Country Music Archives - The Bluegrass Situation

Coat of Many Covers

Posted on September 24, 2026September 24, 2026 by Editor

Dolly Parton first made herself known in Nashville in 1966 as a young, ambitious songwriter. Within just a few years, the rest of the world would catch on to what Music Row already knew: this talented East Tennessee native really had something to say. She started in television as a kid, then continued on as a “girl singer” with Porter Wagoner. She released some singles on Monument Records early on, but it’s her RCA work that elevated her to a bona fide country star.

Not surprisingly, her fellow luminaries loved her as much as the rest of us. Here is a small sampling of Dolly’s original songs recorded by her peers. Some were big hits, others were deep cuts, but all of them have that special sparkle that made Dolly not just an exceptional songwriter, but as she liked to call herself, a “songteller.”

“Fuel to the Flame,” Skeeter Davis

One of country music’s leading female voices in the 1960s, Skeeter Davis imprints her Nashville Sound stylings onto this early composition by Dolly and her uncle, Bill Owens. Released in 1967, it’s a slow burn, so to speak, about longing for someone who doesn’t seem to be returning the same feelings. Skeeter admired Dolly’s writing for years to come and even released an album of her songs, Skeeter Sings Dolly, in 1972.

“The Golden Streets of Glory,” Connie Smith

Whenever Dolly would sing at the Opry, she loved standing in the wings to watch Connie Smith perform. Who can blame her? There’s a reason esteemed WSM-AM host Eddie Stubbs once called Smith “the Rolls-Royce of country singers.” Dolly recorded a very fine gospel album titled The Golden Streets of Glory in 1971; Connie Smith shines on her own rendition of the title track, released in 1973.

“Just Because I’m a Woman,” Jeannie Seely

For about two years in the mid ’60s, Jeannie Seely and Dolly Parton were labelmates on Monument Records. Jeannie, of course, made an immediate splash in 1966 with “Don’t Touch Me” while Dolly was just starting to get noticed with “Dumb Blonde.” By 1968, Dolly had moved on to RCA and Jeannie was wrapping up her time at Monument – but not before she delivered a wonderful reading of “Just Because I’m a Woman” on her final album for the label. “Just Because I’m a Woman” offers a perspective about double standards that still holds up. Dolly and Jeannie reunited as Opry sisters when Dolly joined the Opry in January 1969.

“Kentucky Gambler,” Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard adored Dolly Parton. Didn’t we all? In many of Dolly’s earliest compositions and albums, she wrote songs that told a story — “Joshua,” “Down From Dover,” “The Bridge,” etc. One of her most successful narratives is “Kentucky Gambler,” which Merle Haggard & the Strangers took to No. 1 on the country chart in 1975. The titular character may have lost it all, but “Kentucky Gambler” hit the jackpot with a perfect mix of Merle’s personality, Dolly’s songwriting, and the Strangers’ exquisite musicianship.

“The Last One to Touch Me,” Porter Wagoner

“The Last One to Touch Me” is especially poignant when you think about Dolly’s devotion to her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean. This one’s been recorded quite a few times by the likes of George Jones, Conway Twitty, and Kitty Wells. But there’s something about Porter Wagoner’s version from 1970 that suits his storytelling mode of singing, not to mention the harmonies and steel guitar playing their parts in wringing out all the emotions.

“Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” Glen Campbell

In 1991, Glen Campbell put his “goodtime” vibe into “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” one of Dolly’s most inspiring songs. Dolly and Glen were among the biggest country crossover stars of their era, reaching audiences that may not have known much about Nashville. Yet their irrepressible spirit would have charmed anyone. Whenever you need a boost of confidence from Dolly herself, seek out 1977’s New Harvest…First Gathering, her first self-produced album. (Her 1976 rendering of “Rhinestone Cowboy” is quite endearing, too.)

“Most of All, Why,” Holly Dunn

If you enjoy devastating breakup songs, you’re going to love Holly Dunn’s recording of “Most of All, Why,” with harmony from Dolly, who originally released the song on her 1975 album, The Seeker & We Used To. Holly included her version on The Blue Rose of Texas, the album she released in 1989, the same year she joined the Grand Ole Opry. Like Dolly, Holly also wrote her signature song (1986’s “Daddy’s Hands”) and they both grew up immersed in the church. Hearing their voices blend perfectly on “Most of All, Why” is heavenly.

“Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” Loretta Lynn

Dolly received her first BMI Award for songwriting in 1966 for “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” which she wrote with her uncle, Bill Owens. Decca Records artist Bill Phillips heard Dolly’s demo and decided to record the song–and wanted Dolly to sing on his version, too. Loretta Lynn recorded an especially splendid version in 1966. (Nobody does the “whoa-oh” quite like Loretta.) The heartbreak song got a refresh in 1993 when Loretta, Dolly, and fellow country queen Tammy Wynette traded verses on an album called Honky Tonk Angels.

