Country Stars in Western Movies, Up-And-Coming Artists, and Country Music News

Country music can feel like it’s changing every week, but the best nights are when the stories all connect. We kick things off with a surprisingly fun rabbit hole: country singers who rode into Western movies and TV, from Kenny Rogers and Glen Campbell to the Yellowstone universe and “1883.” It’s not just nostalgia, it’s proof that country has always been built for characters, scenes, and big emotions. Then we hit a tight country music news rundown with the stuff you actually want to know: Jelly Roll reaching a new milestone at the Grand Ole Opry, tour and festival updates, country artists popping up on-screen, and why Morgan Wallen’s vocal rest is a reminder that your voice is your livelihood. After that, we throw it to the crew with the question of the day: who is the most talented up-and-coming artist? The comment section turns into a discovery feed, and we add our own rising-artist picks before running through the latest mainstream chart and indie chart highlights. The mailbag is where we get real about the Nashville music industry. We talk about overproduced records, the brutal math of streaming royalties, why touring and merch still carry so much weight, and the new version of gatekeeping through playlist culture. If you’re an aspiring artist, we also share the biggest career killers we see early on, and a smarter way to study great records by following producers like Dan Huff, Bob Bullock, and Jay Joyce. Subscribe for more country music news, music business talk, and artist discovery, then share this with a friend and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show. Episode Links Bob Bullock: https://jayfranze.com/episode28/ MacKenzie Leigh: https://jayfranze.com/episode153/ Mary Kutter: https://jayfranze.com/episode197/ Lee Newton: https://jayfranze.com/episode198/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show Links Jay Franze: https://jayfranze.com/ JFS Countdowns/Playlists: https://jayfranze.com/playlists/ Contact Contact: https://jayfranze.com/contact/ Socials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayfranze YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jayfranze Everywhere: @jayfranze Services Services: https://jayfranze.com/services/ Books Books: https://jayfranze.com/books/ Merchandise Merchandise: https://jayfranze.com/merchandise/ Support Support: https://jayfranze.com/support/ Sponsor the Show: https://jayfranze.com/sponsor/ Shout Outs High Mountain Breezes Music: https://highmountainbreezesmusic.com/ VR Knives: https://www.facebook.com/VRKnives