A video posted by Brooks & Dunn got a lot of country music fans concerned over the weekend. The legendary country music duo behind hits like “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” has been out on the road in support of Morgan Wallen for much of the early summer. They’ve got a couple more dates with the country music superstar (July 17 in Baltimore and July 31 in Philadelphia) before they go back to their own tour and play in front of die hard Brooks & Dunn fans. They might often be called 90s country stars, but they are still as big as ever in 2026. That being said, Brooks & Dunn are having to deal with Father Time just like the rest of us. Kix Brooks is 71, and Ronnie Dunn turned 73 back in June. The country music icons have gotten older, and they are doing their best to not let that slow them down. A video posted by the duo just a couple of days ago showcases why that’s easier said than done. The clip that was released on Brooks & Dunn’s Facebook page opened with Ronnie Dunn talking about his health, and actually revealing that he had to go to the hospital last week. While he ended up powering through it as best as he could (and many at the concert said they couldn’t tell he was sick), Dunn revealed that he’s actually battling bronchitis: “I don’t feel too good tonight. Went to Vanderbilt yesterday. I struggled a little bit last week. Thought I maybe injured my vocals cords. They said I didn’t, but I’ve got like a touch of bronchitis. They said hydrate, and I’ve been drinking stuff all day, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to pee my pants onstage.” Though bronchitis can be very serious, the way they presented it in this video makes it seem as though Ronnie Dunn is going to be just fine. In fact, he seemed to be worried about the unwanted side effect of staying hydrated… and from what we can tell, the country music legend didn’t end up peeing his pants while he was on stage. The above post makes light of the whole situation, but country music fans are certainly hoping that Ronnie Dunn keeps a close eye on his condition and doesn’t try to tough his way through it. The comment section of the post was filled with fans and followers wishing the best for Ronnie, and encouraging the country singer to get some rest: “Take care of yourself, sir!” “Feel better soon cowboy. Bronchitis sucks.” “Hope you get to feeling better, Ronnie.” “Get some rest.” “Bronchitis can be serious, but the way you updated made me laugh. Ain’t nobody not got time for dat.” The good news is that Brooks & Dunn have a lighter tour schedule for the rest of July and August before they ramp up in September for two straight months of shows all across the country (including Nashville on September 12 and Fort Worth on October 9 and 10). Here’s to hoping Ronnie Dunn gets back to 100% so he and Kix are ready to tackle their fall schedule.The post Ronnie Dunn Clears The Air On Recent Hospital Visit: “Went To Vanderbilt… Struggled A Bit Last Week” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Check ’em out. At this point in his career, Sturgill Simpson has reached God-like status in country music. Arguably being the forefather of the independent/alternative country renaissance, along with the likes of Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks and more, the Kentucky native has probably influenced your favorite artist in some capacity or another in the past decade. The “Long White Line” singer, for lack of a better term, has nearly gone in every direction possible. Delivering an atmospheric journey on the Grammy-winning A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, a full-blown rock adventure in SOUND & FURY, a bluegrass double album on Cuttin’ Grass, the narrative-driven concept record, The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita, and finally being rebirthed as Johnny Blue Skies on Passage Du Desir and his latest album, the dance and protest-inspired Mutiny After Midnight. Of course, this doesn’t even mention his first two albums, High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, which are all but standards in the genre at this point. Thanks to the buzzy release of Mutiny After Midnight back in March, which was highlighted by Simpson himself “leaking” the album on YouTube before releasing the album on physical media (vinyl, CDs, cassettes) only, he’s arguably the most popular he’s ever been right now. Not only did Mutiny After Midnight debut at #3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 without being released to streaming services, but Simpson also readied an arena tour (the largest venue-wise of his career thus far) behind the record, aptly titled Mutiny For The Masses. Given how eclectic the Kentucky native’s discography is from release-to-release, essentially going in every direction humanly possible outside of rap and metal, constructing an artist-recommendation list is about as hard as possible for the Grammy winner. With that being said, I’ll essentially be making recommendations from album-to-album here, depending on which era of Stu is your favorite. Without further ado, here are 10 artists to check out if you love Sturgill Simpson. 