Music

When Dolly Parton was named as a nominee to join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she initially demurred, saying that as a country artist she hasn’t earned the honor.

But the fans and voting members alike disagreed, so Dolly’s going into the Hall, whether she thinks she deserves it or not. The country legend has said she hopes to earn her rock bona fides by putting out a rock album — and in a new interview with Pollstar, Dolly says that’s still the plan.

“When I got nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I thought, ‘Well, no better time to do it.’ I had always wanted to do it,” she says, explaining that her husband is a rock fan and she’d love to put out an album full of rock songs for his sake, too.

Dolly says she’s getting her affairs in order to work on that project once her schedule frees up a bit and even hints that she’ll “maybe have some of the greats, the legends of rock ‘n’ roll, sing along with me.”

She certainly wouldn’t be the only country artist to dip her toe into the rock world. Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Brenda Lee and Jerry Lee Lewis are just a few Hall of Famers who straddle the country and rock worlds.

Modern country has plenty of rockers, too. Carrie Underwood has been collaborating with Axl Rose onstage quite a bit recently — and covering “Welcome to the Jungle” live on tour — and hitmakers like Brantley Gilbert and Hardy are known for touring on bills that include both country and rock artists.

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Another day, another ‘will-they-or-won’t they?’ story about a Van Halen tribute concert to Eddie Van Halen featuring past and present members.

The answer remains no, with the latest update coming from former frontman Sammy Hagar, who says he and drummer Alex Van Halen aren’t even on speaking terms right now.

Appearing recently on Sirius/XM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk show, Hagar was asked if there had been any progress on a rumored tribute show to the band’s late guitarist that’d feature guitarist Joe Satriani and Metallica bassist Jason Newsted joining Alex for a show. According to Blabbermouth, Hagar revealed he was approached and was up for it, but under one condition.

“I’ll do anything with Al and Mike and play music with people, but it’s not gonna be Van Halen,” Hagar shared. “There is no Van Halen, I don’t care what anyone says. Wolfie is Van Halen, okay?”

Hagar of course was referring to Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, who replaced estranged bassist Michael Anthony in Van Halen some 15 years ago before achieving Grammy-nominated success with his own band, Mammoth WVH.

But what to call the band apparently isn’t the issue. Asked if original frontman David Lee Roth was the holdout, as rumored, Hagar replied, “It ain’t just one guy. Alex Van Halen and I don’t talk,” adding that he “reached out” to the drummer after Anthony “had a sad thing happen in his family…and [Alex] wouldn’t return my call or my e-mail. And so I said, ‘You know what? F*** it. It’s not on the top of my list, my agenda.”

Hagar’s still up for it, though. “I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute,” he says, adding “the whole world would show up and the whole world would do it.”

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Brantley Gilbert is back with another collection of new music. The singer announced his next album, So Help Me God, this week; it drops November 10.

Some of the songs on the 10-track collection will be familiar. The track list includes previously-released tunes like “How to Talk to Girls,” a Jason Aldean duet called “Rolex on a Redneck” and “The Worst Country Song of All Time” with Toby Keith and Hardy.

But the album also includes several songs fans haven’t heard before. There’s one more big collaboration on the project: Brantley’s next single, “Heaven by Then,” a duet with Blake Shelton that also features Vince Gill.

The singer acknowledges that it’s been a while since he had a new record out; his last project was 2019’s Fire & Brimstone.

“I’ve always taken a little longer than most artists, especially in this genre, to put an album out and that’s partly to do with me being a perfectionist,” he explains. “But we’ve been looking forward to getting this album out for a long time.”

He adds, “I’ve been blessed to sit down with some of the best writers in the country, and I feel like we’ve written some wonderful stuff.”

Brantley is a co-writer on all 10 tracks of So Help Me God. The album is available for pre-order now.

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Travis Barker and his family are grieving the death of their dog Blue.

The Blink-182 drummer shared the sad news in his Instagram Story Wednesday alongside various photos of him and his daughter Alabama petting, holding and adoring the pooch, a French bulldog.

“I’ll miss you Blue,” Barker wrote in one post. “You were the best dog. I was always waiting for you to say something. Love you 4ever boy.”

