Names are trickling out - performers at the 44th Annual CMA Awards will include Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and Alan Jackson. The night, in case it's not on your calendar already, is November 10th and the show will air on ABC.
For the past 4 years, Rascal Flatts has done an intimate show in Nashville - undisclosed location, beautiful setting, great food and an amazing auction - as a fund-raiser for the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. This year, for the first time, fans will have the opportunity to buy tickets and attend. Some of the items being auctioned include a personalized recording studio experience with Jay DeMarcus, a golf outing on a world-class course with Joe Don Rooney and a hunting trip with Gary LeVox. The available 100 tickets go on sale tomorrow.
In more Rascal Flatts news, Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison have revealed their upcoming daughter's name: Madeline Leigh. She'll be called Maddy and is due in January. Leigh is Allison's middle name, and Madeline is a name they both like, though it has no family ties. Says the impending Dad, "I 'm really excited and can't wait to kiss her face off."
The soundtrack to "Country Strong," Tim McGraw's movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, features Nashville's finest singers, producers and songwriters. Expect this cd to be "Country Strong" on the charts...here's the track list & credits:
Gwyneth Paltrow – “Country Strong”
(Jennifer Hanson/Tony Martin/Mark Nesler) Produced by Byron Gallimore
Chris Young & Patty Loveless – “Love Don’t Let Me Down”
(Marv Green/Troy Olsen) Produced by James Stroud
Sara Evans – “A Little Bit Stronger”
(Luke Laird/Hillary Lindsey/Hillary Scott) Produced by Tony Brown
Garrett Hedlund – “Chances Are”
(Nathan Chapman/Lori McKenna/Liz Rose) Produced by Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten for Carnival Productions
Lee Ann Womack – “Liars Lie”
(Sally Barris/Morgane Hayes/Liz Rose) Produced by Frank Liddell and Chuck Ainlay for Carnival Productions
Ronnie Dunn – “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Double)”
(Wayne Carson Thompson) Produced by Ronnie Dunn
Gwyneth Paltrow – “Shake That Thing”
(Mark Irwin/Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins) Produced by Byron Gallimore
Hank Williams, Jr. – “Thirsty”
(Dallas Davidson/Rhett Akins/Brett Eldredge) Produced by Michael Knox
Faith Hill – “Give in to Me”
(Billy Falcon/Rose Falcon/Elisha Hoffman) Produced by Jay Joyce
Trace Adkins – “Timing Is Everything”
(Natalie Hemby/Troy Jones) Produced by Kenny Beard
Leighton Meester – “Words I Couldn’t Say”
(Gregory Becker/Tammi Kidd/Steve Robson) Produced by Nathan Chapman
Gwyneth Paltrow – “Coming Home”
(Bob DiPiero/Tom Douglas/Hillary Lindsey/Troy Verges) Produced by Byron Gallimore
Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow – “Me and Tennessee”
(Chris Martin) Produced by Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw, and A. Martin
The album was produced by Randall Poster and Shana Feste, and executive produced by Tim McGraw. It streets October 26th.
Keith Urban is using Facebook to let his fans choose his next cd cover.
Ronnie Dunn is wasting no time - he's in the studio producing a solo album that should be available early next year.
Which red is the right red? Dave Stewart of Lady Antebellum had a tough time answering that question when it came to choosing the shade of red to paint his piano:
During Tuesday's Opry House reopening, stars had a lot to say about the experience:
"Tonight truly feels like having the family home for Christmas Day." — Grand Ole Opry Group Pres. Steve Buchanan
"It's not what we're given, it's what we do with it. And what these people have done with this is nothing less than a miracle. I think that me and Brad's guitars experienced the same sort of Baptismal rebirth that I'd like to think Opry has experienced as well, and the spirit has come back stronger than ever." — Keith Urban on the Opry House renovation
"The flood goes completely unnoticed if this building was not underwater ... This is the most famous export of this city [and] there's a reason it's on 'Welcome to Nashville' road signs." — Brad Paisley
"When the floodwaters were four feet high, Little Jimmy Dickens would have been swimming if he was standing [in the Circle]. I'd have been alright, though." — Trace Adkins
"I feel kind of awkward singing this song tonight because it's all about water. But I'm going to do it anyway." — Josh Turner introducing "All Over Me"
"When I worked at TNN ... during a lunch break I decided to come over here by myself and see if the doors were unlocked. [So] I started creeping on the stage, made sure no one was looking, walked out on the Circle and sang a little bit of a Hank Williams song. I was sure that the Circle police were going to come arrest me and lock me up in a secret Opry jail." — Dierks Bentley
Uncle Kracker embarks on his "It's Good To Be Me" club tour, starting in Athens, GA on November 3rd at the 40 Watt Club.
Yesterday's congrats to the Zac Brown Band need to be doubled - not only are they perched atop the Billboard Country Album chart, they also dominated the Billboard Top 200 chart with sales of over 154,000 copies. Nice!
Happy birthday to Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, who turns 46 today, and to Marty Stuart, who turns 51.
The tweet of the day is from Martina McBride: "I just realized that "granola" is a decidedly un-sexy word. There is just nothing sexy about "granola"."
