She's built one of the biggest careers in country music on the back of a lot of hard work. Continue reading…

The queen. Back in 2003, the Dolly Parton delivered performances of several different songs, including her hit “9 to 5,” at the A Capitol Fourth Independence Day celebration, which was a 90-minute live televised concert held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. But her performance of her classic hit “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” feels especially powerful on this Fourth of July holiday, as we celebrate 250 years of this great country. Of course, it’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a beautiful place where we celebrate freedom and all of the many types of wonderful people who make America so special, and those who have made sacrifices over the last 250 years to keep it that way. Dolly first wrote “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” in 1976 during a period of personal transition and renewed optimism, and it first appeared on her 1977 New Harvest…First Gathering album, becoming a top twenty country music hit for her as a single. As Parton has said over the years, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” was her “song of deliverance,” which was inspired by the pain from her professional break-up with longtime musical partner, the man who really gave her the first big break of her career, Porter Wagoner. Dolly of course famously left Wagoner’s band in 1974, wanting to strike out on her own as an independent artist more in the pop world, and the story goes that Wagoner responded by taking legal action, and they spent many years at odds as a result. In addition to “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” appearing on her New Harvest…First Gathering album, the song was also included on her 1992 film Straight Talk, and eventually, a third recording of the song appeared on her 2003 album, For God and Country. She spoke about how she needed to give herself a little hope the first time she wrote it, something that this country is all about… as long as we have the free United States, and the citizens who believe in it, we have hope: “I am really excited to share my brand new video for ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning.’ Now, I first wrote this song back in 1976, when I needed a little hope. This time around, I’ve invited some very special women, some real shining lights, to help me bring that hope to life again, and I can’t wait fro you to hear what e’ve created together.” Dolly recently re-released it with four other musical powerhouses joining her in Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire on the 50th anniversary of her writing the song, which was also in honor of her 80th birthday in January. She donated all net proceeds from the song and its accompanying music video to the pediatric cancer research program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, a longtime partner and cause close to Parton’s heart. For all its flaws, the United States of America remains the shining city on a hill, a place where we believe in freedom, independence and a better tomorrow for all, and there’s no great national treasure on this earth to remind us of that other than the icon herself, Mrs. Dolly Parton. Happy Fourth of July, y’all: @july4thpbs One of the most beloved and influential figures in American music, Dolly Parton brought a message of pure hope and optimism to the 2003 A Capitol Fourth with her performance of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” #ACapitolFourth #July4thPBS #DollyParton ♬ original sound – A Capitol Fourth “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” The post Dolly Parton’s 2003 Fourth Of July Performance Of “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning” Is The Perfect Thing To Watch On America’s 250th Birthday first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The country stars were at Madison Square Garden in New York City yesterday for the wedding between pop superstar Taylor Swift and her now-husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Permits filed with the city for street closures from July 2-4 reveal that the couple expect to host around 1,000 guests at the event, there were tons of celebrities spotted on their way to the venue, and leaving after the festivities yesterday, and it was previously reported that the wedding will feature performances from Tim McGraw (I assume his wife Faith Hill will also be there, as they’ve known Taylor forever now), and Stevie Nicks, which remains to be confirmed. Considering Taylor’s country roots, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that there were quite a few country star on-hand to help celebrate the couple, including Miranda Lambert, the members of Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Brad Paisley and I have to imagine Kane Brown and certainly Kenny Chesney were there too, though we haven’t seen any photos of them yet. Of course, Taylor has worked with most of them before seeing as she got her start in the country genre, and she and Miranda go pretty far back, and have even shared the stage before. They performed together in Greensboro, North Carolina in October of 2015 during a stop on Swift’s 1989 World Tour, where she brought Lambert out as a surprise special guest to duet Miranda’s hit song, “Little Red Wagon.” And Miranda is giving the Swiftie’s what they want, sharing several photos from yesterday, and I’m not sure exactly where they were taken, though I have to imagine this was probably at their hotel before they actually got there… there’s no way those NDS’s are that lenient, considering Swift herself, or any high-brow magazine, have shared any pictures from the wedding. But Miranda looked stunning next to her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, as she wore a gorgeous black, long dress with some beautiful detailing on the bodice and neckline. She shared the photos with the caption: “NYC. Congrats Taylor and Travis.” For now, that’s the only kinds of photos I’ve seen (aside from paparazzi shots of guests coming and going), though I’m sure there will be a ton of press with photos and videos soon enough… there were tons of celebrities there, I don’t think they were allowed to have their phones, though, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of photos eventually get shared and like I said, I have no doubt that’s all coming very soon. You can check out Miranda’s photos here: View this post on Instagram Maren Morris also shared photos with Kelsea Ballerini of their wedding looks: View this post on Instagram The post Miranda Lambert Shares Some Behind-The-Scenes Pictures From Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Wedding first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Morgan Wallen has made a big mark on country music! Continue reading…

Court records and Summer Pardi's recent social media posts provide a clearer picture of the events leading up to the public announcement of her divorce from Jon Pardi. Continue reading…