December 31, 2007 - Dolly Parton will launch a tour in late February promoting her new self-released disc.
Parton's "Backwood Barbie World Tour 2008/2009" also will hit England later this year.
"Backwoods Barbie" will be available digitally and at retail on Feb. 5. This is Parton's first album of mainstream country... »»»December 31, 2007 - Keith Urban and wife, actress Nicole Kidman, may be expecting their first child. At least that is the report from the Daily Mail.
But the couple have not confirmed the reports, and a spokesperson for Kidman in Australia shot down the rumor.
The newspaper claimed that Urban and Kidman told their... »»»December 30, 2007 - Jessica Simpson is going to release a country - yes that's right - country - album in 2008.
Billboard magazine's web site reported that the pop singer will put out the disc on Sony Nashville.
Simpson told Billboard she would participate in writing songs for the project. "Writing is a release for me," she said.... »»»December 27, 2007 - Taylor Swift and The Eagles continued topping the Billboard country song and album charts for the week ending Jan. 5, 2008 with "Our Song" and "Long Road Out of Eden" respectively.
On the song chart, Sugarland was up three to second with "Stay." Montgomery Gentry was up a spot to third with "What Do YA... »»»December 24, 2007 - The family of Toby Keith won a $2.8-million dollar award against a Tulsa, Okla. Company for the wrongful death and negligence of T.K. Covel, Keith's father, in a March 2001 car accident.
Elias Rodriguez and Pedro Rodriguez - doing business as, Rodriguez
Transportes of Tulsa and the Republic Western... »»»December 22, 2007 - Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines appeared at a rally Wednesday for the West Memphis 3 - three men found guilty in the 1993 murder of 3 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Ark.
About 150 were at the rally on behalf of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and
Jason Baldwin.
"In America you have to be... »»»December 21, 2007 - Kenny Chesney will get a little help from a friend when he gets the road next summer on his annual stadium tour - Keith Urban.
Chesney announced Friday that Urban would join him for the July 26 date in Foxboro, Mass., followed probably by about eight other stadium shows on the 2008 Poets & Pirates Tour.... »»»December 21, 2007 - Blake Shelton and his Team Shelton choir came in third on NBC's Clash of the Choirs this week, with Nick Lachey and his choir taking the title.
The show took five artists and had them organize a choir from their hometown. Patti LaBelle was second with her singers from Philadelphia.... »»»December 21, 2007 - Shooter Jennings will kick off the new year with a series of network television appearances in support of his third studio album, "The Wolf," including a two-song performance on CBS's ratings CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on Jan 10 at 9 p.m. Eastern.
"It's awesome for my music to be recognized and... »»»December 21, 2007 - Joe Nichols will help the Tonight Show With Jay Leno ring in the new year when he performs his brand new single, "It AIn't No Crime," Jan. 3, 2008.
This is the second single from his well-received CD "Real Things." The Tonight Show goes back into live production the night before Nichols's performance... »»»December 20, 2007 - Whitney Duncan, a contestant on Nashville Star 5, signed a record deal with Warner.
Duncan, who grew up in Scotts Hill, Tenn., lost out to eventual winner Angela Hacker. Duncan has a bluesy edge to her country music.
Music from Duncan is slated to be released in... »»»December 20, 2007 - Joanna Cotten's record deal with Warner Brothers never led to an album and now she is no longer with the label.
The label released "The Prize" as a single, but it did not make any impact at radio. With plans to release a full length unclear, Warner released a digital only EP in late September.... »»»December 20, 2007 - The Eagles's "Long Road Out of Eden" continued to top the Billboard country album chart for the week ending Dec. 29, while the number 1 single was Taylor Swift's "Our Song."
Josh Turner stayed second on the song chart with "Firecracker," while George Strait was up one to third with "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls.... »»»December 20, 2007 - Charlie Daniels will be inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 19, 2008 at the Ryman Auditorium, where the Opry is being held through March 1, 2008.
