Jewly Hight

2 weeks ago | wnxp.org | Jewly Hight

The day that a performer makes an inaugural performance on the Grand Ole Opry is filled with rites and rituals that range from the extravagant to the mundane. They’re supposed to arrive at the Opry House in suburban Nashville to find a special parking spot reserved by a plaque bearing their name. But rising musical country comic Danae Hays pulled into the lot only to find that someone had stolen her space.

2 weeks ago | wnxp.org | Jewly Hight

A Nashville program that offers professional mentoring to underrepresented people in the country music industry has just announced the participants selected for its fourth cycle. That’s no small deal at a time when DEI initiatives are disappearing nationwide. In her role as manager of Equal Access, Chantrel Reynolds is often out and about, overseeing networking events where program participants meet country music movers and shakers. But today, she’s in administrative mode at her desk.

3 weeks ago | wnxp.org | Jewly Hight

Country music celebrity bars have come to dominate Lower Broadway in the past decade. Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs and Jason Aldean all have places down there — and that’s an abbreviated list. Last week, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre announced that they’re opening their own downtown Nashville spot.

4 weeks ago | wnxp.org | Jewly Hight

The 2025 inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame were announced Tuesday, and while they represent wildly different paths and approachesto country music, what they sharein common is longevity. This year’s class is comprised of June Carter Cash, Kenny Chesney and Tony Brown — Brown in the non-performer category, Chesney in the modern era and Cash for the veterans era. Their careers really couldn’t have looked more different.

1 month ago | wnxp.org | Jewly Hight

Country artists often paint fairly generic pictures of small-town, American roots, but Angie K brings a richer sense of context to her origin story. Her telling of family history includes rural settings as well as border crossings into different cultural and political realities. “My mom grew up in New Mexico. My dad is from El Salvador. And they met at University of New Mexico,” she says matter-of-factly.