BGS Wraps: It’s the Rootsiest Time of the Year

Each year, the BGS Team likes to “wrap up” the year in music by featuring holiday, seasonal, and festive tunes and songs throughout the month of December. It’s a perfect way to generate holiday cheer while shining a light on some of the high quality new – and timeless! – seasonal music we’ve got playing on repeat each winter. And, it gives us the chance to infuse our veteran/stalwart holiday playlists with some new life, too.

This year, we’ll be sharing songs, albums, shows, and events each day for the first three weeks of December, a musical bridge to bring us to the peak holiday season, the end of one year, and the beginning of another. Check back each day as we add more selections to these weekly posts, highlighting roots music that will soundtrack our solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year.

What are you listening to this time of year? Let us know on social media! You can scroll to find our complete BGS Wraps playlist for 2024 below. Check out Week 1 of BGS Wraps here and Week 3 of BGS Wraps here.


Megan Moroney, “All I Want For Christmas Is a Cowboy”

Artist: Megan Moroney
Song: “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy”
Album: Blue Christmas …duh (EP)
Release Date: November 1, 2024

In Their Words: “Well since it comes out tonight, I guess now would be a good time to let y’all know I recorded a lil 3 song holiday EP that features 2 original songs & a cover of a classic. It’s called Blue Christmas …duh.

sleigh, I guess.” – Megan Moroney, via social media

From The Editor: “Megan Moroney was everywhere in 2024 – and we certainly didn’t mind! Three CMA Awards nominations, her sophomore album, Am I Okay?, reached No. 9 on Billboard‘s Hot 200 chart, she’s MusicRow‘s Breakout Artist of the Year, and so much more. Plus, she released this excellent holiday EP, Blue Christmas …duh, in November featuring two new originals and her rendition of the classic made popular by Elvis. We adore Moroney’s brand of high-end, sequin-studded, mainstream country. Catch her and her music on the Am I Okay? Tour in 2025!”


Spencer Hatcher & Aubrie Sellers, “Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus”

Artist: Spencer Hatcher & Aubrie Sellers
Song: “Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus”
Release Date: November 1, 2024

In Their Words: “‘Oh, yeah, you bet. Uh… ho ho ho and stuff’ 🎄 ‘Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus’ is out now!!” – Spencer Hatcher & Aubrie Sellers, via social media

From The Editor: “Decked out in their holiday best and performing in front of a classic Airstream trailer, bluegrass influencer Spencer Hatcher and garage country artist Aubrie Sellers play the mother and father of Christmas for their new single, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Claus.’ Throwing it back to the ’70s in more ways than one, their rendition pays tribute to George and Tammy’s cut of the song released in 1973. It combines so many things we love about bluegrass, country, and roots music – from the steel guitar and tasty harmonies to the retro trimmings and honky-tonkin’ tempo. We’re even here for the iconic knotty pine wood paneling! Perfect for BGS Wraps.”


Sierra Hull, “The First Snowfall”

Artist: Sierra Hull
Song: “The First Snowfall”
Release Date: November 8, 2024

In Their Words: “‘The First Snowfall’ is the B side from my upcoming limited edition 7” vinyl release, Holiday Favorites V1  … Can anyone guess which classic artist I discovered this song from?” – Sierra Hull, via social media

From The Editor: “Every seasonal playlist deserves a selection of songs about the season, as well as the festive holidays we celebrate during it. So we were especially excited to hear impeccable mandolinist Sierra Hull’s rendition of this Bing Crosby classic, ‘The First Snowfall,’ when it dropped last month. With a newgrass groove that skips and hops along, Hull and her crack band bring a modern glitz to the number. Don’t miss the A side of her special holiday single release, too – it’s ‘Country Christmas’ pulled from the catalog of one of Hull’s heroes, Loretta Lynn. Bluegrass winter leads to bluegrass Christmas, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”


Blind Boys of Alabama & Jay Buchanan, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”

Artist: Blind Boys of Alabama & Jay Buchanan
Song: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
Release Date: November 29, 2024

In Their Words: “Get in the holiday & shopping spirit with ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.’ Produced and arranged by Hall & Oates Music Director Shane Theriot, we sing it alongside rocker Jay Buchanan of Rival Sons.” – Blind Boys of Alabama, via social media

From The Editor: “Every holiday needs soul. Who better to provide a bit of a Christmas slow burn – besides a yule log – than the Blind Boys of Alabama with Rival Sons’ Jay Buchanan? ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day’ has limitless pocket and a funky, slow dance groove. A brand new addition to our Non-Crappy Christmas Songs playlist? Most certainly! This rockin’, soulful, Americana-steeped rendition of a holiday classic is just too good.”


William Prince, “The Sound of Christmas”

Artist: William Prince
Album: The Sound of Christmas (EP)
Release Date: October 18, 2024

In Their Words: “Produced by the wonderful Boy Golden, featuring the talents of Alyshia Grace, FONTINE, Cody Iwasiuk, John Baron, Stephen Arundell, Keiran Placatka, Matt Kelly, Kris Ulrich, Austin Parachoniak, Kaitlyn Raitz, Ben Plotnick, and with beautiful artwork from Roberta Landreth, these songs were a treat to put together for you and I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them. … Happy early holidays, folks.” – William Prince, via social media

From The Editor: “Christmas arrived right on time – in mid-October – via this delicious three-song EP from First Nations country singer-songwriter William Prince. We’ve covered Prince quite a bit over the years, relishing the plains patina and down-to-earth quality of his albums and songs. The Sound of Christmas is a bit more polished, shiny, and draped in tinsel (especially the primed-for-Times-Square title track), but the other tracks on the project, ‘Silver Bells’ and ‘Don’t Go Leaving Me (It’s Christmas Eve),’ still display plenty of that signature grit and duality. Here’s a sound direct from (what we now call) rural Canada that’s also very much ready for the mainstream.

“Something else we love about The Sound of Christmas: Prince is selling 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles of the festive, holiday village cover artwork for the EP. Adding it to our holiday gift list now!”


2024 Good Country

An entire year of Good Country has blown by! Our new email newsletter and brand has gone so much further and has reached so many more country fans than we ever imagined when we launched in January. The concept is simple: there’s plenty of Good Country out there, and we want to highlight all of it.

As we look back at 2024 and the first twelve months of GC, we asked our pantheon of contributors to collect their favorite country releases from the calendar year. We did not determine for our writers what qualifies as country – or what does not. It’s important for GC to facilitate a country space that attempts to revert this music back to its earliest days, before genres and formats split up the many subgenres and downstream styles of country into various, distinct buckets and boxes.

One of the things most clear to us after a year of GC is that our central premise is certainly true. There’s endless Good Country out there – especially when you’re open to as many styles and aesthetics, influences and entry points as possible. From mainstream, radio country to red dirt, from bluegrass to Southern rock, from old-time to down home blues. Good Country is more than a genre, it’s more than a simplistic pitch to “save” this music we love. Good Country is a place, it’s an idea, a way of viewing the world – musical and otherwise. And we’re so grateful to all of you for joining us in Good Country.

Scroll for the playlist of our favorite 2024 Good Country below!

Kassi Ashton, Made From the Dirt

Kassi Ashton spent the better part of a decade honing her craft and trying out various promotional singles to gain traction. It wasn’t until “Called Crazy,” her third official single, that she hit the Top 40 on country radio. The minor success primed listeners for her long-awaited debut record, Made From the Dirt, a beautifully produced and raucous set blending the best parts of mainstream country. Ashton runs on high-octane energy – with her thick twang packing a punch on each loose-lipped syllable. From the propulsive “Son of a Gun” to the slow rollin’ “‘Til the Lights Go Out,” her debut radiates from the inside out and carries with it cross-generational appeal. – Bee Delores

Kaitlin Butts, Roadrunner!

Set to the timeless musical Oklahoma!, Kaitlin Butts’ Roadrunner! is as much a modern retelling of the epic tale as it is a road map of her own exploits thus far. On the 17-track project she shines on soft, nurturing ballads like the Vince Gill-featured duet “Come Rest Your Head (On My Pillow),” “People Will Say We’re In Love” (starring partner and Flatland Cavalry lead Cleto Cordero — the only song pulled straight from the musical), and “Elsa,” a tune about a woman she met while playing nursing home gigs back in the day.

