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As areas of the United States spanning North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia have been devastated by Hurricane Helene, communities have pulled together to provide essentials to those in need and rebuild areas damaged or destroyed by the storm.
The category 4 hurricane came ashore late on Sept. 26 in Florida’s Big Bend region, with a maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. As the hurricane moved north, it destroyed homes, demolished buildings, crumbled bridges and wiped away roads. In some places, the storm washed away entire communities, and has cut off cellphone services and electricity for millions of residents. So far, the death toll from Hurricane Helene has grown to more than 200 people.
In response to the hurricane’s devastation, several artists in the country, bluegrass and Americana communities have stepped up to help, including many with hometown roots in the states impacted, such as Tennessee natives Dolly Parton and Morgan Wallen, North Carolina natives Eric Church and Luke Combs and Georgia native Jason Aldean.
Church recently released his first solo song in over three years with “Darkest Hour,” dedicated to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Church is also turning over all of his music publishing royalties from the song to help those in his home state who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“From Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina, parts of Georgia and even Florida which took a direct hit, there are so many places that were impacted. Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone. These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors – and they’re in dire need of help,” Church previously said in a statement about the release of “Darkest Hour.” “And I’ve been in the studio for a while, trying some different things and exploring creativity. I had this song that I’d written, and the line that struck me in light of the recent devastation was ‘I’ll come running,’ because there are a lot of people out there right now who are in their darkest hour and they need people to come running. We were going to wait to release music until next year, but it just didn’t feel right to wait with this song. Sometimes you give songs their moment and sometimes they find their own moment.”
Many artists have made sizable donations to various organizations, while many have also spotlighted organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Boone, North Carolina-based charity Samaritan’s Purse.
Below, we highlight some of the artists in the country, Americana and bluegrass communities who are aiding Hurricane Helene relief in various ways.
Jason Aldean
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The Grammy screening committee, which has the final say on where albums best fit in the Grammy process, placed Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion in the best country album category. They are competing with 77 other albums for just five slots on the final ballot. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8.
Both have a good chance of making it. Post was widely praised for coming to Nashville and getting to know the city’s people and its ways. Beyoncé didn’t do that, as Luke Bryan, HARDY and others have pointed out, but her album put a bright spotlight on the contributions Black artists have made to country music – contributions that have too often been overlooked.
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Beyoncé is vying to become only the second Black artist to be nominated for best country album. Mickey Guyton was nominated in 2022 for her debut studio album, Remember Her Name. (Important note: The Grammys didn’t have this category in the 1970s, when Charley Pride was at his peak.)
Beyoncé didn’t receive any CMA nominations, but that doesn’t doom her album’s chances here. The Chicks were nominated for (and won) five Grammys for their 2006 album Taking the Long Way, even though they, likewise, had been shut out in that year’s CMA nominations. (The Chicks were nominated for vocal group of the year at the CMAs the following year, a period that encompassed their Grammy sweep.)
Beyoncé’s shutout in the CMA nominations received a lot of attention. Some Grammy voters may embrace her in part to make up for that perceived snub. (“Make-up voting” is real thing. Many believe Ben Affleck’s failure to land an Oscar nomination for best director for Argo helped that 2012 film win best picture.)
Four of the five albums that were nominated for the CMA award for album of the year are eligible here: Luke Combs’ Fathers & Sons, Cody Johnson’s Leather, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well and Chris Stapleton’s Higher.
Stapleton and Musgraves are both repeat winners of the Grammy for best country album. Stapleton has won the award three times; Musgraves has won it twice. Fun fact: If Stapleton wins once more, he’ll move into a tie as the act with the most wins in the history of the category. And who will he tie? The Chicks.
Combs has yet to win the Grammy for best country album, but he was nominated for a previous album, Growin’ Up. Johnson has yet to be nominated in the category.
The fifth CMA nominee for album of the year, Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel, vied for a Grammy nod for best country album last year, but it ultimately wasn’t nominated. (It of course is not Grammy-eligible again this year.)
