May 31, 2012 - Kip Moore and Carrie Underwood held onto their number one spots on the Billboard Country Songs and Albums charts respectively for the week ending June 9 with Somethin' 'Bout a Truck and "Blown Away" respectively.
On the album chart, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan remained second and third with... »»»May 31, 2012 - David Nail and the Nashville School of the Arts Chamber Choir spent this morning preparing for their upcoming performance at next week's CMA Music Festival.
Nail and the choir, under the direction of Walter Bitner, will come together to sing the title track of his album "The Sound of a Million Dreams"... »»»May 31, 2012 - Lady Antebellum announced today that the final leg of their Own The Night 2012 World Tour will roll into Australia this September for 3 shows.
Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. local time on Friday, June 15, with pre-sale tickets available from Tuesday June 12.
"We've been anxiously waiting to... »»»May 31, 2012 - "Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings of Waylon Jennings" is coming in September.
Recorded shortly before his death in 2002, "Goin' Down Rockin'"will be available on Sept. 11 through Saguaro Road Records.
Rosanne Cash said of the songs, "There was never an artist like Waylon Jennings.... »»»May 31, 2012 - Jason Isbell led the Americana Music Association Award nominations with four, while Gillian Welch garnered three in an announcement made in Los Angeles this afternoon.
Isbell was nominated for artist, album, song and duo/group of the year. "I'm honored to be in such great company and surprised that so... »»»May 30, 2012 - Alan Jackson visit New York for the release "Thirty Miles West" on June 5, his debut album on ACR (Alan's Country Records)/EMI Records Nashville. Jackson will perform on NBC's The Today Show and CBS's Late Show With David Letterman.
Jackson will also be featured on GAC's Noteworthy at the Opry on June 2 at 9 p.m.... »»»May 30, 2012 - Carrie Underwood has the best selling country disc with "Blown Away," having sold 45,000 units, down 17 percent. Underwood has the third best selling disc in the U.S.
Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" was up three to sixth with 33,000 units sold, down 15 percent.
Charts will be out on Thursday.... »»»May 30, 2012 - When Heather Nichols delivered a healthy baby girl on April 17, the journey with husband Joe Nichols was not easy.
The couple had suffered five miscarriages prior to the birth of daughter Dylan River Nichols, and on Friday on The View, they share their story in an effort to help other women who may... »»»May 29, 2012 - A new record label launched in Nashville, RPM Entertainment, with Margaret Rose as its first artist.
Scott Siman is president of the label. He had managed Tim McGraw for many years and Julianne Hough. Siman made his mark as co-owner of RPM Music Group with Blake Chancey and owns the rights to songs... »»»May 29, 2012 - Doc Watson, an acoustic guitar giant in bluegrass, country and folk music, died today at 89 after falling at his home last week. Watson was particularly known for his flatpicking style of guitar in which he would hold the pick between two or three fingers to strike the strings. he also was instrumental... »»»May 29, 2012 - Taylor Swift is going to the Country Music Hall of Fame, or at least a slew of items from her Speak Now Tour.
Taylor Swift: Speak Now - Treasures from the World Tour opens on June 6 and runs through Nov. 4. The exhibition will include dozens of costumes, instruments, set pieces and props from the... »»»May 29, 2012 - Mumford & Sons are staging a series of Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers in the U.S. this August.
Featuring local vendors and activities, each Stopover will begin with a concert at a unique site and end with a series of smaller events involving local businesses, venues, and local people.... »»»May 28, 2012 - George Jones, who was recently admitted to a Nashville area hospital for a continued battle with an upper respiratory infection, was released and is resting at his home, his web site reported Saturday.
"I can't thank my friends and fans enough for all their support," said Jones.... »»»May 25, 2012 - The CMA Songwriters Series heads west bringing some of Nashville's best tunesmiths to Los Angeles' House of Blues on Tuesday, June 26 and Phoenix's Musical Instrument Museum on Wednesday, June 27. Bill Anderson, Kristian Bush, and Bobby Pinson will join host Bob DiPiero for two nights of music and storytelling.... »»»May 25, 2012 - Kenny Chesney announced he's expanding his partnership with Costa with five new limited edition sunglasses. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Coastal Conservation Association (CCA).
The partnership, which debuted in 2011 on Chesney's 'Goin' Coastal' concert tour, has raised more than $50,000 for CCA to date.... »»»May 25, 2012 - Doc Watson, 89, is in critical condition after a fall at his home in Deep Gap, N.C. earlier this week.
Watson's daughter, Nancy, said in a telephone interview with the Winston-Salem Journal that Watson fell Monday. She said he didn't break any bones but that he's "real sick."