But, she also revels in its more chaotic moments as well, as is the case with “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me)” and a Kesha cover, “Hunt You Down.” Through these vignettes Butts not only shows that the near-century-old musical remains as impactful as ever, but that her music has the power to do the same. – Matt Wickstrom

Denitia, Sunset Drive

Okay, I am shook that Denitia has not been studying, writing, and recording country music for all her life. Formerly an R&B artist (just go on and check out her wicked 2018 album, Touch of the Sky), Denitia’s on her second country record and it sounds exactly how I’d want a country record to sound. Admittedly, I am not a huge country fan (except I know all the words to every song on ‘90s country radio stations), but Sunset Drive rings my bell from top to bottom. Her clear and cool ‘90s-inspired, indie voice and her flawless writing are on full display with songs like “Back to You” and “Gettin’ Over.” The flow of the writing and instrumentation are seamless. No notes, Denitia! Hope they wise up and get you on the radio. – Cindy Howes

Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers

In this instant classic, Trail of Flowers firmly establishes Sierra Ferrell as the voice of a generation. Her indelible songwriting delivered by her uncommon vocals will be revered indefinitely. I’ve had the honor of seeing her perform twice (well, maybe more like once and a half) since the album’s release, each time surrounded by an audience brought to their knees by her sheer, unadulterated power. At DelFest, hundreds of us sheltered for nearly an hour in the grandstand after an untimely lightning storm struck following the opening chords of “Jeremiah.” We rushed back to the stage in troves as soon as the skies began to clear, only to be utterly heartbroken upon learning that her set would not continue. Sierra’s performances are unspeakably transformative – her authenticity and eminence evoke the divine. Trail of Flowers offers us a precious keepsake, a textured collection of harvested treasures both earthly and ethereal. – Oriana Mack

Sam Gleaves, Honest

Maybe country music could leave behind its ongoing debate around “authenticity” forever, because the best country doesn’t need to be “authentic,” it just needs to be honest.

Sam Gleaves is an Appalachian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and community builder whose every note, sung or plucked, is as truthful and stalwart as the mountains he calls home. His new album, Honest, combines old-time, honky tonkin’ country, bluegrass, and mountain music in a charming, down-to-earth package that’s never ambitious or try-hard. At the same time, this is one of the best country albums of the year and then some, with impeccable, tear-jerker tracks like “Beautiful” and hilarious, sexy romps like “Queer Cowboy.” There’s no performance of traditional authenticity signifiers here; Gleaves’ most radical act is allowing us to perceive him wholly, through his music. That’s all too rare in mainstream country, but a longstanding legacy that’s alive and well on the genre’s fringes. – Justin Hiltner

Mickey Guyton, This Is Who I’ve Always Been

Although she’s long considered herself an “outlaw,” Mickey Guyton has steadily moved up the country music ladder. She’s ultimately emerged as a consistent example of individuality and creativity. She’s battled since signing her first deal in 2011, refusing to accept the notion that being Black and outspoken placed limits on either outreach or popularity. She’s steadily smashed barriers, most notably being the first Black woman to be nominated in the Best Country Song GRAMMY category, and the first to both perform at and later co-host the Academy of Country Music Awards.

But she’s now also realizing her greatest musical achievements. Guyton’s latest LP, This Is Who I’ve Always Been, is a marvelous declaration of her country roots and legacy, a recorded statement that says everything without being overtly political in lyrical tone and presentation. There are 12 joyous, rousing tracks that spotlight her writing skills alongside Tyler Hubbard and Corey Crowder. It’s only fitting that she’s joined by Kane Brown on the stirring “Nothing Compares to You.” It’s a powerhouse tune co-written by Hubbard, Bebe Rexha, and Jordan Schmidt that is arguably the LP’s definitive performance. Guyton is now a Nashville resident, and this album celebrates her triumph as a true example of country’s diversity and inclusion. – Ron Wynn

Stephanie Lambring, Hypocrite

We should all be talking about Stephanie Lambring more. Like, a lot more. On her sophomore album, Hypocrite, Lambring continues her all-killer-no-filler critiques of patriarchy and oppression. The album opens with the ominous pop of “Cover Girl” before delving into the shattering vulnerability of “Good Mother.” Lambring has had her share of bitter experience in the Nashville machine and sharing those stories of superficial “authenticity” has proved to be the best thing she could have done – liberating for her, yes, but also offering the rest of us a portal to examine our ingrained biases and, hopefully, to break free of them. Hypocrite is not an easy listen – if you are a human being, you will squirm at least once listening to these lyrics – but it’s essential. – Rachel Cholst

Cindy Lee, Diamond Jubilee

Cindy Lee is the non-binary alter-ego of Patrick Flegel, reclusive former leader of Canadian post-punk band Women – and you could say Flegel made some curious decisions about how to put this music out into the world. Instead of the usual streaming sites, Diamond Jubilee lives primarily on YouTube as a two-hour-plus video of all 32 songs as a single track, no breaks. But don’t let that scare you. Diamond Jubilee is spectral late-night soundtrack music to a movie that hasn’t been made yet. You sure can picture it, though. The sonics are proudly low-fidelity, yet the gauzy arrangements are precise (and Flegel is one hell of an evocative less-is-more guitarist). Imagine Brian Wilson conducting teenage symphonies to the afterlife, and you’re in the ballpark. An amazing collection of music, deep as it is broad. – David Menconi

Adrianne Lenker, Bright Future

Indie-country-folk enigma Adrianne Lenker didn’t use a single piece of digital equipment while recording her seventh full-length solo album, Bright Future. Instead, she and five friends hunkered down at a studio that’s only been described publicly as “in the woods” somewhere in New England. They recorded an intimate, intuitive album using a process known as AAA. (That’s analog recording, analog mixing, and analog mastering.)

Despite its decidedly anachronistic engineering, Bright Future is one of the most unique and powerful American folk releases of 2024. It’s even been nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Folk Album, marking Lenker’s first GRAMMY nomination as a solo artist. Listening to the album feels like sitting in a small, warm room with Lenker and her collaborators, with every breath and every shifting movement still audible on the tape. For me, getting releases like this that feel so undeniably rooted in the real, tangible world, really does make the future seem a bit more bright – a small form of resistance against the forced digitization of our lives. – Dana Yewbank

Pete Mancini, “American Equator”

Pete Mancini has been carving a path for himself through the country music landscape since the release of his debut solo album in 2017. Coincidentally, the title of his newest single, “American Equator,” is inspired by the idea of a literal divide carved into the U.S. landscape. Mancini can be playful, imaginative, and solemn with his writing and “American Equator” showcases these qualities sewn together. Much like the faders mentioned in the song’s chorus, Mancini knows when and how to apply blunt honesty for several true-to-life references and when to present the ugliness of the song’s settings through a no less candid but much more palatable metaphor. Even if heavy narratives aren’t what you’re after, the steady groove, power-pop style guitar tone, and hopeful arc of the chord progression make “American Equator” a tune that’s easy to turn up and enjoy – especially on long highway road trips. – Kira Grunenberg

John Moreland, Visitor

For a slice of the country music-listening public, April 5, 2024 had December 13, 2013 energy. In fact, were Beyoncé not the Beyoncé of country music, I might say that John Moreland is the Beyoncé of country music. Both are undeniable stars and underrated producers. Visitor is a beautiful album that reveals brilliant new details with each listen. I sometimes feel fragile when the drums kick in on “Blue Dream Carolina,” but by the end of the track I always feel better. I am so happy that this songwriter’s songwriter keeps growing his audience. I am not entirely sure what country music is. I wish more of it sounded like a John Moreland record. – Lizzie No

Lizzie No, Halfsies

This was the year when Lizzie No seemed to fully embody their inner country crooner. No welcomed 2024 with the release of Halfsies in January on Thirty Tigers. Its songs tell a story of being female in an America that expects more of its women the more the melanin in their skin. When No sang in the title track about leaving her “sandals in a cab” and finding “a snakeskin in the grass,” she was talking about pain and loss and transformation. About the performative nature of identity. When Loretta Lynn sang “You’re lookin’ at country,” she was talking about what people are looking for as much as what they actually see. If Lynn has a legatee in today’s country circles, it just might be Lizzie No. – Kim Ruehl

The Red Clay Strays, Made by These Moments and Live at the Ryman

Bursting out of their native Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays emerged as the hottest live act of 2024. A snarling blend of Americana, rock, and alt-country tones, the group went from selling 40 tickets a gig to 4,000 in less than 18 months – an incredible feat by any measure, and one immediately justified by the “you had to be there” stage presence of lead singer Brandon Coleman and company.

