Age: 25 Hometown: Maryville, Tenn. Lives: Nashville Single: “Getting Over You” Twitter: @JackieLeeMusic Website: jackielee.com THE SCOOP Born 185 miles outside Nashville in the small city of Maryville, Tenn., Jackie Lee heard Music City calling his name at a young age. With music in his blood—his dad is a professional musician—Jackie got his start singing…… MORE
Hometown: Tenino, Washington Lives: Nashville Single: “Just a Phase” EP: Adam Craig Twitter: @AdamCraigMusic Instagram: @AdamCraig08 Influences: Tim McGraw, Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks A baseball player in high school who dreamed of being a catcher for the Seattle Mariners, Adam Craig gave it all up for a career in country…… MORE
Age: 29 Born: Union City, Tenn. Lives: Nashville EP: Yours Single: “Yours” Twitter: @Russelled Instagram: Russelled With a father who was a choir director and a mother who taught piano, Russell Dickerson cultivated a deep-seated love of music from a young age that eventually took him to Nashville’s Belmont University, where he studied music. Russell…… MORE
Born: New Orleans Lives: Nashville Single: “Free.99” Twitter: @TheCourtneyCole Website: courtneycolemusic.com Influences: Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, Faith Hill INSIDE SCOOP Courtney Cole may have grown up in New Orleans, where she was exposed to a plethora of different types of music, but she now calls Nashville home. The newcomer has been…… MORE
From: Staffordshire, England Lives: Nashville Age: 25 Singles: “Anywhere With You,” “Act Like A Lady” Twitter: @FionaCulley Website: fionaculley.com Influences: Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, AC/DC, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Alison Krauss, Dixie Chicks INSIDE SCOOP British born Fiona Culley, the middle of three children, got her love of country music from her dad. Raised in…… MORE
From: Alexandria, La. Lives: Nashville Age: 23 EP: Fear of Missing Out Single: “Load It Up” Twitter: @AlexSmithMusic Website: AlexSmithMusic.net Up to Speed For 23-year-old Louisiana native Alex Smith, country music is in his blood—both his grandfather and father were guitarists—but it took a popular video game to convince Alex to pick up his first…… MORE
Born: San Antonio Age: 30 Single: “New Hometown” Website: mikeryanband.com Twitter: @MikeRyanBand Playing more than 150 shows a year, San Antonio native Mike Ryan has developed a passionate fan base in the Lone Star State and beyond by headlining revered venues like Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth and Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. His 2014 album,…… MORE
Born: Dallas Lives: Nashville Age: 26 EP: Don’t Fade (Oct. 7) Single: “Busted” Website: troycartwright.com Twitter: @troycartwright Influences: Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, Bob Schneider, Robert Earl Keen In Short When Texas native Troy Cartwright was 12, his dad gave him his first guitar—not the scooter that he had hoped for. It turns out that father…… MORE
Duo Members: Trey Smith, Jennifer Fiedler Home State: Texas Single: “Hey Whiskey” EP: Smithfield Website: smithfieldmusic.com Twitter: @Smithfieldmusic Influences: Trey – Goo Goo Dolls Johnny Rzeznik, Garth Brooks; Jennifer – LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Patsy Cline The Scoop Born in the great state of Texas, Trey Smith and Jennifer Fiedler—a.k.a. Smithfield—have known each other since…… MORE
Born: Charlotte, N.C. Lives: Nashville Age: 26 Single: “Hurricane” Album: This One’s for You (coming this fall) Influences: Vince Gill, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black, Eric Church Twitter: @LukeCombsMusic Inside Scoop After picking up the guitar at age 21 while attending Appalachian State University (Eric Church’s alma mater) in Boone, N.C., Luke Combs began playing…… MORE
Toby Keith left us 10 months ago. But his music keeps on keepin’ on in a big way. He just went GOLD and PLATINUM again. His whole catalog has seen a boost since he passed away from cancer in February at the age of 62. The RIAA honored him this week with four more certifications,…
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…