Another paper, The... »»»May 25, 2012 - Angaleena Presley, a.k.a. Holler Annie of the trio Pistol Annies, married longtime boyfriend Jordan Powell on Tuesday in a private ceremony in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Presley is one-third of the group, which also includes Miranda Lambert and Ashley Monroe. Powell is the tour manager for Lambert, a.k.a. Lonestar Annie.... »»»May 24, 2012 - Lionel Richie has enjoyed so much success with "Tuskegee" - to the point that it is the second biggest selling CD of the year with 789,000 units sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The top seller is Adele's "21" with 3.3 million.
Billboard reported that "Tuskegee" has outpaced his last three albums combined.... »»»May 24, 2012 - Kip Moore scored the first number one single of his career with Somethin' 'Bout a Truck on the Billboard Country Songs chart for the week ending June 2. The Georgia native took over the top of the chart from Jason Aldean's Fly Over States, which slipped to second. On the CD chart, Carrie Underwood led... »»»May 24, 2012 - Dolly Parton's self-penned Coat of Many Colors was added to The Library of Congress National Recording Registry, the only country song included.
Each year the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings that are "historically," "culturally" or "aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years... »»»May 24, 2012 - Tim McGraw is launching a nationwide program, HomeFront, in partnership with Chase and Operation Homefront to award mortgage-free homes to wounded warriors and service members in need at each concert of his summer tour.
Both ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music,... »»»May 23, 2012 - Dierks Bentley celebrates his 10th career char topper as an artist and songwriter today as 5-1-5-0, tops both the Billboard and Mediabase charts.
Bentley takes over for Eli Young Band's Even If It Breaks Your Heart. The chart will be officially out on Thursday.
"I have to admit, it's been a 5150... »»»May 23, 2012 - Carrie Underwood no longer has the best selling CD in the U.S., although "Blown Away" remains the top selling country disc.
Adam Lambert's "Trespassing" tops the charts, selling 77,000 units. Underwood was good for third with 54,000 units, down 55 percent.
Lionel Richie remained in the top 10 with... »»»May 23, 2012 - Rascal Flatts' "Changed" was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000, the band announced today.
The disc, released last month, contains the band's 14th number 1 single, Banjo, and the new single Come Wake Me Up.
"We are so appreciative of the many blessings our fans and country radio have given us.... »»»May 23, 2012 - Zac Brown Band's "Uncaged" is the culmination of the "powerful chemistry that's developed by living, traveling and working as a band," said front man Zac Brown.
"We're always trying to push the barrier of our musicianship and I'm proud to say that there is a little bit of something for everyone," he... »»»May 23, 2012 - The 46th annual CMA Awards will air Thursday, Nov. 1 on ABC live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
"The CMA Awards recognizes the best in the format - that's what makes this 'Country Music's Biggest Night'," said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "The CMA Awards is one of the... »»»May 22, 2012 - Joe Nichols and Show Dog Universal parted ways.
The singer took to Twitter to tell fans of the split. He tweeted, "I'd like to thank ShowDog universal for doing the right thing. IM FREE!!!!!" on May 20.
Nichols said his "plans are to make a record with people I trust and love and be at a happy home(label).... »»»May 22, 2012 - Making changes up until the last note was played on Monday, Kenny Chesney
closed out his final Nashville rehearsal for the Brother's of the Sun Tour,
with Chesney and Tim McGraw.
Kicking off in Tampa on June 2, Chesney
shares the stage with longtime friend McGraw. "We hadn't even finished last... »»»May 21, 2012 - Brad Paisley's Virtual Reality World Tour hit the road again playing three sold-out shows in St. Louis, Indianapolis and Cincinnati this past weekend.
Special guests on the tour are The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery with Easton Corbin joining the tour on select dates.
"The Escape" plaza area was... »»»May 21, 2012 - Ronnie Dunn's newest solo CD debuts today through the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store exclusive music program. "Ronnie Dunn - Special Edition" is a collection of 12 songs that Dunn first released in 2011 and includes 2 previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Because Ronnie Dunn and Cracker Barrel... »»»May 21, 2012 - George Jones was admitted into a Nashville area hospital today where he will undergo testing and evaluation for a lingering upper respiratory infection. Concerts scheduled through June will be rescheduled, where possible.
No more details are available at this time, his web site said.... »»»May 21, 2012 - Gloriana will release its second studio album, "A Thousand Miles Left Behind," on July 31 on Emblem Music Group/Warner Bros. Records.
