How do you have a debut and a #1 in the same week? Jake Owen cracked the code on that last week – his daughter, Olive Pearl, made her debut into the world, and his song “The One That Got Away” topped the country charts. It’s his third #1 song, and Jake’s elated: “It’s been almost eight and a half years. It’s been really cool, everything that’s happened and I’m just very fortunate.” Jake’s on the road right now with Florida Georgia Line, whose single “Cruise” is nipping at Jake’s heels – it’s #2 on the country charts this week. According to Brian Kelley, his FGL bandmate, Tyler Hubbard, predicted the song’s success: “First day in the studio when we were recording ‘Cruise’ and it was starting to come to life, BK looked at me and he said, ‘Dude, we’re gonna sell a million copies of this song.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, there’s no way. It’s not even possible.’ And that was a year ago and we were starting to work on it so it’s uh...I guess we have big dreams and big goals and we try to reach those goals.” Florida Georgia Line’s debut album, Here’s To The Good Times, is out next week.

Taylor Swift’s album, Red, is at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart for the third week in a row. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, more than any of her other singles. What’s the song all about? Taylor explains, “Constantly fighting and causing a scene and making everyone uncomfortable and clearly everyone around us knows we need to break up and we won’t and they are all rolling their eyes at us. At a certain point, you realize you just have to be really bold about it. ‘No, we are not getting back together!’”

Pistol Annies’ members Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley and Miranda Lambert are working on their sophomore album. There’s no release date, but Miranda says it’ll be worth the wait: “The new album will be just what you expect. It’s three country girls singing about three country girls’ lives and we write everything on our own. We did on the last record and our goal on this next record is to write everything just in our family, just the three of us girls again.”
Trace Adkins had a break in the taping of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, and used that break to schedule his seventh USO tour in 11 years. He’s in Japan, giving four private concerts for US troops and their families. 

Jake and Lacey Owen are now a family of three – their daughter Olive Pearl Owen was born on Thanksgiving Day. Calling her his “little turkey baby,” Jake said, “My grandparents are super excited about being great grandparents. My parents are excited about being grandparents and I’m excited about being a parent. So, there’s a lot of cool feelings going around the Owen household these days.” Ever felt pressure from your mom for grandkids? You’re not alone – listen to Jake on his mom’s pressure: “My mom has asked me for years, ‘When are you gonna get married? When are you gonna get married? I want grandbabies.’ And I told her that it just was gonna take the right person and I really thought I’d never get married but a lot of things in my life have happened when I least expected it.”
Did you spend Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in the stores? Turns out, country stars are pretty much like us – some did, and some didn’t. On the “didn’t” side is Brad Paisley: “I’m pretty last minute. Most guys I think are like me. You just don’t invest enough, you don’t think ahead, and plan it.” Carrie Underwood, on the other hand, loves to shop the sales, and not just for other people: “I love shopping in general. Makeup shopping can get me in trouble for sure. If I go into a make-up store and they give you one of those little baskets to carry around… By the end of it I’m like what just happened. You know I pass over my credit card so easily, and my magic plastic card and then they give me stuff.” Luke Bryan and his wife Caroline are seasoned Christmas shoppers for sons Bo and Tate: “Yeah my wife and I, we talk about it and get it figured out. And kind of pick what we want to get him and have a good old Santa Claus night.” Lee Brice is adamantly on Brad Paisley’s side where Black Friday shopping is concerned: “I never get involved with that, ever.” It’s a house divided for Thompson Square’s Shawna and Keifer: “[Shawna] The deals you can get are so good on that day. [Keifer] It’s not worth the stress. We almost got…[Shawna] We got plowed. [Keifer] Plowed by this crazy lady trying to get to a Nintendo or something I don’t know she was freaking out, like running people over. There have been people like hurt and kills and stuff with these stupid things.”
Garth Brooks has wrapped up his run in Las Vegas, but there are rumblings of a tour in the works. His youngest daughter is due to graduate high school in the spring of 2014 and apparently Garth is considering a major tour later that year. That means he’s probably already working on music for an album, and we know there’ll be a tv special directed by Martin Scorsese, live from the Encore Theatre in Vegas. No word on the date for the special, but expect it to happen before the tour in 2014. 
Tracy Lawrence fed a lot of hungry people over Thanksgiving – his “Mission: Possible Turkey Fry” fed thousands with the 500 turkeys he and his friends fried up in the Nashville Rescue Mission’s parking lot last Tuesday. Since his event started in 2006, he’s supplied about 6,500 fried turkeys to feed more than 40,000 families at Thanksgiving. 
Wednesday night, Trace Adkins will help with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. He’ll sing a new, Celtic- influenced version of “We Three Kings.” 
Taylor Swift’s “Red” has dominated the top of the country charts for 4 weeks in a row, but lost it’s grip on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart last week to One Direction. She’s on the Katie Couric Show today.

Friday may be Black Friday for most of America, but in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, it’s Pink Friday. That’s the day Miranda Lambert opens her new store, The Pink Pistol, and the grand opening celebration includes Pink-aoke singing and the first annual Pink Pistol Princess Pageant. Judges will be looking for costume creativity, spunk and sass. Miranda says this event will be an annual one at her new store: “Pink Friday will be country fun with some glitz!”

Fans of Jake Owen have a lot to be thankful for. He is good to his fans, because he truly cares about them and what they think. No, really! “I just like talking to people. I like to learn about folks, I like to make new friends and I like to hear what they think. If they think I should put a song out that’s better than this one or that one – people are going to tell you the truth. I just like connecting with people.” A four-year old fan, Ava Schipke, even got a birthday call from Jake because her Mom tweeted that she wanted to talk to him on her birthday.

Little Big Town already has their stuffing taken care of – they stuffed backpacks for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, helping ensure that no child would go hungry tomorrow. The band’s Phillip Sweet explained why it’s important to all of them to help this cause: “It’s important all year long, but even more so this time of year. And I think one good thing is to bring awareness to people’s minds about it, because we’re all thinking about being with our family and being together and feasting and eating turkey and all these things, and to think that there are others that won’t have that beautiful gift, it’s not right! We’ve got to do something about that.”

