Country music CMT News: News in Brief

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CMT News: News in Brief


ickelback Covers Joe Nichols' Hit at Nashville Concert
Fri. August 31.2007 6:54 PM EDT

Rock fans attending Nickelback's Thursday night (Aug. 30) concert in Nashville heard one of Joe Nichols' country hits even though Nichols wasn't there to sing it. When the Canadian band returned to the stage for an encore at the Sommet Center, they offered a cover version of Nichols' "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." Lead vocalist Chad Kroeger told the crowd, "I haven't been able to get this song out of my mind for a year and a-half. I love this song." They followed it up with their own hit, "Rockstar."

Denise Jackson's Book Spends Fourth Week on Times List
Fri. August 31.2007 6:54 PM EDT

Denise Jackson's memoir, It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life, remains at No. 4 on the New York Times' best-sellers list for the third consecutive week after debuting at No. 1 four weeks ago. The book recounts her life with husband Alan Jackson and her spiritual journey during their marriage. Denise Jackson has promoted the book through a series of national magazines and TV appearances and was interviewed about by poet, historian and author Maya Angelou.

Mandolin Masters Honor Bill Monroe
Fri. August 31.2007 6:44 PM EDT

In honor of the late Bill Monroe, mandolin masters Frank Wakefield, Mike Compton and Roland White will perform at the Monroe-Style Mandolin Camp's faculty concert taking place Sept. 8 in Owensboro, Ky., at the Owensboro Symphony Academy. In addition to mandolinists Skip Gorman and David Long, the program will also feature Tom Ewing, who played guitar in Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys, during the last eight years of Monroe's life. Wakefield gained his reputation as a member of the Greenbriar Boys and Compton for his work with the Nashville Bluegrass Band. White was a member of the legendary bluegrass band, the Kentucky Colonels. Last year's camp attracted participants from 25 states and four foreign nations who gathered to learn more about Monroe's mandolin style and songwriting. The camp, scheduled for Sept. 7-9, is presented by the International Bluegrass Music Museum.

Faith Hill Previews New Single for Ellen
Thu. August 30.2007 6:39 PM EDT

Faith Hill spent Thursday (Aug. 30) in New York City where she performed her new single, "Red Umbrella," during a taping of the season premiere of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The episode is set to air on Wednesday (Sept. 5). "Red Umbrella" is one of the new songs on Hill's upcoming CD, The Hits. Scheduled to be released to country radio stations on Sept. 13, the song was written by Aimee Mayo, Chris Lindsey and Brett and Brad Warren. "It's nerve-racking to perform a new song on television," Hill said. "But we added 'Red Umbrella' to the set for the last three Soul2Soul [concert] dates, and the fans' reaction was fantastic. So at least that gives me a bit of comfort. Fact is that it has the ingredients of any great song. It's cleverly crafted and its message is sincere."

Diamond Rio Signs With Word Records
Thu. August 30.2007 6:39 PM EDT

Diamond Rio has signed with Word Records, a Christian label based in Nashville, and will release a holiday album on Oct. 9. A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines features classic holiday songs and an original title track. "It is a very exciting time being in Diamond Rio right now," guitarist Jimmy Olander said. "The folks at Word share with us not only a great passion for the music but an even greater passion for the message. This is a great fit." Diamond Rio left Arista Nashville last year following a tenure that included five No. 1 singles, including "One More Day," "Beautiful Mess" and "I Believe."

CMA Broadcast Nominees Announced
Thu. August 30.2007 6:39 PM EDT

Nominations for this year's CMA broadcast awards were revealed Thursday (Aug. 30) in Nashville during a press conference announcing the artist nominees for this year's CMA Awards. Station of the year nominations include four divisions based on market size. The nominees in the major market division are KEEY (Minneapolis), KNIX (Phoenix), KSON (San Diego), KYGO (Denver),WKHX (Atlanta) and WXTU (Philadelphia). Large market nominees include KNCI (Sacramento, Calif.), WGH (Norfolk, Va.), WMIL (Milwaukee), WSM-FM (Nashville) and WTQR (Greensboro, N.C.). Nominations in the medium market went to KUZZ (Bakersfield, Calif.), KXKT (Omaha), WBBS (Syracuse, N.Y.), WGNA (Albany, N.Y.) and WYRK (Buffalo, N.Y.). The small market nominees are KTTS (Springfield, Mo.), WKXC (Augusta, Ga.), WQCB (Bangor, Maine), WUSY (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and WXBM (Pensacola, Fla.). Broadcast personality of the year nominations were announced in the same four market divisions. This year's national broadcast personality nominees are Derrick Haskins and Sean Powell for The Big D and Bubba Show, Jeff Foxworthy for Foxworthy Countdown and Lia Knight for The Lia Show.

Carrie Underwood's New CD Is Carnival Ride
Wed. August 29.2007 7:06 PM EDT

Carrie Underwood has chosen Carnival Ride as the title of her new album, her record label announced Wednesday (Aug. 29). It's the follow-up to her debut CD, Some Hearts, which has been certified sextuple platinum by the RIAA for shipments of more than 6 million copies. Carnival Ride gets its title from the lyrics of one of the new songs she has recorded. "You step onto this ride called life, and it's a crazy thing you don't know anything about, but you get on it anyway," the American Idol winner said. "You do what you can to lean different directions to try and get it to go where you want it to go, but you can't stop it -- it just keeps moving. That's why Carnival Ride works as my album title. It describes the wonderful craziness that I've been through over the past couple years."

