In a new cover story feature in People magazine, Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, opened up about her recent surgery to correct her partially paralyzed vocal cord. Over the past few years, Kimberly could barely raise her voice above a whisper, which made communication difficult, especially with their two teenage sons, Huck, 17, and Jasper, 15. So Brad gave his wife a bright pink megaphone for a Christmas present that proved to be useful for wrangling the family for dinner, among other things. “It was one of the kindest things Brad did for me — it was really hilarious and so necessary,” Kimberly said. “I started using it immediately.” Kimberly underwent surgery back in August, and is progressing well. Though it was hard for Brad to see his wife, who “lives to talk to to people,” struggle with her voice. “Seeing her fight to figure it out was amazing. There was never a moment where she was just going to give up. It was inspiring,” he said. (Billboard)

Country music is as lucrative and commercially successful now than it has ever been. Country artists regularly top the Billboard 200 album chart and dominate the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, while music tours in 2024 saw country artists both young and old celebrate sold-out shows at increasingly bigger venues. To prove that point, Billboard Boxscore just released their list of the Top 10 country music tours of the year, and the financial numbers are impressive. The No. 1 spot was claimed by Zach Bryan, who grossed over $320 million while selling 1.6 million tickets to his 64 shows in 2024. Luke Combs came in second, grossing over $173 million over the course of his 39 shows, while selling 1.4 million tickets. Kenny Chesney was third ($159 million gross, 1.3M tickets sold over 34 shows), George Strait was fourth ($125 million gross, 464,000 tickets sold over 11 shows), while Chris Stapleton was fifth ($82 million gross, 718,000 tickets sold over 40 shows). The Top 10 was rounded out by (in order) Tim McGraw, Tyler Childers, Jelly Roll, Shania Twain, and Luke Bryan. (Billboard)

Mediabase has just revealed the Top Ten most-played artists on US Country Radio in 2024. “Love Somebody” and “Lies Lies Lies” hitmaker Morgan Wallen landed the No. 1 spot as the most played artist on country radio over the last year. Wallen was closely followed by “Save Me” chart-topper Jelly Roll in the second spot. The rest of the Top Five was rounded out by Nate Smith – whose multi-week No. 1 single “World On Fire” was the most played song on US Country Radio in 2024 – Lainey Wilson, and Luke Combs. Reigning CMA Awards Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton comes in at No. 6, followed by Cody Johnson, whose recent hit record, Leather, was awarded CMA’s Album of the Year. Post Malone came in at No. 8, his first appearance on this list following the breakout success of his chart-topping debut country album, F-1 Trillion. The Top 10 was rounded out by a pair of hitmakers, Dustin Lynch at No. 9 and Kane Brown at No. 10. (Holler)

In a new interview with People, Dolly Parton shared her love of Christmas music and what she does to keep the holidays festive at her place. Not surprisingly for the 78-year-old country legend, her holiday celebrations are centered around music. “Well, you know I love all the Christmas songs," Parton shared. "I love the fast ones, I love the slow ones. I love 'Silent Night' and 'O Little Town of Bethlehem,' but then I love 'Rudolph' and all of those fun things. I just love all of that.” Modern technology helps Parton keep things musical around her home during the Christmas season. “We all have either an Alexa or Siri or one of those kinds of things,” Parton says. "I just always holler out, 'Alexa, play holiday music for 12 hours in my house,' or something like that, and I just like all of it.” Parton’s just published Billy the Kid Comes Home for Christmas, a sequel to her 2023 book, Billy the Kid Makes It Big. (People)

Sam Goody, the one time giant record store chain that shaped music, video, and entertainment retail in the late-20th century, is set to close its last two remaining stores in early 2025. Sam Goody was once a staple of malls and shopping centers throughout North America, but their business declined rapidly with the advent of the internet and online streaming. The chain’s last two stores are located in the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, Oregon, with both now set to close early next year. The local Ohio newspaper, The Times Leader, reported that the manager of the Sam Goody at the Ohio Valley Mall (which first opened in 1980) learned about the store closing shortly after Thanksgiving. “It’s changed over the years, and it [stinks],” said manager Rick Polanski. “We were a $2 million store at one point, but times have changed, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” (Rolling Stone)

