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.

Today's Country Tidbits

Fan voting is open for two of the ACM Awards. The fan voted awards are Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year. In the running for EOY are Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift. Up for New Artist of the Year are Hunter Hayes, Brantley Gilbert and Scotty McCreery, and you can vote for your favorite in each category right up to the beginning of the show.

George Strait continues to raise the bar for the rest of country music. With "Love's Gonna Make it Alright" he has a second #1 song from the album, "Here for a Good Time," and has now racked up 59 #1 songs in a career spanning 31 years. What's his secret for success? “You know I’ve always thought that, whether I’m writing or not, you know, I’ve gotta pick the best songs. I’m not just gonna sing them because I wrote them. You know—I’ve gotta find the best songs to make the best record I can make.” His first charted single was "Unwound" in 1981 and his first #1 song was "Fool Hearted Memory" in 1982.

Jason Aldean knows how to treat his fans. Four Nashville fans drove to Illinois and camped out at the Civic Center box office, waiting to buy tickets for his May 10th concert. When Jason found out about it, he had some pizzas delivered to them. The camping paid off, too - the fans are in the front row for the show.

There's been football fever in Tennessee, and the stars aren't immune. Martina McBride offered Peyton a record deal and some free voice lessons. The Grand Ole Opry offered Peyton an open invitation to perform on the Opry, plus a VIP parking space. Carrie Underwood was hoping that Peyton would choose Tennessee, but now that it looks like Denver will be his town, Carrie said: "I like Tebow! I mean, obviously it was Manning fever for a couple days around here. But yeah, I just really want the Titans to be all that they can be!"

Speaking of Carrie Underwood, her new cd, "Blown Away," is out May first, and she's talkin' tour: “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It will be this fall and then potentially – we’ll see how that goes and then hopefully be able to add more dates in the spring next year. I’m just really looking forward to it it’s going to be really good and we have plenty of time to put it all together and make it really big.”

Garth Brooks is downsizing a bit. He unloaded 142 acres of raw land he owned in Oklahoma, raking in $2.7 million in the process. The land will become a community near Edmond, OK.

Day after tomorrow, country stars will gather with guns and guitars in Dothan, Alabama for the 11th Annual Country Goes Huntin' event hosted by Rhett Akins. Billy Currington, Eddie Montgomery, T-Roy Gentry, Rodney Atkins and more country stars will be part of the fun - Rhett Akins explains: “We pair up artists with hunting pros and we turkey hunt for two or three days. At the end of the event we have an acoustic jam where we raise money for different charities.” The Wounded Warriors Foundation is the biggest recipient.

Blake Shelton is working on a Christmas album for release this fall.

Lee Brice co-hosts the 4th hour of the Today show this morning.

Happy birthday to Ranger Doug, the frontman for Riders in the Sky, who is 66 today.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "So completely awesome that people mouth off to me but can't comprehend the fact that I actually have the NERVE to defend myself..."

Today's Country Tidbits

Taylor Swift polished off two nights at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachussetts this weekend, and loved the experience of playing for 52,000 fans each night. She has a meet and greet after the show, and random fans are invited back for her "T-Party." How do they get chosen to go? Taylor tells it, “Throughout the show I have people that I trust going around, they know like what to look for…for like really passionate people in the crowd who are maybe at the top rows or in the fourth row. But, anyone who’s just like dancing and having the best time throughout the entire concert or maybe they dressed up like characters from the music video or maybe they’re just like all lit up or something.”

Lady Antebellum's cd, "Own The Night," will be out September 13th, and the trio are planning a tour to support their third album. According to Dave, “We’re actually, you know, planning kind of a headlining tour when the album does come out now. For us, 'Own the Night' is kind of that call to action for the fans to come out, enjoy that moment and enjoy that evening with us. We’re in the works of putting that together.” In other Lady A news, the video for their current hit, "Just a Kiss," will debut on their website at noon today.

The video for Jake Owen's current hit, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," is about as real as a video can get. Jake says, “You know, it would have been nice to have some country girls shaking it in my video…but I’ll let Luke (Bryan) have ‘em for this one! It’s just real—it’s literally me out on my boat—and it’s my truck pulling my boat and putting it in the water. And all my friends that are in the video are literally my friends. It just brings the song back to where my roots are.”

Miranda Lambert will duet with Team Blake's Dia Frampton on Wednesday's finale of The Voice. There are two more episodes, with Blake Shelton's hopes riding high on his performer. The four finalists perform tomorrow night and the winner will be announced on Wednesday's finale.

In more Miranda news, her trio, Pistol Annies, has just been signed to Capitol Records.

Rhett Akins wrote it and Justin Moore is having a big hit with "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away." Justin feels like the song was a gift, saying, “Well, you know sometimes I say—I’ve said this—‘sometimes you find songs, and sometimes songs find you.’ Not to sound ‘artsy-fartsy’ about it, but it’s true. It kind of fell from the sky. I’m happy that we had the opportunity to cut it. I’m surprised it hasn’t been a big record yet, ‘cause it’s about ten years old…kinda blows my mind!”

Happy birthday to Lorrie Morgan, who turns 52 today.

Catch Steel Magnolia on Jimmy Kimmel tonight on ABC.

The tweet of the day is from Kellie Pickler: "TSA took $500 worth of clothes from my suitcase. Your suppose to protect, NOT steal!"