“The Stranger,” Kenny Rogers

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, a match for the ages. The magnificent duets, the must-have Christmas album, and more chemistry than probably any duo in country music history. One of their most poignant partnerships is tucked away at the end of his 1984 album, What About Me? Dolly, in one of her most overlooked story songs, crafts an entire landscape where a stranger suddenly enters the picture. The narrator, though, knows exactly who he is. The production is totally ’80s but there’s something timeless about how Kenny sings this one.

“To Daddy,” Emmylou Harris

At first, “To Daddy” seems like a sentimental song about fond memories of mother. But the title suggests otherwise when a goodbye letter is found one morning. All the while, the kids had assumed everything was all right because their mother stayed pretty quiet, but they’re just as shocked as their father when she departs in search of the love she never had. Emmylou Harris, one of country music’s most exquisite song interpreters, took this song to #3 in 1978; Dolly would later include it on Heartsongs, a 1994 live album recorded at Dollywood.

“Waltz Me to Heaven,” Waylon Jennings

The Outlaw label still seems to follow Waylon Jennings around, but he should get more attention for showing his softer side to country fans. Songs like “Amanda,” “Dreaming My Dreams With You,” and Dolly’s composition “Waltz Me to Heaven” illustrate a gentle counterpoint to his rowdy ways. He included “Waltz Me to Heaven” on Waylon’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 and took the track into the Top 10 in 1985. The sweet song also appeared on the 1984 Rhinestone film soundtrack, with a pleasant version recorded by Dolly’s younger brother Floyd Parton.

“You,” Crystal Gayle

Wait a minute, a love song from Dolly Parton? Nobody’s leaving, nobody’s dying, and nobody’s lost it all? For that alone, “You” deserves a spot on this list. This buried treasure from Crystal Gayle’s 1975 debut album showcases Dolly’s gift for writing melodies, too. A listener could interpret these lyrics as a prayer to God, a love letter to her romantic partner, or a heartfelt appreciation to her millions of fans around the world. Or, perhaps, all three. Thank you, Dolly, for always making us feel like singin’.

Photo Credit: Dolly Parton courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum;Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors album courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment.

The King of Honky-Tonk’s Early Years Rediscovered

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Editor

Nearly a quarter-century removed from the King of Honky Tonk’s tragic death, Gary Stewart’s early recordings have been revived in the first of a series of long-awaited compilation records.

One Track Mind, released on July 17, examines the country singer’s formative years from 1967-72, before Stewart signed with RCA Records and achieved national stardom. The 20-track compilation (or 16 on vinyl) was produced by the Delmore Recording Society’s Mark Linn, who helped to bring similar archived recordings by Kris Kristofferson to life on 2010’s Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos.

Linn has worked closely with Stewart’s music before. In 2010, Delmore Recording Society reissued Grandma’s Roadhouse, a 1970 album by Riley, the short-lived band led by Riley Watkins that also featured Stewart and his frequent co-writer, Bill Eldridge. Then in 2018 a 7″ single titled Mowtown (which is how Stewart spelled the record company’s name on his Musician’s Union paperwork) offered two of the demos that Stewart recorded in 1970, when he was hired to record country versions of songs in the Motown catalog, which were intended to be pitched to Nashville artists and producers.

The journey for getting One Track Mind across the finish line began shortly after Stewart’s 2003 death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Linn scoured the publishing houses lining Nashville’s Music Row for old Gary Stewart material. He soon came across a collection of demos transferred from reel-to-reel tape in the possession of the singer’s longtime friend, Tommy Schwartz, and started getting to work. But according to Linn, the condition these recordings were in when found — some were pieced together with a band and others were rough demos — made the process of restoring them more challenging than most.

“When I do these projects my goal is to have them play out like an album as opposed to a compilation,” he explains. “Then with Gary you’re also trying to tell the story of his early days along with exposing some of the influences he was exploring at the time that fans never got to hear. A couple examples of that come on ‘Beautiful River’ where he’s on a guitar inside his trailer, and on a stripped-back version of ‘The Snuff Queen (Acetate),’ a song that Nat Stuckey later released as a full-band single with Kapp in 1970. It was easier said than done, but I’m really happy with how cohesive it turned out sounding.”

For Linn the adventure down the rabbit hole of Stewart’s demos and deep cuts reignited his love for the singer that first began burning almost two decades prior.

“Once I caught the Gary Stewart bug in the late ’80s and started going back to explore his entire catalog, I became obsessed and needed to hear more,” Linn recalls. “The best part about what we just released is that I firmly believe that some of his best material are his demos and unreleased tunes, so introducing that to more of his fans has been a joy. Within the music industry he still doesn’t quite have the respect he deserves, but his memory is kept alive by the diehards and some of these newer fans and musicians that are covering his songs.”

Stewart was born in 1944 in Dunham, Kentucky, but moved to Fort Pierce, Florida, with his family at the age of 12, after his father was injured in a coal mining accident. Stewart started his music career playing country and rock in the bars around Fort Pierce. Mel Tillis happened to hear him singing in a honky-tonk and encouraged him to try getting some attention for his songs in Nashville. Stewart took that advice and placed his material with country artists such as Jim Ed Brown, Stonewall Jackson, Cal Smith, and Billy Walker, while also recording for the Cory and Kapp labels.

