The queen. Back in 2003, the Dolly Parton delivered performances of several different songs, including her hit “9 to 5,” at the A Capitol Fourth Independence Day celebration, which was a 90-minute live televised concert held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. But her performance of her classic hit “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” feels especially powerful on this Fourth of July holiday, as we celebrate 250 years of this great country. Of course, it’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a beautiful place where we celebrate freedom and all of the many types of wonderful people who make America so special, and those who have made sacrifices over the last 250 years to keep it that way. Dolly first wrote “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” in 1976 during a period of personal transition and renewed optimism, and it first appeared on her 1977 New Harvest…First Gathering album, becoming a top twenty country music hit for her as a single. As Parton has said over the years, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” was her “song of deliverance,” which was inspired by the pain from her professional break-up with longtime musical partner, the man who really gave her the first big break of her career, Porter Wagoner. Dolly of course famously left Wagoner’s band in 1974, wanting to strike out on her own as an independent artist more in the pop world, and the story goes that Wagoner responded by taking legal action, and they spent many years at odds as a result. In addition to “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” appearing on her New Harvest…First Gathering album, the song was also included on her 1992 film Straight Talk, and eventually, a third recording of the song appeared on her 2003 album, For God and Country. She spoke about how she needed to give herself a little hope the first time she wrote it, something that this country is all about… as long as we have the free United States, and the citizens who believe in it, we have hope: “I am really excited to share my brand new video for ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning.’ Now, I first wrote this song back in 1976, when I needed a little hope. This time around, I’ve invited some very special women, some real shining lights, to help me bring that hope to life again, and I can’t wait fro you to hear what e’ve created together.” Dolly recently re-released it with four other musical powerhouses joining her in Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire on the 50th anniversary of her writing the song, which was also in honor of her 80th birthday in January. She donated all net proceeds from the song and its accompanying music video to the pediatric cancer research program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, a longtime partner and cause close to Parton’s heart. For all its flaws, the United States of America remains the shining city on a hill, a place where we believe in freedom, independence and a better tomorrow for all, and there’s no great national treasure on this earth to remind us of that other than the icon herself, Mrs. Dolly Parton. Happy Fourth of July, y’all: @july4thpbs One of the most beloved and influential figures in American music, Dolly Parton brought a message of pure hope and optimism to the 2003 A Capitol Fourth with her performance of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” #ACapitolFourth #July4thPBS #DollyParton ♬ original sound – A Capitol Fourth “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” The post Dolly Parton’s 2003 Fourth Of July Performance Of “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning” Is The Perfect Thing To Watch On America’s 250th Birthday first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The country stars were at Madison Square Garden in New York City yesterday for the wedding between pop superstar Taylor Swift and her now-husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Permits filed with the city for street closures from July 2-4 reveal that the couple expect to host around 1,000 guests at the event, there were tons of celebrities spotted on their way to the venue, and leaving after the festivities yesterday, and it was previously reported that the wedding will feature performances from Tim McGraw (I assume his wife Faith Hill will also be there, as they’ve known Taylor forever now), and Stevie Nicks, which remains to be confirmed. Considering Taylor’s country roots, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that there were quite a few country star on-hand to help celebrate the couple, including Miranda Lambert, the members of Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Brad Paisley and I have to imagine Kane Brown and certainly Kenny Chesney were there too, though we haven’t seen any photos of them yet. Of course, Taylor has worked with most of them before seeing as she got her start in the country genre, and she and Miranda go pretty far back, and have even shared the stage before. They performed together in Greensboro, North Carolina in October of 2015 during a stop on Swift’s 1989 World Tour, where she brought Lambert out as a surprise special guest to duet Miranda’s hit song, “Little Red Wagon.” And Miranda is giving the Swiftie’s what they want, sharing several photos from yesterday, and I’m not sure exactly where they were taken, though I have to imagine this was probably at their hotel before they actually got there… there’s no way those NDS’s are that lenient, considering