Faith Hill Sings Sunday Night Football Theme
Wed. August 29.2007 7:06 PM EDT

Faith Hill will be singing "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" this season as the opening theme to NBC's Sunday Night Football, the network announced Wednesday (Aug. 29). The song, set to the tune of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," was sung last season by pop singer Pink. Hill has already recorded the theme song in New York, altering the lyrics a bit with each one to include the teams playing that week. She will also perform in Indianapolis on Sept. 6 during a pre-game show before the NFL season opener between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

Mindy McCready Could Face Three-Year Jail Sentence
Wed. August 29.2007 7:06 PM EDT

Mindy McCready's attorney says the singer could be sentenced to a possible three-year jail term during a Sept. 7 court date in Franklin, Tenn., a town located south of Nashville. McCready has been held in the Williamson County jail since being arrested at the Nashville International Airport on July 25 for violating her three-year probation on a 2004 drug charge. She had been arrested by authorities in Fort Myers, Fla., a few days earlier and charged with domestic battery after scratching her mother in the face during an argument. The battery charge was later dropped by Florida prosecutors, but she still faces a first-degree misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest when deputies arrived at her mother's home, the Naples (Fla.) Daily News reports. Her attorney, James Moon of Naples, claims the pending charge in Florida could cause Tennessee authorities to levy a stiff sentence on the probation violation.

CBGB Founder Hilly Kristal Dies
Wed. August 29.2007 7:06 PM EDT

Hilly Kristal, who founded the legendary CBGB club, died Tuesday (Aug. 28) in New York at age 75 after battling lung cancer. Kristal opened the club in New York's Bowery area in 1973 because of his love of acoustic music. The club's name stood for country, bluegrass and blues, but it gained its ultimate reputation as a punk club following early performances by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith and others. Still, country-oriented acts occasionally appeared at the tiny venue that might best be defined as a hole in the wall. When he and his band played a special show there in 2002, Alan Jackson wiped the sweat from his face and said, "Hey, Hilly, I'll give you back the $200 for playing tonight if you turn on the air conditioning."
 

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Nickelback Covers Joe Nichols' Hit at Nashville Concert





Rock fans attending Nickelback's Thursday night (Aug. 30) concert in Nashville heard one of Joe Nichols' country hits even though Nichols wasn't there to sing it. When the Canadian band returned to the stage for an encore at the Sommet Center, they offered a cover version of Nichols' "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." Lead vocalist Chad Kroeger told the crowd, "I haven't been able to get this song out of my mind for a year and a-half. I love this song." They followed it up with their own hit, "Rockstar."
 

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Denise Jackson's Book Spends Fourth Week on Times List





Denise Jackson's memoir, It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life, remains at No. 4 on the New York Times' best-sellers list for the third consecutive week after debuting at No. 1 four weeks ago. The book recounts her life with husband Alan Jackson and her spiritual journey during their marriage. Denise Jackson has promoted the book through a series of national magazines and TV appearances and was interviewed about by poet, historian and author Maya Angelou.
 

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Steve Earle Finds Inspiration in New York City

His New CD, Washington Square Serenade, Inspired by Folk, Hip-Hop

By: Craig Shelburne

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Steve Earle lives in New York City now. This fact is made clear on "Tennessee Blues," the first track on his new CD, Washington Square Serenade. The striking thing is, Earle didn't write the song with a kiss-off melody. Instead, it's one of
the most elegant and understated songs in his catalog.

"It's about a change," he says, on the phone during a visit to Nashville. "There are people who think that after Guitar Town, I should have never made another record. And there are people who never heard that record who think my first record is Copperhead Road. I've been pretty welcoming to those people, but the people I make records for are the people who have bought every record and allowed me to do whatever the next thing was, whether it was a bluegrass record or a rock record. This record is basically a folk record arrived at by hip-hop rules."

The "folk record" reference is easy to figure out. "Tennessee Blues" relies on an easygoing finger-picking guitar line to help tell the tale of a couple in love leaving Tennessee for a new city. Plus, take into account that Earle and his wife, singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, live on the same street where the album cover for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was shot. Earle also likes to kill time at the famous guitar shop around the corner, where he frequently runs into people who played on the albums he grew up listening to.

The "hip-hop" reference is harder to figure out. Asked for a clarification, Earle says, "I needed a little intimacy, so I started out recording some of it myself in my apartment over beats. I was able to realize, 'Oh, there's a verse and a chorus.' But in ProTools, which I was learning as I went along, I found, 'Oh, I can move the chorus. I can pick the whole thing up and move it.' You can do on tape, but it's really hard."

Every song on the new CD begins with guitar, vocals and beats he recorded alone in the apartment. With a deadpan delivery, he says, "It was a matter of time before I tested positive for ProTools, and I finally did."

Earle's first apartment in New York City was rented for him by his record label in 2004, so he could do press and radio to promote The Revolution Starts Now. He was hooked. In May 2005, he and Moorer left Nashville and rented an apartment in Greenwich Village. They officially moved in after spending the summer in Barcelona, Spain.

"I don't think anybody that knows me was surprised. The idea of me living in New York City is not that incongruous. There were people who were bummed about it, but I was gone most of the time anyway," he says. "Look, Tennessee is a beautiful place, and I can't complain. I have a career because I came here, but it wasn't easy. I never complained about it that much. Whether or not the country music establishment is in touch with the roots of country music is not my idea of a political issue. And it never was."

