Kip Moore will release his new single, "Beer Money," to county radio on July 9. Moore co-wrote the feel-good song with Blair Daly and Troy Verges. In related news, Moore will perform his recent No. 1 hit, "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" on NBC's Today on Wednesday (July 4). Both songs come from his debut album, Up All Night. Moore is currently touring with Billy Currington as well as playing his own shows. He will join Eric Church's tour this fall.
Today, Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds singer, Emily Robison, announced that she is pregnant, her fourth child but first with boyfriend Martin Strayer.
Many fans will remember that Emily divorced her husband of nine years, Charlie Robison, back in 2008. Now that Emily's pregnant, fans have been coming to NashvilleGab by searching for Martin Strayer, the man who was announced as her boyfriend/baby daddy.
But who is Martin? I've dug a little and come up with a few facts that might satiate fans' curiosity.
Martin is a guitarist for the Court Yard Hounds.
He's a songwriter and co-wrote many of the songs on the Court Yard Hounds debut album (song list via Wikipedia)
Martin's dad is Martin Strayer, III, who was an All-American wrestler at Penn State during the 60's. He was recently inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Martin has a twitter, although his website is under construction.
Back in 2010, Emily spoke fondly of Martin in a CMT article: "I really credit my co-writer, Martin Strayer [who also plays acoustic guitar on the record], for egging me on," she says. "As we did demos, I'd be like, 'We should get this person in to sing this demo,' back when I thought we were going to be pitching it. He would say, 'Why would you do that? You can sing it. You can do it.' It was nice to have a cheerleader. Really, it took me a year and a-half or two years to find out how I was going to sing these demos, practicing over and over again. Garage Band [a digital recording program for the computer] was my friend as I would edit things together and figure out what worked and what didn't work."
I'm not exactly sure how this whole Guinness World Record attempt and breaking will go down in the record books, but at least the fans will know that Hunter Hayes and Grace Potter both took part in and helped break a world record.
As I've mentioned a couple of times, the pair joined The Flaming Lips as part of the O Music Awards attempt to break the previous record held by Jay-Z of the most concerts played in a 24-hour period.
Jay-Z had previously given seven concerts in 24 hours but traveled by private jet to make things easier. The Flaming Lips performed eight shows in eight different cities and did it while traveling by bus from city to city.
You know, the badass, we-don't-need-no-sleep way.
Hunter and Grace weren't part of the actual record attempt, that was all The Flaming Lips, but were part of the supporting cast and will hopefully get some recognition when the time comes.
For being a secret, Miranda's video shoot for Fastest Girl In Town hasn't been very secret.
That's life in the digital age I suppose.
The local news caught up with the video shoot in Dickson, Tennessee, right across the street from the Piccadilly Club on Highway 70 (map) for all you locals, and caught a quick glimpse of Miranda and now not-so-secret-guest-star Danica Patrick.
The news spoke to a few of the locals who had gathered to watch the making of the video. Some were excited to see Miranda, some were excited to see Danica, and one lady was just disappointed Blake wasn't there.
Now that's my kinda woman.
The producer confirmed the video was for The Fastest Girl in Town and described the video as more of a film concept than a performance video.
For two days now I've been rooting for Blake Shelton to win the Must Follow Artist on Twitter award over on the O Music Awards. It's taken two days because the award show has been spending that much time trying to beat the Guinness World Record for Most Live Concerts in a 24-Hour period, only announcing an award winner every couple of hours or so.
Well word just came over the wire that Blake lost out in his category to American Idol runner up Adam Lambert.
Booooo.
I don't know what Adam has that Blake doesn't except maybe lots of guyliner.
Stupid guyliner.
Also losing out at the awards show was Taylor Swift. She was nominated for two awards -- Fan Army FTW and Most Extreme Fan Outreach. She lost out the Fan Army award to Tokio Hotel's fans called "Aliens" and she lost out the Fan Outreach one to Riot in Paris.
Emily Robison, the dark haired Chick of The Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds is pregnant with her fourth baby, but first with her boyfriend Martin Strayer.
Emily's rep confirmed the news to Us Weekly on Thursday, saying, "She's excited!"
Emily is due in early September. The new baby will join Emily's other children, twins Juliana Tex and Henry Benjamin, 7, and Charles Augustus, 9.
Cabela’s --the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear -- is kicking off the summer with the announcement of a multi-year endorsement and sponsorship of Valory Music Co. recording artist Justin Moore. As one of today's most promising stars, the "Bait A Hook" crooner has already toured with some of the hottest names in music, including Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Blake Shelton. The 2011 release of Outlaws Like Me garnered critical success and his second #1 hit with “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” the fastest rising single of his career.This straight-talking country powerhouse has grown to become the voice of small town America and prides himself on writing and recording music that reflects his simple upbringing in rural Arkansas.
A little birdy flew in my window this morning to tell me Kellie Pickler and her record label Sony/BNA have parted ways. There has been no official statement from Kellie or Sony as to the breakup but we will keep you updated as soon as we hear something.
Jana Kramer's winding career path has finally led her to Nashville. Born and raised in Michigan, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career and appeared on Friday Night Lights, 90210 and Entourage. Then she landed a breakout role as aspiring singer Alex Dupre in One Tree Hill, a prime-time WB series filmed in North Carolina.
Two years ago, after frequent visits to Tennessee, she officially made the move to Music City.
"Gosh, I was in L.A. for about nine years, and I never felt at home at all -- until I moved here," she says. "Even before I bought my house, I was like, 'Wow, I'm going to live here forever.'"
The relocation has paid off, as her debut single "Why Ya Wanna" has become a Top 20 hit. And on June 5, she released her debut album on Elektra Nashville. That career momentum has helped
shed the stigma that she's just another actress who's "gone country."
During a visit to CMT, the upbeat singer chatted about her musical influences, her upcoming tour with Brad Paisley and that darn ex-boyfriend from "Why Ya Wanna."
CMT: You made such a strong impression at country radio for being a new artist. How did you go about making that personal connection and proving yourself?
Kramer: I was getting so much criticism. They were like, "Oh, God, another actress coming in, trying to make it in country radio." I had a ton of criticism. A lot of people on the radio tour were like, "Nah, I don't want to even bother to see her." [My label] was like, "Just meet her." Once I met them, I always thought, "Let the music lead the way. Just be me." I'm from Michigan and a down-home girl. I'm not what they were expecting. They embraced me, and it's been unbelievable. I'm so thankful.
How many times did you hear those critical comments?
Oh, a million. By the day, it's less and less. There are a few people who still haven't met me who are like, "Meh." But now all of the people who were not believers are now becoming believers. But I do remember the people who believed in me in the beginning. I'll never forget that.
I feel like you embraced a traditional country sound on "Whiskey" and "You Only Want Me When You're Lonely." Why did that approach appeal to you?
When I first met with [producer Scott Hendricks] and played him some of the things I was writing, he was like, "Wow, you're country! You're not poppy." There are some things that can lean more pop, but I love Deana Carter and even older than that, like Loretta Lynn. That's what I grew up on.
Have you found that people are surprised that you sound so country?
Yeah, everyone! They're like, "You're from Michigan! How are you country?" I say, "Keith Urban is from Australia. Let's have a debate." (laughs) It doesn't matter. There are more rednecks in Michigan than there are in the South. It doesn't matter where you are. Who cares?
I've heard you talk about "sass with class." What does that term mean to you?
My definition is: "I don't want to kill any of my ex-boyfriends. I just want them to suffer a little bit." And I don't think that's bad, I really don't! It's not like I'm going to be standing out there with a shotgun. But I just hope something happens, like I hope it rains on them on their wedding day. (laughs)
What was going through your mind when you got the offer to tour with Brad Paisley?
People were always asking me who I wanted to tour with, and I always said Jason Aldean or Brad Paisley. I'm really happy I got the Paisley tour. His fans are just awesome, and I love him as a person. I think he's an amazing entertainer, and I love his songs. I've been a fan since I was a kid. I'm sure he doesn't like to hear that! (laughs) I've been a fan for a while.
When you look out at the crowd when you play live, what kind of people are you seeing?
A ton of girls, because a lot of them are One Tree Hill fans. (laughs) And then the dudes who have to be there, but then they became fans of One Tree Hill. A total mix -- and that's what's awesome. That's what I wanted. I wanted not just the girls. I wanted the guys and the older people. I wanted to reach a whole group of people.
What is a typical day on the road for you?
If I'm not too tired, I'll go for a run and open up the lungs a little bit. We have load-in pretty early for the Brad Paisley stuff. We play the show, which is early, then we'll go out and see the town we're in. And I'm a huge gamer. I make my band play games with me, like Catch Phrase and Things and Guesstures. It's really fun.
What kind of games are those?
Things is my favorite game in the whole entire world. It's like, "Things you shouldn't do in front of your in-laws." ... And you have to guess who said which thing. But it gets really dirty really fast! It gets very inappropriate very fast!
Is it all guys in your band?
I have one girl, but the band is all on the same bus. We're all around the same age. There's a great mixture of everything. There are no crazy partiers. We all even ourselves out pretty well. I love having a girl in the band because we can be like, "Boys, blaahh!"
Would you say that music is like therapy and helps you work through things?
One hundred percent. It is absolutely therapy. When I first started on the radio tour, I was still hung up on the guy I sang "Why Ya Wanna" about. And now I've worked past it, from singing that song. I'm like, "You know what? You don't deserve for me to be thinking about you right now." So now I'm on "I Hope It Rains" with him. Like, "I hope you suffer!" (laughs)
Have you crossed paths with that guy again?
I have. And he still gives me a big ol' hug and just thinks that everything is dandy.
You can't leave him hanging, so I think you should give him a big bear hug next time.
Jewel is playing June Carter Cash in the upcoming Lifetime movie, The June Carter Cash Story, which is based on John Carter Cash's telling of his mother's life.
The movie will air on Lifetime but hasn't gotten an official air date yet that I'm aware of.
UPDATE: Here's another photo she tweeted before, showing how she will appear on your screen.
Kenny Chesney's 'Welcome To The Fishbowl' album debuts today at #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums Chart with more than 193,000 albums sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is his 11th consecutive album to debut at #1. 'Fishbowl' debuts at #2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 Chart.
First-week sales of 'Fishbowl' eclipse the first-week sales of his last three album releases, including the platinum-selling, critically acclaimed 'Hemingway's Whiskey,' which produced four #1 singles and a Top 5 song. "This dramatic increase in sales is a real testament to the strength of his new music, as well as the continued momentum of his career at every level," said Gary Overton, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO.
'Welcom to the Fishbowl' has already yielded the Top 10 hit "Feel Like A Rock Star" with 'Brothers of the Sun' Tour partner Tim McGraw, and his current single, "Come Over," is one of the fastest rising singles in Chesney's career. Album release week activities included a free, 75-minute concert directed for a live stream by Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme as part of the American Express "Unstaged" series, as well as performances on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and The Today Show Summer Concert Series. Chesney wrapped the week with stadium shows in Nashville and Charlotte.
