Just how Toby would have sung it. There is something so wholesome and powerful about young country music fans connecting with songs that were released before their time. It not only preserves the gems of country music but also instills its spirit. And no artist can do that better than the feeling Toby Keith‘s music gives you. Recently, a young aspiring singer from Pennsylvania named Blake has gone viral for belting the lyrics to Toby Keith’s famed tune “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” The patriotic song, which ended up being one of the Big Dog Daddy’s many iconic hits, was written in late 2001, shortly after the United States was attacked on September 11th. The unfathomable terrorist attacks, as well as the death of Keith’s father in March of 2001, contributed to Toby penning the song in the later months of 2001 and releasing it in May of 2002. For a while, Toby refused to officially record the song. He felt as though it was only right to perform live, and specifically during performances for the military. In case you didn’t know, Keith was very passionate about giving back to the United States military. He went on 18 USO tours, and it’s estimated that he performed for 250,000 active-duty service members during his lifetime. However, as Toby Keith played “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” more and more, he became aware of how powerful the track was and knew he’d need to record it. Once, a Commandant of the Marine Corps told him that it was his duty as an American citizen to record and release the song, he obliged. Shortly after receiving this order, Keith released it as the lead single from his 2002 album Unleashed. The track ended up being Keith’s biggest solo hit and quickly became ingrained in patriotic American culture, with songs like Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” Because this song is such a staple, it’s not surprising that this young country singer was familiar with the lyrics. Blake was invited on stage at the Field House Restaurant in Cabot, PA, and was backed by country musician Isaac Cole for his electric performance. The little boy instantly captivated the audience, confidently belting out the words honoring his nation by taking his hat off. But before Keith’s famed “boot in your a**” line, Blake strapped in, putting his ball cap back on, which indicated to the crowd he meant business. After a dramatic pause, he looked back at Isaac Cole, and the two jumped back into the lyrics, riling up the crowd. Blake got so into the performance that he even pulled his boot off and shot it around, really making the lyrics pop. Talk about a natural-born performer. After the video took off, it gained attention from Toby Keith’s team, with his official TikTok leaving a comment: “Well done. -Team Toby.” Toby would be so proud of this young fan. Keep on singing, Blake. @blake_wd Hit that follow button, please @Isaac Cole #fyp #country #countrymusic #tobykeith ♬ original sound – Blake_WD The internet was in love with this rising star and quickly filled up the comments section: “I love knowing that the youth love Toby Keith and are keeping his name alive and well.” “Only time I was allowed to swear as a kid was to this song.” “Of MY red white and blue.” “America is healing.” “Toby would be so proud.” “He’s gonna love this video when he’s older.” “Can you do my wedding? This song please.” “I know he’s the coolest kid in his class.” “Toby is smiling down.” “Me at karaoke every time.” “I know Toby Keith is smiling huge up there.” And before you go, fire up the Big Dog Daddy’s version. The post Pennsylvania Boy Goes Viral With Passionate Cover Of Toby Keith’s “Courtesy Of The Red, White & Blue” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Pure dominance. It’s safe to say that 2025 will go down in history as the year of Morgan Wallen. While there’s no denying he’s been nothing short of a powerhouse since the start of the decade, namely scoring huge numbers from the likes of Dangerous: The Double Album and namely One Thing At A Time, which contained 2023’s top song of the year, “Last Night,” among other massive hits, 2025 has proven to be his best year to date. Last week, Wallen topped the list of plenty of different year-end lists. Beyond his placement as iHeart Radio’s Top Country Artist of 2025, he also scored the most-listened-to album on Apple Music globally, the #1 most-listened-to album in the U.S. on Spotify and the Top Country Album on Billboard’s year-end chart. And today, he completed his unfathomably successful year by being named Billboard’s #1 all-genre artist of 2025, beating out the likes of Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar, Super Bowl halftime show headliner, Bad Bunny, and more. With his placement as the Top Artist of 2025, he is the first country artist to secure the #1 spot since Swift in 2009 and just the second male country artist to ever be crowned Top Artist since Garth Brooks flew to the top with back-to-back wins in 1992 and 1993. View this post on Instagram Of course, Wallen has the success of I’m The Problem to thank for his Top Artist of 2025 win. Upon its release (and the