Even though he honed his craft in Nashville from two revered songwriters -- Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt -- Earle says he felt like he was living in the margins.

"I never fooled myself into thinking this was a singer-songwriter town," he explains. "They had a singer-songwriter here, and his name was Hank Williams, and they decided they didn't like that very much. People like that were too hard to control. It's always been kind of [opposed to] the entire idea of artists writing their own material. And I know that. I've been here since I was 19 years old. I know that. It's not like I expected it to become anything else because of me. But I was taught by people that I could live here and make a living and use the infrastructure and get a song recorded every once in a while. And I got really lucky and got a record deal and it started a career for me."

Guitar Town was released in 1986 when Earle was 31. The music was rough around the edges for mid-1980s country, and so was Earle. Critics went crazy for it, and the title track hit the Top 10 at country radio. In 1989, he found rock success with "Copperhead Road." After a serious battle with cocaine and heroin, Earle re-emerged in the mid-'90s with a series of eloquent albums before whacking a political hornet's nest with The Revolution Starts Now. To this day, nearly every rugged songwriter with a Nashville connection is compared to Earle in reviews and press materials.

"I don't know why anybody in Nashville would ever want to do that," he says. "I think the first person that ever walked up to me and told me they moved to Nashville because they heard Guitar Town was Garth Brooks, which freaks me the f**k out. You know, I have felt really bad when people tell me that. I had been here for almost 13 years when I was making Guitar Town. I was doing it with my eyes wide open, and the idea of a kid coming here and thinking that meant that the door was open bums me out."

He says the recent political climate made him consider living outside the U.S., but ultimately realized he could find comfort in the diversity of New York City.

"When I lived in Nashville full time, I'd go crazy after three weeks, being trapped in my car and having to drive everywhere," he says. "But in New York, I don't mind being in a three or four-block area because the whole world's there. I very rarely travel more than a mile from my house, but within that mile, I can see any movie or buy any book. For two dollars, I can begin a journey to anywhere in the world. The world kind of comes to you in New York."
 

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Country Music Donor Bob McLean Dies of Gunshot Wound





Robert W. "Bob" McLean, a Murfreesboro, Tenn., businessman who donated Bill Monroe's renovated 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin and Mother Maybelle Carter's 1928 Gibson L-5 guitar to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, was found dead in Shelbyville, Tenn., on Tuesday (Sept. 25) of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 60. Politce said a pistol was beside his body when it was discovered Tuesday morning near a church, and a suicide note was also found. At the time of his death, the former stockbroker was involved in multiple lawsuits for allegedly cheating investors out of $20 million and was due to appear in court on Wednesday (Sept. 26) at an involuntary bankruptcy case. An auction of his property will be held to recoup the money he owed investors. At the time of his donations to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2004 and 2005, Monroe's mandolin and Carter's guitar had been on the market for $1.125 million and $575,000, respectively. McLean had also donated generous sums to Middle Tennessee State University and Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
 

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The Eagles Will Perform on CMA Awards




The Eagles will make their first appearance on the CMA Music Awards on Nov. 7. The band is currently on the country charts with a new single, "How Long." Later this year, they will release Long Road Out of Eden, with double-CD featuring 20 new recordings. The Eagles have been recognized at the CMA Awards before, when Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles was named album of the year in 1994. As previously announced, the Eagles will perform six shows with the Dixie Chicks at the grand opening celebration of the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles next month.
 

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Dierks Bentley's Motorcycle Ride Helps Children's Hospital





Dierks Bentley and several of his celebrity friends gathered Sunday (Sept. 30) at the Cool Springs Harley-Davidson dealership in Franklin, Tenn., for his second annual Miles & Music for Kids motorcycle ride benefiting the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Bentley, Little Big Town, Halfway to Hazard, singer-songwriter Ray Scott, Trick Pony's Ira Dean and Muzik Mafia members Two Foot Fred and James Otto rode with hundreds of other bikers along the Natchez Trace for the second annual benefit which ended with an evening concert at the Loveless Café near Nashville.
 

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Clay Walker Marries Model Jessica Craig
Clay Walker married model Jessica Craig during a private ceremony Saturday (Sept. 29) at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Tracy Lawrence performed at the wedding, and two of Lawrence's band members, Landon Taylor and Ken Smith, served as groomsmen. "This is one of the happiest days of my life," Walker said. "I am married to a beautiful girl, my daughters are with me and I am with friends. What more could a guy ask for?" The couple will spend the next three weeks in Europe and Hawaii. Walker's divorce from his first wife, Lori, was finalized in 2006.
 

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ncle Kracker Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Assault

Uncle Kracker has been fined $1,500 and sentenced to 12 months of probation after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman at a Raleigh, N.C., nightclub last month. The singer and rapper, whose real name is Matthew Shafer, appeared in a Raleigh courtroom on Friday (Sept. 28) to enter the plea to the misdemeanor assault charge. He was arrested on Aug. 17 after appearing at an outdoor concert. Prosecutors said the entertainer had been drinking heavily when he visited the club and stumbled down a staircase into the woman, who alleged he groped her buttocks and her vaginal area. He was released on $75,000 bond after the charge was reduced from a felony charge of second-degree forcible sex. His attorney, James Crouch, said the incident "was blown completely out of proportion, partly due to who he is." The attorney added, "He maintains that he didn't do anything intentional. He wants some closure for him and his family. He regrets the entire situation."
 