That’s six albums that have an excellent shot at a nomination, which is one more than the number of available slots. (The Grammys expand the field beyond five only in the event of ties. Since 2000, there have been six nominees twice – in 2004 and 2012.)
And there more “can’t-miss” albums, so clearly some won’t make it.
Like F-1 Trillion, Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind came out too late for this year’s CMAs, but it is eligible here. Wilson’s previous album, Bell Bottom Country, won the Grammy for best country album and was voted album of the year at both the CMA and ACM Awards.
Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene would have been a strong contender – his previous album, Zach Bryan, was nominated in this category last year – but the unconventional star didn’t submit it for Grammy consideration.
Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going may not be a “can’t-miss,” but it’s a strong contender. It houses the smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, longer than any other single so far this year. More importantly in the context of its chances here, it topped Country Airplay for seven weeks.
Megan Moroney’s Am I Okay? also has a shot. Moroney is also vying for a nomination as best new artist. Other albums by best new artist hopefuls on the best country album eligibility list include Dasha’s What Happens Now? and Nate Smith’s Through the Smoke.
Several other albums by past Grammy nominees for best country album are in the running – Jason Aldean’s Highway Desperado, Kenny Chesney’s Born, Tim McGraw’s Poet’s Resume, Willie Nelson’s The Border, Thomas Rhett’s About a Woman and Sturgill Simpson (Johnny Blue Skies)’s Passage Du Desir.
Various Artists albums are rarely nominated in this category, but there are two notable contenders this year – Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty and A Tribute to The Judds. Only two Various Artists albums have been nominated in this category; both won. Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute won in 2002. Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers won in 2004.
Another high-profile Various Artists album, Twisters: The Album, isn’t in the running here. It’s vying for a nomination for best compilation soundtrack for visual media.
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five albums have the best chance to be nominated in this Grammy category? This is tough, but here’s my prediction (alphabetically by artist): Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well, Chris Stapleton’s Higher and Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind.
In this week’s crop of new music, Eric Church issues his first solo release in over three years, in order to benefit his homestate of North Carolina, which has seen devastation following Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, Jamey Johnson previews his upcoming first solo studio album release in 14 years with a stately, insightful ballad. Ella Langley, Conner Smith and more also offer new songs.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
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Eric Church, “Darkest Hour”
Church has been in the studio working on new music, and chose to release his first solo song in over three years, in order to help those in his homestate of North Carolina, which found many areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
On this Church-written, Jay Joyce-produced song, he employs a soulful and serrated falsetto voice, which mingles resplendently with horns and a backing choir, all meshing for a creation that feels more akin to the orchestral constructions of 1970s rock than modern-day country. Meanwhile, at the fore is a message of an artist intent on bringing comfort and compassion to those who are weary, both physically and mentally. Overall, this marks one of Church’s most striking recordings, and a further boon to his already powerful catalog of songs.
Ella Langley, “Weren’t for the Wind”
Langley has been riding high lately on the Riley Green collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me,” and her debut album Hungover. She follows with what seems poised to be a surefire, solid followup single — a vision of wanderlust, musing how different her life might look if she wasn’t pulled toward the excitement of new horizons. Her deep Southern drawl is at once sultry, sage and nonchalant, gliding over a breezy, steady rhythm that mirrors the song’s want for unencumbered freedom. “Weren’t for the Wind” will be included the deluxe version of her debut album hungover, which will be released Nov. 1.
Kat Luna, “That Girl”
Luna, formerly of duo Kat and Alex, now launches her solo career on Sony Music Nashville with this power ballad that centers on establishing oneself apart from a previously fizzled relationship. Luna has always had a formidable, octave-leaping, pop-fused vocal, the kind that feels tailor-made for rangy, emotion-fueled ballads like this. She also pays homage to her Latin heritage by releasing two versions of the song — one in English (written by Luna, Rhett Akins and KK Johnson) and one with a blend of English and Spanish (with additional co-writing Erika Ender).
