This week's Top 5 songs & MORE - Country Music News powered by: countryforever.com

This week's Top 5 songs:

REBA McENTIRE   "Consider Me Gone"   #1

LADY ANTEBELLUM   "Need You Now"    #2

LUKE BRYAN   "Do I" #3

DIERKS BENTLEY "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes"   #4

TIM McGRAW'S "Southern Voice" #5

REBA AND GEORGE...QUEEN AND KING OF COUNTRY

Reba McEntire's first #1 release was her 1982 hit, "Can't Even Get The Blues." George Strait also released his first #1 in 1982 with "Fool Hearted Memory."

If anybody asks you why they rank as the reigning King and Queen of country music, with all the hot new singers shaking things up in today's country music, just remind them that Reba and George remain on their thrones because they're still scoring #1 hits 27 years after they did it the first time.

In addition to the Billboard artist and songwriter of the decade titles, Toby was honored by the Nashville Songwriters Assn. International (NSAI), which awarded him its prestigious Songwriter/Artist of the Decade Award (2000 – 2009) for his hits including "How Do You Like Me Now," "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)," "Beer For My Horses," "I Love
This Bar," "As Good As I Once Was" and "God Love Her."

In this decade alone, his singles have spent more than a year at No. 1 on the charts, giving the singer-songwriter a No. 1 smash every year since his debut single "Should've Been A Cowboy" hit the top of the charts in 1993. This year, he landed the 27th No. 1 single of his career and 16th of this
decade, with "American Ride," the track off his 15th studio album of the same name that debuted at the top of the Country Albums chart.

On the road, his 2009 U.S. America's Toughest Tour presented by Ford F eries played to more than a million people marking the ninth consecutive year the hard-touring artist will cross the impressive million ticket threshold. Overseas, Keith embarked on his first European tour in November
where he sold-out a two-week run that included nine shows in six countries.

He recently returned to Norway where he performed at the 16th annual Nobel Peace Prize concert.

OTHER TOBY NOTABILITY....

Keith also journeyed to the Persian Gulf on his seventh consecutive USO
tour, visiting small, remote forward operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan
and performing 17 shows in 11 days. Since working with the organization in
2002, he has traveled to more than 10 countries, participated in more than
128 events and entertained more than 118,000 service members.

In recognition of his service here and abroad, this year, Toby received the
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Distinguished Service Award
for his exceptional support of military people and the Marine Corps-Law
Enforcement Foundation's Johnny "Mike" Spann Memorial Semper Fidelis Award for being "always faithful" (Semper Fidelis) in his loyalty to and support
of America's troops.

Beyond music, Keith has also starred in two successful major motion
pictures, owns a chain of restaurants as well as his own record label, and
recently launched his own clothing line.

SPEAKING OF TOBY THE RECORD COMPANY MOGUL...

UNIVERSAL SOUTH JOINS WITH SHOW DOG TO LAUNCH
SHOW DOG-UNIVERSAL MUSIC

Toby Keith and Mark Wright have announced Friday that Show Dog Nashville and Universal South will merge into Show Dog-Universal Music, a combination that "will create a more effective and efficient home for developing and marketing new and established talent." Toby will serve as a Principle of the new label and Mark Wright as President. It is a move that underscores their shared commitment to expanding the marketplace for new music.

“Show Dog-Universal will still have the feeling of being an independent label with strong and personal relationships with all our artists. That is what Show Dog Nashville and Universal South have always been about, but combine the two labels and you have a powerhouse with more staff and better opportunities for our artists. I look forward to working closely with my friend and partner Mark Wright,” said Toby.

“The launch of this new company creates even more value for our combined artists, employees and business partners," stated Mr. Wright. "Together, our best-in-class team will create even more opportunities for our artists, while expanding the services we offer. This is truly one-plus-one equaling three. Moreover, I am delighted to be partnering with Toby, with whom I have shared a close friendship for many years. His remarkable achievements as an artist and businessman define creative leadership at its very best. He will be invaluable to taking this company to even greater heights.”

JOE'S DIARY SCORES A MILLION VIEWERS'

If you missed the first airing of the GAC Television special Joe Nichols: My Military Diary, the network has plans for multiple rebroadcasts in the coming weeks. Viewers can watch the touching special on Christmas Day (9:30 pm EST), as well as December 26th (1:30 a.m and 11:00 am EST) and January 12, 2010 (9:00 pm EST).

The documentary style special was shot earlier this year when Nichols toured US military bases in Kuwait and Iraq. The initial airings of the special were viewed by more than one million people and drew solid ratings for the network.

"Getting to meet our men and women in uniform and hear their stories was an incredible experience for me," Nichols said. "I think this television special really drives home the point of what they're going through over there, so far away from home and family."

Nichols will take the holiday to spend time with his own family, and hit the road again in 2010. His new single, the driving, up-tempo "Gimmie That Girl," has already cracked the Top 30 of the charts and shows no sign of slowing down.

KNOXVILLE DECLARES GRETCHEN WILSON DAY

County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and City Mayor Bill Haslam proclaimed Thursday, December 17, 2009, "Gretchen Wilson Day" in honor of her support and effort on behalf of Adult Education across the state of Tennessee.
Wilson, a Grammy-Award winning country music singer and recent GED (General Equivalency Diploma) graduate in Knoxville for a concert to promote her new single "Work Hard, Play Harder" at Cotton Eyed Joe Thursday evening, was presented with a Proclamation stating "it is the goal of Knox County Schools Adult Education and Knox County governing bodies to enroll citizens without high school diplomas in GED programs."

BILLY BURNETTE HAS BYPASS SURGERY

Legendary guitarist, artist, and hit songwriter Billy Burnette underwent a quintuple bypass surgery on Dec. 16. Burnette, a former member and guitarist for Fleetwood Mac, had just returned from tour as a guitarist for John Fogerty when he felt short of breath and went to the hospital. Doctors admitted Burnette right away and successfully performed open heart surgery. Billy is currently at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. where he is recovering.

Burnette, born in Memphis Tennessee, is the heritage of classic American music. The son of rock-a-billy pioneer Dorsey Burnette, who with his brother Johnny, blazed the trail for the birth of rock and roll with the Rock N’ Roll Trio. Their music influenced everyone from Elvis Presley to the Beatles.