Taste of Country Staff hasn't taken a day off since he/she was born in December 2010. Staff is an avid fan of country music and country music only although he/she has a soft spot for artists like Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson. Other interests include live music, cold beer, pizza at midnight and photos of country music babies.
Taste of Country Staff
Billy Currington Calls His Experience at St. Jude an ‘Eye-Opener’
Like so many country stars, Billy Currington remembers expecting his first St. Jude visit to be depressing -- they are treating sick kids after all, he figured. If there's one lesson to remember from Taste of Country's two-day webathon, however, it's that that couldn't be further from the truth.
Lee Brice Reveals St. Jude Means Even More to Him Following Birth of His Boys
Lee Brice is a longtime supporter of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The ‘I Don’t Dance’ singer lit up when asked to talk about what the Memphis-based medical campus means to him. He admits it means something different now that he has two little boys at home.
ToC Encore: Turning Personal Tragedy Into Hit Records
Turning a personal tragedy into a hit record is tricky, and not just for all the normal reasons that it's difficult to make a song into a hit. Artists who write a great personal song may be hesitant to record it for months or years. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes considers three powerful songs and three artists who dealt with the personal tragedies that inspired them in very different ways.
2014 ToC Awards: Taylor Swift’s Phone Call to Dying Girl Was Most Heartwarming Moment of 2013
Odds were good Taylor Swift would take the 2014 Taste of Country Award for Most Heartwarming Moment of 2013. She had two of the five nominations, after all. The star won a record eighth ToC Award, including her second in this category.
Miranda Lambert, ‘Automatic’ [Listen]
Miranda Lambert does nostalgia as well as she does crazy. Her new single ‘Automatic’ is a yearning look back at a time before computers, cell phones and 800 channels on TV. With familiar and original references, the singer introduces a softer tone for her fifth studio album.
Country’s Top 5 Moments at the 2014 Grammys
Country music shined at the 2014 Grammys, with nine of Nashville's top singers taking the stage to sing and play guitar. Collaborations and solo performances from artists like Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and Hunter Hayes were among the night's best, but what was the best moment?
Album Spotlight: Jennifer Nettles, ‘That Girl’
Jennifer Nettles' new solo album is a round peg too big for country music’s square hole. Actually, ‘That Girl’ is sort of a zig-zaggy shaped object that doesn’t fit neatly within any genre’s stingy requirements. Jazz, blues, country, big band, Broadway, classic rock … Nettles dabbles.
Tim McGraw, ‘Lookin’ for That Girl’ [Listen]
Tim McGraw marries traditional country stylings to contemporary innovations in his new single ‘Lookin’ for That Girl.’ The scream of a pedal steel keeps the track safely on the country side of the radio, while his use of auto-tune points forward toward what could be the genre’s future.
Rascal Flatts, ‘Rewind’ [Listen]
There’s a timeless quality to Rascal Flatts’ love songs, like their latest ‘Rewind.’ It’s a song that could appear on any of the group’s eight previous studio albums. Gary, Jay and Joe Don have a signature sound, and they’ve remained loyal to it for almost 15 years.
Chuck Wicks, ‘Us Again’ [Listen]
'Us Again,' Chuck Wicks' debut single on Blaster Records, is a patient, orchestral ballad about yearning to get back together with the one you loved and lost. Wicks has always been a talented interpreter of songs. His pain comes through early on this track from an upcoming studio album.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, ‘The Call’ [Listen]
The live version of 'The Call' from Garth Brooks' 'Live at the Wynn' performance is his first single since 2008. It's a duet with his wife Trisha Yearwood, but their happy marriage doesn't stand in the way of a heartbreaking performance.
Win a Trip to See Jerrod Niemann at a Show of Your Choice – 12 Days of Jerrod Giveaway
On the 12th day of Christmas, Jerrod Niemann asked you to pack your bags, grab a friend and catch a flight to one of his 2014 concerts!
Win an Autographed Copy of Lady Antebellum’s ‘Golden’
Doing some last minute Christmas shopping? How about some last minute Christmas winning? Nab a copy of Lady Antebellum's 'Golden' album, signed by all three members of the trio, by entering this ToC contest.
Bid on a Guitar With 70+ Stars’ Signatures to Benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital
Taste of Country is hoping to make one lucky country fan's dream come true this holiday season, which in turn will help a lot of special kids in need. Taylor Swift, Eric Church and Luke Bryan are just three of the A-list country superstars who've signed this acoustic guitar, which is up for auction right here. It will go to the top bidder, with all of the money raised to be donated to St. Jude Chi
Best Tweets About the 2013 American Country Awards
For a second straight week, Twitter proved to be as entertaining as a major television event starring major country music stars. That's not a knock on Tuesday night's (Dec. 10) 2013 ACAs, there were just some really funny things being said by fans and people who were somewhat less than thrilled. We took out the vitriol and set up a list of all the best -- but mostly harmless -- tweets sent during
Win a Flyaway Vacation to Mexico for Tropical Nights: Boots in the Sand!
You didn't think we'd put together the hottest country beach party on the planet and not make sure everyone had a chance to go, did you?