Gonna be a heck of a party for America’s 250th birthday. Carolina Country Music Festival is gearing up for a massive festival in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina next month, featuring performances from some of the biggest names in country music like Riley Green, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Post Malone, Justin Moore, Tracy Lawrence, and many, many more. Of course this year’s festival also comes as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday with festivities around the country – and Carolina Country Music Festival is going all out. This year’s festival will feature special programming across multiple stages throughout the 4-day festival, including live performances from the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, military honors and ceremonial presentations throughout the weekend, and they’ll even be presenting a K9 service dog for a veteran through Special Operations Wounded Warriors. You love to see it. That’s not all though: Throughout the weekend, there will be onsite patriotic activations honoring those who have served our country, and the USO will also be onsite supporting service members. And the celebrations won’t just be on the ground. The festival will also feature the return of the Special Forces Association Parachute Team, who will be performing a dramatic jump while carrying a 1,500-square-foot American flag, as well as fireworks and a drone show with more than 600 drones lighting up the Myrtle Beach skyline. On top of all the patriotic celebrations throughout the festival, Saturday will also be their “Red, White & Boots” theme night, with festivalgoers encouraged to dress in their most patriotic gear in celebration of our great country. Speaking on the opportunity to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Southern Entertainment co-founder Bob Durkin spoke about the natural connection between country music and paying tribute to those who served: “At CCMF, country music and celebrating America go hand in hand. As we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation, we’re planning to celebrate in a big way — from powerful tributes to unforgettable aerial moments and more. It’s about honoring America’s history while recognizing the men and women who have made it all possible.” And Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark Kruea expressed his excitement to show off the incredible festival and city as part of the nationwide, yearlong celebration: “Myrtle Beach is thrilled to host an event of this scale and significance as our community joins the nation in commemorating 250 years of American history. Carolina Country Music Fest continues to showcase the very best of Myrtle Beach — bringing people together through music, honoring those who serve, and creating a celebration that is both memorable for visitors and meaningful for our city.” Carolina Country Music Festival kicks off June 4 and runs through June 7, and will feature multiple stages as well as plenty more to make your trip to the beach an unforgettable one. The festival is now entering its second decade and has sold out four consecutive years. Main Stage VIP tickets for 2026 are already sold out, and Super VIP are almost gone too, so you’re probably not going to want to wait much longer to get your tickets for this one. General admission tickets start at just $79 per day for four days of non-stop music (but keep reading and we can help you save a little money). Festival goers will get to enjoy entry to the festival’s air-conditioned dive bars featuring live music throughout the day, curated shopping villages, interactive fan activities and Music City-inspired favorites such as karaoke, dueling pianos and line dancing lessons—delivering an authentic Nashville-style celebration to the Carolina coast. But if you’re looking to elevate your experience Carolina Country Music Festival also offers Super VIP tickets that gives fans the most exclusive access, including a private festival entrance, front row viewing at the main stage, an elevated viewing platform with a full-service bar, an air-conditioned catering tent with seating, curated food offerings with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and evening buffets Friday through Sunday, private restrooms and an open bar within the Super VIP section. Tickets for the festival are on sale NOW at CarolinaCountryMusicFest.com, and they’re going quick so if you’re looking for summer plans you should probably go ahead and lock in now – and if you use code WHISKEYRIFF at checkout you’ll even get 10% off. Get your tickets now, and we’ll see you at the beach. The post Carolina Country Music Festival To Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday With Massive Drone Show, Military Presentations & Much More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Season 1 of 'Dutton Ranch' is sure to come with tragedy. I think I know what it is. Continue reading…