Carrie Underwood is counting her blessings again this year, with a great career, a great hubby and quite a few awards under her belt. She says her favorite part of award shows are the acceptance speeches: “I love the chance to thank people! You know, if I’m blessed enough to win an award to get up there and thank the fans ‘cause they really are our employers.”
Craig Morgan is thankful to be able to support groups like The Wounded Warrior Project – he did a benefit concert for them in Florida this past weekend – and knows that gives meaning to his life: “There’s nothing more rewarding than giving back. It makes you feel good. Those military shows and all that kind of stuff we get to do – it is very rewarding and also very humbling.” 
What happens when a song takes on a life of its own? Florida Georgia Line is learning about that, as “Cruise” continues to sail up the charts. The platinum-selling song is the first hit for the band, and member Brian Kelley is in awe of it’s success so far: “It’s crazy to see where the songs come from. From the day we wrote it, to the day we started recording it, and then waited a couple of months, then finished it up and then released it. To now, it’s definitely a dream come true. It’s crazy.” It gets even crazier – a Nashville Chevy dealer just presented the duo with “a brand new Chevy with a lift kit” each for Mike and bandmate Tyler Hubbard. 
The American Country Awards will air December 10th on FOX-TV, and performers are lining up to be part of the fun. Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan and Kip Moore have all been chosen to perform, and more will be announced before the awards are handed out. 
Country music will be well-represented on the People’s Choice Awards in January. Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift are both nominated for Favorite Female Artist, Blake Shelton s up for Favorite Male Artist, and the three of them are joined by Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw for Favorite Country Artist. Taylor Swift is up for Favorite Song for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and Carrie Underwood is nominated for Favorite Album for “Blown Away.” You can vote for your favorites now. 
Martina McBride and her family will be spending Thanksgiving in New York City. She’ll be performing during The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS tomorrow. 

While we’re all getting ready to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends, Trace Adkins is getting ready to ring in the Christmas season at the annual lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center. He’ll perform during the TV special, along with Mariah Carey, Cee Lo Green and Rod Stewart. The show airs live a week from tonight at 8 on NBC.

Jake Owen is dreaming of being a father, which will happen some time this month, but he’s a bit worried about how his bulldog, Merle, will handle the new addition: “Yeah, I’m a little…I’m worried that, you know, Merle’s (sighs)…Merle’s gonna get his feelings hurt a little bit. He already looks sad enough ’cause he’s a bulldog, but he also really likes kids. He’s fascinated with kids, and he loves playin’ with ‘em, and so it could be cool. I can’t wait. I really can’t wait ’til she’s big enough where she can sit on the couch, and he can sleep right next to her, and the two of them, the same size, can lay there together, and I can take photos.”

Keith Urban announced his tour plans for next year, and he’s also in the studio, working on an album he’ll release before hitting the road. He’s taking along Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch as tourmates, kicking things off July 18th in Cincinnati, Ohio, and wrapping up October 5th in West Palm Beach Florida. The complete list of tour dates is on his website, and check out how psyched they all are about this tour…
 
If you’re a Rascal Flatts fan, you might want to call in sick next Tuesday – “Rascal Flatts: All Access & Uncovered” comes out Monday, and they’ll be haunting the airwaves all night Monday night. Joe Don says their fans learn a lot more about each of them: “It’s really a little deeper glimpse into the heart, souls and minds of Rascal Flatts. And the three of us individually – how we grew up, where we grew up, before we came to Nashville and met each other. Also parts of how we met each other and how we became Rascal Flatts, and all the emotions that’s built up to where we’re at in life.” The trio will be on The Voice and Chelsea Lately on Monday night. 
Luke Bryan is at the top of the charts again this week with “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” It’s his second week at #1, and instead of basking in the glow, Luke is planning the album that will follow up the platinum “Tailgates & Tanlines.” According to Luke, “I’m super excited about what I’ve got written and what songs I’ve found—even more than Tailgates and Tanlines—I’m more excited. There’s one or two little things I kinda want on the record that I don’t have yet—but it’s certainly great being on this side and getting great songs from the Nashville community.” 
What do writers do? They write, and husband/wife duo Thompson Square is no exception. But they’re not limiting themselves to songs this time – they’re writing a book called “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?,” due out in June of next year. It’s a novel, and they’ll co-write with Travis Thrasher. 
The ABC show, “Nashville,” is such a hit that it’s been picked up for the entire season. Hayden Panettiere, who plays Juliette Barnes, knows why people are drawn to the show: “Both characters, and as are all the characters in the show, going through their own hard times, their own troubles, turmoil and everyone has their own issues to overcome and I think that’s something that people bond over, is hurt or pain or … just things like that in motion that people really find common ground with.” The music is great, too, and a soundtrack will be out on December 11th. 
Taylor Swift is on The X Factor on FOX tonight, and Jason Aldean is on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Kenny Chesney is psyched about his 20th anniversary tour – 20 years of touring and he vows to make it the best tour yet for his fans because of the mutual admiration they have: “I’m glad there’s anticipation I’m glad there’s a certain energy there. To be honest with you, the idea of that energy drives me to be even better. I think any entertainer will tell you this, because I do wear my feelings out on my sleeve a lot. So that being said, the more love we get, the more we throw back at them.” Tourmate Eric Church is thrilled to be part of the fun, so he can build a relationship with new fans: “We got this night, I’m not going to see you for a while and you’re not going to see me for a while, you know? And I love being able to capitalize on that moment and trying to live in that moment and get as much energy exchanged between myself and the crowd as we can. I love that! That’s my favorite part of what we do. I love being around people…I’m very passionate about my music and I love people who are passionate about the music too, and I love playing a show for that type of crowd.” He’ll join the tour on select stadium shows, as will Zac Brown Band. Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves are the regular tourmates, signed up for at least 17 stadium shows with Kenny next year.
Jake Owen has set a record for the most consecutive sold-out shows for the CMT on Tour effort. He knows why people keep coming back to see him – he’ll all about giving value for that ticket price: “That’s all you ever try to do - is try to please the people that were there. Make sure they go home and tell their friends who weren’t there about it. The next time around they bring them back – and your crowd progressively gets bigger.” 

Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean spent the weekend hunting in Kansas with the crew of Buck Commander. Also on the hunt are baseball stars Adam LaRoche, Ryan Langerhans and Tombo Martin. Luke admits that the deer could be safe from him and Jason: “Who knows – we’re both pretty awful. I haven’t killed anything on this past trip. I got a deer down in Texas – but I’m still waitin’.” The show will air this fall or winter on the Outdoor Channel.
Miranda Lambert spent her birthday weekend at home in Oklahoma, working on her new boutique, The Pink Pistol. It’ll open the day after Thanksgiving. Since she’s busy with that, plus her tour, plus her work with Pistol Annies, and Blake’s busy with The Voice, the subject of children doesn’t come up between them – they’re too busy, and Miranda says her dogs are like children to her. 
Martina McBride just shot a video for “Please Come Home For Christmas” in Franklin, Tennessee. Her crew spent a week decorating the town, including adding snow, so it would be in the holiday spirit. The song will be part of “A Very Special Christmas” benefit cd this year, and the video featured 12 Special Olympians. 
There’ll be a Hurricane Sandy benefit concert in New York at Madison Square Garden on 12/12/12. The performers are still being lined up, but there should be a country artist or two in the mix.