Chesney is currently on the cover of Men's Health Magazine and People Country, with recent features in USA Today, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide and much more. He can be seen on ESPN's latest "This is SportsCenter" commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j84pqBlTC9I&feature=youtu.be), where Chesney tries to ignore ESPN anchor Steve Levy's zealous attempt to join him at the popular table in the ESPN cafeteria. He'll also take part in NBC's Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular which airs Wednesday, July 4 from 9-10 pm ET.
It's always exciting getting something signed by a famous person. You know what's probably even more exciting? Getting to walk in their shoes....literally.
For the last couple of days Whitney Duncan has been tweeting links to stuff on eBay, Christian Louboutin Heels in particular. I finally followed one of the links that led to a sexy pair of strappy heels that I could never wear in a million years, mainly because they're a size 7, but then there's that whole trying-to-kill-myself-if-I-walk-in-heels thing I've talked about in the past.
Well after looking around I realized that they are Whitney's actual shoes. Whitney, user ID whitdt, has sold all kinds of stuff -- bathing suit from the time she was on Survivor, shoes, a guitar, some music.
Spring cleaning time it appears.
Pretty cool if you ask me. It's like going to a garage sale and having Brad Paisley come out to take your money personally. Hello!
If you'd like to take a look at what Whitney has to sell, just head over to eBay.
As I told you yesterday, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are both nominated for O Music Awards in different categories -- Blake for Must Follow Artist on Twitter and Taylor Swift for Most Extreme Fan Outreach.
Now Hunter Hayes is getting in on the O Music Awards fun, but not as a nominee. Instead, Hunter will be joining the award show's attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the Most Live Concerts in 24 Hours.
Check out the press release below for all the details....
Hunter Hayes will join The Flaming Lips in their quest to break the Guinness World Records title for the Most Live Concerts In 24 Hours (Multiple Cities) during the groundbreaking and Webby Award winning O Music Awards, live at Benny’s Boom Boom Room in Hattiesburg, MS this Thursday, June 28th at 7:30 AM, ET/ 6:30 AM, CT. Hayes is one of several emerging artists invited to join The Flaming Lips during a 24 hour whirlwind tour, beginning in Memphis, TN and ending in New Orleans, LA. Tune – In Thursday, June 28th at 7:30 AM, ET/ 6:30 AM, CT to watch Hayes’ performance streaming live on OMusicAwards.com and accessible on all platforms including mobile and tablets. The performances will be LIVE streamed and VOD’s will go live after on CMT.com.
Kellie Pickler, it seems, has the same issue as Miranda Lambert...she's an animal rescue addict.
Kellie tells PeoplePets.com that her habit of bringing home animals she's rescued while out on tour has gotten to the point that her husband Kyle has had to put his foot down recently.
"My husband will not let me have any more animals than we do now," she tells PEOPLE. "He never knows when the bus rolls up at home, I open the bus door, and he's wondering what critter's going to crawl off of there now."
Luke Bryan and his mom, LeClaire/photo courtesy of GAC
Uh oh, Luke Bryan's in trouble now, his mama is now armed with....an iPad.
This morning Luke spoke with The Dr. Don Show on Detroit's 99.5 to give them the latest scoop on what's going on in his life including his butt tattoo (which, FYI, is on his right upper cheek), his new awards, platinum singles, and his mama.
He tells the show about his mom, “You know, she was on my butt for like 6 months over an iPad.” Luke decided to be the good son and took her to the Apple Store in Nashville to hook her up. Unfortunately, she's a little too friendly for Luke's liking.
“She wants to turn a shopping experience into like a Disney World trip. We go into the Mac Store here in Nashville. She wanted to meet all of the sales associates and get to know them on a personal level. I'm like, 'Mama'.”
After that shopping trip, she's now armed and ready to dig deep.
"Essentially all I did was buy her a vehicle to snoop on me."
When asked about Facebook, he says she's already there.
“Well, she’s doing all of that, she gets the Google Alerts, if I say a cuss word on Twitter, she calls me saying I shouldn’t be saying that. She's got a little support group of 60-year-old ladies down there, they all have their little iPad, down there smoking and drinking and surfing the web on their iPad."
Too funny. It's definitely dangerous to arm your mama with an info getter like an iPad, although I'm sure it provides a little extra incentive to keep your nose clean.
“I’m sorry, y’all, but I wanted to say something,” she said. “I went out to Walgreens today, and I saw some houses that still had boards on the windows, and . . . I live in Tornado Alley, in Oklahoma, and I know how disaster can affect a community.
‘I just wanted you to know that I’ve prayed for you guys, and everything you went through, and that I appreciate you rebuilding your community and coming back stronger than ever.”
Miranda then wept through parts of the rest of the song as the crowd sang for her, the newspaper reports.
It was a powerful moment that Miranda broke through with trademark sass and humor.
"Seriously, y’all,” she told the crowd, “I’m gonna have to kick your asses if you tell anyone I was crying up here.”
Just one month after signing with Big Machine Records, Country Superstar Tim McGraw announced today that he will release his first single for the label on July 3. Hundreds of thousands of fans have already been treated to a preview of the song, "Truck Yeah," during this summer's hottest stadium tour THE BROTHERS OF THE SUN TOUR with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.
"We have been unbelievably excited about 'Truck Yeah' since the first show of the summer when we played it live for the first time," said McGraw. "I'm really happy that radio and the fans will have access to it so soon."
"I am beyond excited to announce that Tim McGraw's first single on Big Machine Records becomes a reality next week. His new music is amazing and he's completely amped and engaged," said Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta. "People are saying they've never seen Tim so happy and excited...and that happiness and excitement are contagious. HERE WE GO!"
So are you one of those women (or men I suppose) who likes a man who sheds tears occasionally?
Then Keith Urban's your guy.
Keith spoke recently with Australia's Kyle and Jacki O and admitted that he's a weeper.
'I don't swear much, I've taken those words out of my vocabulary and having kids you have to have two sets of language!' he told Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O (via Music-News.com). 'I'd like to say they're all very passionate, as am I. Sometimes I just cry at random stuff!'
Keith did drop a bombshell for Australian fans....he may not be coming back to the Australian version of The Voice.
The first season of the show just ended and it's still up in the air whether any of the judges will be coming back for season 2. Keith says his coming back depends mostly on whether he can get his next album finished.
'I'm not sure. I'd love to do it. My thing is making sure I have an album done which is really what I'm doing next week. I'm going to be in the studio for the next few months and if the record comes together like I hope it does then I'll definitely be back on,' he said.
I'm sure fans are rooting for Keith to come back, but will understand his reasons if he can't.
Greg Statler Balsley, 49, drowned last Wednesday, June 20, in Nags Head, North Carolina. Greg is the son of Statler Brothers founding member Phil Balsley (the deep voiced one).
According to reports, Greg was swimming in the ocean on Wednesday when a lifeguard heard his cries for help. The lifeguard swam out and pulled Greg and another member of the same group to shore.
The other swimmer survived, but Greg unfortunately didn't.
According to a press release, there was a rip current but it's not actually 100% certain that Greg died from drowning. I'm sure an official report will be released at some point.
Wow. Sending my condolences and prayers out to the family and friends.
Okay, this is odd. I found this video from 2010 that says it's Nathan Blankenship (aka, the guy who got kicked out of the Brothers of the Sun tour for looking like Kenny Chesney) doin' his thang at a baseball game. The guy in the video is clearly enjoying people thinking he's Kenny Chesney and he's very good at it. He even appears to sign something for an apparent confused fan.
I'm honestly not sure if this is Nathan because the guy in this video has what appears to be two arms full of tattoos and the Nathan Blankenship that we've seen the last couple of days only has one visible Superman S tattoo. I guess it's possible the tattoos in the video could be fakes, but who does that? It's also quite possible that the person who owns the video may have went and changed the description to capitalize on the recent publicity.
I've been of a mind that kicking someone out of a concert for looking too similar to the star of the show is downright idiotic, but if Nathan was acting like the guy in the above video and people were acting similar to those in the video, I'm starting to get a clearer picture of just why this could be a problem and possibly a safety issue.
Get a bunch of drunk people who mistakenly think they're seeing Kenny Chesney in the crowd at one of his concerts where people are already jazzed up and there's no telling how crazy it might have gotten.
Well this is certainly a band with an interesting name. I've never heard of Angel Mary & The Tennessee Werewolves, but they're releasing a new single to radio today so maybe I'll be hearing more about them in the future.
You can listen to their very....uhmm....hard rock country, I guess you could call it, new single being released to radio today called Cowboy here. You can also visit their website here to learn more about them.
The Pistol Annies seem like they've been around forever now, but it's actually only been like a year. Isn't that odd to think about? I Googled and their very public performance was on April 11, 2011, during the Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country special. Amazing that's all it's been.
Well now it seems that the group might not have happened at all because Miranda Lambert didn't want to be friends with the other blonde in the group, Ashley Monroe, at least for a little while.
Miranda tells The Advocate that when she started out as a teenager on Sony Music Nashville, Ashley was also signed to the label, which made her Miranda's competition.
“Of course, I was reluctant to be friends with her because she was another blonde on my label,” Lambert recalled. “But I listened to her record and it blew me away. She’s so great. So this crazy friendship started. It’s fun to be best friends with someone you also share a passion with.”
It's a good thing Miranda got over her initial misgivings about Ashley, also known as Hippie Annie, because it was Ashley who introduced Miranda to Angaleena, AKA Holler Annie.
Now Miranda says the trio is like an old married couple.
“In a way, it’s a marriage,” says Miranda. “We write together, we do everything together. It’s cool. Girls don’t get along all the time but, if there is a fight, it’s usually two in a fight and one of us as a mediator.”
The girls of the band are currently writing for their second album and hope to record it this fall and release it sometime next year.
Billy Ray Cyrus is getting ready to ramp up his acting cred by giving Broadway a try.
Billy Ray's been famous for acting almost as long as he's been famous for singing, but now he's getting ready to try something entirely new....Broadway.
USA Today is reporting that this November 5 through December 23, Billy Ray will be taking on the part of attorney Billy Flynn in the long-running musical Chicago.
"I love acting, and I'm always up for learning new things," Billy Ray says.
Billy Ray appeared in a Toronto production of Annie Get Your Gun in 2005, but admitted to never having seen Chicago on stage or the movie version until producers invited him to check it out.
Billy ray says he hopes to model his version of Billy Flynn after both the stage version played by John O'Hurley and the movie version played by Richard Gere.
"I'm probably going to borrow from both performances — but make it my own, as they say in this business." Not that he assumes it will be easy: "I get a little nervous thinking about it. Maybe a lot nervous."
Apart from taking on Broadway, Billy Ray's also planning an autobiography called Hillbilly Heart that's due in April and a new album that he says is for now called Change My Mind, which is scheduled to hit stores this October.
Trisha Yearwood has certainly done well in the foodie world. After two highly successful cookbooks of yummy Southern grub, she's now taking the televised cooking world by storm.
Trisha's Food Network show Trisha's Southern Kitchenhas just been renewed for a second season, with more than twice the number of episodes ordered than were ordered for its first season.
"Our viewers loved seeing a different side of Trisha,” Food Network GM and senior vpBob Tuschman told The Hollywood Reporter. "Her impressive cooking skills and family recipes, coupled with her natural Southern charm, really resonated with our audience."
Trisha's first season had six episodes and started in April. The second season of Trisha's Southern Kitchen will have 13 episodes and will begin filming this summer for a fall premiere.
