Mickey Guyton spent a decade of fits and starts trying to make a career in country music. But now in recent months she’s having a country music moment releasing vulnerable songs that use her experiences of rejection, exclusion and racism as inspiration. Charlie speaks with Guyton about her breakout songs “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” and “Black Like Me,” as ... Show More
Aug 19
All roads lead to Pharrell: Tyler, Clipse, and Cardi
The conversation around the new music this summer has been a dour one. Some of the biggest songs in the country right now are downtempo stomp-clap anthems and wistful Cranberries pastiche. Even on this very show, Nate and Charlie have asked: where's the fun? As it turns out, the ... Show More
52m 36s
Aug 12
A brief history of terrible lyrics (with Sam Sanders)
Why do bad lyrics happen to good people? From "suckin' on a chili dog" to "making love to his tonic and gin," even the biggest hits from our favorite artists can feature lyrical turns that make us feel quizzical, offended, or even downright nauseated. With the help of Sam Sanders ... Show More
43m 5s
Apr 2019
How To Write a Hit Song: The Love Junkies
Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lidnsey—known as the Love Junkies—write some of the best songs in Nashville today. Between the three of them, they've helped launch Taylor Swift, pushed Lady Gaga into country music—with her album "Joanne"—and gave country music one of its more ... Show More
41m 30s
Apr 2020
Toby Keith vs. the Dixie Chicks: Boot Battle
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, country superstar Toby Keith released “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” Some embraced the song as the perfect rallying cry for an angry and traumatized nation. Others felt it was a crude, hateful, jingoistic anthem about ... Show More
1h 3m
Nov 2020
BIG ENCHILADA 149: Hillbilly Happy Hour
Download: Hare Krishna, we’re honky tonkin’ now! Welcome to the latest hillbilly episode of The Big Enchilada, Hillbilly Happy Hour, an hour of hillbilly music, old and new, bound to make you happy. You’ll hear bluegrass, rockabilly, hard-core honky tonk and more. This show inclu ... Show More
1 h
Oct 2021
Country Music Month 2021
Early country music performers, including: Fiddlin John Carson, Billie Maxwell, The Carter Family, Darby and Tarlton, Henry Whitter, Ernest Stoneman, The Skillet Lickers & Jimmie Rodgers. Songs include: Birmingham Jail, The Cowboy Wife, Mule Skinner Blues, Are You Washed In the B ... Show More
39m 46s