Daniels was surprised with the invitation from Opry member Martina McBride during his annual Christmas For Kids benefit show in November.... »»»December 19, 2007 - Alan Jackson's touring schedule is likely to pick up big time next summer, according to his manager.
Jackson has a few dates on his schedule including a Jan. 12, 2008 concert in Nashville, a NASCAR/country music affair with Jason Michael Carroll and The Wrights playing with Jackson.... »»»December 19, 2007 - The Eagles will continue having the best selling country CD and third biggest selling CD of any genre in the U.S. when the Billboard charts are released Thursday. "Long Road Out of Eden" sold 241,000 units last week, an increase of 18 percent.
Taylor Swift's self-titled debut moved up 1 spot to eighth... »»»December 19, 2007 - Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson are among a dozen singers who contribute to a live gospel set recorded at the Grand Old Opry. "How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites Live From The Grand Ole Opry" will be out Feb. 5 on Sony BMG.
The track listing is:
"I'll Fly... »»»December 19, 2007 - Joe Ely's forthcoming "Live Cactus" has been delayed. The disc was slated for a January 2008 release, but was pushed back until March 11.
The changed allows Ely's independent label, Rack 'Em Records, to meet growing consumer demand, according to Stephen McCord, VP of Sales and Marketing for CBuJ Entertainment.... »»»December 19, 2007 - Aces were a bit too wild for Luke Bryan in Las Vegas. But that suited Charley Pride just fine.
Bryan was in Las Vegas last week for a variety of events including playing a charity show with Phil Vassar, Rodney Atkins and Lonestar. He also got to see his very first rodeo when he played a show at the... »»»December 19, 2007 - In 2006, Rodney Atkins had the most played song of the year with "If You're Going Through Hell," and this year he does it again with "Watching You," according to Billboard and Country Aircheck.
"It's an amazing feeling when I think of all the incredible songs and artists who have been on the radio to... »»»December 18, 2007 - George Strait's "50 Number Ones" was certified for selling 7 million units by the RIAA. Released in 2004, it trails only his 8-million selling, 1995 multi-disc set, "Strait Out of the Box."
In his 26-year career, Strait has sold more than 65 million albums, which have produced an unprecedented 55... »»»December 18, 2007 - Jeff Bates, who had a top 20 hit in 2003 with "The Love Song," signed with the Black River Music Group, he announced Tuesday. Working with producer and Black River's label chief, Jimmy Nichols, Bates expects to have a new album out in early March 2008.
Co-producers for the project are Kenny Beard and... »»»December 18, 2007 - The Grascals, IBMA's reigning Entertainers of the Year, are taking advantage of some time off the road to begin recording new songs for their next Rounder release, coming in 2008.
"We're having a great time in the studio; it's been very relaxed," said Grascals lead vocalist and guitarist Jamie Johnson.... »»»December 18, 2007 - Big & Rich embark on their first Canadian tour for 10 dates, beginning in early January 2008 in support of their current album, "Between Raising Hell And Amazing Grace." Set to co-headline for the duo are Sony BMG's Terri Clark and Montage Music's Emerson Drive.
"Between Raising Hell And Amazing Grace"... »»»December 17, 2007 - Tim McGraw and Dwight Yoakam will team up in a romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in "Four Christmases."
Jon Favreau and McGraw will play Dallas and Denver respectively, two bullying siblings who enjoy taking advantage of their brother, Brad (Vaughn), during the holidays.... »»»December 17, 2007 - Chuck Wicks has the fastest rising single from a debut artist in 2007 with his Top 15 single "Stealing Cinderella," which continues up the charts. The song, which he co-wrote with Rivers Rutherford and George Teren, tells the story of a young man who is asking for his girlfriend's hand in marriage.... »»»December 17, 2007 - Look for new CDs from Ricky Skaggs and Kenny Rogers through Cracker Barrel in 2008, according to a publicist for the food chain. Exact details were not available, but a spokesperson said an album from each was due in 2008.
Both artists have put out music on their own labels.
