Legendary. Toby Keith has been a country music staple for the past thirty years. However, there was one hit that started it all for the Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue singer. Should’ve Been a Cowboy was released on Feb. 12, 1993, as Keith’s debut single on his debut album, also titled Should’ve Been a Cowboy. It debuted at #69 before rapidly climbing the chart and hitting #1 on June 5, 1993. The track is penned independently by Keith and paints a picture of his dreams of being a cowboy. The wistful song laments on how Keith wishes he…
Author: Brennen Kelly
Brennen Kelly
Hailing from the Chicagoland area, Brennen graduated from Valparaiso University with a BA in Communication and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. After covering Arts & Entertainment at his university's newspaper, he began writing for Country Chord in March of 2023. Known for his love of independent country and authentic songwriters, Brennen has a long-history of championing the likes of Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and many others.
After announcing his brand-new album, Little Songs, in April, Colter Wall treats listeners to another new song. Instead of corralling cattle, Wall corrals the blues in the brand-new Western-inspired track. Wall took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce the song’s release, providing an acoustic version, as well. Unlike Wall’s first single, Evangelina, which is a cover of a 1976 Hoyt Axton track, Corralling The Blues is an original from the Canadian artist. He describes the song as a “simple little waltz I wrote some time ago.” in the caption of his Instagram post signaling the song’s release. And a simple little waltz…
Fresh off of the success of his platinum single, Wild as Her, Corey Kent is back with his sophomore record, Blacktop. The album serves as a follow up to his 2021 debut album, ’21, which made a splash in the country scene, eventually scoring Kent a record deal with Sony Music Nashville in Mar. 2022. Kent announced Blacktop’s release back in April. The rollout of Blacktop was a steady one for Kent, releasing the smash hit, Wild as Her, and Hood of That Car in 2022 as well as Something’s Gonna Kill Me and Man of the House throughout 2023.…
Just recently picked up by Big Loud Records, (most famous for being Morgan Wallen’s record label), Charles Wesley Godwin is on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream. His success is no surprise to keen independent country fans. Since his debut album, Seneca, in 2019, many have recognized the West Virginian as one of the best voices in the genre. His wholly unique, powerful vocals coupled with his fantastic writing ability make him one of the most exciting artists working in country today. In my opinion, here are five of the best tracks Godwin has to offer so far. 5.…
Two weeks after releasing the nostalgic track, Country Nights, Josh Abbott Band is back with another single. The Texas band, most famous for their red dirt style, slows down and reflects on their fathers’ impact in the emotional new song, My Dad and His Truck. Frontman, Josh Abbott, took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce the song’s release. In the Instagram reel, he notes how big of a role his father had in his life. “I was thinking that [the truck] and how hard he worked and the truck that he drove. And I decided to write a song about…
Worth the wait. Fresh off the announcement of his brand new album, Loose Cannon, Jake Owen, drops not one but four new songs in anticipation of its June 23rd release. Hot Truck Beer, Solo Solo, On the Boat Again and Nothing, round out the four brand-new tracks. Owen took to Instagram on Monday to announce the upcoming album. On Wednesday and Thursday, Owen took to Instagram once more to post two acoustic videos of the unreleased title track, Loose Cannon, and Solo, Solo. The release of these four new songs and Loose Cannon marks a new era for Owen. He…