Congrats to the Colemans. It seems as if anything that The Red Clay Strays touch lately has turned to gold. After being one of the buzziest bands in the alt. country scene over the past few years, thanks to the success of Moment of Truth and Made by These Moments, the Alabama band broke out in a big way this past November. If you’ve been paying attention to them, you know they were bound to become a mainstay after winning Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2024 Americana Awards, winning New Vocal Duo or Group at the 2025 ACM Awards and scoring a 3x platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their breakout hit, “Wondering Why,” along with a gold certification for their debut album, Moment of Truth. As previously mentioned, however, their big mainstream break happened back in November thanks to their huge night at the 59th annual CMA Awards, delivering a killer performance of their current single, “People Hatin’” and, more importantly, dethroning Old Dominion as Vocal Group of the Year en route to their first-ever CMA win. 2026 is looking to be yet another huge year for the Alabama band. With an album planned for the summer and some high-profile shows at Madison Square Garden, Boston’s TD Garden and back-to-back nights at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, it’s undoubtedly going to be a special year for the band — and it’s going to be an even more special one for frontman, Brandon Coleman. Taking to Instagram last night in a joint post with his wife, Macie, the couple would announce the birth of their daughter named Vivan. The couple, who got married on April 1, 2023, first announced that they were pregnant with their first child back on November 7th, with Macie expressing how excited and blessed she and Brandon were: “Elated and blessed beyond measure that the Lord hand picked US to be parents. We can’t wait to meet our precious little angel from above.”  View this post on Instagram In a lengthy Instagram caption, Macie would express how overwhelmed with happiness she is about Vivan’s birth, noting how helpful Brandon was during her delivery and how great of a father he has already become. I’ve tried so many times to put into words how I feel but I continue to be at a loss. I’m just so overwhelmed with love and happiness. Not to mention, pride. I have never been more proud of myself. Which come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever been ~truly~ proud of myself. Until now. I haven’t stopped feeling it since she was born. Motherhood is the greatest thing to have ever happened to me and I thank God every night for it. Labor and delivery was the most beautiful and spiritual experience of my life. And I couldn’t have done it without my honey, B. Brandon held me through every painful contraction and when it was time, he sat down in front of me and we brought our baby into the world. His hands were the first to hold her as he delivered her and brought her to my chest. Watching him become a father has made me fall in love even deeper than I thought possible. The way he’s taken care of me so that I can take care of her. His eagerness to learn every little thing so he can do it himself. (There are things I don’t even know how to work because he’s done it from day one.) He’s a natural and naturally has been wrapped from the beginning. She is so lucky to have the best daddy in the world!” Macie would then note that Vivan was born back in February, calling life with her and Brandon a “dream” and noting that she decided to make the announcement given that it was their three-year anniversary yesterday. “Today is our 3 year anniversary and yesterday we were sitting on the couch with her and Brandon asked me, ‘Is this how you imagined life would be 3 years into marriage with me?’ And I said ‘No… it’s even better. You have truly made all of my dreams come true.’ And that’s exactly what these last two months with our baby has been like. A dream. She is everything I didn’t know I needed and everything I’ve ever wanted all wrapped up into one. What an honor to experience a love so pure, unconditional, and overwhelming. To be blessed with one of God’s greatest gifts… Our very own earth angel Happy Anniversary honey, B! Nothing could ever beat spending this day with you and the very product of our love!” It’s hard to point to a more deserving family than the Colemans, and Macie delivered an absolutely tear-jerking reflection on their journey here. Congrats to the Colemans and the rest of the Red Clay Strays family. Before you go, fire up their latest release, “If I Didn’t Know You.” The Red Clay Strays Tour Dates April 19 – Georgetown, TX – Two Step Inn 2026 April 24 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach 2026 May 1 – Memphis, TN – Riverbeat Festival 2026 May 24 – Norfolk, VA – Patriotic Fest 2026 June 5 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest June 13 – Columbus, OH – Buckeye Country Superfest 2026 June 18 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino June 21 – Bloomington, IL – Tailgates N’ Tallboys June 24 – Rexford, MT – The Red Clay Strays Fan Fest June 26 – Calgary, Canada – Country Thunder Alberta 2026 July 11 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club 2026 July 17 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin 2026 July 19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days July 30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion August 1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden August 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden August 15 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair September 6 – Aspen, CO – Jazz Aspen Snowmass 2026 September 19 – Pryor, OK – Born & Raised 2026 September 26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond October 22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena October 23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena November 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena The post Red Clay Strays Frontman, Brandon Coleman, & His Wife Formally Introduce Baby Girl On Their 3rd Wedding Anniversary: “Overwhelmed With Love & Happiness” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Carrying on the legacy of bad*** country women who came before her. This morning, Ella Langley released the full tracklist for her forthcoming sophomore album Dandelion on April 10th, which will feature the already-released songs, “Choosin’ Texas,” the title track “Be Her,” and “Loving Life Again.” The tracklist also includes a duet with Miranda Lambert (who executive produced the album) called “Butterfly Season,” and Ella also has a cover on there of the classic country hit, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” The history behind this song feels so fitting in terms of Ella including a studio cut on what will very likely be a massively successful album, and it was first recorded by pioneer and icon Kitty Wells in 1952. It was written by J.D. Miller, and at the time of its original release, the song became the first Billboard country hit by a solo female artist. Ella just became only the seventh woman in history to top the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, and she also became the first woman ever to triple up and top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Hot 100 charts simultaneously. Additionally, last week, she’d dethrone Taylor Swift and officially become the first female country artist ever to spend 4+ weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. So simply from a setting records standpoint, it works, though Ella has been playing this song live here and there at shows for a while now, and I’m so excited to hear this version with the full studio treatment. Behind The Song Believe it or not, Kitty was actually reluctant to even record the song because the content was quite suggestive for the time (remember, this was in the 50s), but went ahead with it mainly because she wanted to get paid. I respect that… and it definitely seemed to work out for her because it basically launched her career and sent her into country music superstardom. As it turns out, the song was created as a response to Hank Thompson’s 1952 song “The Wild Side Of Life,” where he laments that he was cheated on by his wife… well, allegedly. In Thompson’s song, he sings: “I didn’t know God made honky tonk angels, I might have known you’d never make a wife, You gave up the only one that ever loved you, And went back to the wild side of life” The chorus in Wells’ version goes like this: “It wasn’t God who made honky-tonk angels As you said in the words of your song Too many times married men think they’re still single That has caused many a good girl to go wrong” The searing, unapologetic sass in the chorus is genius. Ladies, how many times have you felt like the crazy one in a relationship when it turns out, you were right about whatever it was the entire time? It’s usually the case I think… We’ve probably all felt like that before, and this song sums up all those feelings perfectly. If women felt like that in the ’50s, don’t hold your breathe that it will ever change… but at least it makes for really good music. But it didn’t stop with Wells in terms of iconic country music artists who have put their touch on the song, as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette teamed up for a collaborative album called Honky Tonk Angels, which of course includes a cover of the title track, where Kitty makes an appearance on Dolly, Loretta and Tammy’s version, too. Their album was released in 1993 and was apparently spearheaded by Dolly. All three of these ladies started their careers in the ’60s and were easily convinced to sign on to the project after Dolly approached them about it. I mean, who could say no to her? More importantly, why would you? Ultimately, it only produced one single for the trio, “Silver Threads and Golden Needles,” which was nominated for a Grammy award in 1995. Dolly Parton also recorded a solo version of it for her 1963 tribute album Hits Made Famous By Country Queens, which was created to honor Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. She was only 17 at the time that album was released, and it’s nearly impossible to find audio of any of