On Monday (Aug. 3), a man wearing a Doobie Brothers t-shirt walked up to the mural and threw black paint at it. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Category: Music
On Monday (Aug. 3), a man wearing a Doobie Brothers t-shirt walked up to the mural and threw black paint at it. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
The Eagles will continue their touring career at least into early 2027. The group just announced a new batch of dates on their long-running The Sphere residency. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
The Eagles will continue their touring career at least into early 2027. The group just announced a new batch of dates on their long-running The Sphere residency. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Brantley Gilbert has been sober for 14 years. While a lot has changed since he made that decision, he’ll never forget the moment that inspired him to turn his life around.
The country rocker appeared on a recent episode of Tracy Lawrence’s Road House podcast, where he explained how his drinking had reached a dangerous point before he made the decision to get sober. Gilbert opened up about the toll the addiction was taking on his health, revealing that his struggles had become more than just a bad habit, they had become a serious medical concern too.
“You got to know leading into this, it was becoming a health thing. It was becoming a medical thing. Pancreatitis, liver, kidneys were shot in my early 20s. And so it got bad. It wasn’t that I didn’t know there was a problem…Two liters a day. Every 24 hours. Just vodka the first part of the day and then bourbon or Jäger to end the day. And honestly, if you didn’t know me well, you wouldn’t have known I tore up. It becomes a cruising altitude.”
The night his hit song “Country Must Be Country Wide” reached No. 1 should have been a moment of pure celebration. But as Gilbert was out on the road marking the career milestone with his team and a cake on the bus, he says an unexpected feeling of guilt began to creep in.
“I was hearing from everybody, ‘Man, you really need to just take a moment and appreciate this, smell the roses.’ And I’m terrible about that and I don’t do it anymore. But I went to the back of the bus and it was supposed to be my moment to kind of soak it all in. And I cracked the window and looked out. And for whatever reason, I just looked at the table the cake was on and I was like, ‘Man, there are people that have gone broke and homeless and destroyed their lives and their marriages and their relationships for a chance just to get on the radio, not to have the top song in the country. And we’re doing the same s**t we do every night. There’s just a cake here tonight.’”
Gilbert suddenly felt like he was taking all the success and blessings he had received for granted. While he wasn’t a husband or a father yet at the time, he wanted to give himself the opportunity to become a better version of himself.
“I just felt like I owed it to myself and my mom and the people around me that loved and cared about me to, ‘Hey dude, get it out of your life for a minute and see what happens. If you go back down that road, it is what it is but get out of your life and see if anything changes up here in here.’ And I called my manager, told him I needed a hole in my schedule and I didn’t have to tell him. He knew.””
So, on December 18, 2011, Brantley Gilbert checked himself into a facility.
“The next five days were five of the most miserable days of my life, man. I crawled to the shower and back to the bed in that room. I didn’t get released from medical until day six or day seven. And I left 11 days in to go on the Eric Church Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour. And I was still at risk for after my seizures and all that stuff. So I had to bring a guy out. But that was my first tour with my own boss.”
While still in recovery, he crossed paths with Keith Urban and remembers feeling shame in that moment.
“I was like, ‘Oh shit.’ Trying to hide my head and didn’t want him to see me. And he turned around and saw me. He goes, ‘Brantley, can I talk to you for a minute?’ And I was like, ‘God, I’m hiding.’ I didn’t want to talk to anybody, man. Even Keith Urban. I just wanted to be miserable and do my time.”
An unexpected conversation came from this interaction that found them swapping stories of their struggles and had Urban asking Gilbert, “What are you afraid of?” Gilbert’s first instanct was to say that he wasn’t afraid of anything, but the Australian country star encouraged him to dig deeper and speak openly.
“He said, ‘No, really? What are you afraid of?’ And almost immediately doing my job. I’m terrified to do my job. I don’t remember what it’s like to play a show sober,” he admitted. “It’s like alcohol for me wasn’t, man, I’m going to drink, have a good time tonight.”