Jamey Johnson, “Someday When I’m Old”
Johnson, long known as one of country music’s most masterful songwriters, is set to release his first album in 14 years, when Midnight Gasoline releases on Nov. 8 on his new label home Warner Music Nashville (the album will be released through WMN and Johnson’s own Big Gassed Records). Among the songs previewing the album is this meditation about growing wiser with the passing years. “No matter how much time you get/ You always want more,” he sings, a musical aphorist filling this track with keen observational moments. Above the sparse guitar and percussion, his voice is in fine form, conversational and commanding as ever.
Conner Smith, “Faith From a Farmer”
Known for songs including “Learn From It” and “I Hate Alabama,” Smith delves deeper into his songwriting talents on this solo-written song, which is included on his new project The Storyteller.
His warm, conversational vocal style is heightened by a blend of guitars, fiddles and piano, as his writing contains an ingenuousness in putting forth this observation of gleaning faith-leaning insights from the steady work and spiritual devotion of a farmer “who wants to hand a good life down to his son or daughter.” With every release, Conner continue to impress as one of a new generation of country artists as devoted to songcraft as performing.
Runaway June, “New Kind of Emotion”
Trio Runaway June returns on this light-hearted track, which strives to capture the levity of a new, heartbreak-healing romance. As always, their harmonies are tightly-woven, fluttering over this honey-hued song, written by the group’s Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall and Stevie Woodward, along with writer Paul Sikes, and production by Kristian Bush.
Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor and Billy Strings have organized Concert for Carolina, a benefit for Hurricane Helene relief that will take place Oct. 26 at North Carolina’s Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
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Combs, Church and Taylor all grew up in North Carolina, while Strings has spent considerable time performing in the Tarheel state. Concert for Carolina will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley and presented by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. More artists are expected to be added.
Tickets go on sale Thursday (Oct. 10) at 10 a.m. E.T. on the Concert for Carolina website. The website also says a raffle and auction are coming soon.
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Western North Carolina has been decimated by Hurricane Helene, which swept through Sept. 27 and destroyed multiple mountain towns. The death toll from the hurricane has surpassed 225 in North Carolina and the surrounding states, including Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Virginia.
All proceeds from the event will be split evenly between Combs’ charitable endeavors and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation to administer to organizations they choose to support relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast.
Combs’ portion will be distributed among Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, as well as one more organization still to be announced.
Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations that can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.
The event’s organizers called David Tepper — who owns the Carolina Panthers NFL team, Charlotte FC soccer team and Bank of America Stadium — and his wife Nicole, who immediately offered the venue for the concert, according to a press release.
Sponsors include T Mobile, Jack Daniel’s, Whatburger, Miller Lite and Blue Cross/Blue Shield North Carolina.
Taylor, one of North Carolina’s most famous native sons, moved to the state when he was three, while Combs was born outside of Charlotte and raised in Asheville. Church was born in Granite City. Both Combs and Church attended Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. Although he is a Michigan native, Strings has performed at major venues across the state including an upcoming six-night run at Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena this winter.
Additionally, Church released new song “Darkest Hour” on Friday (Oct. 4) and is signing over all of his publishing royalties from the song to the people of North Carolina affected by the disaster.
At that time, Church said in a statement, “From Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina, parts of Georgia and even Florida which took a direct hit, there are so many places that were impacted. Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina, were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone. These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors – and they’re in dire need of help.”
Miranda Lambert brought a bevvy of musical friends — including Little Big Town, Dan+Shay, Lukas Nelson and HARDY — with her for the “Music For Mutts” benefit concert, which took place Saturday (Oct. 5) at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater.
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Presented by Tractor Supply, the concert is Lambert’s latest effort toward supporting a cause she has long championed: lifting up shelter pets who are all-too-often forgotten, and aiding pet shelters in need of supplies.
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“I’m so happy to be here,” Lambert told the crowd early in her set. “We’re singing for the dogs — all the dogs!”
The concert helped continue the work of the MuttNation Foundation, which Lambert and her mother Bev launched 15 years ago, and has raised more than $10 million to promote adoption, support shelters, aiding with the transport of animals during natural disasters and more. Prior to the show, there was a public dog adoption event held at Ascend Park, with pet shelters taking part, including Crossroads Campus, Nashville Humane, Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, and Wags and Walks.
