Music
April 25, 2024
How TikTok Made Line Dancing Cool Again
After a few decades in the purgatory of corniness, fans of artists such as Beyoncé and Dasha are embracing the separate-but-together choreography.
Country Music
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Style & Design
April 8, 2024
Want to Know How Mickey Guyton Got Her Cher-Inspired Look at the 2024 CMT Awards?
We've got you, babe.
Music
April 4, 2024
Rhett Miller Ranks Every Old 97’s Album
Ahead of the new record ‘American Primitive,’ the front man gets brutally honest about the band’s discography.
Music
March 29, 2024
Willie! And Five More Texan Moments in Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’
From the nods to outlaw country tradition to the rapturous ode to denim-covered butts, this is the H-Town hero’s most Texan album yet.
Music
March 27, 2024
Beyoncé Is Bigger Than the Country Music Establishment
A successful “country crossover” requires buy-in from industry players in Nashville. But Beyoncé isn’t interested in their approval.
Music
March 25, 2024
How Lyle Lovett Taught This Non-Texan That Texas Wants Me Anyway
The Texas country artist long ago broke through the boundaries of the genre—all the way into my Brooklyn heart.
Sponsored
March 7, 2024
Marshall, Texas: Where History, Music, and Nature Collide
Head to Marshal for A History & Music Friendly Weekend
Music
February 22, 2024
Can Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ’Em’ Save Lives? A Texas Monthly Investigation
According to medical experts, the beat of Beyoncé’s new single is just right for performing CPR (and perhaps dancing).
Being Texan
February 14, 2024
Meet the King of George Strait Impersonators
When the sun is high in the Texas sky, Derek Spence be playing King George's songs at a county fair—or somewhere.
Music
February 12, 2024
Our Hopes, Dreams, and Predictions for Beyoncé’s Most Texan Release Yet
With two new singles, Bey is planting a flag squarely in country music—and we have a feeling she’s about to school us on the genre.
Music
January 16, 2024
Randall King Wants to Honky-tonk All Over the World
The country charts these days are filled with hip-hop rhythms and rock guitars. With Nashville heavy hitters behind him, King plans to flout those trends.
Music
January 12, 2024
Was Matthew McConaughey Really Bleeding at Zach Bryan’s Austin Gig?
McConaughey and fellow Texas actor Tye Sheridan made cameos at the country singer-songwriter’s music video shoot this week.
Music
December 21, 2023
Five Things We Learned From the New Willie Nelson Docuseries
Even Willie completists will likely find a few new nuggets in the Paramount Plus series ‘Willie Nelson & Family.’
Music
November 24, 2023
What Nanci Griffith Knew About Texas
Two years after her death, reissued records and a tribute album remind us to revisit Nanci’s remarkable voice, which could only ever have been from Texas.
Best Thing in Texas
November 10, 2023
A Texas Teen Is Introducing Pedal Steel Guitar to a New Generation
Noah Faulkner’s popular twangy covers countrify songs by Duran Duran, Joy Division, U2, and more.
Music
October 4, 2023
How Rattlesnake Milk Conjures Songs of Psychedelic Desperation From the Texas Plains
Four lifelong friends from the Panhandle, about to play their first Austin City Limits festival, formed a novel country sound.
Music
September 19, 2023
Remembering Charlie Robison, Always the Coolest Dude in the Room
Before his anthems had listeners raising their longnecks and singing along, Charlie took me on road trips and taught me there was more to music than country.
Music
September 14, 2023
For Willie Nelson’s 151st Album, He Takes On a Whole New Genre: Bluegrass
A supergroup of strings player helps take a mix of Willie anthems and deep cuts to a whole new, banjo-picking level.
Music
September 11, 2023
Tanya Tucker, Outlaw
Decades after the Nashville establishment turned its back on Tanya Tucker, the spitfire from Seminole is finally getting the recognition she deserves. But maybe Music Row needs her more than she needs Music Row.
Music
July 20, 2023
A New Music Festival in Mexia Aims to Save a Country Songwriting Legend’s House From Destruction
Cindy Walker Days pays tribute to one of the greatest country songwriters ever while raising funds to save her Mexia house—and all the treasures it holds.
Music
June 12, 2023
How Texas Is Jessie Murph and Maren Morris’s “Texas”? A Texas Monthly Investigation
The rising Alabama alt-pop artist and the Arlington country star aim for a classic Texas breakup song. Do they hit the mark?
Music
June 8, 2023
Miranda Lambert and Leon Bridges, in Their First Joint Interview, on Their Heartbreaking New Duet
The Texan superstars paired up on “If You Were Mine,” Lambert’s first single since leaving her record label.
Music
May 15, 2023
The Long Ride of Charley Crockett
After years of struggle, Charley Crockett is on the verge of stardom. The story of how he got here would be unbelievable if it weren’t true.
Style & Design
April 10, 2023
Miranda Lambert’s Five Must-have Home Goods
The singer’s “out-of-the-way-fancy” style combines coziness with country glamour—and lots of pink.
Recipes
April 10, 2023
Miranda Lambert’s Cookbook Is an Homage to the Strong Women in Her Life
In ‘Y'all Eat Yet?,’ the country singer talks about life around the kitchen table, shares recipes such as French toast casserole, and offers tips on drinking while tubing.
