While 2024 certainly had its moments of inspiration and incredible country music . . . we also lost more than a few country superstars. Here are some members of the country music family that passed away this year:

1.  Toby Keith.  July 8th, 1961 to February 5th, 2024

2.  Kris Kristofferson.  June 22nd, 1936 to September 28th, 2024

3.  Joe Bonsall.  May 18th, 1948 to July 9th, 2024.  From the Oak Ridge Boys.

4.  Joe Scaife.  November 26th, 1955 to June 12th, 2024.  He was the producer behind “Achy Breaky Heart” and “Redneck Woman”.

5.  Margo Smith.  April 9th, 1939 to January 23rd, 2024.  She had two #1 songs in 1978.  “It Only Hurts for a Little While” and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You”.

And, in addition to those icons, here are some family members of country stars that passed away this year: Rest in Peace to Dolly Parton’s brother, David Parton . . . Johnny Cash’s brother, Tommy Cash . . . Lauren Alaina’s father, J.J. Suddeth . . . Bunnie Xo’s dad, Bill . . . and Kid Rock’s dad, William Richie, Sr.

It looks like Zach Bryan is trying out a new marketing strategy.  It involves posting an Instagram story where he’s telling people to come to his upcoming shows . . . while firing a handgun off into the distance. The good news is that he was not aiming at the camera. Here’s how Zach’s promoting his shows these days.  Quote, “Hey everybody, come to my shows at the BOK Center tomorrow, the next day, the next day, and the next day.” And then during the video, he fired off 10 or so shots into the wilderness . . . while smiling throughout.  This all seems totally normal.

Snoop Dogg just put out a new album called “Missionary”, and it features a track called “Last Dance with Mary Jane”, which contains a sample of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”, by Tom Petty. Snoop’s version includes vocals from the late Tom Petty, as well as Jelly Roll.  Like the track or not, Jelly’s verse is cool. Last month, Snoop described his Petty track as a “weed song.”  But Tom once claimed that his song was NOT about pot . . . and that it was literally about a girl named Mary Jane.  Though that’s kinda hard to believe.

Have you googled Shaboozey’s name lately?  They added a fun Easter egg where the whole page gets “tipsy.” It rocks back and forth for a few seconds, like you’re drunk . . . a nod to his hit track, “A Bar Song (Tipsy). It’s not clear what prompted them to add it, but he just won three Billboard Music Awards on Thursday. The song spent 19 weeks at #1 this year, tying the record set by “Old Town Road” in 2019.