BRAD PAISLEY’S FIRST BOOK DIARY OF A PLAYER

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WILLIE NELSON'S REMEMBER ME, VOL. 1 BOWS NOVEMBER 21

R&J Records Release Features 14 Songs, A-List Players
Elegant and enduring endeavors are often the simplest, and so it is with Remember Me, Vol. 1 as one of America's most revered country music icons sings a collection of the genre's most definitive songs. Willie Nelson hand-picked the collection's 14 songs from among the top Billboard hits of the last 70 years.

Artists and songwriters reflected in Nelson's versions of their songs include Ernest Tubb, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Rosemary Clooney, Porter Wagoner and Ray Price. The first volume, out Nov. 21, is drawn from Nelson's sessions with longtime friend and producer James Stroud, which yielded more than 30 songs. Remember Me, Vol. 2 is scheduled to be released next year.

VINCE GILL, BRAD PAISLEY, AND KEITH URBAN PAY TRIBUTE TO GLEN CAMPBELL ON
"THE 45TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley and former CMA Entertainers of the Year Vince Gill and Keith Urban will pay tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member and former CMA Entertainer of the Year Glen Campbell during "The 45th Annual CMA Awards." The three guitar virtuosos' performance saluting the legendary singer/musician will be a highlight of "Country Music's Biggest Night(tm)."  

 

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards," hosted by Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, Chris Young, and Zac Brown Band, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration "You and Tequila;" Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet "Easy;" Lionel Richie performing a medley of hits with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song "Remind Me."    
 

Campbell was named both CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1968, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The legendary performer has sold more than 45 million albums and recorded such classic hits as "Wichita Lineman," "Gentle On My Mind," "Galveston," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Southern Nights," and "Rhinestone Cowboy." As a musician, Campbell was part of the much-heralded Wrecking Crew that performed on a variety of artists' albums. His guitar prowess is featured on the Beach Boys' seminal album Pet Sounds and on Frank Sinatra's megahit "Strangers in the Night," among others. He acted alongside John Wayne in the movie "True Grit," and hosted "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" on televisi on from 1968-1972. Earlier this year, Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He is in the midst of his successful Goodbye Tour after releasing his final album, the critically-acclaimed Ghost on the Canvas.  

TAYLOR  CONFESSES THERE'S NO MAN IN HER LIFE

On a recent visit to the "Ellen DeGeneres Show," Taylor Swift confessed that she currently has no man in her life. She told Ellen it was partly because she's so busy. But, explained that mostly it's because she's looking for just the right guy. "I don't want to be the person with a stream of boyfriends. I want to be like that girl that when she falls in love it's a rare thing.

 ELI YOUNG BAND THANKS ZAC BROWN BAND FOR OPEN DOORS

The guys in  Eli Young Band all have their own favorite music and influences, but one band they all agree is a band they admire and respect is the Zac Brown Band.  
Jon says, “They‟ve opened so many doors for bands in country music which I think is
great and hopefully we can do the same for other acts. [We] had a chance to play with them and they‟re not
only great musicians but also great people.”  Mike agrees and he says one thing they love about Zac Brown
Band is that “they really think out of the box musically, and I think that we‟ve always tried to be a band that we
don‟t try to just stay middle of the road. We really try to make music that is impactful and is kind of hitting on
new territory and I think that Zac Brown Band being as much of a success as they have as of recently, they
really have continued opening doors for bands like us.”  Eli Young Band is currently celebrating their top five
song “Crazy Girl” out on the Country & Cold Cans Tour with Dierks Bentley and Jerrod Niemann. (AUDIO)

ALSO:

ELI YOUNG BAND IS CERTIFIED PLATINUM – HEADED TO NYC TO PERFORM ON LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN - EARNS AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARD NOMINATION FOR BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Republic Nashville artist Eli Young Band has much reason to celebrate.  The band has been certified PLATINUM by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million downloads of their runaway hit “Crazy Girl.” The song climbs to #2 this week on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart and the USA Today/Country Aircheck powered by Medibase Chart and continues to grow.