Oh, to have been in this Nashville bar – Tim McGraw played a show in Nashville before the CMA Awards last week, warming up his band and working out some of his new songs. How did it feel? According to Tim, “Anytime you get to play new music, it energizes you. And playing new stuff, and knowing I’ve got an album coming and knowing it’s sort of a new day in my career, I was really energized.”

Little Big Town is delighted to have their first CMA wins in their decade-long career, and think that the success of “Pontoon” might lie in the mystery in the lyrics: “Who would’ve thought that ‘Motorboatin’’ would be up for Single of the Year, you know? But that’s how big an impact, I guess, it’s had with the fans and with people. People want to have a good time.” Ok, so if that’s the case, then their follow-up single, “Tornado,” should be a success because – people want to have a bad time? “It’s so much fun to sing, I mean the writers—they’re the ones that—they paint the picture of ‘thought you’d change the weather, start a little storm, make a little rain, I’m gonna do one better, hide the sun until you pray [laugh]—I’m a tornado’. I’m that kinda sets the whole scene of what’s to come.” Yeah, you don’t want to get on the bad side of that storm!

A little news broke on the red carpet last week – Jake Owen and his wife Lacey will name their daughter Pearl, after his Godmother, who passed away in July. Jake already has her name tattooed on his left wrist. Pearl should make her debut sometime this month.

Hunter Hayes is psyched to be Carrie Underwood’s opening act on the second leg of her “Blown Away” tour. He had a great time on the first leg, saying, “The crowds have been really cool. They’re showing up early. You know, and as an opening act it means a lot. And it’s really cool to be like direct support, you know, be right in front of Carrie and to get that slot and for her to say that I’m sort of worthy of that slot...it’s awesome and it’s really cool for her to say, ‘Hey, come back out next year! We’re doing some more.’” Probably didn’t hurt for him to win New Artist of the Year at the CMAs last week, with Carrie hosting!
You can’t see it until this weekend, but Eli Young Band went in a very different direction for the “Say Goodnight” video. “For the video, we could have very easily gone in more of a romantic love story kind of direction, but we chose to go science fiction with it. It’s pretty much the exact opposite of what you think it would be when you’re listening to the song.” Why science fiction? Oh, heck – why not? CMT will air it this weekend. 
Kellie Pickler has a bone to pick with the media – Summer, the woman with breast cancer that Kellie shaved her head to support, is more than a friend: “It’s so weird for people to call her my best friend, because she’s not my best friend – she’s my sister. We’ve never referred to each other as friends – ever. She’s always been my sister Summer. So it is weird. She actually brought that up to me and goes, ‘It’s so weird to see headlines and people say were best friends because I feel like that’s an understatement.” 

The American Music Awards nominations have been announced, and Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan both have two nods – Carrie is nominated for Favorite Female Country Album and Favorite Country Album, and Luke’s nods are for Favorite Male Country Artist and Favorite Country Album. The third album in the Country category is Lionel Richie’s “Tuskeegee.” Jason Aldean and Eric Church are the other nominees in the male country category, Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert round out the female country category, and in the Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group category, Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts are nominated. The American Music Awards will be handed out live on ABC November 18th.

Big congrats to Little Big Town, who hold down the #1 spot for the 4th week in a row on the Billboard Country Album chart with “Tornado.” Karen Fairchild says that the album is well-named: “We’ve had an amazing journey as a band, but this has felt like a new day and it’s been akin to a storm, in a really cool way.”

They might just have to settle for 4 weeks – Jason Aldean’s “Night Train” comes out this Tuesday and is expected to blow away the competition and take over the #1 spot on the Billboard Country Album chart. You can stream it on iTunes now, and make sure you listen to “The Only Way I Know,” a collaboration between Jason, Luke Bryan and Eric Church. Jason explains how that came together: “I just thought, ‘Man, with those two guys having the types of years they’re having and our thing doing what it’s doing, it just—what a cool kind of thing that could be on the record. And so I talked to those guys and sent them the song, and both of them dug the song. It’s another thing on the album that’s completely different.”

Jake Owen, Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line are on the road together with the CMT The Summer Never Ends Tour. What’s it like, traveling around the country with a bunch of guys? According to Jake, “That’s the cool thing about it—is traveling around with your friends and singing songs and making people happy and then moving on to the next town and doing the same thing again. I mean, we’ll do everything from hang out and maybe play some golf, or try to find a boat somewhere and go out on a boat, or do some fishing. You know just what guys do, but the cool thing about it is every night we get to have a get-together with a bunch of friends and pick some guitars and sing songs.” The guys from Florida Georgia Line have some thoughts, too: “I know we are going to be playing a lot of ping pong – for sure. We like to find a gym and time to work out or do something. We’ve talked to Jake, we’re gonna have a whole bunch of random things. We’re gonna get all the stuff out at every stop and have a little mobile gym. It’ll be a good time getting a little workout in.” 

Speaking of working out, Miranda Lambert shares some workout secrets and her workout playlist in a WebMD interview: she’s put bad snacks on the “must miss” list and now snacks on almonds and low-fat string cheese, though will occasionally splurge on a cheeseburger or Dairy Queen Blizzard. As for her workout playlist, here you go… "Stronger" - Kelly Clarkson 
"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood 
"Hell on Heels" - Pistol Annies 
"Run the World (Girls)" - Beyoncé 
"Love in an Elevator" - Aerosmith 
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" - Shania Twain 
"Smokin' the Boys" - Audra Mae and The Almighty Sound 
"You and I" - Lady Gaga 


Greg Bates is working his way up the charts with his debut, “I Did It For The Girl.” The singer-songwriter has a dream that he hopes comes true one day: “I would love to write a song with Alan Jackson. I think...you know, he was a huge influence on me as a writer and I’ve always wanted to sit down with that guy and if anything just learn anything else that I can from him as a writer.”