With One Track Mind, fans get a glimpse of the singer during that era, as he’s still cutting his teeth. Yet he’s already got the energy and spark that fans would soon fall in love with when he landed at No. 1 in 1975 with “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles).” Standouts on the new compilation include the cheeky and lighthearted “Living the Life of a Dog” and a rough demo of “Williamson County” with soaring vocals that’s like night and day in comparison to the twangy version on his classic 1975 album, Out of Hand.

“It’s not like each one of these songs is a masterpiece, but there is something uniquely ‘Gary Stewart’ about all of them,” Linn believes. “He’s still searching for his voice but has already developed a good bit of the signature Gary Stewart sound we’ve all come to know and love. With all this new attention on him, hopefully it puts some pressure on RCA to put out some of his unreleased music, because his legacy deserves more. There’s still so many more sides of Gary to explore, especially of his formative songwriting days.”

Someone else in agreement about wanting to hear more material posthumously from Stewart is his daughter, Shannon Stewart Ashburn. In addition to being hopeful about RCA making moves into her father’s catalog, Ashburn says that Linn has already begun work restoring demos from the late ’70s and early ’80s for another compilation record. However, she stressed that the biggest goal she has for her father and his legacy is to see him get inducted into the County Music Hall of Fame.

“It’s just a matter of time. I won’t stop until I get him in there because he deserves to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame,” assures Ashburn, who got to induct her father into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2024. “Drinking songs are at the heart of what country music is and as the King of the Honky Tonks he was full of them.”

She continues, “At the same time, I’m just a girl from Fort Pierce working two jobs. I don’t know the first thing about the music business, I’m just trying to do everything I can to keep my dad’s name alive. Between this album and the recent biography by Jimmy McDonough a lot more doors have started opening up — it’s been like witnessing the rebirth of Gary Stewart.”

After fighting for this recognition for decades, Ashburn admits that she feels more momentum toward a Hall of Fame nod actually happening now than ever before, due not only to the new album and aforementioned biography, but also the countless artists from Cody Johnson to Ella Langley, Charley Crockett and Zach Top who’ve been incorporating his songs into their live shows. This momentum has resulted in Ashburn becoming incredibly close with her father’s fans, going so far as to call them family and crediting them for keeping Stewart’s legacy alive.

“I feel like we were all robbed — not just me when my mom and dad died 18 days apart, but also the fans,” confides Ashburn. “Because of that they’ve become like family to me. If it wasn’t for them my father wouldn’t be where he’s at now with his rebirth. They’ve given me a whole new perspective on my dad and helped me realize just how strong a person I am.”

She adds, “When I was 18, 19, 20 I wanted to be on the run and go out, but now I’m making up for all that by listening to the fans and all of Dad’s music and it’s left me amazed. At the end of the day I’m a big Gary Stewart fan, too, not just because he’s my father, but because of all the different places he can take you with his songwriting and music.”

On top of getting her father into the County Music Hall of Fame, Ashburn stated that another of her goals is to see some of these artists covering her father’s songs put their own spin on them for an album or one-off single, similar to what Texas band Mike & The Moonpies (now called Silverada) did in 2020 with Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart.

Per that band’s frontman Mike Harmeier, the idea for the album materialized from multiple factors — a love of all things Gary Stewart, being sent a bunch of his old material to dig through, and having an abundance of time to work on it due to COVID. The band’s 10-song album features one track, “The Bottom of the Pile,” which is also included on One Track Mind. Others like “Smooth Shot of Whiskey” and “That’s Life” very well could wind up on future compilations dropped by the Stewart estate.

“The coolest thing I got out of making that record is now I get to hear everyone’s stories about Gary all the time,” says Harmeier. “We played a show in Fort Pierce a few years ago and got to meet some of his old friends and family. I remember them bringing us a bunch of food that Gary would typically eat before his shows and got to take in the whole experience. It was fun working on the songs, but it’s things like that which have cemented the moment in my memory.”

Through his father’s massive collection of music from the King of the Honky Tonks, Harmeier discovered Stewart as a child. Once Harmeier began playing music and formed Mike & the Moonpies in 2007, Stewart’s songs quickly took over their marathon four-hour dance hall sets. “[Gary] is quintessential jukebox material. His songs are gonna keep folks on the dance floor, so we played them often.”

“It really affected me later on because his music has so many ties to these bars I’ve grown up playing that have hardwood floors and wood paneling everywhere,” describes Harmeier. “It’s a big nostalgia trip for us as a band whenever we cover his music because nothing sets the tone of a barroom more than Gary. As a songwriter I chased those cliché bar songs for a while, and it was all influenced by him.”

As for One Track Mind, Harmeier says he’s partial to “The Bottom of the Pile” and some of the album’s other material that Stewart penned with his longtime songwriting partner Bill Eldridge. Another of his favorites, “Touch of You,” is about the late Mary Lou Stewart, and written by her husband, Gary, and their daughter, Shannon. Mary Lou Stewart, who was married to Gary for 41 years, died of pneumonia in November 2003.