“Crazy Girl” has been embraced by fans nationwide who have called into radio stations and have tracked over 6,000,000 views of the video on YouTube alone. The band is scheduled to perform their smash hit next Thursday, November 3 on Late Show With David Letterman.

“The saying be careful what you wish for because you just might get it, is really coming true this year for us,” said James Young.  “Having a platinum single is one of the things we’ve always dreamed about.  Thank you to the fans and country radio for allowing us to do what we love night after night, and for truly making our dreams come true.”

EYB recently earned their career first American Country Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist Of The Year and is currently on tour opening for Dierks Bentley. This week the band will take a short break from touring to head to New York for their appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman, then will continue touring with Dierks through November 19 where they will make their final appearance of the tour just outside of Denver in Broomfield, CO.



THE BAND PERRY MUST BE DEMOCRATIC TO SURVIVE

Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry are 28, 23 and 21 years old, respectively and while they operate The Band Perry  as a democracy for the most part, they admit there are times when they each try to get their way.  “We each get one vote except for on days when I try to barter for two,” confesses Kimberly.  But Neil says, “Actually I think Reid gets two votes sometimes.”  Reid thinks it has something to do with him being the middle child.  Kimberly admits that all three of them are pretty vocal with their opinions, but she says, “Our parents always taught us, since we were like this tall, to be gracious to one another and so sometimes they encouraged us by grounding. But regardless of how they got the point across, they did.”  
Fortunately, says Neil, “Musically, actually, we generally, usually agree on everything because we did grow up
listening to the same kind of music. So musically we pretty much agree on everything.”  Kimberly jokes, “Until
we don‟t. But then we do.”  



KELLIE PICKLER IS “100 PROOF”  RELEASES INTOXICATING NEW ALBUM
 
Kellie Pickler will release her third album, 100 Proof on January 24, 2012. “I'm just happy to be making country music,” said Pickler. “I hope everyone enjoys the new music as much as I've enjoyed making it!”
 
Pickler set out to get back to her southern roots on 100 Proof and make a traditional and fresh sounding country album. To help her achieve her goals she enlisted producers Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert and Lee Ann Womack) and Luke Wooten.
 
The album-opener “Where’s Tammy Wynette” (written by Jimmy Ritchey, Don Poythress and Leslie Satcher), sets the tone of 100 Proof with its raw and un-conventional sound. Pickler co-wrote 6 of the 11 songs on 100 Proof including “Long As I Never See You Again” which she wrote with famed songwriters Dean Dillon and Dale Dodson.
 
Fans can pre-order the 11 song album, 100 Proof, now on Amazon at: http://amzn.to/tuXnZl <http://amzn.to/tuXnZl>

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TOBY KEITH GLAD TROOOPS ARE COMING HOME

Toby Keith guested on HLN’s  “The Joy Behar Show” yesterday and they chatted about a wide variety of topics including Toby’s new album, Clancy’s Tavern, and his run-a-way hit song and video of “Red Solo Cup,” plus, politics, and the decision to pull our troops out of Iraq.  Toby is for it saying, “After 9 years and 180 shows there, I don’t see that there’s much reason for our troops to remain in the country.

On politics Toby reveals he’s a registered “Independent” voter noting that his family, including him had been Democrats for generations. He said that since neither of the major parties had been doing a very good job in recent years he didn’t want to support either of the right now. 


BRAD PAISLEY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY

Happy birthday to Brad today! And look for Brad’s book, Diary of a Player, set for release next Tuesday! Co-written with David Wild, it’s Brad’s salute to the musical heroes who helped shape his love of the guitar. The book is already attracting praise, with Publishers Weekly declaring that Brad “certainly entertains in this charming story of his road to success.” Check it out!
 
Meanwhile...
Brad Paisley talks about the theme of his new song, “Camouflage.”
“I like lookin’ for that little thing — we have those on every record — the songs like ‘Water’ where you find a subject and how that relates to the country lifestyle and write a song about it. And they’re more difficult than you think to write, especially that one, and that was the one this time where it felt like that’s the lifestyle I want to touch on that I see that we all have in our closets in this format.”



