The media Frankenstorm that is a Taylor Swift album release continues this week - “We’ve ended a really, really busy week but we still have so much more to do. We’re gonna go and perform on Dancing with the Stars and then the CMAs and then we’re going all over the world to Australia and Japan and I cannot wait.” She’s on Dancing with the Stars tonight.

Taylor Swift is working on her 2013 Red tour, and is struggling: “I’m trying to figure out what to do about this tour to make it different and like a spectacle but a different kind of spectacle.” Could that be a clue – will it be in 3D and everyone will have to wear 3D “spectacles?” We’ll see…tickets start going on sale November 16th for the tour that begins on March 13th, 2013.

Carrie Underwood’s hubby Mike Fisher is currently out of a job – sort of. The NHL owners have locked their players out over contract issues, so there’ll be no hockey games before November 30th, at the earliest. So Carrie’s working hard on her Blown Away tour and Mike’s days are pretty casual: “I’ll call him and [ask], ‘How was your day?’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, good. I worked out. I skated and then I went fishing.’ And I’m like, ‘Aww, that just sounds terrible!’ I get...I get frustrated because I’m jealous [laughs].” At least they’ll get some time together this week, as Carrie’s back in Nashville to co-host the CMA Awards show Thursday night.

Darius Rucker says his song, “True Believers,” might sound like just a love song, but the lyric means so much more than that to him: “The reason I wanted the ‘two true believers’ as a hook was ‘cause—no matter where you made it in life, there was one person in your life I’m sure that was that person that you can go, ‘I made it because that person believed it in me’. And even if it’s not one person, even if it’s ten persons—with that individual person, you are the two true believers. It’s you two believing this could happen.”

Today is release day for Toby Keith’s new album, “Hope on the Rocks,” which features his new song, “I Like Girls That Drink Beer.” Not coincidentally, he’s announced that he’s opening a new location of his I Love This Bar & Grill restaurant, this time in Pittsburgh near the Steelers’ Heinz Field. Not only does Toby like girls that drink beer, he’s a huge Steelers fan, so look for this location to be one that Toby drops in on a lot. No word on when it will open.

Darius Rucker is walking around with an extra-big smile on his face this week after becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. “It meant so much to me because I knew if I could ever be a member, there’s no more conversation about being accepted or anything, you know. I’m in. And you look at the names of the people that have been inducted and...they’re legends!” And what do his kids think about it? “The two oldest ones get it, I think. You know, we talked to them about it...especially my oldest, she thinks it’s just awesome. But, my younger son, he knew for a while and I came home the next day – you know we drove back afterwards – and he says to me, ‘Daddy, congratulations on whatever just happened today.’ It was pretty cute.”

Keith Urban rates country music fans as pretty consistent, and he knows what he’s talking about because he’s played for them all over the world: “I grew up playing in all these country music festivals all over Australia. The culture, I guess if you will, of country music and the people, the fans and artists – I find basically the same in Australia, here – when we’ve traveled over to Europe. There’s just a certain way of being, that really is what the music is about.” He’s nominated for GQ Australia’s Man of the Year. To vote, visit www.gq.com.au – the winner will be announced November 13th.

Carrie Underwood is celebrating her 13th #1 song this week with “Blown Away,” the title track to her latest album. How did the song catch Carrie’s ear? “The first time I heard ‘Blown Away’ I just loved it so much because it was different than anything I’ve heard before. That was really attractive to me because no matter what, however how many albums I make, I want them all to sound different. I want them to be different and have different kind of songs of them. That one was just so dramatic – it was juicy.”

Fall is deer season, and Luke Bryan has teamed up with Cabela’s so country fans can get the right deer gear. Meanwhile, who does Luke like to hunt with? To hear Jason Aldean tell it, they are pretty tight at deer camp: “Luke just bought a farm about ten minutes from my house – and I got a farm here. So he and I hunt together quite a bit. A couple times a year all of us get together and we have two or three big hunts a year for about a week. Those are coming up, so that should be fun.”
Blake Shelton will appear on the song “Just a Fool” on Christina Aguilera’s new album, “Lotus.” Blake’s fellow “The Voice” coach will release the album November 13th. 
Once again, Jennifer Nettles has been tapped to host the CMA Country Christmas show. It’s the third annual event, happening this year on November 3rd at Bridgestone Arena. Also part of the show will be Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, John Legend and Colbie Caillat. If you’re going to the show, please take a new, unwrapped to be given to families in need this holiday season. 
Martina McBride has said in the past that if she wasn’t a singer, she’d be a party planner – she loves to throw parties. Soon, you can have her help planning your soirees, as she’s working on a book about entertaining. No word on when it will be out – she hasn’t even pitched it to an agent yet.

Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker team up with NASCAR brothers Darrell and Michael Waltrip for the third annual Charity Championship, a golf tournament, dinner and concert happening just outside of Nashville. Brad Paisley will perform at the Champion’s Dinner on October 24th, and on the 25th is the golf tournament at the Vanderbilt Legends Club golf course, where Darius will take a swing at winning. The event benefits Feed the Children and Motor Racing Outreach. Think Brad’s excited to be part of a NASCAR event? “I have done racing schools. And I do have a diploma or two from a couple of tracks…which has actually served me now way more than my actual college diploma has!”

Sunday is Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music For Kids charity ride in Nashville, and he puts it all out there for this event. But as you can tell from his latest single, “Tip It On Back,” he puts it all out there when he’s partying, too: “Obviously it’s about tippin’ it on back and smokin’ and all that stuff but it’s bigger than that too. It’s just about finding some way to take a break from your...whatever you’re going through and you know music’s a big part of that too, you know whether you’re drinkin’ to it or not. So, it’s about the live show. It’s about getting out.”
Tickets go on sale to George Strait’s last tour today, and George is planning to hit the studio, record a new album and get it out in time to showcase some new music along with his 59 #1 songs. How’s he feeling about recording? “I haven’t recorded in a while - it’s probably been the longest time ever since I’ve made a record. So, I’m feeling a little antsy about getting back into the studio. I’ve got some great material already, and I’m working on some songs – some original stuff too.” 
Gary Allen has a new song climbing the charts, and while he has a few #1 songs, those aren’t his goals. Actually, being a big star in country music isn’t his goal, either. What is? “I’ve never really cared about being the ‘latest greatest thing’—I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but I never really fight to be in that inner circle, because I think that person won’t be around very long. I think whoever the latest greatest thing—that’s usually an up and down. I’ve always wanted to be the George Strait or the Willie Nelson—just make quality music and always be here.” His next album, “Set You Free,” features “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” and is due out in early 2013. 
Because of busy schedules, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton will have Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, where Blake will be working on “The Voice.” Miranda says she’ll find hay bales and pumpkins somewhere in southern California, because she has to decorate. Speaking of holidays, Blake Shelton’s “Cheers, It’s Christmas” comes out Tuesday. I got an advance copy and was blown away by it – grab it up to spruce up your holidays! 
The awards season is at full throttle – the American Country Awards will be on FOX December 10th, and Luke Bryan leads the nomination parade with seven. Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band have six each. See all the nominees and vote for your favorite. 

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has started a “Hey St. Jude” fund and awareness drive, and country stars lend a hand, of course. Randy Owen, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Big & Rich, along with a host of sports and entertainment stars, show up in the video. To watch it and to donate, visit the video’s home page, and you can get one of the cool t-shirts featured in the video for a $35 donation.
Kenny Chesney’s “El Cerrito Place” keeps leaping up the chart, rising faster than his past smash hits. He thinks the song is striking a deep chord in fans for a couple of reasons: “I understand that sense of searching and longing in that song. It just felt very real to me. And that’s what Grace sang on. You know, to have her on ‘El Cerrito Place’ and sing in that high harmony is just...she just makes that searching and longing come to life.” 

Jake Owen is having loads of success with his “Endless Summer” EP, which was released last week. How does he feel about these four songs? “You know everybody has got an iPod mix that says, ‘Summer Playlist.’ I’ve got mine. If I was making one, these songs I would put on there. I just felt honored to be able to put my voice on them, and put it out there – I think it’s kind of cool.” He’s getting set to hit the road with Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line – the tour kicks off next Wednesday in New York City.

George Strait may be hitting the road for the last time, but he’s doing it in style, touring with Martina McBride. About her, George says, “She’s just incredible...an incredible singer and a great person. We have a lot of fun out there with her. We were out with her last year and we’re gonna go out with her again this year, and so we’re happy about that.” His “Cowboy Rides Away” tour happens in 2013 and 2014, and after that, George says he’s not going to tour anymore.
Rascal Flatts is in the current issue of Variety Magazine, and Jay DeMarcus remembers when the country music super group first hit the scene and reporters compared them to the Backstreet Boys. They were pretty stylish for country music in the early 2000’s, but held on to their look despite the digs. Gary, Jay and Joe Don just got their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, something the Backstreet Boys haven’t done yet. 