"It was such a great experience, and the positive response from viewers was overwhelming and truly gratifying," Trisha is quoted as saying. "I've always believed that food brings people together. I can't wait to share more family memories and recipes with Food Network fans."
Fans of Trisha and her food can watch videos, see photos, and try out some of Trisha's recipes on Food Network.
Season 3 of "The Voice" is still a few months away from premiering, but the show's already got a bit of controversy going on thanks to Cee Lo Green's decision to switch out his season 1 cat Purrfect for a pink Moluccan cockatoo named Lady
As I told you yesterday, Cee Lo has decided to give up Purrfect, the cat he had on the show with him last season, in favor of a pink cockatoo named Lady. Now bird activists (yes, bird activists is apparently a thing) around the country have their tail feathers in a ruffle over Cee Lo's choice of pets.
According to TMZ, reps from the animal rights organization Born Free tell the website that Moluccan cockatoos make terrible pets and are endangered, two good reasons to NOT use one on a T.V. show, but they go on to say that the cockatoos tend to self-mutilate when stressed.
"Moluccan cockatoos are beautiful, intelligent animals but they are very challenging to care for especially in the long term, and are prone to considerable welfare problems," Monica Engrebretson -- a rep for Born Free, tells TMZ. "Many Moluccan cockatoos develop self-destructive behavior including feather plucking and self mutilation not known to occur in the wild."
"Many parrot rescues are already filled to capacity with moluccans and other large parrots. I encourage “The Voice” to reconsider featuring a moluccan cockatoo or any bird as a 'pet' on the show and instead promote a more appropriate companion animal such as a dog. Even better, they could feature a rescue dog or a dog in need of a home."
She adds, "I want to add that I am a huge fan of Cee-Lo and I am glad that he appears to be an animal lover."
I can definitely see where Born Free is coming from considering how fans tend to treat animals that are in fashion -- just think about all the chihuahuas abandoned to shelters once Paris Hilton quit packing one around in her purse -- and who wants a bunch of fans going out and getting one of these endangered birds just because they see them on T.V.?
I can also see how "The Voice" could use this as a learning experience to help raise awareness of a beautiful endangered bird. I don't think I had ever seen Cee Lo Green bring Purrfect out in front of the live audience so it's probably a lot less stressful than the animal rights group is thinking it will be. Maybe there will be a happy medium.
One thing's for sure, no one from The Voice is talking right now. TMZ reached out to Cee Lo and never heard back.
So often when we hear things about LeAnn Rimes it's about her personal life and her troubles with her husband's exwife and it's paparazzi photos and Twitter photos of questionable cakes and things like that. It's nice to hear about LeAnn and her music for a change.
LeAnn recently chatted with Taste of Country and told them that she's busy working on her next album, the last she has on her contract with Curb Records.
Despite the self-professed functioning business relationship, the singer is quick to divulge that her next studio album is the last contractually-obligated project with the Nashville-based label. With that information in mind, Rimes assures listeners the new album is anything but a rushed project to fulfill a business contract.
“I’m working on a new record … we’re finishing up. I love it,” she confesses. “I’ve written two-thirds of it. It’s super fun and heartbreaking and all the emotions in between. It’s called ‘Spitfire.’”
'Spitfire', according to Taste of Country, is set to be released in November. So who's excited for new music from LeAnn?
Boy oh boy, the Brothers of the Sun tour just keeps rolling out the great guest stars.
On Saturday, Tim brought his lovely wife, Faith Hill, out on stage with him to sing their hit I Need You to a packed LP Field in Nashville, and on Sunday, Tim welcomed Scotty McCreery onto the stage to sing I Like It, I Love It in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Well at least someone in charge is realizing there was a foolish mistake made this weekend.
As I told you earlier, teacher Nathan Blankenship had his ticket confiscated and was escorted from LP Field during this weekend's Brothers of the Sun tour in Nashville after he was accused of impersonating Kenny Chesney and causing too much of a distraction.
Nathan denied impersonating anyone, saying he couldn't help it if he looked like Kenny and fans mistook him for the country singer.
This afternoon I got an email from the promoter of the show saying they've reached out to Nathan to try and make things right.
NASHVILLE, TN - Being made aware through the media that fan Nathan Blankenship was removed from the 'Brothers of the Sun' Tour show in Nashville on Saturday night, the promoter of the show is contacting Blankenship to resolve the matter. No one in Chesney's management or promoter camp was aware that this fan had been escorted from the show until after it had been reported by the media.
Concert promoter Kate McMahon, Vice President of Marketing for the The Messina Group said, "We never want our fans to leave disappointed and we are reaching out to him to make this situation right."
Such an odd story that's developed here over something as silly as looking a little too much like your idol. Hope they really do make it up to the guy.
On a side note, Nathan really does look remarkably like Kenny when he has his hat on. Maybe the guy can capitalize on his appearance and sudden publicity and start playing birthday parties and corporate events.
Can you believe today is the first day of summer? Seems like just yesterday it was Christmas.
Now that summer has officially arrived, many of us Americans will start thinking about the 4th of July. If you're going to be home and are wondering where you can watch some of your favorite stars perform on the 4th from the comfort of your own home, here's the only two I know of so far who will be on national television:
Kenny Chesney will be performing at the MACY's 4th OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR which will air on NBC Wednesday, July 4th from 9-10 p.m. ET, 8-9 p.m. CT.
Josh Turner will perform during the A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS. The show will air 7/4/12 on PBS but times vary. To find out when and where to catch the show, check out PBS' website.
Kenny Chesney is performing a free concert tonight on the Jersey Shore to celebrate the release of his new CD 'Welcome to the Fishbowl'.
Unfortunately for anyone who is still hoping to score free tickets, the tickets have been gone pretty much since the concert was announced on June 7th.
The good news is you can watch the show for free from the comfort of your own home on YouTube. A good thing about that is you will probably have to deal with far few drunker people than if you were really at the beach show.
The concert will be streamed live starting tonight at 8:30 (Eastern time I assume) and will be available for 12 hours afterward on YouTube.
Check out the video below that Kenny and his new labradoodle Poncho shot for the concert. If you visit KennyChesneyVevo/unstaged, you can check out some video of Kenny playing with his new pal and being a proud pooch papa.
And speaking of Poncho, I have absolutely no clue how to spell his name. When People.com first introduced the world to Kenny's new pup, they spelled it Pancho. Now I keep seeing it spelled Poncho. Pancho is a name (like Pancho Villa) and a poncho is a sort of raincoat, so I assume Pancho is right, but I'm not 100% sure, so don't mind me if I flip flop between the spellings.
Also, did you happen to catch Pancho/Poncho's appearance in Kenny's Come Over video? I missed it until I rewatched the video this morning.
There was an explosion Tuesday evening at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. 5000 people had to be evacuated, including up to 500 sheriffs from around the country who were at the hotel for a conference.
From the reports I've read and reported on, the explosion was supposed to have happened in some sort of mechanical room, but from the looks of the video above, significant damage happened in the hotel and not just the room where the explosion took place.
From the YouTube description:
This video was taken directly after the explosion at the Opryland Hotel, located in Nashville, TN. The explosion shook the entire wing of the hotel, dust fell from the ceilings, and debris was left throughout. Luckily, nobody has been reported injured.
Wait until the 1:06 mark to see the REAL damage. Scary as crap. Amazing that no one was hurt.
You can read Gaylord's official statement regarding the explosion here.
Tracy Lawrence on the set of L.A. Dirt with fellow cast members Madeline Thelton, and Michael Roark. Photo: Alex Torrez
Tracy Lawrence just spent a week on the set of L.A. Dirt in Mobile, Alabama for his acting debut in the upcoming feature film. Lawrence on the heels of an exciting week during CMA Fest in Nashville began filming on June 9.
L.A. Dirt is a story about a young man’s dream to become a champion dirt track racer. Lawrence plays the supporting role of the uncle to Ty Hargrove (Michael Roark, Dolphin Tale), the eighteen year-old aspiring racer. The film combines the action of Days of Thunder, the romance of Urban Cowboy, and the feel-good of Rocky into a PG family feature.
L.A. Dirt plans to wrap principal photography on June 30, 2012.
Kenny Chesney's new video for Come Over is a steamy one, which leaves a lot of people wondering just who the leading lady in the video is.
There has been a lot of traffic coming to the site searching specifically for this bit of trivia so I've been searching on and off trying since the video came out to find out just who she is. Last night I got lucky and came across her info.
I've been fortunate to work in Germany, Paris, Milan, New York, Miami, but I'm primarily based in Los Angeles and New York.
My life is full of art and music, creative minds, amazing food, being outdoors and having the company of my closest friends.
You can find some modeling photos of her on Google images. She also has a Twitter and Facebook account but you'll have to do a little net detective work if you want those since I don't want to be directly responsible for any cyber-stalking.
Now that you know who she is, check out Courtney one more time in Kenny's hot new video.
Tammy Wynette's signature hit, "Stand by Your Man," has been remixed as a dance track to coincide with the 70th anniversary of her birth. The radio and club versions, the first-ever remixes of the song, were created by Dave Aude and released to digital retailers on Friday (June 15). The remixes are the first major chart contenders by Wynette since 1991, when British rave sensations the KLF invited her to sing on their left-field pop hit "Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMs)." That track reached No. 2 on the Billboard dance charts, No. 11 on the Hot 100 and went to No. 1 in 18 countries. Wynette was born May 5, 1942, and died in 1998.
Jackson's first-week sales totaled 72,848 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The other debuting albums are the self-titled Jana Kramer, which checks it at No. 5 on sales of 16,295 copies, and the various-artists collection, Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell (No. 32).
Luke Bryan's Spring Break 3 ... It's a Shore Thing comes back to the chart at No. 75.
The Zac Brown Band's "Wind" is the highest ranking new song (No. 27). Also fresh from the farm are Katie Armiger's "Better in a Black Dress" (No. 54) and Rodney Atkins' "Just Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" (No. 57).
Albums No. 2 through No. 4, in that order, are Underwood's Blown Away, Bryan's Tailgates & Tanlines and Lionel Richie's Tuskegee.
Shhhh, don't judge me but I'm a total Lady Gaga fan. She's weird as hell but I really love her music.
That's why it makes me happy to hear Miranda Lambert belt out one of her tunes.
This cover was during last weekend's (6/10) Downtown Hoedown in Detroit, but if you search on YouTube she's actually been doing the cover for a while now and there are quite a few videos.
During her show, Kid Rock also joined Miranda and the other ladies from the Pistol Annies for a cover of his hit song, Picture.
Definitely not picture perfect, but perfectly fun to watch.
On Friday, Tim tweeted this photo of his toned and naked torso and the shoe of some guy with a really impressive under-standing.
The pic was captioned: This is a shoe that can really make a man feel inadequate! pic.twitter.com/g6vNz7Ab
All I can say is thank goodness this photo wasn't a leaked photo of Tim trying to impress some unnamed Twitter hotty with the size of his feet. It would have been a scandal of Anthony Weiner proportions.
As it is, this photo is just dying for a new caption. Got one?
