Author: Brennen Kelly

After nearly two decades as the host of American Country Countdown, Kix Brooks has officially announced that he is stepping away from the role, citing his desire to focus on writing, recording and touring more regularly. Primarily known for being the other half of Brooks & Dunn, Brooks took over as host of the beloved show in January 2006 and has since provided close to two decades of insightful interviews with fellow artists, exposure to up-and-coming acts and a continued love for traditional aspects of the genre. For Brooks, his 18 years as host will always be an honor, “I…

Fresh off the October release of his debut album, Welcome to the Plains, Wyatt Flores continued his hot streak today with an appearance at NPR’s now-iconic Tiny Desk Concert in Washington, D.C.. For those unfamiliar with the Tiny Desk Concert format, it typically consists of artists performing a three to four-song set behind the desk of former All Songs Considered host, Bob Boilen. The format has produced some of the most iconic performances from artists across genres, ranging from Mac Miller and Tyler, The Creator to Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers. For music fans, especially independent ones, Tiny Desk Concerts…

Earlier in the week, Billboard turned heads after releasing their staff-compiled “100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time” list. While there are some solid picks overall, there are some genuinely baffling picks and placements throughout. From Hank Williams Jr. only being placed at #57, Conway Twitty at #47 and Shania Twain securing a Top 25 placement at #21 despite a lackluster output in the back half of her career, there are certainly some interesting choices, to say the least. The Top 10 itself is honestly pretty damn solid with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and George Strait all capturing…

Honoring the King. On a night that featured three major wins for Chris Stapleton, a long-awaited Entertainer of the Year award for Morgan Wallen and an Album of the Year win for Cody Johnson, all eyes were on George Strait yesterday when he received the highly-coveted Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award which is given to an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in country music. The award recognizes those who have achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, streaming numbers, record sales and public representation at the highest level. …

What a way to start the show. On a night that featured some stellar performances across the board with Carrie Underwood making a surprise appearance alongside Cody Johnson on “I’m Gonna Love You,” Eric Church delivering a soulful performance of “Darkest Hour” and Ashley McBryde throwing a curveball and covering Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” Post Malone and Chris Stapleton kicked off this year’s CMA Awards in style and opened the show with a killer performance of their duet, “California Sober.” The performance, as expected, was absolutely electric with Stapleton showing off his world-class vocals and…

On a star-studded night that included Chris Stapleton winning Single and Song of the Year for “White Horse” and Male Vocalist of the Year, Carrie Underwood making a surprise appearance with Cody Johnson to perform “I’m Gonna Love You” and Old Dominion winning Group of the Year for seemingly the billionth time, all eyes were on who would win the biggest award of the night, Entertainer of the Year. With stacked competition that included Stapleton himself, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Luke Combs, it was none other than Morgan Wallen who finally brought home the award after shockingly…