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Chicago Enjoys an Acoustic Night With Rascal Flatts

CHICAGO -- Take away the ostentatious stage, the
endless catwalks, the pyrotechnics, the video screens and the full backing band, and you have Rascal Flatts' Saturday night (Sept. 29) show at Joe's Bar in Chicago. And even with all that missing, their shows still feel good.

Plenty of bands such as Rascal Flatts started out in bars like this. Joe's is a sports bar-turned-honky-tonk on the city's north side, and it embraces up-and-comers just as warmly as it does platinum hitmakers. And Rascal Flatts seemed genuinely at home in the rough-around-the-edges back room reserved for live music.

The trio -- Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney -- had been down this road before. This show was one of several acoustic performances across the country to push their new CD, Still Feels Good. Other appearances were made in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Dallas, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. The minimalist approach shows fans that, yes, these guys sound just as good when they're left alone with their voices and a couple of guitars.

With just three stools and three microphones, they took to the simple stage and started with an old favorite, "Fast Cars and Freedom," and from there eased into their newest No. 1, "Take Me There." "Still Feels Good is out, and it really does still feel good to us," said DeMarcus. "Even after seven years."

One side effect of a mellow acoustic show is a more subdued audience. Or it could've been that the fans at this 21-and-over spot skewed older than Rascal Flatts' core audience of screaming teens. But that also meant this crowd was a drinking crowd. DeMarcus noticed, and said, "When you're drinking five gallon buckets, you know you're in the right place."

He's apparently taken a page out of Brad Paisley's book on how to win fans and influence crowds with humor. While folks seem to hang on every word LeVox sings, it's DeMarcus who has become the voice of the band. He had everyone in the place laughing, especially during a dead-on Kenny Chesney imitation and when he introduced "Bless the Broken Road" as the song that resulted in Carrie Underwood win on American Idol.

Then there was his good-natured obsession with the 1981 Grammy-winning "Jessie's Girl." No, it's not a country song you missed. It was a pop tune from Rick Springfield, also know as Dr. Noah Drake to all the General Hospital fans out there. While it started off as a cheesy guitar joke, the band went on to play the song in all its retro entirety. For the rest of the set, DeMarcus started every song with the first few notes from "Jessie's Girl."

The crowd was small, made up of about 800 fans who won tickets through Chicago radio station WUSN's on-air giveaways and text message promotions. Some Q&A throughout the night punctuated the songs with some getting-to-know-you banter. WUSN personalities Lisa Dent and Ray Stevens did the asking, and here were some of the answers the guys gave:

•What does DeMarcus TiVo when he's off the road?

Heroes and CSI

•What was the last thing LeVox paid $5000 for?

His bar tab in Atlanta

•Who's the sensitive one?

Rooney said he is, because he's the youngest and gets picked on the most.

And when Dent asked them how they were able to put together this new album in three months, DeMarcus talked about how devoted they all were to crafting this project. "We just reminded everybody who works for us that, well, they work for us," he joked.

That album is expected to debut at No. 1 in its first week out, and DeMarcus made a point of telling everyone at Joe's Bar the story behind the songs. They wrapped the show with "Life Is a Highway," Rascal Flatts' remake that became even more popular than the original Tom Cochrane hit from the early '90s.

They didn't play long -- just over an hour, in fact. But it was an intimate antidote to the hard-partying arena shows that Rascal Flatts have grown into. With no obstacles to sabotage the purity of the music, the fans seemed to revel in this stripped-down show.

Rascal Flatts will return to the road when their official Still Feels Good tour resumes in Chicago on Oct. 12 at the much, much bigger Allstate Arena.
 

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HOT DISH: Sarah Johns Delivers Genuine Country

Reba McEntire Dominates Charts, Rascal Flatts Make a Difference




(CMT Hot Dish is a weekly feature written by veteran columnist Hazel Smith. Author of the cookbook, Hazel's Hot Dish: Cookin' With Country Stars, she also hosts CMT's Southern Fried Flicks With Hazel Smith and shares her
recipes at CMT.com.)

If you love down-home music with a fiddle and steel guitar playing songs as country as Loretta Lynn, then you might just be calling Sarah Johns "Sarahlicious." Like Loretta, the Pollard, Ky., native is not ashamed of where she's from and not afraid to sing about it. Sarah hasn't had the privilege of exposure on a national talent contest like American Idol or Nashville Star. She's having to climb that hillbilly ladder one rung at a time.

Her debut CD, Big Love in a Small Town, is on the shelves and in the bins with her smiling face on the cover, and the title song offers this insight, "We got a diesel dually/Twenty acres out in the boonies." On "The One in the Middle," she adds in her wailing Kentucky twang, "I would've given you the finger on my left hand/The one that you use for a wedding band." That's as good as Loretta's "Don't Come Home a'Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)." On "When Do I Get to Be a Woman," she says, "A longneck night in a real short dress/Make him stare like we just met" and the incredible line, "If you could hold your woman like you hold your whiskey." The girl's a writer.

America, I dare you to make this woman a superstar as big as the great Loretta Lynn was in her day and time. I'd love to hear real country music sung on the radio once again by Sarah Johns. It would be "Sarahlicious."