The band had a hand in writing all 11 tracks and worked with Emblem owner Matt Serletic (Willie Nelson, Matchbox 20 and Aerosmith). The single (Kissed You) Good... »»»May 21, 2012 - Taylor Swift was awarded the Woman of The Year Award at last night's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.
The top award honors "the achievements of a trailblazing female artist over the past 12 months and acknowledges her overall success in the music business and her leadership in embracing the changing industry.... »»»May 21, 2012 - Tim McGraw, a free agent after winning a court battle against his former label, signed with Big Machine Records to a worldwide recording deal, it was announced Monday.
"Many people know that I came to Nashville 23 years ago on a Greyhound bus with nothing but a guitar," said McGraw.... »»»May 21, 2012 - Georgia native Jason Aldean played a two-night stand of sold out shows at Atlanta Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood on Friday and Saturday, drawing almost 40,000 fans.
Aldean kicked off the summer leg of the 2012 My Kinda Party tour on Thursday night in Birmingham, Ala.
"I've never felt the kind of... »»»May 18, 2012 - David Nail will kick off the Country Music Hall of Fame's Hot Nights at the Hall series on June 5th at 7 p.m.
"I have a strong respect for all the music that happened long before I came to this town," Nail said. "I remember when I discovered Garth Brooks, and that made me go back...... »»»May 18, 2012 - Jana Kramer, also known for her roles on "One Tree Hill," "Entourage" and "Friday Night Lights," will tour in support of her upcoming self-titled release out June 5 on Elektra Nashville.
Produced by Scott Hendricks (Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn), the album features 11 tracks, while the digital... »»»May 18, 2012 - Sunny Sweeney will headline the Air National Guard Stage during the Country Throwdown Tour, which kicks off today in Mississippi.
"I am so honored to perform on the Air National Guard Stage. Being married to a police officer, I'm very aware of what our service people sacrifice on a daily basis.... »»»May 17, 2012 - Doug Dillard, a banjo playing member of The Dillards, died Wednesday in Nashville at 75 after being sick for several months.
The band combined styles including bluegrass and country rock. The band gained much notoriety for being The Darlings on The Andy Griffith Show. Dillard also was one-half of... »»»May 17, 2012 - Carrie Underwood had the best selling CD in the U.S. for the week ending May 26 on the Billboard charts with "Blown Away." Jason Aldean moved to the top of the Country Songs chart with Fly Over States, which traded places with now number two Over You by Miranda Lambert.
On the album chart, Lionel... »»»May 16, 2012 - Taylor Swift pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, it was announced Thursday.
The more than 7,500-square foot space, which will encompass parts of 2 floors and feature 3 classrooms and a state-of-the-art children's exhibit gallery, is scheduled... »»»
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May 16, 2012 - Old Crow Medicine Show will release "Carry Me Back" on July 17 through ATO Records.
"Carry Me Back" is the band's fourth studio album and first since 2008's "Tennessee Pusher." The disc features 12 songs and was recorded at the Sound Emporium studios in Nashville.
"Carry Me Back" was produced by... »»»May 16, 2012 - Lady Antebellum and thousands of fans joined together at Louisville, Ky.'s KFC Yum! Center tonight to raise more than $285,000 for the Henryville, Ind. community hit by tornados.
All proceeds will be distributed through the New Hope/Indiana Bankers Association for the Disaster Relief Fund.... »»»May 16, 2012 - Little Big Town will host the 2012 Ride For a Cure Sunday, June 10 with proceeds benefitting the T.J. Martell Foundation during the CMA Music Fest. This will be the group's sixth consecutive year hosting the ride.
A post-ride jam session will feature Lauren Alaina, Dean Alexander, Love and Theft... »»»May 16, 2012 - Female duo Miss Willie Brown released a new single, You're All That Matters To Me, to radio this week.
The track was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and produced by Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, The Band Perry) and is the duo's lead single from their debut album due out this fall.... »»»May 16, 2012 - New West Records announced it was forming a new label, Normaltown Records, to launch new artists.
Normaltown Records, based in Athens, Ga., was named for the artist centric neighborhood of Athens. The label announced the signing of five artists - Kalen Nash, White Violet, Daniel Romano and Lily Hiatt... »»»May 15, 2012 - Carrie Underwood's fourth album, "Blown Away," will be number 1 for the second consecutive week on Billboard's Top Country & all-genre 200 albums sales chart when it is released Thursday. This marks the first time since 2010 that a country artist has debuted at number 1 on Billboard's all-genre 200... »»»May 15, 2012 - Willie Nelson shows no signs of slowing down. "Heroes" is out today for the 79-year-old singer. The disc includes 15 songs with a lot of help from his son Lukas, who plays guitar. Snoop Dog, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson and Merle Haggard all help... »»»May 14, 2012 - Jason Aldean will claim his fifth straight number one single from his latest CD when Fly Over States. The song will become his ninth overall number one when the charts are officially released Thursday on Billboard.