The concert opened with a double-shot of Texas country, as Jake Worthington served as the opening act, followed by Miranda’s headlining set. Worthington was raised in La Porte, Texas, just over an hour away from George Jones’ hometown, and his sound is steeped in much of the same honky-tonk forged, deep Texas twang, evidenced by his effortless vocal rendering of songs such as “Next New Thing,” or the earnest balladry in “The State You Left Me In.” Of course, there were plenty of nods to sawdust floors, neon lights and the Lone Star State in songs such as “Honkytonk Crowd” and “Honkytonks in Texas.”
From there, as a glittering saddle hung from above the stage, Lambert launched her “Miranda and Friends” portion of the show with a double-barrel of high-octane songs, “Fastest Girl in Town” and “Kerosene.”
She welcomed a string of guests, as the show toggled between Lambert solo performances and collaborative efforts with her musical cohorts including Worthington, HARDY, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Riley Green, Dan + Shay and Little Big Town.
“I work and then I get a concert,” Lambert quipped of watching her fellow musicians perform.
Calling him “country as a biscuit,” Lambert invited Worthington back to the stage. Worthington, who recently shifted from Big Loud Records to Lambert’s label imprint Big Loud Texas, joined her on the pointed ballad “Hello S—ty Day.”
Throughout the evening, she performed many fan-favorites, including “If I Was a Cowboy,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” “Gunpowder and Lead,” “The House That Built Me” and “Automatic” (with the screens showing several of Lambert’s childhood photos while also chronicling the early days of her musical journey).
Lambert wore a spangly black and neon pink outfit, which Lambert told the crowd was hand-embroidered and, appropriately, featured images of each of her dogs on the outfit. Throughout the evening, screens behind her filled with Images of fiery running horses, cacti, and star-filled skies over desert horizons.
Lambert also offered songs from her new album Postcards From Texas, including “Alimony.” Lambert nodded to MuttNation’s work to helping dog shelters and dogs in need of aid, before introducing another song from her new album, “Dammit Randy.” “Speaking of dogs, I wrote this one for my new record about a guy named Randy. So if you’ve got a Randy in your life and you have somebody you just need to flip the bird to, this is for you.”
She welcomed Nelson to help honor the late singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson by singing a Mere Haggard classic, “Silver Wings,” with Lambert noting, “Because we know Kris loved Merle… we love you, Kris.”
Back in June, Lukas Nelson and his band The Promise of the Real announced they were going on hiatus, while many of the band members would pursue various creative endeavors. During the “Music For Mutts” show, Nelson gave a ferocious solo turn on the group’s “Find Yourself,” spearheaded by Nelson’s pulse-racing guitar riffs, and his gritty, soul-scraping voice.
From there, Lambert welcomed another guest, Riley Green. Lambert noted that after one of his recent concerts near the East Coast was nixed due to Hurricane Helene, Green called to see if he could help with the “Music For Mutts” Show. Green, who is riding high on the success of his collaboration with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” performed his 2019-released “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” and the female-majority audience took notice, standing up, waving and filming the performance on their phones.
Lambert welcomed her frequent co-writer and Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe to join her for “Heart Like Mine.” Another of her frequent co-writers, Nashville songwriter luminary Natalie Hemby, joined for a songs they co-wrote, “Bluebird,” as well as a rendition of the Lambert/Jack Ingram/Jon Randal co-write “Geraldene.”
From there, Lambert welcomed Dan+Shay to the stage as they performed their hits “Tequila” and “Speechless,” spearheaded by Shay Mooney’s pitch-perfect vocal. Meanwhile, his bandmate Dan Smyers spoke of how proud they were to take part in the evening, given their shared passion for helping animals. Smyers and his wife Abby helped open a Nashville branch of the animal rescue group Wags & Walks.
One of the most impactful moments came from HARDY, who performed the exquisitely-crafted, unreleased song “Dog Years,” which is sung from the perspective of looking back on an elderly dog’s life and being thankful for the “Dog Years.” He noted that the song was one that helped him get a music publishing deal early in his career, and given how the song brought tears to some in the audience, it does make one wonder why it was never released.