The drinking had quickly became a coping mechanism for Georgia native. He says he drank or used every chance he got and the partying reached an entirely new level once music became his full-time gig.
“You take an interview at 8:00 in the morning, you got your bottle of orange juice full of vodka. Who’s going to tell you something different…I’m going to do what the hell I want to do. So man, years of that, it was never a drink, have a good time. Man, it was not just a coping mechanism it was self-destructive, but it was medicine, man.”
Lawrence then opened up about his own struggles with alcohol and revealed that in order to get to a place where drinking wasn’t controlling his life, he had to get to the root of the problem.
“When I finally went through the process and I went to a treatment facility for a while, the one thing that, and I don’t know what your process was, but the counselor, he put this big piece of white paper up on the wall and he drew a line right in the middle of it. And we went back to my earliest memories and we started doing the positive and the negative impact of what that was. And we drew that whole map out all the way up to the current point of my life.”
Lawrence continued, “Went back through those things of regression and pain and childhood trauma and all those things. And it was awful, absolutely freaking awful. But being able to get through that whole thing and start to put some things in perspective as I’d gotten to a point in my life that I didn’t even realize what I was running from anymore.”
Brantley Gilbert emphasized that everyone’s journey with addiction is different, but sharing personal experiences can help others feel less alone. He believes stories of overcoming struggles have the power to connect people and offer hope to those facing similar battles.
“I’ll never tell anybody I know where they’re at because we’re always different with our fingerprints. And I feel like our addictions are the same…just communicating with somebody that’s in that place we know how to speak that language. We recognize each other. I can walk in a room in five minutes and tell you if it’s somebody that’s dealt with serious trauma or substance abuse.”
The post Brantley Gilbert Opens Up About the Health Scare That Led Him to Get Sober 14 Years Ago appeared first on Country Now.
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Cole Swindell might be busy on the road, but he wouldn’t miss the chance to celebrate his baby girl’s first birthday. The country star says his wife Courtney is planning a special party for their daughter Rainey, who will turn one on August 7.
With Swindell scheduled to perform tour dates from Wednesday, August 5, through Saturday, August 8, he shared plans to celebrate Rainey’s milestone moment on Sunday.
“I’ll be coming in hot Sunday morning,” he told K99.1 FM. We’ll be doing her birthday party and just celebrating a year.”
The “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” singer went on to say that before having a child, he was always told how quickly they grow up and now he is experiencing that first-hand.
“It’s just, you hear how fast it goes, that’s all you hear. And you blink and you’re coming up on a year, her first birthday party. So it’s true. Time flies,” he admitted.
Although Swindell is still navigating his first year of fatherhood, the experience has already inspired some of his most personal music yet. Earlier this year, he released “Girl Dad,” an emotional tune about moving on in life and not being able to share the big moments with his late father.
The 43-year-old tells the radio station that although he still misses his dad every day, seeing glimpses of him in Rainey has brought him a sense of comfort he never expected.
“Until the day we shot ‘Girl Dad,’ she had been around some of my family, but not a lot. And I’d been getting the glimpses of her and like, ‘Am I crazy? Am I just wanting to see this?’ And then somebody in my family, they’re like, ‘Man, I see Keith in her eyes.’ And I’m like, ‘Thank you.’ One, because I’m happy about it. Two, because I’m glad I’m not completely crazy that she does resemble him,” he explained.
This realization has helped remind Swindell that even though his dad is no longer physically present, he is always with him.
“To have a little reminder of that every time I look at her, I mean, the Lord works in mysterious ways and sometimes you don’t understand it. But then for me to be able to look back, I think 10 years later, and I can understand that the things I’ve been through have shaped me into getting ready to be a father and the man I needed to be. And that has not come easy by any means. It’s been a learning process.”
As he continues to balance life on the road with fatherhood, Cole Swindell is cherishing every moment as a family of three while continuing to honor the memory of the man who helped shape him.