1. Charles Wesley Godwin If you love loved Simpson’s gritty, early records, look no further than Charles Wesley Godwin. Hailing from Morgantown, West Virginia, Godwin’s vocals sound like they were born to be echoed in the beautiful mountains of Appalachia. Though it’s hard to ignore his wholly unique vocals, it’s his writing ability, similar to Childers’, that is one of Godwin’s defining characteristics. From murder ballads such as “Cranes Of Potter” and “Blood Feud” to gorgeous tributes to his family on “Gabriel,” “Dance in the Rain” and “It’s The Little Things,” there’s truly not a song the West Virginian can’t write. Of course, these stellar songs are all backed by some killer production that draw upon traditional country, Appalachian folk and Americana stylings. If you were a fan of the sound of early records like High Top Mountain and the narrative-focused nature of The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita, give Godwin’s 2021 record, How The Mighty Fall, a spin. Key Tracks: “Hardwood Floors,” “Strawberry Queen,” “Cranes Of Potter” 2. Colby Acuff Undoubtedly one of the most underrated artists in the genre today, Colby Acuff has been nothing short of a musical powerhouse since his debut in 2020. Releasing an album each and every year since then, the “If I Were the Devil” singer has somehow just gotten better with time. Though Acuff operated predominantly in a rootsy, Americana-inspired sound, his latest release last month, HANDMADE HORSEPOWER, took direct inspiration from Simpson. In turn, he dropped a gritty, rockin’ project that served as a giant middle finger to the current state of the music industry — something the “Make America Fuk Again” singer has been doing at nearly every turn throughout his career. Like Godwin, if you’re a fan of Sturgill’s early records, give HANDMADE HORSEPOWER a listen then work your way backwards in Acuff’s discography. Key Tracks: “Cherokee Rose,” “If I Were the Devil,” “LONG WAY FROM THE BOTTOM” 3. Shane Smith & the Saints As time passes, it’s become increasingly clear that Shane Smith & the Saints are the most underrated bands not only in the Red Dirt scene but in music in general. Backed by their patented blend of southern rock, stylings from Appalachian country and even some Cajun influences, the Texas band scored early hits with the likes of “All I See Is You,” “Dance the Night Away” and “Lord Bury Me in Texas.” Over the past decade, it’s been easy to see that they’ve just gotten better with age. The sound has remained nearly the same, in the best way possible, of course. However, frontman Shane Smith’s voice has simply improved with every subsequent release. In particular, last year’s stellar record, Norther, portrayed this the best, showcasing a more mature, raspy vocal performance from the frontman. Feeling somewhere between late-career Johnny Cash and fellow alt. country star, Charles Wesley Godwin, he’s proven he has one of the most dynamic voices in the genre. Like Sturgill, Smith and Co. have continuously blurred the lines between multiple genres while simultaneously keeping stellar songwriting at the forefront. Additionally, you can find tracks similar to just about every entry in the Kentucky native’s discography — sans Mutiny After Midnight.  Key Tracks: “Fire in the Sky,” “Coast,” “We Were Something” 4. 49 Winchester Between the combination of their perfect blend of southern rock and country, their tight live band and world-class vocals from frontman, Isaac Gibson, it’s become more and more apparent every year that the Virginia group is becoming one of the most overlooked bands in the genre today. Though they debuted back in 2014 with their self-titled album, 49 Winchester has recently caught fire over the past five years with stellar ballads like “Everlasting Lover,” “Anchor” and “Hays, Kansas.” Like Simpson, 49 have flexed their versatility quite a bit as of late. This was put on full display recently with their killer cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes,” which appeared on their most recent album, Change of Plans. Given 49’s blend of southern rock and country, you’ll most likely be a fan of the Virginia band regardless of which era of Sturgill you prefer. Key Tracks: “Anchor,” “Everlasting Lover,” “Fast Asleep” 5. Sierra Ferrell Despite sweeping all her categories at the 2025 Grammy Awards, taking home four trophies for the likes of Trail of Flowers, “American Dreaming” and “Lighthouse,” it still feels like the fellow Appalachian flies under the radar of many these days. Thanks to her success at both the Grammys and the Americana Awards, the West Virginia native has become a torchbearer for Americana over the past few years. Beyond her incredible music output that flawlessly blends elements of country, folk, bluegrass, Americana and even jazz, her crossover into the mainstream has pushed both her and the genre into the public eye. Notably, she’s appeared on a plethora of different mainstream artists’ albums, including Zach Bryan’s 2023 self-titled album