Cracker Barrel has forged... »»»December 17, 2007 - Bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent will make their Grand Ole Opry debut on Dec. 29 at the Ryman Auditorium. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent have performed on the Opry several times before - Jamie as lead vocalist for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and Darrin as a member of Ricky Skaggs's Kentucky Thunder band -... »»»December 17, 2007 - Blake Shelton represents country music on NBC's Clash of the Choirs beginning tonight at 8 p.m. eastern.
In the reality show, five celebrities assemble an amateur choir in their hometowns to compete live in studio for the title of America's best choir.
Shelton goes up against Michael Bolton, Patti... »»»December 17, 2007 - Lonestar will join Aaron Neville and gospel/pop group Take 6 for a special program, taped at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, as a musical love letter to our men and women in the military through Great American Country television and the Armed Forces Network. The special will be hosted by Lorianne... »»»December 16, 2007 - Chris Cagle was arrested and charged with assault early Thursday morning in Tucson, Ariz., following an altercation with the boyfriend of a fan.
A report at the Arizona Daily Star website said Cagle, who was released, was accused of punching a man after his girlfriend was upset because Cagle did not... »»»December 14, 2007 - Alan Jackson is putting the finishing touches on "Good Time," his new Arista Nashville album, due March 4, 2008. The Jackson-penned "Small Town Southern Man" is the first single, and after 5 weeks on the charts, it's in the top 25.
After releasing two chart-topping albums in 2006 (the multi-award... »»»December 13, 2007 - Kenny Chesney had the top country tour of 2007, grossing more than $71 million and drawing in excess of 1.1 million fans, according to Billboard. The Flip Flop Summer Tour marks sixth year in a row of playing to over a million fans.
In addition to playing six NFL Stadiums in Foxboro, Mass.... »»»December 13, 2007 - The world premiere of the new Garth Brooks video with Huey Lewis, covering Lewis' classic song, "Workin' For A Livin,'" will be on Monday, Dec. 17 at 9:30 p.m. eastern on Great American Country,
The video places Brooks and Lewis in the center of the racing action at Atlanta Motor Speedway, performing... »»»December 13, 2007 - The Toby Keith touring machine continues.
Keith announced Friday he would be hitting the road this coming summer with Montgomery Gentry as an opening act along with others from his own ShowDog Nashville label.
No dates were announced for the tour for Keith, who seems to be always on the road, except... »»»December 13, 2007 - Julianne Hough, winner the past two seasons of "Dancing with the Stars" with celebrity partners speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and race car driver Helio Castroneves, signed a record deal with Mercury Nashville.
Look for a single in early 2008 from Hough, a Utah native. The disc will be produced by David Malloy.... »»»December 13, 2007 - Sara Evans joins celebrities including Jerry Seinfeld, Wayne Newton, Emmet Smith and Olivia Newtown-John, to spread the holiday cheer on the ABC special "Holiday of Stars," this Sunday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. eastern.
During this hour-long event, audiences will get a glimpse into how entertainment and... »»»December 13, 2007 - Carrie Underwood went double platinum with her second release, "Carnival Ride." That signifies sales of 2 million units.
Sales of the disc, which came out in October, were helped by the number one single "So Small," her fifth consecutive number one single.
Carrie Underwood will be the first female... »»»December 13, 2007 - The Drive-By Truckers' eighth record, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," drops Jan. 22, 2008 on New West with 19 new songs, many of which were previewed during the band's The Dirt Underneath tour last spring.
DBT will kick off the first leg of a new 29-city tour in support of the album on Feb. 11th in Anaheim, Cal.... »»»December 13, 2007 - Taylor Swift climbed to the top of the Billboard country song chart for the week ending Dec. 22 with her first number 1 single, "Our Song," while The Eagles stayed atop the album chart with "Long Road to Eden."
Swift took over the top from Carrie Underwood's "So Small," which dropped all the way to 10th.... »»»December 13, 2007 - Kentucky natives and Mercury duo Halfway to Hazard members David
Tolliver and Chad Warrix performed at the inauguration Tuesday of incoming Gov. Ron Beshear.
