Luke Bryan might have a bit of an issue being labeled as the “party guy” in country music. The artist behind songs like “Country Girl” and “That’s My Kind of Night” really took advantage of the “Bro Country” movement that took over Nashville in the early 2010s. Some of Bryan’s biggest hits came during that time, and because of that, most music fans will always think of Luke’s music when the phrase “Bro Country” is thrown around. Unfortunately for artists, that’s just how it works (and I have to point out that Luke hasn’t exactly changed up the vibes of his music since then). That being said, Luke Bryan will always be viewed as a part of the country genre’s overarching storyline. Though he doesn’t make everyone’s favorite country music, Bryan has always been a good steward of genre, which is at least partly why he was asked to join Under the Umbrellas – a video interview series that was put on by The Masters. Professional golf’s first major championship of the season went all out this year, and the media coverage surrounding the tournament seemed to be taken to the next level (the jury of golf fans is still out on whether or not that’s a good thing). One of the pieces of additional content the tournament provided outside of the golf itself was interviews under the iconic umbrellas that sit beside August National Golf Club’s club house. Luke Bryan was one of the people selected to be interviewed. The choice wasn’t out of left field. The country singer was born and raised in Georgia, so he’s got plenty of memories that involve The Masters. Bryan is also known to play golf on occasion, so those two things together were enough for the Masters to reach out and ask for an interview. During the sit down, host Kira K. Dixon asked Bryan about the similarities between the storytelling of the Masters and the storytelling that’s often presented through country music. The “Play It Again” singer appreciated the question, and when it came time for him to answer… it seemed like he had something that he wanted to get off his chest. Specifically how he got labeled as the “party guy” of country music: “With country music, you look at it’s popularity as it gets bigger and bigger year in and year out, the storytelling obviously… I think a lot of times, I get coined as the ‘party guy’ and all that, which is fun. I love having that in my repertoire. But when I look at songs that I write and have written in the past that talk about small town life, and the nuances of growing up in small town life. The ups and downs that come with that, I think country music has always told the story of the American journey. It’s just what makes country music special. You can have serious songs, heart break songs, cheating songs, the bar songs. Country music can make all that happen.” Just to be clear, it certainly seemed like Luke Bryan has some negative emotions attached to the fact that he’s just known as the party song guy in the country music world. He went on to talk about how country music as a whole does a great job telling stories, and arguably tells the story of the American journey the best. But you could certainly tell the whole “party guy” thing has stuck with him. You can see for yourself in the interview below: The post Luke Bryan Doesn’t Want To Be Known As Just The “Party Guy” In Country Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Do we really need a poll to tell us that? I thought Dolly Parton being the most beloved person in America on the planet was just common knowledge? It’s safe to say that Dolly Parton is not a partisan issue. The Queen of Country Music is loved by pretty much everyone on Earth, and that’s a fact. Most will probably feel like that statement was factual already, but now, a poll has confirmed that the “9 to 5” singer is viewed in the most favorable light by the American people. This new poll from the University of Massachusetts Lowell is mostly politically focused. It asks questions about how people would vote in elections, and whether they view political figures favorably or unfavorably. Those polled could also always go the undecided/no opinion route, or even say they weren’t familiar with certain names. And just to kind of create a baseline, the University of Massachusetts Lowell also included non-politicians in the list. Those included the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Taylor Swift, and Dolly Parton. Every person’s name was presented in the poll along with this question: “We’d like to ask you about how you feel about a number of public figures. Please let us know if overall, you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of them.” So now that you know how the poll was set up, take this however you want to… Dolly Parton was seen as 70% favorable and 5% unfavorable. 