Rolling into this summer, the Strays offered up their sophomore album, Made by These Moments, to wide acclaim from audiences and critics alike. But, it was the recently-released Live at the Ryman that truly showcases the intricate depth of sonic abilities and fire-and-brimstone vocal prowess at the heart of the outfit. The biggest takeaway? There’s no ceiling to the size and scope of where the Strays can take their music – in the studio or onto the stage. What remains is pure passion and guided purpose for their craft, this platform for compassion they hold with deep respect. – Garret K. Woodward

Zach Top, Cold Beer & Country Music

Rest easy, for country has been saved! But no, because Zach Top himself doesn’t even believe that the genre needs to be rescued. Even so, this young bluegrass-raised artist, who seemingly catapulted overnight into retro, nostalgic country stardom, is doing his utmost to keep the realest kinds of ‘90s and throwback country alive and contemporary. With the mustache and Wrangler jeans to prove it. Watching as his audience has ballooned over the last year demonstrates that Top is certainly not alone in his love for this kind of archetypical country. “I Never Lie” is probably the most impactful and far-reaching single from the genre of the year, as recognizable and requested on Lower Broadway as in the halls of SPBGMA (the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America). Top brings so many circles of the country music Venn diagram together, organically, and we are all better for it. I hope I stay embedded on Zach TopTok forever. – Justin Hiltner

Twisters Soundtrack

Twisters is not a great movie, though it would have been better if they let Glen Powell fuck. Or if they let the weirdness that David Corenswet displayed in Pearl show up here. It would have been a more politically relevant movie if the director didn’t refuse to talk about climate change – which is why all of the chaotic weather is happening in Oklahoma.

Its soundtrack, though, is genuinely great. Part of the reason why is how carefully it was marketed – to work through the ongoing genre battles in country, to acknowledge the nostalgia of the original 1990s film, and to think about what country might mean more broadly. Ignoring climate change might be part of the film’s faltering, foisting the bland hegemony of Powell is also part of it, but the album is more disruptive. And more beautiful than it has any right to be. It almost reaches gender parity, it has half-a-dozen Black performers, there are legacy acts and up-and-comers. Listening to the Twisters soundtrack this year made me yearn for a counterfactual country radio. – Steacy Easton

Rhonda Vincent, Destinations and Fun Places

I’m a firm believer that bluegrass sits pretty under the umbrella of “country music.” If you’re a country music lover and are looking to expand your horizons, let my 2024 Good Country selection nudge you towards some ‘grass. You’ll thank me later.

This year, Rhonda Vincent released her highly-anticipated album, Destinations and Fun Places, and it’s soooo Bluegrass Barbie-coded. From her stunning hot pink dress on the cover to her top-notch covers like “9 to 5” and “Please Mr Please,” Rhonda proves she’s still the queen. With featured artists like Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Cody Johnson, and Alison Krauss, any country music fan would have plenty of familiar voices to enjoy. This record also showcases Rhonda’s musical range, with sweet songs like “I Miss Missouri” to bluegrass ragers like “Rocky Top.” From “Margaritaville” to “The City of New Orleans,” Rhonda Vincent is truly an American treasure. All hail the queen! – Bluegrass Barbie


Need more Good Country? Sign up on Substack to receive our monthly email newsletter with endless country, Americana, and more direct to your inbox. 

Photo Credit: Sierra Ferrell by Bobbi Rich; Zach Top courtesy of the artist; Denitia by Chase Denton.

BGS Wraps: Roots Music For the Season

Each year, the BGS Team likes to “wrap up” the year in music by featuring holiday, seasonal, and festive tunes and songs throughout the month of December. It’s a perfect way to generate holiday cheer while shining a light on some of the high quality new – and timeless! – seasonal music we’ve got playing on repeat each winter. And, it gives us the chance to infuse our veteran/stalwart holiday playlists with some new life, too.

This year, we’ll be sharing songs, albums, shows, and events each day for the first three weeks of December, a musical bridge to bring us to the peak holiday season, the end of one year, and the beginning of another. Check back each day as we add more selections to these weekly posts, highlighting roots music that will soundtrack our solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year.

What are you listening to this time of year? Let us know on social media! Scroll to find our complete BGS Wraps playlist for 2024 below. You can check out Week 2 of BGS Wraps here and Week 3 of BGS Wraps here.


Chapel Hart, Hartfelt Family Christmas

Artist: Chapel Hart
Album: Hartfelt Family Christmas
Release Date: October 25, 2024

In Their Words: “The Hartfelt Family Christmas album feels like a true classic with a fresh, updated feel that I can’t get enough of. The mix of songs on the album range from ones that make you want to get up and dance to ones that will have you driving and bawling your eyes out. This album is a must-have for the holiday season, as it truly captures the spirit of Christmas, and I believe gives you a warm welcome into the Christmas season with Chapel Hart! I highly recommend adding this album to your holiday music collection.” – Danica Hart, via press release

From The Editor: “One of our favorite groups in country, Chapel Hart are continuing collectivist country sounds a la the Chicks, Pistol Annies, Little Big Town – while keeping it in the family. Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle render classic holiday songs and originals with crisp, mainstream production plus a cozy, living room family reunion vibe. Plenty of special guests appear on the project, too, from Gretchen Wilson and Rissi Palmer to Vince Gill and the Isaacs. It sometimes feels tough to discover new holiday music when the classics we return to each year are such high quality; Hartfelt Family Christmas fits right in, though, and is sure to become a wintry stalwart for many Christmas playlists to come.”


The McCrary Sisters, A McCrary Kind of Christmas

Artist: The McCrary Sisters
Event: A McCrary Kind of Christmas
Date: December 6, 2024
Location:
Riverside Revival, Nashville, Tennessee

In Their Words: “I have always loved this time of the year, because people seemed to love or like each other. We should love all year long, but unfortunately we don’t. So I will take a season of love, rather than no love at all. We take this time of the year to be a blessing to others. It brings my heart joy to be able to give to others. When you have lived without yourself, then you know how it feels when someone takes the time to acknowledge you and bless you. It is important to us to be a blessing to others. This annual benefit show has blessed so many families over the years, and each year we want to give more and more. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital helps so many families, so it is an honor to be able to give back to them along with local Nashville families. IT IS A BLESSING TO BE A BLESSING.” – The McCrary Sisters, via press release

From The Editor: “The McCrary Sisters are a Nashville institution, as is their annual holiday celebration, A McCrary Kind of Christmas – now in its 15th year. Happening tomorrow, December 6, at Riverside Revival in Nashville, Tennessee, A McCrary Kind of Christmas will benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and will feature performances by Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Raul Malo, Dave Pomeroy, the McCrarys, and many more.

“This is a Music City holiday extravaganza not to be missed! Tickets are already sold out for A McCrary Kind of Christmas, but for those who didn’t get a chance to support the music and the cause, donations can be made directly to St. Jude’s here. And, lucky for all of us, the McCrarys released their essential Christmas album, A Very McCrary Christmas, back in 2019 – so make a donation, put on the album, and enjoy your own taste of A McCrary Kind of Christmas wherever you are.”


Väsen & Hawktail, “The Tobogganist”

Artist: Väsen & Hawktail
Song: “The Tobogganist”
Release Date: September 20, 2024

In Their Words: “We can’t really believe that we got to make this album with our heroes in Väsen. But we did! It’s called Väsen & Hawktail…” – Hawktail, via social media

From The Editor: “Two virtuosic, groundbreaking trad instrumental groups join forces and cross-pollinate continents – and generations – on Väsen & Hawktail (released in September by Padiddle Records and Olov Johansson Musik). This is a standout acoustic album of the year, certainly; a perfect selection among the album’s stunning tracks for BGS Wraps is ‘The Tobogganist,’ a composition we first highlighted when it was recorded by Hawktail for their album Formations in 2020. Bluegrass, old-time, and fiddle music from any/all countries of origin have catalogs packed full of seasonal and holiday tunes that may be connected to holiday and year-end festivities by title alone. ‘The Tobogganist’ is a perfect example of the form, though its peaks and valleys text paint an exciting and joyous wintry scene for listeners, lyrics or no.”


Caylee Hammack, “Blue Christmas”

Artist: Caylee Hammack
Song: “Blue Christmas”
Release Date: October 18, 2024

In Their Words: “I never knew ‘Blue Christmas’ needed a steel guitar solo until I spent some time reimagining this song, and Bruce Bowden brought the twang we needed to country fry this classic Christmas canon. I take the holidays as a time to revisit old memories and old songs, even when it wasn’t always a happy time for me, but I’ve come around that bend. Every year that I get to produce another Christmas record to share, makes me feel more in love with this season.” – Caylee Hammack, via press release

From The Editor: “Every holiday playlist needs some Good Country – and Caylee Hammack certainly checks that box with her Blue Christmas EP released in October. Don’t miss her playful, personable reimaginations of ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ and ‘Hard Candy Christmas’ alongside her twangy rendition of ‘Blue Christmas.’ Hammack has been on the Music City beat for years, the groundwork for the well-deserved momentum she’s enjoying at the moment being laid deliberately and intentionally over time.”