Halfway to Hazard released its debut disc in August on Mercury/StyleSonic. The latter label was started by Tim McGraw and his producer Byron Gallimore.... »»»December 12, 2007 - There doesn't seem to be much of a connection between Willie Nelson and Kenny Chesney, but the younger country superstar teamed up with his producer to turn the knobs on Nelson's new disc, which drops in late January.
"Moment of Forever" will be out Jan. 29, 2008 on Lost Highway.... »»»December 12, 2007 - The Eagles's "Long Road Out of Eden" had a 35-percent sales drop, but with 204,000 units sold, the comeback disc was the third best selling overall release in the U.S. and the best selling country album.
Carrie Underwood was up 2 spots to seventh with "Carnival Ride," thanks to a 20-percent sales increase.... »»»
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December 12, 2007 - Five finalists made it to the Country Showdown in January and the chance to win $100,000.
Finalists are Nash Street, Eldon Johnson, Carrie Joy, Trevor Panczak and Christy Suggett. The 26th Annual National Final will take place at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Thursday, Jan.... »»»December 12, 2007 - Jason Aldean will kick off his solo Relentless Tour in mid-January, playing 20 cities in the U.S. and Canada through early March.
The first show of 2008 is Jan. 18 in Columbia, Mo.
"I have learned a lot from being on the road with Rascal Flatts this year about the kind of arena tour I want to have one... »»»December 11, 2007 - Jennifer Hanson is offering a free download of her Christmas single "Santa's Toy Ride." The song, which is the holiday version of her Universal Records South single, "Joyride," will be made available through an ecard being sent tonight to Hanson's fans. In keeping with the theme of sharing, recipients... »»»December 11, 2007 - American Idol season 6 finalist Phil Stacey went into the studio with producer Wayne Kirkpatrick (Little Big Town) to record music for his debut for Lyric Street Records.
At last season's American Idol, Stacey received national attention. He sang country hits "Where The Blacktop Ends," "The Change" and "I Need You.... »»»December 11, 2007 - Travis Tritt sued embattled Category 5 Records Tuesday for $10 million in federal court, alleging that the company misrepresented itself and has failed to pay royalties to him.
Tritt issued his last album, "The Storm" on Category 5 in August.
Label head Ray Termini also owns Haven Healthcare, a... »»»December 11, 2007 - The International Bluegrass Museum's broadcasting part will add three new streamed shows about the history of bluegrass, the current scene and classic bluegrass this month.
Radio Bluegrass International, as the broadcasting wing is known, operates from the 22,000-square-foot museum in Owensboro, Ky.... »»»December 11, 2007 - Brad Paisley was in Austin Sunday, taping a performance for Austin City Limits, to air Jan.19, 2008.
Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist) was hanging out with Paisley for the day, and after the taping, they headed to The Continental Club where Redd Volkaert (Merle Haggard guitarist) was playing.... »»»December 11, 2007 - Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Sugarland, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Miranda Lambert, Kelly Pickler and Jason Michael Carroll are among the first artists announced to perform in the Country Thunder series of concerts in 2008.
McGraw and company will perform in either Arizona, April 17-20; Texas, May... »»»December 10, 2007 - Sarah Johns will open up George Strait's 2008 tour.
"Believe it or not, I just had my tonsils taken out, so I couldn't scream or even talk. All I could do was cry and text everybody I knew," said the Kentucky native whose debut album, "Big Love In A Small Town," was released earlier this year.... »»»December 10, 2007 - Craig Morgan fans are tricking their tractors in a contest on the singer's web site.
Morgan's latest single, "International Harvester," led to "Trick My Tractor," which runs through Jan. 4, 2008 on www.craigmorgan.com.