Swift herself, or any high-brow magazine, have shared any pictures from the wedding. But Miranda looked stunning next to her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, as she wore a gorgeous black, long dress with some beautiful detailing on the bodice and neckline. She shared the photos with the caption: “NYC. Congrats Taylor and Travis.” For now, that’s the only kinds of photos I’ve seen (aside from paparazzi shots of guests coming and going), though I’m sure there will be a ton of press with photos and videos soon enough… there were tons of celebrities there, I don’t think they were allowed to have their phones, though, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of photos eventually get shared and like I said, I have no doubt that’s all coming very soon. You can check out Miranda’s photos here: View this post on Instagram Maren Morris also shared photos with Kelsea Ballerini of their wedding looks: View this post on Instagram The post Miranda Lambert Shares Some Behind-The-Scenes Pictures From Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Wedding first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Morgan Wallen has made a big mark on country music! Continue reading…

Court records and Summer Pardi's recent social media posts provide a clearer picture of the events leading up to the public announcement of her divorce from Jon Pardi. Continue reading…

More details about the separation. Just weeks after the country music world was rocked by one of the highest-profile divorces in recent memory, with Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo announcing their split after 10 years, Jon Pardi has just announced he will be divorcing his wife, Summer. Taking to Instagram in a joint post, Jon and Summer announced that they will be ending their marriage: “After much thought, we have made the difficult decision to end our marriage. Our daughters will always remain our highest priority and we are committed to moving forward with love and respect as co-parents.  Thank you for your understanding, support, and respect as we navigate these changes as a family.” View this post on Instagram In the wake of the news, Jon announced on his Instagram story that he will be continuing his current stretch of shows throughout the summer. However, he explained that he will be taking a break from social media to better focus on himself and his family as he enters a new chapter of his life: “While I navigate this next chapter, I’m going to take some time away social media to focus on myself and my family. Thanks to you all for the love and support. My team will handle posting for the time being. I’ll see you at the shows.” The couple has been together since 2017, something Jon himself called “love at first sight.” Two years later, the two got engaged on the stage at Ryman Auditorium back in 2019. On November 21, 2020, they would marry at Saddle Woods Farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Since then, as alluded to in the post, they have had two daughters, Presley Fawn, who is three, and Sienna Grace, who will be turning two this month. Throughout the years, Summer has starred in a plethora of music videos alongside the “Dirt On My Boots” singer, including “Heartache Medication” and, most recently, “Boots Off” earlier in the year. There’s been a ton of speculation about the couple on social media over the past couple months, after internet sleuths picked up on the separation back in May based on the couple’s posts. And as it turns out, they were right. The divorce complaint, which was obtained and reviewed by Whiskey Riff, was filed by Summer back on May 12, 2026, and lists the date of separation as May 11, the day before she officially filed. In the complaint, Summer cites irreconcilable differences as the grounds for divorce, which is basically a no-fault grounds in Tennessee that allows the court to grant a divorce without assigning blame when both parties agree to the separation. And she also requests that the court grant her primary custody of their two children: “Wife would show that she is a fit and proper person to be designated as the primary residential parent of the parties’ minor children. The best interests and welfare of the minor children will be served by designating the Wife as the primary residential parent.” And she also requests that the court order her husband to pay spousal support – more commonly known as alimony: “Wife would show that she is in need of spousal support, including but not limited to pendente lite and permanent, and Husband has the ability to pay.” (Pendente lite spousal support means that she’s requesting the court enter an order granting her alimony while the litigation is pending – i.e. she’s asking that he be ordered to pay her before the divorce is actually granted). Summer Pardi is represented by Rose Palermo, the “divorce attorney to the stars” who is also representing Jelly Roll in his divorce, and has represented other high profile clients like Kelsea Ballerini, Kristin Cavallari, Conway Twitty, Wynonna Judd, and many, many more in their divorces. Jon Pardi has not yet filed a response to the divorce complaint. The joint statement issued by the couple makes it sound like the separation is amicable, but we’ll just have to wait and see whether they’re able to reach a marital dissolution agreement to end their marriage or whether the case ends up in nasty litigation.The post Summer Pardi Requests Primary Custody, Spousal Support From Husband Jon Pardi In Divorce Complaint first appeared on Whiskey Riff.