It was the last thing anybody expected. Continue reading…

Shelby Blackstock — Reba McEntire’s only bio son — and his wife Marissa are grieving the loss of their unborn baby after years of trying to conceive. Continue reading…

You and me both, Willie. Just last month, Willie Nelson released his new record Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, which features 11 country classics penned by the Hag himself. It marked 78th career solo studio album (the 155th of his career in total), and this past summer, Willie embarked on an extensive run of his Outlaw Music Festival tour. The pace at which he continues to work is impressive, to say the least… and as we all know, he’s earned every bit of the icon status he now enjoys at a spry 92-years-old. In fact, he’s still so good that he’s once again nominated for a Grammy this year. Willie is up for Best Traditional Country Album for his Oh What A Beautiful World album, which is a brand new category for the country genre this year. The previously titled Best Country Album category has been changed to Best Contemporary Country Album, so there will be two opportunities for some of your favorite country artists to win one of music’s most prestigious awards. The category is 40% Nelson, as Willie’s son Lukas is also nominated for his American Romance album, marking only the second time in history that’s happened at the Grammys, in terms of a father and son both being nominated in the same category for different albums. It’s just incredible to witness the way he still goes at an age where he could’ve ridden off into the sunset a very long time ago, and in interview with GQ, he talked about why continues to go the way he does: “It’s all of those things, plus singing is one of the best exercises you can do. Your lungs are your biggest muscle, and the more you use them, the healthier you can get. I’m surprised that I can still carry a tune. I’m 92 years old, and there ain’t a lot of us out there that are still doing anything, you know?” He added that he is incredibly thankful for how his life has turned out, and he knows just how special so many of his experiences has been because of his fans: “‘Thanks’ is what I’m continually saying to myself and to whoever the subconscious is out there, because I really do thank everyone for the way things are. So many good things have happened to me over the years. I’ve been very lucky, and I’ve been able to do some things that maybe somebody else didn’t get a chance to do. I’ve got a lot of lucky friends like me out there, too. We did everything wrong for a while, and then we figured it out. Now we’re doing better, so, yeah, life is good.” His gratitude is a big part of the reason he continues to have so much success at this point in his life, but he’s always been that way. Willie says getting out there and seeing the fans is a huge part of the reason he still wants to play live shows: “They clap their hands and sing along for a couple of hours and go home feeling better. They agree on music. Every time, I leave feeling better, too.” But my favorite part of the interview came when Willie was asked by Grayson Currin about songs that still pull on his heartstrings and illicit a strong emotional response to this day. Willie says there are two in particular that make him teary-eyed, and maybe even cry, and that would be two of his all-time classics, “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” “Always on My Mind”: “Yeah, there are a couple. ‘Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground’ is one. ‘Always on My Mind’ is another. By other people, there’s a lot—’Stardust,’ ‘Moonlight in Vermont,’ anything Hank Williams did, Bob Wills. There’s a whole lot of good music out there. I still think music is what brings us all together. Politics separates everybody. Music brings us back together.” Amen to that, Willie… Of course, “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” was released in 1980 for the Honeysuckle Rose soundtrack, and “Always on My Mind” is the title track to his 27th studio album, and became one of Willie’s signature songs and biggest hits, peaking at #1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs chart in 1982. “Always On My Mind” was written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher and Mark James, and originally recorded by Gwen McCrae as “You Were Always on My Mind” in 1972. Elvis Presley has a famous version of his own that was recorded two weeks after his separation from his wife Priscilla in 1972, as well. It has always been one of my all-time favorite songs, maybe my favorite to be honest, and so I love hearing how much it means to Willie because it’s truly one of the greatest, most timeless, sad country songs ever recorded. Gonna turn these up and go have a good cry now… “Always on My Mind” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” The post Willie Nelson Says “Always On My Mind” Still Makes Him Cry first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Hitting a “Rocky Mountain Low.” Today, Koe Wetzel and Corey Kent released a new collaboration that finds them in heartbreak following the end of a relationship, and the production has a little groove and soul that works really well with Wetzel’s twangy Texas vocals. Kent co-wrote the song with Austin Goodloe, Michael Tyler and Thomas Archer, and lyrically, it makes sense to have Koe on this one because he does sad songs so well, and Kent says he penned Rocky Mountain Low with Koe in mind: “‘Rocky Mountain Low’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever recorded. It has all the rock and roll elements I grew up on and all the country influences I love. I asked my buddy Koe to jump on the second verse, and he was the person I pictured when writing that part, so having him on the track just makes it feel even more authentic.” Koe says the two of them have wanted to work together for a while now, and they finally