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Beyoncé debuted the title and artwork for her upcoming country music album, bringing joy to her legion of fans on social media.On Tuesday (March 12), Beyoncé revealed the name of her highly anticipated album project, Cowboy Carter on her website. The site’s homepage features a photo of a horse saddle with burnished silver, with a red, white, and blue sash draped over it with Cowboy Carter emblazoned on the sash. The country music album is the “Act II” of her Renaissance album from 2022.
The superstar is already seeing the demand for the album grow by the day, fueled by the release of two singles from the album – “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em”. “Texas Hold Em” is currently leading on the Hot 100 charts and made Beyoncé the first Black woman to have a single debut at number one on the country music charts. Even adding more fuel to the frenzy was a recent statement by country music legend Dolly Parton about her iconic hit “Jolene”. “Well, I think she has! I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that,” Parton said to Knox News, adding: “I love her! She’s a beautiful girl and a great singer.” She also defended her against critics, saying: I think we belong wherever we can do good, and her song is number one across every chart in the whole world, I think. So, I mean, who can argue with that?”
The website’s merchandise section also featured a series of limited edition CDs with alternative cover photos that showed half of Beyoncé’s face, and four vinyl variant releases in black, red, white, and blue. A box set edition boasts a bonus track and t-shirts with the album title design on its chest. The news got her legion of fans known as the BeyHive in a frenzy, especially on social media platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter. Cowboy Carter will be officially released on March 29.
We’ve gathered together some of the more striking responses to the album title below.
1. Strong Black Lead
2. TV_Jessica
3. Brock Lee Florets
4. Bounce To The Next
6. Brandon B
7. Beythoven
8. Chef Brigette
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Beyoncé may not be what some country music fans are used to witnessing within the genre, but it is clear that she is coming to show and prove that she belongs in the arena. The Houston superstar saw her new single “Texas Hold ‘Em” reach No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart and it appears she’s made history along the way.
Beyoncé became the first Black woman to ever go No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” a single from her upcoming album, tentatively titled Act II which will be a followup to 2022’s Act I: Renaissance. Along with the Hot Country Songs honors, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and another Act II single, “16 Carriages,” debuted at No. 2 and No. 38 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.
Viewers of Super Bowl LVIII were treated to the announcement of the singles and musical direction of Queen Bey by way of a Verizon commercial, so many knew what to expect. However, the shift in sound is evidently a welcome one and part of a growing trend in country music of Black creators getting their shine within a space that normally was not one many felt included in.
Adding to this, Beyoncé going No. 1 with “Texas Hold ‘Em” places her in rare air as she once sat at the top of seven of Billboard’s song charts in the soloist capacity which include Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Further, Beyoncé made history yet again by becoming the first woman to top the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, joining the likes of Justin Bieber, Ray Charles, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Morgan Wallen.
Act II is slated for a March 29 release.
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A country radio station in Oklahoma is finding out exactly why you don’t play with the Bey Hive after going viral for refusing to play Beyonce’s new country release, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
The backlash occurred after a fan took to social media to share the response from SCORE following his online request to radio station KYKC, which read: “We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station.” The small country music station in Ada, Oklahoma received an onslaught of complaints for the refusal to play Beyoncé’s debut tracks from Act II and was forced to change its tune fans called out the station for playing a role in keeping Black artists excluded from the genre.
KYKC-FM confirmed that they added the song to its country playlist, noting that it was also included in the playlists of two other stations it oversees, KCFC-FM and KADA-FM.
Roger Harris, a general manager for South Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises, stated that the reply was a “standard reply” since KYKC doesn’t [usually] play her music — noting that two of its other stations do. In addition, Harris said KYKC wasn’t aware of the two new country songs and didn’t “even have the song” at the time of backlash, but after emails, calls, and more requests flooded the station about the song, Harris said they made an effort to track it down, listened to it, and agreed that it sounded “country.”