Aldean takes over the top from Miranda Lambert's Over You.
"I've always loved... »»»May 12, 2012 - Loretta Lynn announced Thursday evening from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium during Opry Country Classics that she chose Zooey Deschanel to portray her in an upcoming Broadway-bound stage adaptation of "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Following the announcement, Deschanel, who has sung with M.... »»»May 11, 2012 - Show Dog -Universal Music recording artist Jessie James will release her new single to country radio May 14.
Military Man was written in honor of her stepfather who is a colonel and fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. "I wrote this song about my step dad who raised me," said James.... »»»May 11, 2012 - The 'Brothers of the Sun ' Tour, with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, met for their first on-stage, joint rehearsal on Thursday.
"Yesterday's rehearsal with Tim and I and our bands was as electric and exciting as we anticipated," said Chesney. "It's been a long time since we've played on stage... »»»May 10, 2012 - Kip Moore is making his national television debut on Live With Kelly Friday morning at 10 a.m. eastern. The Georgia native will perform his already gold-certified Top 5 single, Somethin' 'Bout a Truck
The Tifton, Ga. native released his debut album, "Up All Night," on April 24.... »»»May 10, 2012 - Carrie Underwood enjoying the best selling disc in the U.S. with "Blown Away" on the Billboard chart for the week ending May 19. Miranda Lambert grabbed the top of the Country Songs chart with Over You, switching places with Banjo by Rascal Flatts, which fell to third.
On the songs chart, Jason... »»»May 10, 2012 - Bucky Covington's tour bus was involved in an accident today on I-65 in Birmingham, Ala. while out for a run of tour dates.
Covington had already been dropped off for an earlier appearance that day and was not onboard at the time of the accident. "At this time, there appear to be no serious injuries... »»»May 10, 2012 - Blaster Entertainment signed Aaron Lewis to its roster. Lewis' full-length album is set for release later this summer.
A new release will be the follow-up "Town Line," a solo EP that debuted at number one on the Billboard Country Albums chart last year with the now defunct Stroudavarious label.... »»»May 10, 2012 - Elizabeth Cook first appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" back in August for a sit down interview, this time Cook returns to perform on Wednesday, June 13.
Letterman is a fan of Cook's "Apron Strings" radio show that airs Monday - Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. eastern on SiriusXM's Outlaw Country, channel 60.... »»»May 10, 2012 - Kenny Rogers formally announced today he is signing with Warner Records will join forces once again to create sweet music together.
Rogers said Wednesday night during his first of two sold-out performances at Ford Theater in Nashville as the Country Music Hall of Fame's 2012 Artist-in-Residence... »»»May 9, 2012 - Wade Bowen raised a record-breaking $150,000 this weekend in hometown Waco, Texas for the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children at his 14th Annual "Wade Bowen Classic" celebrity concert and golf tournament.
Sunday's all-star concert hosted more than 3,000 fans at Indian Springs Park... »»»May 9, 2012 - Carrie Underwood enjoyed the best selling release in the country this past week on the Billboard charts as "Blown Away" sold more than 267,000 units.
Underwood takes over the top spot from Jack White's "Blunderbuss," which fell to seventh. Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" was sixth with 64,000 units sold, down 18 percent.... »»»May 8, 2012 - Sara Watkins released her second solo album, "Sun Midnight Sun," after being with Nickel Creek. Produced by guitarist, singer and songwriter Blake Mills, co-founder of the band Simon Dawes, the album features Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Benmont Tench and Sean Watkins.... »»»May 8, 2012 - "This album continues to amaze me and I am so grateful for all that it has accomplished," Richie says. "Just when I think it couldn't get any bigger, 'Tuskegee' reaches a new level of success. When I came up with the idea for 'Tuskegee,' I didn't want to be confined by boundaries of age, genre or demographics.... »»»May 8, 2012 - Jake Owen had a busy weekend. He was handcuffed at least for a little while for wearing a mask into a business in his hometown of Vero Beach, Fla. on Saturday. A day later, he tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend.
Owen owned up to his bad behavior on Twitter. "I embarrassed myself and my... »»»May 8, 2012 - Chris Young's new video for his hit single Neon premieres on Wednesday, May 9 in an exclusive chat.