Reba Enjoys Biggest Chart Week Ever
After Reba McEntire had numerous No. 1 hits and won virtually every award offered in country music, she appeared in several movies and went on to become the belle of Broadway in New York City where she starred in Annie Get Your Gun. That's enough for most, but not Reba. She starred in the sitcom, Reba, and got compared to the great Lucille Ball when she'd roll her eyes or smart off to the camera. After six successful seasons, when the WB network dropped the show, did Reba stop? No, she restarted. Reba reinvented Reba.

I don't know her reason for recording a duets album, but it was a brilliant decision. Reba Duets, her 31st album, has given the superstar taskmaster her biggest sales week ever and her first No. 1 debut on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The hardest working woman in country music is sitting on top of the country chart and the pop chart and couldn't be any higher if she was sitting on top of the world! Congratulations to Reba. I am agape and in wonder at what her next giant step might turn out to be.

Thanks, Rascal Flatts
During my recent illness, I didn't go into the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, but I did see the little sick children in the radiology waiting room for their daily treatments, so let me please thank Rascal Flatts for caring. Not only did the three superstars donate the $829,581 from their recent Nashville concert to help the children's hospital, they also visited the kids and sang for those who were able to attend the acoustic performance. They also went from room to room visiting the young patients who were unable to get out of bed.

Talk about making a difference: In just three years Rascal Flatts have donated $2.2 million to the hospital. Isn't this just the finest way to tithe? God must be smiling.

Dierks Cycling for Kids at Vandy
For the second year, Dierks Bentley hosted his Miles & Music for Kids celebrity motorcycle ride and concert to benefit Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Besides Dierks, those who were scheduled to participate in Sunday's (Sept. 30) event near Nashville were Jason Aldean, Big Kenny Alphin, Luke Bryan, Ira Dean, Shelly Fairchild, Halfway to Hazard, Shooter Jennings, Buddy Jewell, Shannon Lawson, Little Big Town, Rockie Lynne, Craig Morgan, Jon Nicholson, James Otto, Ray Scott and Marty Stuart. God bless Dierks and all the others on this ride to help sick children.

Tim McGraw on Forbes List
Tim McGraw is the lone country artist listed in Forbes magazine's list of the top-earning musicians of the past year. After netting $37 million, McGraw takes the No. 7 spot as the Rolling Stones come out at the top of the list.

Brad Paisley and G.I. Joe
Today, some parents don't allow their kids to play with toy guns or Army action figures. When Brad Paisley was a kid, he and his pals were on their knees building forts and playing with G.I. Joe and toy guns. They turned out just fine. Brad's attraction to G.I. Joe may have been because of his dad's Army background. His childhood memories obviously contributed to his buying a G.I. Joe T-shirt he saw in the window of Saks Fifth Avenue. He wears T-shirts all the time onstage, but the G.I. Joe shirt is the one the little kids respond to like it's a toy.

Honoring Jerry Lee Lewis
The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, first cousin of the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis, will play piano during a Nov. 10 concert at Playhouse Square's State Theater in Cleveland during the American Masters series. Jerry Lee is the first living artist to be honored during the series sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Case Western Reserve University. Others honoring "The Killer" on this occasion are Kris Kristofferson, Shelby Lynne, Wanda Jackson, Cowboy Jack Clement, George Thorogood, Narvel Felts, Billy Lee Riley, Jason D. Williams, NRBQ's Terry Adams and Jerry Lee's sister, Linda Gail Lewis.

Is Jerry Lee's other famous first cousin, Mickey Gilley, too country for this event? Just asking.

Country Scores in Switzerland
Randy Travis, Riders in the Sky, Julie Roberts and Rhonda Vincent just returned from two sold-out performances in Gstaad, Switzerland, where they were treated to four days of Swiss culture. In addition to riding a rollercoaster amidst a snow-topped glacier, they viewed the Matterhorn and listened to the songs of the cows as they paraded through town decorated with flowers and bells of all sizes, shapes and sounds. You'll never see cows do that in the States!

Dolly Tells 'Em
Hosting a press conference announcing the location of the new Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Music Row, the great Dolly Parton was asked about retiring. The 61-year-old superstar answered in her own inimitable fashion, "When my time comes, I hope I fall dead in the middle of the stage, and I hope it's to a song I wrote." Lord knows, Dolly has never needed a writer!

Mark My Word
One of country music's finest voices belongs to Mark Chesnutt, who has signed with Lofton Creek Records. His first single, a cover of the Charlie Rich smash "Rolling With the Flow," is already getting some radio airplay. A new album is set for release in early 2008.

The Bob McLean I Knew
It's with deep sadness I try to write this. The Bob McLean I knew saved Mother Maybelle Carter's guitar and Bill Monroe's mandolin for safekeeping at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This was deeply important to those of us who work in the music business and love the music. It is with a hurting heart to hear Bob died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound last week. He was forced into bankruptcy after clients filed lawsuits against him claiming he misspent their money, but his charitable acts will long be remembered. Bob will be greatly missed. May God rest his soul.
 

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Keith Urban Involved in Motorcycle Accident

Keith Urban escaped injury Monday (Oct. 1) while driving his motorcycle near his home near Sydney, Australia. Urban thought he was being followed by a photographer on another motorcycle when he was forced to drop his motorcycle and skid along a concrete gutter, according to Australian media reports. In a statement released by his publicist, Urban said, "Today's incident was the result of one person's desire to do his job and my desire to maintain my privacy. Some have already attempted to inflate the facts, but the reality is this: While out riding to an AA meeting, a time when my privacy is especially important to me, I felt myself being pursued. I sped up, and in an effort to elude an oncoming car which was making an illegal U-turn, saw no choice but to drop my bike. In actual fact, my pursuer came to my assistance, without taking photos, and helped me from the road. I returned home, got my car and continued on my way."
 