“While Beyonce’ has long been prominent on our playlists for SCORE radio stations KADA and KXFC, she has not been traditionally considered a country music artist,” Harris wrote. “While we were briefly unaware of the rapid success of her recently released country music offerings, her new country music offerings were added to our KYKC playlist this morning.”
Beyoncé isn’t the first artist with an R&B, Hip-Hop, and Pop background to step into country music. Back in 2019, Lil Nas X’s viral hit “Old Town Road” was disqualified from the Billboard country charts for “not embracing enough elements of today’s country music”, despite going on to make history as the highest-certified song in history.
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The iconic singer Tracy Chapman appeared at the Grammy Awards to perform her hit song “Fast Car” with Luke Combs, moving the crowd to a standing ovation.
On Sunday night (Feb. 4), the 66th Grammy Awards began with a duet performance by singer and songwriter Tracy Chapman and country star Luke Combs of Chapman’s now-iconic song “Fast Car.” Dressed in an elegant black shirt and slacks with her silver locs tied behind her, Chapman played the memorable first bars on her guitar singing the first verse as the crowd cheered.
Combs joined in, singing the second verse. They went back and forth singing and joined in on the chorus, leading the star-studded audience to deliver a rapturous standing ovation as the song ended with Combs bowing to Chapman. “The legendary Tracy Chapman, everybody,” host Trevor Noah said at the end, overjoyed. “Thank you so much for that! Thank you so much for that.” Oprah Winfrey could be seen jumping up and down in excitement in the audience, with Taylor Swift and Kasey Musgraves also expressing their joy during the ovation.
The 59-year-old singer’s return to the Grammy stage in 35 years was propelled by Combs’ faithful cover of “Fast Car” last year on his Gettin’ Old album. It captivated the public, obtaining the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance at this year’s Grammys in addition to winning the Country Music Award for Song of the Year last year – making Chapman the first Black songwriter to get that honor. “It’s truly an honor for my song to be newly recognized after 35 years of its debut,” she said in a statement at the time. The duet thrilled many at home watching as well, inducing fans to push the song to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart shortly after the performance aired.
The appearance was also the anniversary of Tracy Chapman’s debut at the Grammy Awards in 1989, a year after her self-titled debut featuring “Fast Car.” She would win Best Female Pop Vocalist that night, where she also performed before the audience. Before that, Chapman hadn’t done many public performances since her last tour ended in 2009, and she had appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers during the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election performing “Talkin’ Bout A Revolution.”
The Academy of Country Music has added Gil Beverly to its leadership team, as executive vp and chief business officer. Beverly joins the Academy following more than four years with the Tennessee Titans, where he served as the NFL team’s chief marketing and revenue officer.
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In his new role Beverly will supervise and manage the Academy’s business operations and manage all revenue streams, as well as play a key role in shaping the Academy’s growth strategy by identifying and evaluating business opportunities, and will work with the CEO to oversee and manage staff, all while supporting the Academy’s mission of connecting the industry, artists and fans.
During Beverly’s time with the Nashville-based Titans, he helped revitalize the team’s brand through lifestyle marketing and activations in music, art, fashion and fitness, as well as advertising and social media campaigns. Beverly also served as executive project lead for the preliminary stages of the new Titans stadium plan.
Prior to joining the Titans organization, Beverly served as vp of partnership solutions at Learfield Sports in Plano, Texas, after a 13-year stint at ESPN, where he oversaw the go-to-market strategy for multimedia sales and sponsorships for the launch of the College Football Playoff as vp of college sports marketing.
“Gil Beverly is a proven leader who has ushered in new levels of success for numerous category-leading organizations, and we can’t wait to tap his exceptional expertise, passion, and drive at the Academy of Country Music to help us continue to innovate, grow, and succeed, particularly as we look ahead to our landmark 60th anniversary awards show celebration in 2025,” Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, said in a statement. “In his role, he will play an integral part in shaping the future of the Academy from financial, strategic, and organizational standpoints, and Gil exemplifies all the traits that power the ACM to reach new heights and support our industry. On behalf of our Board of Directors and Officers, as well as our Members and staff, I couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to team ACM!”