Want to walk a mile in Taylor Swifts’ shoes? You can, if you pony up enough cash. She’s donated a pair of autographed size 8 Bloch flats to Soles4Souls, a charity that provides shoes to children in need around the world. The auction ends on September 13th at 3pm Eastern, so you have some time to gather your pennies together. You’ll need to gather a bunch, though – the bid at this writing is $713 and the bid increment is $100. Good luck – you’ll look great in Taylor’s shoes!

Little Big Town has scored their very first #1 song with “Pontoon.” Karen, Kimberly and Jimi are enjoying the ride: “[Karen] We could not be happier and we’re so grateful to have our very first #1 record. [Kimberly] I mean, we always wanted one of course, we’ve been a band for 13 years and we’ve always wanted a #1 record, but it’s kinda cool that it’s just now happening. There’s something really... [Karen] It could happen again though! [Jimi] That would be OK! I’d be alright with that.” They’re also celebrating their first platinum single with “Pontoon.” They’ve had two gold singles, “Boondocks” and “Little White Church” and a platinum album with “The Road to Here.”

Jason Aldean played a show for David Letterman’s audience last night, and you can re-watch it on CBS.com. His new album, “Night Train,” comes out October 16th, and Jason played a couple from it, saying, “The one thing I’m always trying to do is find great songs. You know, I’ve always wanted people to put the CD in and never have to skip songs. You know, I want them to listen to it all the way through.”

Eric Church is planning a live album, and you can be in the audience. The shows will be in Chattanooga in October, and Eric is giving his fans a way to win tickets. Get out your video camera, put on your creativity hat and go to Eric’s website to enter. Meanwhile, Eric knows that this first headlining tour is timed perfectly in his career, after years in dive bars: “I think you have to go through those environments to be able to earn your way into a place where you’re in front of 10,000 to 15,000 people. Then if something goes wrong, you can still handle it.”

Brantley Gilbert had a great time being part of Eric Church’s “Blood, Sweat and Beers” tour, and the two guys apparently hit it off well: “Eric is a person, you know, being out with him we actually formed a friendship. We got a chance to write together, you know, and we still text and talk and he’s a great guy, great performer.” The two will apparently arm-wrestle to see who gets to record each of the songs they co-wrote during the tour.

Dustin Lynch has a big fan – no, a really big fan! “Tim McGraw walked on the bus and he wanted to introduce himself. He said, ‘Man I’m a fan of your song ‘Cowboys And Angels.’ I’m a big fan of your music. I just want to say hello my name’s Tim.’ I was like, ‘Uh yeah, I know who you are buddy!”

Darius Rucker is part of a new fantasy football league, this one built around college ball. Pigskin Fantasy U lets players draft entire teams, and we know Darius has the Gamecocks in his picks, as he’s a huge fan. According to Darius, he got involved because “My buddies and I needed another reason to talk about football and trash talk each other.”

It’s the year of the bus fire, apparently. Joe Diffie has joined Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice and Randy Houser on the list of artists whose buses have caught fire this year. Joe’s went up in flames in the early hours of the morning last Friday while they were traveling between shows. The driver safely stopped it, evacuated it and a nearby truck stop helped them get back on the road after the damage was repaired. No injuries – same as with all of the other bus fires.

Even superstars have guilty pleasures, and Lady Antebellum fessed up to theirs in their latest webisode – they’re enthralled by Honey Boo Boo. Charles Kelley says it’s his favorite show on tv, and Dave Haywood says sometimes they have to take a Honey Boo Boo break, even while recording their fourth studio album! No word on when the album will be out – if they keep watching trash tv, it could be a while!



Dierks Bentley just celebrated his 10th #1 song in Nashville at the Tin Roof. He showed up in his ’67 Camaro and told the crowd, “I can’t believe there’s 10 of them, but um...it’s just, I think you put ‘em all together they tell a nice story of my music, my sound and my career so far. But, um...it’s weird. I can’t believe it!”

Darius Rucker has five #1 country songs so far, and just released “True Believers,” the first single from his third country album, due out early next year. About the song, Darius says, “It’s such a defiant song for me. It’s just a song of, ‘I’m gonna make my life work no matter what you all say or think.’ And I’ve lived my life like that for 46 years now.”