19% of those polled said they have no opinion on Dolly Parton (rude) and a shocking 6% of people said they had never heard of her. There’s a lot to unpack there. First off… how in the world do 6% of those polled have no idea who Dolly Parton is? Have they been living under a rock? Have they never heard “Jolene,” visited Dollywood, or watched her iconic Dallas Cowboys halftime show performance from a couple of years back? Second, how could you not have an opinion on Dolly? If you know who she is, and you are even remotely familiar with her music or philanthropic work, I feel like it’s impossible to not have a positive opinion about the country music icon. Yes, that’s me condemning the 5% that viewed Dolly as “unfavorable.” You all apparently have a real problem with being happy and feeling joy. All that to say…. shoutout to those who helped contribute to the 70% favorable number for Dolly. And in all honesty, it should have been really easy doing so considering the other public figures that were included in the poll. Dolly Parton has an incredible net favorability of +65 (her favorable percentage minus her unfavorable). For reference, Taylor Swift was only a +3, and President Donald Trump was a -18 (most politicians were in the negative). So in other words, in a world where those involved in politics can rarely agree on anything… the entire country can come together and undoubtedly say that Dolly Parton is a beloved public figure. Here are some of the other results from the poll, in case you were curious: Donald Trump – Favorable 36%, Unfavorable 54% Joe Biden – Favorable 32%, Unfavorable 51% Kamala Harris – Favorable 35%, Unfavorable 46% J.D. Vance – Favorable 35%, Unfavorable 45% Barack Obama – Favorable 50%, Unfavorable 36% George W. Bush – Favorable 37%, Unfavorable 32% Marco Rubio – Favorable 30%, Unfavorable 33% Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Favorable 33%, Unfavorable 38% Elon Musk – Favorable 30%, Unfavorable 46% Gavin Newsom – Favorable 24%, Unfavorable 38% Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – Favorable 29%, Unfavorable 35% Bernie Sanders – Favorable 39%, Unfavorable 33% Volodymyr Zelenskyy – Favorable 35%, Unfavorable 22% Taylor Swift – Favorable 35%, Unfavorable 32% Mark Zuckerberg – Favorable 1o%, Unfavorable 53% Yeah I mean… when you throw Dolly Parton in there amongst names like that, it’s no wonder that she got the largest “favorable” response out of the entire poll. UMass Lowell: Favorability of Public Figures Dolly Parton: (+65) Barack Obama: (+14) Volodymyr Zelenskyy: (+13) Bernie Sanders: (+6) George W. Bush: (+5) Taylor Swift: (+3)—— Marco Rubio: (-3) AOC: (-6) John Thune: (-8) Kamala Harris: (-11) JD… pic.twitter.com/l5IxQdyW8W — InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 9, 2026 The post New Poll Suggests Country Music Icon, Dolly Parton, Is The Most Beloved Person In America first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This is a performance you don’t want to miss. Two of the most underrated artists in the country music genre right now (in my humble opinion) are Stephen Wilson Jr. and Lukas Nelson. Both are incredibly talented and boast their own, uncommon sounds. Sure, Lukas Nelson’s might share similarities with the sound of his legendary father – Willie Nelson. But at the end of the day, there aren’t two artists out there that are more  than Stephen Wilson Jr. and Luke Nelson. Thus, when the two get together, it results in must-listen content. It was last summer when Lukas Nelson released his first, solo album, American Romance. On it, the son of Willie Nelson carved out his own lane, and provided a handful of hit songs that really showcased his ability to stand alone and separate from his previous backing band, Promise of the Real. The project included two features: Sierra Ferrell and Stephen Wilson Jr. Nelson and Wilson Jr. joined together on a track called “Disappearing Light,” and because Stephen has benefited from a surge in his career (stemming from his “CMA New Artist of the Year” nomination), the song is definitely worth revisiting. Especially since the pair recently performed the track together for the Tiny House Concert Series. The haunting ballad sees Lukas take a verse and chorus before handing it over to Stephen Wilson Jr. to take care of the same. The two artists then come together at the end of the song, and hearing them belt out the chorus in the studio version of the song is very moving: “The hills that feel like home are hills of heartache Build the engine just to watch the parts break Everything I know will go in time Crash to simplify the situation Burn to purify the naked lie Entropy is breaking down my patience Everything I know will go in time And, I watch A meteor go by like a highway, hallelujah Burning diesel in the sky And, I watch The fire flying by and I fear the disappearing light is mine.” And as it turns out, “Disappearing Light” is taken to a whole other level when Wilson Jr. and Nelson perform it live. The Tiny House Concert Series (filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina) recently had the two country stars stop by, and they were thrilled to be the setting for the emotional duet that Wilson Jr. and Nelson so graciously provided: “We were lucky enough to film a rare duet with Stephen Wilson Jr. and Lukas Nelson while they belted out an acoustic ‘Disappearing Light.’ You could feel the deep emotional connection they both had to the tune written by them both.” There’s no doubt that Stephen Wilson Jr. and Lukas Nelson find themselves very comfortable within the song they penned together. Call me corny if you want to, but I’d say they brought the tiny house down with this rendition of “Disappearing Light” that could have very easily filled up the biggest stadiums in the country. You can check out the stellar performance by clicking on the link below: “Disappearing Light” by Lukas Nelson & Stephen Wilson Jr. – Tiny House Concert Series The post Lukas Nelson & Stephen Wilson Jr. Deliver Captivating Acoustic Performance Of “Disappearing Light” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Speaking for all of us here. It’s hard to understate just how much of a force to be reckoned with Chris Stapleton has become throughout his music career. With 12 Grammys, 19 CMA Awards, 11 ACM Awards and a plethora of other hardware from the likes of Billboard, the Americana Music Association, ASCAP and more, the Kentucky native is arguably the biggest and most critically-acclaimed country artist this century. Among all the awards, back in January, Stapleton made history as the only artist to capture a double-diamond song from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as his cover of David Allan Coe’s “Tennessee Whiskey” officially sold over 20 million units in the U.S. Of course, there’s so much to talk about when discussing Stapleton’s career as a whole. From his iconic breakout during the 2015 CMA Awards that signaled the death of bro-country, to his laundry list of hits, to his long history as a songwriter in Nashville before his fame as a solo artist, the Chris Stapleton lore runs incredibly deep. Another artist who has run a similar, albeit much less high-profile path, would be none other than Jamey Johnson. Though Johnson has always flown under the radar and never really gotten the recognition he deserves, he’s cemented himself, like Stapleton, as one of those artists who serve to bridge the gap between the mainstream and alternative country scene. For Johnson, you see him making appearances with the likes of Riley Green, Ella Langley and Randy Houser while also teaming up with Kaitlin Butts, Marcus King, Lily Meola and more. The same goes for Stapleton , who has collaborated with seemingly everyone from Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson to Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift. It’s hard to ignore the similarities between the two, both as artists, writers and torchbearers of country music, and the “In Color” singer has nothing but respect and admiration for Stapleton. In a recent interview with the Like A Farmer podcast, Johnson was asked by host, Pat Spinosa how he felt hearing Stapleton sing for the first time. Speaking for just about everyone, the 50-year-old singer/songwriter would simply reply: “Blown away. Absolutely blown away.” Immediately after, Johnson would imply that Stapleton still doesn’t quite get the recognition he deserves for his impact on the genre over the past decade, adding that if the “White Horse” singer had 1,000 Grammys, it still wouldn’t be enough to express his influence. Additionally, the “High Cost of Living” singer would note just how intelligent he is on the business side of things and how loving of a father and husband he is. “If Chris Stapleton had a thousand Grammys, it wouldn’t be enough to express how really good he is as a singer and a songwriter and just a man. I mean, he’s a true intellectual and a hell of a businessman — but a hell of a family man. There ain’t much not to love about him.” It’s truly hard to disagree with anything Jamey said here. Though it’s slowly becoming a trend to say Stapleton is “overrated” or undeserving of all the love he’s shown at award shows such as the CMAs, ACMs and Grammys, his importance in the genre truly cannot be understated. As stated earlier, his massive night at the 2015 CMA Awards helped end one of the worst eras ever seen in the genre and helped usher in some of the greatest acts we’ve seen over the past decade. If you love the likes of Simpson, Childers, Zach Bryan, The Red Clay Strays or any other artist/group that doesn’t fit the stereotypical Nashville mold, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t be nearly as big if Stapleton didn’t force the genre to expand outside their comfort zone at the time. Watch the full podcast here: Chris Stapleton Tour Dates May 23 – Nashville, Tennessee – Nissan Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 11 