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REBA ENDS '09 AT #1..BEGINS '10 AT #1 REBA McENTIRE ended and begins the year at #1 as "Consider Me Gone" spends a 4th consecutive week atop the chart. As...
DIERKS BENTLEY also holds onto the spot he had at year's end as "I Wanna Make Your Clothes Fall Off...remains at #2...and...
Also holding fast at #3 is TIM McGRAW's "Southern Voice" while...
MIRANDA LAMBERT's "White Liar" climbs up two to 4th place...with...
JASON ALDEAN's "The Truth" also jumps up a couple to round out the Top 5 at #5 this week.
BRAD PAISLEY’S AMERICAN SATURDAY NIGHT TOUR
 cf.com
Jimmy Wayne and Dierks Bentley opened with great shows last summer, but for this final leg, Brad tapped red hot newcomer, Justin Moore, and the incomparable, Miranda Lambert to fill the opening slots.
Reigning CMA and ACM Male Vocalist and 2-time 2010 Grammy nominee Brad Paisley will launch the final leg of his American Saturday Night Tour this weekend with shows in San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Wichita. Special guests for the 20 dates will be Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore.
In the past 12 months Paisley has played to over 1.2 million fans in over 75 markets with an impressive 52 sell outs – so far. The lucky one millionth ticket holder was given a 2009 Chevy Silverado by Paisley in Jacksonville, FL.
Paisley’s current single, “American Saturday Night,” is #10 on the Country Singles Charts of Billboard and Media Base this week and quickly climbing.
American Saturday Night 2010 tour dates:
January 7 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
January 8 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Arena
January 9 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
January 14 Sioux City, IA Tyson Center
January 15 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
January 16 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
January 21 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
January 22 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
January 23 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
January 24 Bloomington, IL US Cellular Arena
February 4 Tupelo, MS Bancorp South Arena
February 5 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena
February 6 Biloxi, MS Mississippi Coast Coliseum
February 18 Fresno, CA SaveMart Center
February 19 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
February 20 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay
February 21 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
March 4 Greenville, SC BiLo Center
March 5 Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena
March 6 Charleston, SC Charleston Coliseum
Log on to www.bradpaisley.com for on-sale and up to date information on American Saturday Night – more dates to be added.
SPEAKING OF JIMMY WAYNE...
 cf.com
The website for Wayne’s “Meet Me Halfway” walk from Nashville to Phoenix went live today ( http://meetmehalfway.jimmywayne.com <http://meetmehalfway.jimmywayne.com> ). On the site, fans can track Wayne’s progress, view video and photo updates from the road as well as donate to “Meet Me Halfway” to help homeless youth. Wayne’s Monday webcast on the new site will mark his first live broadcast since beginning his trek halfway across America on New Year’s Day.
So far, the coldest temperatures the Southeast has seen in some 50 years have slowed Wayne’s progress, but the artist is still making good time, and was near Jackson, Tennessee Friday afternoon.
“I’ve had to sleep inside the past several nights because of these single digit temperatures,” Wayne said. “That wasn’t my plan, but sometimes Mother Nature wins. Next week the area will hit highs in the 40’s, downright balmy compared to what it’s been, and I hope to get some good hours of walking under my belt.”
Meet Me Halfway is a project Wayne began in order to raise awareness of the plight of homeless children, teens and young people, particularly those who age out of the foster care system and often have nowhere to go. TAYLOR SWIFT HISTORIC FIGURE OF DIGI TRACK SALES
 CF.COM
With over 24.3 million digital tracks sold to date, Taylor Swift is the top-selling digital artist in music history, according to sales figures released this week by Nielsen SoundScan.
In addition, her FEARLESS album was 2009’s top-seller, with sales last year in excess of 3.2 million copies, and Taylor claimed both the #1 and #2 positions atop Nielsen’s BDS Top 10 Most Played Songs chart (all genres), with “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” respectively. She also topped the all format 2009 Top 10 Artist Airplay chart with over 1.29 million song detections, and the Top 10 Artist Internet Streams chart with more than 46 million song plays. FEARLESS was also the top-selling album of 2008, and Taylor is the youngest solo artist ever to top the year-end sales chart.
FEARLESS, now quintuple-platinum, also topped Billboard’s 2009 all-genre Top 200 Albums chart and was named Country Album of the Year by the editors of iTunes. Taylor’s self-titled debut album, released in 2006, currently holds the record for Billboard’s longest charting album this century, and she is tied with the Beatles and Mariah Carey for Billboard’s Most Top 20 Debuts.