KEITH URBAN PLAYS HIS HITS, GETS A BIRTHDAY SERENADE FROM OPRY AUDIENCE TUESDAY NIGHT

Keith Urban sang his hits for a sold-out Opry House audience Tuesday night, and the audience sang right back. After Keith performed his first song of the night, “Sweet Thing,” fans who were gathered near the stage serenaded the superstar with “Happy Birthday” in honor of his birthday on Wednesday. Urban concluded his Opry set with “Making Memories of Us” and “Where the Blacktop Ends.” Urban is scheduled to return to the Opry twice next month.



MIRANDA LAMBERT’s NEW ALBUM, FOUR THE RECORD, ARRIVES 11-1

It’s almost here! Miranda Lambert’s hotly awaited fourth album, Four the Record, releases this Tuesday, 11-1-11! Miranda kicks-off her album release week with a performance on NBC’s Today show on Tuesday, followed by an interview and performance on Wednesday’s edition of Live! with Regis and Kelly. She’ll be singing Four the Record’s first smash single, ”Baggage Claim,” on both shows, and the song’s dynamic groove says a lot about Miranda’s music in general — not just her growth as an artist, but also a reflection of the range of influences that make Miranda’s brand of country distinctly her own.



RONNIE DUNN LOVES THE CHANGE OF SEASONS

Ronnie Dunn’s and Ronnie says that fall is definitely his favorite time of year.

“I was out a couple of days ago. I like to go out and just sit with my camera, and I planted, like, corn and things like that where the animals would come down from the woods. The deer and birds and all the stuff like that. I was fishin’ the other day, and I looked up — I thought there was a buzzard or somethin’ flyin’ over me, and it was a bald eagle. This is my favorite time of the year when the colors change and the weather starts turning a little cooler.”

 

 10-24-11
 
LATEST NEWS

HERE'S THIS WEEK'S TOP FIVE SONGS

BLAKE SHELTON’s “God Gave Me You” rises one to give Blake his latest #1 hit..while

ELY YOUNG BAND’S “Crazy Girl” is making the group crazy happy as it moves up two closer to their first chart  topper, landing at #2 this week...as...

GEORGE STRAIT’s “Here For The Good Time” ends it’s two week good time at #1 slipping two to #3...with...

MIRANDA LAMBERT’s “Baggage Claim” claiming 4th place after a two notch rise...with..

TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Fly Big” soars up two to round out the top 5 at #5 this week.



CHESNEY RELIVES “GOING COASTAL TOUR” WITH REALITY VIDEO

Kenny Chesney's high-octane live show is the star of his new music video for ‘Reality,’ the fifth single from his platinum-selling album 'Hemingway's Whiskey' (BNA). The video, directed by longtime Chesney collaborator Shaun Silva, is a four-minute highlight reel of the star's record-shattering 'Goin' Coastal' Tour this summer.

‘The video is a great snapshot of our life on the road this summer,’ said Chesney. ‘It defines the energy, heart, and passion that the fans and I share every night.’

The video for ‘Reality’ begins with Chesney donning NFL helmets perched atop several of the massive stadiums he performed at this summer, including New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, and Green Bay's Lambeau Field. Besides the energetic Chesney, the video also showcases his rip-roaring live band along with many of the 1.3 million fans who ‘broke free from reality’ to witness the historic 'Goin' Coastal' Tour.

Watch the ‘Reality’ music video on CMT.com: http://www.cmt.com/videos/kenny-chesney/701097/reality.jhtml

This past weekend, Chesney performed an intimate acoustic set for former President Bill Clinton at the ‘Decade of Difference’ event, celebrating 10 years of the William J. Clinton Foundation. Grace Potter joined Chesney for a rendition of ‘You and Tequila,’ a stirring highlight on a night that also featured performances by Lady Gaga, Usher, and Bono.