Sung from the perspective of the guy driving the tractor that is holding up... »»»December 10, 2007 - Sara Evans will head to New York City this week to co-host ABC's The View. Evans is one of many recent celebrity co-hosts including Kate Walsh and Gloria Estefan to fill-in while Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The View's regular co-host, is on maternity leave. Evans will be guest co-host on Dec. 12 and 14.... »»»December 10, 2007 - Miranda Lambert bran dis branching out well beyond music because Lambert partneered with an East Texas label to produce wine.
Miranda Lambert's parents, Rick and Beverly Lambert, introduced the Red 55 Winery. The label is named after Lambert's first pickup, a candy apple red 1955 Chevy.... »»»December 10, 2007 - Rascal Flatts were honored with the Harmony Award at the Nashville Symphony Ball on Saturday night for their dedication, interest and support of Nashville's music culture, according to their publicist.
After accepting their award, Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney performed "My Wish" and... »»»December 10, 2007 - Taylor Swift made history today when her third single, "Our Song," claimed the top spot on Billboard's Country Singles Chart. Swift, 17, is now the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a number-one country single entirely on her own. Swift is also the first female artist in country music... »»»December 8, 2007 - Eric Church will head into the recording studio this week for his sophomore disc.
Church announced at a concert in Boston Sunday tht he would fly out Monday to Baltimore to start recording new music. He did not say when the disc would be out.
Church's 2006 debut, "Sinners Like Me," spawned hits with... »»»December 7, 2007 - "Can You Duet?," a singing competition for all types of country music duos brought to you by the producers of American Idol, is looking for the next Johnny and June or George and Tammy.
The show is in the process of searching for duos to be a part of the show.An open call audition will be held in Nashville Jan.... »»»December 6, 2007 - The Eagles took over the top spot on the Billboard country album chart for the week ending Dec. 15 with "Long Road Out of Eden," switching spots with Garth Brooks's "The Ultimate Hits."
On the song chart, Carrie Underwood didn't move from the number one perch with "So Small."
Garth Brooks and Kenny... »»»December 6, 2007 - Taylor Swift got an early birthday present today when she received her first-ever Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
Swift, who turns 18 one week from today, was on stage at the Grammys press conference in Los Angeles when the Foo Fighters's Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins called her name.... »»»December 6, 2007 - If the announcement that Grammy nominees like Tim McGraw, Vince Gill and other were surprised Thursday, their responses.
"I'm overwhelmed," said McGraw who was reading at his daughter's school when he got the news. "The Grammys stand for credibility so to be recognized for your work by the members is... »»»December 6, 2007 - Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley had four Grammy nominations, while Brad Paisley had three in nominations announced Thursday. The two will go against each other for best country song, album and male vocal performance.
Several country performers received nominations in the overall categories.... »»»December 6, 2007 - Rascal Flatts guitarist and vocalist Joe Don Rooney and his wife Tiffany Fallon announced Thursday they are expecting a child in May 2008.
"We are so excited to be adding a new life to our home," said Rooney.
"We cannot wait to become parents and cannot believe this time next year, we will be... »»»December 5, 2007 - Capitol Records Nashville teamed up with Giantslayer Records and The Song Trust (songwriters Tim Johnson and Rory Feek of Giantslayer) to promote a special song they wrote and produced "Bring Him Home Santa." The song was serviced to country radio this week.
"Bring Him Home Santa" will be promoted by... »»»December 5, 2007 - Brooks & Dunn's "Cowboy Town" was named as the official song of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) for the next two years.
The Wrangler NFR runs from Dec. 6-15 and features the top 15 contestants in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel... »»»December 5, 2007 - Look for new music from Raul Malo 2008. And instead of another album of covers, Malo said Wednesday he intends to put out his own songs.
Malo said after a concert in Boston during his Christmas tour that the songs he has written over the past two years were more rock oriented, picking up "where the Mavericks left off.... »»»December 5, 2007 - The Eagles's "Long Road Out of Eden" jumped 70 percent in sales on the Billboard charts to 313,000, making it the second best selling disc in the U.S. and the best selling country album, Billboard said Wednesday.
The band was on "60 Minutes," providing a big boost to sales.
