A recent historian said that a line from the Declaration of Independence is the most important sentence in history. Well, certainly that sentence is exceedingly important, but I agree with those who counter-argue, “No, actually John 3:16 is the most important sentence in history.” Meanwhile, the great statement in the Declaration is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all …

Stacked with some Texas staples. Just two weeks after RodeoHouston dropped their monster 2026 lineup featuring the likes of Chris Stapleton, The Red Clay Strays, Cody Johnson, Cross Canadian Ragweed and many, many more, Texas’ other major rodeo event, Rodeo Austin, is looking to one-up their Lone Star companion. After hosting the likes of Charley Crockett, Ella Langley, Braxton Keith, Randy Rogers Band, Tracy Lawrence and more in 2025, it’s pretty safe to say that the Austin Rodeo has outdone themselves with the release of their 2026 lineup. Unlike RodeoHouston, which is calling on major stars with roots across the country, it’s pretty clear that Rodeo Austin is trying to keep their lineup as Texas-centric as possible. Calling on some of the best of the best flying out of the state recently, Flatland Cavalry, Shane Smith and the Saints, William Clark Green, Randall King, Hudson Westbrook, Aaron Watson and Eli Young Band will all be making appearances. It doesn’t just stop at Texas artists, however. In addition, Rodeo Austin is calling upon the likes of Virginia’s best, 49 Winchester, as well as Oklahoma’s Wyatt Flores, two of the best acts flying out of the Red Dirt scene today. In case Red Dirt isn’t quite your style and you’re looking for some classic artists from both 70s, 80s and 90s, some stellar legacy artists such as Diamond Rio, Clint Black, Tanya Tucker are also set to perform throughout the sprawling 16-day event. Finally, Latin groups, La Original Banda El Limon and Los Invasores De Nuevo Leon, Christian singer, Anne Wilson, and Midland round Rodeo Austin’s stacked 2026 lineup. View this post on Instagram This year, Rodeo Austin will run each and every day from Friday, March 13th, which kicks off with Eli Young Band, to Saturday, March 28th with Aaron Watson set to close the event’s final day. Once again, the event will be held in the Travis County Expo Center and its fairgrounds. Though the music lineup is quite clearly stacked, this is a rodeo we’re talking about. Though March 13th kicks things off with an Xtreme Bull Riding event before Eli Young Band takes the stage, the following 15 days of Rodeo Austin will feature 2 hours of ProRodeo action at 7:00 p.m. (3:30 p.m. on Sundays) before each concert is held. In addition to the rodeo action and concerts, there’s plenty to do before all the action kicks off in the evening. Throughout the day, there will be carnival attractions along the fairgrounds, livestock shows, shopping from local vendors and much more. Individual tickets for all 16 concerts/ProRodeo events go on sale this Friday, January 23rd at 10:00 a.m. with generally ranging from $30-65, according to the Rodeo Austin’s website. With affordable tickets each day and a stacked lineup, you won’t want to wait to grab passes for your favorite artists. Full Lineup Friday, March 13 – Eli Young Band Saturday, March 14 – 49 Winchester Sunday, March 15 – La Original Banda El Limon Monday, March 16 – Hudson Westbrook Tuesday, March 17 – Shane Smith and the Saints Wednesday, March 18 – Midland Thursday, March 19 – Anne Wilson Friday, March 20 – William Clark Green Saturday, March 21 – Randall King Sunday, March 22 – Los Invasores De Nuevo Leon Monday, March 23 – Diamond Rio Tuesday, March 24 – Clint Black Wednesday, March 25 – Wyatt Flores Thursday, March 26 – Flatland Cavalry Friday, March 27 – Tanya Tucker Saturday, March 28 – Aaron WatsonThe post Rodeo Austin Announces Stacked 2026 Lineup Featuring Shane Smith & The Saints, Flatland Cavalry, & Many More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

If you “hate country music,” then you’re probably listening to the wrong kind of country music… Luke Combs is gearing up to put out his first new album in nearly two years, The Way I Am, in March, and it’s been incredible to watch his journey from playing crappy bars in his college town to becoming one of the premiere mainstream artists in country music. He’s a global star at this point who can sell out venues all over the world, and earlier this week, he reflected on He recently shared a throwback photo from his first ever show in 2012, and in many ways, it looks like the same Luke Combs the world now knows and loves, but obviously the venues he’s in now are much bigger, but it all started right here: “My first ever show was 14 years ago tomorrow at Parthenon Cafe in Boone, NC. It doesn’t seem that long ago but I guess time flies when you’re having fun!” Luke previously spoke about playing his first show there during an appearance on the Dale Jr. Download in 2024, saying: “The owner of Parthenon was awesome, he was a total wildcard, just kind of whatever… just whatever happens he was down with. And I asked him the next week, ‘Hey man, can I play a gig here?’ He was like ‘Yeah, whatever, just go over to the calendar and put it on there.’ Like that was how my first show happened, you know? I wish it was that easy to book shows the rest of the time after that.” He picked a date, the owner charged $1 cover and gave Luke some free and he wound up borrowing a guitar and some other equipment from  some friends. 