Adam Chaffins, “Layaway Momma”

Artist: Adam Chaffins
Song: “Layaway Momma”
Release Date: November 15, 2024

In Their Words: “I’m not sure co-writer Eric Paslay and I knew we were actually writing a Christmas song when we started on ‘Layaway Momma.’ Little by little, we unwrapped this tale of overcoming adversity while staying true to yourself – told through the story of a mother’s determination to ensure her little boy has a good Christmas. I think in the end, we wrote an anthem to the single parent who is not looking for pity, but is working her way towards the American Dream.” – Adam Chaffins, via press release

From The Editor: “Country and string band textures combine on Chaffins’ timely and tender seasonal track, ‘Layaway Momma.’ While much noise is made in the media, pre- and post-election, about ‘the economy’ and its performance, Chaffins – an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter in bluegrass, Americana, and beyond – and his co-writer Paslay point out that for many, our economy has never functioned properly. This is especially clear this time of year, as consumption snowballs and those with less feel the financial pinch even more prominently. Chaffins treats his subject, the Layaway Momma herself, with dignity and care – this isn’t just your typical holiday poverty porn, and that’s certainly a breath of fresh air.”


 

You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Hanneke Cassel, Zoe & Cloyd, and More

This week, our premiere roundup is full of brand new music videos and performance videos for your viewing pleasure.

Fiddler and composer Hanneke Cassel kicks us off with an exciting, dance-ready remix of “Dot The Dragon’s Eyes” that celebrates the 10th anniversary of her album by the same name. Then Zoe & Cloyd bring a touching and heart-wrenching number, “Linemen,” inspired by their experiences in Asheville post-Hurricane Helene and set to stunning footage of the flooding’s destruction.

Don’t miss two sessions, too! Judy Blank continues our special encore series of Rootsy Summer Sessions captured earlier this summer with a two-song performance from Falkenberg, Sweden. And the hilarious troubadour Robbie Fulks shares “I Just Lived a Country Song” during our inaugural Good Country Goodtime variety show held earlier this fall. We’re so excited to bring you clips and sessions from that special show while we look ahead to more Goodtimes in 2025.

It’s all right here on BGS, and You Gotta Hear This!


Hanneke Cassel, “Dot The Dragon’s Eyes” (Eric Wright Remix)

Artist: Hanneke Cassel
Hometown: Somerville, Massachusetts
Song: “Dot The Dragon’s Eyes” (Eric Wright Remix)
Release Date: December 6, 2024

In Their Words: “I released my tune ‘Dot The Dragon’s Eyes’ on an album by the same name in 2013. I was trying to think of a way to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the album and realized 2024 was the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Lunar calendar. I had been wanting to work with Eric Wright (cellist from the acoustic string band, The Fretless, and member of the electronic band, Speaker Face) so I asked him to do a dance remix tune.

“From 2002 to 2012, I traveled to Shanghai every spring as a retreat – to visit friends, play fiddle at migrant schools, orphanages, and other events, and to perform a concert in the Shanghai Arts District. These were transformative years for me – personally and musically – and after one visit I wrote the tune ‘Dot The Dragon’s Eyes.’ The title comes from a Chinese story that describes putting the finishing touches on something (dotting the eyes!) to bring it to life. The music video that goes along with this remix attempts to paint a picture of one of those days in Shanghai – complete with dumplings, karaoke, walks in the park, and more.” – Hanneke Cassel


Zoe & Cloyd, “Linemen”

Artist: Zoe & Cloyd
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Linemen”
Release Date: December 6th, 2024 (video)

In Their Words: “‘Linemen” was born from an honest, immediate experience. After 16 days with no power in our neighborhood following Hurricane Helene, we heard that linemen had been up on the narrow, washed out, backside dirt road near our homes assessing the situation. This road is still the only way into our neighborhood after flooding destroyed our bridge over Cane Creek on September 27. On the night of October 12, there was much anticipation and anxiety regarding the feasibility of power restoration amid so much damage. Our neighbor down on the creek, Doug Norton, a songwriter himself, sent us some lyrics that came to him after a ‘muse visit.’ We were all ‘sharing the same moment,’ to quote Doug. From his words, we were inspired to create this song.” – John Cloyd Miller

Video Credit: Mountainwater Films


The Good Country Goodtime: Robbie Fulks, “I Just Lived A Country Song”

On September 27, Good Country and BGS debuted our brand new variety show, the Good Country Goodtime, at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. The inaugural show, hosted by country and bluegrass singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks, featured comedy, country, and performances by musicians Victoria Bailey and Aubrie Sellers, comedian and actor Kurt Braunohler, and our all-star Goodtime house band led by the Coral Reefers’ Mick Utley.

Dynasty Typewriter is one of LA’s premier spaces for comedy, music, podcasts, improv, and so much more. The very first Good Country Goodtime was captured by the venue’s state-of-the-art cameras and we’re so excited to begin sharing exclusive sessions pulled from our debut edition of the show with our readers and fans. To kick off the new series, we’re highlighting our impeccable host for the evening, Robbie Fulks.

More here.


Rootsy Summer Sessions: Judy Blank

While much of the U.S. – and really, much of the Northern Hemisphere – has been plunged into the frigid throes of winter, let’s stroll back to balmy summer and to Falkenberg, Sweden. During Rootsy Summer Fest ’24 our videographer friends at I Know We Should were once again on hand to capture a few special live performances of artists and musicians from the festival lineup. Earlier this year, we featured an entire series of sessions from Rootsy Summer Fest ’23 (view those videos here), so we’re especially pleased to bring you these special encore performances captured this August.

For our latest session, we’re excited to introduce our BGS audience to indie-folk artist Judy Blank. Born and raised in the Netherlands – though now based in Nashville, Tennessee – Blank has her own sort of transatlantic style, combining textures and tones from Music City, Los Angeles, Europe, and beyond. Pop sensibilities combine with a raw earthiness that feels authentic and grounded, while simultaneously polished and highly conceptualized.

Watch the full performance here.


Photo Credit: Hanneke Cassel courtesy of the artist; Zoe & Cloyd by Valerie Eidson.

‘Welcome to the Plains’ and to the Red Dirt Universe of Wyatt Flores

Each year, the country music machine and its many fans and acolytes turn over, again and again and again, the quintessential question of “What is authenticity?” We’ve asked that very question quite a few times on Good Country over the last year ourselves, and we know as long as roots music and folk music are made, listeners will continue to ponder what is or isn’t “real,” “raw,” or… “authentic.”

Wyatt Flores has been chosen as authentic. Country Music has spoken, and this quickly skyrocketing young artist has been riding a wave lately surfed by folks like Sierra Ferrell, Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, and Zach Top. Like these real country “poster children,” Flores’ music is realistic and grounded. It isn’t idealized revisionism in outlaw trappings. His songs never attempt to sugarcoat or mythologize, paving over the complications of rural life, red dirt realness, or the gritty patina of a rural places – like his homeland of Oklahoma.

Flores’ new album, Welcome to the Plains, is decidedly and delightfully trad country with nearly universal critical and listener acclaim. He currently racks up 3.5 million streams a month on Spotify alone, bolstered by a series of incredibly popular and consistently viral singles and EPs leading up to this, his full-length debut. For so many writers, diehard fans, and critics, Flores has long been “one to watch,” but that visibility stretches further and wider, to listeners across the country and around the world from so many different backgrounds and starting points.

Part of the reason why such a young artist with a relatively nascent career could have already amassed such a coalition of followers is that realistic, unguarded, “I know who I am, even though I’m still figuring out where I’m going” approach. It’s evident in his artistry, his performing prowess, and his skill for songwriting – all of which are evidenced prominently across this album.

Welcome to the Plains is one of the most remarkable records of 2024; it continues a tone long set in Flores’ career and music, even before this current inflection point and its substantial momentum. Wyatt Flores is bound for longevity, for many more successes, for many more millions of plays, as long as he remains exactly who he is: Wyatt Flores.

Your music has such a strong sense of place, so I wanted to start by talking about Oklahoma and growing up there. You’re down to earth in the way that you talk about Oklahoma from the beginning of the album, from the first notes of the title track. You’re viewing it in a very realistic way, not just in an idealized way. Can you talk about how Oklahoma inspired the album and what “home” means to you?

Wyatt Flores: When you think about Oklahoma, you have to [barely] scratch the surface to know that the history behind it is pretty screwed up, how Oklahoma came about, and we’re not one of the best states, if that makes sense? We’re 49th in education. And we’ve got a lot of people from California moving there just because it’s cheaper and everything else, but to live in Oklahoma, you gotta bear through the weather.

Then also, every year is a coin toss if things are going to grow, right? This year’s been a struggle up until this past couple of weeks, [during] which we just got like a foot of rain. But yeah, it’s been one of the hardest places to really build. And the people are so damn nice in Oklahoma, but it’s a tough place to live. Most people don’t want it. But I love it. “Welcome to the Plains,” it’s trying to describe [Oklahoma] … in the verses I really wanted to try and find more of a nature side to it, and then by the chorus just really tell the truth about it.

It feels really authentic and grounded, but you can still hear that you love Oklahoma in it, too. I think that’s a really interesting combination. Country is really good at rural America propaganda – and I love rural America, so I’m for it, to a degree – but to me, your album doesn’t feel like it has to close an eye to the history of Oklahoma to love it.