Dierks Bentley has new music in the works, but not before he finishes what he started with “Home.” “I’m working on trying, you know...wrapping up this year so I can start working on some new music. We’ve been touring pretty hard and I’ve been writing some stuff. I’m gonna start working on a new record probably in January, but just wrapping up the year up. We’ve been rockin’ really hard.” This Sunday is the Nashville stop for his “Miles and Music for Kids” motorcycle ride and concert to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.

Apparently, Brad Paisley’s new album will have a lot of heart: one track features a heart monitor beating a rhythm track through the second verse, and another song features an actual recorded human heart as part of the instrumentation. Maybe he’ll give us sneak-peeks before the album drops in April of 2013!

It’s not easy being a superstar, especially when you’ve added a TV show to your schedule. Listen to the week that Keith Urban had recently: “Sunday started with the Emmys, of course. Monday and Tuesday nights we played in Vegas. Tuesday and Wednesday we shot American Idol in Chicago...had a great time there. And Thursday I got on a plane and I came to the south of France.”

Jake Owen’s CMT On Tour tour kicks off tomorrow night, with Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line. Jake’s new “Endless Summer” EP features a song called “Summer Jam” that he and his buddies in FLG co-wrote, and Jake can’t wait to get onstage and do it live with them: “They were a big part in writing that song. Not only am I huge fans of theirs, and I really try to be very supportive of my buddies, but they’re gonna go out on our CMT On Tour, so I just thought it would be a really cool moment to bring them back out and do that song with them.”

After three years of camping out in Las Vegas, Garth Brooks pulls up stakes and heads back to Oklahoma next month. His final show at the Wynn Las Vegas will be November 17th, and Garth says he’s “thoroughly enjoyed [his] time” there, and has had some of the best audiences in the world.
Even though the tour is over, “Brothers of the Sun” is still atop the Pollstar Top 20 Concert Tour list. Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw averaged $4.4 million at the box office in each city of the tour, with an average ticket price of $87.96. Other country artists on the list include Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean. 
In Kenny Rogers’ new memoir, “Luck or Something Like It,” you can read all about his life, his career and stories behind his music, but you won’t be reading anything about his plastic surgery. Unlike Dolly Parton, Kenny isn’t being open about his nips and tucks, saying that the publisher asked him to keep that part out of his book. You can read all the rest that he did put in there – the book’s available now online and in bookstores.

Luke Bryan’s “2012 Farm Tour” continues this week with stops in Florida and Georgia. This is Luke’s favorite of the year: “We just love getting out in the fields and in each location we pick the local college and give a scholarship to a kid that comes from a farming background. And we give ‘em a scholarship to the college. And that’s the least that I feel like we can do to give back.”

It’s his highest chart debut yet, and Brad Paisley is spilling the beans about his “Southern Comfort Zone.” He says that when he’s out of his southern comfort zone, he loves Europe: “I love the culture. I love the food. And I love the fact that old to them is thousands of years as opposed to, ‘look at this old house from 1943.’”

Thomas Rhett took a little advice from his dad, hit songwriter Rhett Akins, when he wrote the song, “Beer With Jesus.” Asked what he’d do if he had the chance to really tip one back with the Son of God, Thomas said, “If Jesus was here today walking in the flesh like he was back when he was here, I mean, I would probably take him down to the Flying Saucer and order up a Newcastle and just pick his brain about life and ask him if I’m doing alright and ask him how some of the people in my life that are close to me that have died how they’re doing in Heaven. So, it’s just a very personal song to me.”

Tomorrow night on CMT, Jake Owen gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the music on his Endless Summer EP before he goes out on the CMT On Tour run, which kicks off Wednesday. How does he feel about the tour? “You know, in the last five years I’ve come far enough to where now not only am I headlining the tour, but I’ve got two acts below me playing. It’s a really, really cool feeling.” Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line hit the road with Jake for the fall tour.

Jerrod Niemann is the latest country star to get the PS22 treatment. He stopped by the Long Island school to share some tunes with them, and they blew him away…check out the video…
 
Country artists came together to raise money to save the boyhood home of the late Johnny Cash. Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley, the Civil Wars and Rosanne Cash performed at the Johnny Cash Music Festival in Arkansas. The money raised will be used to restore the home Johnny Cash lived in with his 6 brothers and sisters in Dyess, Arkansas. So far, about half a million dollars has been gathered for the restoration project. 
Grace Potter is a Man In Black fan – she’ll be part of “Johnny Cash: Song By Song,” along with Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Shooter Jennings and Billy Bob Thornton, and says about Johnny Cash, “I was always attracted to his voice. There’s something—it’s not just the depth in that very signature sound of his voice—it’s something about his phrasing and the way he delivers a line that is so irreverent! It’s so rich and full of attitude. You just feel like he owned every lyric.” The miniseries kicked off last night on the Ovation network.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has started a “Hey St. Jude” fund and awareness drive, and country stars lend a hand, of course. Randy Owen, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Big & Rich, along with a host of sports and entertainment stars, show up in the video. To watch it and to donate, visit the video’s home page, and you can get one of the cool t-shirts featured in the video for a $35 donation.
Kenny Chesney’s “El Cerrito Place” keeps leaping up the chart, rising faster than his past smash hits. He thinks the song is striking a deep chord in fans for a couple of reasons: “I understand that sense of searching and longing in that song. It just felt very real to me. And that’s what Grace sang on. You know, to have her on ‘El Cerrito Place’ and sing in that high harmony is just...she just makes that searching and longing come to life.” 

Jake Owen is having loads of success with his “Endless Summer” EP, which was released last week. How does he feel about these four songs? “You know everybody has got an iPod mix that says, ‘Summer Playlist.’ I’ve got mine. If I was making one, these songs I would put on there. I just felt honored to be able to put my voice on them, and put it out there – I think it’s kind of cool.” He’s getting set to hit the road with Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line – the tour kicks off next Wednesday in New York City.

George Strait may be hitting the road for the last time, but he’s doing it in style, touring with Martina McBride. About her, George says, “She’s just incredible...an incredible singer and a great person. We have a lot of fun out there with her. We were out with her last year and we’re gonna go out with her again this year, and so we’re happy about that.” His “Cowboy Rides Away” tour happens in 2013 and 2014, and after that, George says he’s not going to tour anymore.
Rascal Flatts is in the current issue of Variety Magazine, and Jay DeMarcus remembers when the country music super group first hit the scene and reporters compared them to the Backstreet Boys. They were pretty stylish for country music in the early 2000’s, but held on to their look despite the digs. Gary, Jay and Joe Don just got their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, something the Backstreet Boys haven’t done yet. 