With all of the converging styles on the album from singer-songwriter-oriented ballads to hard-driving honky-tonk numbers and Motown classics, the project shows not only the sheer talent within, but also the diversity of Stewart’s music. To the powers that be, those multitudes made it difficult for the industry at large to pigeonhole him, but the clamoring from fans the past 20 years has made his legacy impossible to ignore. Hopefully that means a Country Music Hall of Fame induction is just around the corner too.

“Gary was shunned for being too rock and roll for country and too country for rock and roll, which is the same boat our band is in right now,” Harmeier says. “But with the current state of the industry and convergence of genres, it comes as no surprise to me that people are diving back into his songs now, especially these new ones. They’re pure Gary.”

Photo Credit: Tim C. Cox

What Does “Outlaw” Really Mean?

Posted on July 21, 2026August 31, 2026 by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s Note: Each issue of Good Country, our co-founder Ed Helms shares a handful of good country artists, albums, and songs direct from his own earphones in Ed’s Picks.

An exciting emerging voice in indie and country, singer-songwriter and fiction author Creekbed Carter Hogan will release his second studio album, PEASANTS REVOLT!, on July 24. Toggling smoothly between twanging Americana and cozy indie-folk, it’s a collectivist country album tackling some major timely issues – war, labor rights, the climate crisis, queer survival, and the isolation of individualism. Carter reminds us all what being “outlaw” can really mean, in country and beyond.

Three-time GRAMMY winner, Fantastic Negrito doesn’t always make country music, but the music he makes is always Good Country. A genre-blender of the highest order, Fantastic Negrito (given name Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz) is most often typified as a blues, soul, and Americana artist. But as his new live collection Alive! – out now – can attest, his albums and live shows boast just as many truly country moments as well. And, dare we say, it’s sounding pretty “outlaw” to us, too. If you know his story, you know it’s a fitting descriptor for this roots music renaissance man.

REK may be “retired,” but we’re certainly beyond happy that, indeed, “The Road Goes On Forever.” Earlier this month he released a special 25th anniversary reissue of his seminal 2001 album, Gravitational Forces, with Lost Highway Records. Available in limited edition forest green vinyl, it also features brand-new album notes penned by his daughter, Clara Rose. And that’s not all, next month Lost Highway will reissue Ready for Confetti for its 15th anniversary, as well. (That one will be available in limited edition confetti vinyl!) It’s time to add a couple more essential records to the collection, isn’t it?

Speaking of outlaw, here’s a fella that does it all on his own terms. West Virginia-raised Americana singer-songwriter John R. Miller released his latest album, The Great Unknowing, in physical formats more than a month ago and now it’s available everywhere you listen to music digitally, too. It’s this sort of mindset that permeates his writing, giving his music a strong sense of community, place, connection, and folklore amid the grit and gristle of his authentic, worn-in sounds. There’s quite a few reasons he gets compared to folk songwriting luminaries like John Prine.

Get on the ground floor of this quickly rising country artist now, because he’s going places! Arkansan Waylon Wyatt’s highly anticipated debut album, Dustpiles, was just released last week. His 2024 EP, Til the Sun Goes Down, was a sensation, amassing more than 225 million streams and launching his career into the stratosphere. His streams – and view, like, and follower counts on social media – continue on almost vertical spikes driven by his catchy, thoughtful songwriting and his limitless Arkansas charm. You can read our just-published Good Country interview with Wyatt here.

Listen to this issue of Ed’s Picks in one YouTube playlist here.

Listen to the full Ed’s Picks archive playlist here.

Want more? Check out our recent Basic Folk episode with Lizzie No and Kimaya Diggs about compilation album Outlaws’ Almanac that ponders the same questions – what is an outlaw and who gets to be an outlaw?

Photo Credits: Creekbed Carter Hogan by Emily April Allen; Fantastic Negrito courtesy of the artist; John R. Miller by Larry Nieheus; Robert Earl Keen by Patrick Dunn; Waylon Wyatt by Cole Silberman.

Country + Disco?
Country + Bluegrass?

Posted on June 12, 2026June 23, 2026 by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s Note: Each issue of Good Country, our co-founder Ed Helms shares a handful of good country artists, albums, and songs direct from his own earphones in Ed’s Picks.

A premier modern bluegrass duo, Dailey & Vincent return today with a brand-new album, A Beautiful Life. Their harmonies, polish, and showmanship are unparalleled in bluegrass – and beyond. Yes, they have bluegrass and string band music in their bones, but limiting them to just ‘grass would be selling them short. They’re also country, gospel, Americana, and so much more.

Watch for more coverage of Dailey & Vincent and A Beautiful Life coming soon to BGS.

From Sturgill Simpson to Abbie Callahan, from the Cowgays to Miranda Lambert, the intersection of country and disco is a hoppin’ address at the moment! Lambert’s quippy, light, and fun track built on a portmanteau of the two genres is as Southern as it gets, from vegetable shortening to the dance floor sparkling under a disco ball. Country-disco is a decades-old tradition and we’re here for this resurgence.