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Taylor Swift's Deluxe Edition CD Due Nov

Taylor Swift's Deluxe Edition CD Due Nov

Taylor Swift will release a limited, deluxe edition of her self-titled debut album on Nov. 6. The CD/DVD set will include three new songs, a recording of her first phone call with Tim McGraw and a behind-the-scenes home movie of her life over the past year. Swift personally compiled and edited the video footage. The DVD also includes the videos for "Tim McGraw," "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Our Song," as well as a performance of "Picture to Burn" taped for CMT's performance series, Unplugged at Studio 330. The original version of the CD was released in 2006 and has been certified platinum.​
 

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Garth Brooks will follow up a Nov. 14 concert in Kansas City with an appearance two days later in Oklahoma City with fellow Oklahoma natives Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood. The Oklahoma Centennial Spectacular will also feature Amy Grant, Blake Shelton, singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb, the All-American Rejects and the Flaming Lips. Tickets to the Nov. 16 event are sold out, but tickets go on sale Saturday (Oct. 6) at 10 a.m. CT for his show at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. The tickets will be available via Ticketmaster, although sales will be restricted to residents of Missouri and Kansas and portions of Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Residency will be determined by the buyer's credit card billing address. Ticketmaster's Web site hints that an additional show could be added in Kansas City.​
 

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Billy Ray Cyrus Salutes Marines, Toys for Tots





Billy Ray Cyrus will perform at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., on Sunday (Oct. 7) to pay tribute to the Marines as well as the 60th anniversary of the Toys for Tots program. The event is sponsored by Hasbro Inc.'s Tonka brand. The toy company will donate 3 million toys and games to the organization this year. "I am proud to support such an important, philanthropic program, and it is an honor and a pleasure to kick it off with a tribute to the Marines who have given so much to local communities over the years," Cyrus said.
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Phil Vassar to Sing at NFL Game

Phil Vassar will perform the national anthem prior to the Atlanta Falcons/Tennessee Titans football game Sunday (Oct. 7). The game at LP Field in Nashville will air on the Fox network at 1 p.m. ET. Vassar plays the fifth annual Muscle Shoals Music City Fest in Muscle Shoals, Ala., on Saturday (Oct. 6). His upcoming album, Prayer of a Common Man on Universal South and produced by Mark Wright, is scheduled to be released in March 2008.​
 

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Dierks Bentley Delights Georgia Fans at Tour Opener

Jack Ingram Is Opening Shows on Bentley's Throttle Wide Open Tour

ROME, Ga. -- Known as one of Nashville's hardest-working artists, Dierks Bentley got his record deal and then spent 300 days touring during his first year. Four years later, it doesn't look like he's settling for a slowdown anytime soon.

Bentley's Throttle Wide Open tour debuted Thursday night (Oct. 4) at the Forum Civic Center in Rome -- Rome, Ga., that is.

Texas singer-songwriter Jack Ingram is opening the shows, and he comes from a place where honesty in lyrics and the ability to play will earn you respect much faster than having good hair and a great pair of jeans. However, his recent success in mainstream country indicates that he's managed to conquer both worlds.

Straight off the Brad Paisley tour, Ingram explained how he and Bentley hooked up.

"It was late at a bar one night and ... I was drunk," he jokes. "Dierks has been showing his face in Texas for a long time just as a guy from Nashville who took an interest in what was going in Texas. So I've always respected him and liked his music and have known that he was aware of what we were doing down there. So we started hanging, and every time, I'd say, 'Hey man, we need to tour together.' He took out Randy Rogers, Miranda Lambert, Cross Canadian Ragweed." Ingram laughed, adding, "I think I was just next on his list."

Accompanied by his Beat Up Ford Band and a fog machine, Ingram's 30-minute set highlighted his hits, including "Wherever You Are," "Love You," "Lips of an Angel" and "Measure of a Man."

After successfully charging up the crowd, Ingram exited to allow the road crew to transform the stage for the headliner. Bentley's production for the new tour consists of a large main stage and two side stages connected by ramps. There's also a small stage that extends into the middle of the crowd.

Bentley is putting his club-playing experience to good use, taking that interactive feel and applying it to his shows. A plain backdrop replaces fancy video screens, his incessant running from one end of the stage to the other takes the place of pyrotechnics, and the only dancing girls you'll see are the ones in the audience.

On his Throttle Wide Open tour, Bentley continues to find ways to connect with his audience by literally getting into the crowd, holding hands, hugging and bringing people on stage. He even signed autographs after the lights came up at the end of the concert and the roadies began breaking down the equipment.

The show got off to a phenomenally energized start, with Bentley popping up on the right stage and darting marathon-runner style to the left while singing his latest hit, "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)."

"Every Mile a Memory," "Settle for a Slowdown" and "How Am I Doin'" all followed, as did a few album cuts, including "Trying to Stop Your Leaving." Telling the crowd that "Long Trip Alone" is the favorite one he's written, he said, "It started as a love song and became spiritual."