The vocal power and camaraderie onstage continued to reach new heights, thanks to vocal group Little Big Town (whom Lambert previously toured with in 2022 on The Bandwagon Tour), who joined forces with Lambert to collaborate on a range of songs including Little Big Town’s “Boondocks” and “Little White Church,” as well as Lambert’s “White Liar” and “Little Red Wagon.” The evening ended with an “all-sing,” as the entire lineup returned to the stage to perform “(Drunk) And I Don’t Wanna Go Home.”
“Thank you for spending your hard-earned money on some country music and helping doggies,” Lambert said, waving to the crowd.
Dolly Parton is stepping up once again to help those in need. The Country Music Hall of Famer appeared at a press conference at a Walmart parking lot in Newport, Tennessee, on Friday (Oct. 4), and revealed that she is donating $1 million of her own money from her personal bank account to aid those impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Also, she will add another $1 million donation to relief efforts through her various business enterprises, such as Dollywood and Dolly Parton’s Stampede.
“I’m sure a lot of you wondering where I’ve been,” Parton, 78, said during the event. “Everybody’s saying, ‘Where’s Dolly?’ Well, I’ve been like everybody else trying to absorb everything going on, trying to figure out all the best ways to do this.”
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She added, “I look around and I think, ‘These are my mountains, these are my valleys, these are my rivers…these are my people, and this is my home…I just want you to know, I am totally with you, I am part of you, I love you.”
The total of $2 million donation will be made to the Mountain Ways Foundation. ALso on hand during the event was Walmart U.S. president/CEO John Furner, who said that the company, as well as the Walmart Foundation and Sam’s Club, would be pledging upward of $10 million toward relief efforts.
Parton is no stranger to helping those in need. In 2021, she donated toward relief efforts for those impacted by the catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee. In 2020, she donated $1 million toward vaccine research at Vanderbilt University, which aided in funding Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. In 2016, she launched the My People Fund, aiding families in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge whose homes were destroyed wildfires.
In 1995, she launched the Imagination Library, which sends one book per month to children from birth through their first year of school (she founded the Imagination Library in honor of her father, who was unable to read).
Post Malone’s Blake Shelton-featuring “Pour Me a Drink” ascends two places to the top shelf of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Oct. 12). The collaboration advanced by 5% to 27.9 million audience impressions Sept. 27-Oct. 3, according to Luminate.
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The song, which Post Malone co-wrote, is his second Country Airplay No. 1, after “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, dominated for four frames beginning in June. Both hits are from his introductory LP in the genre, F-1 Trillion, which motored in at No. 1 on the Aug. 31-dated Top Country Albums chart and the all-genre Billboard 200 with 250,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States. The set has earned 1.1 million units over its first six weeks of release.
Post Malone charts an additional song, and a third career top 40 entry, on Country Airplay: Fellow F-1 Trillion track “A Guy for That,” featuring Luke Combs, rebounds a spot to its No. 26 high (6.3 million, up 12%).
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Shelton hoists his 29th Country Airplay No. 1, a run that started with his initial appearance, “Austin,” in 2001. He nets his first leader since “Happy Anywhere,” featuring his then-future wife Gwen Stefani, in December 2020. Shelton ties Tim McGraw for the second-most chart-toppers since the survey began in 1990. Kenny Chesney leads all acts with 33 No. 1s.
Wallen, Parmalee Notch New Top 10s
Morgan Wallen earns his 17th Country Airplay top 10 as “Lies Lies Lies” climbs 11-9 (18 million, up 12%). It follows his “Cowgirls” (featuring ERNEST), which became his 14th No. 1 in July.
Plus, Parmalee’s “Gonna Love You” hops 13-10 on Country Airplay (16.6 million, up 6%). The group adds its seventh top 10, following “Girl in Mine,” which hit No. 3 last October, and “Take My Name,” which became the act’s third No. 1 in June 2022.