Luke Bryan kicks off his 2012 Farm Tour tonight, after touring with Jason Aldean this summer. The Farm Tour is near and dear to his heart, but he’s planning his own headlining tour for 2013 and is excited about the plans so far: “Oh it’s happening, it’s happening. We’re starting to plan that up. It’s gonna be interesting—lotta pop. Lotta—not pop, like a lotta fireworks, I meant! I don’t wanna scare anybody. No pop there--I can’t go pop if I’ve got a load of roman candles!”

Lady Antebellum is enjoying their second tour in Australia, this time as headliners. Dave Haywood explains, “We were lucky enough to get to open up for Keith Urban last year in Australia, and we kind of found this whole little new world of fans over there for us. Everybody was super nice, and we love their accents, so it’s a beautiful place to be. But, it’s very interesting, very high energy.” The tour wraps up tonight in Sydney, and once they get back to the US, they’ll head into the studio to work on their 4th studio album.

A week from today, Jake Owen kicks off his first headlining tour, taking along Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line. He’s excited to be the top of the ticket, but also knows he’s got some work to do: “When I get out there I want the people that are on tour with me – Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line – and their crew guys, the guys in the band everyone – I want them to feel very taken care of. Like the way I feel when I go on tour with artists that are headlining. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with that, but I love the challenge of that.”

Dustin Lynch is well-known now for his song, “Cowboys and Angels,” but back in the day, when he promised his parents he’d go to college before getting into country music, he was known for – frogs?? “I love to hunt and fish and I like to, uh...weirdly enough I used to like to dissect things, so you know it kinda got me in that arena and it was easy. Biology came easy to me, so I just wanted something I could do and was good at.”
American Idol is taping, and Keith Urban is having a blast as one of the judges: “We had two days in New York and I had a blast! I can’t wait ‘til the next couple days and I’m really, really glad to be doing it!.” Season 13 premiers in January of 2013. 
Want to party for a cure with Jason Aldean? Mark your calendar – his “Concert for the Cure” happens the last night of his “My Kinda Party” tour – October 27th in Dallas. The money raised goes to Susan G. Komen For The Cure. This is the 7th year that Jason Aldean has put on this benefit, in memory of his late friend, Melissa, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was only 29 years old. Twenty thousand tickets sold out in less than four minutes when the show went on sale earlier this year, and Jason says it’s always his favorite concert of the year. 

Did you catch Carrie Underwood on VH1’s Behind the Music last night? Yeah, she didn’t either! “I got to sit down and kind of go back through my life and talk about singing, why I wanted to do that and what I did as a kid to get me here. They talked to my mom and talked to a lot of friends of mine that I grew up with – I probably don’t even know all the people they ended up talking to. So, it will be fun for me to sit down and watch it too.” Tomorrow afternoon VH1 airs “Carrie Underwood: Unplugged” at 4 Eastern, and they’re sure to re-run her Behind the Music episode soon.

When Luke Bryan’s 4th Annual Farm Tour kicks off Wednesday, it’ll have a stellar opening act: The Peach Pickers. Luke will bring out 2/3 of the trio, Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson, though the third Peach Picker, Ben Hayslip, won’t be joining them. Those three men are the super-songwriting trio responsible for hits like “Gimme That Girl,” “Put A Girl In It,” “All About Tonight,” “All Over Me,” and Luke’s song “I Don’t Want This Night To End.” All are #1 songs, making the Peach Pickers a powerful force in Nashville. About the shows, Luke says, “We just want to have a little fun in the fall, and I think what’s cool about the Farm Tour is when we continue to go to places like Claxton (Georgia) and Valdosta (Georgia). These things are a big event for these towns, and I just love the fact that people can come out and have a big time, listen to some music. And it’s just a fun experience all the way around. I want to continue to do what I can to keep it rockin’.”
The Voice will officially air new episodes in the spring and fall of 2013, but so far, Blake Shelton is only scheduled to be part of the fall series. He’s already scheduled to host the ACM Awards show in the spring, plus there’s this little thing about touring and producing new music that he likes to do, so it’s doubtful he’ll be part of The Voice in the spring. 
Kristian Bush is going back to his roots – he’ll play two shows at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Tickets for the November 25th shows go on sale today. 
Tomorrow, the CW kicks off a new series, “Hart of Dixie,” and Jake Owen’s song, “The One That Got Away,” is featured in the promotional campaign for the show. In the movie world, Steve Azar’s song, “Doin’ It Right,” will be part of the soundtrack for the movie, “Here Comes the Boom,” which stars Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler, and opens next weekend. 
Kip Moore is on the Today Show this morning, and Taylor Swift is on Good Morning America and Nightline. 

Last night at the ACM Honors show in Nashville, Kenny Chesney received the Crystal Milestone award, in recognition of his promotion of country music world-wide. Asked who his musical heroes are, Kenny cited Kix Brooks as a big influence: “Kix and I have been friends a long time and I really respect him a lot as a survivor in a business that’s hard to survive in and I think the reason that he’s done that is because his foundation is from the songwriting end of it and he treats people very well and he’s treated me great. And I look up to Kix a lot.”

Also last night at the Ryman, Luke Bryan had a very special night. He and Dallas Davidson hit Nashville in the early 2000’s, and both were songwriters. They struck up a grand friendship, co-wrote two of Luke’s #1 songs – “I Don’t Want This Night to End” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” and continue to pal around together all these years later. Dallas was honored at the show for winning ACM Songwriter of the Year earlier this year, and according to Luke, “The fact that Dallas and I are in this business together, we still, we’ll go fishing or hunting and shake our heads and giggle. The history between he and I is just so deep. It’s amazing, I mean, that I can have the opportunity to honor him on that night and do some of our songs, and the fact that, gosh, the fact that he and I have even written big hits is just borderline comical.”

Meanwhile, over at ABC, Taylor Swift has a gig for several weeks – she’s introducing a 30-second clip of new music from her “Red” album each Monday, and then Tuesday morning at 12:01, that song goes on sale at iTunes. About this week’s song, Taylor says, “This one is such a bold statement. It’s a bold sounding song and I think that’s why I ended up picking it. It’s a bold record in different ways – not in the same way as ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ is. But, every song has its own boldness.” In case you missed yesterday’s announcement about the song, “Begin Again,” here’s a sample of it…



Jake Owen is extending summer with the release of his Endless Summer EP today. On it, you’ll find a cover version of Ben Harper’s hit, “Steal My Kisses.” How did Jake decide to record that one? “Believe it or not, I always loved that song and then I kind of forgot about it. Then I was in a T.J. Maxx, and through the speakers I heard, ‘Always got to steal my kisses from you.’ I caught myself singing along and I felt like, ‘Wow this is the perfect summertime feel kind of song.’ So we did a really cool version of it and put it on there – so hopefully people dig it.” The EP is out now – go get it from iTunes, Amazon.com or wherever you like to buy music.