The video debuts at 6 p.m. eastern on LiveStream.com. The video will be at other online and broadcast outlets in the days following the premiere.
Directed by Ryan Hamblin and shot earlier this year... »»»May 8, 2012 - Rodeowave's Phil Vassar will join hit songwriters Al Anderson, Craig Wiseman and host Bob DiPiero this Wednesday, May 9 for 2 sold-out shows at the CMA Songwriter Series at Joe's Pub in New York City. The following day, he will perform his new song, Don't Miss Your Life, on the morning show "Fox & Friends.... »»»May 7, 2012 - Lady Antebellum is releasing I>Wanted You More as the new single off its third disc "Own the Night," to country radio today.
Penned by the trio along with band members Jason Gambill, Jonathan Long, Dennis Edwards and musician Matt Billingslea, the song's melody was born during one of the group's... »»»May 7, 2012 - Miranda Lambert will top the country singles chart for the fourth time in her career with her current single, Over You, when the charts are out on Thursday.
Lambert, who takes over for Rascal Flatts' Banjo, wrote the emotionally charged song with her husband Blake Shelton which addresses the passing of... »»»May 7, 2012 - Carolina Chocolate Drops' video for Country Girl is now playing on CMT. The song is from the band's new album "Leaving Eden," on Nonesuch Records.
The group is continuing their North American tour throughout the summer including a run of shows with the Dave Matthews Band.
"Leaving Eden," the... »»»May 6, 2012 - Carrie Underwood will tour Australia for the first time in June with four shows.
This comes on the heels of Underwood announcing her Blown Away tour in the U.S., which starts Sept. 14 in Manchester, N.H. and ends Dec. 22 in Sunrise, Fla.
Underwood said she was looking forward to live gigs after doing... »»»May 4, 2012 - Jewel will star as June Carter cash in a Lifetime movie, "The June Carter Cash Story."
Matt Ross ("American Horror Story") will play Johnny Cash, Carter Cash's husband. The film is based on the memoir "Anchored In Love: An Intimate Portrait Of June Carter Cash" by Carter Cash's son John Carter Cash.... »»»May 4, 2012 - The Dirt Drifters have canceled all dates, the group announced on its web site.
No specific reason was given for the decision, except to cite "private, personal issues."
The quintet wrote, "Hi all...we hate to disappoint you guys, especially after all the support you have given us over the past few... »»»May 4, 2012 - Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town joined the lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field held during 2012 CMA Music Festival.
The event takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, in downtown Nashville and will once again be filmed for an ABC television special to air in late summer.... »»»May 3, 2012 - Rascal Flatts claimed the top Billboard Country Songs chart single with Banjo for the week ending May 12. Rascal Flatts took over for Blake Shelton's Drink On It, which fell to fifth. On the album chart, Lionel Richie stayed first with "Tuskegee."
Lee Brice debuted in second on the album chart with... »»»May 3, 2012 - Vince Gill will take to the road for a dozen bluegrass shows in June. Gill will be backed by fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Jeff White, banjoist Jim Mills and bassist Dennis Crouch. Gill will round out the band on guitar, mandolin and vocals.
"After the passing of Earl Scruggs (on March 28),"... »»»May 2, 2012 - Alan Jackson will take to the Grand Ole Opry stage on May 8 and give a sneak peek performance of selections from his upcoming album "Thirty Miles West" out June 5.
This is Jackson's first disc under a deal between ACR (Alan's Country Records) and EMI Records Nashville. During a 30-minute set, Jackson... »»»May 2, 2012 - Lionel Richie may no longer have the best selling disc in the U.S. with "Tuskegee," but his country take on his hits is still number one on the Billboard country charts when released Thursday.
"Tuskegee" slipped to third on the overall chart, selling 78,000 units, down 31 percent.... »»»May 1, 2012 - Ricky Skaggs will be honored later this month for 30 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Skaggs was inducted into the Opry on May 15, 1982. His milestone anniversary will be celebrated with performances by the honoree, fellow Opry members Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, and The Whites, plus Dailey & Vincent.... »»»May 1, 2012 - Rascal Flatts picked up its14th number 1 single at country radio with Banjo, the lead single off "Changed."
The band announced the song hit the top today. "Thanks to country radio and our fans for loving this song," said Rascal Flatts lead vocalist Gary LeVox. "You guys never cease to amaze us.... »»»May 1, 2012 - Carrie Underwood announced this morning during her appearance on Good Morning America to promote her new album, "Blown Away," out today, that she will launch a headline North American arena tour this fall, "The Blown Away Tour."
Special guest Hunter Hayes will open. Tickets will be available for... »»»
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