on “Holy Roller,” Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion on “Never Love You Again” and even on Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going on “Hail Mary.” If you loved Stu’s venture into bluegrass on the Cuttin’ Grass series, Ferrell is nothing short of a must-listen. Key Tracks: “Lighthouse,” “In Dreams,” “Fox Hunt” 6. Stephen Wilson Jr. Though casual country fans were most likely introduced to him during his stunning cover of “Stand By Me” at the 2025 CMA Awards, many fans of the independent scene have been quite familiar with Stephen Wilson Jr. over the past few years. After delivering his stellar debut on his bon aqua EP, featuring the likes of “American Gothic” and “Year to Be Young 1994,” in June of 2023, Wilson Jr. made himself known in a big way just six months later with his mammoth, 22-track debut album, Søn of Dad. Simply put, the album was nothing short of a stunner, mixing elements of country, grunge, gothic folk, rock and more. It seems a bit lazy to describe an album as one that truly doesn’t sound like anything out there today, but Søn of Dad is just that. Bringing out elements of all the aforementioned genres and subgenres, the Indiana native delivered something truly unique, packing the album full of incredible tracks such as “I’m A Song,” “Grief is Only Love,” “Billy,” the title track and more. Like Simpson, Wilson Jr. effortlessly blends a plethora of different influences and has quickly become one of the most exciting new voices in the genre. Similar to Shane Smith & the Saints and 49 Winchester, there’s a lot to love from the scientist-turned-country-star, regardless of which era of Stu is your favorite. Key Tracks: “I’m A Song,” “the devil,” “Year to Be Young 1994” 7. American Aquarium In an era filled with some of the most talented bands in the genre’s history, American Aquarium has remained one of the most underrated. For two decades now, the band’s catalog has served as a diary for frontman B.J. Barham, documenting each stage in his life and the sentiments he’s carried with an honesty and attention to detail that has made him one of the most important songwriters in country-adjacent music. Pick any record, and you’ll get a real snapshot of what Barham was experiencing at that point in time. Like Simpson, Barham and Co. aren’t afraid to go wherever they want to in terms of sonic styles and lyrical content, oftentimes on themes of politics, addiction, sobriety, grief and then some. Given that their latest release, New Ways to Lose, is arguably their best to date, I’d start there, then visit their 2012 flagship record, Burn.Flicker.Die. Key Tracks: “Losing Side of Twenty-Five,” “Favorite Hello” “Burn Flicker. Die.” 8. Ian Noe There was a time when it felt like Ian Noe was going to be the next big thing flying out of the alternative country scene. This was thanks to his phenomenal debut album, Between the Country, back in 2019. Since then, however, he’s only released one album, River Fools & Mountain Saints. With that being said, despite the lack of consistent releases over the years, Noe has remained one of the premier storytellers in the genre. If you’re a fan of narrative songs, the Kentucky native is absolutely the artist for you. Beyond his signature track, “Letter to Madeline,” which deserves all the flowers it has gained in the alt. country community over the years, he has a plethora of other tracks such as “Burning Down the Prarie,” “Dead on the River (Rolling Down)” and “Meth Head,” all of which showcase his knack for narrative storytelling. Given how stripped-back and raw his production is and how narrative-driven a lot of his songs are, his style is much more in line with Simpson’s early work. Key Tracks: “Letter to Madeline,” “Meth Head,” “Burning Down the Prairie” 9. Cody Jinks Cody Jinks is a lot of things. One part metalhead, one part Texas troubadour, the “Loud and Heavy” singer has both the depth and versatility few artists can ever dream of. Touching on themes of fatherhood, sobriety and his outlaw nature, Jinks has established himself as one of the premier artists in the country-rock scene. Though he may not have reached the heights, popularity-wise, as his contemporaries, there’s no denying that the Jinks is one of the forefathers of today’s independent country renaissance we’ve experienced the last decade, up there with Simpson himself. Key Tracks: “David,” “Hippies and Cowboys,” “Somewhere Between I Love You and I’m Leavin’” 10. Whiskey Myers It should go without saying that Whiskey Myers has been one of the forefathers of this modern southern rock renaissance we’ve seen pop up over the past few years, beginning all the way back in 2011 with their debut album, Firewater, which features their smash hit, “Broken Window Serenade” as well as other career staples such as “Ballad Of A Southern Man” and “Virginia.” Over the years, they’ve cemented themselves as one of the quintessential country-rock bands of this era with stellar records such as 2016’s Mud, their 2019 self-titled album and, most recently, 2025’s heavy-hitting Whomp Whack Thunder. Of