Sam Hunt dropped his sophomore album, Southside, on April 3. The 12-song set, which features his recent No. 1 hit, “Kinfolks,” and new single, “Hard to Forget,” follows Sam’s 2014 debut album, Montevallo, which spawned No. 1 hits “Leave the Night On,” “Take Your Time,” “House Party” and more. During the 1,985 days between the…
Unlike Jeff Bridges’ character The Dude in The Big Lebowski, Morgan Wallen loves the Eagles, man. Morgan has been turning heads with music, mullet and easygoing manner since bursting on the scene two years ago. The 26-year-old native of Sneedville, Tenn. (population 1,346) scored back-to-back No. 1 singles with “Up Down” (June 2018) and “Whiskey…
Country music legend Kenny Rogers, 81, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on March 20. In 2013, Kenny stopped by American Country Countdown to chat with host Kix Brooks about a number of topics, including early influences, friendship with Dolly Parton, having a “perfect” life, induction into the Country Music Hall of…
In January, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay scored their seventh No. 1 single as “10,000 Hours,” which features Justin Bieber, ascended to the top spot on both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart. The tune has also spend 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs…
After teaming with Justin Bieber to record their current Top 5 single, “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay—and wives Abby and Hannah—were guests at Justin and Hailey Baldwin’s star-studded wedding in September. In a sit-down interview with Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, the duo revealed that the extravagant celebration was definitely a “good time,” but…
Since releasing his self-titled debut album in 1993—and his 14 subsequent studio albums—Tim McGraw has built himself into one of the most successful country stars in history. From “Don’t Take the Girl” and “Real Good Man” to “Live Like You Were Dying” and “Humble and Kind,” Tim’s 29 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country…
Chris Lane’s new single, “I Don’t Know About You,” has been climbing the charts since it was released in October 2018. Currently, the tune is No. 2 on both the Mediabase chart and Billboard Country Airplay chart, where it looks to make a push for No. 1 next week. As Chris told Kix Brooks of…
There are a number of metrics used to measure a song’s success: chart performance, sales, streaming and more. While those figures are convenient when it comes to defining an artist’s career success, Keith Urban uses his own benchmark. As Keith told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, the measure of a song’s success is the…
Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton have a Top 20 hit on their hands with their new duet, “Dive Bar,” which is currently No. 19 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 13 weeks. Penned by Garth, Mitch Rossell and Bryan Kennedy, “Dive Bar” will be featured on Garth’s upcoming album, FUN. If you were wondering how…
No one in country music in on a tear quite like Maren Morris. Well, maybe Luke Combs, but this article is about Maren. In addition to scoring her third No. 1 single with “Girl” this week, Maren has been making the rounds as part of supergroup The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby). The…
On Wednesday (April 30), Eric Church announced the dates and details of his 2025 Free The Machine Tour of North America. The 22-date arena tour starts in Pittsburgh on September 12 and finishes in Los Angeles on November 15, hitting cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and Seattle along the way. Church will be joined by…
Prior to being honored during Variety’s Power of Women: Nashville event, Jessi Alexander spoke with the publication about her journey from fledgling artist to blockbuster country songwriter. Alexander broke gender stereotypes in the Music Row writers’ rooms by penning chart-topping hits like Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck,” Miranda Lambert’s “Things That Break,” Blake Shelton’s…
Nashville-based label Big Loud, home to Morgan Wallen, has reportedly sold a minority stake in the country superstar’s master recordings to Chord Music Partners for over $200 million. The deal is for a minority holding in Wallen’s first three studio albums, which includes his blockbuster 2023 double album, One Thing at a Time. The deal…
The 2025 ACM Awards will begin with a 12-minute music showcase honoring ACM Award-winning Songs of the Year over six decades. The segment will feature Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland, and will likely include hit songs like “Tequila,” “Why Not Me,” “Blue,” and “Stay” in the medley.…
Chase McDaniel believes that listening to music in real-time can have a significant impact on listeners, rather than letting an algorithm choose what they hear. The new country artist recalls three life-changing moments he’s had while hearing songs on country radio, and McDaniel hopes his first radio single, “Burned Down Heaven,” has a similar effect…