200 people came to the show, where he played mostly country covers, and Luke made $200 during first show. The rest, as they say, is history, and Combs’ first few projects he self released were his 2014 EP The Way She Rides, which includes songs in the title track, “I Know She Ain’t Ready” and “Let the Moonshine.” I still think “I Know She Ain’t Ready” is one of his best songs, but I digress… View this post on Instagram Even though Luke didn’t really pick up a guitar and get serious about playing music until he was in college, he’s always had a love for country music and during an interview with Willie Geist on Today at City Winery in Nashville earlier this week, Combs opened up about his love for the genre that he’s had all of his life. And he touched on the fact that, as a kid, he remembered people always saying that they like “anything but country,” and I’m sure we’ve all had similar interactions… he went onto explain that he could never figure that out, likening it to someone saying they don’t like bread, which truly does sound completely insane. As he points out, there are so many different kinds of bread, as there are many styles and types of country music, and if you give all of those different kinds a real chance, you’re bound to discover something you really love: “You know, I remember growing up as a kid, you would ask somebody, what kind of music do you like? Well, I like anything but country, was like the answer people would say. That always blew my mind a little bit, where I’m like, man, saying you don’t like country music is like saying you don’t like bread. There’s so many kinds of bread, like, what are you talking about? Even if you don’t like this kind, you might like that kind. Have you tried the cheese kind? It’s really good.” I couldn’t have said it better myself… Despite being more popular than ever, country tends to get a bad rap in the mainstream world of music. People view it as “dumb, redneck music,” or even “white, racist music” thanks to narratives from the liberal media and people like Maren Morris, but the bro country era certainly didn’t help people view it in terms of quality music. That being said, it is getting much better thanks to guys like Luke, and I’m definitely going to steal that analogy from him because if there’s two things in this life, it’s carbs and country music. The full interview with Luke for NBC’s Sunday Today will be out this weekend, and in the meantime, you can check out some of the pre-released songs from his new album below. “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates March 21 Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV April 4 Scott Stadium – Charlottesville, VA April 11 Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, IA April 18 Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN April 25 Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH May 2 Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN May 9 Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Norman, OK May 15 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 16 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UKThe post “That Always Blew My Mind”: Luke Combs Has Never Understood The “Anything But Country” Crowd first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Pulling out all the stops. Against all odds, it seems like one of the biggest trends in country music heading into 2026 is none other than the continued crossover into Christian music. While, of course, it’s not like the genre isn’t steeped in religious themes, highlighted primarily by the plethora of Gospel albums we’ve received throughout the years from the likes of Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton and many, many more, 2025 seemingly kicked it up a notch in terms of contemporary Christian music. This was put on full display thanks to the monster success of Christian superstar Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll’s 2024 smash hit, “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” which not only claimed a #1 on both of Billboard’s religious charts, Hot Christian and Christian Airplay, but also was crowned the #1 Christian song of 2025 by Billboard. As time passes, it seems like that wasn’t a one-off venture for Lake in the slightest. As we all know by now, after a few months of fan-speculation and teasing, the “Gratitude” singer finally dropped the highly-anticipated re-release of “When A Cowboy Prays” featuring none other than Cody Johnson. If you’ve been paying attention to Lake, ever since the success of his collaboration with Jelly Roll, he’s been slowly moving closer to a full-blown Christian-Country crossover project. The Christian superstar has not only teased a brand-new song co-written with reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson back in early November, but he also hinted to even more crossovers into country music after his big night at the ASCAP Awards last month, which crowned him Christian Music Songwriter of the Year and Christian Music Song of the Year (“Hard Fought Hallelujah”). “Christian x Country Collision incoming 2026. To God be the glory!” Judging by his Instagram post today, it not only looks like we’re getting a full-blown country project sooner rather than later, but it also looks like he’s calling on some of the biggest stars in the mainstream as well. Minutes ago, Lake would upload a reel showing the likes of Lainey Wilson, HARDY, Thomas Rhett, Bailey Zimmerman and more working on his latest country project. After showing various clips of all the artists recording, writing and laughing together, the video ends with a simple, “To be continued…” View this post on Instagram In the caption, Lake would dive into greater detail about the project as a whole. Noting that he felt a calling from God to work with some of the biggest artists in the genre today, he’d reveal that, in total, he hosted over 25 artists and songwriters