Watch the entire ‘Decade of Difference’ concert on Yahoo!: http://news.yahoo.com/decade-difference-concert/

http://kennychesney.com
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GLORIANA TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE
“(KISSED YOU) GOOD NIGHT” TO ITUNES OCTOBER 24TH
 
Gloriana is set to release their brand new single, ‘(Kissed You) Good Night,’ to iTunes on Monday, October 24th. The single, written by Tom Gossin and Josh Kear, is from the band’s forthcoming second studio album on Emblem Music Group/ Warner Bros. Records. Gloriana, made up of brothers Tom and Mike Gossin along with Rachel Reinert, are currently out on the road through the end of the year. The threesome will be performing shows across the country including a show for the troops stationed at Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss at the end of the month and will make a special return to Mike and Tom’s former hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina where they will perform with the Wilmington Symphony on November 5th. Fans can get up to date information on the tour, with shows being added, by going to www.Gloriana.com <http://www.gloriana.com/> .
 
‘(Kissed You) Good Night is ultimately a song about courage and confidence - two things that we've all struggled with in life,’ said Tom Gossin. ‘It’s a very relatable song that’s great to perform live because you can just tell it strikes a chord with people.’
 


RACING STAR’S LIFE CELEBRATED

Dan Wheldon’s life was celebrated this weekend with a private funeral Saturday in St. Petersburg, Florida and Sunday with a public memorial at Indianapolis’ Conesco Fieldhouse, in the city where Wheldon had won his 2011 Indy 500 championship. Special guests included Garth Brooks  who performed ‘The Dance’, Reba  who performed ‘If I Had Only Known’ and The Band Perry  who delivered a medley of ‘Go Rest High On This Mountain/Amazing Grace’.

Note: Ashley Judd also attended along with her husband, driver, Dario Franchitti, who has had close calls with death on the track as well.

 

TAYLOR SWIFT WORKS HARD TO MAKE TOUR LOOK FLAWLESS

We’ve mentioned before how amazingly complicated and event-filled Taylor Swift’s tour show is, not-to-mention enormously entertaining. When you see Taylor Swift’s Speak Now World Tour she makes the performances and visuals look effortless, but the truth is the show is a very complex and intricate production. “Putting together this tour was something that took about a year,”explains Taylor. “This tour is incredibly detailed and it took a while to really get all the pieces put together. That involved me learning how to be hoisted out of a pop up lift like being launched, like you’re being launched out of a catapult, launched out of the floor and all those little things that just kind of elevated this show and made it special.’ There is an intense amount of choreography and staging and Taylor says, ‘All of it had to be learned and it took a long time but it was worth it in the end.”

The US leg of the soldout Speak Now World Tour will run through mid-November, before heading to Australia and New Zealand in early 2012. On November 21st, fans will have a front row seat to the unforgettable show as Taylor releases SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR: LIVE, a live CD/DVD collection. Preorder the project here.


TOBY COMPLETES 5-RELEASE WEEK

From Monday, October 17 through Friday, October 21.
Each track released by Toby Keith included an introduction along with the story behind the song from Toby.
 
Below is a list of the songs in the order they were released...
  "Red Solo Cup" – Monday, October 17
  "Clancy’s Tavern" – Tuesday, October 18
  "I Won’t Let You Down" – Wednesday, October 19
  "I Need To Hear A Country Song’ – Thursday, October 20
  "Beers Ago" – Friday, October 21

It’ll be interesting to see what radio does with these five, single-worthy songs from one of the best albums of the year.




RASCAL FLATTS DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY ON NEXT ALBUM

Rascal Flatts say they are doing things differently on the new album. One thing they’re doing different on this project is that Jay, Gary and Joe Don are producing some of the tracks entirely on their own.
 ‘It’s really exciting for us to get in there and the three of us work on our music together without any outside influence,’ says Jay.  ‘We love working with Dann Huff. He’s going to do the rest of the record and he’s brilliant but it was a really great creative outlet for us to get in there and sort of experiment ourselves and make some of the music ourselves so we’re really, really excited about that.’  Rascal Flatts is also excited about the quality of songs they’ve been receiving to record.  ‘There are a few writers and a few people in town that we feel like just get what we do and always come with A-list material. And so grateful for them for capturing our vision and sort of getting what Rascal Flatts is all about. Sort of harnessing that into their music and I’m just thrilled.’  In the meantime, the band just announced their 2012  Thaw Out Tour, featuring songs from