Speaking of blending styles, the Red Clay Strays are doing it better than almost anyone these days. To the GC team, the skyrocketing Alabama outfit always sound like country, but it’s obvious their sound is so much more – rockabilly, soul, grunge, punk, golden-era rock and roll, garage country. Whatever they infuse into their music, it always feels right at home in Good Country. Their brand new album, Grateful, is out now.

Last month, Texan country crooner Joshua Ray Walker returned with a new LP, Ain’t Dead Yet. Don’t be dissuaded by the thread of winking mortality and silly macabre that he continues to trace through his songs; after his own brush with death – he was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 – Walker’s sardonic and witty style of country & western has found a charming and entertaining edge by staring the shortness of life dead in the eye. (Pun intended?) Another excellent set from an essential contemporary traditionalist.

Another excellent artist who bridges country, bluegrass, and more – but perhaps from the opposite end of the continuum from Dailey & Vincent. Bella White’s music feels elemental, channeled from across time, but never anachronistic. Her songwriting and style feels in the vein of other country oracles like Gillian Welch, Iris DeMent, and Lucinda Williams. But it’s also all her own. Her latest album, A Sign In The Weather, was released June 5.

Listen to this issue of Ed’s Picks in one YouTube playlist here.

Listen to the full Ed’s Picks archive playlist here.

Photo Credits: Dailey & Vincent by Gregg Roth; Miranda Lambert by Robert Ascroft; The Red Clay Strays, Grateful album cover; Joshua Ray Walker by Mike Dunn; Bella White by Tamara Flemming

Alt-Country, the Blues, and Oklahoma

Posted on May 18, 2026June 23, 2026 by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s Note: Each issue of Good Country, our co-founder Ed Helms shares a handful of good country artists, albums, and songs direct from his own earphones in Ed’s Picks.

Great news from a roots-country legend, Rodney Crowell returns with a “new/old” album on June 26, Then Again. Largely recorded over two decades ago in the early 2000s with Steuart Smith co-producing and completed with Dan Knobler stepping in, its lead single, “Are You One of Us?,” is the final recording by Crowell and his friend and compatriot Guy Clark. It’s a track perfectly suited for these divided times we’re living in, bringing wisdom and wit like only Crowell and Clark could. We can’t wait to hear more from Then Again!

We’ve known, covered, and collaborated with our friend Alejandro for years and years, so we’re especially excited to have him as our current BGS Artist of the Month, celebrating his brand new album Fondness, Etc. For an artist who’s adept at sonic and aesthetic reinvention, his music still always sounds exactly like himself – even as he bends and breaks the barriers of alt-country, neo-folk, Americana, and western to his liking. This is one of our favorite Shakey eras yet.

Another legend of American roots music, Taj Mahal is woefully underappreciated and undersung, even while being rightfully worshipped by so many as a keystone of blues, Americana, string band, and country musics. His new album, Time, released with his Phantom Blues Band on Resonatin’ Records/Thirty Tigers, shows that he remains as dynamic and innovative as ever. The title track is a deep-pocketed and smooth never-before-heard Bill Withers number that Taj makes his own. If you’re used to his gritty, playful, and down home blues, the sound here may surprise you – but damn, that’s Good Country, isn’t it?

Our queen of country, Oklahoma, and corn dogs is celebrating her 50-year groundbreaking, iconic career with new music – lucky for all of us! A brand new track, “One Night In Tulsa,” leads off an EP that encapsulates a few of her musical tributes to her home state from over the years: “Tulsa Time,” “Oklahoma Swing” featuring Vince Gill, “Does the Wind Still Blow in Oklahoma” with Ronnie Dunn, and the excellent Buddy Cannon-produced “No U in Oklahoma.” “One Night In Tulsa” is a soaring, dramatic, and longing love song to Tulsa and beyond, uttered like only Reba could. This version is the just-released live performance video of the song shot live at Reba’s Place, her restaurant, gift shop, and music venue in Atoka, OK.

Jobi Riccio charmed the country universe with her 2023 debut, Whiplash, but hold onto your necks, ‘cause her brand new album, Face the Feeling, finds the Coloradoan singer-songwriter evolving her production styles and genre descriptors in a big way. She’s infused grunge, alt-folk, and country-rock into these new songs; the results vary from straight-down-the-middle Southern rock to expansive, electronic indie-twang. We especially find Good Country touches in songs like “Pilar, NM” and “Wildfire Season,” but they can be found throughout the rockin’ project.

Listen to this issue of Ed’s Picks in one YouTube playlist here.

Listen to the full Ed’s Picks archive playlist here.

Want more Good Country? Sign up to receive our monthly email newsletter – and much more music! – direct to your inbox.

Photo Credits: Rodney Crowell by Claudia Church; Shakey Graves by Jonathan Terrell; Taj Mahal by Mike Coeyman; Reba McEntire, One Night in Tulsa album cover; Jobi Riccio by Rett Rogers.

Friends New and Old

Posted on April 17, 2026June 23, 2026 by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s Note: Each issue of Good Country, our co-founder Ed Helms shares a handful of good country artists, albums, and songs direct from his own earphones in Ed’s Picks.