in the genre along with some of his closest friends in the Christian scene. During the five day retreat, the group recorded over 25 songs: “God put a dream in my heart to start loving on and encouraging those leading in the country music space, and shortly after He just started flinging wide the doors. So the other week my team and I had the honor of hosting over 25 of the best Country Music artists and songwriters along with some of my closest friends in the faith based music space. I knew we’d get something special but I never would’ve thought we’d get over 43+ songs in 5 days” Towards the back half of the caption, the 35-year-old singer/songwriter would admit he doesn’t exactly know where this chapter is going to lead him, but he’s incredibly grateful to work with everyone in the country community. “IDK what this next chapter looks like BUT I know it’s gonna be special cause it was birthed from genuine love and friendship. Praying God continues to allow me to love this community that’s blessed me so much and if He’s willing allow me to contribute a lil something of my own. Thank you to everyone who poured out your heart and poured into me over those special 5 days. God bless Country & Christian Music!” If you check the tagged accounts on the post, along with Wilson, HARDY, Rhett and Zimmerman, Dan + Shay and Russell Dickerson are also included in the project. Additionally, Christian artist, Benjamin William Hastings, is also tagged As for songwriters, Trannie Anderson (of the Heart Wranglers), as well as frequent collaborators with Lake, Micah Nichols (producer of “Hard Fought Hallelujah”), Hank Bentley (co-writer of “When A Cowboy Prays”) and Jacob Sooter (co-writer of “Daddy’s DNA”), are also tagged in the post and set to contribute to the album. As of now, there is no further information surrounding a potential release date for the project. With that being said, however, it’s incredibly safe to assume that it will be out at some point in 2026. Before you go, fire up his recent collaboration with Cody Johnson, “When A Cowboy Prays.” The post “God Bless Country & Christian Music”: Brandon Lake Teases Massive Country Project Featuring Lainey Wilson, HARDY, & Many More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Making history…again. Taylor Swift has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, making her the current youngest member of the exclusive club and the second youngest to ever be inducted. The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by Johnny Mercer, a songwriter and co-founder of Capitol Records, Abe Olman, a songwriter and director of ASCAP, and Howie Richmond, a publisher and music industry executive. According to the Hall of Fame, their mission is “to honor and preserve the contributions and legacies of songwriters of all genres of music, while continuing to cultivate and to encourage the growth of promising writers.” Over the years, the Hall has inducted legendary songwriters from all genres, including many in the country space like Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Garth Brooks, and inaugural members Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers. Last year’s class also included country hitmaker Ashley Gorley, who’s written hits for many “bro-country” artists like Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and many others. And among the legends from other genres who have been recognized are greats like Billy Joel, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Don Henley and Tom Petty. This year’s class was unveiled on Wednesday, and includes Swift, Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, Terry Britten & Graham Lyle, and Walter Afanasieff. Songwriters are eligible for the Hall of Fame 20 years after the first commercial release of a song, meaning 2026 is the first year Swift was eligible with the release of her debut single “Tim McGraw” coming in 2006, when she was only 16 years old. Since then she’s obviously gone on to sell billions of records, win 14 Grammy awards, and become one the best selling artists in history. At 36 years old, Swift becomes the youngest member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well as the second youngest ever inducted behind only Stevie Wonder, who was only 32 years old he was inducted in 1983 at the age of 32. (His first album The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie was released in 1962, when Stevie was only 12 years old). For consideration of her nomination, Swift submitted her singles “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” “Blank Space,” “Anti-Hero,” “Love Story,” and “The Last Great American Dynasty.” Speaking on this year’s class, Songwriter Hall of Fame Chairman Nile Rodgers praised the wide variety of genres that are represented in their music: “The music industry is built upon the incredible talent of songwriters who create unforgettable songs. Without their artistry, there would be no recorded music, concert experiences, or engaged fans. Everything originates from the song and its creator. We take great pride in our ongoing commitment to recognizing some of the most culturally significant composers in history. This year’s lineup not only showcases iconic songs but also celebrates unity across various genres. These songwriters have profoundly impacted the lives of billions of listeners worldwide, and it is our privilege to honor their contributions.” A ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City to formally induct the 2026 class. (Sorry Swifties, it’s not open to the public).The post Taylor Swift Becomes The Second-Youngest Ever To Be Inducted Into Songwriters Hall Of Fame first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A