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena with Allen Stone June 13 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 17 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake with Allen Stone June 20 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 24 – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hersheypark Stadium with Grace Potter June 26 – North Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Coliseum with Grace Potter July 8 – Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 10 – Chula Vista, California – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 17 – Portland, Oregon – Providence Park with Grace Potter July 22 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena with The Teskey Brothers July 24 – George, Washington – The Gorge with Grace Potter July 29 – Shakopee, Minnesota – Mystic Lake Amphitheater  with Allen Stone August 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Paycor Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 8 – Detroit, Michigan – Ford Field with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 14 – Boston, Massachusetts – Fenway Park with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 18 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater with Maggie Rose August 21 – Atlanta, Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Ashley McBryde August 26 – Wantagh, New York – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater with Carter Faith August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki LaneThe post Jamey Johnson Says He Was “Blown Away” Hearing Chris Stapleton Sing For The First Time — “Ain’t Much Not To Love About Him” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Her reign at the top continues. This week, Ella Langley is back on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas,” following the release of her highly-anticipated sophomore studio album Dandelion, which she put out on Friday. She’s been on a generational run, as the song first topped the all-genre chart on February 9th, when it first hit #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, and she became the first woman ever to triple up and score #1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Hot 100 chart simultaneously. In case you were wondering just how rare the feat was, Langley became just the seventh female artist in history to go #1 on the Hot 100 with a country song. Making even more history back on March 2nd, the “weren’t for the wind” singer would team up with Megan Moroney to become the only female country duo in history to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and 200 charts simultaneously, a feat that legends such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and many more all-time greats in the genre have never done. This was thanks to “Choosin’ Texas” spending its second week at #1 on the Hot 100 and Moroney’s junior album, Cloud 9, debuting at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. Though it was briefly dethroned by Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might” in mid-March, “Choosin’ Texas” would rebound back to #1 for two straight weeks to end the month. Spending its fourth week at the top of the Hot 100, Langley would cement herself in country music history. After tying Taylor Swift and her 2012 hit, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Langley and “Choosin’ Texas” would pass it on March 23rd to become the longest-running #1 hit on Hot 100 by a female country singer in history. And as of today, “Choosin’ Texas” is once again at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, which extends her record as the longest-running country #1 single by a woman in Hot 100 history, totaling six weeks now: View this post on Instagram Ella is such a talented artist, and she’s already off to a HOT start with Dandelion, which broke the record for biggest female album debut on Spotify this year as she racked up 17.2 MILLION streams the day it was released: ‘Dandelion’ by Ella Langley breaks the record for biggest female album debut on Spotify this year (17.2 MILLION streams). pic.twitter.com/HccONBOR4R — Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) April 11, 2026 “Be Her” also reached a new peak of #8 on the Hot 100, marking it her second Top 10 hit on the chart: “Be Her” by Ella Langley reaches a new peak of #8 (+4) on the Hot 100. It becomes her second top 10 hit. pic.twitter.com/qGt1uqiFPF — Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 13, 2026 She’s just unstoppable right now, her new album is fantastic, and if you haven’t seen the star-studded  music video for “Choosin’ Texas” yet, it stars Luke Grimes, AKA  Kayce Dutton, so needless to say, you’re missing out… “Choosin’ Texas” The post Ella Langley Extends Her Record As “Choosin’ Texas” Spends Sixth Week At The Top Of Billboard Hot 100 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.