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In "Texas Hold 'Em," the singer is accompanied by a banjo. It's often thought of as a quintessential Americana instrument. But the history of the banjo tells a different story.
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The Houston-bred artist's new album uses country as a trapdoor into a sweeping genre expression. By adopting the role of the outlaw, she's free to toss all rules into the trash heap.
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Is the much-hyped sequel to Renaissance a country album? In many ways, yes — but it's also a sprawling collage of disparate references, while remaining a Beyoncé album at its heart.
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Giddens' banjo and viola are featured on Beyoncé's new country album. We listen back to a 2010 interview and in-studio performance by Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
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NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Francesca Royster, author of Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions, about how Black artists have contributed to country music and the barriers they've faced.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with musician Kacey Musgraves about her new album, "Deeper Well."
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Beyoncé became the only other solo woman alongside Taylor Swift to achieve the feat with no accompanying artists, Billboard said.
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Keith's death shined a new spotlight on his music, particularly political anthem "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," best known for its lyric: "We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way."
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Country music star Toby Keith, who dominated the charts in the 1990s and 2000s with a string of hits, has died at 62. The singer had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
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NPR's Scott Simon talks with Rosanne Cash about rereleasing her album "The Wheel," love lost and gained, and lessons learned.