Jason Scott is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
"You can hide your scars, ignore your pain / But it all comes out in other ways," weeps Brandon Stansell. An openly gay country star, the Tennessee native first came out when he was 22, and the fallout within his very strict, Southern Baptist family sent him on a path many queer individuals know all too well. While he had already…
The impact of the Dixie Chicks goes far beyond album sales and touring figures. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer have had an undeniable influence on much of modern country music, and in many instances, they were the driving force behind many of today’s artists. GRAMMY nominee Ashley McBryde felt the power the three women from Texas could have…
Dixie Chicks played by their own rules. No one⏤not the establishment, not a producer, not a politician⏤was going to strip them of the right to say (and sing) exactly what they wanted. Years before a political divide would rend their standing was bonafide country superstars to a pile of rubble and flaming merchandise, they were making the kind of boundary-pushing…
It’s not easy to experience every milestone of your life in the spotlight. Country juggernaut Maren Morris hasn’t had it easy; since the 2016 release of her major label debut, Hero, she's worn a target on her back for genre purists and hate-mongering trolls. She's not afraid to speak her mind, even when costs (and tempers) boil over. But she’s…
