Reviews Archives - Bonfire Country

Country music podcasts have gotten good in the last few years. Really good. The best ones go deeper than any radio interview or magazine profile, giving you real conversations with artists and detailed histories of the genre. Here are the ones worth your time. Cocaine & Rhinestones This is the gold standard for country music history podcasts. Tyler Mahan Coe (son of David Allan Coe) does exhaustive research into the stories behind classic country, and the result is something closer to an audiobook than a typical podcast. His multi-part episodes on George Jones, Bobbie Gentry, and the history of Muscle Shoals are hours long and worth every minute. The writing is sharp, the storytelling is meticulous, and Coe doesn't sanitize anything. He covers the uglier parts of country history alongside the triumphs. New episodes come out slowly because the research is so thorough, but the back catalog alone will keep you busy for weeks. Broken Record Broken Record isn't exclusively a country podcast, but its country episodes are among its best. Hosted by Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, and Bruce Headlam, the show features long-form conversations with musicians about their creative process. The Dolly Parton episode is a standout, as is the conversation with Sturgill Simpson. Rubin's background as a producer means the questions focus on how the music actually gets made, which gives these interviews a different feel than the typical "tell us about the new album" format. The Bobby Bones Show Bobby Bones has been a fixture in country radio for years, and his podcast/radio show is the most mainstream option on this list. The tone is lighter and more entertainment-focused than the other picks here, with celebrity interviews, games, and personal stories mixed in with country music content. If you want to keep up with what's happening in mainstream Nashville without reading industry news sites, Bones covers it. The show runs daily, so there's always new content. Storme Warren's The Music Row Show Storme Warren is a SiriusXM host who has spent decades in Nashville's music industry, and his podcast reflects that access. He gets candid conversations out of artists, songwriters, and executives that you won't hear elsewhere because the guests trust him enough to talk honestly. The show is particularly good at covering the business side of country music, including how songs get to radio, how tours get booked, and how the streaming era has changed career trajectories for new artists. Countrified Podcast Countrified takes one classic country song per episode and digs into everything about it: who wrote it, when it was recorded, what was happening in the writer's life at the time, and how the song was received. The research is solid, and the format works because it keeps each episode focused. Good starting episodes include the ones covering "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "Jolene." If you've ever wondered about the real story behind a country standard, this podcast probably has an episode on it. Women Want to Hear Women This podcast addresses country radio's well-documented gender gap head-on. The show highlights female country artists who aren't getting the airplay they deserve, with interviews and commentary on the structural barriers women face in the Nashville system. It's advocacy journalism in podcast form, and it's been effective at directing attention toward artists who might otherwise get overlooked. If you care about the future of the genre being more than just men in ball caps, this is required listening. Why Podcasts Matter for Country Fans Country radio plays a narrow slice of the genre. Podcasts fill the gap by going deeper into history, introducing you to artists outside the mainstream rotation, and treating the music with the seriousness it deserves. Most of these are free and available on any podcast app. Subscribe to a couple and give them a shot during your commute. You'll learn things about your favorite songs and artists that you never knew.