the tracks from it. You can hear a short sample of it on her website, though her voice is hardly recognizable way back then when she was just a teenager. Starting with legends like Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline, and through generations of incredibly talented icons like Dolly, Tammy and Loretta, to the current generation of country stars like Ella and her executive producer Miranda Lambert, so many women have been part of making country the genre that it is, and with Ella’s career currently exploding, seeing her pay tribute to all of them on this song in particular feels incredibly fitting. It’s a classic country song in every sense, all about girl power and owning what that means, and Ella including it on an album that promises to be absolutely massive is so important in terms of honoring the legacy of this genre. She’s the real deal, and she comes from a long line of honky tonk angels who have poured their heart into song and changed the industry through their tenacity and honesty. And because of Ella, the next generation of country music fans will know it, and therefore love it, too. I wholeheartedly endorse that… Turn it up: “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”  The Kitty Wells version: Dandelion Tracklist “Froggy Went A Coutrin’ – Intro” “Dandelion” “Choosin’ Texas” “We Know Us” “Low Lights” “Be Her” “You & Me Time” “Loving Life Again” “Bottom Of Your Boots” “Speaking Terms” “I Gotta Quit” “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” “Last Call For Us” “Broken” “Somethin’ Simple” “Butterfly Season” (feat. Miranda Lambert) “Most Good Things Do – Acoustic” “Froggy Went A Coutrin’ – Outro” The post Ella Langley Honors Generations Of Country Icons With “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” Cover — The History Behind The Song first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Too old for that. Obviously every country fan has had to hear someone complain about how every country song is the same: “It’s all driving down a dirt road in your pickup truck with a girl in her cutoff jeans.” That unfortunate perception of country music was driven by the “bro-country” trend of the 2010s, which really took off after Florida Georgia Line had a massive hit with “Cruise” in 2012. That led to monster hits like “That’s My Kind of Night” by Luke Bryan, “Chillin’ It” by Cole Swindell, “Truck Yeah” by Tim McGraw, and of course, several entries from Jason Aldean like “Burnin’ It Down” and “Take A Little Ride.” Of course “bro-country” became a derisive label to dismiss that genre (and in some cases the entire era) of country music, and those songs eventually fell out of favor as country music became more songwriter driven – thanks in no small part to the meteoric rise of Chris Stapleton. Some artists were able to adapt to the changing landscape, while others struggled to keep up and tried to cling onto bro-country’s dying corpse. Jason Aldean, meanwhile, admits that he’s too old to be singing about driving through the mud in his truck these days. During an appearance on the Try That In A Small Town podcast, which is hosted by the co-writers of his #1 song by the same name, Aldean spoke about what he looks for in songs that he decides to record now that he’s two decades into his career: “I want it to be something cool. I want it to be something fun. I want it to be something that’s going to live on for a while. It’s like, I can put on an old Hank Junior record or old Alabama record, that’s like the stuff’s still cool now. 40 years later, it’s still badass. I think for us, it’s like making songs that will stand the test of time like that too, that we can always go out and play, you know, as we get older.” Aldean says that he’s not looking for the same type of songs he was recording early in his career: “When people are pitching us songs and stuff now, it’s like, you know, don’t pitch me a song about riding around in the mud with your truck. We did that when I was 28. You know what I mean? I’m like, I just turned 49.” In explaining what he’s looking for in new music these days, Aldean cites songs like “Trouble With a Heartbreak,” “Try That In A Small Town” and “Whiskey Drink” as more along the lines of songs he wants to release: “Things that just a little more meat on the bone with the lyric stuff. And too, it’s like as we get older we want to go play songs that resonate with like our fan base that’s believable. We’re not up there trying to sing these super young lyrics that kind of don’t make sense for us anymore.” Yeah, it doesn’t make sense for a 50-year-old to be singing about girls with “denim cut so high you can see the pockets” or something like that. Who would even want to do that? It’s nice that Aldean realizes he needed to move away from many of the tropes of the “bro-country” era, whether it was because he aged out of the genre or because country music itself moved away from those kinds of songs. I know he gets a lot of hate for his role in the “bro-country” debacle, but Aldean also has a lot of great songs from early in his career, songs like “The Truth,” “Why,” “Fly Over States” and even deep cuts like “Too Fast” and “Don’t Give Up On Me.” His new music is definitely trending more in that “Old Aldean” direction, and though there are still plenty of pop elements in the production that might turn off fans of more traditional country, it’s a decided and welcome improvement over songs like “Burnin’ It Down” and “Just Gettin’ Started.” The post Jason Aldean Says He’s Moved On From Songs About Riding Around In Trucks: “Did That When I Was 28” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