If you missed the premiere of Taylor Swift’s new video last night, never fear – CMT will air it every hour during music hours all through Labor Day weekend. As for those weird costumes, Taylor says, “You have to watch the video to just see how ridiculous they look [Laughs] It’s the funniest thing—it’s the funniest costume thing we’ve ever had in a video. I mean, I can’t believe that they actually went along with it. I probably would have put my foot down if I were them, just like, ‘I’m NOT doing that!’ [Laughs]” In other Taylor news, her new song, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” tops the digital song chart this week, selling over 300,000 units. That pace says that the song will go platinum before the end of Labor Day weekend – platinum means over a million units sold.

Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hays will tour together this fall, with Hunter opening the show. But according to Carrie, the two will perform together each night, too. “That is the plan, yeah we haven’t actually tried anything yet, of course we’ll have to get in there and see what we can do. But, surely we’ll figure up something we’re both talented individuals – so we’ll find some way to sing together and perform together. We are in rehearsals this week doing all of our music rehearsals, making sure everything’s perfect. After that, we’re going to start our production rehearsals.”

Artists spend a lot of time on the road, especially during the summer, when tours take them to all corners of North America. All of them take along things to make the miles pass more quickly, and Jake Owen’s sanity includes a furry friend: “My dog. I got to have Merle with me a lot. And some good music to put on the stereo, because music has always been such a huge part of my life. Not only as in my profession, but something that keeps my mind sane, you know?”

Keith Urban heads back to the classroom this coming Thursday, as he puts on a program for students at Metro Nashville Public High School. Keith will talk to them about the art of songwriting, his musical influences, favorite career moments and probably play them a song or two. The event isn’t open to the public but will stream live on keithurban.net on September 6th beginning at 10am Eastern.

Tim McGraw made new friends during his Brothers of the Sun tour this summer. At each of the 25 tour stops, he awarded a mortgage-free home to a military family in need. He met with each family, learned about their sacrifices and according to Tim, that made an indelible mark on him. He plans to keep HomeFront going in the future.

Dustin Lynch’s “Cowboys and Angels” has gone gold and propelled Dustin’s self-titled debut album to #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart. It’s a dream come true for Dustin: “I’ve put my whole life into album one and I’ve dreamed of having an album when I moved here nine years ago, and it’s finally happening.”

Hollywood tabloids are still buzzing about who the next American Idol judges will be, and two country artists’ names keep coming up: Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. There has to be a decision soon, as audition rounds are scheduled to start in just a couple of weeks. Word is the show is desperate to have a country artist…who will it be? Speaking of Brad Paisley, he’ll be playing a show in Paradise this fall – Atlantis resort in Nassau, to be precise, and he’ll be there November 18th. Save your pennies and make plans – that’ll be an event!

It’s seven in a row for Blake Shelton – 7 #1 songs, that is. His latest song, “Over,” from “Red River Blue” has topped the country chart, and Blake knows it’s they mystery, as well as the melody, that made it a hit: “That’s one of those that just—the energy and the melody had me. And it’s one of those lyrics that when you listen to it, you go, ‘Man, wait a minute, what?’ cause there’s lines in there about burning the world down and you could have a different melody, and it would be like a threat, that song…you know?” This marks Blake’s 12th career #1 song, proving he knows how to pick ‘em.

Still have some waiting to do before Jason Aldean’s next album comes out. October 16th is the magic day for “Night Train,” and Jason is as excited as you are: “I think something that we did with this album, I think we found some great songs on the record - some things that I think are kind of things that people are used to hearing from us. And then there’s also some things on there that are kind of different – like the last album. I’m really proud of it, I know there’s a lot of anticipation for this record from a lot of people, just because of what our last album did.” Jason’s road band plays on the album, and tour-mates Luke Bryan and Eric Church show up on one track, called “The Only Way I Know” and fans are haunting YouTube and Jason’s Facebook page for a sneak peek at that one. “Night Train” is the follow-up to Jason’s 2010 release, “My Kinda Party.”

Lee Brice’s latest album, “Hard 2 Love,” is out and Lee admits that the title cut takes a pretty hard jab at men: “If we’re gonna categorize people, if we’re gonna say all women are crazy, then we have to say all men, we’re all idiots. We just do stupid stuff all the time. And you’re like, ‘Why did you do that?’ and we’re like, ‘I have no idea why I did that.’ I’m an idiot.’ That’s the truth, you know it?” Ummmmm…no comment!

Jake Owen is excited to headline the CMT on Tour fall tour this year. Five years ago, he was the opening act when Sugarland headlined and Little Big Town had the middle slot. The line-up this fall will be Florida Georgia Line up first, Love and Theft in the middle slot and Jake Owen headlining. Tickets go on sale Friday.

There’s a new, star-studded version of Little Big Town’s “Pontoon.” Check it out and see if you can figure out who all the stars are…cheat sheet at the end of this blog post!



Chris Young has admitted to an addiction – to a game! “I’m addicted to Golden Tee. It’s a golf game you can find it in most any bar where you would also run into neons, and I am addicted to it. I actually custom-built a road case into a Golden Tee video game, like to the point that the guys from Golden Tee actually sent me a bunch of the equipment for it, and I had to, like, take a picture next to it and show ‘em the finished product.” Chris can celebrate the platinum status of his song “Tomorrow” and the gold status of “The Man I Want to Be” with a rousing game of Golden Tee, but will probably have a party, too.

Willie Nelson’s breathing easier, apparently, after cancelling a show Saturday night in Colorado. His show in Dallas Texas went off without a hitch last night, and his manager says the breathing issues that forced Saturday’s cancellation were altitude related.

Update on Wynonna’s husband, Cactus Moser, who had a head-on collision with a car as he was riding his motorcycle this past Saturday. He lost his left leg, which was severed above the knee and had surgery on one of his hands. Wynonna was on another motorcycle and wasn’t injured, but has cancelled shows in Canada next week to remain at his side in the hospital. Cactus was cited for not having a license to operate a motorcycle and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Congrats to the new crop of inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tony Arata, Larry Henley and Kim Williams. The ceremony will be October 7th in Nashville.