Lance Armstrong has been BANNED from competing in triathlons ... effective immediately ... over new allegations that he participated in a massive doping conspiracy.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has smacked Armstrong with formal charges ... claiming Lance and 5 of his cycling associates conspired to use and distribute illegal substances from 1998 until 2011.
The USADA claims Armstrong has been using EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents.
The USADA also claims it collected blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.”
Now, Armstrong is firing back in a new statement ... claiming the allegations are "baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity."
Armstrong continues, "I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."
"That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence."
“Blown Away,” the title track of Carrie Underwood’s fourth album which has held the #1 position for five consecutive weeks on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart, has been selected as her next single. Impacting country radio on Monday, July 9, “Blown Away” has already amassed nearly 200,000 downloads prior to its official shipment as an airplay single, and, as reflected by media activity, is the “top fan choice for next single.” Millions have already seen Carrie perform this dynamic song on two primetime television programs, “American Idol” on May 3 and the “2012 Billboard Music Awards” on May 20. Naming it “The Blown Away Tour,” the country superstar recently announced she will headline her third arena tour of North America, starting September 14 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and continuing through December.
This week, the Arista Nashville promotion team will approach country radio programmers with the details on how to win a Private World Premiere of Carrie’s “Blown Away” music video. The prize package for this nationwide contest includes a “red carpet” event for a group of listeners in the winning station’s market which will be attended by Underwood. Country radio contest contact information is listed at the end of this press release.
The music video of “Blown Away” was directed by Randee St. Nicholas and produced by Brandon Bonfiglio for Randee St. Nicholas Photography.
Ford's Declaration of Independence will be issued on Average Joes Entertainment on Aug. 7. Ford co-wrote the project's first single, "Back," and recorded it with Jake Owen. Jason Aldean, Boyz II Men, Kix Brooks, Montgomery Gentry and Darius Rucker will appear on the album.
Lewis' first full-length country album, The Road, is now due Aug. 14 on Blaster Records. (Initially announced for a June 26 release, the project is now on a different label.) The lead single is "Endless Summer." In addition to his country career, Lewis fronts the rock band Staind.
Lund's Cabin Fever will be released by New West Records on Aug. 14. Lund joined Hayes Carll to write and record a comical new track, "Bible on the Dash." Lund's 2009 U.S. debut album, Losin' Lately Gambler, earned him an Americana Music Award nomination in the new and emerging artist category.
Fans of Tim McGraw and Sheryl Crow looking for great seats to their sold out summer shows can forgo the scalpers and purchase VIP tickets that will support an important cause. Both artists have donated tickets to (RED)ROWS, an online auction that's part of the broader (RED)RUSH TO ZERO campaign (June 1-10) to raise funding and awareness to deliver an AIDS-Free Generation by 2015. All (RED)ROWS ticket sales will benefit the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, (RED)'s partner organization. The Global Fund invests 100% of (RED) dollars in HIV/AIDS programs in Africa, including interventions targeting women and children.
Fans can visit www.redrush.com and click on the (RED)ROWS button, where they can bid on seats and other special packages from artists ranging from Cold Play to Leonard Cohen. When they make their bid, fans will also see its potential impact, in terms of how many lives could be saved.
According to the TimesOnline.com, Zachary Leone, 22, ran into his 17-year-old exgirlfriend and her male concert date at a June 2nd Lady Antebellum concert in Pennsylvania when some sort of altercation occurred. The teenaged girl decided enough was enough and tried to get in the middle of Leone and the other man.
Leone lost his temper, knocked the unnamed teenager down, and proceeded to beat her. At some point, Leone lost his freakin' mind and bit the tip of the girl's right ring finger off.
Because that's how crazy people roll in 2012 I guess.
Leone was apparently on the run for a while but turned himself in on charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment about a week later and was released on a $25,000 bond.
Jim Lauria, a police officer at the concert center, said authorities were unable to locate the fingertip. “You have 20,000 people stomping around all over the place,” he said.
In case you're curious, Leone denies biting off the girl's fingertip, but then again, who in their right mind would admit that freely?
Sometimes it's the parts of an interview that don't get quotted that are the most fun for me to read.
Carrie Underwood recently sat down in Hollywood to give an interview for the UK's The Independent. It's the interview that I'm sure you've heard of that has Carrie coming out in support of gay marriage.
"As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry," she said. "I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love."
"Our church is gay friendly," she said. "Above all, God wanted us to love others. It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'everyone has to be like me'. No. We're all different. That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody."
I say bravo to Carrie for her support. No matter what your opinion of gay people and the lives they live, everyone should have the option and right to live their lives openly and with as much freedom as the next person.
But the support of gay folks isn't the part of the article that I found the most amusing. Nope, it was the interviewer's (Guy Adams) initial encounter with Carrie in her manager's hotel room in Hollywood that gave me a giggle.
Above the sofa hang two sepia photographs of a female nude, which according to her publicist are "not very Carrie", but which unfortunately happen to be bolted very firmly to the wall. We are therefore asked, nicely, to ensure that pictures showing her adjacent to a female nipple do not make it into print.
So photographs of nude women are "not very Carrie." That's probably a bit of an understatement.
The article was broken into two parts. The first half is here and the second half is here with all of Carrie's comments on gay marriage. It's all definitely worth a quick read.
On a side note, if you comment, please keep your comments respectful. I'm all for everyone having a say and an opinion, but if you're going to go all homophobic on my ass, I'd rather you not do it here.
Tennesse's other giant music festival, Bonnaroo, was held last week from the June 7-10 and had a few surprise performances, one of which was The Gambler himself, Kenny Rogers.
"I don’t know how it happened, but I was asked to do “The Gambler” with Phish at Bonnaroo…how cool was that? I walk out on stage to 70,000 people, which I haven’t done in 30 years, and whether they knew who I was or not, the crowd treated me with great respect because Phish treated me with great respect. You can’t buy that experience." -Kenny Rogers
What a great performance. In fact, Kenny's appearance made Billboard's top 10 performances of the four-day rock and arts festival at #3.
While participating in a press conference backstage at LP Field on Thursday, June 7th before his performance at 2012 CMA Music Festival, Brad Paisley was surprised when CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore presented him with the CMA International Artist Achievement Award.
“Brad is an outstanding ambassador for Country Music around the globe,” said Moore. “CMA is proud to present him with our International Artist Achievement Award.”
The CMA International Artist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music outside the United States.
Since 2000, Paisley has performed in Canada, Europe, and Japan. In 2010, he played in London for the first time and performed in front of two sold-out audiences at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire before travelling to Norway for the Notodden Musikk Festival. In 2011, he played a highly acclaimed show at the O2 Arena in London; three sold-out shows in Ireland; and four shows in Scandinavia where he performed in front of a combined total of more than 40,000 fans.
Previous winners include Bellamy Brothers, Dierks Bentley, BR5 49, Brooks & Dunn, Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, The Mavericks, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, and Dwight Yoakam.
Shania Twain speaks to fans for the first time about her split from Robert John "Mutt" Lange in an online letter, saying she's "inspired by my pain to write." She also notes she's gone skydiving and deep-sea diving for the first time
2004
Terri Clark becomes the first Canadian-born female to join the Grand Ole Opry
2002
Kenny Chesney is the only double-winner at the inaugural CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards, taking honors for the video to "Young" at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center
2002
The Dixie Chicks' "Long Time Gone" video premieres on CMT, immediately following the "CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards"
2001
A three-mile segment of Highway 92 in Paulding County, Georgia, is renamed the Travis Tritt Highway, honoring the county resident. Signs are also erected billing the county as the "Home of Country Music Star Travis Tritt"
1997
LeAnn Rimes performs the national anthem at the Ballpark at Arlington when the Texas Rangers host the San Francisco Giants in the first interleague game in baseball history. The Giants win, 4-3
1985
Chris Young born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He wins "Nashville Star" in 2006, earning an Academy of Country Music awards nomination and building a hit list that includes "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)," "Voices" and "Tomorrow"
1976
Crystal Gayle notches her first #1 country single in Billboard with "I'll Get Over You"
1973
Dolly Parton records "Jolene" during the afternoon at RCA Studio B in Nashville
1952
Jamieson "Junior" Brown born in Kirksville, Indiana. Hailed for his instrumental work on his self-designed guit-steel, he becomes a critics' favorite in the 1990s, while winning the Country Music Association's video award for "My Wife Thinks You're Dead"
Ronnie Dunn has apparently parted company with Sony Music's Arista label after being associated with the imprint for more than two decades. He announced his exit on Facebook last week, although the posting was later deleted. A source at Sony Music Nashville declined comment Monday (June 11) when contacted by CMT.com. Dunn's career rocketed in 1991 when Brooks & Dunn's debut single for Arista, "Brand New Man," topped Billboard's country songs chart for two weeks. Their next three singles -- "My Next Broken Heart,""Neon Moon" and "Boot Scootin' Boogie" -- also spent multiple weeks at No. 1. Their reign as country's top duo continued with numerous No. 1 singles until Dunn and partner Kix Brooks performed their last concert together in 2010. Arista released Dunn's self-titled solo debut album in June 2011. The first single, "Bleed Red," reached No. 10 on Billboard's country chart in 2011. It was followed later that year by "Cost of Livin'," which peaked at No. 19. His most recent single, "Let the Cowboy Rock," peaked at No. 31. His solo album has sold more than 200,000 copies. Brooks, who has been working on his own album, recently released "New to This Town," a collaboration with Joe Walsh, as his first solo single for Arista.
Civil Wars, Alabama Shakes, Robert Ellis, Punch Brothers Also Appear at Tennessee Festival
June 11, 2012; Written by Alexandria Sardam
Kenny Rogers
MANCHESTER, Tenn. -- The 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival concluded Sunday (June 10) with a magical performance by the headliner -- the mighty jam band, Phish. But it wasn't just Trey Anastasio and the rest of the musicians who got the hefty crowd of "phans" and non- "phans" to sway and sing in unison. It was the one and only Kenny Rogers who joined Phish for a sweet version of "The Gambler."
That's right. Phish and Kenny Rogers.
And while that combination may seem like opposite ends of the musical spectrum, the fusion stitched together seamlessly. Sure, everything and anything goes at Bonnaroo -- from the party atmosphere to the clothing (or lack of). However, the true mystery and utterly astonishing element of the festival is how there are no boundaries to stay within when it comes to what kind of music will be played and heard. There are no guidelines, no coloring inside the lines and no limited access to the vastness of music that's created at Bonnaroo. This year was no exception.
Country fans would be proud of the presence bluegrass, folk and those sweet Southern jams had on the many concert stages at Bonnaroo this year. From the Alabama Shakes to the Civil Wars, that down-home spirit was represented Thursday (June 5) through Sunday.
Thursday kicked off just right with a little musical action from Rollin' in the Hay. Not only did the trio hype fans for a weekend of musical fun with "Opie Song," with its steadily-paced mandolin prompting the audience to stomp along, the early set prepared the crowd for days of immeasurable amounts of walking and uncontrolled dancing.
As the air began to cool by a smidgen and as the sky melted from an ombre-fire orange into a mellow navy, the Alabama Shakes took the stage. It was clear the chills received were reverbs of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard's downright soulful voice. It's a voice that's almost unbearably full of a life of blues that only she and greats like Etta James, Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin possessed, that toppled over the souls of every person listening on that beautiful night.
