Referencing Childers’ “In Your Love” controversy? Out of all the success stories in country music over the past decade, there’s arguably none more fascinating than Oliver Anthony. Back in 2023, he’d catch fire with a video of his in-the-woods performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which was originally uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral, racking up millions upon millions of views before he was even able to release the song on streaming platforms. Once it was released on streaming, it became one of the most successful independent releases of all time. In addition to racking up millions upon millions of streams (363 million on Spotify alone), it would shockingly debut at #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first artist in history to debut at #1 on the chart with their first song. Now, a couple of years and over 300 million streams later, Anthony is still navigating his way through the music industry, dropping his debut album, Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind, in 2024 and singles such as “Scornful Woman” and “Only God Can Save Us Now” in 2025. Given the fact that he’s been clear that he doesn’t want to be a full-fledged music star, Anthony has been fairly quiet in 2026, only dropping live covers of classics such as “Ole Red” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. With that being said, the 34-year-old singer/songwriter has gotten back into the swing of things as of late. In a video posted to Facebook, Anthony first let everyone see how he was spending his 34th birthday, which took place on June 30. He expressed his thankfulness to make it to 34-years-old and stated that he never thought he would have made it that far. The Virginia native then told his followers that he’s doing well and that he had just bought a church in West Virginia. Though there’s still plenty of work to be done, he’s planning on doing a church service there in October. He then went on to talk about some upcoming shows that he’s doing at the end of August (Bluefield, West Virginia, on August 29, and Farmville at Longwood on August 30). And at the very end of the video, he shared that he’s got new music coming very soon: “I have new music coming out on July 21st. I love you all. I really appreciate you.” Though it was a day late on streaming, Anthony returned today with a brand new single, “Hank.” In addition to the studio version, Anthony would drop a live version of “Hank” recorded in a coal mine in West Virginia. According to Radio WV, it’s the first-ever song to be recorded live in an active coal mine, noting that they had to cut a 7-foot section in order for Oliver and Co. to perform for the miners. “The opening underneath the mountain was only 38 inches high so the miners cut a special 7ft high section just so Oliver Anthony could perform for them.”  As for the song itself, it’s bound to cause some controversy. For all intents and purposes, “Hank” starts out fairly innocuous. Backed by his standard slide guitar and fiddle, Anthony reminisces about his youth, recalling how he decided to pursue music after being “raised on the good words” of Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams. “I grew up on the back of a Piedmont pine stand, strumming on guitar strings Till one day I figured that I might ought to figure out how to play and sing I strummed three-chord songs all night long on the back of a farm pond bank I was raised on the good words of Waylon and brought up on Hank” The second verse, however, is bound to raise some eyebrows. Here, Anthony appears to take a thinly-veiled shot at Kentucky legend, Tyler Childers. “Them old songs about trotting lines and coal mines, and chewing on the hickory twig In this world that I despise, I’m just trying to live life the same way that my granddad did My songs might be missing two old boys kissing, but they ain’t going to miss that soul Of a young man living in a world that’s forgetting all the things that the good Lord told” The lyric “My songs might be missing two old boys kissing” paired directly with “Them old songs about trotting lines and coal mines” seems to point directly at the controversy surrounding Childers’ 2023 single, “In Your Love.”  Of course, this appears to be referencing the fact that, despite the song itself being written about Childers’ wife, Senora May, its music video depicted a love story between two male coal miners in the 1950s. Anthony first teased the song last year, debuting it at a live concert, and fans quickly saw the line as a jab directed at Tyler Childers. While it’s been made quite clear over the years that the song itself was written about his wife, the music video was dedicated to Childers’ cousin, who is a gay man, something Childers told NPR at the time of the video’s release. “[One] reason that I wanted to do this music video was my cousin growing up, who’s like my big brother, is gay. And he graduated from Northern Kentucky, went to Chicago and never came back. He taught me so much about singing; he was my first tough critic. And just thinking about him not having a music video on CMT that spoke to him.” Though the controversy seemed to die down over the years, it apparently didn’t sit well with Anthony, and he’s letting that be known here with the release of “Hank.” “Hank” The post Did Oliver Anthony Just Call Out Tyler Childers in His New Song “Hank”? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It took her from semi-obscurity to superstardom. Continue reading…