After singing "Domestic Light and Cold," the crowd responded by raising their beer bottles in the air. Bentley then opened a refrigerator disguised as a massive speaker to reveal his own supply of the beverage supplied by his tour sponsor. Popping the top and taking a swig, he paid homage to Hank Williams with a few lines from "There's a Tear in My Beer."

Demonstrating his skills as a bluegrass musician, Bentley and his band, complete with the upright bass, took the stage in the center of the venue for two songs, including "Prodigal Son's Prayer," which he co-wrote with the award-winning bluegrass group, the Grascals. Moments later, it was just Bentley and his guitarist onstage for an acoustic performance of "My Last Name."

"I wrote this song about my dad," Bentley said. "He fought in World War II, and all he took with him when he went was his last name on his uniform. I wrote this for him, and I dedicate it to those serving."

Closing the show with "A Lot of Leavin' Left to Do," Bentley returned minutes later for an encore. Using the house lights as a tool throughout the show to create a feeling of closeness with the audience, the lights stayed up as he turned Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done This Way" into a duet with Ingram.

Bentley's Throttle Wide Open continues this weekend with shows Friday (Oct. 5) in Tallahassee, Fla., and Saturday (Oct. 6) in Perry, Ga.
 

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Grascals, Trischka, Stringdusters Are IBMA Winners

Recipients Leave Empty-Handed at Bluegrass Awards Show

Who didn't win was as big a story as who did at the International Bluegrass Music Association awards show Thursday night (Oct. 4) at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House.

Although nominated, perennial IBMA prizewinners Alison Krauss, Rhonda
Vincent, Ricky Skaggs and Del McCoury all went home empty-handed. The meteoric family band Cherryholmes was also shut out despite the fact that only two years ago it had captured the treasured entertainer of the year trophy.

But it was a great night for the Grascals, who won the entertainer of the year prize for the second year in a row, and for Tony Trischka and the Infamous Stringdusters, who were triumphant in three categories each.

Bradley Walker took the male vocalist award, beating out Larry Sparks, Ronnie Bowman, Tim O'Brien and Russell Moore. And after years of coming close, Dale Ann Bradley finally won the best female vocalist honor, bypassing fellow competitors Vincent, Krauss, Sonya Isaacs and Claire Lynch.

Walker, who has muscular dystrophy, and Bradley were sentimental and artistic favorites. The announcements that they had won earned each a standing ovation. There was an ovation as well for Michael Cleveland, who copped the award for instrumental group of the year with his band, the Flamekeepers. Cleveland, who is blind, was also voted fiddler of the year.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver won the vocal group and gospel recorded performance categories (the latter for "He Lives in Me.") The Trischka-helmed Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular netted trophies for instrumental album and recorded event of the year. In addition, Trischka was proclaimed the banjo player of the year.

Tying for album of the year were J. D. Crowe & the New South's Lefty's Old Guitar and the Infamous Stringdusters' Fork in the Road. To make their evening even sweeter, the Stringdusters also won the emerging artist prize and shared the song of the year honor with Chris Jones and John Pennell for "Fork in the Road."

Veteran bluegrass musician Sam Bush was a masterful master of ceremonies. His opening monologue about the events that led him to love bluegrass was filled with vivid anecdotes that managed to be simultaneously funny and poignant.

He recalled visiting Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and seeing Bill Monroe harmonizing with young Peter Rowan and also recollected riding with his dad on Jim & Jesse's tour bus "for a block and a half" to show them the backstage entrance to the high school in his hometown of Bowling Green, Ky. He also told stories of watching a cold-beset Lester Flatt blowing his nose, pocketing his handkerchief and not missing a beat on his guitar and of seeing Jimmy Martin nonchalantly spit his chewing gum out into the crowd at a bluegrass festival.

"When you play bluegrass," he observed, "something great happens." Trim, well-spoken and totally relaxed, Bush was the most effective and entertaining host in recent memory.

The show flowed smoothly for the most part with plenty of performances to leaven the less-than-riveting award presentations. Each team of presenters generally conferred two awards while on stage, a tactic that further streamlined the proceedings.

Just before the show opened, announcer Eddie Stubbs laid down the ground rules that only one member of a band could speak when accepting an award and that the remarks should be kept to 30 seconds or less. .

There were no set changes. Performers set up behind a translucent curtain and were ready to play once the trophies at hand were dispensed. The weakest part of the production involved the interminable film clips in which podcaster Wichita Rutherford explained to a monosyllabic youngster the glories of bluegrass. In an intimate setting, the device might have worked. But in the cavernous Opry House, it was just an annoyance.

Among the evening's stellar performances were Cherryholmes' "Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl" (which the band concluded with a burst of step-dancing), Ricky Skaggs and the Whites' "Salt of the Earth," Bradley Walker's vibrant "Life or Love" and Sam Bush's "Bringing in the Georgia Mail." Russell Moore, who stepped in for ailing Rhonda Vincent and was backed by her band, rendered a properly intense version of "Footprints in the Snow."

Stubbs brought his formidable country music scholarship to bear in announcing the newest additions to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame: Carl Story, the Father of Bluegrass Gospel Music, and trend-setting bass player Howard Watts, who performed under the comic moniker of Cedric Rainwater. Story died in 1995, Watts in 1970.

A stylist known for his falsetto vocalizing and hard-driving rhythm guitar, Story counted among his hits "He Will Set Your Fields on Fire," "If You Don't Love Your Neighbor," "My Lord Keeps a Record" and "Family Reunion."