course, this is thanks to frontman Cody Cannon’s incredible vocals and the band’s rock-first sound. Like Simpson, the East Texas band has been branching out sonically quite a bit since their debut in 2011. While they always leaned more towards southern rock, they expanded quite a bit recently with the aforementioned Whomp Whack Thunder. If you like Kentucky native’s harder, rock-leaning outings on something like SOUND & FURY, you’ll love Whiskey Myers. Key Tracks: “Broken Window Serenade,” “Stone,” “Break These Chains” The post 10 Artists You MUST Check Out If You Love Sturgill Simpson first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Yet another multi-week #1 stretch for the biggest hit of the year. If you think it’s been hard to keep up with all the headlines surrounding Ella Langley and her generational run over the past nine months, I wouldn’t even blame you at this point. After riding the highs of 2024’s Riley Green collaboration, “you look like you love me” all the way into the end of 2025, the Alabama native dropped what can only be described as a cultural phenomenon at this point with “Choosin’ Texas.” As it stands today, “Choosin’ Texas” is the longest-running #1 hit by a female country artist on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay chart simultaneously and just the seventh country song solely recorded by a woman to go #1 on the Hot 100 in the history of the chart. In case that wasn’t enough, thanks to the success of her sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week, Langley became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country song/album. Of course, Taylor Swift was the first, going #1 with Red (Taylor’s Version) and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” back in 2021. She’d make even more history back on May 18th when “Choosin’ Texas” spent its 10th week at #1 on the Hot 100 and “Be Her” held strong at #2 for a second straight week. In turn, she became the first country artist IN HISTORY to hold the Top 2 songs in the United States simultaneously for more than one week. This broke her out a tie with Morgan Wallen, who became the first country artist to do so upon the release of I’m The Problem last May, when he owned the top three songs with “What I Want,” “Just in Case” and “I’m the Problem.” After a five-week drought from the top spot, the Alabama native returned to #1 for its 11th week last Monday. In turn, she gained sole possession of the longest-leading chart-topper on the Hot 100 recorded by a woman in country music, breaking out of a tie with Debby Boone’s 1977 hit, “You Light Up My Life,” which topped the all-genre chart for 10 weeks (and peaked at #4 on the Hot Country Songs chart). This week, “Choosin’ Texas” remained at #1 for its 12th frame, extending her lead for the longest #1 hit by a woman in country music. In case that wasn’t enough, she also owns three of the Top 10 songs, with “Be Her” staying at #3 and “I Can’t Love You Anymore” with Morgan Wallen rising to #6. View this post on Instagram As for which records “Choosin’ Texas” broke this time around, it is now one of only 25 songs in the Hot 100’s 68-year history to stay at #1 for a dozen weeks or more. Even more incredibly, it’s one of only five tracks in Hot 100 history to be recorded solely by a woman, joining the likes of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “We Belong Together,” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Brandy & Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine.” The track continues its dominance on other Billboard charts as well, notching its 13th week at #1 on Streaming Songs, its 11th week on Digital Song Sales and its 30th week on Hot Country Songs, which becomes only the 4th song in country music history to spend at least 30 weeks at #1. Finally, “Choosin’ Texas” is eyeing to become Billboard’s Song of the Summer as well, notching its fifth week at #1 on the chart. If it holds at the end of August, Langley will become the second country artist in history to own the all-genre Song of the Summer, joining Morgan Wallen (“Last Night” and “I Had Some Help”). “Choosin’ Texas” The Dandelion Tour Dates 7/23/2026 Pikeville, KY Appalachian Wireless Arena (#, %) 7/24/2026 Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre (#, %) 7/25/2026 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum (#, %) 7/30/2026 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion (@, %) 7/31/2026 Canandaigua, NY CMAC (@, %) 8/13/2026 Austin, TX Moody Center (#, &) 8/14/2026 Corpus Christi, TX Hilliard Center (#, &) 8/15/2026 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena (#, &) @ Kameron Marlowe + Dylan Marlowe # Kaitlin Butts & Gabriella Rose % Laci Kaye BoothThe post Ella Langley Continues Her Dominance As “Choosin’ Texas” Spends Its 12th Week At #1 On The Billboard Hot 100 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