Yeah, it was a fun journey to try. I was sitting there just trying not to write songs about the road, because that was the only thing that I was doing. I was like, “This is the only life I’m living.” And not many people know what it’s like to be on a bus or on tour – at that time we were still in the van. It was more so daydreaming about home, missing the place, and then just trying to find the memories to piece everything together.

And I had a lot of weird influences, like “Little Town,” I was really trying to find the same feeling as listening to “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp. I don’t write too many happy songs, and I was not in a good headspace in that time period. For some reason, I guess I was just daydreaming of a better life, and I kept writing about home, but in a different format of not always missing it.

Another song that really captures this topic is “Stillwater.” I love that it has this sort of dark, contemplative tinge and it feels gritty. Could talk a little bit about writing “Stillwater” and about your relationship with “home” and the construction of “home”? That’s such a country tradition as well, not just talking about home and missing it, but understanding that home is a nebulous, intangible thing, even if it literally exists.

There’s a lot of bands that say they come from Stillwater, but they really just started in Stillwater and they came from a different area, since it is a college town. But I was born and raised there in Stillwater. All my life the college has been my backyard. When I wrote that song in the summer of ’22, I had my guitar player with me and my fiddle player’s husband and we sat down to write that. It was more so just trying to give people a different perspective on what it’s like to actually grow up in a college town, because it’s a vicious cycle of the same shit – like, no one else sees it, because they’re living inside of the four years of going [to college].

And me also being a college dropout, I never got to actually go to [Oklahoma State University]. I went to OSUIT in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. And that did not last long. [Laughs] But yeah, I was like, “No one’s ever actually talked shit on a hometown and actually put the name in it.” So I was just being ballsy with it. I had to change quite a few lyrics, because I kind of went a little too far. I probably would have pissed a lot of people off.

The song was intentional. I don’t know, [I wanted to] make people think differently. Because that is my home. A lot of times, you just see people take advantage of the town, and the town keeps growing. Every single time I come back home now, there’s another chicken place and another damn car wash. I was like, “How many do we need?” Good lord. I was really pissed off in the mindset of it. I’m glad that we captured it, because for a while, I was scared to release it just because I was like, “People are gonna think that I hate Stillwater.” But really, it’s still a love song towards it.

It feels like you’re loving Stillwater, you’re loving Oklahoma, but your love for it requires you to look at it through an accurate lens and not an idealized version of it.

And it’s a relationship. My relationship with that town has just been back and forth. You’ll have that resentment, and you’ll have that frustration with it, but you still love it. It’s crazy to think about it that way, through that lens, but that’s what it is.

You touched on your co-writing process and I was excited to see how forward your own writing and your own perspective is on this album. Can you describe your co-writing and collaboration process for these songs? I noticed, too, that Ketch Secor co-wrote the title track.

When I wrote with Ketch, that was super cool. ‘Cause I had just gotten done watching Killers of the Flower Moon. I was already so inspired by that and wanting to really speak some truth. But not just by absolutely laying into people on the bad shit that’s going on – you can’t force-feed people. When we sat down [to write, Ketch] said that he wanted to write shit about Oklahoma and I was like, “That works out great!” The song just came together and it was it’s one of the coolest things, because I didn’t know how to feel about it quite yet. I was like, “This has some good shit in there…” and then when we went to record it, I was like, “Here it is! This is the way it’s supposed to go.”

But with the writing of this entire album, I was scared shitless. I didn’t think I was good enough, and I didn’t think these songs were good enough for an album. I started overthinking the entire thing. People can get mad at me all they want for doing co-writes, but I’m still writing. It’s not like I just sit in there and wait for these people to write these songs for me. This is all me.

The other thing is, my music taste [has] so much variety that I think it’s only better if I sit down with other people that have other strengths, to get to where I want to go – into these different styles of songs. I don’t want to do the same song, different chords, you know what I’m saying? I wanted it to be so unique and to keep it the way that I’ve always done it, which is to have different styles of songs. For that, I feel like you have to have different songwriters come in and give you different pieces.

I also have to ask you about bluegrass. One of the first things that we shared on our site of yours was a Tyler Childers cover that you recorded with Sierra Hull at Red Rocks. Our audience loved it so much. I think part of why your music resonates across diehard country fans to indie fans to bluegrass fans is that you’re not just a performer and a songwriter, but you’re a picker, too. What is your relationship like with bluegrass music? Is it something that’s prominent in your listening and in your influence?

So, I will first and foremost say this: I am not that good of a picker. [Laughs]

That stuff, that is something that I love. That is a different art. That is so beautiful. But my love for it– everyone in Oklahoma started listening to Tyler Childers and that’s when he came around, I want to say in my high school days. That’s when everything took a shift. I was like, “I don’t know what this is…” because we all grew up listening to red dirt [country], which is what I am. But my influence has really changed. In the summer of ‘22, Laurel Cove Music Festival was the first time that I had seen Nicholas Jamerson, Charles Wesley Godwin, Sierra Ferrell, Cole Chaney. That changed everything for me. It changed the entire way that I looked at music, and from that point on I started listening to every single one of those artists. It just led to more.

I love bluegrass and I try to have a couple songs [in that style], but I can’t call myself bluegrass. As much as I love what they’re doing and I try, I have my influences, I’m still red dirt. The way that those artists do what they do, it’s because they are them. I have my influences, but I am still just me. So whatever comes out, it’s just me loving and respecting it. But I can’t fully call myself a bluegrass musician, because I’m not. I’m jealous of it though, I’ll tell you that much. I’m jealous, I wish!

The production style and the different aesthetics that you’re utilizing on the album feel like classic country and old country plus dashes of country & western. There are moments that are really rocking and there are moments that are really subdued. It’s also really modern and crisp. How much of that is coming from you or from the ensemble and how much is coming from your producer, Beau Bedford?

A lot of that was Beau. I learned so much from him. [Before,] I really didn’t ever get the experience of being in a studio with musicians that are just wizards. Beau really took care of me.

It was a challenge, because we recorded in three different places. We were in Nashville, in North Carolina, in LA, and then we finished in Nashville. We were scared that it wasn’t gonna flow together, being in these different studios and then also just having this [group] of songs. Luckily, it all came together and as different as they do sound, they still flow. That was all just luck. We’re all we’re all sitting there going, “Huh? Hope this goes right!” I had my doubts, too, and [Beau] goes, “Wyatt, everything’s gonna be all right, because you are the main character that runs through this entire thing.”

That’s the constant throughout the entire project. I’m just lucky that it worked. When you go from different styles of songs – red dirt, and then you got this beachy [thing], old-time. It’s just crazy how they all go along together. Then it goes into this weird psychedelic rock and “Falling Sideways.” It was a wild adventure, and I’m so grateful for it. I just can’t believe the way that it turned out.

I ask this last question often, especially with people like yourself who are so effortlessly traditional country. There are a lot of folks out there who are excited about you – and artists like Zach Top and Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan – because these listeners sense that there’s this “new movement” that’s going to save country music, that’s going to renew country. That country is going to be what it used to be before “murder on Music Row.”

I wondered what your thoughts and feelings are on that paradigm? Because I sense that you don’t care so much about what is or isn’t traditional or what is or isn’t “inside” country. Does country music need to be saved? Do you see yourself as part of that saviorship? Do you care?

There’s something to be said about it, because yeah– I have my opinions about commercial country. There’s some really good songs and then I also think there’s some songs that say absolutely nothing. I guess as a songwriter, my goal is to keep writing about real shit and keep expressing myself with vulnerability. And to still write good songs.

I have a very important person in my life who’s been a mentor to me; his name’s Shane Lamb. I used to talk about writing these super-poppy melodies. And he goes, “Yeah, it’s because it’s popular music. … Who are some of your favorite artists?” We started going through Tyler Childers, early on in the days of me being in Nashville. [Shane] was like, “Listen to the fucking melody, Wyatt. It’s a pop melody. It’s for popular music. That’s why it works. But his arrangement is country.”

And I was like, “Oh… when you think about it that way, yeah, I guess you’re right.” So, I do try to have poppy melodies as much as I can, but I still try and keep my verses very needy, if that makes sense. I like putting a whole bunch of detail and really trying to focus in on the verses and let the chorus speak for itself.

That’s so perfectly put; yes, country has always been popular music. It’s one of my favorite Tyler Mahan Coe quotes, the creator of Cocaine and Rhinestones, the podcast and the book. He talks regularly about how country music has always been popular music. That’s not to say that fact absolves Music Row and Music City from all the truck and beer songs, but it certainly helps remind us that hand-wringing over “Is country music going to be okay?!” is not something that’s ever going to go away, but it’s also not something we really need to worry about.

