Free Republic

...The country singer appeared on MSNBC’s "Deadline" alongside Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss vaccine hesitancy and his role as a country singer to address an audience that is seemingly exhibiting hesitancy. The "Whiskey Lullaby" singer noted that he believes Americans in smaller communities will step up and get the vaccine once they understand how vital it is to protecting their friends, family and neighbors. "I feel like knowing my people, where I come from, I’m from West Virginia," he told the outlet. "A small town of 1200 people, this is the kind of community where immediately if a house is...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country star Brad Paisley broke ground on a grocery store that will offer free items to people in need. The Store is a partnership between Paisley and his alma mater Belmont University. It will be located on the school’s campus and operate like a regular grocery store, except when people scan items no money is exchanged. “(This model) takes away the sting of embarrassment for a parent who maybe feels that way because they can’t feed their kid,” Paisley said. “The kids should not know what their parent is going through. That’s not stress a child needs.”...

Anyone trying to understand why Donald Trump always has thought New Hampshire would be friendlier to him than Iowa should put aside the polls for a moment and focus on what each state's Republican voters are putting on their Spotify playlists. According to data for the week ending Feb. 1, Iowa Republicans can't stop listening to "This Is Amazing Grace" by Christian rocker Phil Wickham, which opens with the verse: "Who breaks the power of sin and darkness/Whose love is mighty and so much stronger/The King of Glory, the King above all kings." Republicans in New Hampshire, meanwhile, prefer "Idle...

Barack Obama's reaction to Tuesday's big election loss for the Democrats was mocked at the Country Music Awards by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. If their act looks somewhat familiar, they were the same duo who mocked ObamaCare last year at the same show. They also took some potshots at Taylor Swift for seeming to have abandoned country music which they worked into the routine:

Last night during the opening act of the CMA Awards in Nashville, country music hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood released their new smash hit: Obamacare by Morning, a spin off of George Strait's famous song, Amarillo by Morning. Underwood: Hey, do you have that Obamacare? Paisley: Obamacare, what' that? Underwood: Oh! It's great! It's great! I started signing up last Thursday and I'm almost done. Let's go to the website and get you signed up. Let's see, it can't be too hard right? Paisley: Why's it spinning? Underwood: Oh, it does that. Paisley: Why's it smoking? Underwood: Maybe we...

Blake Shelton captured album of the year, Miranda Lambert won female vocalist of the year and Taylor Swift was honored with the Pinnacle award for her achievements, but it was George Strait who won the night's top honor at the Country Music Awards — entertainer of the year. Strait, who is retiring from the road, nabbed his third trophy in the category but hadn't won the prestigious award since 1990. He capped a night where there was no clear favorite. Shelton, Swift, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line won two awards each.

Paisley and Underwood sang a little song mocking Obamacare. It was great.

That’s right, hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood had a special segment and even song mocking the failed health care rollout that featured the pair pretending to sign up for Obamacare and then crooning about the failure. It all started while the pair was singing a new version of “Why Can’t We Be Friends” that faked feuds between some of country music’s biggest stars (including Kenny Rogers) and Paisley stopping abruptly to complain about back pain. That’s when Underwood suggested trying to sign up for Obamacare. “I started signing up last Thursday and I’m almost done,” she said with a...

Country music star Brad Paisley is either an idiot or a genius. If he wrote the song "Accidental Racist" to stir a whirlwind of (mostly bad) publicity, he's a genius. But the negative cultural consensus strongly suggests he should have never been dumb enough to try to write a racial-harmony song. Paisley performed the song as a dialogue with rapper LL Cool J, now a star on the CBS drama "NCIS: LA." He says he wrote the song when he felt he had to defend wearing a T-shirt celebrating the country band Alabama, a shirt with the Confederate flag on...

MSNBC host Touré tore into both artists LL Cool J and Brad Paisley over the release of their lighthearted duet “Accidental Racist,” which tackled persistent racial tensions through song. Touré, an experienced music critic as well as an outspoken expert on race relations, found no redeeming value in their song. RELATED: LL Cool J Defends ‘Accidental Racist,’ Compares Confederate Flag With Pirate Flag Co-host S.E. Cupp said that she could “appreciate” the effort made by both artists in the effort to cool racial tensions though verse. “I like the effort… maybe,” Cupp said waveringly. “Okay,” Touré interjected. “No, I’m not...

Brad Paisley’s new album Wheelhouse isn’t even in stores yet (it’s set for release tomorrow), but already one of the songs is causing controversy for its lyrics that attempt to address racial tensions in the South. Called “Accidental Racist,” the song appears aimed at helping to bridge misunderstandings. The song starts out with a guy apologizing for the Confederate flag on his T-shirt to a a worker he encountered at the local Starbucks. As his protagonist sings, “when I put on that T-shirt, the only thing I meant to say, is I’m a Skynyrd fan.” “I’m proud of where I’m...

Gay country star Chely Wright struggled to recount her romance with Brad Paisley in her memoir "Like Me," because she felt so terrible about making the singer think she loved him. Wright dated Paisley in 2000 and called off the romance when the "Celebrity" hit maker started to get serious and talk about marriage. But, rather than sit down with her one-time beau and tell him the truth, Wright simply cut the heartbroken star out of her life. In her book she recalls taking a long bath with the music blaring from her sound system so she couldn't hear Paisley...