Billy Dukes

What inspired 'Pioneer'? What's in store for their future? Talk about touring with Rascal Flatts ... These are all professional questions to ask a band like the Band Perry, a family trio that just found out their new album is atop the country album charts, with almost 130,000 copies sold it its debut week. Fans want the scoop though, and Neil, Kimberly and Reid were kind enough to dish it in an interview feature we call 60 Seconds With the Band Perry. 

Read More

Granger Smith releases his ninth studio album next week (April 16) -- one he calls his most ambitious project to date. 'Dirt Road Driveway' features singles 'We Do It in a Field' and 'The Country Boy Song' in addition to 10 other tracks from the pen of the the Red Dirt singer-songwriter. Listen to the entire album early via this exclusive stream on Taste of Country.

Read More

Brad Paisley's 'Wheelhouse' delivers a familiar mix of humor, life lessons and scorching guitar solos, but it does it in a way different from any of the other eight albums the 'Beat This Summer' singer has released. He took his old formula, balled it up, lit it on fire and tossed the ashes in the garbage. The result is a meaty and ambitious project that doesn't always click, but clears new ground when it does.

Read More

Scotty McCreery makes his songwriting debut on 'See You Tonight,' a mid-tempo love song that finds the 19-year-old not settling for a phone call or some distant "I love you" from the girl who holds his heart. It's the start of a new chapter for McCreery -- one that's much more important than his last. 

Read More

It was another good night for Kellie Pickler and partner Derek Hough on 'Dancing With the Stars' on Monday night (April 9). The country singer did the Rumba to a song called 'Say I Do,' written and performed by husband Kyle Jacobs. One judge called the moment magical, while the others asked for more fluidity. 

Read More

In his new song 'I Want Crazy.' Hunter Hayes doesn't soar like Ronnie Dunn or croon like Chris Young. His vocal performance is an exercise in diction -- and memory. Simply put, he packs a ton of words into a tight space without straining or slurring one idea into another. It's not easy. 

Read More

The last hour of voting during the finals of March Bandness was frenzied, to say the least. Thousands of fans of Alabama and the Charlie Daniels Band cast a ballot in the waning minutes. The boys from Fort Payne, Ala. were trailing until the end, when they surged ahead and took the title of Best Country Band of All Time. 

Read More

Here's a strange fact about the Taste of Country Top 10 Video Countdown: Only videos from blonde singers have reached the No. 1 spot. Toby Keith kept the streak alive last week, as fans chose 'Hope on the Rocks' as the most popular clip of the week. Casey James and Carrie Underwood were close behind with their recent videos, but new offerings from the Band Perry and 'X Factor' winner Tate Stevens could challenge them for the title. 

Read More

The 2013 ACM Awards produced some predictable and unpredictable moments on Sunday night. Luke Bryan won Entertainer of the Year, which few would have bet on in Las Vegas if gambling on awards shows was something people did. Miranda Lambert's wins were more expected, but equally deserving. 'Over You' is among the best songs of the last 15 years, and she and husband Blake Shelton are worthy of the honors.

Read More

The 2013 ACM Awards are just days away, and while the country music industry is anxiously awaiting to see who wins the big awards, fans are looking forward to the performances, surprise collaborations and unexpected moments of brilliance. These potential moments could prove to be the ones fans are talking about come Monday. 

Read More