Country music history is filled with heart-warming stories, but also some real sad ones as well.
“Taste of Country” put out a list of country artists that died too young. We just lost Dolly Parton on August 25, 2026 and that one hurts. I mean we’ve really been robbed of some incredible talent over the years. And all these singers left behind legacies that still influence artists today.
1. Hank Williams…29 years old…1923 – 1953
2. Patsy Cline…30 years old…1932 – 1963
3. Keith Whitley…33 years old…1954 – 1989
4. Tammy Wynette…55 years old…1942 – 1998
5. Conway Twitty…59 years old…1933 – 1993
6. Big Dog Toby Keith…62 years old…1961 – 2024
There are two more superstars that country music claims as well…which are Elvis Presley who died at 42 years old…1935 – 1977. And then there’s John Denver who passed away at 53 years old…1943 – 1997.
Jon Pardi had to cancel two stops on his “Gamblin’ Man Tour” this past weekend after getting sick. His shows in Macon, Georgia, and Biloxi, Mississippi, are being postponed…and he said in a video he was able to get through his last concert on Thursday, but was only “squeaking by.”
Jon said he wants to be at 100% before returning to the stage and didn’t want to perform while still struggling. The cancelled shows will be rescheduled, with new dates expected to be announced soon.
Dolly Parton’s classic hit “Jolene” has officially surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, making it just the 20th country song ever to reach the milestone.
There’s been a massive uprising in her streaming numbers across all platforms since her devastating passing on August 25, 2026. Dolly received 19.8 million streams on Spotify on August 25th, which was up a staggering 1,300% from the day before.
She even held a mind-blowing 92 of the Top 200 songs on the U.S. iTunes chart, including 65 of the top 100. At one point…she ownEd 42 of the Top 50 songs on the platform, 43 if you include Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You”. We to also include how she had a clean sweep of the Top 10 with hits like “9 to 5”, “Jolene”, “Islands In the Stream” and “Coat of Many Colors” for a hot minute too.
“Jolene” was released in 1973, which means it’s now the oldest country song to join Spotify’s Billion Streams Club, beating the previous record-holder by 33 years. And it’s well deserved.
As a proud sh*t who run his mouth…forced silence is scary to me.
Dasha just revealed that she’s prepping for vocal cord surgery later this month at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Doctors recently found nodes on her vocal cords, and she says that years of nonstop touring finally caught up with her.
Dasha’s recovery will include two weeks of complete silence and additional time after that to retrain her voice before returning to the stage again. But she’s still excited about her new album which will be released next year.
I couldn’t imagine going through that a singer. Their voice is literally their means to living. Hopefully she recovers well and soon too.
“Seminole Wind” was written and recorded John Anderson. He released it in August of 1992 as the fourth single and title track from the album of the same name. It peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for 2 weeks. That song is still a certified twanger.
Zach Top and Jake Worthington were in Jacksonville, FL at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena…and treated fans to some fine country music. The fiddle in that song is flawless. When it hits…you know that song is coming and hits hard.
The first comment that showed up when I saw the video on TikTok said exactly what I was thinking. Jake ferrell said, “shit better be on Apple Music by Monday.”
Kacey Musgraves is currently on her “Middle of NowhereTour”, and she gave fans in Nashville a surprise when she brought out Ronnie Dunn for a performance of “Neon Moon”.
The real crowd-pleaser was Kacey’s outfit, because she dressed just like him. She had a wig, fake mustache, sunglasses, tattoos, blue jeans, and a big belt buckle. It was like seeing double. And if you were drunk…you probably were.
I don’t mean to say bad things about people I don’t know…but when it comes to celebrities…they are absolutely ignorant.
Zach Bryan made his way to Foxborough this weekend for two sold out shows at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. Friday night, night one, he graced the stage with a clear message for Patriots owner Robert Kraft. This was of course after the controversy surrounding Macklemore and his recent comments while on tour with Ed Sheeran…this was basically a big f*ck you to Mr. Kraft.
The controversy started in September when Macklemore was opening for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and he decided to use his performance to deliver his idiotic thoughts on Israel and Palestine…
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine.’
I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
The rant only lasted for about three minutes. But that was enough to get people talking about Macklemore. Which also led to him getting kicked off of Ed Sheeran’s tour.