Josh Turner’s summer was very busy, what with touring, putting out a new album, “Live Across America,” in partnership with Cracker Barrel, and trying to keep up with his three boys during their summer vacation. What sorts of things does a famous Dad do with his sons? “Sports things or basketball or baseball or just playing outside. You know, anytime we have good weather or even when we don’t we’re trying to get outside and go down to the creek or walking through the pasture or fishing in the pond or whatever it may be so a lot of different things we can do just at home.”

This morning, Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum announce the final nominees for the CMA Awards on Good Morning America.

Oh, look – it’s another award for Taylor Swift! She’s been named the first recipient ever of the Canadian Country Music Association’s Generation Award. They are recognizing her for pushing country music forward to new audiences and bringing awareness of country music to places all across the globe. She’ll be given the award during the September 9th CCMA Award Show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. And her new song is the first song ever by Taylor to go #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. She credits her fans for that accomplishment: “It’s been absolutely amazing this week with the new single coming out and having it go to #1 on the Hot 100. I’ve never experienced anything like this before, so the fans have just yet again out done themselves. It’s amazing.”

Sometimes being on tour gets monotonous. Not the performances, the down time between the shows. Little Big Town is on the road with Rascal Flatts, and while they can’t have a pontoon with them, they do bring along the next best thing, according to Phillip Sweet: “The kiddie pool really works when you don’t have anywhere to go, and you’re surrounded by not much of anything. The kiddie pool can just be our own little paradise right there. It’s kinda of funny you’ll see some big crew guy go by and go, “I wanna get in that thing!’”

Kix Brooks is getting excited about his “New To This Town” album release on September 11th. What’s got him excited? Fan reaction when he plays the new songs live: “They’re getting to hear them for the first time and there’s nothing that makes you feel better than before the song’s over, they’re singing it with you. And there’s a couple of those songs like “My Baby Ain’t Comin’ Back,” and before the song’s over you just look out there and they’re singing it. They’ve got their hands in the air and you’re goin’...it’s connected! It’s fun! And I really do kinda feel new to this town.”

Darius Rucker has a new song out, “True Believers.” It’s the first single from his next album, which has no title or release date yet, though it will be out in early 2013. Darius explains that the song is a defiant song, and the message is that he’s doing what he wants to be doing, whether you agree or not. Darius promises that the next album will be something a little different and “True Believers” is a great sample of what they’re working on.

Congrats to Hunter Hayes, who has a new platinum song with “Wanted.”

Blake Shelton has the #1 song this week with “Over.”

Tomorrow, Zac Brown Band takes the stage at the Republican National Convention.

Make it five in a row for Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood – they’ll be hosting the CMA Awards again this fall. The two did a publicity photo shoot for it, and Brad said, “We have a great time. She is the best co-host I could ever ask for, and really, it’s a great combination. You can tell I think that we have a good time with it.” Mark your calendars for November first on ABC.

The very next night, also on ABC, Reba’s new tv show, Malibu Country, debuts. She plays a single mother of three who moves from LA to Nashville, and Lily Tomlin stars as her mother, Lily May. About her co-star, Reba says, “I’ve known Lily since 2001, so I was really wanting to working with her in some form or fashion- and this television show has been perfect.”

Dierks Bentley is still trying to process the fact that he’s has 10 #1 songs over the course of 9 years. His first happened in 2003 – “What Was I Thinkin’” – and his latest is “5-1-5-0.” His next single will be “Tip It On Back” and is the first single he’s released that he didn’t write. It was written by Tully Kennedy, Ross Copperman, and Jon Nite, and here he is performing it on the David Letterman show.



Darius Rucker found himself the target of a dare on Twitter. The fictional, funny and sometimes inappropriate spoof Twitter “personality,” @NotJakeOwen, tweeted “$500 reward to anyone that can prove @DariusRucker owns the best of Patsy Cline in his music collection.” Darius responded with a photo of himself and that album, which he sings about in the song “Alright,” with the line “I don’t need no concert in the city, I’ve got a stereo and the best of Patsy Cline.” Darius added the note, “pay up – and make it out to @St. Jude.” Whoever is behind the @NotJakeOwen Twitter account is a stand-up person – they responded with a screen shot of their computer, proving they’d donated the $500 to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.