The post Cole Swindell Reflects on Fatherhood, Daughter Rainey’s First Birthday, and Seeing His Late Dad in Her appeared first on Country Now.
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Megan Moroney has teamed up with American Girl on a brand-new collection inspired by her iconic style on the Cloud 9 tour and beyond.
Available now through the official American Girl website and American Girl stores nationwide, the collection features the American Girl x Megan Moroney Stage Outfit, the American Girl x Megan Moroney Fan Fashion Outfit, the American Girl x Megan Moroney Concert-Ready Accessories, the American Girl x Megan Moroney VIP Accessories, and the American Girl x Megan Moroney Guitar & Mic Stand Playset.
The collaboration marks a full-circle moment for the “Medicine” singer, who grew up playing with American Girl dolls and still has her very first doll today.
“I’ve been an American Girl fan for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite Christmas gifts was getting my first American Girl doll, and I still have her in the box at my parents’ house. As a kid, dolls let your imagination run wild… I had mine doing cheerleading stunts and performing concerts, while I also probably cared a little too much about her outfits,” Moroney shared. “Getting to create a collection inspired by my own style feels like such a full-circle moment, and it’s something I’ll always cherish. I hope fans have just as much fun making the collection their own, expressing themselves, and letting their imaginations run wild.”
Pamela Velarde, Head of American Girl at Mattel, added, “At American Girl, we’re always looking for new ways to encourage girls to dream big and express who they are through play and fashion. Megan’s authenticity, creativity, talent, and unmistakable sense of style have made her a role model for so many young fans, and we’re thrilled to partner with her on a collection that encourages girls to celebrate what makes them unique.”
Shop The Collection:
American Girl x Megan Moroney Stage Outfit
Inspired by one of Megan Moroney’s signature tour looks, this sparkly pink stage outfit features a sequin dress, matching pink bloomers, and white cowboy boots finished with an adorable pink bow. If you’ve been to one of Megan’s shows, you’ll instantly recognize the look—it’s one that fans love recreating night after night. Designed to fit 18-inch dolls. Shop HERE.
American Girl x Megan Moroney Fan Fashion Outfit
This outfit lets dolls dress just like Megan’s biggest fans. It features a checkered baby blue romper, a white belt with a heart-shaped buckle, and glittery silver cowboy boots that are ready for a night at the concert. Designed to fit 18-inch dolls. Shop HERE.
American Girl x Megan Moroney Concert-Ready Accessories
No Megan Moroney concert look is complete without the right accessories. This set includes a heart-shaped pink purse and lip gloss—the perfect finishing touches for any fan heading to the show. Shop HERE.
American Girl x Megan Moroney VIP Accessories
Give your doll the full VIP treatment with this backstage-inspired accessory set. Packed with fun concert essentials, including a VIP pass, it’s designed to recreate the excitement of a Megan Moroney tour experience. Shop HERE.
American Girl x Megan Moroney Guitar & Mic Stand Playset
Every superstar needs a stage setup. Inspired by Megan’s iridescent guitar and signature mic stand (complete with her iconic “MM” logo) this playset lets dolls step into the spotlight and put on a concert of their own. Shop HERE.
The collaboration isn’t stopping there. Just in time for the holidays, American Girl and Megan Moroney will release an all-new American Girl x Megan Moroney 18-inch doll, arriving exclusively on Target.com beginning November 22 before rolling out to Target stores in early December. The launch also marks a major milestone for American Girl, as it will be the first time the brand’s iconic 18-inch dolls will be available at Target, making them even more accessible to families during the holiday shopping season.
The post Megan Moroney Teams Up With American Girl for New Collection Inspired by Her Signature Style appeared first on Country Now.
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Gracie McGraw is sharing the difficult realization she had after taking Ozempic for PCOS, explaining how it helped manage her symptoms while reigniting her eating disorder. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
The sudden loss of a beloved chef has left a stir in the culinary world. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Jelly Roll has officially stepped away from touring, explaining why now is the right time to hit pause after years on the road. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country