She WOWED the audience with a pitch-perfect performance. Continue reading…

Besties. Just a little under two weeks ago, Megan Moroney, who was tied as the most-nominated artist at the CMA Awards, brought along a date that many country music fans know and love in Kenny Chesney. Megan opened for Chesney on his 2024 Sun Goes Down Tour, and now, she’s one of the biggest acts in the genre, which she credits in large part to Chesney’s mentorship. Megan recently spoke to People, where she explained that Chesney is her “best friend,” adding that she still can’t believe they’re even friends most days: “Some days, I’ll just wake up and be like, ‘Oh. Kenny Chesney is one of my best friends. Cool.” They met last year and hit it off right away, and Megan says doing that first stadium tour with him shaped the trajectory of her career: “It was my first stadium tour, and I feel like it really changed my career.” In addition to opening the massive shows, Chesney would also bring Moroney out to sing with him every night during his headlining set: “He let me come do a few songs with him during his set every night and has just been a great mentor for me.” In fact, following that tour, Megan knew she wanted to get him a special gift for everything he had done for her, and it ended up being the song “You Had to Be There,” which they wound up doing as a duet and releasing this past May. Of course, Kenny has it all, and Megan says there was no topping a jet… so she went with a much more sentimental option, and it’s paid off because they got “As someone who has everything, including a jet, what do you get him? I was like, ‘It’s got to be sentimental, because he will appreciate that the most. I just wanted to write him that song as a gift and a ‘thank you’ for taking me out on tour. He’s just boosted me up a lot, so I wanted to make sure that that experience was written in a song forever.” It’s certainly something both of them will cherish forever, and initially, Megan was unsure if Chesney would even want to sing it with her… of course, he did, and the rest is history: “I told him when I gifted it to him that he did not have to do that because I didn’t want him to feel weird, but he loved it. I’m just grateful that that song encapsulated the whole summer of last year. He’s just the best.” The full interview with People is part of Megan’s Style Watch cover, and you can listen to her talk more about their friendship below. View this post on Instagram “You Had To Be There” The post Megan Moroney Says Kenny Chesney Has Become One Of Her “Best Friends”: “He’s Boosted Me Up A Lot” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A girl’s girl. Dolly Parton just released her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, which is filled with tons of great stories about her life on the road, and of my favorite ones I’ve heard her tell has to do with her late husband, Carl Dean, and his one and only time crashing the show and singing on stage. More on that HERE. But there’s a ton of great stuff in it, and Dolly even talks about some of her fellow country stars and friends, like Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and many others. She worked with so many great women in the music business over the years, and in a video on her new Substack account, Dolly spilled some major tea, if you will. She says she ladies like the aforementioned Tammy and Loretta, as well as people like Dottie Rambo and Lynn Anderson, but as you might imagine with any group of women, there was always a little gossip… it doesn’t sound like it was malicious at all, “Well, I loved Tammy and Dottie and Loretta and Lynn Anderson. It’s like, I loved all the girls in country music. We were like sisters back there. Oh, we did the gossip and stuff about each other when they’d leave the room, but we’d still welcome them back in loving them just like you do with your own family. There was a deep love between us. We were proud to be… just proud to BE… as Minnie Pearl would say, ‘just proud to be here.’” Dolly goes onto explain just how incredible it was during that time, as these ladies churned out chart-topping records and they were all supportive of each other because they knew how hard they all worked for their success, and they took pride in being in that club: “We were making it. We were actually getting on the radio. We were getting played on the radio. And that had been a hard thing to do. So we were really growing as a community of women that were talented as writers and singers and performers. So many of them were able to do shows, like Lynn Anderson. She was a pro even then. She could even host a show! And her mother, Liz, you know, they had been at it for a long time. So it was just a thing that I felt. We all took great pride in one another and we were encouraging. There was no real jealousy between us. Like, oh, well, you got # last week… We just wanted everybody to do good.” Dolly is obviously an incredible country artist, but she’s become a business owner, philanthropist and even actress because of her success in country, and of course, is one of the most beloved people in the world. Of course, Dolly, Tammy and Loretta released an incredibly successful collaborative album called Honky Tonk Angels in 1993, and for many decades, they were part of a very special sisterhood that so few others can relate to. It’s so interesting to hear about her relationship with other icons like Tammy and Loretta, who were all true trailblazer’s in every sense. They carved out their own unique paths, and made a way for so many amazing women in country to have the opportunity to have a career just as successful as theirs. Stories like these only solidify how honest, sincere and earnest they have always seemed to me, and I think it’s such a great example for so many women in this day and age who feel like they have to tear each other down