weeks following), I’m The Problem broke Wallen’s previously set record of most songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single week (37). Additionally, he became the first artist ever to spend at least 10 weeks atop the all-genre Billboard’s 200 chart with three consecutive albums and even skyrocketed all the way up to eight-most weeks spent on the chart by any artist in its history. Recently, he also became the first solo act in history to score multiple 20-week #1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with “What I Want” featuring Tate McRae. Additionally, Wallen charted the most songs out of any artist in 2025 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 chart with a staggering 41 separate entries. Among these 41 songs include nine Top 10 hits, including the likes of his all-genre #1 with McRae, “What I Want,” as well as “I’m The Problem,” “Just In Case” and “I Got Better.” Unfortunately for the Sneedville native, he would fall just short of the #1 album of 2025 with I’m The Problem, sitting at #2 behind Swift’s mammoth Life A Show Girl, which was undoubtedly boosted by her continued chart-gaming through subsequent re-releases of the record through different variants on physical media such as vinyl records. In addition to his Top Artist of 2025 win, the “Whiskey Glasses would also take home over a dozen other #1 spots on Billboard’s year-end charts, including Top Male Artist, Top Country Artist, #1 Hot 100 Artist, #1 Hot 100 Male, Top Billboard 200 Male and more. View this post on Instagram A full list of Wallen’s #1 Billboard spots are as follows: Top Artist Top Male Artist Top Country Artist Top Country Male Top Billboard 200 Male Top Streaming Albums Artist #1 Hot 100 Artist #1 Hot 100 Male #1 Digital Songs Sales Chart Artist #1 Streaming Songs Artist #1 Hot Country Songs Artist #1 Country Airplay Artist #1 Country Digital Songs Sales Artist #1 Country Streaming Songs Artist #1 Top Country Albums #1 Billboard Candian Hot 100 Artist #1 Streaming Album (I’m The Problem) #1 Country Album (I’m The Problem) #1 Canadian Album (I’m The Problem) As always, you can love or hate Wallen, his musical output and his off-stage shenanigans. However, you can never deny the sheer staying power and success he’s experienced over the course of the decade. Taking a look at the staggering amount of top spots he’s taken not only in country music but in all-genre charts as well, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the “20 Cigarettes” singer has becoming nothing short of a phenomenon. It’s likely we’ll never see another artist with such an undeniable chokehold over the genre and its charts quite the way Wallen has, and with his first-career Top Artist of the Year win, there will be some uncomfortable conversations to be had about his placement among the most successful artists in the genre’s history.The post Morgan Wallen Named Billboard’s Top Artist Of 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The Worst Country Songs of 2024It’s hard to believe that 2025 is almost over, but we’re only a couple weeks away from the new year so that means everybody is busy putting together their year-end lists of their favorite country music from the past year. But that’s not what we’re here for today. Every year, we like to have some fun and talk about the WORST country songs released in the past 365 days. Obviously country music has gotten a lot better since we first started this list in 2017, so the truly bad songs stick out even more these days. Even the CMA Awards this year were surprisingly good, featuring artists like Stephen Wilson Jr. and the Red Clay Strays instead of the random pop country collabs they’ve loved in years past. But that doesn’t mean it was all good: When it comes to “country” songs, or songs that call themselves country, there were still plenty to choose from. As we’ve done in years past, we put together our own list but also let fans vote on their “winner” too. And a quick look through the replies shows you just how many terrible songs came out this year. View this post on Instagram (A quick note: A lot of people suggested songs like “Darlin'” by Chase Matthew, “Austin” by Dasha or Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” These songs weren’t released in 2025). There was one thing it seemed everybody agreed on though: AI sucks, and that’s why the fan vote “winner” this year goes to Breaking Rust, the mysterious AI-generated artist that made headlines recently for topping the chart with “their” song, “Walk My Walk.” (I normally would link to the song here, but quite honestly I don’t want to give views to an AI artist, so I’m not even going to include it. Go look it up if you want to hear it, though I wouldn’t recommend it). Now, let’s get to our list of the worst “country” songs of 2025: 3. “Cowgirl” – Parmalee I’ll be honest, I liked Parmalee back when they first hit the scene. Their breakout hit “Carolina” from 2013 was pretty good, but then it seems like you kinda stopped hearing about them. That doesn’t mean they stopped making music though: Somehow they manage to keep getting #1 singles with songs like “Just the