April 30, 2007 - Brad Paisley opened his Hershey's Presents Bonfires and Amplifiers Tour on the road this past weekend and played to more than 29,000 fans in Chattanooga on Thursday, April 26 with Statesboro, Ga. and Columbus, Ga. following. Paisley closed the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Sunday evening - the only country... »»»April 30, 2007 - Rascal Flatts' "Stand" landed at number one on the country singles charts, Lyric Street Records announced Monday, becoming the trio's eighth number one hit. The song also is the third single from the band's quadruple platinum selling album "Me And My Gang."
Rascal Flatts will perform "Stand" on May 15... »»»April 30, 2007 - Sarah Buxton will perform her latest single "That Kind Of Day" on the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, June 1. This will mark her first visit to the Grand Ole Opry House stage following her Opry debut at Ryman Auditorium late last year.
Buxton is on the Lyric Street... »»»April 30, 2007 - Ralph Stanley will sing for Queen Elizabeth II Thursday when she visits Richmond, Va. to address the state's General Assembly. The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be in Virginia May 3 and 4 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.... »»»April 30, 2007 - A new bass player will join Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver - Ron Spears, who has been in Special Consensus.
Spears, who also will handle lead and harmony vocals, "is a longtime student and fan of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and he understands the style - when we got together, the vocal blend with the trio... »»»April 29, 2007 - Attendance at Merlefest 2007, which concluded Sunday was down almost 5 percent in preliminary estimates, although ticket sales were up Friday and Saturday. Attendance for Saturday was the second largest single day attendance in the history of the event at Wilkes Community College, Wlkesboro, N.C.... »»»April 27, 2007 - Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Craig Morgan and Rodney Atkins are stepping up to the plate for the 17th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge in June in a charity event.
Arch rival teams Grand Ole Opry Live and Blair Garner's After MidNite return for an afternoon of pranks, fun and softball... »»»April 27, 2007 - The first single from Joe Nichols' forthcoming CD, set for release late summer/early fall, was shipped to radio last week. "Another Side of You" was written by Carson Chamberlain and Jamey Johnson and produced by Mark Wright and Brent Rowan.
"Joe is one of the only remaining truly traditional sounding... »»»April 27, 2007 - Marty Stuart will host his annual Late Night Jam to benefit MusiCares during CMA Music Fest on June 6 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives (Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, Brian Glenn) will perform and host the unstructured marathon of live music with guest... »»»April 26, 2007 - The game plan by Big Machine Records was to release albums by Dusty Drake in June and Jimmy Wayne in July, but due to less than hoped for radio play of their respective singles, the release dates were put on hold.
Drake, a Pennsylvania native, who had an album out on Warner about four years ago, was... »»»April 26, 2007 - For the third straight week, Carrie Underwood is atop the Billboard country song chart with "Wasted" for the week ending May 5. On the album chart, Bucky Covington entered at the top with the former American Idol contestant's debut disc. Former number one Tim McGraw's "Let It Go" slipped to third.... »»»April 26, 2007 - Faith Hill was slated to have a greatest hits package out in June, but no longer. An official at Warner Brothers, Hill's label, said there was no firm release date at this point and was on a to be determined basis. Summer tends to be a slower time for CD sales, while the fall is typically when the... »»»April 26, 2007 - Keith Urban released a new single, "I Told You So," from his "Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing" album, and the song is charting two weeks early, according to his publicist.
"'I Told You So'" started out with just a banjo and a drum machine - how traditional is that?" said Urban.... »»»April 26, 2007 - Carrie Underwood's "Idol Gives Back" music video package, which was filmed during her trip to Africa earlier this month and aired on last night's American Idol, is now available via download at iTunes. All proceeds from downloads for this acoustic audio version of The Pretenders' song "I'll Stand By... »»»April 25, 2007 - Joe Nichols will perform the National Anthem and give a free concert at this weekend's Aaron's 499 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. The April 29th concert is part of the Garnier Fructis "Rock Your Style" concert series.
"I'm on the road so much I very... »»»April 25, 2007 - The second solo album by Ron Block of Union Station, Alison Krauss' backing band, "DoorWay," will be out June 19 on Rounder. Block, a guitarist/banjoist/vocalist/songwriter released his first solo album, 2001's "Faraway Land" (Rounder). The new disc features Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Jerry Douglas, Barry... »»»April 25, 2007 - Bucky Covington's self-titled debut CD opens at number 1 on Nielsen Soundscan's Country Top 75 chart with 61,000 units sold. Covington's debut CD also enters the all genre top 200 chart in fourth and is the only new country act to open inside the top five this year.