His first-ever acoustic album. It’s safe to say that 2025 was a pretty huge year for Parker McCollum. In addition to performing at President Donald Trump’s inaugural ball in January and co-hosting Better Together Texas and raising over $8.5 million for flood relief with Miranda Lambert in August, the Texas native dropped what he called his most personal record to date, his self-titled, fifth studio album, back on June 27th. Ultimately, the self-titled release felt like a return to form for McCollum. Though it didn’t quite have the feel of the highly lauded Limestone Kid that many were expecting, it was a record filled with a plethora of quality tracks. From the sprawling murder ballad, “My Blue,” and the Cody Johnson collaboration, “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues,” to high-energy tracks like his #1 hit, “What Kinda Man,” and “Big Sky,” he delivered a rock-solid effort. Despite there still being rumblings from fans about the album not being Limestone Kid, it was clear that McCollum was through the roof with the record upon its completion, and it ended up paying dividends for the Texas native. Back in May, he scored his first Album of the Year win at the 61st annual ACM Awards, beating out the likes of Zach Top’s Grammy-winning Ain’t In It For My Health, Morgan Wallen’s record-breaking I’m The Problem and more. View this post on Instagram The win was a huge personal testament for McCollum as it really pushed him creatively and almost broke him. McCollum previously revealed that, as he was preparing for his 2025 self-titled album, he completely lost the creative spark he had throughout his career. “I was kind of desperate. To be 100% honest, I was about to walk away about 18 months ago. I was about to hang it up completely. Man, I had just kind of lost the buzz creatively, and I had been touring nonstop since I was 22 years old. Creatively, I was like, I got nothing.” And it looks like he’s wasting no time on his next project. Taking to his Instagram story yesterday afternoon, the “Pretty Heart” singer would announce that he’s flying to Los Angeles for a four-day recording session for his next project: an acoustic album, admitting he has no idea where it’s going to go at this point. “LA bound. 4 days recording an acoustic album for you guys. No idea where this is about to go. We will find the edge.” Obviously, there is no additional information surrounding the project at this point. With that being said, however, one thing to keep in mind is the fact that he and Koe Wetzel admitted earlier in the year that they were in the studio together working on the long-awaited follow-up to “Love.” Back in March during an interview with Road Dog Texas, McCollum revealed that they spent an entire day in the studio back in January, noting they spent the entire day writing and recording. “I really want to be honest about it. We were in the studio together about four weeks ago. We spent a whole day in the studio writing and recording.” Koe would chime in, confirming they got a song out of the session before joking that they need to outdo “Love” if they want to officially release the track. “We got a song out of it, but we need to outdo ‘Love.’” Of course, this is all speculation, but God knows that the long-time friends will break the internet if another collaboration finds its way on this project. For now, however, we’ll just have to wait and see. Before you go, fire up his latest release, “Killin’ Me,” with Lee Ann Womack. Parker McCollum Tour Dates July 16 – Brandon, Mississippi – Brandon Amphitheater ~> July 17 – Orange Beach, Alabama – The Wharf Amphitheater ~> July 18 – Alpharetta, Georgia – Ameris Bank Amphitheater ~> July 24 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – Blossom Music Center z/ July 25 – Fairborn, Ohio – Wright State University – Nutter Center z/ July 29 – Morrison, Colorado – Red Rocks Amphitheater +0 July 31 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater +0 August 1 – Omaha, Nebraska – Chi Health Center Omaha +0 August 6 – Bridgeport, Connecticut – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater z/ August 8 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake z/ August 21 – Simpsonville, South Carolina – CCNB Amphitheater at Heritage Park x% August 22 – Huntsville, Alabama – The Orion Amphitheater x% September 3 – Bangor, Maine – Maine Savings Amphitheater x@ September 4 – Gilford, New Hampshire – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion x@ September 5 – Saratoga Springs, New York – Saratoga Performing Arts Center x@ September 17 – Jonesboro, Arkansas – First National Bank Arena x! September 18 – Rogers, Arkansas – Walmart Amp x! September 19 – Evansville, IN  – Ford Center x! September 24 – Stephenville, Texas – EECU Center x> September 25 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center x> September 26 – Beaumont, Texas – Doggett Ford Park x> x Max McNown ° Jake Worthington = William Beckmann > Jackson Wendell # Tyler Halverson ? Mike Ryan + Laci Kaye Booth 0 Josh Abbott Band / Kassi Ashton % Annie Bosko @ Owen Reigling ! Logan Ryan Band $ Aubrie Sellers + Gary Allan z Gabby Barrett ~ Vincent MasonThe post “No Idea Where This Is About To Go”: Parker McCollum Is Flying To LA To Record An Acoustic Album first appeared on Whiskey Riff.