Music

How did Ringo Starr decide to celebrate 80 years of 8-day weeks? By hosting his own Big Birthday Special livestream to benefit Black Lives Matter? By giving a shout out to the late Little Richard as “my hero”? By jamming on “Helter Skelter” with Paul McCartney? All of the above. …

Following Rolling Stone’s report on how artists received federally funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, Lil Jon explained why he — like so many artists who were forced to stop touring due to COVID-19 — needed financial assistance from the government’s recently enacted $2 trillion CARES act. “Touring is a …

In 2019, as Lil Nas X’s country-trap megahit “Old Town Road” spread like wildfire across the United States, Sonora-born singer-songwriter Natanael Cano was polishing off its regional Mexican analogue. By pairing traditional acoustic guitar with some cutting, hip-hop-inspired wordplay, Cano became one of several young artists championing a more streetwise …

Kendell Marvel has dropped a new cover version of “Houston,” originally penned by “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” singer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood and later cut by Dean Martin. It’s the first new music that country singer Marvel has released since his album Solid Gold Sounds arrived in 2019. Cut at …

On that late-winter-1970 day at Pacific High recording studio in San Francisco, Jerry Garcia wasn’t happy with what he was hearing. The Grateful Dead were trying to finish “New Speedway Boogie,” a song they’d played live only three times, and they were having trouble finding a groove. “Keep it nice …

Faith Hill, a native of Star, Mississippi, which she sang about in her 2005 hit, “Mississippi Girl,” is calling for her home state to change its flag. Consisting of three stripes with the Confederate flag in the corner, the banner is the last of the state flags to use the …

The Dixie Chicks have officially dropped the “Dixie” from their name. The iconic country-pop trio of Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer, and Martie Maguire are now simply called “The Chicks,” changing their website URL and their Instagram handle to the new name on Thursday. On their website, the trio only offered …

Since COVID-19 hit in March, musicians have been looking for ways to continue to perform for fans. First came the livestreams — so many livestreams — now, it’s all about drive-in concerts. Monday, Live Nation announced a whole string of such shows for July featuring the likes of Brad Paisley, …

G-Eazy has been more productive than most during quarantine. He had a few songs and videos under his belt that needed to be released, including “Moana” with Jack Harlow and “Angel Cry” with Devon Baldwin. In the first two months, he used the time to stretch his horizons and flex …

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. Matthew McNeal, “All for Nothing” …