REBA LOVED WORKING WITH ED ASNER ON NEW VIDEO

Reba’s  video for her latest single, ‘Somebody‟s Chelsea,’ features a guest appearance by actor Ed Asner, and Reba says, ‘Oh my gosh, when  Ed Asner agreed to do the video for Somebody‟s Chelsea, I was ecstatic. He is a wonderful actor that I have admired for many, many years.’  Ed plays the old man that Reba sings about in the song, the one who shares his love story and makes her wish she was ‘Somebody‟s Chelsea.’  

They meet on an airplane in the video and Reba says, ‘To get to meet him and get to set in that play-like airplane seat with him all afternoon was so nice.’


BRANTLEY GILBERT PROVIDES CLOSURE WITH DELUXE EDITION 

Brantley Gilbert's latest album, Halfway to Heaven: Deluxe Edition, is an expanded version of an album he had previously released.  He chose to re-release the album with some new songs and bonus video content because he felt like the story on the first album wasn’t complete and these new songs served that purpose.  ‘The fans that already had the album … they can get a little bit of closure and get the rest of the story. The three songs we added really do kind of resolve the whole theme of the album.’  And for people who never had a chance to pick up the first album, Brantley says with the Deluxe Edition, ‘They get the whole story. So, that was our main goal.’

 
 
ALL OF MARTINA McBRIDE’S KIDS STILL CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN

Martina McBride has three daughters, Delaney who is 16, Emma who is 13 and 6-year-old Ava and she says, ‘All three of my girls still go trick or treating. And they still dress up, and you know what?  I think that’s great.’  While some kids ditch trick-or-treating when they get to be a certain age Martina loves that her girls still all like to go out because she says it beats the alternative of what they could be getting into.  But when it comes to costumes the girls all have their own method.  ‘With the older two, they get together with their friends and sort of dress up as a group, right, and Emma usually ends up making her costume. She’s very creative. And the older two kind of do their own thing. I sit down with Ava; we start talking about it, “What do you wanna be for Halloween? What do you wanna be for Halloween?‟’  When we spoke to Martina, Ava hadn’t quite decided what she wanted to dress up as yet, but we’re sure whatever she decides on, she and her sisters will all look great.



LORETTA LYNN FIGHTING PNEUMONIA

AP reports that Loretta Lynn was hospitalized over the weekend with the early stages of pneumonia, according to a representative of the performer.

The 76-year-old country music singer was scheduled to perform Saturday at the Performing Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky, and Sunday in Durham, North Carolina, but the Kentucky centre issued a news release saying she was in the hospital and would be unable to perform. The Kentucky theatre says the show would be rescheduled.

Loretta Lynn Enterprises posted a statement on her website Saturday that confirmed the cancellations due to illness.

‘Doctors have diagnosed her as the beginning stages pneumonia, and will continue to need rest. Loretta is doing well and is disappointed but feels confident she will be ready for upcoming November dates.’

VINCE GILL RELEASES FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 5 YEARS
 
Vince Gill Hits the Trail On Monday With Guitar Slinger
Will Showcase First New Album In Five Years on National TV
 
Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill will make a series of national television and high-profile concert appearances over the next few weeks to perform selections from Guitar Slinger, his first new studio album in five years.  The album—in both its standard and deluxe editions—will be released Monday, Oct. 24.
 
In conjunction with the Guitar Slinger rollout, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean declared it to be ‘Vince Gill Week’ on October 13 and celebrated the occasion with a party at the city’s Bridgestone Arena.
 
Gill’s last album, the 4-CD These Days set, debuted in 2005 and went on to win a best country album Grammy.
 