Riley Green has stayed busy following the conclusion of his successful Ain’t My Last Rodeo 2024 tour. The country star took to Instagram on Friday (December 20) to share a video of him performing a heartbreaking unreleased new song titled, “What Am I Supposed To Do Now.” The clip features Green singing the mournful song while strumming the delicate melody of the tune on an acoustic guitar. The singer is sitting comfortably in a cozy spot in his home that is decorated for the holidays, with an array of deer heads mounted on the wall behind the avid hunter. Green even poked fun at himself for how raw and emotional his new track is by tagging the tune “#sadcountry” in the caption for the video. Green has one last show scheduled in 2024, a special New Year’s Eve gig in Durant, Oklahoma with Ella Langley. Green’s Damn Country Music 2025 tour is set to get underway on March 27, with Langley again serving as main support. (Holler)

In a new Instagram video promoting the upcoming season of American Idol, country superstar Carrie Underwood reflects on her journey from aspiring contestant to taking over the prestigious judges' chair. Underwood replaces former Idol judge Katy Perry this season, coming back to where her award-winning music career began. In a preview video ahead of the March 9 premiere of American Idol on ABC, Underwood’s 2005 audition for the show is juxtaposed alongside footage capturing the moment the singer stepped into the audition room as a judge for the first time. “Twenty years ago I was standing on a stage just like this one,” Underwood says in the video, as fellow judge Lionel Richie replies, “And now you’re sitting here with us.” “That’s the power of American Idol,” fellow judge Luke Bryan adds, before host Ryan Seacrest chimes in, “So, should we save some lives together?” “Let’s do this,” Underwood replies with a smile, culminating her 20-year path from Idol contestant to music superstar and now, Idol judge. (Billboard)

Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph’s new collaboration, “High Road,” has landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The duet is the very first Country Airplay entry for the 20-year-old Murph as well as the 32-year-old Wetzel, and is featured on both artists' respective albums. Murph becomes the first woman to top the Country Airplay chart as a lead artist with her first entry since April of 2020, when Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope” reached No. 1. Murph is also only the second female artist to rule the Country Airplay chart in 2024, following Ella Langley’s “You Look Like You Loved Me,” with Riley Green reaching No. 1 two weeks ago. “For Murph and I to get our first No. 1 at country radio on top of everything else feels unreal,” Wetzel says. “I poured my heart into this, and seeing it connect the way it has … man, I don’t even have the words. Huge love to Jessie for making ‘High Road’ what it is.” (Billboard)

During a recent interview with Rob + Holly, Dolly Parton’s sister Rachel Parton George discussed the recipes and family memories that fill the famous sisters’ new cookbook together, Good Lookin’ Cookin’. The cookbook provides a year’s worth of meals conveniently divided up by months, with recipes that are easy to make no matter your cooking skill levels. “All these recipes in this book, I can tell you, you will be able to cook these meals and you will be proud at the end,” Rachel said. The cookbook is also filled with memories from around the Parton’s dinner table while growing up, which gives it a personal touch. “I think one of my favorite things to make is skillet cornbread,” Rachel shared. “My mama taught me how to make that when I was five years old. She made me feel so special and like I had really contributed to dinner. That night, Dad said it was the best cornbread he had ever eaten, so I cooked cornbread ever since.” (Audacy) 

On Friday (December 20), the Recording Academy awarded Charli XCX and Post Malone with additional nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Charli and Posty were both given Best Recording Package nominations in recognition of their art direction contributions to their respective albums, Brat and F-1 Trillion. Both albums had already been nominated in the category, but neither artist were included among the original nominees list when the Grammys were first announced. Charli and Malone will be up against Kate Bush in the category, with the English icon receiving her first Grammy nomination in nearly 30 years for serving as art director on Hounds of Love the Baskerville Edition. The additional nod increases Charli’s 2025 Grammy nominations to eight, including Album of the Year for Brat and Record of the Year for “360.” Malone’s total Grammy count jumps to seven, including Best Country Album for F-1 Trillion and Song of the Year for his Taylor Swift collaboration, “Fortnight.” (Rolling Stone)