Way” featuring Blanco Brown, “Girl In Mine,” and their most recent chart-topper, “Cowgirl.” The problem, though, is that somewhere along the way they decided to go from the smooth boyfriend-country sound of “Carolina” to the full-on bro-country sound of “Cowgirl,” and never went back when the rest of the genre finally agreed that bro-country is trash. I mean, we talk a lot of crap about AI, but I think even ChatGPT could write a more original song like this, which is full of worn out clichés that have been overused in country music for a decade. I mean, the two deadest horses of all time are the first horse that ever died, and the boring tropes that Parmalee pulled out for this song: “She wanna take me round the town Hit the dive bars Two steppin’ on my Jordans on the dance floor Shot of tequila, two margaritas And talkin’ with that southern drawl … Yeah that’s the kinda woman Make you call your friends up and say I fell in love with a cowgirl I’m followin’ her curves like a backroad The way she fit it in them Levis Make a man never wanna go home I only came for a minute Now she make me wanna live it Yeah her southern charm ain’t no joke Thank God for the cowgirl I fell in love with a cowgirl” The kids who were born in 2013 are almost teenagers, and it sounds like that’s who wrote this trash. 2. “2 Pair” – Kane Brown Ah yes, our old friend Kane Brown. I’m pretty sure this song was supposed to be in a commercial for Lucchese but they heard it and decided they didn’t want to embarrass their brand like that. The song, an ode to his favorite boots, sounds less like something you’d hear in a Texas honky tonk where people…you know, actually wear Luccheses, and more like he tried to write a country version of Nelly’s “Air Force Ones” without actually changing up the music: “Give me two pairs of LucchesesAll-white shirt and some bootcut jeansI’ll go all night, stomping to the beatI just got a check, blew it all on my feet likeOh, ohAin’t sh– you can tell me, I feel like NellyGive me two pairs of LucchesesAll-white shirt and some bootcut jeans, yeah” Between the stomps and the club beats, it’s hard to even consider this one country, which is disappointing because Kane Brown actually has a voice that would do well if he ever decided to…you know, actually sing country music. Before we get to our worst “country” song of 2025, I feel the need to throw some dishonorable mentions in here, because once I got my list of finalists together it was hard to narrow it down. Akon and Rascal Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox put out an absolute monstrosity with “Hold the Umbrella,” while Bailey Zimmerman teamed up with BigXthaPlug for “All the Way” that made me want to drive my car all the way off a bridge. Then there was Morgan Wallen’s “Miami,” which was a downright horrific interpretation of Keith Whitley’s “Miami, My Amy” that probably should have made the list for that reason alone. So yeah, quite a few songs that could have been on the list. But at the end of the day, the #1 song was a relatively easy choice, and could only be… 1. “Oil Money” – Graham Barham Was there ever any doubt? By far the worst country song I heard all year was “Oil Money,” from TikTok star Graham Barham. The lyrics are nonsensical at best and an undeniably cringeworthy attempt to capitalize on the success of shows like Landman: “She got a body like oil moneyCartier cross around her neck ’cause sheOnly ever seen the kind of club countryHouse in the Gulf where it’s always sunnyLittle tan line honeyShe’s everything you need and she’s got everything she wantsShowing off ’til the lights come onI’m a rich man with my hands on that body like oil moneyShe got a body like oil money” The song went viral, thanks in no small part to viral sensation Sydney Thomas appearing in the music video, but the reaction to the song shows just how bad it really is: “I’ve gotta lie… this song is fire.” “People who never once worked in the oilfield but watched ‘Landman’ think this slaps.” “I miss old country music.” “This is HARD… to listen to.” And honestly, if Barham had just released this song as a bit or as a viral joke, fine. There are a lot of songs that get attention not because they’re good but because the artist releases them as a joke and they catch on. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, because Barham has proven with his follow-up releases that this is, indeed, the kind of music he makes. It’s the kind of song that even bro-country would seek to distance itself from. With its trap beats, calling it country is an insult to the greats of country music, and calling it anything but one of the worst country songs of the year is an insult to anybody who’s had the misfortune of hearing it. If you want to check out our lists of the worst country songs from years past: The Worst Country Songs of 2024 The Worst Country Songs of 2023 The Worst Country Songs of 2022 The Worst Country Songs of 2021 The Worst Country Songs of 2020 View this post on Instagram The post The Worst “Country” Songs Of 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

On this episode of CMA Country Christmas ... re-airing at 10/9c TONIGHT!