career-defining song. On this date in 2006, Carrie Underwood was at #1 on the Billboard Country charts for the first of six weeks with her hit song, “Jesus, Take The Wheel.” It was written by the late Brett James along with Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, and Carrie included it as the lead single from her debut album Some Hearts in 2005. It quickly became a hit, starting off a run of her record-setting 15 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, spending six weeks at the top spot. “Jesus, Take The Wheel” was also a crossover success, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart and charting on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also became a top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I think many look at it as Carrie’s signature song, which has sold over 2.7 million copies in the United States as of February 2016 and has been certified three-times Platinum by the RIAA. In addition to the major chart success, Carrie won multiple awards with it, including the Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, and it won Single of the Year at the 2005 Academy of Country Music Awards, and I think many country music fans still view it as a timeless classic. It tells the story who is a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, who ends up losing control of her car on the way to visit her parents in Cincinnati on Christmas Eve with a baby in the backseat, and she ultimately surrenders her life to Jesus in many aspects, including this moments with the car. It’s an incredibly powerful song that tells a beautiful story, so you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’s one of Carrie’s favorites, too. She told Entertainment Weekly in 2012 that this is the song for which she’d like to be remembered above all of her other hits like “Before He Cheats” or “Good Girl,” because of the meaning behind it: “I would pick an important one. Not ‘Before He Cheats’ or ‘Good Girl,’ none of that. Something that somebody can hear and it would make them feel better or help them through an important time or a tough time in their life.” She says it still serves as a reminder to her to “let Jesus handle” every aspect of her life, and of course, it’s a timeless message: “I just love that songs so much. I’ll come offstage, and I’ll text my band, like, ‘I felt Jesus in that room tonight.’ It’s just a constant reminder of how I need to do more of that in my life. Because I feel like, you know, my whole life is always, not worrying, but I stress myself out about things. And a lot of time, it’s because I want to do a good job at things. So I’m always thinking ahead, I’m always thinking about writing, and what the next thing is, what the next project is, and that’s a great reminder to me constantly to just stop worrying. The doors are going to open, the opportunities are going to come, keep your eyes and ears open and just let Jesus handle it.” Amen to that, Carrie. It’s impossible to overstate just how big this song was for Carrie’s career, and if there’s any sort of message or story that you would want to define your career as an artist, this is certainly it. @findingyourfaith Carrie Underwood shares the meaning behind her hit song Jesus Take The Wheel FOLLOW for more daily faith inspiration! (Interview with The Ty Bentli Show) // #faith #faithoverfear #Godisgood #Jesussaves #ChristianTikTok #FYP ♬ Instrumental – Vibe – pedrin cria Going to have this stuck in my head for the rest of the day now, and I’m more than okay with it… “Jesus, Take The Wheel” The post “Just Let Jesus Handle It”: Carrie Underwood Says “Jesus, Take The Wheel” Still Serves As A Constant Reminder In Every Aspect Of Her Life first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Morgan Wallen was back in Iowa at the end of 2025 to get himself another big buck. If this story feels a little deja-vu-ish, that’s because the country star behind hits like “Last Night” and “I Had Some Help” actually kicked off last year with a successful hunt in Iowa. The country music star was accompanied by accomplished hunter and outdoors personality Mark Drury, and his hunt was captured on video and shared through his Drury Outdoors social media page and YouTube channel. That’s linked at the very end of this story, in case you wanted to check it out. This latest hunt, however, does not have a video attached with it (not yet). The only reason the public knows that Morgan Wallen got himself another sizable white-tail in Iowa is because of a post from Drury Outdoors. It was yesterday when the popular hunting page shared photos of the country star holding up the antlers of an impressive 8-pointer, and said this: “An 8 that took our breath away. We had a great time in Iowa closing out a wonderful season. Congratulations Morgan Wallen on an amazing Iowa whitetail. I appreciate your deep love for all things outdoors. It’s always a pleasure to share camp with you, my friend.” You can tell this is an entirely different hunt because of a) the deer Wallen is showing off is an 8-pointer and smaller than the one he got to kick off 2025 and b) his kill earlier in the year was in the early afternoon, and these photos make it look like it was an afternoon-into-dusk hunt. Considering the time stamp on that trail cam shot (12/24/25), and Iowa’s “Nonresident Holiday” period of deer season, it’s safe to assume that Morgan Wallen brought down that trophy buck in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Everyone always talks about how that’s a weird, unproductive week. Not for Morgan Wallen though. The country music star evidently loves the company of the Drury Outdoors crew. He often goes out to them when