Alan Jackson Was Singing Hank Williams Jr.’s Life Story at the 2000 ACM Awards When Hank Walked Onstage
On the night of May 3, 2000, the 35th Academy of Country Music Awards was broadcast on CBS from the…
Warren Zevon Was Too Sick to Return to the Studio, So He Sang His Last Song From His Couch
On April 12, 2003, Warren Zevon recorded the final song of his career without leaving home. He was too weak…
Don Williams Retired Twice. The Second Time, in March 2016, He Said Goodbye in Two Sentences
On March 1, 2016, Don Williams announced he was retiring from country music. He was 76. It was the second…
In November 1976, Days After Tammy Wynette Cancelled, Charley Pride Crossed the Irish Border and Played Belfast Anyway
In early November 1976, Charley Pride rode north out of Dublin in a Jaguar driven by a Belfast concert promoter…
Toby Keith’s Last Recording Was a Joe Diffie Song About Luck That Never Comes In
Sometime in 2023, Toby Keith walked into a Nashville studio to sing “Ships That Don’t Come In,” the Joe Diffie…
After Two Failed Days in a Nashville Studio, a 26-Year-Old Guitarist Handed Johnny Cash the Song That Created The Highwaymen
In December 1984, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson spent two days in Chips Moman’s Nashville studio trying to make a…
Keith Whitley Was Buried With His Album Unfinished. Four Months Later, It Had a No. 1 Hit
Keith Whitley was buried in May 1989 with his next album still unfinished. Four months later, its title song, “I…
On His Last Thanksgiving, Waylon Jennings Looked Up From a Hospital Bed and Answered the Question Jessi Colter Had Waited Years to Ask
On Thanksgiving Day 2001, Waylon Jennings was in a hospital bed, worn down by years of diabetes and two surgeries…
The Night Wynonna Judd Entered the Country Music Hall of Fame Without Her Mother
On May 1, 2022, Wynonna Judd walked onto the stage of the CMA Theater inside the Country Music Hall of…
The First No. 1 Album of Gary Allan’s Career Was the One He Made After His Wife Died
The album was Tough All Over. Gary Allan released it on October 11, 2005, less than a year after his…