There are a TON of celebrity cameos in this music video, and that's just the beginning. Continue reading…

Her duet partner, her executive producer, her co-writer, her musical hero, and most importantly, her friend. Miranda Lambert is a huge part of Ella Langley’s forthcoming and very highly-anticipated sophomore album Dandelion, which she executive produced, helped write, and Ella revealed today that Miranda is also the only featured artist on the tracklist on the song “Butterfly Season.” Of course, Miranda also helped write the smash crossover hit single “Choosin’ Texas,” with Ella, Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor, and it allowed Langley to become the seventh woman in history to top the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. She also became the first woman ever to triple up and top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Hot 100 charts simultaneously. Additionally, last week, she’d dethrone Taylor Swift and officially become the first female country artist ever to spend 4+ weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. It’s been incredible to watch this song take off, and last night, Ella put out a star-studded music video which was filmed at the historic Stagecoach Ballroom in Fort Worth, Texas. The story follows the storyline in the song, as Grimes, the leading man, seems to fall back in love with an old girlfriend from Texas, played by Ava Phillippe (daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe). Miranda is also in the video, as well as Texas country favorites like Kaitlin Butts, Wade Bowen, Casey Donehew and Tanner Usrey, in addition to cameos from rodeo stars JB Mauney and Dale Brisby. And Ella had Entertainment Tonight on set to get some behind-the-scenes footage, where she spoke about how crazy it’s been to see how “Choosin’ Texas” has exploded: “This song continues to surprise me. It’s about a girl, her man is kind of in love with someone he was in love with before.” In terms of how important it’s been to have Miranda in her corner and guiding her through this explosion in her career, Ella says she has given her more advice than she would “possibly ask for,” adding specifically what it has been about: “Miranda has given me more advice than I can possibly ask for. Just be myself, make it about the music, and all else will fall in line afterwards.”  It’s simple, but it’s so true, and really, it can apply to any aspect of life and any profession. Miranda has been a mentor to so many up-and-coming artists, that aren’t so up-and-coming anymore, including Ella and Lainey Wilson, and she spoke not long ago about why it’s so important to her to help guide the next generation of female country stars. In particular, she’d explain how the generation ahead of her, including the likes of Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Jo Dee Messina, Martina McBride and others, were off doing their own thing. “I didn’t really have that. I had some great guy friends, but I came up [when] there wasn’t a lot of girls at the time. The ones that were a generation ahead of me were kinda doing their own thing, so I didn’t really have like that 3:00 a.m. meltdown call person. I wish I did, and I think it would have helped me earlier on.” She’d then go on to express how she makes it a point to build trust with younger artists, letting them know they can call on her to talk about the highs and lows of the music industry. “Nobody truly understands what it feels like unless you’ve lived it, so it means a lot to me. And then they trust me with calling me with the good, bad and ugly. I learn a lot from them. I’m learning from the girls that are just working their a** off and so inspired and so sure of who they are. It’s inspiring to me. It reminds me to stay true to that thing that I had too.” I am loving everything Miranda and Ella have done together so far, and I think they’re such a great match from a musical standpoint, and I can’t wait to hear everything they’ve cooked up on Ella’s album, especially that duet. Check it out the behind-the-scenes here: And the star-studded music video: Dandelion Tracklist “Froggy Went A Coutrin’ – Intro” “Dandelion” “Choosin’ Texas” “We Know Us” “Low Lights” “Be Her” “You & Me Time” “Loving Life Again” “Bottom Of Your Boots” “Speaking Terms” “I Gotta Quit” “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” “Last Call For Us” “Broken” “Somethin’ Simple” “Butterfly Season” (feat. Miranda Lambert) “Most Good Things Do – Acoustic” “Froggy Went A Coutrin’ – Outro” The post Ella Langley Reveals Some Of The Best Advice Miranda Lambert Has Given Her first appeared on Whiskey Riff.