Jeff Giles

Scotty McCreery is poised to claim the Number One spot when his first full-length effort ‘Clear as Day’ makes its debut on the charts next week. But will he actually pull it off? It’s been nearly a decade since ‘American Idol‘ was able to turn all its ratings mojo into a Number One album debut for one of its contestants. The last one was Ruben Studdard, whose ‘Thankful’ bowed at the top of the cha

Clint Eastwood isn’t exactly known for romances, either as an actor or as a director, so when word surfaced that he was planning to helm a remake of ‘A Star Is Born’ with Tim McGraw as a possible star, people naturally wanted to know more. We’ve heard plenty of the rumors as well, including the reported involvement (and subsequent un-involvement) of Beyoncé Knowles and Leonardo DiCaprio. Little ha

The New Yorker doesn’t usually devote much space to young artists or current trends, but they made an exception for Taylor Swift in their most recent issue, giving a full profile of the artist that, as they point out, has sold more albums in the last five years than any other musician. Swift was characteristically frank in the article, offering her thoughts on life and love as a 21-year-old supers

It may not do anything to save his long-running gig as the musical kickoff for ‘Monday Night Football,’ but Hank Williams, Jr. has issued a personal statement in response to the brouhaha that erupted after his recent appearance on ‘Fox and Friends.’ Williams, who compared a golf match between President Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner to “Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu,” attemp

Half a century of anything is usually a milestone people take pride in — unless you’re Trace Adkins and you’re about to reach your 50th birthday, in which case it’s an occasion worth snarling at. Yes, the ‘Just Fishin” singer will become eligible for full membership in the AARP on January 13. And while he isn’t normally much of a birthday person, he knows he can’t completely ignore the upcoming bi

Over the course of his long career, Gene Watson has seen it all, including a slew of bestselling albums, a stack of classic country hits and multiple Grammy Awards. But on the way to his show Sunday night, Watson suffered through what must have been a first for him: escaping a tour bus as it teetered on the side of the road.

Toby Keith has released some of the most proudly patriotic songs in modern country music, making him an easy target for those who prefer to think of country artists (and perhaps country fans) as belligerent or intolerant. The reality, of course, is more nuanced. The fact is that Keith is simply not shy about speaking his mind, as readers discovered when Keith was asked to share his thoughts on gay

Her recording career spans 15 years and eight albums, but Terri Clark might just now be hitting her stride. Clark’s latest album ‘Roots and Wings’ finds her tapping into her own experiences for a largely self-written batch of original tunes — and earning some of the best reviews of her career along the way. According to Clark, who enjoyed a string of platinum success in the 90s, recent turmoil in

We like to think of the recording artist’s life as a glamorous one, but the truth is, it’s often full of monotonous travel, industry politics and the like. Sometimes, though, a country star’s life really is everything it’s cracked up to be. Just ask Justin Moore, who recently spent a beautiful fall day lounging on a lake … for work. It was all in the name of filming a fishing-themed video for his

David Nail’s career took plenty of twists and turns before he finally found his audience — including a busted deal at Mercury Nashville and a stint as a baseball coach. But when he finally released his debut album in 2009, its title ‘I’m About to Come Alive,’ proved prophetic. Now, Nail is one of country’s hottest freshman acts, and he’s looking to build on that success with the release of his sec

It’s been a pretty amazing decade for Rascal Flatts — they released seven platinum-selling albums and graced the charts’ top spots a number of times — but their latest honor might be the most meaningful of all: an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.

LeAnn Rimes ends a four-year hiatus this week and returns to record store shelves with her 13th studio album, ‘Lady & Gentlemen.’ As with her platinum-selling self-titled release from 1999, ‘Gentlemen’ is a collection of covers — but this time around, she decided to give things a new twist. The idea, as Rimes explained during a recent Taste of Country interview, was to put a feminine spin on s