A rosined bow and vigorously plucked strings of all sizes lit up the Sonic Stage on Friday morning as the Infamous Stringdusters performed "Don't Mean Nothin'." The classic sound of bluegrass in the morning ripened ears for more of that sweet sound. Fans got their fix shortly after with Sam Bush, the Grammy- winning multi-instrumentalist and a founder of newgrass music. He ignited the stage with the heat from his bow and the grit from his plucking.
As the set continued, the crowd around the stage grew, and Bush is a performer who knows how to keep any kind of crowd on the edge.
"It's a great circle of communication we get with the audience," said Bush in reference to performing for such a vast crowd.
The party didn't stop with Bush, though, as Trampled by Turtles and the Avett Brothers carefree, nonstop jamming bliss at the What Stage and the Other Tent. The sound of laughter, applause and opening cans of beer suffocated the air as the two bands tore through their respective sets, including the Avetts' "Kick Drum Heart."
While rapper Ludacris' bass beats were going strong in another performance space, Texas native Robert Ellis humbly took the Solar Stage with a performance that was soft and fitting after a long day of high-fiving neighbors while they chugged water and listened to their favorite songs. The longhaired, lanky singer-songwriter strapped a guitar to his chest and sang from his soul. With a voice that has a sultry, gently reassuring twang, he captures the essence of classic country similar to Willie Nelson. Ellis has a timeless quality that's refreshing in a world of complication
While it's easy to classify most acts into genre specific categories, labeling Ellis is a bit of a challenge.
"I just think of it as pop music," he said. "I write songs about people and relationships. They're simple enough songs. You can sing along to them. It's folk-pop. I tell people to go listen to it."
As the Saturday morning sun crept over the farm of Bonnaroo, the Devil Makes Three stirred up some energy as the red-hot firecrackers of bluegrass punk woke up the farm, substituting that need for a jolt of morning caffeine for banjo picking.
The Punch Brothers took the Which Stage later that afternoon. While they kept up with that skyrocketing, pulsating bluegrass energy, the musicians brought something a little different to the stage. Their harmonies were gently eased into creating intriguing, beautiful, cascading melodies. After their songs would dip into darker tones, lead singer-mandolinist Chris Thile would save the ship with his boyish voice that effortlessly soared around the musical cluster of bluegrass and classical music.
Even though the weekend was coming to an end, some of the brightest acts still had yet to perform. Multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz and her band welcomed the crowd Sunday, and the 21-year-old Texan entranced the audience with a pure voice and a steady confidence.
She approached her songs with delicacy and thoroughness. Her voice was a web of naïve and untouched beauty that glided over every note and paired perfectly with the instruments accompanying it. Her brown curls danced with each chord she struck, and her ivory skin glistened as the sun began to filter though the heavy clouds, brewing above.
After Jarosz's set came to a close, fans camped out at the Other Tent as Kathleen Edwards, the Civil Wars and Rogers played later in the day.
Fans waved their hands and clapped along during Rogers' set as he sang his classics, including "Love or Something Like it." The laid-back country legend kept one hand in his pocket and the other gripped on the microphone as he sang to his adoring fans. During his set, he also introduced longtime friend Lionel Richie, who joined him for a duet of "Lady" before performing an impromptu version of his own 1983 hit, "All Night Long."
Between each song, a grin spread across Rogers' face as he heard the chants for more.
Earlier Sunday, Rogers talked about experiencing Bonnaroo and the impact music has on him and his fans.
"Music is the greatest memory-maker of all time," he said. "When you're young and you hear a song you love -- or you're older and remember where you were -- you remember who did it. And it always has a great place in your heart."
While Bonnaroo wasn't the typical concert setting for Rogers, he also talked about how much he values the listeners and the musical experience of any concert moment.
"I think that anytime you put a group of people together, you have something in common," he said. "You're going to get a great result.
(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
I'm no lawyer, but I think Jason Aldean's got a pretty good case. Late Monday night (June 11), Aldean tweeted he'd been ticketed at the beach for swimming when warnings were posted. "Dear officer who gave me a ticket on the beach today for swimming in the water with double red flags. Thanx for the warning, Barney Fife!" Aldean wrote. In another tweet, he acknowledged, "I know he was doin' his job, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't drown in knee deep water. Gimme a break!" The smartest thing Aldean did, though, was document his side of the story with a picture. "I would like to present exhibit A!!!!! Case closed," he sent out with a photo of the beach and at least a dozen people in the water. It's solid evidence that he was not the only one swimming. While he added that he respects law enforcement and is thankful for what they do, he also tweeted, "But me & that 12 yr old who got the other $100 tix are a lil bitter." I'm sure Aldean will just pay the ticket, and that will be that. But for the 12-year-old, that $100 ticket will probably be a small price to pay for the story he can tell all of his friends about the day he and Aldean were busted at the beach.
On Tuesday, June 5, award-winning and platinum-selling country star Rodney Atkins once again hosted the Second Annual “Music City Gives Back” benefit concert in partnership with Music City, Inc. The event was free to the public and featured an all-star lineup including the legendary Clint Black, Thompson Square, Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, Jana Kramer, The Farm, Mallary Hope, and The Willis Clan. Sponsors included Wrangler, Cricket Wireless, Carl Black Chevrolet, and GAC. Fans were given the opportunity to donate to the American Red Cross on site.
The Willis Clan, Mallory Hope and The Farm kicked off the show. Once Jana Kramer took the stage, Broadway was packed with country music fans from all around the world. Jana’s set included “Good Time Comin’ On,” “Whiskey,"
“One of the Boys,” “I Hope it Rains,” and current single, “Why You Wanna."
Jana’s debut CD was released on Tuesday. She celebrated with an album release party on Thursday, during CMA Fest. Fans could also have seen her on the Chevy stage on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Please visit her website for more information: http://www.janakramer.com. Jana is one of my favorite up-and-comers, so I hope she comes out on top.
Josh Thompson opened with “Blame it on Waylan,” and “You Ain’t Seen Country Yet.” Mallory Hope came out to the front of the stage to check out Josh’s set. He continued with “Won’t Be Lonely Long,” “I’m Coming Around,” “Way Out Here,” and “Beer on the Table.”
My personal favorite, Lee Brice, continued the party after Josh Thompson. I had seen Lee perform earlier in the week in an acoustic setting, so I was pumped to see him live with a full band. He opened with “Four on the Floor” and “Sumter County Friday Night” – two songs that definitely got the crowd going!
He sang title song off his second album, “Hard 2 Love,” and other album cuts, “Beer,” and past single “A Woman Like You.”
Unfortunately, I had to catch another show and missed the end of Lee’s set, Thompson Square and Clink Black. However, I got back just as Rodney was taking the stage. He kicked things off with “Farmer’s Daughter,” “What I Love About the South” and “Back Road.” Rodney also has tons of energy and is so engaging with his fans – so much fun to watch! Other songs included, “Watching You,” “Cleaning This Gun,” a new song, “Just Wanna Rock & Roll," current single, “He’s Mine,” “America” and “These Are My People.”
Music City Gives Back stepped it up this year, and the show was bigger and better. I hope this show continues to act as the “unofficial” kickoff for CMA Fest to provide fans with a free show and support an amazing cause.
HGTV's The Lodged offered fans some amazing experiences - live musical performances and autograph signings with popular country music stars and their favorite HGTV, DIY Network and Travel Channel personalities at CMA Fest this year! The Lodge also featured experiences such as a HGTV Red Carpet photo booth for fans to take pictures with their favorite stars and a DIY Network’s “Ice My Cup” cooling station for a snowcone treat.
Throughout the weekend country music stars, Rodney Atkins, Lauren Aliana, Thompson Square, Jake Owen, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and many more signed autographs for fans lucky enough to have won their way into The Lodge.
Fans could also win their way into The Lodge for performances. Performers included artists such as Gary Allan, Kip Moore, Casey James, Sarah Darling, and more!
Kip Moore played a 30-minute set on Friday afternoon. Fans packed The Lodge to hear songs, "Crazy One More Time," "Beer Money," "Reckless," "Hey Pretty Girl," "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" and more! Kip is going out on tour with Eric Church this fall. Check.This.Guy.Out! He is going to be the next hot young guy in country music.
HGTV stars were also onsite to sign autographs. Chris Lambton from HGTV's "Going Yard" was on site one morning signing - even signing autographs for fans outside The Lodge after his time slot had ended. Chris and Peyton were so much fun to meet and have a great dynamic. Be sure to check out "Going Yard." I also found this great read of an interview from CMA Fest: http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2012/06/exclusive-newlyweds-chris-lamb.html
Apparently Vanilla Ice was in the house on morning signing autographs. He has a show on DIY called The Vanilla Ice Project. So sad I missed him!
I want to personally thank the wonderful staff at the Lodge and PR guru, Paul, for being such a wonderful hosts. This is a MUST DO for CMA Fest 2013, if The Lodge returns, and based on the success this year, I don't see why they wouldn't do it again!
Welcome Country Music Fans to Our Beloved City of Nashville, Tennessee
Miranda Lambert
Kellie Pickler
Lady Antebellum
Brad Paisley from the highest seat in the house!
Blake Shelton
Jake Owen
Brantley Gilbert
Carrie Underwood
Randy Houser's Acoustic Set
Eric Church's performance was one of the highlights of the LP Field show. It's about time he was invited to perform on the big stage. Everyone was given lights to sway during "Springsteen" - it looked awesome!
Faith Hill - notice the microphone with a cord...don't see that much anymore
Eric performs at CMA Fest at LP Field on Saturday, June 9, 2012
"funny how a melody sounds like a memory" ... Eric Church is making plenty of memories with his melodies from his third album "Chief." This week, Church scored his second number one single with "Springsteen." It is the second number one single - "Drink In My Hand" went number one in January.
Eric Church's "Blood, Sweat, and Beers" in Nashville on May 5, 2012
The first leg of the "Blood, Sweat, and Beers" tour has already sold more than 450,000 tickets. Fall dates were recently announced with supporting acts Justin Moore and Kip Moore. If "Blood, Sweat & Beers" is coming to a city near you, this is a show you can't miss! Visit www.ericchurch.com for more information.
Bryan, though, stole the show with his swiveling hips and catchy tunes about passionate country romance. He even pulled double duty as an interviewer and performer.
As part of his co-hosting duties for CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock, an ABC special airing Sept. 17, Bryan made multiple appearances throughout the night before finally taking the stage to shake it in earnest for the country girls.
The Georgia native has had a stellar year, touring with Jason Aldean and scoring a platinum selling No. 1 album in Tailgates & Tanlines. He also took home the trophy for male video of the year for "I Don't Want This Night to End" at last week's CMT Music Awards, but his headlining status at CMA Fest may be one the biggest honors of his budding career.
Kicking things off for the resilient third day audience was Julie Roberts performing the national anthem, followed by the steady voice of Rogers and his classic set list. He led the crowd in their first choruses of the day and showed a confidence of craft that settled fans into a relaxed mood for the evening.
That was just the thing for Hayes, whose laid-back guitar riffs are soothing listening in an outdoor setting. He ran through a few tasty blues-infused solos on "Love Makes Me," even apologizing afterward for indulging himself a little.
