Music
fromVulture
1 day agoCountry Music's Middle Road
Two women topped American music charts simultaneously, marking a historic milestone for women in country music after nearly 70 years.
Booking shows is not a career for the faint of heart. Beyond coordinating schedules, hosting live music night after night requires a skilled ear behind the sound board to make sure the drums don't overpower the bass, and that the vocals don't overpower the drums.
The 73-year-old Grammy winner prefers to keep his personal life extra private, so there is little publicly known information about the real estate that Strait has owned since he landed in the spotlight with his first major label single, "Unwound," in 1981. ("I've never been one to like to talk about myself a lot," Strait said in 2017.)
Maybe we ran into an old acquaintance at the supermarket and said "Let's catch up sometime" or told our friends we would "check out" the boring-sounding show they spent the past five minutes recommending? That's what country-music superstar Jelly Roll appeared to do after the Grammys last week when, in response to a question about the state of the country, he said he had "a lot to say"
Taylor Swift, Kiss' Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher Tricky Stewart, Alanis Morissette and Kenny Loggins make up the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees. Swift's songwriting has undeniably shaped contemporary pop music trends and she'll no doubt bring extra attention to this year's new class. Kiss founders Simmons and Stanley fresh off the band's farewell will also be recognized for their glam rock classics Rock and Roll All Nite and I Love It Loud.