And I think for the first time ever with social media, people are able to find new music that’s always been there. They’re just now finding out about it for the first time, because the radio stations aren’t playing it. That’s its own deal. But now they’re able to find all this new music and I feel like country is still going to be country. Like you said, when it comes to beer and truck songs, I think the thing that’s missing is them not explaining what they love about it. They’re just talking about it, not being vulnerable with it.

I think about “Drive” by damn Alan Jackson, dude. That is just talking about driving. That’s really all it is, but the sentiment is there, because it has to do with the father and the son. And then, all of a sudden, there’s the father and the daughter – that is fucking awesome country music that I still absolutely love! I wish that I could do that, like that Zach Top thing. I told him that whenever I met him, I was like, “Dude, I wish I could do it.” I really do. ‘Cause he’s fucking killing it. There’s so many different styles of music and I’d rather just do what I want to do, which is all of them, rather than just settle for one sound.


Photo Credit: Natalie Rhea

Dierks Bentley Shines with Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on CMA Awards

A big night for country music ended up being a big night for bluegrass as well when Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes joined country star Dierks Bentley on the CMA Awards stage for a show-stopping performance. The quartet, backed by Bentley’s band (including the evening’s winner of Musician of the Year, Charlie Worsham) played a rousing rendition of Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” a huge single for Bentley this year from the compilation album, Petty Country.

Bentley has released plenty of ‘grassy and string band tracks across his career, especially on his 2010 album Up on the Ridge, and he is close friends with many bluegrass musicians and legends. He used to haunt the World Famous Station Inn in Nashville well before his fame and recognition – and well after, too. He’s even gifted commemorative hit records to the bar (which still hang on the walls today) and he’s appeared at the divey listening room dozens of times. He’s also a friend of the McCoury family and has collaborated with Del and sons on multiple occasions. In addition, he’s brought Tuttle and her band Golden Highway out on the road as an opening act repeatedly, and he guested on Keith-Hynes’ now GRAMMY-nominated album, I Built a World.

Tuttle even shared an image to social media from a past MerleFest where Bentley can be seen braving the North Carolina rain to catch her band’s mainstage set in the very front row of the VIP section. It’s no surprise that he would tap Hull, Tuttle, and Keith-Hynes for the CMA Awards, even if the context feels a bit out-of-left-field for diehard bluegrassers.

“American Girl” was truly a highlight of the star-studded awards show, which despite more than a few perceived flubs and snubs highlighted plenty of Good Country, Americana, roots music – and yes, bluegrass! Here’s to plenty more primetime television moments in the future highlighting incredible bluegrass pickers such as these.


 

Reba’s Best On-Screen Moments

With her signature red hair and easy smile, Reba McEntire has maintained her gilded perch in the hearts of music fans for decades. In fact, 2024 marks the 50-year anniversary of her launch into stardom. The multi-hyphenate talent grew up singing in three-part harmony with her siblings as the local treasures of their small Oklahoma town. When Reba enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University to pursue becoming a schoolteacher, she continued to perform locally on occasion. Serendipitously, her delivery of “The Star Spangled Banner” at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall, who shepherded her through the kindlings of her musical career in Nashville.

(L-R) Rex Linn as Emmett, Reba McEntire as Bobbie on Happy’s Place, “Fish Fry Monday,” Episode 104. Photo by Casey Durkin/NBC.

After over a decade of soaring success in country music, Reba took her first strut across the silver screen in 1990. The monster movie Tremors was just the first of the star’s rolling list of Hollywood credits. Immediately, Reba ignited a second love and poured herself into building up an acting career.

From her famous self-titled sitcom to serving as a recurring judge on The Voice, Reba’s icon status endures the test of time. For decades, she has masterfully committed to the balancing act of maintaining both her singing and acting endeavors.

Her most recent feat saw her return to the sitcom stage with the launch of her new show Happy’s Place (NBC / Peacock) in October. To honor this beloved country diva’s ever-thriving legacy, we’ve compiled a short list of our favorite on-screen Reba moments.

Tremors (1990)

A canon event for ’90s media, Reba started out strong with Tremors as her inaugural film role. This monster-studded Western cult classic is lauded for its apt casting and ’50s-esque creature feature vibes. Alongside Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and Michael Gross, Reba stars as “Heather Gummer,” a woman living in the small desert town of Perfection, Nevada. When Heather and her neighbors find themselves under attack by formidable, underground, carnivorous creatures known as “Graboids,” they must strategically wield their wit and weapons in order to survive.

While many struggle to transition between creative mediums, Reba’s first film appearance earned her the adoration of many. Her charisma and comedic timing accentuate the film’s charm, cementing her status as a versatile star capable of straddling the worlds of both music and acting alike.

Reba (2001 to 2007)

Few have the charisma and mass appeal to headline a sitcom titled in their own name. Even fewer have the charisma and mass appeal to do so for six successful seasons! Reba, the eponymous American sitcom, was a pillar of 2000s TV, running from 2001-2007. For five of its seasons, the feel-good show aired on Friday nights ranked 4th in its time slot, often with over 4 million viewers per episode.

The show follows “Reba Harte,” a middle-aged Houstonian woman whose life is torn asunder by discovery of her husband’s affair with his consequently pregnant dental hygienist mistress. Simultaneously, Reba’s own 17-year-old daughter becomes pregnant, and Reba must flex and pivot with all of her might in order to support her children.

Though the final episode of Reba aired well over a decade ago, the 2020s witnessed a resurgence of the show’s iconic theme song through a viral trend on TikTok. “I’m a Survivor,” performed by Reba and written by Shelby Kennedy and Phillip White, became an ironic anthem perfect for dramatizing even the most mundane of inconveniences.

Happy’s Place (2024)

The Queen of Country returned to her sitcom throne again this fall when the first episode of Happy’s Place aired on October 18, 2024. Similarly to her self-titled show, Happy’s Place centers around a woman whose life has been jostled by the discovery of previously unknown, kept-secret family members. In the case of Happy’s Place, Reba portrays Bobbie, a spunky Tennesseean who has been running her late father’s bar – the titular Happy’s Place – since his death several years earlier.

Much to her chagrin, Bobbie is dumbfounded by the news that she must share ownership of the bar with her newly-acquainted half-sister Isabella, the child of her father’s illicit affair. While reckoning with her father’s infidelity and forming a relationship with a sister decades her junior, Reba delivers a performance both comedic and heartwarming. The first season will be six episodes in total and it can be streamed on NBC (Fridays at 8PM ET) or on Peacock the day after airing.

Doing Push-Ups on The Voice (2024)

@reba Push-ups and inspirational quotes…we’re working more than just our vocal cords at #TheVoice ♬ original sound – Reba McEntire

Having made her debut on The Voice during its premiere season as a “Battle Advisor” to Blake Shelton’s team, Reba’s presence has been peppered throughout the show across its entire duration. During Season 24, Reba replaced Shelton as a coach, a position she maintains to this day.

Currently in the midst of its 26th season, Reba has dazzled viewers countless times, but this moment is our favorite. Just a few weeks ago, Gwen Stefani blocked Reba (a tactic judges use to prevent another coach from adding a singer to their own team during blind auditions). In a coy ploy at diverting attention from her made-for-TV snakery, Stefani drapes her body over the “BLOCKED” graphic and begins to do push-ups. As if the moment wasn’t iconic enough, Reba pushes the scene into absurdity when she follows suit, launching into a push-up routine in perfect form, putting Stefani to shame. Reba’s feat begs the question–should she pursue a third career in athletics?

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

This uncommon comedy follows the journey of two oddly antiquated 30-somethings Star and Barb (played by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo) as they leave their Nevada home for the first time to venture out on a Florida vacation. The two ultimately must disentangle themselves from an evil woman’s plot to wreak havoc in the fictional Florida town.

The offbeat film’s charm is only augmented by a cameo from Reba, who graces the set as “Trish,” the embodiment of Star and Barb’s playful ideations and daydreams. Trish emerges as a water spirit to guide the two lifelong friends with her wisdom and encouragement – a role Reba, with her natural charm and benevolence, portrays with ease.

Malibu Country (2012)

With “don’t reinvent the wheel” seemingly as their ethos, the visionaries behind Malibu Country did not stray far off the beaten path. In this project, Reba returned to the world of sitcoms in 2012 to depict the role of Reba MacKenzie. Reba’s country star husband has been caught (yep, you guessed it) cheating on her and she must upheave her life. She and her two children move to her ex-husband’s property in Malibu where they start life anew and Reba decides to recommit to the music career she had abandoned in order to start her family. The show only ran for one 18-episode season in 2012/2013, but it did garner a fairly hefty viewership during its short life.