The sales figure is the best first... »»»April 25, 2007 - Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Josh Turner and Taylor Swift will perform as part of the sold out 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards May 15 in Las Vegas.
Aldean is nominated for Song of the Year and Video of the Year for "Amarillo Sky". Last year, he won the Top New Male Vocalist Award.... »»»April 24, 2007 - Willie Nelson and his tour manager avoided jail Tuesday after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession after an incident last September in Louisiana.
Nelson and his tour manager, David Anderson, plus Nelson's sister, Bobbie Nelson, and two drivers, received citations on Sept.... »»»April 24, 2007 - Carrie Underwood took a break from working on her second album in early April to take a trip to South Africa for American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" charity special. A music video package from her trip will air on the show April 25.
During her two-day tour Underwood and three members of her band visited... »»»April 24, 2007 - Raul Malo's homage to some of his favorite country songs, "After Hours," will be released July 17 by New Door Records/UMe. "I wanted to make a record like this since I first started in this business," said Malo, former lead singer of The Mavericks. "Regardless of genre, I have always felt a good song... »»»April 23, 2007 - Capitol Records Nashville will release five of Kenny Rogers' best-selling albums online Tuesday. The albums "Love Lifted Me" (1976), "Daytime Friends" (1977), "Love Is What We Make It" (1985), "Love Will Turn You Around" (1982) and "The Gambler" (1979) will be available online at all digital service providers.... »»»April 23, 2007 - Collin Raye signed a record deal with the Nashville Records label. He will also be featured on the label's upcoming Christmas album. Raye most recently released music on his own. Prior to that, hew as ont he Sony label where he had number one hits with "Love Me," "That's My Story," "One Boy, One Girl"... »»»April 23, 2007 - A duets album is in the works from Reba McEntire. The singer said the disc would be released Sept. 19, but there were no details about who she would be singing duets with.
McEntire also will go on tour starting May 25 in Tunica, Miss. and ending Aug. 25 in Kelseyville, Cal. McEntire will play four... »»»April 23, 2007 - Top New Male Vocalist nominees Rodney Atkins, Craig Morgan and Chris Young, Top New Female Vocalist nominees Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift and Top New Duo or Vocal Group nominees Heartland, Little Big Town and The Wreckers will perform live during the first-ever Academy of Country... »»»April 22, 2007 - A June release date may have been set for Brad Paisley's new CD, but he has yet to finish recording the album, an official at the SonyBMG label said late last week. It was not clear how much more recording remained for Paisley.
"5th Gear" is due to drop June 19 from Arista Nashville.... »»»April 20, 2007 - Charlie Pate, a native Nashvillian, signed a record deal with Universal. He is working with producers Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke, who have worked with Miranda Lambert.
"I play country music, but not what you think," said Pate on his myspace page. "I want to make music that people will still be... »»»April 20, 2007 - Keith Urban started his 'Love, Pain & the whole crazy World Tour' Thursday before a standing room only crowd in Munich, Germany.
"Guten tag Munich, it's good to be back," said Urban, as he took to the stage for the first time in nearly six months. The more than two hour performance featured songs from... »»»April 20, 2007 - Last time around, David Nail recorded an album for Mercury Nashville. The disc never saw the light of day except as an advance to the media about five years ago, and he was not heard from again...until now. Nail inked a deal with Univeral Music.
Nail describes himself a country soul singer on his... »»»April 19, 2007 - Carrie Underwood stayed atop the Billboard country song chart for the week ending April 28 with "Wasted." On the album chart, Tim McGraw was first for the third straight week with "Let It Go" and remained the second best selling disc in the U.S. for the second straight week.
Rascal Flatts was up two to... »»»April 19, 2007 - The Academy of Country Music said today that country music leaders Harlan Howard, Waylon Jennings, Jack Lameier, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton and Don Williams will be honored at a special ceremony on Wednesday, June 20 in Nashville.
Howard, Jennings, Parton and Williams will be honored with the Cliffie... »»»April 19, 2007 - Dierks Bentley helped The Today Show's Al Roker surprise music students with donated instruments this morning at Nashville's W.O. Smith school before performing his next single with a choir of 20 high school students, who have been studying Bentley as part of their country music curriculum.... »»»April 19, 2007 - Trace Adkins went to radio with a new single, "I Wanna Feel Something," Monday. The song is the third release from Adkins' gold certified "Dangerous Man" album and the follow-up to his hit "Ladies Love Country Boys."