Coming from an icon like Shania Twain, that is an even bigger compliment. Ella Langley is the hottest star in country music, and throughout 2024 and 2025, the Alabama native has become nothing short of a phenomenon thanks to the mega hit that is “Choosin’ Texas,” which just spent its 14th week at #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. As it stands today, “Choosin’ Texas” is the longest-running #1 hit by a female country artist on the Hot 100, the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay charts simultaneously and just one of 25 songs in history to stay at #1 for 12+ weeks on the Hot 100. In case that wasn’t enough, thanks to the success of her sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week, Langley became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country song/album. She’s just on fire right now, simply put, and is also selling out shows all over the country on her Dandelion tour, and it’s really cool to see her getting the attention she deserves and becoming a household name. And country queen herself, Shania, says she believes that Ella’s authenticity has a lot to do with how her career has taken off, and she believes Ella is connecting with so many people because she is totally herself. She means what she says and you believe it. In a conversation with Rolling Stone, Shania explained that Ella’s unique sound, coupled with her songwriting chops, have combined to make her a rare talent. She added that her unapologetic attitude simply commands respect and people take notice, and she has all of the making of a superstar, hence the fact that she is everywhere. Shania also noted that she had never met Ella before, though Shania hosted the ACM Awards in May where Ella swept the night and I believe they at least met briefly then, so I’m not sure exactly when this podcast was recorded though it was just released today: “I’ve never met Ella Langley, but just from what I’m observing, like all of is, she seems very authentic. She doesn’t come across to em as somebody that’s trying to be somebody else, or trying to write a song that, you know… with an agenda. I see her as an authentic songwriter. She sounds original, that’s already a bonus, right. She does have a unique sound. So now we already can hear the difference, and she really does seem very unapologetic, and I think that commands respect, it really does. I’m not sorry that I’m a girl, and if I don’t make it, then I’m still gonna get up on stage and sing. I sense that in her aura and her persona. And the way she delivers a song, she writes the songs, so I think that also makes her more authentic. She means it. I believe her. I believe what she’s saying, I don’t think she’s just making up songs, I think she’s saying what she really thinks.” I think she’s spot on with her analysis, and Shania added that she also thinks Ella could have “made it” sooner had different door been “wider” for the ladies, saying that, obviously, Ella is extremely talented, and that didn’t just come out of nowhere: “So is that why she’s really blowing up? Part of it is also, I think, there is more awareness now in the genre that maybe we were a little imbalanced, let’s make some space. In saying  that, I would imagine if the awareness and the doors were wider open a few years ago, she would have been there a few years ago. She’s not just great now, she didn’t’ just come out of nowhere. We feel like she has, her talent has not just come out of nowhere… I’d have to ask her that, maybe she just woke up one day and said, ‘Hey, I can do this.'” She’s right in that authenticity simply cannot be faked, and people sense it. When it comes to Ella, they have certainly made their choice clear… and I agree wholeheartedly in that she is an authentic artist with an original sound who simply loves music. Plus, we’ve been following her music since 2018, since she was just a college kid sharing covers on social media… she IS 100% authentic, we know that. Shania didn’t have her first top ten hit until after she was 30-years-old with her 1995 hit “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”, so relatively speaking, I feel like Ella is actually at a lightning speed pace considering she just turned 27 in May. Regardless of age, Ella just has that “it” factor, and while sounding quite different, I feel like Shania and Ella have a lot in common in terms of their crossover appeal. I could only dream of a collab one day… I think they would just make so much sense. The full interview is available below. Shania is gearing up to release her new album Little Miss Twain on July 24th. Not long ago, Ella shared a cover of Shania’s hit “You’re Still The One,” which was absolutely perfect. She shared the video with the caption: “I’ll never get over this song Shania.” Shania responded saying she was “flattered,” and loved getting to meet Ella at the recent ACM Award show, where Shania hosted and Ella had a massive night, sweeping the categories she was nominated in: “So flattered. Loved getting to connect at ACMs.” Do yourself a favor and check it out… Ella doesn’t miss: @ellalangleymusic1 I’ll never get over this song @Shania Twain #cover ♬ original sound – Ella Langley The post “That Commands Respect” — Shania Twain Explains Why She Thinks Ella Langley is Blowing Up first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Is there a CMA Awards category we don't know about called Horniest Music Video? If so, Kacey Musgraves has the category on lock. Continue reading…

