The duo faced label challenges and awards show snubs, but that's not even the worst part. Continue reading…

Setting the record straight. This time of year, if I listen to Christmas music, I’m going back to the classics, and of course, Dolly Parton’s beautiful “Hard Candy Christmas” will forever be at the top of my list. It’s a holiday classic for me… or at least, I always though it was. Apparently, Dolly never considered it to be about Christmas at all: “It’s kind of funny that people think it’s a Christmas song, and it’s really not. It’s really just about people having hard times and saying, ‘It’s like a hard candy Christmas,’ like when you’re so poor that all you get for Christmas is a piece of hard candy.” Of course, “Hard Candy Christmas” was originally recorded by Dolly in 1982 for her role in the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and it peaked at #8 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs chart in 1983. Although it was written by Carol Hall, Dolly related deeply to the sentiment that while her family didn’t have a lot of money to buy presents and exchange gifts, they always got a box of hard candy every year. When she was young growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee, they didn’t even have electricity, so she would go walking with her dad to find the perfect tree and they’d decorate it with whatever they had laying around the house instead of lights and ornaments: “In the early days we didn’t have electricity so we used to go out I the woods with my Dad in the afternoon, find the best tree that we could and we’d take it back in the house and decorate it with whatever Mamma could (find). Buttons and popcorn, anything that we could have which was great, those days were great.” The simplicity of those times stuck with her for all these years, even though her family would be considered dirt poor by today’s standards… but they were rich where it really matters, and I think that’s something Dolly has always carried with her. Some of the Parton Christmas traditions were simple because they couldn’t afford to do much, but now Dolly looks back on them as some of the most special memories in her life regardless of the lack of gifts: “Momma would always tell Christmas stories, read the bible, then we’d go out to the barn and they would tell us that at midnight the cattle would kneel, like in honor. But we never could stay awake long enough to see it. We could never see that happen. But we always had a little something…. It didn’t matter what we got… it was great for us.” A simple reminder from the great Dolly Parton about what’s really important this holiday season. She once recalled a sad, yet heartwarming story about her a year her mom didn’t get any presents, which goes to show the bond of the Parton family and how generous Dolly has always been. A couple years ago, during an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Dolly explained that many people think she wrote it, and it’s one of those that she always wished she did: “Well actually, I did not write ‘Hard Candy Christmas.’ Everybody thinks I did, the girl that wrote all of the music from the best wrote that. But I love that song, and people always tag it to me, but I get a lot of credit for a lot of stuff people do, just because I’m singing it. I do write, and that’s one of the ones I did not write that everybody thinks I did, and I wish I had.” Even though Dolly doesn’t think of it as a Christmas song, it’s a sad country tune nonetheless that, luckily, you can listen to all year long… it’s a timeless classic, and one of Dolly’s most beloved songs for a reason. Turn it up:  The post Dolly Parton’s 1982 Classic “Hard Candy Christmas” IS NOT Actually A Christmas Song first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The holiday jam you never knew you needed. The holiday season is here, which means that Christmas music is on full blast for some. While some folks are the kind that like to listen to Christmas music long before the first frost, I personally cannot get into the holly jolly spirit until after Thanksgiving—and not even because I’m a Thanksgiving superfan, but more because I believe that each holiday deserves its own moment. In fact, there’s even a psychologist by the name of Linda Blair who suggests listening to Christmas music too early can have adverse effects on your mental health. She warns that the constant, early push of Christmas tunes can actually lead one to enjoy the holiday less, since the music can trigger thoughts of and pressure to do Christmas chores: like buying gifts, putting together parties, and even booking holiday travel. The early cueing up of Christmas music – and the repetitive, elongated nature of it – can apparently really get under the skin of people: “You’re simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing. Christmas music is likely to irritate people if it’s played too loudly and too early.” Just sharing that for folks to be educated… If, for some reason, you need to get back into the Christmas spirit and are burnt out on traditional holiday music, let me introduce you to what could be your next holiday hyper-fixation. There is nothing better than taking one of the biggest songs of the year and dusting it with snow, right? There is no denying that Ella Langley has been on a hot streak since her viral duet “You Look Like You Love Me” featuring Riley Green. The song was the first song in CMA Award history to win Music Video of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, Song of the Year, and Single of the Year. And Ella Langley might be on track to do the same thing with her latest single, “Choosin’ Texas.” “Choosin’ Texas” has been such a success, in fact, that it recently scored Langley her first-career #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, rising from #4 to #1. Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" jumps 4-1 on this week's Hot Country Songs chart, becoming her first career No. 1 on the chart. — billboard charts (@billboardcharts) December 2, 2025 The track, which was now famously co-written with Miranda Lambert, was released on October 7th and quickly became one of the most buzzed-about songs of the year for a couple of reasons. The release of the single added fuel to the fire of the seemingly never-ending online drama surrounding Langley and Green’s relationship, with countless fans online speculating whether the song was written about Green himself. This theory was mainly due to the single’s artwork depicting a couple, a man wearing a cowboy hat and a blonde woman, in a red convertible, which made fans once again stir up rumors surrounding the alleged “love triangle” between Langley, Green and Megan Moroney. Unsurprisingly, Langley would all but deny these rumors, telling fans at her Athens, Georgia, concert back in October that she’ll never reveal who the song is about. But what might be surprising to country fans is seeing that “Choosin’ Texas” is going viral for being mashed up with an ’80s Christmas classic. A travel DJ on TikTok, DJ Vic, is taking off online with this exceptionally catchy mashup of “Choosin’ Texas” with Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” Did I ever imagine hearing a Wham! x Ella Langley mashup? No. Did I think it would be good? No. Did I instantly take back my words? 