ALSO, TAYLOR SWIFT BECOMES A SONY DIGI VID AMBASSADOR
This week Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, where Sony Chairman & CEO Sir Howard Stringer introduced her as the newest Brand Ambassador for Sony Electronics. Taylor will use Sony 3-D technology to capture footage on her Fearless 2010 Tour. "I feel like my fans are all very cutting-edge," Swift said. "So when it comes to technology, I'm very interested in what's the newest and the best. My tour starts up next month in Australia and Japan, and I'm very much looking forward to documenting all the behind-the-scenes and on-tour footage using 3-D." Click here to read more about the CES announcement.
STEEL MAGNOLIA TAKE BREAK TO RE-CHARGE
Magnolia’s Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey’s daily routine has become so unpredictable on their radio tour, jetting across the country multiple times a week, that Christmas holiday was a welcome break. “For some reason it was easier for us to unwind during the Christmas break because we knew lots of other people were getting a break too. The whole world kinda slowed down a bit,” notes Josh. “We enjoy spending time with our families and friends and, you know, that’s the important stuff. There is nothing like raising a little hell with the boys that you’ve known since high school. And then I just love seeing my mom and talking with her when she’s drinking her morning coffee. Seeing that just calms me and takes me to a peaceful place.”
JACK INGRAM LOOKS BACK AND LOOKS AHEAD
Jack Ingram, one of Country music’s true road warriors, just wrapped a winter tour with Gary Allan and Eli Young Band on Gary Allan’s GET OFF ON THE PAIN Tour.
Jack confirmed that going on the road with Gary was a perfect pairing.
“Gary's fans are as good as it gets. Enthusiastic, loyal and loud!” exclaims Jack. “They show up early, stay late and have a good time. What more could you ask for?” Jack continues: “I think this tour was, musically, the best fit I've had. I think Gary and I probably share the same music library on our iPods.
And now, as 2010 dawns, Jack is working on a US acoustic tour, as well as his first-ever trek to Australia in March. Then, mid-year, Jack will kick off the summer on the Country THROWDOWN Tour with Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and Little Big Town on the main stage for the summer’s most refreshing amphitheater tour. We asked Jack why he signed on to be part of the Warped Tour producers’ first foray into Country music. “I've always been aware and a fan of the concept of the Warped tour,” states Jack. “You get a ton of good bands, start early, keep the price low and the beer cold. Whether it’s rock or country or jazz, I don't care! Just give me good music and a lot of it. That's what this tour is about: a big bad-ass throwdown- country style!” Stay tuned for tour dates and markets on the THROWDOWN tour in the coming weeks.
TWO YEARS AFTER COUNTRY DEBUT, JEWEL RETURNS WITH NEW SINGLE: Jewel’s new single is a song called “Stay Here Forever” (one she co-wrote with hit songwriter Dallas Davidson). The track, co- produced by Nathan Chapman, impacts Country radio next week, exactly two years after the launch of her Country breakthrough hit “Stronger Woman”. We asked Jewel about writing this song and just how it feels to be back with new music at Country radio. “I wrote this song last year during a songwriters retreat that I hosted on my ranch in Texas,” recalls Jewel. “We had such a fun time coming up with new ideas for songs and sharing them around the fire at the end of the day. ‘Stay Here Forever’ is a song that really says what it feels like to be in love and to want to live in that moment forever. I recorded it, along over 60 other songs, with just an acoustic guitar in my home studio- and the label really fell in love with it. We decided to cut a full version of the song in Nashville and I am thrilled to be back at Country radio and to see what all the fans think!” As previously reported, the song is included in the movie and soundtrack of the upcoming film Valentine’s Day (soundtrack in stores 2/9; film opening 2/12).
RANDOM NOTES: Reba will make a guest appearance on CMT’s popular series, THE SINGING BEE when it returns for a second season on Friday, January 15 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT. Hosted by Melissa Peterman, this season promises more laughs and excitement than ever before with new music selections and fierce competitors…Nashville-based dance venue marketing company, Marco Club Connection, has compiled and released its sixth annual Top Ten list of 2009’s most requested Country dance club songs and Reba’s “I Want A Cowboy” is listed among the Top 10 titles…Jewel and husband Ty Murray will appear on the January 31st episode of ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover…Reba is interviewed by her 2010 tour mate George Strait in the current issue of Country Weekly, on-stands now. Check out an upcoming issue of Country Weekly when the tables are turned and George answers Reba’s questions.
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COUNTRY NEWS FOR FANS 