found the right song to do so: “Corey and I have talked about working together for a while now, and this song finally gave us the chance. I heard it once and knew it was the one. I’m really proud of how it came together.” It’s a cool song, and I’m sure Koe’s fans will be excited to hear some new music from him, because his most recent album 9 Lives was released in 2024, which led to him scoring his first-career #1 hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “High Road” featuring Jessie Murph. In terms of his personal life, Koe also welcomed his first child, Woods Madison Wetzel, with longtime girlfriend, Bailey Fisher, back on May 23rd. He’s been busy with a newborn, but over the last month or so, he’s been teasing new music, so it’s likely that an album announcement will be coming pretty soon. In November, he shared six teasers of new songs he’s been working on, which will likely all be included on a forthcoming (unofficially announced) album. Koe has released a few singles since he put out 9 Lives, though, including “Surrounded” and most recently “Werewolf,” though it’s unclear if those will be part of the tracklist on this next record. He’s been quieter than usual this year in terms of his musical output, I’m sure that has a lot to do with becoming a father, but I know fans will be excited to hear he has a new project on the way and my guess is that it’s slated for release in early 2026. But until then, you can check out “Rocky Mountain Low” here: And check out the video with the teasers of the new songs here: The post Koe Wetzel & Corey Kent Hit A “Rocky Mountain Low” In New Collab first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Flawless. Back in 2010, Merle Haggard was part of the Kennedy Center Honors class, and of course, some of his fellow country artists showed up to pay tribute to The Hag on a very special evening. Miranda Lambert and Kris Kristofferson and Miranda Lambert teamed up for a beautiful rendition of Merle’s classic “Silver Wings,” Vince Gill and Brad Paisley sang “Workin’ Man Blues,” and Merle’s good friend Willie Nelson joined Sheryl Crowe for a gorgeous performance of “Today I Started Loving You Again.” The famous story goes that Merle wrote the song for his second wife, Bonnie Owens, after they’d been out on tour together and were able to reconnect as a couple, he says: “‘Today I Started Loving You Again’ was written for her. We’d been on a long tour down in Texas, we’d been down there 90-something days, and we got a week off and then we had to come back and do 45 more days. And we took this week off, and we flew home and we were in the L.A. airport, and I said, ‘You know, we haven’t had much time to say hello’, talking to her. I said, ‘Today I started loving you again. I had time to start loving you again.’” And like a true business woman, she responded with this: “What a great idea for a song.” He first included the beautiful track on his 1968 record The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde, and it also appeared on the tracklist for his 1970 album The Fightin’ Side of Me. It became an instantly recognizable country classic (though it never peaked in the Top 10 on the country charts), that was later covered by other legends like Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers and plenty of other artists over the years. Once Merle and Bonnie were back on the Texas tour after that week-long break ended, one night, Merle asked her to go get him a hamburger. He wrote out the song on the paper bag his food came in that night: “I had written ‘Today I Started Loving You Again’ on this paper bag… tore it open and wrote it on there. There was another verse that we never did use. When I get a royalty check, all the songs that I’ve written make up about half of the money. And ‘Today I Started Loving You Again’ is the rest of the money, and I only get 12% of it. I’d written it for her, so I gave her half of it to begin with. Then we got our divorce, and she got another half.” It’s such a beautiful story, and during the Kennedy Center presentation, Merle’s lifelong friend Willie Nelson was also there to honor him. Of course, the two of them were very close friends for over 50 years, and first met in Nashville in the early 60’s, of course, during a poker game at Willie’s house. This was before either of them went back home, Merle to Bakersfield and Willie to Texas, and they had an instant connection. Joined by Sheryl Crow on this date in 2010, Willie paid tribute to Merle with a gorgeous performance of one of his most timeless hits, “Today I Started Loving You Again,” and it’s a must-see if you haven’t watched it before. The full ceremony is available to watch below, including all of the performances, and it’s a great way to honor the legacy of the late, great Merle Haggard: Speaking Willie and Merle, Willie just put out a lovely tribute album for his late friend and fellow country legend, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle. The tracklist features a bunch of Merle hits like “Silver Wings,” “Okie From Muskogee,” “Swingin’ Doors,” and many more. Wille produced the record alongside longtime bandmate, his harmonica player and friend Mickey Raphael, and it was recorded at Nelson’s Pedernales Studios in Austin. It also features the final recordings he did with his sister Bobbie Nelson and drummer Paul English, which makes it that much more special. With Bobbie on piano and English behind the drum kit, the project also features Raphael on harmonica, Kevin Smith on bass and Paul’s brother Billy English on additional drums and percussion. “Silver Wings” “Today I Started Loving You Again” “Mama Tried” “If We Make It Through December” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink”  The post Watch Willie Nelson’s Flawless Rendition Of Merle Haggard’s “Today I Started Loving You Again” At The Hag’s 2010 Kennedy Center Honors Induction first appeared on Whiskey Riff.