MERLE HAGGARD

Californians turned "Okie" into an insult. My family had similar insults thrown at them — “Mexican” and “paisa."

This week’s new entertainment releases include a much-anticipated album from Adele, a documentary about Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show and Will Smith playing father and tennis guru to Venus and Serena Williams.

Drummer Kenny Malone, an in-demand session player who played on hits by Dolly Parton, Dobie Gray and more, has died.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited for another album more than a dozen years after their collaboration “Raising Sand” became a critical and commercial hit, earning six Grammy Awards.

Country stars Keith Urban, Toby Keith and Carly Pearce will perform at the Academy of Country Music Honors this month, to honor Loretta Lynn, Dan + Shay and Luke Combs among others.

And he did it by winning over millions of country music fans. Until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label. “Then it was ‘first Negro country singer;’ then ‘first Black country singer.’ Now I’m the `first African-American country singer.′ That’s about the only thing that’s changed. Throughout his career, he sang positive songs instead of sad ones often associated with country music. Even a country singer,” said country singer Rissi Palmer on Twitter.