Music
April 7, 2023
Jake Worthington to Nashville: Real Country or Bust
The La Porte singer could’ve been a pop star, but he chose Texas country music instead. Nashville ignored him—until now.
Style & Design
April 2, 2023
Texas’s First-Ever CMT Music Awards, in Photos
The 2023 Country Music Television (CMT) Music Awards ceremony has brought nominees from across the country to the Lone Star State. See red carpet and backstage photos of winners.
Style & Design
March 31, 2023
The Longhorn Ballroom, Texas’s Most Historic Music Venue, Swings Back to Life
The storied dance hall, where the Sex Pistols and Merle Haggard once shared a marquee, has undergone a renovation with an eye toward honoring the past.
Music
February 7, 2023
Does Willie Nelson Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
A debate between Andy Langer, Dan Solomon—and Ice Cube?
Music
December 27, 2022
Texas Music Legends Look Back on Floore’s Country Store
John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes is a honky-tonker’s honky-tonk, a veritable institution of Texas music. The dance hall’s walls are covered with photographs of the legends that have graced its stage: Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Patsy Cline, B.B. King, Ernest Tubb, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard,
Music
December 13, 2022
A George Strait Song Was the First Music I Played for My Son. Here’s Why.
The author of a 2014 Texas Monthly profile of King George explains why it was among the few stories in his career that made him cry while writing.
Music
November 16, 2022
Behind the Scenes at Robert Earl Keen’s Final Show
It was a riotous, emotional affair that at times felt like a family reunion.
Music
November 14, 2022
Bus Fires, Voodoo Candles, and Rodeo Legends: Inside Robert Earl Keen’s Epic Final Tour
The Texas troubadour’s farewell lap was full of misadventures and unforgettable moments. Kind of like a classic REK song.
Music
November 2, 2022
Fifty-five Years Later, the Harper Valley P.T.A. Is Still in Session
Jeannie C. Riley celebrated her seventy-seventh birthday with a big bash in the tiny town of Burton, where she reflected on the irony of her sixties megahit “Harper Valley P.T.A.”
Music
June 17, 2022
DFW’s Favorite Honky-tonk Band Is Led By a Dude With an Accordion
Squeezebox Bandits front man Abel Casillas grew up singing Hank Williams and playing tejano music.
Music
June 14, 2022
Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott
The Texas country star put his own spin on the fast-food tagline that’s sure to be stuck in your head for days.
Texas History
May 31, 2022
How “Cowgirl Accordionist” Cleo Raymond Helped Texas Country Music Find Its Sound
The 99-year-old North Texas musician stumped for LBJ, toured with the USO, and still recalls hundreds of tunes.
Music
March 18, 2022
In New Documentary, Tanya Tucker Is All Legend
No country music fan will be disappointed by ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker,’ which puts the focus on artistry and that one-in-a-million voice.
Texas History
February 16, 2022
The Story Behind the Story: “The Coming of Redneck Hip,” November 1973
A pair of Texas Monthly writers chronicle an emerging scene that would end up defining a city and changing American music forever.
Music
February 11, 2022
How ‘Neon Moon’ Became a Texas Standard
With covers from Leon Bridges, Fat Tony, and more, the 1992 country single continues to find new life across genres.
Music
February 10, 2022
Mickey Guyton Was Ready to Quit Music. Now She’s Performing at the Super Bowl.
The Texas native talks about her debut album, finding herself, and how she’s changing the country scene just by being herself.
Music
December 3, 2021
Jason Boland & the Stragglers’ New Album Is a Galactic, Time-Traveling Journey
‘The Light Saw Me’ is maybe the weirdest, most unexpected post-pandemic album to come out of the Red Dirt country scene. Just in time for Omicron!
Music
October 22, 2021
Can Paul Cauthen Make Tyler . . . Cool?
The outlaw-country star joins an unlikely cultural movement in the Rose Capital of Texas.
Music
August 26, 2021
Schoolteacher Turned Honky-tonk Troubadour: Summer Dean Finds Power in Life’s Disappointments
The Fort Worth–based singer-songwriter’s attraction to a life she chose to reject fuels the artistry of her debut album ‘Bad Romantic.’
Music
August 23, 2021
Jason Eady’s Contemplative New Album Explores the Perks of Getting Older
On ‘To the Passage of Time,’ the Fort Worth country singer, 46, meditates on the freedom that comes with age.
Music
July 21, 2021
Mary McCoy Keeps Texas Country Radio’s Golden Age Alive
After seven decades behind the mic, the Conroe deejay still spins the sort of country records they just don’t make anymore—for a town that barely resembles the one she grew up in.
Music
June 25, 2021
Vincent Neil Emerson’s Album Makes Poetry of Pain
The Myrtle Springs native counts Colter Wall, Charley Crockett, and Jason Momoa among his fans. His new album should make you one too.
Music
April 28, 2021
Joshua Ray Walker’s Music Is a Vivid Portrait of Working-class Life in Dallas
His country ballads tell stories about complex, imperfect people who call the city home.
Music
April 16, 2021
The Next Waltz Is an Analog Record Label for the Digital Age
From Bruce Robison’s studio in Lockhart, the company has worked with some of the biggest stars in Texas country music.
Music
December 12, 2020
The Unflappable Country Star Charley Pride Dies at 86
The venerated musician, who spent much of his life in Texas, racked up more than fifty Top 10 hits over a six-decade career.