Watts joined Bill Monroe's band in 1943 and was with it when young Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt came aboard in 1945 to create the distinctive bluegrass sound still dominant today.

Bush announced that the IBMA had earlier issued distinguished achievement awards to pioneering Dobro player Mike Auldridge, The Bluegrass Breakdown (a California-based publication), Czech bluegrass enthusiast Marko Cermak, event producer and philanthropist Warren Hellman; and Happy and Jane Traum, founders of the Homespun Records and Tapes music instruction series.

Presenters don't usually get standing ovations, but when Sonny Osborne walked onstage to present the last prize of the evening -- the entertainer of the year award -- the crowd was instantly on its feet. The younger half of the fabled Osborne Brothers, banjo-playing Sonny retired from performing a few years ago and rarely attends musical events. He seemed genuinely delighted when the Grascals ran onto the stage and took turns hugging him.

"Now get out there and keep picking bluegrass music," Bush exhorted the crowd as it rose to leave.

View photos from the IBMA Awards.


Here's a complete list of the 2007 IBMA winners:

Entertainer of the year: The Grascals

Vocal group: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Instrumental group: Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, featuring Audie Blaylock

Male vocalist: Bradley Walker

Female vocalist: Dale Ann Bradley

Song: "Fork in the Road," The Infamous Stringdusters (artists), Chris Jones and John Pennell (songwriters)

Album: (Tie) Lefty's Old Guitar, J.D. Crowe & the New South; Fork in the Road, the Infamous Stringdusters

Recorded event: Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, Tony Trischka with Earl Scruggs, Kenny Ingram, Tom Adams, Bela Fleck, Noam Pikelny, Alison Brown, Scott Vestal, Steve Martin and Bill Emerson

Instrumental album: Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, Tony Trischka

Gospel recorded performance: "He Lives in Me," Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Emerging artist: The Infamous Stringdusters

Instrumental performers: Tony Trischka (banjo), Missy Raines (bass), Michael Cleveland (fiddle), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Tony Rice (guitar) and Sam Bush (mandolin)

Bluegrass broadcaster: Chris Jones, Sirius Satellite Radio

Print media person: John Lawless and Brance Gillihan, The Bluegrass Blog

Best liner notes for a recorded project: Barry Poss and Jay Orr (writers), Sugar Hill Records, A Retrospective

Best graphic design for a recorded project: Don Bailey (designer), Hillbilly Hemingway, the Mark Newton Band

Bluegrass event: 33rd Festival of the Bluegrass, Lexington, Ky.

Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductees: Carl Story, Howard Watts (Cedric Rainwater)

Distinguished achievement award recipients: Mike Auldridge, The Bluegrass Breakdown, Marko Cermak, Warren Hellman and Happy and Jane Traum
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Johnny Cash Christmas Specials Coming to DVD

Two televised Christmas specials featuring Johnny Cash will be released on DVD on Nov. 17 by Shout! Factory. Neither special has ever been commercially available. The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1976 was filmed at two of Cash's homes and features June Carter Cash, Tony Orlando, Roy Clark, Merle Travis, Barbara Mandrell and the Rev. Billy Graham. The 1977 special was filmed at the Grand Ole Opry House and includes an all-star tribute to Elvis Presley, featuring Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison.​
 

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Carrie Underwood Will Launch New CD in Times Square
Wed. October 10.2007 7:17 PM EDT

Carrie Underwood will perform on Good Morning America's outdoor concert series in Times Square in New York City on Oct. 23, the same day she releases her new CD, Carnival Ride. The album features her current hit, "So Small." Underwood also launched her previous album, Some Hearts, in New York City during the CMA Awards broadcast at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15, 2005.
Raul Malo at Elton John Tribute in New York
Wed. October 10.2007 7:17 PM EDT

Raul Malo is set to sing "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" at a gala tribute to the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin on Wednesday night (Oct. 10) at New York's Carnegie Hall. Malo is the only Nashville artist appearing at the event benefiting music education programs for underprivileged young people. Others paying tribute to the songwriting team include Aimee Mann, Roger McGuinn and Roy Ayers. The same night, Malo will also appear with Vince Gill, Patty Griffin, Jewel and Trisha Yearwood at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square for the All for the Hall fundraiser for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Malo, lead singer for the Mavericks, will return to Nashville for a sold-out concert at the Belcourt Theatre on Thursday night (Oct. 11).
Big & Rich Will Play Early on CMA Day
Wed. October 10.2007 7:17 PM EDT

Big & Rich will perform on Good Morning America from the front of the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville on Nov. 7, the morning of the 2007 CMA Awards. The duo will also perform during the televised awards ceremony. Both shows will be broadcast on ABC. Big & Rich are nominated for vocal duo and single ("Lost in This Moment"). Rich and co-writers Keith Anderson and Rodney Clawson are also up for song of the year for "Lost in This Moment."
LeAnn Rimes, Joss Stone Tape CMT Crossroads
Wed. October 10.2007 7:17 PM EDT

LeAnn Rimes and British soul singer Joss Stone shared the stage Tuesday (Oct. 9) in Franklin, Tenn., for a taping of CMT Crossroads. Swapping verses on several songs, the performance included "Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' on Me?)" from Stone's 2003 album, The Soul Sessions, and "Nothin' Better to Do," Rimes' current single from her just-released album, Family. The CMT Crossroads episode is scheduled to premiere on Dec. 7.
 
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