During a recent interview on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal, Megan Moroney discussed her upcoming tour and shared how excited she is to play headlining shows of her own again. The 27-year-old CMA New Artist of the Year expressed her appreciation for the positive reaction fans have had to her sophomore album, Am I Okay? “I think they love it, which makes me really happy” Moroney said. “I’m proud of these songs and I love them too. They’re so fun to perform live.” Her fans will love those songs even more when Moroney embarks on her Am I Okay? Tour in 2025. “I’m really excited to just be on a proper headlining tour again,” she shared. “I’m really excited to be with my fans every single night and get to play 90 minutes of all my songs… I feel like there’s less pressure at shows that I headline because I get to kind of do whatever I want.” (Audacy)

Bailey Zimmerman was one of the featured opening acts during Morgan Wallen's record-setting One Night At A Time world tour. And now that the highest-selling country tour of all-time has officially come to an end, Wallen showed his appreciation to the CMA New Artist of the Year nominee by presenting him with a luxurious end-of-tour gift. Wallen worked directly with Happy Jewelers to craft a special ‘ONE NIGHT’ pendant for Zimmerman as a lasting, stylish memento of their time together on the blockbuster tour. The inscription on the box reads, “Custom Made for Bailey Zimmerman by Happy Jewelers + Morgan Wallen.” Zimmerman was quick to thank Wallen for the touching gift in his Instagram Story by writing, “Morgan Wallen this means more than you know brother.” Zimmerman also gave props to the team at Happy Jewelers, writing, “y'all crushed this,” over the top of the photo of the sparkling necklace. (Holler)

During an appearance on Wednesday’s (December 18) episode of the YouTube show, Something's Burning, Brantley Gilbert revealed that he is planning on getting a vasectomy after his wife Amber recently gave birth on a tour bus. The couple welcomed their third child, son Abram Howell, back in October, and Gilbert feels that his family is now complete. The country star is not going to be undergoing the procedure alone, however, as he shared he’s going on a “guy’s trip” where he and some friends will all be getting vasectomies together. "I'm about to have a bunch of them, boy we having a testicle festival December 11th," Gilbert disclosed on the show. "I'm getting clipped. I'm taking several of my buddies, we're doing it together. I wanted moral support." Gilbert shared that they even "hired a nurse" for the occasion, and explained that the process was actually very easy. (People)

Saturday Night Live is currently celebrating its 50th season and has some special events scheduled in early 2025 in recognition of the big anniversary. NBC announced on Thursday (December 19) that Questlove is directing an upcoming three-hour documentary highlighting the musical guests and song-filled sketches featured on the show over the years titled, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music. It will premiere on NBC on January 27 at 8 p.m. ET, and stream the next day on Peacock. According to the network, the special will “feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years.”

“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Questlove said in a statement. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.” (Billboard) 

Country star Dasha and comedian Theo Von – along with a group of his gym buddies – spread plenty of holiday cheer around Nashville on Tuesday night (December 17) by singing Christmas carols at area homes. Von, the host of the popular This Past Weekend podcast, shared a video of the carollers’ musical festivities on Instagram, where he gave this take on his crew’s vocal exploits. “I wouldn't say that it's going good, I wouldn't say that it's going bad,” Von said, before looking for some divine intervention. “You're hoping that the Christian spirit will meet us halfway.”