100% Yes. DJ Vic has a knack for beat-matching because this mashup is stupid good. The twangy melody of “Choosin’ Texas” plays for the first few notes before Langley’s voice dives into the chorus, which is where he mixes it with the melody of “Last Christmas.” The mix of the two songs totally changes the vibe of “Choosin’ Texas,” but it works so well, with the DJ intertwining the heartbreaking lyrics of “Last Christmas” at the end of the viral video. Given that the subject matter of these two singles is both heartbreaking, I’m dying to hear a more extended version. In short: This has no business being this good. Turn it all the way up. @vicmixes1 choosin texas x last christmas #wham #ellalangley #chrismas #mashup #country ♬ original sound – DJ Vic The mashup, rightfully so, took off online, with many users sharing sentiments regarding how good this crossover was. Who knew that country music and ’80s Christmas music would blend so well together? Read a few comments before you go: “OKAYYYY, wearing cowboy boots while I hang Christmas lights.” “MY TWO PERSONALITIES.” “Best Christmas mashup of the season.” “How do I listen to this every day?” “Excuse me, sir….this is exquisite.” “You got the most musical ear.” “Genius.” “I need this on Spotify ASAP.” “I’M SCREAMINGGGG.” “This is just what I needed!!” “This is everything I didn’t know I needed.” The Wham! “Last Christmas” music video is certainly something… The post Mashup Of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” & Wham!’s “Last Christmas” Has No Business Being This Good first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This one hurts. Raul Malo, the frontman for Latin-fusion country band The Mavericks, has passed away at the age of 60 following a battle with cancer. Last year, Malo revealed his diagnosis in a video message on Instagram, saying that the band had been on a “health kick” which led to the discovery of cancerous spots in his digestive system: “Obviously, this isn’t the news I was hoping to get, or to share with you all. But I’ve got a great team of doctors and medical professionals here in Nashville. They’ve reassured me this is a very common form of cancer, and my odds are good.” While the band was forced to cancel some of their shows along the way as Malo underwent chemotherapy, he was largely able to continue on the road uninterrupted, with The Mavericks going on tour with Dwight Yoakam for 2025. But back in September, Malo announced that things had taken a turn for the worse, and that all of their remaining shows this year would be cancelled: “I’ve developed something called LMD, which stands for “get this sh– out of my head”. Treatment for this is radiation, which I will start tomorrow. We will probably jump into some chemo, and are even looking at alternative therapies. But it’s time to take your words to heart of resting & recovering, so that’s what I’m going to do.” LMD, or leptomeningeal disease, is a serious cancer complication in which tumors spread to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, causing neurological symptoms. Despite the diagnosis, The Mavericks were at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville this past weekend for two celebrations to honor Malo, joined by an all-star cast of artists and music industry executives as the band was presented with the American Eagle Award from the National Music Council. But unfortunately, Malo had to be rushed to the hospital last week and wasn’t able to accept the award in person, instead sending a letter that was read by Big Machine label head Scott Borchetta: “Music has been the guiding force of my entire life. In these past months, I’ve had to fight battles I’ve never imagined. But on the hardest of days, music remained my companion. Your letters, your stories of how a song helped you through loss, heartbreak, joy, those became our songs. You all carried me more than you know. To my family band, the National Music Council, my musical collaborators, and every fan around the world: Thank you for giving my voice a place to live, even when my body cannot be the one delivering it.” And this morning, the band announced that Malo passed away yesterday at the age of 60: “It’s with the deepest grief we share the passing of our friend, bandmate and brother Raul Malo on December 8th, 2025 at the age of 60. Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul’s orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy. Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself… Though his earthly body may have passed, Raul’s spirit will live on forever in heaven, and here on earth through the music, joy, and light he brought forth. His contributions to American and Latin music will be everlasting, as his songs and voice touched fans and fellow artists around the world.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Mavericks (@the_mavericks) The Mavericks were founded in 1989 by Malo along with his friend Robert Reynolds, drummer Paul Deakin, and guitarist Ben Peeler. Malo and Reynolds were inspired to start a band by their shared love of artists like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash, and blended Latin sounds with rock, country and blues for a sound that was uniquely their own. The band won Top Vocal Group at the 1994 and 1995 ACM Awards, and Vocal Group of the Year at the CMA Awards in both 1995 and 1996. They won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1996 for their song “Here Comes the Rain,” and scored one of the biggest hits of their career with “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” in 1997. The Mavericks were not only trailblazers in country music, but they were also one of the most talented bands the genre has ever seen, thanks in no small part to the contributions of frontman Raul Malo. Rest in peace, and rest assured that you’ve left a legacy that will continue long after you’re gone.The post The Mavericks Frontman Raul Malo Passes Away At 60 Following Cancer Battle first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

There's a new Western in town that's got everyone talking, but not all the chatter is good. Let’s see what the buzz is about. Continue reading…