Her Texas roots run deep. Last week, Kacey Musgraves released her sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere, which Musgraves produced alongside longtime collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. It, of course, featured the highly anticipated duet with Miranda Lambert, “Horses and Divorces,” as well as the super-talented Billy Strings on the album. She also featured legendary Texan Willie Nelson on a song called “Uncertain, TX,” which she previously debuted solo at Coachella. Since the record’s drop, Musgraves has done a Texas-sized promotional run, which includes a three-night stint at the historic Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas. We are currently in the middle of the run, and the content that’s coming out of the legendary dance hall is incredible. On the first night of her tour, Musgraves laid down many of her new tracks, but also paid homage to her Texas roots and pulled out a classic from the Texan and famed Latin artist, Selena. Selena, born Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the “Queen of Tejano music,” was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, and her family later settled on the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Selena was no stranger to historic Texas venues of the years, like the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas and Houston’s El Dorado Ranch. While there is no historical data that Selena took the stage at Gruene Hall, given that Musgraves is performing in South Texas, she chose to tip her hat to Selena during the show. While the song is widely known for Selena’s version, the ranchera was penned decades earlier by Mexican composer Felipe Valdés Leal in 1949. Linda Ronstadt covered the tune in 1987 before Selena covered it in 1995, and appeared on her record Dreaming of You. The song that translates to “You, Only You” became Selena’s longest-running #1 hit, spending a total of 10 weeks at the top of the charts.  Musgraves tipped her hat to the Texas legend, laying down a stellar cover of the deep heartbreak tune. The ballad is filled with rich melodies while Musgraves croons lyrics of longing and despair over a former lover. The tune honestly fits right into the themes of Middle Of Nowhere, specifically relating to the tune “Back On The Wagon,” which highlights two quarreling lovers trying to mend the hurt they’ve caused each other and vowing to be good to each other again now that the man is back on the wagon. Miss Musgraves blew this cover out of the water. @wonderlandallison Tú Solo Tú – Selena cover by @kaceymusgraves at Gruene Hall (5/3/26) #kaceymusgraves #selena #cover #tusolotu #gruene ♬ Tú, Solo Tú – 30th Anniversary Remastered 2025 – Selena Honestly, some of her fans were spot on with their comments on this post. “Someone tell Ella this is why he chose Texas.” “KASANDRA MUSGRAVEZ.” “Tia Kacey.” “One Texas girl singing for another.” “She ain’t new to this, she true to this.” “Mad respect for this chica in Texas! She knows how to step up!!” I would not be opposed if a studio cut of this came from Musgraves one day. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy Musgraves’ version without those who recorded it before, so fire up Selena’s rendition while you’re here: The post WATCH: Kacey Musgraves Covers Selena’s “Tú Solo Tú” At Gruene Hall first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Darius joined some elite company. Despite some competition from Apple Music, there’s no doubt that Spotify has remained the top streaming platform since its official launch in the United States in July 2011. With over 696 million monthly active users, 276 million of whom pay for premium, the platform has become nothing short of a staple in terms of music consumption nowadays. Boasting over 100 million songs available to be streamed right now (excluding Garth Brooks’ entire discography, of course), Spotify has nearly every notable song ever released over the past century. Out of all the songs throughout the history of music, a little over 1,200 tracks have passed the elusive one billion-stream threshold on the platform. Out of those 1,200+ songs, until today, only 14 of those fall under the country category. While some of these tracks can hardly be considered country, including the likes of Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber’s “10,000 Hours,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be,” you do have some actual quality songs present on the list. These, of course, include Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” and “I Remember Everything,” Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” and “When It Rains It Pours” and Chris Stapleton’s double-diamond hit, “Tennessee Whiskey.” Today, we have another entry into the billion-stream club: none other than Darius Rucker’s cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s 2004 single, “Wagon Wheel,” which is now the 15th country song in history to reach the exclusive threshold. As most know by now, the history of “Wagon Wheel” is one of the most complicated in all of music. At first, the song was believed to be written by Old Crow’s frontman, Ketch Secor, after hearing an old Bob Dylan work tape, “Rock Me, Mama” from 1973. However, even Dylan’s version wasn’t the original. Dylan would tell Secor that he heard it from Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, a blues singer from Mississippi who had multiple songs recorded and made popular by Elvis Presley. As it turns out, Crudup didn’t write it either. Instead, he heard it from a fellow blues singer, Big Bill Broonzy, an African American blues singer who was born in Mississippi but moved with his family to Chicago in the 1920s. If you’re keeping track, “Wagon Wheel” (or at least the concept) would essentially change hands four times before Rucker recorded his version of the song in 2013 on his fourth studio album, True Believers. And as we all know by now, the former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman made it one of the most popular (and undoubtedly most overplayed) country songs of all time. Immediately after being released as True Believers’ second single, “Wagon Wheel” would catch fire. In its 12th week, the track would reach #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, also topping their Country Airplay chart and scoring Rucker his only Top 15 hit on the all-genre