Here is the immediate Guitar Slinger itinerary:
 
Oct. 21 (week of ) – NPR’s Mountain Stage Check local listings  (Check out this show clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgV9PYBjBpQ )
Oct. 26 (Wednesday)—NBC's The Today Show
Oct. 27 (Thursday)—Fox Business channel’s Imus In The Morning
Oct. 27 (Thursday evening)—Show at The Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in New York City (Details at http://www.housingworks.org/events/detail/live-from-home-with-vince-gill.)  All ticket sales benefit the Housing Works' mission of fighting to end AIDS and homelessness.
Oct. 29 (Saturday)—CBS-TV’s The Early Show
Nov. 9 (Wednesday) —45th Annual Country Music Association Awards on ABC
Nov. 10 (Thursday) – Taping the CMA Country Christmas on ABC (airdate TBA)
Nov. 16 (Wednesday) – NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Nov. 16 (Wednesday evening)—Show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.  This marks Gill’s return to the venue where he first gained prominence as an artist.  (Details at   http://www.troubadour.com/event/71311.)
Nov. 17 (Thursday) – ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Nov. 25 (Friday)—CMT’s Crossroads featuring Vince Gill and Sting  (See local listings for times).
Nov. (airdate TBA) – GAC will premier Backstory: Vince Gill
Dec. 3 (Saturday)—Gill rides as Grand Marshall in Nashville’s 59th annual Christmas parade.
‘Threaten Me With Heaven,’ the first single from Guitar Slinger, is currently climbing the charts.
 


TALK ‘ROUND THE ROW


PERSONAL NOTE:

President Obama gave all of us the good news that American Troops will be out of Iraq soon  after a decade of warfare. He stated, “I'm writing to tell you that all US troops will return home from Iraq by the end of December. After nearly nine years, the American war in Iraq will end. Our servicemen and women will be with their families for the holidays.”

The war in Iraq came with tremendous cost. More than a million Americans served in Iraq, and nearly 4,500 gave their lives in service to the rest of us. Today, as always, we honor these patriots.”
Speaking of patriots...
Some of country music’s finest moments have come when many of our stars put themselves on the line to head to Iraq and other war zones to bring our soldiers a little bit of home in the flesh. I’ve spoken with returned soldiers and asked them what it means to have entertainers making the effort to do this...all of them made it official, “It means a lot!”


MATT GARY VISITS ACM OFFICE

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Quarterback Records recording artist Matt Gary to the office while his was in Los Angeles this week.  While at the Academy he performed his brand-new single 'Beautiful Life,’ along with cuts from his EP, ‘I’m Just Sayin’’ and signed up for professional ACM membership.

 

 
LATEST NEWS


CMA AWARDS SHOW ADDS MORE BIG TALENT

The lineup for "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" continues to grow with today's announcement that Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, and Zac Brown Band will perform on "Country Music's Biggest Night(tm)."

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards," hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, and Chris Young, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration "You and Tequila," Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet "Easy," and co- hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song "Remind Me."    
 Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Chevrolet(tm) is a Proud Partner of the CMA Awards and Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the 2011 CMA Awards. Macy's is the official presenting partner of the CMA Awards Red Carpet.  CMA is a Proud Supporter of DRIVE4COPD.

PAISLEY’S THIS IS COUNTRY MUSIC NOMINATED FOR CMA ALBUM OF YEAR

Brad Paisley proud that his THIS IS COUNTRY album was nominated for the CMA’s to album because he took this album as a particular challenge.

“You know, when I went in and cut this album, I really did think to myself, ‘How can we make something that represents what I think is country music, in all the different styles and all of the things that we talk about and all of the instrumentation and just whatever it is that if it’s called ‘country music,’ that’s what I wanted to do on this record — and that’s a big umbrella.”


SARA EVANS CONNECTED WITH CMA NOMINEE TUNE “A LITTLE BIT STRONGER”

Sara says, “The lyric is something that I so related to. It’s about going through a rough time in your life and then realizing that you actually can make it, and you can become stronger. And it’s the whole idea of ‘that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger,’ because it is so much where I am now. I’ve kind of taken the last two years off, if you will, to be a newlywed to Jay [Barker], move to Birmingham, get all set up down there, blend our families, and there was so many changes that were made.”

