect…… MORE
We have just learned that Brantley Gilbert will be holding a benefit concert for the families of the fallen soldiers from the July 16 shootings at a military recruiting center in Chattanooga. Brantley called in to Chattanooga’s US-101 on Monday and said, “When I heard the news I just had tears in my eyes. It…… MORE
We were pretty excited to hear that a new movie about the life of Dolly Parton is in the works, but probably not as excited as 7-year-old Alyvia Lind, whom Dolly chose to play her as a child in the upcoming NBC movie Coat of Many Colors. And as if it weren’t enough just to…… MORE
We were pretty excited to hear that a new movie about the life of Dolly Parton is in the works, but probably not as excited as 7-year-old Alyvia Lind, whom Dolly chose to play her as a child in the upcoming NBC movie Coat of Many Colors. And as if it weren’t enough just to…… MORE
Hopefully by now you’ve heard of Rainey Qualley and even picked up her debut EP, Turn Down the Lights. So you know she’s young and beautiful and her voice is bold and bluesy. But we have some inside scoop on the sizzling new singer. Buy on iTunes Amazon Google Play Rainey is pretty sensitive. “I…… MORE
Originally published in the June 29, 2015 issue of Country Weekly magazine. There was no press conference. This was no marketing tactic designed to elevate Alan Jackson’s career. He doesn’t need it. You won’t read an interview or quotes from Alan here. We were just silent observers to one of those life-changing magical moments. It…… MORE
Congratulations are in order for talented spitfire Kelsea Ballerini, who just earned her first chart-topping single with her debut release, “Love Me Like You Mean It.” Beyond the personal achievement for Kelsea, it’s a significant accomplishment in country music because the Knoxville, Tenn., native is also the first solo country female to score a Billboard No. 1…… MORE
Congrats to Garth Brooks — he’s been named as one of the honorees for the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors. Along with Garth, the lifetime achievements of Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Midori and Dick Van Dyke will be celebrated. When he learned of the honor, Garth shared, “I’m humble. I’m proud. I’m all the good things.”
The Kennedy Center Honors will air June 6 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
Photo Credit: Becky Fluke