“I am extremely honored and excited to join Damon Whiteside and his team at the Academy of Country Music,” Beverly added. “The Academy has proven to be a visionary organization through its premium content and events and groundbreaking partnerships with Amazon and the Dallas Cowboys, among others. I believe the organization is poised for significant growth and will continue to be a powerful leader in the music industry in the future.”
At age 90 and with more than seven decades of music under his belt, Texas native Willie Nelson is busier than ever. The 12-time Grammy winner was recently inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 3 and in September, he released Bluegrass, his first full-length album of bluegrass-styled music. The album has earned Nelson a Grammy nomination for best bluegrass album, leading into the 2024 ceremony.
On Dec. 17, CBS will present the music special Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration, honoring the music icon with performances and collaborations from Nelson as well as Gary Clark Jr., Snoop Dogg, Miranda Lambert, Norah Jones, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Keith Richards and Nelson’s sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson. More top-tier stars will host, including Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson.
Nelson’s innovative songs, unique performance style and jazz-inspired, behind-the-beat style of phrasing, has made the iconoclast one of music’s most widely beloved artists, with 20 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. His catalog of hits he penned for other artists includes “Night Life,” “Hello Walls,” “Crazy,” “Family Bible” and “Funny How Time Slips Away.” He earned his first top 10 country hits as an artist in the 1960s with “Touch Me” and “Willingly,” but it was 1975’s Red Headed Stranger that would garner Nelson his mainstream breakthrough. The album’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” would earn Nelson his first Grammy award, and his first No. 1 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.
In 1976, Nelson’s music was part of the compilation album Wanted! The Outlaws, which also included Tompall Glaser, Waylon Jennings, and Jessi Colter; the album became country music’s first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Nelson and Jennings’ hit collaborations include the 1976, three-week Hot Country Songs chart No. 1 hit “Good Hearted Woman” and 1978’s four-week No. 1 “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
A testament to his musical fluidity, Nelson’s albums over the years have paid homage to his Texas honky-tonk roots, but also included projects of pop standards (1978’s Stardust), tributes to Lefty Frizzell (1977’s To Lefty From Willie), Kris Kristofferson (1979’s Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson), Cindy Walker (2006’s You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker), Frank Sinatra (2021’s That’s Life) and George and Ira Gershwin (2016’s Summertime), and albums recorded with Ray Price, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard and Webb Pierce.
Nelson was named as the inaugural honoree of the Country Music Association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Three years later, Nelson became the first country artist to earn the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Here, we look at Willie Nelson’s 25 biggest Billboard hits, from “Blues Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” to “Beer For My Horses.”
Willie Nelson’s 25 Biggest Billboard Hits recap is based on actual performance on Billboard’s weekly Hot Country Songs chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower ranks earning less. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years.
“Heartbreak Hotel” (with Leon Russell)
Jimmie Allen‘s turbulent year has come to another milestone. Alexis Gale, the country singer’s estranged wife, gave birth to their third child on Monday (Oct. 2). Gale shared the news via Instagram on Monday, posting a photo set announcing the arrival of a baby boy named Cohen Ace James. Cohen came into the world on […]
Music legend Willie Nelson may be best known for as a country superstar, but some might not realize he’s visited many other Billboard album genre charts outside of the Top Country Albums chart — where’s racked up a record 53 top 10s, with 18 of them hitting No. 1. Over the years, Nelson has placed high-charting efforts on these genre-specific album rankings: Blues Albums, Kid Albums, Reggae Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums, Jazz Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Christian Albums.
Now, Nelson’s new Bluegrass album, released on Sept. 15, appropriately debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart (dated Sept. 30), marking his first appearance on the 21-year-old tally. On the album, Nelson reinterprets a dozen of his older songs, joined by a bluegrass ensemble. Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart ranks the top-selling bluegrass albums of the week in the U.S., based on traditional album sales, as tracked by Luminate. In the week ending Sept. 21, Nelson’s Bluegrass sold 3,000 copies.