Theo’s fitness coach Jeremy Holt was clearly looking forward to spreading holiday joy around Nashville, chiming in, “So excited to get out here and put some smiles on people's faces, and celebrate the birth of a King.” Dasha, who recently released her cover of the holiday classic “Driving Home for Christmas,” reshared Von’s photo of the group on her Instagram Story, festively captioning the pic, “🎄 carolling gang.” (Holler) 

Brenda Lee once again finds herself near the top of the charts, as her 1958 holiday classic, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” sits at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The 80-year-old music legend is the special guest on the December 17 episode of Southern Living's Biscuits and Jam podcast, where she reflected on the continued appeal of her seasonal anthem, as well as the secret to her 61-year marriage to Ronnie Shacklett. “I’m just me, and when I commit, it’s hard to get rid of me, and my husband will tell you that," said Lee. "I’m loyal to the ones that are loyal to me." Lee was only 13-years-old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” and earlier this month the holiday classic passed the one billion streams milestone shortly before the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's 80th birthday. "I was dumbfounded when I heard," Lee said. "I can’t even think that high, much less say it!" (People) 

A host of A-list music stars will pay tribute to legendary singer Joan Baez with a benefit concert at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco on February 8. In addition to a performance by Baez herself, confirmed participants for the show include Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Hozier, Tom Morello, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, and Taj Mahal, with additional artists set to be announced soon. The concert will serve as a benefit for The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides financial assistance for musicians in heath crisis. Henry will serve as the musical director of the concert, and says “Joan Baez is a mountain on our landscape, and has been for the entirety of my lifetime. As much as any artist I know, she has dismantled the wall between public artistry and personal conviction.” While Harris is looking forward to taking part in the tribute, “So happy to be a part of celebrating my dear friend Joan Baez!” (Variety)

Grand Ole Opry turns 100 in 2025, and a special series of ‘Opry at the Ryman’ shows have been planned to mark the impressive milestone. The concerts will take place at the original home of the long-running country music radio broadcast, Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium. The festivities start with a January 3 showcase paying tribute to the Opry’s longest-tenured member, Bill Anderson, featuring appearances from Charlie Worsham, Charlie McCoy, and Craig Morgan. Over the following weeks, additional ‘Opry at the Ryman’ shows are scheduled, featuring performances from country stars and Opry veterans Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Lainey Wilson, and others, who will all honor the Opry’s illustrious 100-year history. "We’ve spent our first 99 years creating pivotal moments in country music’s history, welcoming new members to the family, watching dreams come true, and providing you with long-lasting memories," shared Opry organizers. "We’re pushing the boundaries of country music and the Opry in 2025 with our most ambitious and exciting shows yet.” (Holler)

Jessi Alexander and Jessie Jo Dillon are two of the five nominees up for Songwriter of the Year at the 67th annual Grammy Awards. The pair of Music Row hitmakers have more than just their first name in common, as both songwriters are responsible for some of the year’s biggest hits. Alexander is credited with writing Luke Combs’ Grammy-nominated hit, “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” and Dustin Lynch and Jelly Roll’s No. 1 hit collaboration, “Chevrolet.” While Dillon’s writing credits include Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping “Lies Lies Lies,” Keith Urban’s “Messed Up As Me,” and Kelsea Ballerini’s “Sorry Mom.” For good measure, the pair of talented songwriters collaborated with 2024 CMA New Artist of the Year Megan Moroney on her hit, “No Caller ID.” Alexander and Dillon share a friendship, as well as a deep mutual respect for each other’s work. “We’re both grinders,” Alexander shares. “We bring that heart and honesty into every song.” (Music Row)

On Sunday (December 15), Michael Bublé made his celebrated debut at the Grand Ole Opry, and he has country star Carly Pearce to thank for the memorable experience. The pair of singers recently collaborated on the soulful holiday hit, “Maybe This Christmas,” and they performed the track together at the Opry in Nashville over the weekend. Pearce made sure that Bublé’s first time on the Opry’s sacred stage went smoothly. “I loved getting to watch Michael take his first step into the circle. It brings me back to my first time in 2015,” Pearce said of the experience. Bublé expressed his appreciation to Pearce – who served as his team’s playoff mentor this season on The Voice – for opening the Opry door for him. “Carly brought me into a world I would never have been a part of, and I couldn’t thank her enough.” (People)