With Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter well into its second week at the top of the Billboard charts, the internet is rife with as many hot takes and opinions as 4×4 pickups at a Jason Aldean show. Absorbing the litany of influences,…
Darius Rucker dedicates this one to the faith of his mother
Darius Rucker is well-known as the lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish, but with his latest album, he wants fans to meet his mother, whose Christian faith shaped him. “My mom was awesome,” he said in an exclusive interview…
Talking about a controversial Country song at Bubba-Doo’s
There are questions I’m not always in a hurry to answer because of what I do. When you’ve been asked to remain as politically neutral as humanly possible so you can minister to a wide variety of people, the littlest…
‘Try That in A Small Town’
We already tried that, and it didn’t work out so well. For some people. The small town was Money, Miss., population less than a hundred. Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was accused of whistling at a white woman. They took care of…
Jason Aldean and Tyler Childers and two visions of small-town community
It doesn’t seem like it was just a couple weeks ago Jason Aldean released a music video to expand on the lyrics of his now widely popular and equally controversial hit “Try That in a Small Town.” Nor does it…
Why Tyler Childers’ new Outlaw Country music video is dividing fans
There’s another controversy over a country music hit, but this time it is more conservative listeners who are upset with a music video that depicts two men in love. The controversy over country music star Tyler Childers and the music…
Her church
I haven’t been able to get the book Her Country by Marissa Moss out of my brain since reading the “State of Women in Baptist Life,” released in 2022. The book explores the decline of women on country radio through…
My conversation with Vince Gill on race and country music
A few months ago, if you had told me I would be talking with Vince Gill about race, I would have laughed you out of the room. For starters, I am a huge fan of Vince and his wife, Christian…
Usually traditional, NYC church takes different approach on Good Friday
Good Friday services at Madison Avenue Baptist Church are traditional in many ways. Participants are reminded, through music, prayer and scripture readings, of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Themes of sorrow and grief are experienced in an ornate…