Suzanne Cox (of the GRAMMY-winning bluegrass band the Cox Family) and her son, country singer-songwriter Brandon Ratcliff, are taking the internet by storm with their lovely and tender familial harmonies. Their duets have racked up millions of views and likes on social media, leading to a new EP, Mother/Son Volume 1, and a recent appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Those voices!

You may have seen, I’ve had the good fortune of getting to spend a lot of quality time making a film – and doing plenty of banjo pickin’! – with Rhiannon Giddens recently. Since shooting An Ode to Mary Jo together, I keep going back to Rhiannon’s catalog of recordings and cannot get enough. This duet with fiddler Justin Robinson is from her most recent release, 2025’s What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow. Fantastic old-fashioned, down-home fiddle and banjo music drawn from North Carolina.

I’m with I’m With Her, too. One of our favorite trios in Americana and bluegrass released a brand new live album today, Sing Me Alive, packed with 20 tracks captured at performances across the country and in Canada. Many familiar favorites can be found alongside cover songs and tracks they’ve never released before. Here, they’re joined by Ye Vagabonds in Rocky Mount, Virginia, on “Rhododendron” in November of 2025.

Our Good Country and BGS Artist of the Month, Tenille Townes, released the first full-length album of her independent era last week. As she describes in our exclusive Artist of the Month interview, she took a much different approach to recording this music, doing most of the tracking herself, alone. The songs are deep, meaningful, and cathartic – and damn good. But it’s not an entirely solo album, as I’m With Her (how perfect) and Lori McKenna both feature on tracks. Hear McKenna join Townes on the title track, “the acrobat.”

Our old pal Charlie Worsham is back at it – though he truly never stops. A sideman, radio and podcast host, session player, songwriter, and artist, Charlie does it all. He’s got new music of his own out and the GC team can’t wait for more. As he usually does, he’s once again calling on his superlative cohort of friends in Music City. On his most recent single, “They Never Do,” it’s Lainey Wilson joining in. From some teases on social media, though, we’re expecting many more special guests on Charlie’s outings in the future!

Listen to this issue of Ed’s Picks in one YouTube playlist here.

Listen to the full Ed’s Picks archive playlist here.

Want more Good Country? Sign up to receive our monthly email newsletter – and much more music! – direct to your inbox.

Photo Credits: Suzanne Cox & Brandon Ratcliff by Chase Hentges; Rhiannon Giddens by Karen Cox; I’m With Her by Alysse Gafkjen; Tenille Townes by Madison Rensing; Charlie Worsham courtesy of the artist.

Country Ain’t a Man’s World

Posted on March 23, 2026June 23, 2026 by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s Note: Each issue of Good Country, our co-founder Ed Helms will share a handful of good country artists, albums, and songs direct from his own earphones in Ed’s Picks.

We loved Cat Clyde’s 2023 release, Down Rounder, and on her brand new album Mud Blood Bone the Canadian singer-songwriter turns the dial a few more clicks toward alt-country, indie, and rockabilly. There’s a raw, gritty quality to the collection that’s remarkably refined for how unhinged it lands – and very country, too.

Ella Langley’s megalith hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” has brought her to the top of the charts, but we’re zooming in on a new single she just released a little over a month ago. “Be Her,” one of four tracks unveiled so far from her upcoming April release, Dandelion, might end up being the best mainstream country song of the year. Delightfully coy, jealous, and longing, it’s a bop that’s as deep and thoughtful as it is fun.

No one is making mainstream, crispy, hyper-stylized country like Megan Moroney. Her new album, Cloud 9, is certain to lift you up. With a lyric video showcasing beaches, palm trees, and Los Angeles sunshine, the title track perfectly illustrates how Moroney combines pop and twang, city and rural into a country style all her own. Right at home on Top 40 radio, but certainly Good Country, too.

Kacey Musgraves ended her post-Deeper Well dry spell with “Dry Spell,” a hilarious, catchy, and craveable song to bridge eras and albums. Her next LP, Middle of Nowhere (coming May 1), will expand the rat-race-opt-out universe Musgraves began building with Deeper Well. And we’re more than happy to see dashes of the wit and wordplay of Same Trailer, Different Park and Pageant Material infused in the lead single.

An Americana, Southern rock, and modern blues supergroup, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s 12-person ensemble returns with another no-misses album, Future Soul, released Friday. The project is strikingly diverse sonically and while it features some more genre exploration and subdued moments than you may expect from their stage shows, it’s still an absolute banger. The group kicked off their album release tour beginning a 10-show residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City that runs through March 28 before they take the show on the road in the spring, summer, and beyond.

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Photo Credits: Cat Clyde by Julio Assis; Ella Langley courtesy of the artist; Megan Moroney by Cece Dawson; Kacey Musgraves by Kelly Christine Sutton; Tedeschi Trucks Band by Chapman Baehler.

Madison Dunn & Reid Kohls on Only Vans with Bri Bagwell

Posted on August 25, 2025August 31, 2025 by Justin Hiltner

These girls, Madison Dunn and Reid Kohls, are on a mission to bring light to the Twin Rivers Music Scene, which is the place I call home in New Braunfels, Texas. They became friends through meeting at shows and events in the Twin Rivers scene and decided to take their passion to the next level with media coverage and a podcast of their own. This conversation was my first ever time talking with Reid and Madison, but we hit it off instantly.