Below is a recap of Nelson’s history on Billboard’s major album genre charts, aside from Top Country Albums. (In addition, Nelson has logged 83 entries on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.)
Chart NameAlbum Title, Peak Position, Peak Date
Blues AlbumsMilk Cow Blues, No. 2, Oct. 7, 2000
Kid AlbumsRainbow Connection, No. 7, June 30, 2001
Reggae AlbumsCountryman, No. 1 (nine weeks at No. 1), July 30, 2005
Traditional Jazz AlbumsTwo Men With the Blues (Nelson and Wynton Marsalis), No. 1 (four weeks), July 26, 2008Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones), No. 1 (five weeks), April 16, 2011Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, No. 1 (five weeks), March 19, 2016My Way, No. 2, Sept. 29, 2018That’s Life, No. 1 (two weeks), March 13, 2021
Jazz AlbumsTwo Men With the Blues (Nelson and Wynton Marsalis), No. 1 (four weeks), July 26, 2008Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones), No. 2, April 16, 2011Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, No. 1 (three weeks), March 19, 2016My Way, No. 2, Sept. 29, 2018That’s Life, No. 1 (two weeks), March 13, 2021
Americana/Folk AlbumsLast Man Standing, No. 1, May 12, 2018Ride Me Back Home, No. 1, July 6, 2019First Rose of Spring, No. 1, July 18, 2020The Willie Nelson Family, No. 12, Dec. 4, 2021A Beautiful Time, No. 3, May 14, 2022
Top Christian AlbumsJust As I Am: 18 Hymns and Gospel Favorites (Willie Nelson and Bobbie Nelson), No. 37, Aug. 27, 2022
Bluegrass AlbumsBluegrass, No. 1, Sept. 30, 2023
Congratulations are in order for Grammy-winning country star Hank Williams Jr. On Monday, via his official Facebook page, the singer-songwriter announced that he tied the knot.
“Please congratulate Mr. And Mrs. Hank Williams Jr!” the post reads. “Hank and Brandi were married on Sept 9, 2023 at Enon Baptist Church in Banks, Alabama in front of a small group of family and friends. A reception followed at Kendall Hall in Troy, Alabama. They had gotten engaged earlier this year on Mothers Day. The bride and groom have known each other and been friends since 2003.”
This is the fourth marriage for Williams. He was married to Gwen Yeargain from 1971-1977 and to Becky White from 1977-1983. In March 2022, Mary Jane Thomas, Williams’ third wife, unexpectedly died. According to People, the autopsy listed Thomas’ cause of death as “pneumothorax due to perforated parietal pleura during liposuction with autologous fat reinjection procedure.”
“38 wonderful years she gave me. Her kind spirit and beautiful and endearing love carries on in the hearts of our son, Sam, grandsons Beau and Tennyson, and granddaughter Audrey Jane,” Williams wrote on Instagram weeks after her death. “Of course, she will be missed and loved by so many forever.”
On Tuesday (Sept. 12), Williams posted a wedding picture of Brandi and himself with the caption “Mr. and Mrs. Hank Williams Jr.” He limited the comments on both his Instagram and Facebook posts.
Last year, Williams Jr. released Rich White Honky Blues, a Dan Auerbach-produced album of blues covers and original tracks.
Hank Williams Jr. has earned three entries on the Billboard Hot 100: 1964’s “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” (No. 67) and “Endless Sleep” (No. 90), as well as 2000’s “A Country Boy Can Survive” (No. 75, with Chad Brock & George Jones). On the Billboard 200, he has notched 39 career entries, reaching as high as No. 12 with 2012’s Old School New Rules. He’s the son of Hank Williams, one of the most celebrated country singer-songwriters in American history.
Click here to see Hank Williams Jr.’s wedding pictures and check out his big announcement here:
Not many people can say that they’ve earned a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, a Billboard 200 No. 1 album and a mug shot all in the same week — but most people aren’t Zach Bryan. The Grammy-nominated country/rock powerhouse was arrested Thursday evening in Oklahoma for obstruction of investigation, according to the Craig County […]