Great artists, better cause. With more and more festivals under the wide country, folk and Americana umbrella popping up seemingly by the week, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to not only keep track of just which is which but also to weed out which festival is worth the cost of admission and traveling expenses. While some “country” festivals around the U.S. lean more towards appealing to a mass audience of non-traditional listeners, complete with random has-been hip-hop artists and the like, what if I told you that a festival is not only enlisting some of the best and brightest stars in the roots scene with killer barbecue but also benefiting childhood cancer? Look no further than Hogs for the Cause in New Orleans. After an incredibly successful 2025, which featured the likes of Zach Top, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Charley Crockett as headliners, along with over 90 different barbecue venders, the festival is running it back again in 2026 with another killer lineup. Just announced, the Appalling powerhouse Charles Wesley Godwin and the red-hot Stephen Wilson Jr., who is fresh off a stunning CMA Awards night, will headline Hogs for the Cause along with a plethora of other hot up-and-comers in the country and Americana scene. Not to be outdone with the likes of Godwin and Wilson Jr. as headliners, The Castellows, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Jason Scott & the High Heat, Lance Roark, The Band Loula, the criminally underrated Jermie Albino and more will serve as supporting acts across the festival’s two days. View this post on Instagram Once again, Hogs for the Cause will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 10-11th at the UNO Lakefront Festival Grounds, which are located just off of Lake Ponchatrain and just six miles north of Bourbon Street. As previously mentioned, beyond the stellar artists and great food throughout the festival’s two days, Hogs for the Cause’s main mission is raising money to help benefit children in need. In case you’re not familiar with the organization, it was founded from humble beginnings by Rene Louapre and Becker Hall, who hosted a pig roast to raise money for a boy named Ben Sarrat who had been diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer. Since then, Hogs for the Cause has raised and distributed over $15 million dollars, including over 2,300 direct grants to families fighting pediatric brain cancer, millions of dollars to hospital programs and additional millions for housing on children’s hospital campuses, according to their website. Tickets are on sale today starting at just $110.21 for two-day general admission. Additionally, Boss Hog VIP packages, which include complimentary drinks, shaded seating and appetizers in the VIP tent, front-of-stage viewing, private restrooms and re-entry access. As for their premium package, Goin’ Ham Super VIP, guests will receive all the Boss Hog VIP amenities along with the likes of $150 to spend on food and drinks, a welcome gift package, free Hogs merchandise, on-site parking, a concierge and the opportunity to not only dine on the wide array of barbecue vendors but also judge and vote on the winner of the barbecue contest which is being held in tandem with the live music. It’s not every year you get to see the likes of standouts such as Godwin, Wilson Jr., The Castellows and more while simultaneously benefiting a great cause. If you’re in the New Orleans area come April, you won’t want to miss this festival.The post Stephen Wilson Jr. & Charles Wesley Godwin To Headline 2026 ‘Hogs For The Cause’ Lineup In New Orleans first appeared on Whiskey Riff.