Stephen L. Betts
Rolling Stone
Nashville, TN, United States
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Past articles by Stephen:
Marty Stuart Is Country Music's Psychedelic Historian
The Country Music Hall of Famer on paying homage with his Byrds-heavy new album, why he chose pills and pot over LSD, and Travis Tritt’s Bud Light controversy → Read More
Willie Nelson in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: 10 of His Best Rock Covers
Willie Nelson, who is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has a history of recording rock songs. → Read More
The 50 Best Dolly Parton Songs
Dolly Parton wrote her first composition more than 70 years ago when she was around six years old, making up the simple story of “Little Tiny Tasseltop,” based on a doll fashioned out of a corncob by her mother. In the ensuing years, the hundreds of songs Parton has penned have covered a variety of subjects, from her childhood in east Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains to intense personal heartbreak,… → Read More
The 100 Greatest Country Albums of All Time
As a commercial entity, country music has existed for nearly a century following the 1927 Bristol Sessions with the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. That means it’s older than rock & roll, older than soul, and still going strong in 2022 with branches that have spread far and wide. But where the recording of albums […] → Read More
Dolly Parton's Best Rock Songs
Ahead of Dolly’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, hear her cover Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon, and more → Read More
The Judds: Naomi and Wynonna's 10 Essential Songs
From their first Number One “Mama He’s Crazy” to their signature ballad “Love Can Build a Bridge,” the must-hear tracks by the mother-daughter duo → Read More
Allison Moorer Wrote a Book About Her Son's Autism. His Melodies Inspired Moorer's New Music
“John Henry is maybe hooked into something that I, as a supposed neurotypical person, am not,” Moorer says of new ‘Wish for You’ EP → Read More
Flashback: Connie Smith Sings 'Then and Only Then' for Marty Robbins
The country music queen launched her career on New Year’s Day 1964, a run that is celebrated on a new solo album and retrospective box set → Read More
Flashback: Emmylou Harris Gives Townes Van Zandt a Boost With 'Pancho & Lefty'
Harris’s cover of the seminal country song about friendship and betrayal appeared on her album Luxury Liner, which turns 45 years old → Read More
Grand Ole Opry's Historic 5000th Broadcast: How to Watch and Why It Matters
The country-music radio show has survived floods, a pandemic, and changing tastes. It’ll celebrate its longevity on Saturday with Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Connie Smith, and more → Read More
Nanci Griffith Songs: 'Outbound Plane,' 'Love at the Five and Dime'
From “Love at the Five and Dime” to “Listen to the Radio” → Read More
B.J. Thomas, 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' Singer, Dead at 78
Grammy-winning singer had hits in pop, country, and gospel with songs like "I Just Can't Help Believing" and "(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" → Read More
Flashback: Bob Dylan Sings 'I Threw It All Away' for Johnny Cash
Episode of Johnny Cash’s TV show also featured Joni Mitchell singing Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” with the Man in Black → Read More
Alan Jackson: 20 Best Songs
From the free-spirited “Chattahoochee” to the national healing anthem “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” → Read More
Tina Turner's Debut Solo Album Was Full of Country Songs
‘Tina Turns the Country On!’ was the icon’s first album without Ike → Read More
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Inside Philanthropic Organization
How a core team of 15 and thousands of volunteers and partners help the country music philanthropist deliver books to kids around the world → Read More
Charley Pride and Dolly Parton's Duet 'God's Coloring Book': Listen
"God's Coloring Book" is a prayerful meditation on natural wonder recorded for Pride's 2006 gospel album → Read More
Charley Pride: 10 Essential Songs
From his debut single “The Snakes Crawl at Night” to his signature, the crossover smash “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” → Read More
Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson Make History With 'Outlaws'
In 1976, ‘Wanted! The Outlaws’ became the first country album ever to reach platinum status → Read More
Willie Nelson's 12 Best Collaborations
From Dolly Parton to Snoop Dogg, here are a dozen of the legendary singer-songwriter’s greatest musical partnerships → Read More