Josh Turner had a bittersweet day on July 1st. He was supposed to host 10-year-old cancer patient Elizabeth Pitts at his July 17th Valdosta, GA tour stop. Through the Make-A-Wish foundation, she wanted nothing more than to meet Josh, but he got a call on the 30th that her condition was deteriorating and she probably wouldn't make it to the 17th of July. Josh's second son, Colby, celebrates his birthday on July 1, so traveling to see Elizabeth wasn't possible, but he called her and sang to her. She passed away a couple of hours later. In that small act, Josh Turner reminds us of what makes country music and country stars so special.
Blake Shelton's second six-pak, "All About Tonight," comes out August 10th and it features a song written by Miranda Lambert and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. And Blake insisted that Hillary sing with him on "Suffocated." “And I called Hillary and said ‘hey, I’m gonna cut your freakin’ song, you’re gonna come in and sing on it.’ So it’s actually a song that features Hillary, doing all the harmonies with me, which I think is a pretty cool blend and it’s a pretty cool song. I’m real proud of me, but I’m also proud that they gave the song to me”
Kellie Pickler wants you to join her pack. She's partnered with Staples for their Give-BackPack campaign. Join Kellie's pack and a $1 donation will go to "Do Something 101" which encourages teens to donate school supplies for kids who can't afford to buy their own. Each member of Kellie's team has a chance to win a trip to meet her.
Kenny Chesney is a big, huge sports fan, so again this year, he'll be a presenter at the ESPY Awards show July 14th. It will air at 9pm eastern time live from Los Angeles, and Kenny will be part of the Mike & Mike pre-show broadcast, too.
If you're a big, huge Judds fan, you're in luck: the ladies are offering two ticket packages for their fall tour. Choose the Fan Package and get preferred seating, parking, a pre-show reception, an exclusive t-shirt, early venue access and hassle-free shopping. Choose the VIP Package and get all of that plus a post-show meet & greet and a commemorative plaque. The Judds: The Last Encore tour package sales start on July 17th.
Once again this year, Faith Hill will be the face, body and voice of the Sunday Night Football coverage on NBC. That makes it 4 years in a row that she's sung the opening theme, "Waitin' All Day for Sunday Night" for the weekly games.
It's a save-the-date alert. Darryl Worley's 9th Annual Tennessee River Run will be September 16 through 18 this year. Thursday will be the Fish Fry songwriter's event, Friday is the rock concert and Saturday is the country concert. As always, all proceeds go to the Darryl Worley Foundation.
The tweet of the day is from Jimmy Wayne, whose walk across America is nearing it's end: "Band-Aids and big toe hair aren't friends! Period!"
Watch Willie Nelson on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight.
Happy birthday to Toby Keith, who turns 49 today.
