This fall is a country music lover's dream - new cd's from Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, Reba, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Little Big Town, Sugarland, The Band Perry, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker and the Zac Brown Band.
Music that's already out there is earning some wall bling for the musicians. Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" is double-platinum. Brad Paisley's "Then" and Kellie Pickler's "Best Days of Your Life" have gone platinum. Kenny Chesney's "I'm Alive," Jamey Johnson's "In Color," Joe Nichols "Gimme That Girl," Josh Turner's "Why Don't We Just Dance" and Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home" have all gone gold for sales of half a million copies.
Congratulations to Luke Bryan, who's song "Rain is a Good Thing" is number one again this week.
Jewel is the cover girl on a special edition of Self magazine, designed for the Lilith Fair. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the tour, with bios of many of the artists, a cd, a packet of seeds and a magnetic photo frame.
Condolences to Deana Carter and her family on the loss of her Dad, legendary session musician Fred Carter Jr. He played on songs by Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and more. He also was a prolific songwriter and artists as diverse as Chet Atkins, Dean Martin and Burl Ives recorded his songs. He passed away Saturday of stroke-related disorders at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was 76.
The tweet of the day is from Zac Brown: "If you ever want a good laugh, watch VH1 Classic during what they call "Metal Mania." 50%+ of the videos made me cry I was laughing so hard."
Happy birthday to Brad Mates, lead vocalist of Emerson Drive.