to get to the top. You can actually help each other get to the top, just like they did, and have a richer, much more fulfilled life because of it. Of course, I guess you technically shouldn’t gossip at all, but sometimes you just have to get somethings off your chest… and if you’ve never, ever said anything about a friend that wasn’t in the room to hear it, congratulations, you should truly win an award for that. The bottom line is, they stuck together, and in an industry that was built on the good ol’ boys club, they did things their way and used their femininity as a superpower to superstardom. I want to be just like them when I grow up… I can’t imagine how difficult it was for them at a time when it was even more male dominated than it is now, and it’s something we can all learn from in terms of supporting your friends and sticking together, because there really is enough room for everyone to have success, and these ladies proved that and then some. It only feels right to leave you with this… “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” The post Dolly Parton Says She And Country Legends Like Loretta Lynn & Tammy Wynette Would Gossip About Each Other: “Just Like You Do With Family… There Was Deep Love Between Us” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A brand new one from Tyler Halverson’s forthcoming record. Since the release of Tyler Halverson‘s debut single, “Beer Garden Baby,” in 2021, the South Dakota native has solidified himself as a staple among Texas and red dirt country fans, releasing other stellar singles like “Mac Miller,” “Her,” and “Codigo GoGo.” In April of last year, Halverson released his first EP, Western Amerijuana (Pt. 1), which was quickly followed up in October with the release of his second EP, Western Amerijuana (Pt. 2). It was a long time coming for fans to be promised a full-length LP from him, and he delivered just that earlier this fall, announcing his debut album. Slated for a February 13 release, Halverson will gift fans In Defense of Drinking. Recorded at Amber Sound in Hermitage, Tennessee, and produced by Halverson, Ryan Youmans, and Gary Stanton (of Muscadine Bloodline), fans can expect this 11-song record to build off the sound established on his Western Amerijuana EPs. “You can lose yourself in the troubadour lifestyle, where every night is a damn party and you’re far from your family, your home, and your faith. So, this album may be a little bit of a personal battle: Who are you on the road vs. who are you at home. These songs are often about me admitting that I can be reckless and impulsive, but that I’m trying my best. Conflict isn’t always bad if you can make some good out of it.” Halverson gave fans a taste of what’s in store with the previously released singles, a reimagined “Beer Garden Baby” featuring Parker McCollum and  “More Hearts Than Horses.”   “More Hearts Than Horses” was released in conjunction with the album announcement, highlighting his cowboy Casanova ways, spending more time swooning women than in the round pen breaking horses. The tune served as a warning sign to stay away from men like this, with Halverson stating: “That comes with the territory of being a troubadour. It’s a warning: whatever you’ve heard about cowboys and cowboy singers is probably true, and sometimes you best just leave it alone.” Today, December 5, Halverson shared the third release from his upcoming LP, again knocking it out of the park by building on the established sound he’s curated. The gritty tune has more of a rock-and-roll feel as Halverson battles himself over making mistakes in the Stockyards that led him to lose the one he loves. As he wrestles with his own feelings, he has to come to terms with the fact that his actions made the bed he has to lie in, and he wishes sincerely that he could go back and change things. “But if you see her tell her for me It’s not enough to say sorry That I wish I did better by her That I know I can be the worst I stay hungover hurting Nothin’ is workin’ No blurring the lines to the truth Shoulda gone on back to Dallas Fort Worth wasn’t worth Losing you…” Nothing like a Fort Worth themed heartbreaker for your New Music Friday. Tyler Halverson, again, hit the nail on the head with “Fort Worth Losing.” Turn it up. Tyler Halverson Tour Dates Jan 6 Tue – Steamboat Springs, CO – The Musicfest Steamboat 2026 Jan 7 Wed – Steamboat Springs, CO – The Musicfest Steamboat 2026 Jan 15 Thu – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall Jan 16 Fri – Dallas, TX – The Studio at The Bomb Factory Jan 17 Sat – New Braunfels, TX – Gruene Hall Jan 18 Sun – Houston, TX – House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Jan 22 Thu – Lubbock, TX – The Blue Light Jan 23 Fri – Luckock, TX – The Blue Light Jan 24 Sat – Stephenville, TX – Twisted J Live Feb 5 Thu – University, MS – Pavilion at Ole Miss* Feb 6 Fri – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena* Feb 7 Sat – Salem, VA – Salem Civic Center* Feb 12 Thu – Winston Salem, NC – Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum* Feb 13 Fri – Auburn University, AL – Auburn Arena* Feb 14 Sat – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena Feb 18 Wed – Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall Feb 19 Thu – Chicago, IL – Carol’s Pub Feb 20 Fri – Indianapolis, IN – Turntable Feb 25 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse In Defense Of Drinking Tracklist:  More Hearts Than Horses Beer Garden ft. Parker McCollum Second High Fort Worth Losing Smoke You Out In Defense of Drinking Like The Rodeo Cowboy Babies Old Men Younger Women The Dreamer Son Brother Believer The post Tyler Halverson Releases Gritty New Heartbreaker, “Fort Worth Losing,” From Forthcoming Record, ‘In Defense Of Drinking’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Who's got your vote this week? Continue reading…