Toby Keith tops Forbes Magazine's "Country Music's Highest-Paid Stars" list, raking in $50 million in the past year. His money comes not just from his music and tour dates, but also his "I Love This Bar & Grill" restaurants, his "Wild Shot Mezcal" and a sponsor relationship with Ford. Taylor Swift is second with $45 million, Brad Paisley is third at $40 million, Tim McGraw comes in fourth with $35 million and Rascal Flatts is a close 5th at $34 million.
Fun news about the CMA Awards - all five of the Entertainer of the Year nominees - Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban - will perform during the show. Tickets for the show go on sale to the public this Saturday at Ticketmaster.
Luke Bryan kicks off his third annual "Farm Tour" next week in South Carolina. Luke loves these little-town shows, saying “We just wanna have a little fun in the fall. And these things are a big event for these towns. 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.” He's on the road now, and wraps up his show with a little Lady Gaga. Don't believe me? Check out Luke's rendition of "Bad Romance"...
Last night in New York, Vince Gill and Sting shared the stage for a taping of CMT Crossroads. The two have known each other for 14 years and are great friends, and both had been looking for a way to work together. During the invitation-only concert, they swapped licks on Vince's "Whenever You Come Around," "These Days" and "Liza Jane." From Sting's catalog, they chose "Fields of Gold, "Shape of My Heart" and "Every Breath You Take." They also both whipped out guitars and had fun with a guitar jam. "CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill" will air in November. On October first, Vince will be part of Sting's 60th birthday concert, along with Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga.
Randy Travis celebrates 25 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on October 4th. Carrie Underwood and Josh Turner are just two of the stars turning out to fete Randy. Parts of the show will air on GAC's "Opry Live" on October 15th, and there are still tickets available if you're up for a road trip.
Montgomery Gentry's new cd, "Rebels on the Run," won't be out until October 18th. The release date was pushed back because the guys decided to give away a motorcycle in conjunction with the release. One of the cd cases will include a "golden ticket" that the winner will exchange for a custom-made chopper from Demented Cycles.
There's fantasy baseball, fantasy football and now...fantasy hunting? Yep, and Craig Morgan is the first country artist to sign on as a player. There's over $60,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, so you might want to pick a team!
Happy birthday to Faith Hill, who turns 44 today. She wants to share her gifts with her daughters - “I guess the greatest gift that I could give my girls is a sense of self worth and just…to be happy, learn to be happy, try to be happy.” By the way, Faith is working on a new album, though there's no word on a potential release date.
The tweet of the day is from Jo Dee Messina: "Love is ... carrying leftover mac and cheese 1/2 way across country, through secuity, on plane, for a 2 year old"