Between Blue’s passing and Travis’ hospitalization with pancreatitis, 2022 probably hasn’t been the easiest year for the Barker family. Still, Barker’s year has had some highs, including reuniting Blink-182 with former bandmate Tom DeLonge and getting married to Kourtney Kardashian over multiple ceremonies.

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Harry Styles is dressed to the nines in new campaign photos that show off his Gucci collection HA HA HA.

The collaboration, designed by Harry and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, is part of a yearslong project that aims to bring about a “masculine transformation,” according to a press release obtained by GQ.

Harry rocks everything from vintage purses to flared pants in the photos, wearing shades that vary from muted plum to bright yellow. He is photographed with his signature painted nails, wearing graphic tees with bunny rabbits and cartoon bears, various double-breasted jackets and even a suit dotted with bright red cherries.

“I’m so happy to see this project finally come to life,” Harry said in a statement. “I’ve known Alessandro for years now, and he’s always been one of my favorite people. I’m always inspired watching him work, so doing this collaboration with my friend was very special to me.”

You can view the entire HA HA HA collection, and sign up for updates on its release, on Gucci’s website.

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After giving NBA 2K23 players an exclusive first listen of his new single “Ballin,'” A Boogie wit da Hoodie has released the song for the general public to hear.

The track appears on the NBA 2K23 soundtrack — an accomplishment for the self-proclaimed gamer.

“I’m a gamer. I spend way too much time playing 2K, it’s my favorite game. With this single, I wanted to give my fans a chance to first hear ‘Ballin’ in NBA2K,” A Boogie said in a statement. “To be featured on the soundtrack for this season is big for me. I hope my fans enjoy it and all the gamers out there who play NBA2K everyday [sic] like me also enjoy listening to the song in the game.”

“Ballin” is also featured on A Boogie’s forthcoming album, Me vs. Myself, due out December 9. It’s another tease of the project following previously released singles “Take Shots” featuring Tory Lanez and the Roddy Ricch-assisted “B.R.O. (Better Ride Out).” 

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Thomas Rhett is revamping his 2017 Home Team Tour in 2023, this time with Cole Swindell and Nate Smith on the bill.

He’s planning to hit 40 cities on the trek, starting with Des Moines, Iowa on May 4, 2023. The tour will take him all the way through late September, when he wraps things up with a hometown show in Nashville.

“Being on the road is one of my favorite places to be,” TR notes in a statement. “I can’t wait to see the joy in y’alls faces next year and with my buddies Cole Swindell and Nate Smith. We’re definitely gonna have a good time.”

To up the fun even further, Thomas dropped a sports-themed tour announcement video that shows him rocking “Home Team” jerseys reflecting the 27 different states he’s planning to visit on the road.

Tickets for the Home Team Tour 23 go on sale November 11, but there’s a presale for TR’s fan club, the Home Team Members, that starts November 8.

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Ahead of the release of her documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Gomez has dropped a new song also titled “My Mind & Me.”

The song, which is inspired by Gomez’s personal journals, depicts emotional moments of her life that she has never expressed through her music.

“I think that’s why this song means so much to me, and in a different way than any of my other songs only because I’ve attached this to my mental health and I’m addressing what it is,” Gomez told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “It’s completely cathartic for me and I think it goes so well with the documentary.”

The film, Gomez admitted, is difficult for her to watch. “I’m terrified. To be honest, I have probably tried to back out of this three times,” she said. “But there’s no other way to have told the story.”

As for releasing more music, Gomez was honest about how she is doing mentally and what she has been creating.

“I’ve been having a hard time, honestly,” Gomez said. “I’ve definitely written 12 songs that I do love, but I don’t know if I feel confident with it yet for some reason.”

In the meantime, she hopes that her fans will connect with the documentary and find meaning in it.

“I want there to be a question after everyone sees it. Like a, ‘Hey wait, do I feel that way?’ Or, ‘I know someone who feels that way. I’ve dealt with this. I have these medical issues,’” Gomez said. “That, to me, is my purpose of me even existing.”

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me will be available to stream Friday on Apple TV+.

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