Taste of Country said many more country stars such as Shania Twain, Reba McEntire, Billy Ray Cyrus, Doug Stone, Shelby Lynne, Shenandoah, Michelle Wright and Martinia McBride recorded songs written by ...

Louisiana lost its "King of Honky Tonk Heaven" in 2025 when the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart died at 90 two weeks after suffering a heart attack in his Baton Rouge home. Swaggart, who headlined the Golden Age ...

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart died at age 90 in his Baton Rouge home. Swaggart was a pioneering televangelist in the 1980s whose influence declined after an adultery scandal. He was the last surviving ...

The country music world has lost some iconic names in 2025, and sadly the list kept on growing in December. As we close out the year, we take a moment to look back at the country music stars and ...

NPR Music critics reflect on the lyrics that captured the year's mood, sparked emotions and stayed with them long after the music stopped. Lyrics of a song can reach us in ways that no other speech ...

During Mickey Mantle’s playing days, small regional businesses were free to create their own baseball cards. Bread companies, cereal brands, potato chip makers, and even dog food companies produced ...

Before he was the guy leading stadiums full of fans through the chorus of "Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond was a kid in Brooklyn writing song lyrics while bored in class. Diamond's expansive songwriting ...

James Dupré and Jacob Tolliver will appear at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi on Wednesday, Jan. 21 for a special program to mark the opening of The Killer, The Preacher and the Cowboy: The Legacies of ...

When I listen to a song, I listen for the lyrics. The words put images in my head, if they're good, like a Springsteen line. (Singing) The screen door slams. Mary's dress waves. Or they convey an ...

What a year for music — great songs came out of anywhere, in every style and every genre. These are my 25 favorite songs of 2025, though some gems will appear over on my albums list, to avoid ...

Curious from birth, Fiona is a music writer, researcher, and cultural theorist based in the UK. She studied her Bachelor of Music in London, specializing in audiovisual practices, and progressed to a ...

From a song by a certified superstar that came out in the very first week of January to breakthroughs from lesser-known indie acts, here are selections from NPR Music's list of the best songs of 2025.