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Today on Only Vans I’m joined by Madison and Reid of the Twin Rivers Music Scene podcast and they are two adorable, smart, hard-working young ladies who love live music and are working to promote it, especially in the area where I live. I’ve hung out with them a few times since we recorded this podcast and we’re becoming fast friends. They’re awesome and it’s crazy that this conversation is the first time we had ever met.

Producer Kyle had the idea to do a practical joke on these sweet babies, which was the first ever on this podcast, where I asked them how they felt about the recent bombing in Iran, which is totally not our M.O. It was hilarious and I think that she was pretty mortified, and I’m so sorry Madison… I blame Kyle. Anyway, in a total ironic twist of events, this podcast has terrible audio for the first six minutes, because the interface glitched. It’s so funny how we’re talking about being a professional podcast and it sounds like total heck until it kicks in about minute seven, so hang in there. Sorry about that, girlfriends.

Anyway, check out Twin Rivers wherever you get your podcasts – and they recently had me on an episode, as well! They are also available to hire to film content, too. Hustlers. I love it!

Finding Lucinda: Episode 9

Posted on August 25, 2025August 25, 2025 by Justin Hiltner

Ismay travels across Nashville to the Station Inn to meet with legendary folk singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier. This episode of Finding Lucinda is different from those in the past – rather than interviewing a character from Lucinda Williams’ history, Ismay speaks to Mary because of their shared experiences as fans and devotees of Lucinda’s music.

Mary reveals that her most well known song was in fact directly derived from techniques Lucinda uses in her songwriting. This conversation turns out to be incredibly revelatory, as wisdom Mary imparts allows Ismay to discover that what they initially thought this journey was all about may in fact be completely upended.

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Produced in partnership with BGS and distributed through the BGS Podcast Network, Finding Lucinda expands on the themes of Ismay’s eponymous documentary film, exploring artistic influence, creative resilience, and the impact of Williams’ music. New episodes are released twice a month. Listen right here on BGS or wherever you get podcasts.

Finding Lucinda, the documentary film that inspired and instigated the podcast, is slated for release on September 9, 2025. Both the film and podcast showcase never-before-heard archival material, intimate conversations, and a visual journey through the literal and figurative landscapes that molded Lucinda’s songwriting.

Credits:
Produced and mixed by Avery Hellman for Neanderthal Records, LLC.
Music by Ismay
Artwork by Avery Hellman.
Nashville Recording: Recorded at The Station Inn.
Sound Recordist: Rodrigo Nino
Producer: Liz McBee
Director: Joel Fendelman
Co-Director & Cinematographer: Rose Bush
Special thanks to: Mick Hellman, Chuck Prophet, Jonathan McHugh, Sydney Lane, Don Fierro, Jacqueline Sabec, Rosemary Carroll, Lucinda Williams, and Tom Overby.

Find more information on Finding Lucinda here. Find our full Finding Lucinda episode archive here. Pre-order the documentary film via Apple TV here.

Sawtooth
Country Soul

Posted on June 18, 2025June 23, 2026 by Shelby Williamson

To say Kashus Culpepper’s life has changed over the last five years is an understatement. A former state champion wrestler, firefighter, and EMT, the Alabama native developed a raspy, smoke-and-voodoo vocal while stationed in Spain with the U.S. Navy in 2020, forced to pass the pandemic in his bunk. Since then, he’s knocked over one milestone after another.

With a distinctive mix of country, blues, Southern rock, and soul, the 27-year-old cites Robert Johnson, Bill Withers, and Hank Williams as inspirations and is now bringing his roots-renegade instincts to mainstream fans. Despite only releasing his first official track in June of 2024, the music industry short-timer has earned big-time appreciation.

That includes the respect of heroes like Elton John and John Mayer, a Grand Ole Opry debut, tour dates around the country, and inclusion on 2025 “artist-to-watch” lists at GRAMMY.com, Apple, Billboard, Pandora, and more. Culpepper just finished a run of dates with Leon Bridges and he’ll hit the road with Whiskey Myers in June before joining tours by Sierra Ferrell, Darius Rucker, and others later on in the summer. It would all be overwhelming, if he had time to think about it.

“I’ve just been taking it day by day,” Culpepper tells Good Country with a hearty laugh, waiting to perform at a community festival in Arkansas last month. “I think that’s the best course of action. Don’t think too far in the future and just take each show, each writing session, each recording session one at a time. Just pray everything works out and keep going. … Because when things started happening, I was like, ‘Oh, snap.’”

We wanted to get to know Culpepper before anything else “happens,” and figure out what’s fueling the hype. As it turns out, this all-natural talent is just going with the flow.

I read that you didn’t even start playing guitar until you were in Spain for the Navy, right? What made you want to do that?