"I recorded this song because I think the message is timely," explains Adkins.... »»»April 18, 2007 - Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood and new artists Rodney Atkins and Miranda Lambert were added as performers to the 42nd annual Academy of Country Music awards May 15 in Las Vegas.
The artists join previously announced performers Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, George Strait,... »»»April 18, 2007 - Ashton Shepherd, a 20-year-old Alabama native, signed a record deal with Universal Records. The singer, who has no scheduled release date for music on the label, writes all of her own songs. Several, including "I Ain't Dead Yet, " Not Right Now" and This Pain You Put On Me," are posted at her myspace page.... »»»April 18, 2007 - Trick Pony made its debut last weekend with new lead singer Aubrey Collins at the Country Thunder festival in Arizona and at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Collins replaced Heidi Newfield, who left to pursue a solo career.
Keith Burns (guitar, vocals,) and Ira Dean (Bass, vocals,) and new lead singer... »»»April 18, 2007 - Josh Turner will perform the national anthem for the 2007 Dodge Avenger 500 NEXTEL CUP night race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C., on Saturday, May 12th. Turner's anthem will be televised live on FOX prior to the race.
"We are thrilled to welcome Josh Turner to Darlington Raceway," said... »»»April 18, 2007 - Tim McGraw can't let go of the top of the country album charts. For the third straight week, "Let It Go" will be the top selling country CD. The disc sold 66,000 units last week, good enough to be the second best selling CD in the country. McGraw experienced a 63 percent decrease in sales.... »»»April 17, 2007 - An American idol finalist and two country veterans top the list of new releases out Tuesday. Bucky Covington participated in the 2006 American Idol, and following the lead of Carrie Underwood, the North Carolina native landed himself a record deal in Nashville. Covington did not win the competition as... »»»April 17, 2007 - The song "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes" by Uncle Earl's Kristin Andreassen and Megan Downes won Children's Song of the Year in the John Lennon Song Contest. The song was one of two finalists in the event.
Uncle Earl also won a prize in this same contest. The song "Easy in the Early ('Til... »»»April 17, 2007 - Texas swing act Asleep at the Wheel was added to the line-up for this year's inaugural Stagecoach, California's country music festival set for Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6 in Indio. The Grammy Award winners join a roster featuring George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Sara... »»»
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Country News Digest
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April 16, 2007 - Blake Shelton will hold his 2nd annual Raindance charity event in his hometown of Ada, Okla. April 22-24. The three-day event will include an archery tournament, team roping and a concert Shelton, Steve Holy, Neal McCoy and Craig Morgan. On-board to participate in the sporting events are Lee and Tiffany... »»»April 16, 2007 - Singer-songwriter Lori McKenna will join Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's "Soul2Soul Tour 2007" this summer as a special guest of the superstar couple.
McKena,w ho will release her second album on Warner this summer, had threesongs recorded by Hill for her disc, "Fireflies" from 2005, including "Stealing Kisses.... »»»April 16, 2007 - Vince Gill will host the Academy of Country Music Celebrity Golf Classic for a third year in a row as part of the ACM Awards show festivities. The golf classic, a fund-raising effort on behalf of the ACM Charitable Fund, will be Monday, May 14th, the day before the ceremony itself.... »»»April 16, 2007 - MerleFest 2007, the 20th annual festival celebrating the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, will once again see its performers to area schools, after school programs and care facilities during the late April fest.
The Outreach program will facilitate performances by MerleFest... »»»April 13, 2007 - Kelly Willis will release her first album in five years, "Translated From Love," in late June. Willis took off the last five years since the release of "Easy," raising her four children with husband Bruce Robison, a successful musician in his own right.
Chuck Prophet produced the disc for Willis, which... »»»April 13, 2007 - After five years, guitarist/singer Jason Isbell left the Drive-By Truckers earlier this month. The exact reasons for the departure were unclear. Isbell is launching a solo career, releasing an album this summer and currently opening shows for Son Volt.
Isbell wrote on his myspace page, "I am not in the... »»»April 13, 2007 - Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Sugarland and Reba McEntire with special guest Kelly Clarkson will perform as part of the sold out 42nd annual Academy of Country Music awards May 15 in Las Vegas.