CHESNEY’S SESSION WITH GRACE POTTER HAPPENED FAST

“You and Tequila” Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter is nominated for Musical Event of the Year, Video of the Year, and Song of the Year (for writers Matraca Berg and Deana Carter).
Kenny Chesney says that things happened fast when it came to recording “You and Tequila” with Grace, “On my boat, down in the Virgin Islands, I listen to all kinds of music, and there was this girl…this girl’s voice that I just fell in love with, and I didn’t know really anything about her that much. I just knew that I really loved her singin’ and loved her records. And her name was Grace Potter. And I got in touch with her and played her the song, and literally, three days later, she was in Nashville, and we recorded it.”

LAUREN ALAINA BIGGEST DEBUT IN 5 YEARS

Lauren Alaina's debut album, Wildflower, is the best-selling female country debut since 2006 and is the highest country album debut this week, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and an impressive No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200. With first-week sales of 69,013, Lauren is the youngest female artist to debut this high on the Billboard charts since LeAnn Rimes' debut 15 years ago. Wildflower also becomes the best-selling digital album by a debut country female, selling 19,659 digital albums.

"I am just so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to share my music with the world,” said Lauren Alaina. “To see my name on the charts alongside country greats that I have admired and looked up to my whole life is absolutely mind-blowing!"



RASCAL FLATTS PERFORM AT “WARRIOR OPEN” GOLF EVENT
 
Rascal Flatts participated in the “Bush Center Warrior Open” golf tournament earlier this month in Dallas, Texas, a special 2-day golf event held by former President George W. Bush for soldiers who had been severely wounded during their tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  At President Bush’s request, Gary, Jay and Joe Don were the surprise musical performers for the tourney’s banquet held on the first evening and the following morning they sang the National Anthem and met with some of the warriors on the golf course. (Note: Golfers, with all four limbs,  hands and feet, are awed and amazed by these wounded warrior golfers who hit amazing drives and other shots even though they’re missing arms, hands, legs or feet).
  

RONNIE DUNN SINGING NATION’S SONG FOR FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL

Ronnie Dunn returns to his native Texas this weekend, doing double-duty for two cool gigs: singing the national anthem for Saturday’s World Series Game 3 and then doing the same for Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys game against the St. Louis Rams.

“I just got a call from our management offices and said that Nolan Ryan had called and asked if I would do the national anthem for the World Series, so I’m lookin’ forward to that. Then I’m gonna stay over the next day, on Sunday, and sing for the Cowboys game. So while I’m down in Texas, I’m takin’ care of some bidness and have some fun at the same time.”


KELLIE PICKLER: Thinking Pink!

Kellie Pickler is among the artists performing on the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday, October 22nd, as the Opry joins Women Rock for the Cure’s fight against breast cancer with the third annual “Opry Goes Pink” show. With a portion of the proceeds from Saturday’s Opry shows benefiting Women Rock for the Cure, Kellie is not only proud to be there and support the cause, she’s also delighted about the other artists who’ll be there, too.

Along with Kellie, Saturday’s 7pm “Opry Goes Pink” show will feature Opry member Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, Edens Edge, music legend Ronnie Milsap, and others! Kellie will also perform on the Opry’s 9:30pm show, where she’ll flip the switch on the Opry’s barn backdrop to turn it pink for the second show of the night.
Breast cancer survivor and Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts will be on-hand to guest-announce a portion of the first show!
Visit Opry.com for complete information!
excited! I believe Martina and Lauren from American Idol this past season’s gonKellie

Kellie Pickler is happy to be a part of ”Opry Goes Pink.”
“I’m really excited about the Opry goin’ pink. That is such a wonderful cause to bring awareness to breast cancer.”