he’s wanting to turkey hunt or track down a big deer. And it’s a win-win-win for everybody really. Morgan Wallen usually doesn’t go home empty handed, the outdoors and sporting goods company gets to hang out with one of the biggest stars on the planet, and then fans of Wallen typically get to see how their favorite country star handles the hunt. Knowing how Drury Outdoors usually handles things, we should get a video that recaps the hunt at some point in the near future. Until that one comes out though, you can check out this video that actually detailed a deer hunting venture in Iowa at the beginning of 2025. So Morgan Wallen opened and closed the year with downing a big buck? That sounds like every hunter’s dream scenario, and the country music star got to live out that dream with some help from Drury Outdoors. Part of being a good hunter is knowing where the hunting is good, and Morgan Wallen has certainly figured out where to go to kill monster bucks: The post Morgan Wallen Closes Out Deer Season With A Beautiful 8-Point Iowa Whitetail first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of the greatest country songs of all time. “Miami, My Amy” was a breakout hit for Keith Whitley, the second single from his debut album L.A. to Miami and one that’s still going viral on TikTok and now being sampled by other country artists today. But Keith may not have even recorded the song if he didn’t have his eye on a particular pair of boots. The song remains one of his most popular hits even 36 years after his untimely death on May 9, 1989, and tells the story of a man from California who flies to Miami and while he’s there, meets the love of his life: “Well, everybody talks about the California quakes But the first time I ever felt the earth shake Was in Miami When Amy touched me Aw, it shook me I told her I loved her and I wanted to stay But she said, “Be sure, and I’ll call you in L.A.” Even in the taxi I could hear my telephone ring Calling me from Miami My Amy What took you so long I thought you’d never call Miami, my Amy Miami, my Amy loved me after all” The song was written by Hank Cochran, Dean Dillon and Royce Porter, and as it turns out, it was somewhat of a true story. A few years ago, Cochran revealed to American Songwriter that “Miami, My Amy” was inspired by an experience his son had while visiting him in Florida: “Dean Dillon and I were on my boat in Florida. Dean and I would go and sit on a boat in Palm Beach. My son came to see us. My wife introduced my son, Donny, to a good-looking young woman.” Apparently his son was so smitten with the woman, whose name was (you guessed it – Amy) that he was questioning whether he should even return home to California: “Donny had to go back to California. He asked if he should stay with that girl. I told him I didn’t know. I could look at him and see myself at that young age. Her name was Amy.” Now, a little note on this: Cochran had three sons, including Garland Perry Cochran, Jr. (also known as Hank Jr.), James Lee Cochran, and Daniel Cochran. It’s not clear whether he actually was referring to his son “Danny,” or whether he called one of his sons “Donny.” But either way, I wasn’t able to find any information on whether Cochran’s son ended up with “Amy after all.” It doesn’t really matter though, because the idea for the song was born: “I told Dean, “Did you see the way Donny feels about that girl? What do you think about putting it together in a song. A ‘Miami, My Amy’ loves me after all kind of song.” We wrote it.” Now that the song was written, though, it was time to find an artist to record it, so Cochran took it to his friend Keith Whitley. As it turns out, Keith had already had his eye on a particular pair of boots that Cochran had been given: “A friend of mine in Oklahoma made me a nice pair of boots. Keith told me he loved my boots.” Cochran told him that if he managed to get one of the songs he had written to #1, he could have the boots – and suggested that “Miami, My Amy” might be the song to do it: “I told Keith Whitley, “Give me a number one song and I’ll give them to you.” He tried them on and they fit perfectly. I told him we may have that song right here for your new boots and we sang it to him. He recorded it. Keith got a new pair of boots a little while later when that song went up to No. 1 on the charts. It knocked me out as he and I were great friends. It really got to me when he passed.” Of course, as with any legend in country music, the facts can get a little blurry as the years pass. “Miami, My Amy” only reached #14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, but it turned out to be the breakthrough hit for Keith Whitley, launching a career that would give us one of the greatest country artists of all time. (I only say “one of” because I know people have strong opinions on the topic, but my opinion is that he’s THE greatest country artist of all time). The song got a new life with a whole new generation when it went viral on TikTok a couple years ago, and last year Morgan Wallen even recorded his own interpretation of the song when he sampled it on his rap-inspired track “Miami.” Seems like it was worth the pair of boots. The post How A Pair Of Boots Convinced Keith Whitley To Record “Miami, My Amy” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A criminal illegal used his vehicle as a weapon at a federal CPB agent in Los Angeles, California and the agent was forced to fire defensive rounds at the illegal. The criminal . . .

President Trump just made a big announcement regarding his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and his plan to acquire Greenland. In short, they’ve agreed to a framework on Greenland and . . .