Garth Brooks had the fifth... »»»December 5, 2007 - Sara Evans will help the White House kick off the holiday season by performing at the 84th Annual Lighting of the National Christmas tree Thursday, Dec. 6. President George W. Bush will be on hand to continue the tradition begun in 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge who lit the first tree in President's Park.... »»»December 5, 2007 - Laura Bryna, who releases her debut in January 2008, will go the Las Vegas route to promote the disc this month.
Bryna will release "Trying To Be Me" on Jan. 22, 2008. During the Vegas promotion, Bryna's video for her new single,"Make A Wish," will air continuously across 35 flat screen monitors in... »»»December 4, 2007 - The Wreckers go the live route and Trace Adkins the greatest hits route in CDs out this week.
The Wreckers go "Way Back Home: Live From New York City" (Warner) on their second release. Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp had a successful run - and a surprising one at that since Branch came out of the pop... »»»December 4, 2007 - Josh Turner will once again host the America's Grand Ole Opry Weekend Year-End Special. The four-hour special will share some of the year's biggest hits and most memorable country music moments.
Listeners will hear "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood, "Online" by Brad Paisley, "Teardrops On My Guitar" by... »»»December 4, 2007 - Carrie Rodriguez started recording her second solo album this week with producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Kaki King). The album, as yet untitled - will be her Manhattan/EMI Records debut.
The disc is may be released in late May/early June in North America (US and Canada) and in September in the United Kingdom.... »»»December 3, 2007 - Lori McKenna was honored by her hometown at the 20th Annual Boston Music Awards on Saturday night with the Album Of The Year award for "Unglamorous."
McKenna also performed her album track, "Witness To Your Life" during the ceremony. McKenna was nominated for four Boston Music Awards this year: Act Of... »»»December 3, 2007 - Bucky Covington and Trent Tomlinson are getting into the holiday spirit with recordings of some of their favorite Christmas songs. Covington's recording of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and Tomlinson's version of the Alabama song "Christmas In Dixie" will be available on Tuesday, Dec.... »»»December 3, 2007 - Garth Brooks, the number 1 selling solo artist in U.S. history, rewrote the record books by selling out 5 Los Angeles concerts totaling about 85,000 tickets in less than one hour Saturday - the first time any performer sold out that many shows in the Los Angeles arena in 1 day. The five shows over two... »»»December 3, 2007 - Dierks Bentley will release a fourth single "Trying To Stop Your Leaving" off "Long Trip Alone" on Jan. 28, 2008. Written by Bentley, Jim Beavers and Brett Beavers, Bentley said, "There is a real sense of urgency and emotion in the story of this song. I actually took some time off the road to make sure... »»»December 3, 2007 - More than one year after the release of her debut, Taylor Swift enjoyed her best sales week ever.
The self-titled CD sold 88,342 units this past week, 36-percent increase from last week, and Swift's biggest sales week since the release of her self-titled debut CD in October 2006.... »»»December 3, 2007 - The Academy of Country Music announced today the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music awards ceremony will be broadcast live from Las Vegas Sunday, May 18 8 p.m. live eastern/delayed pacific on CBS.
This is the first year the ACMs will occur on a Sunday, the third year the show will be based at MGM... »»»December 2, 2007 - Kellie Pickler is packing her bags for the Persian Gulf to perform for service members as part of a USO/MNC-I entertainment tour. This is Pickler's first USO tour. The singer will perform songs from her current album and visit with armed forces personnel.
"I am so grateful to the USO for this... »»»December 1, 2007 - Fifteen minutes after tickets went on sale for Kenny Chesney's stadium date in Massachusetts next summer, they were gone.
"You know it's just surreal, but what a way to start out our year and our tour," said Chesney of the July 26 sell out of the Poets & Pirates tour at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.... »»»December 1, 2007 - Garth Brooks will donate objects from his musical career to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Tuesday.
Brooks will present the museum with his first gold record and cassette he received for the 1989 album "Garth Brooks"; handwritten lyric sheets for the song, "Beaches of Cheyenne"... »»»
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