McEntire, who is hosting the event, and Kelly Clarkson will perform their song from McEntire's... »»»April 13, 2007 - Dale Watson will launch a tour in May in support of his new studio album, "From The Cradle To The Grave," set for release April 24 on Hyena. The touring will mark the beginning of a year long promotional push that will find Watson performing throughout the U.S. plus Europe and Australia.... »»»April 12, 2007 - Carrie Underwood topped the country song chart on Billboard for April 21 with "Waste," yet another number 1 song from her debut disc. She displaced Tim McGraw's "Last Dollar (Fly Away)," which fell to second. On the album chart, McGraw stayed number 1 with "Let It Go," which fell to second on the... »»»April 12, 2007 - Big & Rich will host what is being billed as the first annual Charity Poker Tournament in Los Vegas as part of the Academy of Country Music activities on May 14. Two Foot Fred will help Big & Rich host the event, which will benef the Academy of Country Music Charitable Fund.
The tournament is an... »»»April 12, 2007 - The 20th MerleFest Kick Off Jam with help from members of Uncle Earl and Pete Wernick, will start the big music fest later this month. MerleFest veteran John Cowan will host the Kick Off Jam on April 26, which also will include Tut Taylor, Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo, and Sierra Hull.... »»»April 12, 2007 - Toby Keith will once again will host the annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic in Norman, Okla., Saturday, April 28th. The tournament will
benefit Ally's House, an organization that Keith helped establish to support Oklahoma's young cancer patients. "We throw a great party with this event every year... »»»April 12, 2007 - The man arrested for kidnapping Garth Brooks' ex-wife, Sandy, was freed from an Oklahoma jail after serving about a year following a plea bargain agreement. Quintine Harper was released from the jail after reaching a deal with the district attorney's office on reduced charges.
On Tuesday, Harper... »»»April 12, 2007 - Rascal Flatts will perform "My Wish" on American Idol in a 2-hour special on Wednesday, April 25. The band will take a break from recording their album, due out Sept. 25, to make the trip to Los Angeles for the show. Rascal Flatts previously performed on the show's fourth season's finale on May 25, 2005... »»»April 11, 2007 - George Strait and Wrangler announced they had agreed on another national promotional campaign in 2007.
Wrangler will do promotional placement at more than 90 retailers and 22 cities nationwide. The campaign includes a poster giveaway in select outlets and possible ticket giveaways to a stop on the... »»»April 11, 2007 - Carrie Underwood is atop the country airplay charts once again this week as her fourth single, "Wasted," follows the number one successes of "Jesus, Take the Wheel," "Don't Forget to Remember Me" and "Before He Cheats." According to Underwood's label, the statistic incorporates number one country... »»»April 11, 2007 - The Eagles guitar ace Joe Walsh will join Kenny Chesney's Flip Flop summer tour playing in Chesney's band. Walsh will be at the Omaha, Neb. show April 12, but not join the tour for good until it hits Las Vegas May 3.
"I don't think there's anybody in the world who doesn't know 'Life's Been Good To Me'... »»»April 11, 2007 - Tim McGraw will have the second most popular CD in the U.S. when the Billboard charts are released Thursday, and "Let It Go" will be the most popular country album. The disc sold 177,000 units, a 46-percent drop from the week before when it was number 1. NOW 24 is the best selling disc in the U.S.... »»»April 11, 2007 - Josh Gracin was selected to perform for First Lady Laura Bush at the Third Annual Helping America's Youth (HAY) Regional Conference on Thursday, April 12 in Nashville.
Helping America's Youth (HAY) is a Presidential initiative, led by Mrs. Bush, to raise awareness about the challenges facing our youth,... »»»April 11, 2007 - Luke Bryan realized one of his dreams Friday night when he made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. Bryan performed "We Rode In Trucks" and his debut single "All My Friends Say" from his upcoming Capitol Records Nashville debut album "I'll Stay Me," due out in August.
The Georgia native had about 85... »»»April 10, 2007 - Johnny Cash's lakeside home in Hendersonville, Tenn., where he wrote many songs and received many celebrities, was destroyed by a fire Tuesday. One firefighter was reported in the fire of unknown origin.
Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived at the house until their deaths in 2003.... »»»April 9, 2007 - Dierks Bentley will perform on the PBS concert series "Austin City Limits" on April 25. The show will air as part of Austin City Limits' 33rd season this Fall. "It is amazing to look at the list of singer/songwriters who have been asked to play Austin City Limits; people like Rodney Crowell, John Prine... »»»April 9, 2007 - Trace Adkins will release a new single, "I Wanna Feel Something," to country radio Monday, April 16. The song is the third release from Adkins' gold-certified "Dangerous Man" disc and is the follow-up to his number one hit, "Ladies Love Country Boys."