Young Sheldon (2019 to 2022)

In this Big Bang Theory spinoff, Reba guest stars as a hair stylist named June, appearing in a total of six episodes throughout seasons 3-5. June is the eccentric ex-wife of Coach Dale, the new boyfriend of Meemaw, Sheldon’s grandmother. As ever, Reba delights the show with her comedic timing and warm approach; her presence doubly adored given that Young Sheldon brought her and Annie Potts, both beloved Southern talents, onto the same screen.

She even pulled off the gaffe of a career in one scene where she sings karaoke… poorly. In addition to stealing the audience’s heart, Reba also met her current partner, Rex Linn, while filming.

Reba has proven time and time again her status as national treasure. Though just a snapshot of the legend’s perpetually blossoming career, this list demonstrates just how impactful Reba’s life as an actress has been – astonishingly while also maintaining her official title as Queen of Country, recording and releasing albums, co-headlining a residency in Las Vegas, and much more.

At 69 years old and still yet to peak, we look forward to all the Reba roles, songs, and iconicity to come.


Photo Credit: Both photos by Casey Durkin/NBC.
Lead Image: (L-R) Belissa Escobedo as Isabella, Reba McEntire as Bobbie on Happy’s Place, “Ladies Night,” Episode 107.

Our Favorite Songs and Recordings Featuring Billy Strings

It’s hard to imagine Billy Strings as anything other than the glass-shattering guitar virtuoso he’s become. Over a decade, he’s flipped, rearranged, and altogether transformed bluegrass music. He leads with instinct, allowing the music to speak on a much deeper level than many of his contemporaries. Four albums deep into his career, in addition to a live album and several collaborative projects, Strings immerses himself in the tradition of string music while bringing a fresh, exciting perspective to the classic structures of flatpickin’.

Our November 2024 Artist of the Month, Strings continues cementing his legacy by stretching boundaries and pushing progressively forward. With a foot firmly rooted in the past, always feeling ripped from another era, the musician remains intently focused on breathing life into the genre for modern audiences. As much as he’s built upon his growing solo catalog, he’s also known to frequent other artists’ work and inject his unique charms into their shared musical performances.

Strings has remained committed to bluegrass and jamgrass through the last 10 years and more, while often stepping outside these tight genre boxes for some playful excursions. From appearing on a Dierks Bentley song to teaming up with a rap juggernaut-turned-country-star Post Malone, the Michigan native keeps an open musical mind and heart. He’s an unstoppable force, always willing to try something new.

Below, we’ve put together nine of Billy Strings’ best features, both on his own projects and on others’ releases, too.

“Things to Do” with Zach Top

Zach Top recently released a three-track collaborative EP with Billy Strings as an Apple Music exclusive. “Things to Do” sees the duo injecting the track with a healthy helping of pep. The pair swaps off verses, each bringing their strengths to the performance.

“Girl, it just ain’t right / You’re burning up my daylight,” they sing. On a wide stretch of musical canvas, Top and Strings paint with vitality and urgency. The special release also includes a cover of Ricky Skaggs’ 1983 classic “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown” and “Bad Luck,” another Top original, which appeared on his 2024 studio album Cold Beer and Country Music.

“California Sober” featuring Willie Nelson

On the eve of Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday, the country legend hopped aboard “California Sober” with Billy Strings. The rollicking track celebrates weed in moderation, finding the pair giving up late-night parties and weekend binges for a chiller sort of high.

In classic Nelson fashion, dusty strings give an air of a traveling tune and barreling down the highway at 100 miles an hour. The one-off collab single (written by Strings, Aaron Allen, and Jon Weisberger) demonstrates someone maturing and realizing that some vices should be left in the past. But regardless, the duo still cheekily admits: “the devil on my shoulder always wins.”

“M-E-X-I-C-O” with Post Malone

Post Malone dove head first into country music with the release of 2024’s F-1 Trillion. Featuring everyone from Dolly Parton and Tim McGraw to Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson, the collaborative set made quite a splash – seeing the rapper swerve into modern country with his own special twist. “M-E-X-I-C-O” is a certified barn-burner, among the project’s standout moments. Credit should be given generously to Billy Strings, who infuses his twangy, finger-pickin’ bluegrass style into the explosive, toe-tapping experience.

“The Great Divide” with Luke Combs

“The Great Divide” arrived in 2021 as a cautionary tale during troubling sociopolitical times.

“We’re striking matches on the TV / Setting fires on our phones,” warns Combs in the opening line. The singer fuels those flames throughout the song, sending smoke signals as things methodically escalate. “We’re all so far, far apart now / It’s as deep as it is wide / We’re about to fall apart now,” the lyrics burst like dynamite.

The song isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Later on, the lyrics detail how many strangers love one another despite glaring differences. Several years later, the song rings even more eerily poignant than ever before.

“Dooley’s Farm” with Molly Tuttle

A long-time fan of The Dillards’ classic, “Dooley,” Molly Tuttle updates the story to reflect an elderly man’s penchant for growing weed. “Dooley’s Farm” is a slower ditty, unlike the giddy-up pace of the Dillards’ song, and darker in tone and feel.

Strings lends his voice for spooky backing vocals, poking through the track like a ghost in the night. Their performance is found on Tuttle’s 2022 album, Crooked Tree.

“You can hide by day, but the night will find you / They caught Dooley in the moonlight,” whispers Tuttle over the gentle cry of a fiddle.

“Too Stoned to Cry” with Margo Price

Margo Price had been wanting to record “Too Stoned to Cry” for years, ever since hearing its writer Andrew Combs perform the lonesome ballad. Working with Beau Bedford, she convinced the producer to put his magical touch on the song. When it came to enlisting a duet partner, Price turned to Billy Strings, who turns in a sinewy and evocative lead performance.

“There’s whiskey and wine and pills for the pain / Fast, easy women and a little cocaine,” they sing, their voices tangling like barbed wire. With its frayed, tired edges, the song proves to be an ample showcase for both singers’ talents. It’s as classic as you can possibly get these days.

“I Will Not Go Down” with Amythyst Kiah

On her 2024 album Still + Bright, Amythyst Kiah reaches into the depths of her songcraft for a cinematic stunner. With Billy Strings in tow, “I Will Not Go Down” pounds with alarming emotional urgency. Taking cues from such film staples as Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lord of the Rings, Kiah mounts an expedition across space and time, metaphorically speaking, as she slays dragons and seeks life’s simple truths. Strings supplies a startlingly resonant knit of guitar work that punctuates Kiah’s flame-throwing vocals.

“Muscle Car” with Andy Hall

Two musical forces collide for a bedeviling five-minute epic on “Muscle Car.” With no vocal line, the composition here sizzles and pops, as it transmits its very own story through the power of instruments.

Andy Hall’s 2023 album, Squareneck Soul, delivers a torrential downpour of raw storytelling. Hall (of the Infamous Stringdusters) expertly offers up rip-roaring string work, matched with his companions’ equally engaging performances. The track also features Sierra Hull (mandolin), Wes Corbett (banjo), and Travis Book (bass), who all band together for one of the decade’s finest bluegrass moments.

“Bells of Every Chapel” with Sierra Ferrell

Sierra Ferrell pulls Billy Strings along for a charming lovesick gallop with “Bells of Every Chapel.” Found on her 2021 album, Long Time Coming, the mid-tempo track sees Ferrell peering through rose-tinted glass, examining unrequited love that squeezes your heart.

“They were ringing so clear/ But you couldn’t hear/ And your heart could never be mine,” she sings. Old-timey in spirit, the song soars higher and higher with Strings’ choo-choo train flatpicking.

(Editor’s Note: Continue exploring our Billy Strings Artist of the Month content here.)


Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen

GC 5+5: Emily Rose & the Rounders

Artist: Emily Rose & the Rounders
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Latest Release: “Too Much Too” (single)
Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): Steve from Pink Mountaintops/Black Mountain calls me E.R., which I like. He’s the only person who calls me that.

Which artist has influenced you the most and how?

I think probably Gram Parsons has been my biggest influence. When I was first learning to sing and play guitar, I would pretty much just play his songs. The earliest incarnation of what would sort of morph into the Rounders was actually a Gram Parsons cover band called the Kickers, where I sang and played drums. Then I started to sort of want to try to write my own material.

[Gram was] an LA guy, his voice is so sweet and sad and his songs are just heartbreaking. I also used to have these wild dreams when I was like 18 or so, where he and I would be driving around in a car, talking. They were recurring and it was very sweet. I’ve just always adored him.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Definitely playing and singing with Willie Nelson at Austin City Limits. Can’t really top that.

What’s the most difficult creative transformation you’ve ever undertaken?

When I left Ty [Segall’s] band, I really didn’t know what I was doing. I had been playing drums with him since I was 20 years old and I found myself at 27 with a repetitive injury that was making it so that I couldn’t really play drums anymore like I used to. It really messed with me psychologically on the last few Ty and Mikal Cronin tours and I started having stage fright, too, which I had never had before.

