Chris Willman has been a senior writer in Entertainment Weekly's Los Angeles bureau for the last decade, contributing cover stories on the Dixie Chicks, Coldplay, U2, Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson, Outkast, Avril Lavigne and many others. Prior to that he wrote about music and movies for the Los Angeles Times and Musician, as well as penning liner notes for artists like Steely Dan and Randy Newman. His commentary on the music scene has been seen on CNN, VH1 and CMT. He is the author of Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics Of Country Music.