Hayes is also a gifted pianist, and at one point, he leaped off the stage and into the crowd, darting between fans and up to a small stage with a piano placed in the middle. Surrounded in the middle of the audience, he told the sold-out crowd to light the place up.
Each fan had been handed a penlight at the entrance with the vague explanation that they would need it later, and this was apparently the moment.
The sun had just disappeared and a beautiful scene developed as it looked like thousands of white fireflies surrounding Hayes. He soulfully delivered "Wanted," a performance taped for the ABC special.
After the fireflies dispersed, a quick rotation of artists took over with Love and Theft, Atkins and Little Big Town all singing and thanking the fans.
Little Big Town swung with the swampy melody of "Front Porch Thing" and then got everyone clapping along to the pulsing beat of "Little White Church." Saying they were about to usher us into summertime, we were treated to "Pontoon," a bouncy tune the quartet performed from a party boat on the CMT Music Awards. Always a favorite for their onstage chemistry, the group left the stage on a high note after the slow burn of "Boondocks."
Much of the audience was looking forward to Church's appearance, and "the Chief" turned in a cocky performance that got LP Field ready for action.
Strutting out to the stage in his trademark aviator sunglasses and ball cap, beach balls descended on the crowd from high up in the stands and his band launched into "Drink in My Hand."
After soaking in the applause, Church raised that drink in a salute and made a promise.
"This is my first time ever getting to play LP Field," said Church. "That means I want to give you every ounce of what I have, as long as you give me every ounce of what you have, too."
He picked up a banjo for "Creepin'" before sitting down at a piano for one of the night's highlights. Plucking out the first few notes of "Springsteen," the crowd erupted and Church came alive with a contented smile.
About halfway through the hit, he paused to ask everyone with a cellphone to pull it out and raise it up.
"Now look to your left and your right," he said. "This song is about when memories and melodies connect, and I hope that happens here tonight in Nashville, Tenn."
Hill looked stunning as she arrived for her portion of the night. Wearing a fitted pair of jeans and a red long sleeved T-shirt, Hill seemed as tall as a mountain as her hair shimmered in perfect waves of blonde.
Her voice still seems to be immaculate, as well. Soothing and never so intense as to be shocking, "Mississippi Girl" kicked off her classic set.
Up-tempo tunes like "This Kiss" and a new track, "Illusion," picked the audience up. But then she knocked them over with "Breathe," which she started off with a spiritual intro and performed like it was 1999.
The man of the night was up next, though, arriving to the sound of falling rain and wearing his usual black ball cap and tight charcoal T-shirt.
"Who's feeling frisky on a Saturday night in Nashville?" Bryan asked from the center of the stage. A shimmy of his hips sent the girls wild for the first of many times as he started into his playful set with "Rain Is a Good Thing."
Bryan loves to tease the ladies in the crowd, continually purring and asking the girls to let loose. The way he dances gets a reaction that makes you think back to the early days of Elvis Presley. Bryan has the most dangerous moves in country right now.
"Drunk on You," his current single, is sitting at No. 5 on Billboard's country songs chart, and he had the whole stadium clapping along and joining in on the big "boom, boom" part of the song's chorus.
He gave thanks to all the fans making CMA Fest possible, then sat down at a piano of his own for a few fun-loving cover songs. He didn't play the whole tunes, but Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend," Lionel Richie's "Easy," Adele's "Someone Like You," Journey's "Faithfully" and Hank Williams Jr.'s "A Country Boy Can Survive" all started sing-alongs.
Then it was back to romantic country with "I Don't Want This Night to End" and "Do I," which featured a full moon backdrop on the huge video screens.
To cap off the evening, Bryan played his trump card, the infectious hit "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)." With silhouettes of shapely dancers filling the screens behind him and smoke cannons bursting, Bryan strutted across the stage in front of a sea of fans who seemed to be totally mesmerized.
At one point, Bryan reached into the crowd and pulled up a young man named Steve, and turning the tables on the guys, told him to shake it for the country girls. Steve did his best, but Bryan decided that it wasn't good enough and, to the delight of the audience, was forced to demonstrate the proper technique.
"If you can't hook up tonight, you're just plain ugly," he joked. "And there's nothing I can do about that. I even showed you how to dance!"
Fans were treated to a double dose of all this shaking as Bryan's microphone pack came loose during the frenzy and forced a retake of the entire song to make everything perfect for TV.
Nobody seemed to mind that, though. Especially Bryan, who soaked up every extra moment of what might have been his biggest performance yet.
NFL legend Troy Aikman is making good on his post-divorce promises -- ponying up $1.75 million to his ex-wife as part of their split agreement.
TMZ broke the story ... Aikman and his ex-wife Rhonda quietly divorced in April last year after ten years of marriage.
Now, Troy's tying up several post-divorce loose ends -- according to new legal docs, he paid his wife $1.75 million to fulfill his end of their marital property agreement.
It's unclear if Troy's made other payments -- but the Dallas Cowboys legend is worth a reported $25 million ... so $1.75 mil is chump change.
Just a few short years after beating cancer, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts has just announced she has MDS.
MDS is a bone marrow disorder, and it actually stems from the treatment she got to beat her cancer.
But she wants everyone to know that she's a fighter, and she'll beat this too!
To conquer this, she'll be starting chemotherapy, which will lead to a bone marrow transplant later this year -- and her doctors have told her to ignore what's there when she Googles it, because she's younger and fitter than most people who get it.
They say she'll be cured!
Unfortunately for African American women, it's hard to find a bone marrow donor. Luckily, her sister is a great match for her!
She will NOT be giving up as an anchor at GMA. She'll be strong and continue that post -- buts she admits that she might miss a day here and there.
We say: take all the time you NEED. We'll miss you on GMA when you're absent, but we can handle it because you're off getting healthy!
In the Forrest Gump and Cast Away director's first live action movie since the year 2000, Denzel Washington stars as a pilot who makes an amazing crash landing in Flight.
Despite his heroism, the media puts his life under intense scrutiny and the world discovers he drank heavily the night before which casts a heavy shadow over his accomplishment.
Did he save all of the passengers or did he put them in danger by flying after a night of boozing?
The plot looks like it's ripped right out of {C}{C}the headlines and we're placing our bets that this could easily become another Robert Zemeckis classic.
Not only is it directed by the guy behind the Back To The Future franchise, but it's got John Goodman, Don Cheadle, and Academy Award winner Melissa Leo supporting Denzel as he attempts to clear his name from any wrong doing.
Solid story, solid director, and a solid cast? Check out the trailer (above) and let us know if U will be lining up to see this drama when it hits theaters in November!
After the extremely sad news yesterday of the passing of Fleetwood Mac's guitarist and vocalist, Bob Welch, his former bandmates are speaking out.
Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks expressed her condolences in a statement, saying:
"The death of Bob Welch is devastating…I had many great times with him after Lindsey and I joined Fleetwood Mac. He was an amazing guitar player- he was funny, sweet- and he was smart- I am so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac- so, so sad…"
Welch was found in his home in Nashville, with a gunshot wound to the chest. He is survived by his wife, who found his body, along with a suicide note.
So incredibly heartbreaking…our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans at this time.
Clearly basking in his Tailgates & Tanlines album's success, Luke invited Nashville's music industry to celebrate with him at a private tailgate party, complete with a full-scale performance from Luke, food trucks serving ice cream, pizza and other foods, plus several Chevy trucks ready for tailgaters.
Jason Aldean recently felt the need to "fire back" at those who accused him of "ruining country music" after rapper Ludacris appeared at one of his shows.
A couple of weeks ago, Jason sent out a Twitter message directed "to all u haters" in which he wrote, "If you think I am ruining country music, feel free to unfollow me. Nobody is forcing you to listen."
Before his appearance at CMA Music Festival Thursday night (June 7), Jason explained to reporters what prompted the tweet. "The way that all came about was that we had played Atlanta and Ludacris came out and made a surprise appearance," Jason began. "The next day, I threw out a tweet to him saying thanks for coming out. He did a great job and the crowd went crazy."
Following that, Jason started noticing some Facebook posts criticizing Ludacris' appearance. "They were bashing the fact that I had him out there and said that I was ruining country music and all this kind of stuff," Jason said. "That's when I went on there [Twitter] and said, 'You know, if you don't like what I'm doing, nobody's forcing you to listen.' I just decided to fire back, which I never do."
Jason and the rapper have become friends after Ludacris performed on a version of Jason's “Dirt Road Anthem.” The two have often performed it live since that time.
Jason added that he is working on a new album project and plans to include a diverse range of material on the record. “We have some songs that push the boundary a little bit,” he noted. “It’s got some straight-ahead things, too.”
If you missed the show or would like to re-watch the performances, you can check out CMT.com for that.
Now here's the full list of winners (that I totally swiped from Taste of Country. Thanks guys!)
Video of the Year
Jason Aldean, ‘Dirt Road Anthem’
Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter, ‘You And Tequila’
Toby Keith, ‘Red Solo Cup’
Lady Antebellum, ‘We Owned the Night’
Miranda Lambert, ‘Over You’
Brad Paisley With Carrie Underwood, ‘Remind Me’
Rascal Flatts Featuring Natasha Bedingfield, ‘Easy’
Blake Shelton, ‘God Gave Me You’
Taylor Swift Featuring the Civil Wars, ‘Safe and Sound’ Carrie Underwood, ‘Good Girl’ — WINNER!
Male Video of the Year
Jason Aldean, ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ Luke Bryan, ‘I Don’t Want This Night to End’ — WINNER!
Eric Church, ‘Drink in My Hand’
Toby Keith, ‘Red Solo Cup’
Blake Shelton, ‘God Gave Me You’
Keith Urban, ‘Long Hot Summer’
Female Video of the Year
Sara Evans, ‘My Heart Can’t Tell You No’ Miranda Lambert, ‘Over You’ — WINNER!
Martina McBride, ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It’
Kellie Pickler, ‘Tough’
Taylor Swift, ‘Ours’
Carrie Underwood, ‘Good Girl’
Group Video of the Year
Eli Young Band, ‘Crazy Girl’ Lady Antebellum, ‘We Owned the Night’ — WINNER!
Pistol Annies, ‘Hell on Heels’
Rascal Flatts, ‘Banjo’
The Band Perry, ‘All Your Life’
Zac Brown Band, ‘Keep Me in Mind’
Duo Video of the Year
Love and Theft, ‘Angel Eyes’
Montgomery Gentry, ‘Where I Come From’
Sugarland, ‘Tonight’
The Civil Wars, ‘Poison and Wine’
Thompson Square, ‘Glass’ Thompson Square, ‘I Got You’ — WINNER!
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year
Lauren Alaina, ‘Georgia Peaches’
Brantley Gilbert, ‘Country Must Be Country Wide’
Hunter Hayes, ‘Storm Warning’ Scotty McCreery, ‘The Trouble With Girls’ — WINNER!
Pistol Annies, ‘Hell on Heels’
Thompson Square, ‘I Got You’
Collaborative Video of the Year
Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter, ‘You and Tequila’ Brad Paisley With Carrie Underwood, ‘Remind Me’ — WINNER!
