Texas Music News — September 30, 2026
Kacey Musgraves honored Dolly Parton at the VMAs with a hushed, piano-backed “I Will Always Love You.” The Golden, Texas, native took the stage Sunday night for her first VMA performance in five years. Parton died August 25 at age 80, so the moment carried real weight. Musgraves never tried to outshine it.
The tribute opened with archival footage of Parton speaking straight to the camera. Her recorded voice wished viewers joy and happiness, “but above all I wish you love.” Then Musgraves harmonized with that voice until the video faded. Suddenly she stood alone with a piano. She wore a sparkling red bodysuit and teased hair, a nod to Parton’s own glamour. It felt like watching one performer hand a lit candle to the next.
A Small-Town Texan Sings Goodbye
Musgraves grew up in Wood County, and her childhood home in Golden is where she learned mandolin. She graduated from Mineola High School, then moved to Austin at 18. Since then, her Grammy-winning career has traveled far past those piney woods. Her 2018 album, Golden Hour, won all four of its Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year.
She also arrived at the ceremony with a Best Country nomination for “Dry Spell.” However, Sunday belonged to Parton. Dolly spent a lifetime making small-town Tennessee sound like the center of the universe. That night, a girl from small-town Texas sang it back.
Details at Consequence
More Texas Music News
Texas band Treaty Oak Revival told fans to stop throwing things, but critics say the message came late. Frontman Sam Canty recorded a video statement on Sept. 24. A chair had injured a fan at a Virginia amphitheater on Sept. 18, and she went to the hospital with a concussion. Saving Country Music argues the band brushed off earlier safety warnings. Details at Saving Country Music
Dallas punk fixture Hunter Moehring said goodbye to the city with a sold-out farewell show. The Sealion frontman and poster illustrator packed Jaquval in Bishop Arts before he moves to Seattle. Fans call Sealion the defining Dallas band of the 2010s. Moehring compares that era to the Seattle grunge scene, so his destination fits. Details at KXT 91.7
Lindale, Texas, native Miranda Lambert releases her new album, Crisco, this Friday, Oct. 2. The MCA record opens with “Snakeskin Boots,” a duet with Ella Langley. The two women already share a history because Lambert helped Langley climb toward her record-setting “Choosin’ Texas.” Details at 99.5 QYK