Since the crowds were getting bigger than ever, the judgment on my abilities was getting more fierce and I was taking it to heart in a very serious way. I don’t pay much attention to reviews or trolls online anymore, but at the time I really would and all of this was compounding in this really difficult way. I was sort of unsure if I would ever make music again or want to be in the public eye in any way.

Eventually, I sort of just committed to trying to do what I had wanted to do all along, but never had the guts to – which was writing and singing and making country music. Thankfully, I had some encouraging friends and a friend in particular who sat with me many nights a week, teaching me guitar. We’d harmonize together and stuff, and play almost-secret shows out of town and around LA until we had a fully realized thing going on. It was one of the scariest pivots I’ve ever made, but it really changed my life to sort of take the reins and figure out how to express myself musically again and to have fun doing it again. Country music is so cathartic, too, so it was really freeing to share a lot of the growing pains and to turn it into something really positive and productive.

If you didn’t work in music, what would you do instead?

I think I’d want to do something with dogs – maybe I’d be a vet or something or work for a dog rescue? I’m a big dog fan.

I also got certified as a domestic violence and sexual assault advocate over lockdown and volunteer for a non-profit that helps try to arrange housing, healthcare, legal services, etc., for those who need it. That’s something I’d like to be more involved with as well.

If you were a color, what shade would you be – and why?

I think black would be a natural answer, since I basically almost exclusively wear black. But actually, I’ve always thought and been told that my aura was blue!


Photo Credit: Sheva Kafai

Amythyst Kiah Enjoys Challenging Assumptions

Singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah enjoys ignoring conventional wisdom and challenging notions she considers at best outdated and at worse reactionary and restrictive, regarding what music she should choose or what subjects she should address as an artist. But at the same time, she has never wanted anyone to label or pigeonhole her approach. Since 2010, Kiah has been steadily touring and recording, both solo and with other artists whose music also cuts across multiple thematic and idiomatic boundaries.

Kiah has a prominent, robust voice and is an outstanding guitarist and banjo player. A Chattanooga native and East Tennessee State University graduate, family and community ties are a major part of her life. Kiah’s father used to be her tour manager and she credits his influence (he also was a percussionist in a touring band during the ’70s) as well as that of her late mother (a vocalist in her hometown church choir) in shaping a performance style that is equal parts edgy and disciplined, adventurous but never chaotic or unruly.

After teaching herself to play guitar while attending a creative arts high school, Kiah would subsequently complete the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program at ETSU and join the school’s marquee old-time band. Her array of activities since 2010 have included releasing the LP Dig In (cut at the ETSU Recording lab in 2013); the five-song EP Chest of Glass (recorded in Johnson City in 2016); and the critically praised Wary + Strange. Wary + Strange was done in Nashville for Rounder and was finally released in 2021 after going through three different producers over a three-year period before finally settling on Tony Berg. It addressed a lot of things in Kiah’s life that were difficult, notably the loss of her mother to suicide.

Conceptually, Kiah’s growth as a vocalist and songwriter is evident from the opening moments of her brand new album, Still + Bright, to its concluding refrain. Whether it’s the extensive lyrical quest for spiritual and personal growth unveiled with vigor in “Play God and Destroy The World,” or the search for peace of mind discussed in “S P A C E,” Kiah’s powerful vocals and insightful lyrics reveal a portrait of an artist willing to acknowledge uncertainty, yet able to find a sense of belonging and salvation through taking the journey.

Musically, the production incorporates a host of sounds, everything from mandolins and fiddles to crisp, crackling guitar lines – plus memorable guest vocals like S.G. Goodman on “Play God” and Kiah’s consistently poignant, stirring lead vocals. The new album, her third solo project, was already generating lavish praise before its release. It will no doubt continue to garner critical support as well as possible mentions on numerous best-of-the-year lists for Americana, folk, and country releases.

Kiah also has her share of high profile covers and collaborations. The most notable among them include being featured vocalist on Moby’s 2021 single “Natural Blues” and doing a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in 2022. But perhaps the most celebrated was appearing along with Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell in the supergroup, Our Native Daughters. Sadly, despite being a pioneering all-Black women’s group, Our Native Daughters’ music hasn’t found its way onto the airwaves at urban contemporary radio. But their LP, Songs of Our Native Daughters, was a critical and commercial hit within the Americana and roots music community. Kiah’s composition on the album, “Black Myself,” earned a 2020 GRAMMY nomination for Best American Roots Song.

All this set the stage for Still + Bright. Kiah performed some of its songs during a visit to Nashville for Americanafest 2024; she will be returning to Music City for a highly anticipated appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on December 10. She spoke at length with BGS about her new LP, the recording process, touring, and her love for science fiction, among other things.

Congratulations on the response to Still + Bright.

Amythyst Kiah: Thanks so much. I really wanted to do some different things on this album, show another side in terms of my personality. It was very important for me to say and express certain emotions on Wary + Strange and say some things that needed to be said. I did some of that with Still + Bright, but I also wanted to do some lighter things, some fun things, present other aspects of my life, and reflect more humor, more joy. I’m very happy with how it turned out and the mix of things that we covered and presented.

How was the experience recording in Nashville and how much did having Butch Walker aboard as a producer affect the recording?

Butch was and is so wonderful. Whenever I’d suggest something to him he’d just say, “OK, let’s try it and see what happens.” He was so open to everything and at the same time he knew when to step in and say, “Why don’t you try it this way?” or “Why not add this element to it?” He was so much more like a good friend and buddy than just a hired gun-type producer. When I came to town for this most recent date and asked him about playing, he not only said sure, he showed up and joined right in. It’s been such a treat working with him, a great personal and professional experience.

You describe your sound as “Southern Gothic.” Have you found that the Americana format works for you in terms of getting the necessary promotion and exposure for your music?

It’s really the ideal format, because it does fit so many different styles and types of music. One of the real problems with radio now, especially commercial radio, is that everything is rigidly categorized. If you aren’t doing a very specific thing production-wise, the content and quality don’t matter. With Americana I’ve been welcome to do and try whatever I think fits and whatever I think I want to do musically. I can’t tell you how much creative freedom that gives you as a performer. You’re not writing to fit what someone else thinks might work. You’re free to have your music unfold and develop organically, the way that you hear it.

One thing that really annoys me is that there’s a sizable audience segment out there that very well might relate to your music if they got to hear it, but for a variety of reasons they won’t. Does the restrictiveness of marketing sometimes bother you?

I want to credit the people at Rounder with doing the best job that they can in terms of getting my music out to different and diverse audiences. All I’ll say about that issue is I’ve found that when people get a chance to hear my music and songs, they’ve been universally positive. That’s all that I can do as a performer is present them to the best of my ability. Certainly I’d love to get all types of listeners; I think Rounder works on that as well.

You’ve chosen to remain in Johnson City. How would you describe the music scene there and are there any thoughts about possibly making a move to Nashville?

There’s a lot more of a music scene here than you might think and a lot of that is due to the presence of the university. But there’s an active singer-songwriter scene here. There’s a jazz and blues scene. Certainly it’s not as large as some other places, but it works well for me. I’ve been able to do a lot of playing in clubs when I’m home and also do some songwriting and collaborations with other artists around town. I’m quite satisfied with being here. That doesn’t mean at some time down the line I might not think about coming to Nashville. I really enjoy recording and playing there. Of course from what I hear about the cost of living, that’s a concern. Right now I have no plans to make that move.

One of your non-musical passions is science fiction. Who are some of your favorites?

Interesting that you bring that up. I’m a fan of H.P. Lovecraft from the standpoint of his creativity in depicting horror and fantasy. Now I’ve certainly also become aware of the problematic areas and that gets into the whole discussion of, can you effectively separate the artist and their work from things in their character that are less than desirable, to put it mildly. Clearly, there are things in the Lovecraft legacy that are totally anathema to me, in terms of my identity and all the things I espouse and believe. Do I find some value and get some joy from his writing from a technical perspective? Yes.

Octavia Butler is someone I’m just now beginning to really do a serious examination of and I’m very intrigued and delighted by what I’m seeing so far, especially in regards to how she sees the future and issues of race, class and gender. The Matrix series remains a favorite of mine as well.

You’re about to get back on the road. Does touring still remain something that’s exciting or has the thrill faded with time?

No, as a performer the interaction with the live audience is what drives you and keeps you going. Now I won’t deny that there’s a grind aspect, when you’ve been on the road for several days in a row or for months. But the chance to see new places and play your music for fresh faces and new audiences is an invigorating challenge. It’s really what you get into songwriting and singing to do, much more so than the dollars and cents of it. While no one would deny that you’ve also got to take care of business, it’s the exhilaration of performing that’s the ultimate reason for writing songs and making music. You get a reaction from audiences that you can’t get in the studio.


Photo Credit: Photography by Kevin & King