(Here's your cheat-sheet for the Pontoon video: Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Pistol Annies, Jake Owen, Hunter Hayes, Sara Evans, Wynonna, Thompson Square, several CMT show hosts and many more.)

There’s a lot of speculation over who Taylor Swift’s new song, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is about. Joe Jonas of The Jonas Brothers would like to make it clear: it’s not about him. He says “I don’t think we’ve ever tried to get back together another time.” Taylor’s not saying who she wrote it about, but does say, “I ended up being inspired by a lot of really crazy sort of zero-to-a-hundred-and-then-hit-the-wall-and-explodes relationships, which are so fun to write about...really dysfunctional and not good, generally, but when you write about them it...it gives you a lot of inspiration.” If you had to bet money, a good bet would be either Jake Gyllenhaal or Twilight star Taylor Lautner.

Jason Aldean is preparing to share new music with his fans on Live on Letterman September 5th. That’s the CBS.com production that some stars do when they are scheduled to appear on the David Letterman show. It will stream at 8pm Eastern, followed by a performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Meanwhile, his new song, “Take a Little Ride,” could be nearing the top of the charts by then. According to Jason, “We obviously had a huge first week when the song came out, and we’re hanging in there! It’s my highest debut of any song—ever!”

Justin Moore’s career has taken him to a lot of places he’s never been before, and as his new song, “Til My Last Day,” continues it’s climb up the charts, he’s getting set to hit the road with Eric Church on the Blood, Sweat and Beers tour. But there’s still one place he really wants to go: “Unfortunately I have not been able to do a USO Tour overseas. But it’s definitely something I would like to do at some point. I think it’s a small way that we can give back to our troops that have given so much to us on a daily basis.”

Jake Owen is on tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw right now, but he’s looking forward to November, when he and his wife add a daughter to their life. Jake says Lacey is rockin’ the baby bump: “She looks great! She’s just happy and smiley—there’s something beautiful about a woman that’s pregnant. It’s cool. This is a really cool time in our life because it’s the last few months before we have an addition to our family—and it’s three of us! So it’s gonna be cool.”

Reba is a grandma – sort of. Her stepson Brandon Blackstock dates Kelly Clarkson and the two have just gotten a German Shepherd puppy together. They named the puppy Bear and he joins her other two dogs, a Maltese and a Poodle. Kelly joked, “uh-oh…commitment level!”

Wynonna has postponed shows in Canada next week in order to stay at her hubby Cactus Moser’s side in the hospital. The two went out for a motorcycle ride on Saturday in South Dakota when Cactus had a head-on collision with another vehicle. They were on separate bikes, so Wy watched the accident. Cactus is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Taylor Swift’s new single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is selling so fast that if it keeps up the current pace, it’ll be a gold record by Sunday. Sales of this song rival Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” which came out in 2011. Taylor’s a worldwide superstar, which explains her face on nearly every magazine cover, but she admits she ignores the gossipy ones: “My friends make fun of me because if I see my name somewhere I just click off of it. I just don’t want to see anything that’s inaccurate.” Sounds like a good plan to me!

Carrie Underwood and hubby Mike Fisher just spent some time at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. While there, they had a date night or two, and Carrie says they really value that time: “Not just have dinner, but like sit and talk. We’re one of those annoying couples that like goes to a restaurant and never leaves.”

Keith Urban takes fans on a tour of his favorite places in Nashville – when you’ve got about 5 and a half minutes, check out his Nashville…

Did you catch John Rich on the series premiere of “The Next: Fame is on Your Doorstep” last night on the CW? The show follows John and his fellow mentors Gloria Estefan, Nelly and Joe Jonas as they travel across the country looking for America’s next big singing stars. John loves being part of the show because “I’ve always enjoyed working with new artists and artists that need a little helping hand. I’ve had people help me along the way, so a show like The Next is perfect for a guy like me.” By the way, the next Big and Rich album, Hllbilly Jedi, comes out September18th.

Congratulations to Colt Ford and everyone at Average Joes Records – Colt’s new cd, Independence Day, debuted at #1 on the Billboard country album chart and #4 on the all-genre chart. About the album, Colt says, “This is so personal for me. And it’s me at my best – which is being honest and real and open with the fans. It’s what I’ve always tried to do.” Nice job, Colt and crew! The first single, Colt and Luke Bryan singing “Back,” will have a wild video, apparently. If we can believe Colt’s Facebook post, it’ll be a dance competition, Chippendale style.

Speaking of Jake Owen, his summer EP, Endless Summer, comes out September 25th. According to Jake, “These songs are just a way, that even though the summer is winding down. It’s a way to always have a mix that caters to that feeling of what it feels like when summer rolls around.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd is on FOX & Friends this morning.

The Hollywood rumor mill is running hot and heavy that Brad Paisley will be the next new American Idol judge. Could be – if they don’t need him before January. Here’s what he’s up to between now and then: 26 stops on his Virtual Reality World Tour, probably co-hosting the CMA Awards, heading to Sweden and Norway for some shows, spending a couple of weeks with his family during the holidays and recording his next album. Phew! In contrast, the newest American Idol judge, Mariah Carey, has nothing scheduled between now and the end of the year, according to her website. Ultimately it’s up to Brad – can FOX dangle enough dollars in front of him to jam one more thing into his jam-packed schedule? I’ll keep you posted.

Steven Tyler vacated an American Idol seat, but has been busy with Aerosmith’s new album…and with Carrie Underwood. She and Steven recorded “Beautiful” together several months ago, and the cut landed on the new project, “Music from Another Dimension!” which drops November 6th. About working with Steven Tyler, Carrie said, “He’s a wonderful guy and I look for any opportunity possible to just be in his company, you know, because he’s just so talented and so cool.”

Maxim magazine’s next issue is a salute to the military, and Kellie Pickler graces the cover in a pin-up style photo. She’s a proud supporter of the military, making multiple trips to the Middle East and adding a star tattoo for each trip. Kellie says, “It’s so wild the sacrifices that they make that we don’t even know about. And not just our service men and women, but their families as well, you know? To sit and know that your husband or wife is in Afghanistan fighting a war...it makes it hard to sleep at night.” Maxim’s August issue hits newsstands next Tuesday.

Jake Owen’s new song, “The One That Got Away,” has spawned some new swag. According to Jake, “We have t-shirts we sell on the road that say, ‘I’m the One That Got Away,’ but yeah, my wife…she probably will…she’ll scratch part of that out and say, ‘I’m Not the One That Got Away.’”