Kashus Culpepper: Yeah, in Spain we got shut down and I didn’t have nothing else to do, man. I mean, literally I was bored out my mind. It’s a different type of boredom, because during COVID you couldn’t do nothing. It’s not like you can just go outside or go to a bar or hang with your friends. We couldn’t do nothing. So this was a weird point in my life and my buddy had a guitar in the barracks. I was like, “Well, this is a perfect time. I literally have nothing to do.” I just went on YouTube and looked up covers I wanted to learn. Music has always been something I go back to whenever life is hard. So I resorted back to music and that ended up leading me to learn guitar, eventually learn to write songs.

Thank God for YouTube, huh?

Shout out Marty Schwartz!

You seem to have a lot of diverse tastes, but that bluesy, soulful country thing – why did that speak to you?

I think maybe that’s just my music taste. My first taste of music was gospel, and I’m from Southern Alabama, so gospel there, it’s really rootsy already. It already sounds like a folk song. And the way they sing it sounds so bluesy, like old Son House type of vibes. From there I got into blues music outside of church. I got into country music and R&B and folk music a little. I’m all over the place when I listen to music. I can go from Allman Brothers to a Conway Twitty song really quick.

But I know you like John Mayer and all that stuff, too, right?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I love so many of those rock artists, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Skynyrd. People ask me all the time my influence and I’m just like, “Bro, it’s so hard to name everybody.” John Mayer was a huge thing for me. Recently I went back to Norah Jones, I’m like, “Man, I used to love this record.” But with my music, at the end of the day, it’s just centered on my lyrics. I just want it to feel as rootsy as possible, because all the music I come from – blues, folk, R&B, soul, gospel – it’s all roots music at the end of the day.

Your voice is so good at expressing these really raw emotional states, I think. Is that how you are naturally? Or does that only come out in your music?

Most of the time? Honestly man, it’s just with the music. It’s hard to open up to the people. I think for me music has been great, just to express how I actually feel through my singing and my lyrics. I don’t usually just tell people.

So you’re from Alabama. After the Navy, did you go home and keep playing?

I got out the Navy in 2022 and by that point I already had gigs booked on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I was booked at all these casinos, all these bars. I was booked out for a year in advance. I got out and went straight to full-time doing cover band shows pretty much for another year, until I literally couldn’t take any more of it. Then that’s when I decided I really want to write songs. Literally, I decided “I’m going to move back home to save as much money as I can and move to Nashville.” I was home for maybe a week or two and posting a lot on TikTok and I remember I was in my mom’s living room. I posted a TikTok, I went out because I had an interview for a job, I got back home, and it had reached 100,000 views. From there it was just, “Oh, snap. It’s going on.”

@kashculpeppermusic Replying to @Casey Wayne One week till “Man of His Word” drops! Appreciating all the support on this one❤️ Pre-save link in bio🔥 #country #singersongwriter #original #kashusculpepper #newmusic #livemusic #countrymusic #countrymusiclover #tour #soul #newcountry ♬ original sound – Kashus Culpepper

That’s awesome. Congratulations on how that all turned out. I think one reason for it might be that your music seems so unconventional, almost untamed. Maybe because you did it on your own? Do you feel like fans are hungry for that?

I think so. We talked about John Mayer. John Mayer is kind of like that. He’s all over the place. Sometimes he’ll do a blues song and then straight up pop, and then an R&B song with Leon Bridges. I think people just love that from artists. Artists just being artists. Just do whatever the song feels like. That’s how I feel with songs.

“A Man of His Word” is super soulful, with lots of that gospel influence and a big raspy vocal. Tell me about being the man a girl deserves. Where’s that theme coming from?

I wrote that song with Natalie Hemby and at the time we was just talking about life. The song is from a perspective of a guy looking into a girl and she’s going through hardships, because she don’t have a man of his word. She’s drinking a lot, doing a whole bunch of stuff. The song has a lot of me in it. I grew up with a single mother and you don’t know how those things can affect you without having somebody in your life you can trust. You get the feeling you can’t really trust nobody, because that’s not part of your life, and that leads to mental health problems or substance abuse. You don’t even notice it at the time, until you look back and you’re like, “Dang, that’s why I feel that way.”

After that comes “Broken Wing Bird” with Sierra Ferrell and it’s on the opposite end of the spectrum. Very threadbare and folky, right?

Oh man. So I’m a huge fan of Willie Nelson. One of my favorite songs is “Funny How Time Slips Away” – I just love so much the crooner era that he was doing – and I wanted a song that felt like that.

I wrote the song about somebody that’s not really good for you and you just keep taking ‘em back regardless, because you love them and no matter what they do, you’re always going to. So she’s like my broken-winged bird – no matter what she does, she’s flying back and I’m always going to help her out and then she’ll probably be on her way again.

It’s been good getting to know you a little. Big picture, what do you hope people take away from your music?

I think overall, I hope they can see I’m just an artist trying to express the way I see things, and I hope in some way they can find music that can fit every part of their life. Whether they’re trying to have a good time out partying, or if they want to soak into the sadness of a lover they lost, I just hope my music can fit some aspect of their life. And I hope they can enjoy it.

Photo Credit: Cole Calfee

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