When you fill stadiums you can say what you want. When you are the opening act for someone who fills stadiums … STFU! Simple rules and etiquette when operating on tour.. It's not that hard kids. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/CHFkYQVw3r
Macklemore was scheduled to open on 8 of the 10 shows left on the U.S. leg of Ed’s tour, but it was announced that he had been kicked off the remaining dates. And in a rant posted to his Instagram, he blamed Patriots owner Bob Kraft for his ouster.
Bob Kraft did in fact release a statement citing Macklemore’s comments during the MetLife shows, as well as his prior history of dressing up in an offensive stereotypical Jewish costume mocking Jews, as his reason for not allowing the rapper to appear at Gillette Stadium…
“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”
If we all believe in free speech…then Bob had every right to tell Macklemore his wasn’t welcomed into his place of business if he wanted to support terrorists. Saying “Free Palestine” is pure ignorance.
It literally means you want see the entire Jewish community exterminated. That’s what it has alway meant. People who think they can change the definition of words to fit their narrative of the day to make them look like they really care for people is disgusting. It also makes people look unintelligent.
Now we have Zach Bryan who has inserted himself into the controversy as of Friday, October 2, 2026. During Friday night’s show, the first of two at Gillette Stadium, ZB took the stage wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt, as did some of his band members.
A guy who’s been known to be abusive to women and who told a 14 year girl to “get off my d*ck” for wanting an autograph, is not exactly the spokesperson you want for preaching about human rights. It’s just kind of comical to me.
We really live in a sad world, because we have to get history lessons from guys like Bill Maher now. So, if you’re yelling “Free Palestine”…please pay attention to your stupidity and think before you speak.
Whatever your motivation is to get healthy…be proud of it.
This man found his and this is a good one. Luke Combs says he’s down 30 pounds, and one of his big motivators was getting in better shape for hunting season. There can be a lot of walking involved in hunting and a little less weight is to haul is definitely helpful.
So to celebrate…Luke just went on an elk hunting trip and finally tagged a six-point bull after coming up empty on a New Mexico hunt last year.
Luke has been open about his struggles with weight and says his long-term goal is simple. He wants to stay healthy enough to take his sons on an elk hunt of their own someday. That’s a beautiful father and son goal too.
Riley Green’s new album “That’s Just Me”debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart. That’s the biggest debut of his career, and his first-ever Top 10 on the chart.
“That’s Just Me” features collaborations with Brooks & Dunn, Randy Owen, Jake Worthington, and Hannah McFarland. And that Randy Owen collaboration on “Lookout Mountain” is as good as a country song comes. It’s song about life and wherever the hell it takes you.
Even though Riley is now one of the biggest names in country music, he said he still makes a point of writing from the perspective of his small-town Alabama roots.
Boo y’all! And welcome to October…and it’s anothernew country music Friday, October 2, 2026.
PROJECTS (Albums & EPs):
Gavin Adcock – “The Day I Hang It Up” Dexter & The Moonrocks – “Friends That I Don’t Like” Flatland Cavalry – “Work of Heart – Heartstrings” Miranda Lambert – “Crisco” Lee Brice – “Sunriser” Just Jayne – “A Lil More Jayne” Paige Fish – “Midnight Crisis” Blake Proehl – “Hearts Don’t Break” Ella Hooper – “Overnight Success” Maddie Lenhart – “Why in the World” Wild Horses – “The In Between” Slagheap – “Stupid Dreams”
SINGLES:
Kameron Marlowe – “Take You Down With Me” Bayker Blankenship – “Make Trouble” Cody Jinks and Alice Cooper – “Moving Mountains” Conner Smith – “Fall Down” Colin Lynch – “In Due Time” Cigarettes @ Sunset – “Carolina Shakedown” Dustin Lynch & Ashley Cooke – “How You Been” Brendan Walter – “Model Maniac” Clay Walker – “All Wrapped Up In You” Thelma & James – “Good By Now” Ian Harrison – “30 or 21” The Band Loula – “Other People” George Arbuckle –“Good Luck” Colin Stough & Kenny Wayne Shepherd – “Bone Dry (Revisited)” DELTONA – “Party’s In The Back” (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) – Remix Timmy McKeever –“Drove Her Away” HARDY – “Man In The Box” Joe Noto – “Gotta Know About That” Hailey Benedict – “Chem History” Josh Mirenda – “Outta Dodge” Becca Bowen – “If Grandpa Could See Me Now” Kalsey Kulyk – “Your Side of the Bar” Carlisle Wright – “Born In A Dive Bar” Payton Sullivan – “F150” Antwane Tyler –“Polaroid” Braxton Hamblen – “Super 8”