Willie Nelson and Jamey Johnson have teamed up for the 2012 Railroad Revival Tour. They’ll travel in vintage rail cars from Georgia to California, playing eight shows along the way at outdoor venues near the tracks. Joining them are the rock group Band of Horses and actor/musician John C. Reilly. Here’s where the train will stop…

Oct. 20: Duluth, Ga.
Oct. 21: TBA
Oct. 22: Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 23: Oklahoma City
Oct. 24: Old Town Spring, Texas
Oct. 26: Tempe, Ariz.
Oct. 27: San Pedro, Calif.
Oct. 28: Oakland, Calif.

Jay DeMarcus finally got to spend some time with his new son this week. Allison had an emergency c-section Friday afternoon, and Jay was able to fly home from Detroit in time for the delivery. As soon as Dylan was born, Jay had to fly back out for concerts last weekend. When he got home Monday he says he held his son all day long. When their daughter Madeline met Dylan, the 18-month-old said “Hi baby!” and kissed him on the cheek. Awwww….

Did you miss Love and Theft on FOX & Friends? Here you go…

Today's Country Tidbits

Three more Miranda Lambert shows have been rescheduled as she continues vocal rest.
Tonight’s show in Orange Beach, Alabama will happen October 4th, tomorrow’s Atlanta show will happen on October 5th and tickets for Saturday’s show near Birmingham will be honored October 6th. In a written statement, Miranda says, “I’m so sorry to disappoint the fans that have already bought tickets to see me. I’m taking care of my voice and I can’t wait to get on the road again and bring you a hell of a show.”

Darius Rucker is working on country album #3. There’s no release date yet, but there is a hot piece of news: he called on Lady Antebellum to record Old Crow Medicine Show’s song, “Wagon Wheel,” for the project. In other Lady A news, Hillary Scott was interviewed by Lucky, and she answered a lot of random questions, including her favorite karaoke songs:



Way back in 2008, Blake Shelton covered one of Michael Buble’s songs, and spent two weeks at #1 with “Home.” Now Michael is on Blake’s team on the third season of The Voice. He’ll be an advisor to Blake’s chosen singers, and is taping his appearances this week.

Jake Owen is learning a new way to travel on tour – with his wife. He admits that the experience is teaching him to be a lot more patient, and says, “It’s a lot different having your wife on the bus now, as oppose to you and like nine other guys. We’re just always getting into trouble, ya know. But, she’s good she keeps me in line – like all women do I guess.” Meanwhile, Colt Ford is weighing in on Jake’s impending fatherhood: “You gotta teach ‘em those things – like we’re talking about in this song. I mean, some of those things have been forgotten that are truly important on the way we were raised. I think Jake will be fine. He comes from a really good family – a good strong family with great values. I’m sure Jake will be a great Dad.” Jake lent his vocals to the song “Back,” which is Colt’s current single.

Grace Potter spied on Tim McGraw’s workout a couple of times on tour, and reports that he’s earning those muscles and slim physique. He uses spare tires from the equipment trucks as his weights, lifting them over his head, and ties off a couple of huge ropes to a fork lift and spends some time battle-roping with them. Grace said of Tim that, “he’s the most healthy guy on this tour – there’s no contest!”

Brantley Gilbert takes off on his Hell on Wheels Tour September 27th in Lafayette Indiana. It’s is first tour as a headliner, and he compares the rush to his high school football days: “You know when we’d run through the banner or something before the game, that’s kinda what walking on stage is like. It’s about the same amount of adrenaline too!” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” is his second #1 single and his next single is the rowdy “Kick it In the Sticks.”

If you fly American Airlines this month, be sure to check out their magazine – Keith Urban is on the cover, highlighting an article about Nashville. The article, entitled “An Old Star Shines,” showcases Nashville’s arts and entertainment scene and includes Keith’s discussion of the bars he used to hang out in to hear live music when he was just a struggling musician. Could Nashville be home to the Grammy Awards show one day? Could happen – that’s covered in the article, too.

George Jones has been trying to sell his 78-acre property near Franklin Tennessee, but once again, it’s a no-go. Last year he listed it for $10 million but there were no takers, so he decided to auction off 43 acres in 5 separate parcels. The auction this past Saturday didn’t result in a sale, either – none of the bids were high enough to satisfy George.

Today's Country Tidbits

Zac Brown can hardly wait for their new album, “Uncaged,” to come out on Tuesday. Zac says of it, “This is the best record we’ve ever made – hands down. People that are fans of ours that I have played it for have been like, ‘Wow’ We have gelled as a band more. We’ve matured – we’re better musicians, we’re better writers, we’re better as a band and as a unit and it reflects in the music.”

Lady Antebellum take their “Own the Night” tour to the UK and Australia, after eight months of touring North America. During that time over a million fans saw the show. Hillary Scott noted, “As a songwriter, it's so cool to hear the lyrics you wrote with your best friends in the back of a bus echoing back to you by so many people.”

Pistol Annies is getting hotter than a two-dollar pistol. The trio, comprised of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, released a song and album last year, and Ashley and Angaleena have joined Miranda on some of her “On Fire” tour stops to sing a set. And according to Ashley, things are going well: “It’s funny because when we first went on the road with her, no one knew ‘Hell on Heels’ – nobody knew us. So we’d come out and everybody would tilt their head like, ‘Who is this? What does this mean? And then gradually we’ve seen their response – it’s deafening sometimes. It’s just awesome to part of something like that.” September will be a month of Pistol Annies shows, so look for them at a stage near you.

Jake Owen celebrated his impending fatherhood with his wife – and random fans! He tweeted that he and Lacey were going to see the new movie, “Ted,” and invited fans to join them – his treat! Dozens of people showed up to enjoy the movie with the happy couple.

One of the hottest young stars in Nashville got to meet his musical hero recently. Twenty-year-old Hunter Hayes and Keith Urban had a chat, and Hunter says, “We talked about music for a while. Then of course we talked about cars- I instigated that conversation. But, then he asked me, ‘What kind of music did you listen to growing up.?’ I looked at my manager and I looked back at him, and I go, ‘Well, you.’ It was so cool – and I’m still star-struck by him.” Hunter will hit the road with Carrie Underwood on the fall leg of her “Blown Away” tour in September.

It’s two weeks in a row for Luke Bryan – his “Drunk on You” is at the top of the country charts again this week. About the experience, Luke says, “It’s totally the ride of a lifetime, you know. To have number ones and things like this going on in my life, we’re certainly so blessed.”

Happy birthday to Toby Keith, who turns 51 on Sunday.