The Daddy of ‘Em All. Cheyenne Frontier Days is underway up in Wyoming, kicking off last week and featuring 10 days packed with not only the best rodeo cowboys and cowgirls in the world, but a massive slate of concerts, a carnival and midway, parades, and plenty of celebrations of Western culture. I spent the weekend up in Cheyenne, my first time attending Frontier Days, and after getting to experience it myself it’s easy to see why it’s such an iconic event not only in the rodeo world but in American culture as a whole. When you step into Frontier Park, you can feel the rodeo culture, the 130 years of history, and the deep respect and reverence for the American west. It’s a bucket list trip that everyone needs to make at least once. Of course with its prominent place in American history and rodeo culture, it’s no surprise that there have been plenty of country songs about Cheyenne Frontier Days. Some of them take place at the event, some pay tribute to the legendary rodeo, and of course there are some that simply mention it as the best known rodeo in the world. Regardless, here are 6 of the best songs that feature (or mention) Cheyenne Frontier Days:  “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” – George Strait While this is probably the best known of the songs about the Daddy of ‘Em All, it still surprises me how many people I’ve talked to that don’t fully understand this George Strait classic. (Just today I was telling somebody that I was at Frontier Days, and they said they’d never heard of it, but then I pointed out “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” and they had never made the connection. Blows my mind). Obviously the song is about a woman breaking up with her “rodeo man,” but rather than trying to win her back, he takes it as his sign to head to Cheyenne in time to compete at Frontier Days: “She said don’t bother coming home By the time you get here I’ll be long gone There’s somebody new and he sure ain’t no rodeo man He said I’m sorry it’s come down to this There’s so much about you that I’m going to miss But it’s alright baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne” “Cheyenne” – Ian Munsick It would only make sense for the Wyoming native to have a song paying homage to one of the state’s most well-known events. Ian is an incredible ambassador for western culture, and last year he became the first Wyoming native to headline the main stage at Cheyenne Frontier Days. His song “Cheyenne” finds a resident of the rodeo town looking forward to July every year, not just for Frontier Days but because it brings his cowgirl into town for two weeks – but every year she inevitably rides back out of town once the rodeo ends: “Out here in Cheyenne Tumbleweeds roll through town In July I am her man But August is something we dance around She’ll ride in Cheyenne And then she’ll ride on out ‘Cause nobody stays in Cheyenne Except a few broke downs and her damned old rodeo clown” “Beaches of Cheyenne” – Garth Brooks I have to get this off my chest: Garth Brooks is a liar. I spent three days in Cheyenne and there wasn’t a single beach in the whole city. Of course the song isn’t actually about a beach in Wyoming, but a woman who’s haunted by the memory of her husband who lost his life during the rodeo – and her last words to him before he left: “When he told her he was ridin’ she said, ‘Then I don’t give a damn If you never come back from Cheyenne? They say she just went crazy screamin’ out his name She ran out into the ocean and to this day they claim That if you go down by the water you’ll see her footprints in the sand ‘Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne” “July In Cheyenne (Song for Lane’s Momma)” – Aaron Watson This tearjerker from Texas country superstar Aaron Watson pays tribute to rodeo legend Lane Frost, the 1987 PRCA World Champion who tragically lost his life during Frontier Days in 1989 after being struck by a bull after his ride. Frost was memorialized by the movie 8 Seconds in 1994, and Watson says he was inspired to write the song for Lane’s mother, Elsie, because he saw an interview where she mentioned that she was upset that the movie left out the bullrider’s faith: “This was before I had any relationship with her, and it said, ‘Lane was a world champion bull rider, but that was not his greatest achievement in his life. His greatest achievement came a year before he died, when he asked Jesus to become his savior.’ I was touched by the boldness and simple truth of that. … The end of the song says, ‘If you’re washed in the blood, someday you’ll see him again, and it won’t be in the rain and the mud in July in Cheyenne.’ It’s a gospel song. It’s one that applies to my family as well.” I’ll be honest, that line gets me every time. “Photo Finish” – Chris LeDoux One of only two artists (along with Chancey Williams) to ever both compete in the rodeo and perform on the main stage at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the legendary cowboy’s song “Photo Finish” is about a distratrous journey to make it in time to compete in the rodeo: “At seven this mornin’ I got on the phone And said to hold my Bronc as long as you can My car broke down in Billings and they just got it put back together I’ll be photo finishing in to old Cheyenne” “These Boots” – Eric Church Obviously Frontier Days isn’t the main setting for this one, but Eric Church’s classic “These Boots” pays tribute to the rodeo as he’s recalling everything that his boots have been through – including a ride in Cheyenne: “These boots had to spur that beast in Cheyenne Thought that bull’d make me a real man I still drag that leg sometimes” Man…I miss Cheyenne already.The post Six Country Songs About “The Daddy Of ‘Em All,” Cheyenne Frontier Days first appeared on Whiskey Riff.