"I recorded this song because I think the message... »»»April 8, 2007 - Josh Turner is partnering with Cracker Barrel to sponsor his summer tour and release a live CD of a concert he will give at the Ryman April 19. The concert will be Turner's first full-length show at the Ryman and kick off the company's tour sponsorship of Turner.
"I'm excited to be taking Cracker... »»»April 6, 2007 - The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, long a mainstay for singer/songwriters in Music City, will kick off a year-long celebration commemorating its 25th anniversary in May through a nationwide "Bluebird on the Road" tour to 12 cities later this year, a private birthday bash for Bluebird family and friends and... »»»April 6, 2007 - Little Texas hopes that God will bless Little Texas again when it releases a new album,'Missing Years," June 12 on a new label, Montage. Lead guitarist Porter Howell, a long-time member of the band, will handld lead vocals as well. Others in the group are Dwayne O'Brien on guitar, Duane Propes on bass... »»»April 6, 2007 - Jack Ingram just released "This Is It" last week, which spawned a Top 20 single for him with a remake of rock group Hinder's "Lips of an Angel." Now Ingream is set to release "Measure of a Man" to radio. The album goes for ads at radio April 23. "This Is It" debuted in fourth on the Billboard country... »»»April 5, 2007 - Tim McGraw scored a double on the April 14 Billboard charts that were released today. "Let It Go" debuted as the best selling disc in the entire country, while "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" was the number one country song. The disc sold about 330,000 units, taking over the number one spot on the overall... »»»April 5, 2007 - Tim McGraw's label, StyleSonic Records, and Mercury announced a joint venture for new artist Halfway to Hazard. McGraw's long-time producer Byron Gallimore also is involved in StyleSonic.
"We are really excited to associate with Tim and Byron and their label on the Halfway to Hazard project," said Luke... »»»April 4, 2007 - Capitol Records Nashville is looking online for talent by sponsoring a country music talent search contest, "The Road to Nashville." The contest gives aspiring country singers the chance to become Nashville's next country star by auditioning online at http://bix.yahoo.com/TheRoadToNashville.... »»»April 4, 2007 - Gretchen Wilson's just concluded 10-city coast-to-coast "Back to the Bars" tour raised more than $1.5 million for charity. "My musical roots are in clubs and bars," said Wilson. "We've done all these huge arenas and stadiums over the past three years, which has been amazing, but there's nothing like... »»»April 4, 2007 - While Billy Joe Shaver claims his shooting of a bar patron Saturday night in Lorena, Texas was self defense, the man shot and wounded by Shaver told a different story.
According to an Associated Press story, a witness said Shaver followed the victim, Billy B. Coker out of Papa Joe's Texas Saloon and... »»»April 4, 2007 - Tim McGraw's new disc, "Let It Go," is the best selling album in the U.S., racking up 325,000 in sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. A total of 7 releases debuted in the top 10. This was McGraw's fourth number 1 on the overall top 200 chart and ninth on the country charts. On the country chart,... »»»April 3, 2007 - Vince Gill is expanding his tour this summer by adding fellow Grammy-winners Amy Grant and the Del McCoury Band. The 18-date circuit begins July14 in Atlanta and ends Sept. 11 at in Rio Ranco, N.M.
The new show will be an expansion of those featured on the recently concluded These Days Tour, which... »»»April 3, 2007 - Martina McBride and Alison Krauss lead the list of country singers out with discs April 2, while comedian Larry the Cable Guy also has a new release.
Martina McBride is back with 11 songs, including the first single "Anyway" on "Waking Up Laughing" (SonyBMG). McBride produced the 11-song disc and also... »»»April 2, 2007 - Charlie Daniels is releasing his book "Growing Up Country: What Makes Country Life Country" Tuesday. Daniels will appear on the nationally televised Fox News TV shows Hannity & Colmes on April 3 and Fox & Friends on April 4 and will be talking with national radio hosts Alan Colmes, Sean Hannity, Laura... »»»April 2, 2007 - Canadian country singer George Canyon won a Juno award Saturday for Country Recording of the Year for "Somebody Wrote Love." Canyon received the award at the Canadian version of the Grammys in Saskatoon, Alberta. Canyon has a U.S. recording contract with Universal South Records and was a finalist on the... »»»April 2, 2007 - Marty Robbins will be honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame with the cameo exhibition "Marty Robbins: Among My Souvenirs." The exhibition will open in the Museum's East Gallery on Aug. 3 and run through June 2008. Robbins was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 1982, only 7 weeks... »»»
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