BILLY RAY CYRUS GIVES TV VIEWERS GIFT OF MUSIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Billy Ray Cyrus gives TV viewers the gift of music this holiday season starring in “Christmas Comes Home to Canaan,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere, Saturday, December 17 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C).  The film is the sequel to the network’s highest-rated film of 2009, “Christmas in Canaan” (OAD, Saturday, December 12, 2009).  Cyrus, Grammy® nominated in 1993 for his debut album Some Gave All, has written and performed an original song – Home – which viewers will be able to receive as a download during the World Premiere of “Christmas Comes Home to Canaan” by having a second screen opened to the URL www.hallmarkchannel.com/Countdown <http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/Countdown> .  Mr. Cyrus also wrote, performed and produced a music video in the original Canaan story.

Hallmark Channel’s COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS features more true holiday-themed programming than any other network.  Hallmark Channel is proud to be the official TV partner with Marine Toys for Tots working with the foundation to fulfill their mission that every child deserves a new toy at Christmas.


TRACY LAWRENCE PERFORMS WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY

Tracy Lawrence treated an audience Sunday evening to a special rendition of “Paint Me A Birmingham”performed with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and friends Restless Heart to benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission at the Schermerhorn in Nashville.

Lawrence joined Restless Heart in another special moment during the “Music With A Mission” event to perform one of their songs “Wheels” with the group.

Lawrence has been a big supporter of the Nashville Rescue Mission over the years and is set host his six annual “Mission Possible” Turkey Fry on November 22 at the Nashville Rescue Mission.




NEW MUSIC

Toby Keith RELEASES
"I Need To Hear A Country Song"
Track-A-Day 00:03:34
on Show Dog - Universal Music
Available Date & Time: yesterday Oct 20, 2011 - 7:00AM ET
plus....
“Beers Ago” -TODAY - Oct. 21, 2011


BILLY BURNETTE RELEASES CHRISTMAS SINGLE “ROCK AND ROLL IN CHRISTMAS”

Rockabilly Holiday Song Taken From Title Track of New Album
Portion of Proceeds To Go To St Jude Children’s Research Hospital
 
 The first song Billy Burnette recorded for Dot Records at the young age of 7 was called “Hey Daddy I’m Gonna Tell Santa On You.” Since then, he’s had a long music, film and songwriting career writing hits for Ray Charles to Cher to George Strait, and as a member of Fleetwood Mac and a guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band. But what Burnette really loves to do? Is making rockabilly music. He just released Rock and Roll With It -- his first studio album in a decade -- just prior to his Nov 12th induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. And to celebrate the holidays Burnette re-cut and re-wrote the title track as a Christmas single. “Rock And Roll In Christmas” was just released on iTunes, and is hitting radio all other major web retailers in the coming weeks.
Stream Here: “Rock And Roll In Christmas.”



THE MAVERICKS REUNITE

(RAUL MALO, ROBERT REYNOLDS AND PAUL DEAKIN)
TO REUNITE AT STAGECOACH FESTIVAL
 
The aptly named Mavericks will reunite for the first time since their 2003 dissolution for an appearance at the Stagecoach Festival to be held April 27-29, 2012 in Indio, Calif.
 Following the Stagecoach appearance, original band members Raul Malo (vocals, guitar), Robert Reynolds (bass) and Paul Deakin (drums) plan a summer tour of North America and Europe.
 
Lead singer Malo says, “I’m excited to get back together with the band. Stagecoach is obviously the perfect way to start a tour — for the band to be reintroduced to us as well as for us to refamiliarize ourselves with the fans. It’s one of the great music festivals of the world. This time out, we’ll get to do things right and finish what we started on our own terms — not subject to the powers that be.”
 
Robert Reynolds adds, “Time away has really allowed me to miss the guys and the music we made together. We owe it to the fans as a thank you. The thing that saddened me was trying to imagine never playing those songs with my fellow Mavs and for the fans that showed us such love. Its time to correct that, here we come again.”
 
And according to Paul Deakin, “I’ve always thought of The Mavericks as one of those bands that had an inexplicable chemistry that resulted in a kind of magic on stage. Possibly the relentless pursuit of fun helped the mojo along. The stage is one of those rare places that you instantly get back what you put out. The Mavericks had a lot of fun putting out over the years.  I can't wait to get back on this horse again.”
 

Contact:
Neil Haislop


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