Rascal Flatts Featuring Natasha Bedingfield, ‘Easy’
Lionel Richie With Shania Twain, ‘Endless Love’
Taylor Swift Featuring the Civil Wars, ‘Safe and Sound’
Zac Brown Band Featuring Jimmy Buffett, ‘Knee Deep’
CMT Performance of the Year
Jason Aldean, ‘Tattoos on This Town’ (From 2011 CMT Artists of the Year) — WINNER!
Lady Antebellum, ‘Dancin’ Away With My Heart’ (From 2011 CMT Artists of the Year)
Little Big Town, ‘Fix You’ (From Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert)
Blake Shelton, ‘Footloose’ (From Invitation Only: Blake Shelton)
Sting and Vince Gill, ‘If I Ever Lose My Faith in You’ (From CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill)
Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood, ‘Just a Dream/Dream On’ (From CMT Crossroads: Steven Tyler & Carrie Underwood)
Taylor Swift really does live this sort of magical, wonderous life, doesn't she?
I just hope in 30 years when she writes a tell all we don't find out it was all a mask to hide a double life, bipolar disease, an addiction to Smarties, or something.
Anyway, Taylor's friend Claire posted this lovely Instagram photo group of she and Taylor playing dress up with a friend, saying: “Never not playing dress up. @taylorswift @roxyolin”
Timothy Poe -- the stuttering "America's Got Talent" contestant who says he developed his speech impediment from a war injury in Afghanistan -- is firing back at allegations he made up the whole thing ... telling TMZ, his injury and stutter are 100% legit.
Poe's audition aired Monday night -- the singer told the judges about a 2009 incident when he sustained serious injuries during an RPG blast in Afghanistan.
Poe spoke with a pronounced stutter during the audition -- which he claims he developed as a result of his war injuries.
But reports surfaced yesterday that the singing veteran was full of crap -- because no such RPG injuries were ever reported.
Poe tells TMZ, the fact that there is no record of the incident is a common problem -- one that Poe says is endemic when it comes to reporting soldiers' injuries in Afghanistan.
We asked Tim to prove it really happened. He said he received treatment at a military medical facility in Afghanistan before being transferred to a medical center in Landstuhl, Germany. Tim says he was then transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He did not produce any documents to support his claim.
Tim says he plans to sue his ex-wife and several others for telling the media he was lying.
We asked Tim for ANY hard proof to back his claims -- he gave us nothing, saying he can't release pics or documents for legal reasons. So we gotta ask ...
Well it looks like John Mayer is done with this silent treatment he's been giving the world for the last couple of years and Taylor Swift is directly in his line of fire.
Taylor Swift always writes songs about the exes who hurt her and the ones that don't. She writes about exes. It's what she does, it's what she's famous for, and I'm pretty darn sure it's the main reason she dates.
Apparently, though, John Mayer didn't get that memo.
After Taylor and Mayer did a little undercover dating a couple of years ago and he -- and this is just an educated guess here -- broke her heart, John became the inspiration for the song Dear John. Taylor has never admitted that the song was about Mayer but she's also never denied that it was about him, and she likes to drop hints. The world is pretty much 100% sure it's about John Mayer.
And John Mayer is 100% sure too, and he's pissed about it.
A little late to the game, but ok.
Mayer tells the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine that not only was the song cheap, but it hurt his feelers too.
Which I think was the point so mission accomplished Taylor.
He told the magazine:
''I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I'd already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you've ever been, someone kicked you even lower?
''It made me feel terrible. Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do.''
He added: ''I will say as a songwriter that I think it's kind of cheap songwriting.
''I know she's the biggest thing in the world, and I'm not trying to sink anybody's ship, but I think it's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait till he gets a load of this!' That's bull****t.''
And Taylor Swift's iTunes account just made a few million more with John's new griping I'm sure. Now everyone's going to really be wondering what happened between these two.
I think most of us have parts about our jobs that we really don't like or we get burned out with on occasion. Even me -- whose job consists mainly of sitting on my butt for a large part of the day reading about the fabulous lives of celebrities and then writing about it -- I get totally burnt out and have to take breaks. Unfortunately those breaks occasionally last for two years.
But what about the stars? People who make millions off of CDs, tours, merchandise, etc., do they ever just get burnt out and tired of it all?
As unbelievable as it sounds, they do. Or at least Eric Church does, well the CD making part of it anyway.
Eric Church's album "Chief" came out in 2011 so it's about time for people to start wondering when the next album will be hitting stores. It's the nature of the beast....put out a hit record, start planning for the next, put out a hit record, start planning for the next.
Unfortunately for Eric, recording CDs is the least favorite part of his job and he's dreading having to do it again.
"I don't like making records, I'll be honest with you," Church tells Taste of Country. "It's so hard for me, and it's hard on me because of what I go through as a songwriter and what I go through in the recording process. Every time it almost kills me. I never look forward to making a record."
Wow. That's quite the admission considering making CDs is such a huge part of being a singer.
Oh, kind of like me admitting that I occasionally hate writing. Oops. I retract my previous comments. Ha!
Eric goes on to say that the good thing about putting out a record that does well in sales -- like "Chief" -- is that it gives him more time to NOT have to record another.
"As successful as 'Chief' has been, the great thing about it is we've got a long ways to go on 'Chief' still because the record is selling," he continues. "Luckily, it will be a year from now before I even have to start thinking about where in the hell we go from here."
Well I guess as long as your music is burning up the charts like his current single Springsteen is, Eric probably wont be bugged too much about churning out another CD.
And since I'm assuming Eric's favorite part of being Eric Church is performing, check out a full list of his Blood, Sweat and Beers Tourdates here.
Alan Jackson had this coupon on his Facebook this morning so I thought I would pass it on to you guys. Just print (from here or Alan's Facebook) and redeem for $2 off "Thirty Miles West" at Best Buy. Considering Walmart matches competitor coupons, it might work there too.
Well this is awesome. I love taking a peek into the normal, everyday lives of country singers, and this is about as normal as it gets.
This morning the husband half of country duo - and highly underrated if you ask me -- Joey and Rory, posted a picture on Twitter of something most of us do on a regular basis....bills.
I love the fact that Joey's concentrating hard at stacks of papers all spread out and crazy looking on the table....just like me and millions of other people do their bills each month.
Of course I don't see a box of Kleenex for tears shed so it is a bit different than my average bill paying sessions.
Well here's some happy news for Kenny Chesney....he's still got a job!
Hey, you never know in this day and age of record labels dropping their artists like hot potatoes.
On Monday, it was announced that not only would Kenny Chesney be extending his record deal with Sony Music Nashville, he'd also be getting his very own record label imprint -- Blue Chair Records. All of Kenny's future recordings will be released under this label, including his upcoming Welcome to the Fishbowl.
"We are very happy to be renewing our worldwide partnership with Kenny Chesney," said Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris in a statement. "He is a tremendous superstar with a unique creative vision and we look forward to sharing continued success with him in the years ahead."
Kenny, for his part, says he's excited for his new role as record label boss.
"I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, so to have my own label imprint feels like beyond a dream come true," said Chesney in the statement. "[New album] Welcome to the Fishbowl is the most honest and authentic album I've ever recorded, and I'm thrilled to be able to release it on my own Blue Chair Records. It's the start of a great new chapter for me as an artist."
The funny thing about all this is if you do a quick Google search for "Blue Chair Records," the name is already taken, has a website and everything....and it's not Kenny's picture that appears on the website.
Here's what the one and only page on the site says:
Journeyman musician Tim Hensley has served extended stints with Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless and Kenny Chesney soaking up each individual artists essence on his way to making LONG MONDAY, a debut album that merges vintage bluegrass with classic American songwriters and acoustic songs of life. With guest appearances from Vince Gill, Sonya Isaacs and Loveless and songs from John Prine, Rodney Crowell, Carl Jackson and Larry Cordle, John Scott Sherrill, Tim Stafford and Ronnie Bowman, and Hensley himself, this is a first record that sums up a lifetime of living inside the music.
Yeah, I'm sure Sony's legal department is right on it with a huge check in hand, but it's still funny to me when someone chooses a name that's already associated with someone else.
MCA Nashville sent me Kip Moore's album about two months ago. I listened to it occasionally when it popped up on my iTunes, and always loved what I heard, but never really got into consciously choosing to listen to the album. A few weeks ago "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" began to rise up the charts, and just spent two weeks as Number One. When I heard he was playing a free show at Carl Black Chevrolet during CMA Fest week, I knew I had to go. This past week, I've been listening to the album, getting more familiar with the music. Today, we went to the show, and I was so impressed with Kip, and so far it has been the highlight of the week. Kip reminds me of a Luke Bryan, without seeming to try too hard. He also reminds me of a Lee Brice. He wrote all but one song on the album. However, I think he is more polished than Lee in making the transition of songwriter to performer. Today's show included a 9-song set with his full band. Set list included, "Crazy One More Time," "Mary Was the Marringing Kind," "Beer Money"
"Reckless"
"Everything But You"
"Drive Me Crazy," "Hey Pretty Girl," "Somethin' 'Bout A Truck," and "Faith When I Fall." The show also included a post show meet and greet. I hope to catch Kip Moore again this week during CMA Fest. He is playing at the Opry Tuesday night, on the Riverfront and at the Lodge in Fan Alley Saturday and LP Field on Saturday night. CHECK HIM OUT! http://www.kipmoore.net/kipupallnight/
Kip Moore made it to No. 1 on Billboard's country songs chart and decided he liked it so much, he stayed there a second week. His single, "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck," went gold by selling 500,000 downloads even before the recent release of his Up All Night album. And the song's video has received more than 7 million views online.
Kip says he feels like Rocky Balboa. But instead of saying, "Yo, Adrian," he says, "Yo, Brett. We did it!"
Brett James is Kip's record producer and co-writer. According to the Universal Music Group promotions team, radio stations actually called their office to see if this song reached the precious No. 1 plateau. Radio, you did it, dad-gum it!
Kip made a guest appearance with Tim McGraw in New York City during the Memorial Day weekend. He'll perform "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" on the 2012 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday (June 6) at 8 p.m. ET on CMT and CMT.com.
And just this past Friday (June 1), Eric Church announced even "Moore" news when he confirmed Kip and Justin Moore (no relation) have been added to his Blood, Sweat & Beers tour.
Country Superstars Share Their Big Bucks
According to Forbes magazine, country music's top moneymaker for the past year is Taylor Swift at $57 million. Coming in second is hard-hitting Toby Keith, almost catching Taylor with $55 million. Third is Kenny Chesney, who is always in the running because he works hard. He earned an estimated $44 million during the past year. And Brad Paisley, who some people say I tend to favor, made $32 million.
I am proud of these four moneymakers. Granted, they make a lot of cash, but they're generous in giving a lot of it away to those who need and deserve help.
Taylor is the biggest donor ever for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It seems like giving makes Taylor happy. Her $4 million pledge to the museum is pure love.
Toby's friend's daughter died of cancer when she was 3 years old. Toby's annual benefit in Oklahoma is because of that little girl he knew and loved. He's helped that family and hundreds of other sick children ever since that child went to heaven.
His most recent dinner, auction and golf tournament in Oklahoma City raised $664,000 to help build the OK Kids Korral, which will give families a place to stay when children are admitted to the Oklahoma University Medical Center Children's Hospital and other nearby facilities.