Hot 100. Obviously, the fever for non-traditional country fans has really yet to wear out with the track over the past 13 years. In 2022, it was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over 10 million units. At the time, it was only the fourth country song ever to reach this status, and today, it remains as one of only 23 to achieve diamond status. I’ll be the first one to admit that I think I’ve heard enough of the song to last my entire lifetime at this point, but it’s undoubtedly an impressive career accomplishment for Rucker. A full list of country songs with a billion streams on Spotify is as follows: “Something in the Orange” – Zach Bryan “Last Night” – Morgan Wallen “Tennessee Whiskey” – Chris Stapleton “Beautiful Crazy” – Luke Combs “When It Rains It Pours” – Luke Combs “I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves “Love Story” – Taylor Swift “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen “Whiskey Glasses” – Morgan Wallen “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey “Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber “You Belong To Me (Taylor’s Version)” – Taylor Swift “Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt “Wagon Wheel” – Darius Rucker “Wagon Wheel” The post Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” Cover Becomes The Latest Country Song To Reach One Billion Streams On Spotify first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Round two is coming soon. Self-described as “not your grandpappy’s rodeo,” Bulls, Bands & Barrels have continued to outdo themselves since their inaugural year in 2013. Combining the ever-popular world of rodeo, complete with bull riding, barrel racing and freestyle bullfighting with live music, BBB has a long-history of booking some of the most exciting acts in country music, all while simultaneously delivering one of the most unique rodeo experiences you’ll ever see across the entire country. After hosting the likes of Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Koe Wetzel, Flatland Cavalry, Riley Green and more in previous years, Bulls, Bands & Barrels broke out in a big way in 2025, expanding their traveling schedule out to eight separate weeks across multiple cities, including Lexington, Kentucky; Jacksonville, Florida; Bossier City, Louisiana and more. Expanding out even further this year, BBB added stops in various cities such as Duluth, Georgia; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Gonzalez, Louisiana; Huntington, West Virginia; Madison, Wisconsin and more. Of course, they brought along a whole bunch of star power with them. For headlining acts, they enlisted the likes of the hottest artist in all of music, Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Hudson Westbrook, Dylan Gossett, Sam Barber and the hot bluegrass band, The Creekers. Additionally, Braxton Keith, Avery Anna, Tyler Nance, The Jack Wharff Band, Tyce Delk and more rounded out the lineup as supporting acts for select dates. View this post on Instagram Now that the first batch of shows in 2026 has come and gone, selling out stops along the way, Bulls, Bands & Barrels are gearing up for their second round of dates across the country. This summer, BBB is also hitting the likes of Reading, Pennsylvania; Savannah, Georgia; Wichita, Kansas; Alexandria, Louisiana and Hattiesburg, Mississippi in July and August. View this post on Instagram Building off the success found with the expanded selection of dates, BBB is employing a revolving door of stellar artists across the tour. As of now, ACM New Female Artist of the Year winner, Avery Anna, ACM Album of the Year nominee, Carter Faith, the red-hot Hudson Westbrook and Justin Moore are all set to make appearances. Additionally, the likes of Tyler Nance, The Jack Wharff Band, Tyce Delk and Tyler Braden round out the list of announced performers. Though this round doesn’t have quite the mainstream star power as the spring dates, there’s no doubt that there’s a whole lot of talent throughout the summer for BBB. Particularly, Anna and Faith are two of the hottest, up-and-coming female stars in the genre, quickly setting themselves up to be household names in the coming years. Additionally, Westbrook, Nance and The Jack Wharff Band have had some viral moments over the past year, with Westbrook recently being nominated for ACM New Male Artist of the Year. It should go without saying that if you’re a fan of both country music and rodeos in general, Bulls, Bands & Barrels is nothing short of a match made in heaven for you. With a solid mix of artists throughout the tour, there’s truly a little bit for everyone to enjoy across each and every one of BBB’s set of tour dates. Tickets are on sale TODAY starting at $60 per venue with upgrades and premium seating available. You can find more information and details about tickets, performers and more for all of the stops, as well as all the other events happening throughout the various action-packed weekends, HERE. Each city, complete with its respective performers, is as follows: Bulls, Bands & Barrels 2026 Summer Dates July 11 – Reading, Pennsylvania – Santander Arena – Dylan Marlowe & The Jack Wharff Band July 18 – Savannah, Georgia – Enmarket Arena – Dylan Marlowe & Avery Anna August 1 – Wichita, Kansas – Intrust Bank Arena – Justin Moore & Tyler Nance August 8 – Alexandria, Louisiana – Laborde Earles Coliseum – Hudson Westbrook & Tyce Delk August 15 – Hattiesburg, Mississippi – The Center at Forrest County – Carter Faith & Tyler BradenThe post Bulls, Bands, & Barrels 2026 Summer Lineup Features Hudson Westbrook, Justin Moore, Carter Faith & More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.