Eli Young Band has been hard at work for over a decade, waiting for success to come their way. With the release of their Life at Best album, looks like life is getting better for the band: they’re on tour with Rascal Flatts, have had two back-to-back #1 songs and band member Mike Eli says, “The biggest goal of ours has always been longevity, and to be able to build a career that we can have for a long time. So I hope with this year, we can hope to get to the next step of solidifying more of a longer career.”

Martina McBride is on Opening Act and Katie Armiger is on Bachelor Pad tonight.

Brad Paisley is apparently still considering sitting at the judge’s table on American Idol. His tour is taking a short hiatus until August 10th, and apparently meetings are set for next week to discuss whether or not he can make his schedule mesh with A’s. The Band Perry has been opening for him, and when Kimberly Perry was asked about Brad and reality TV, she threw out another reality show idea: Celebrity Apprentice. According to Kimberly, “He’s always thinking, that guy. And um—so I’d have to—yeah, ‘BP’ on that one!” Perhaps there’ll be an answer, one way or the other, soon about Brad and his TV future.

Gloriana’s new cd, “A Thousand Miles Left Behind,” is out today. Band Member Mike Gossin says their sophomore project is pretty personal: “We’re very very proud of it. I think this album is much more organic and has a more mature sound to it. There was a lot of emotions and heart that went into making this record. It’s really the story of the past three years of our lives.” “A Thousand Miles Left Behind” includes Gloriana’s top-5 hit, “(Kissed You) Goodnight.”

Miranda Lambert’s new single finally has a video, and Danica Patrick is part of it. It’s fun – here you go, but buckle in!



Luke Bryan has been touring with Jason Aldean this year, but he’s planning for 2013, when he’ll head out on tour as the headliner: “We’re already getting our game plan together and thinking about stuff we can do to really set ourselves apart and be—you know, to come out with a really big bang for my first run at headlining. We’re really excited about everything that we’ve talked about thus far.”

Darius Rucker and his rock band, Hootie and the Blowfish, have several tour dates set for August, and according to Darius, there’s still one more Hootie record and tour left in them. He doesn’t know when, but enjoys the four or 5 dates a year they always do.

Fans of Scotty McCreery and Christmas have some celebrating to do – apparently he’s in the studio right now, recording a Christmas album. No release date or title yet – I’ll keep you posted.

Precious metal has been earned: Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This” has been certified platinum, and “Ladies Love Country Boys” has gone gold. Also getting gold certification are Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” and Toby Keith’s “She Never Cried in Front of Me.”

Zac Brown Band is busy spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Country chart, and Zac tells the story of how the album’s title cut came to be: “You know, I got the idea for that song ‘Uncaged’ from riding my motorcycle, and being out on the road with the wind in my face, looking up, seeing a hawk flying above my head and thinking, ‘Wow. I’ve been sitting on a bus all day, every day for the last five years on the road, and I could have been out getting myself back into nature.’ ‘Cause the nightlife, playing music and everything will definitely void you of nature.”

One year ago this week, Eric Church released his album, Chief, and it debuted at the top of the Billboard Country chart and the all-genre Billboard 200. It’s spawned two #1 songs so far, “Drink in My Hand” and “Springsteen,” and “Creepin’” has just been released as the next single. About the sound of the music, Eric says, “I feel like we’re given a small opportunity as artists to take the music somewhere it hasn’t been before, and that always kinda stokes my fire is to be able to take something and do something a little different with it and take a little different direction and that’s certainly what um...what this record was about.” And what about his signature ball-cap-and-shades style? “I have one style...I have that mirrored shade style, but I have several sunglasses. I have one hat...for the whole...if we lose that hat, that’s it...career’s over!”

Darius Rucker fans know what a sports fan he is, but did you know he’s high on the Olympics and will watch as much coverage over the next two weeks as is humanly possible? “Everybody watches the Olympics because you want to see America beat everybody else in the world. I mean, it sounds crazy, but that’s why you’re watching it; that’s why I’m watching the 100, because I want to see an American cross the line first. You know, that’s why we watch basketball, because we want to see America blow everybody out.”

Little Big Town’s song, “Pontoon,” is sailing up the charts and is instantly recognizable when it comes on the radio. According to Kimberly Schlapman, “I love songs like that as a listener. Just all through my life, there are songs that on the first three, four or five notes, I instantly know what they are. It’s cool that this is one of those songs. I love that just as a music fan!” The song is the first single from Tornado, which streets September 11th.