As for Kenny and Brad, they just don't know how not to give. Those boys are always helping somebody who needs and deserves help. Is it a band member? Neighbor? Family? It could be anybody who's in need. Why? Because they care.
Big Machine Label Group Has Plenty to Celebrate
Big Machine Label Group chief Scott Borchetta has enjoyed a lot of success with Taylor Swift, but he finally got a hit-making solo male superstar when he recently signed Tim McGraw.
Scott, a major NASCAR enthusiast, also had a helluva Memorial Day weekend as Big Machine Records earned its second consecutive Indianapolis championship when driver Dario Franchitti raced into victory lane for the third time in his career. Big Machine sponsored Franchitti. The win comes after the company sponsored the late Dan Wheldon's winning car at the race in 2011. (He died in a 15-car accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October 2011.)
Big Machine/Republic Nashville recording artist Martina McBride kicked off the race by performing the national anthem in front of a crowd of almost 350,000 spectators. She paid tribute to the late driver and his family by wearing a Dan Wheldon championship ring on her right hand during her performance.
Even beyond the Big Machine sponsorship, Franchitti has a strong country music connection. He's married to actress Ashley Judd, Naomi Judd's daughter and Wynonna's sister, who was on hand to support hubby. Dario is a mighty man.
Zac Brown Band Get Uncaged
Zac Brown says the Zac Brown Band is set to release their new album, Uncaged, on July 10. Zac says the project is the culmination of the powerful chemistry that's developed by living, traveling and working as a band. He had a hand in writing all 11 songs on the album.
Describing the project, he says, "We're always trying to push our musicianship, and I'm proud to say there's a little bit of something for everyone."
Remembering Doc Watson
Like everyone around this world who loves acoustic music, I, too, was saddened by the passing of the great Doc Watson. A musician's musician, Doc died Tuesday (May 29) at age 89 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
I recall sitting in the shade at Brown County Jamboree in Bean Blossom, Ind., talking with Doc about music and God. He was blind, but he could see more than most.
Addition to the McCoury Clan
Rob and Lisa McCoury are parents of children with musical names. Daughter Monroe is 9 and son Del is 5. Rob, of course, is Del McCoury's son who plays banjo in the Del McCoury Band.
Rob and Lisa's newest addition, baby Vassar, was born Tuesday (May 29) and named after the late Vassar Clements, a master fiddler if there ever was one.
Diana DeGarmo Engaged
In January, Diana DeGarmo revealed she was in a relationship with season five American Idol contestant and former Hair co-star Ace Young. On the May 23 finale for season 11 of Idol, Young revealed that he and DeGarmo are living together and then surprised her with a marriage proposal -- which she accepted.
Diana took part in the third season of Idol in 2004, finishing second behind Fantasia Barrino. She was only 16 at the time she competed.
She was signed to RCA Records/19 Recordings shortly after the Idol finale and released her debut album in 2004. She sang "Reaching for Heaven" in the soundtrack for the Disney movie, Ice Princess. RCA released her from her recording contract in June 2005, but later that year, she received the Horizon Award at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame ceremony. The award recognizes Georgia artists on the pathway to successful and lengthy careers.
Diana made her major stage debut as Maria in 2005 in a production of West Side Story in San Jose, Calif. She later appeared in the New York productions of Hairspray and Brooklyn: The Musical.
She started recording a pop/R&B album in 2007 but backed out of the project and returned to her country roots. After being a cast member on CMT's Gone Country in 2007, she returned to Nashville and signed to John Rich's production company. She recorded a country demo with Rich in 2008. In early 2009 she released an acoustic EP, Unplugged in Nashville, containing four songs she co-wrote.
Diana's involvement in musical theater has taken her away from Nashville since 2009, including stints in Back to Bacharach and David (featuring the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and the off-Broadway musical, The Toxic Avenger. She returned to Broadway starring as Shelia in Hair. It was Hair -- not American Idol -- that introduced her to Ace.
I met Diana when she came to my kitchen in 2010 for some country cooking and to talk about her role of Doralee Rhodes in the national tour of 9 to 5. (Dolly Parton played the character in the hit film.)
In October 2012, Diana joined the cast of TV's The Young and the Restless in the role of Angeline, the daughter of resident mobster Angelo. The last time I heard from Diana was through her manager when she just this year played the role of Dora Hand in the Val Kilmer film, Wyatt Earp's Revenge.
I do believe this brings us up to May 23 on American Idol. Before Phillip Phillips was declared this season's winner, host Ryan Seacrest called the couple to the stage. The lights were dimmed when Young said, "This has always been home to us, and I felt that this would be the perfect place to ask a simple question."
He got down on one knee and continued, "We have conquered Broadway together. We have created our new music together. We have an amazing group of people around us. ... Are you ready? I love you to death. You're my best friend. I want to make this last forever, and I will do anything in my power to have the most ... amazing life together if you will have me. Diana Nicole DeGarmo, will you marry me?"
I'm one who generally embraces change. I like it when the pot gets stirred a bit and things change. My life doesn't change that often, but I don't mind it when it does.....as long as it's not a whole bunch of change all at once.
This new change that Tim McGraw's going through may just be too much all at once for me.
The band-firing, skinny-mini, all-white-wearing, mustache-less, Big-Machine-Records-joining Tim is sort of scaring me. What the heck is going on? Is he trying to be hip? Is he feeling the first tinglings of middle age?
Then yesterday came this video of his new song Truck Yeah that he performed on the first stop of the Brothers of the Sun tour in Tampa on Saturday.
It's a real rocking tune, but seriously, I would like the old Tim back now.
I may have to rethink my stance on being okay with change.
Boy, looks like the new Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw rolling city that is their Brothers of the Sun tour is going to be loads of fun.
On Sunday, the tour hit its second tour stop in Atlanta Georgia where Kenny welcomed a special guest to the stage -- Zac Brown.
The two sang Knee Deep and Dixieland Delight to the obvious delight of the crowd.
If any of you happen to go to the show on one of the next 20 stops and would like to share some photos, keep me in mind, I'd love to let my readers live vicariously through your concert experience.
Hey guys, how would you like to win a very special Tim McGraw concert experience this summer? Or how about a pair of Tim McGraw autographed headphones?
Well let me tell you how you can do just that.
Starting on last Friday, JBL, the company that Tim has his new custom headphones with, and Tim McGraw started a contest to celebrate the launch of not only the Brothers of the Sun Tour, but also Tim's new JBL headphones and they want you show them what country means to you.
To enter The Show Your Country Sweepstakes, all you have to do is upload photos, videos or text entries that shows Tim McGraw and JBL what country means to you.
Here's the full details....
The prizes:
38 winners (one per selected tour stop) will receive: an exclusive VIP pre-concert experience with Tim McGraw and two tickets to see Tim and Kenny Chesney at the Brothers of the Sun show later that night. McGraw will be putting on a pre-show just for a small group of fans, including each winner of the Show Your Country Sweepstakes, at most tour stops.
100 winners will receive an autographed pair of the new JBL Tim McGraw Artist Series headphones
To enter the contest:
Upload photos, videos or text entries that shows Tim McGraw and JBL what country means to you
Entries can be submitted through Instagram, Twitter, JBL.com or through the JBL Facebook page app
If using Twitter or Instagram, each post needs two hashtags: #JBLyourcountry and your state abbreviation plus the concert city you want to win tickets for e.g. example: #JBLyourcountryMA #Foxborough OR #JBLyourcountryMD #WashingtonDC
I had a story earlier about THR giving us a rundown of who would be presenting and who would be performing at this Wednesday's CMT Music Awards. Now I've just gotten a press release regarding the same.
The countdown to the 2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS is on with the addition of presenters including Jason Aldean, CMT's MY BIG REDNECK VACATION host and CMT MUSIC AWARDS Twitter Tracker correspondent Tom Arnold, REDNECK ISLAND host Steve Austin, Luke Bryan, "American Idol" finalists Colton Dixon and Skylar Laine, Ronnie Dunn, CMT ONE COUNTRY spokesperson Sara Evans, 2012 Indianapolis 500 Winner Dario Franchitti, "Twilight" star Ashley Greene, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, Alan Jackson, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, actress Denise Richards, television and movie star Dax Shepard, Jordin Sparks and previously-announced performers The Band Perry and Carrie Underwood. The 2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS will air LIVE on Wednesday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT and CMT.com.
Hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell, the 2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS will include performances by Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Pistol Annies, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Hank Williams, Jr. and Zac Brown Band. Fans can vote online at CMT.com, and on their mobile device at CMT Mobile or the CMT Insider app available on iPhone, iPad and Android now through June 4 to determine the winners. The five finalists for VIDEO OF THE YEAR will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can then vote at CMT.com, CMT mobile, on the CMT Insider app and via text message throughout the live telecast (ET/CT only) to determine the night's big winner.
Michael Dempsey will executive produce the 2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS alongside director Joe DeMaio. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.
For more information as it becomes available, follow CMT's new Twitter handle (@CMT), hashtag #CMTawards and become a fan of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS on Facebook.
"Bittersweet"
George Strait
(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the...
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Miranda's mom spills the beans
Miranda and her mom photo courtesy MirandaLambert.com
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– The Least Country Song This Year - Review
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Tim McGraw, Gary Allan, Brad Paisley and More Have New Music on the Way
Tim McGraw
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Film's Popularity Could Spark Renewed Interest in Music Inspired by American History
The Carter Family
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Billboard: 2012 End Of Year Country Charts Examined
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You Don't Want To Miss This
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Scary ... Intruder arrested at Taylor Swift's Nashville home
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Taylor recently told Cosmopolitan UK that she has a stalker problem but that she...
LeAnn Rimes Wonders 'What Have I Done' In Promotional Single – Review
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Taylor Swift releases her 23rd music video -- Taylor Swift releases her 23rd music video -- "I Knew You Were Trouble" (video)
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Gary Allan releases album artwork and track listing for "Set You Free"
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Tim McGraw reveals "Two Lanes of Freedom" album artwork and tracklisting
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"Two Lanes of Freedom" is set to be...
Your YouTube cover of the day: Kellie Pickler's "I Wonder"
Stumbled on this cover of Kellie Pickler's I Wonder and have to say I wasn't expecting this.
Very sweet. Great job Tyler!
BTW, he also does...
Taylor Swift and Keith Urban both receive Golden Globe Award nominations
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Both singers received nominations in the Best Original Song -...
Gary Allan releases new music video for Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)
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If you've ever dreamed of...
Kacey Musgraves Becomes One To Watch With 'Merry Go Round'
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Jo Dee Messina releases the best Christmas song of the season
Photo courtesy Fumbling Mom
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In 2011 Rodeowave Entertainment recording artist Phil Vassar presented his first ever Christmas album, "Noel" which held an impressive list of tradional and not so traditional songs:
1. Doesn't Feel Like Christmas Without...
Casey James says good-bye to the beard ... shaves on stage
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Toby Keith Portrayed "Hope on the Rocks" with Excellence
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Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman loses brother-in-law to drunk driver
So, heartbreaking.
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win Billboard touring awards
Congrats to Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and Lady A. who were all awarded with Billboard Touring Awards.
The Billboard Touring Awards honor the concert industry's top artists, venues and...