Didja miss Hunter Hayes on The Talk? Julie Chen surprised Hunter with a gold certification plaque for “Wanted.” Here you go…



Sunday, Martina McBride turns 46 and James Otto celebrates his 39th birthday.

Lionel Ritchie is on Chelsea Lately and Ellen DeGeneres, talking about his country collaboration album. Both are reruns.

Today's Country Tidbits

Luke Bryan is psyched to be part of Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series today. "City folks, and certainly every time we've played this city, they're like, 'We love coming to see a country act, because we don't get to see it as much as all of the other music.' So I love bringing that to New York City, and obviously, I love having it on TV." Luke's not the only country act on morning tv today - Zac Brown Band is on the Today show and Craig Morgan is on Fox & Friends.

Eli Young Band is touring with Rascal Flatts this summer, and are watching their song "Even if it Breaks Your Heart" creep closer to #1. It's at #5 now and Mike Eli weighs in on the song's meaning:   “You know it’s really true, ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’ is about going out there and following your dreams. I think we’re extremely luckily to live in a country where, that is possible in the first place. And it’s encouraged.”

Darius Rucker is glowing over recording with Lady Antebellum. They're covering Old Crow Medicine Show's song, "Wagon Wheel," and according to Darius:   “I cut it to put it as the last song on my record, to end the record that way, and when they were done, I was like, ‘Man, it’ll probably be second, and [laughs] if it’s the first single, I’m OK with that too.’ It was just so great…and it’s really great to get a song that’s so big in its own way, but there’s so many people out there that haven’t heard it, you know, that should hear it.”

Two of the three Band Perry siblings celebrate birthdays this month - Kimberly turned 29 yesterday and Neil turns 22 on the 23rd. Believe it or not, they are competitive over cake! "[Kimberly] Size does matter when it comes to birthday cake, and I've always wanted the biggest one. I'm very passionate about them. [Neil] Yes, but I did 'up' her one year whenever I got ice cream cake. [Kimberly] Oh, well, that's...yeah, I'm not a big ice cream cake fan, but you are. I was a little jealous." Reid Perry stays out of the cake fight - his birthday is in November.

Wondering what happened to the Taylor Swift/Justin Bieber collaboration? They were left off of his album, and there aren't any plans to release the song. But Taylor can take heart - hers wasn't the only duet that didn't make the cut: Kanye West's didn't either.

Oh dear - there was a little dust-up over Luke Bryan's performance of the National Anthem at baseball's All-Star game. He was caught sneaking a peek at his wrist, and has admitted to having a "few key words" written down so he could do his best. He did - give him a break. TMZ conducted a poll, and with over 10,000 responses, 93% of them were in Luke's favor.

Congrats to Little Big Town, who scored a #1 song based on digital downloads. "Pontoon" was purchased 86,000 times last week.

Today's Country Tidbits

Three more Miranda Lambert shows have been rescheduled as she continues vocal rest.
Tonight’s show in Orange Beach, Alabama will happen October 4th, tomorrow’s Atlanta show will happen on October 5th and tickets for Saturday’s show near Birmingham will be honored October 6th. In a written statement, Miranda says, “I’m so sorry to disappoint the fans that have already bought tickets to see me. I’m taking care of my voice and I can’t wait to get on the road again and bring you a hell of a show.”

Darius Rucker is working on country album #3. There’s no release date yet, but there is a hot piece of news: he called on Lady Antebellum to record Old Crow Medicine Show’s song, “Wagon Wheel,” for the project. In other Lady A news, Hillary Scott was interviewed by Lucky, and she answered a lot of random questions, including her favorite karaoke songs:



Way back in 2008, Blake Shelton covered one of Michael Buble’s songs, and spent two weeks at #1 with “Home.” Now Michael is on Blake’s team on the third season of The Voice. He’ll be an advisor to Blake’s chosen singers, and is taping his appearances this week.

Jake Owen is learning a new way to travel on tour – with his wife. He admits that the experience is teaching him to be a lot more patient, and says, “It’s a lot different having your wife on the bus now, as oppose to you and like nine other guys. We’re just always getting into trouble, ya know. But, she’s good she keeps me in line – like all women do I guess.” Meanwhile, Colt Ford is weighing in on Jake’s impending fatherhood: “You gotta teach ‘em those things – like we’re talking about in this song. I mean, some of those things have been forgotten that are truly important on the way we were raised. I think Jake will be fine. He comes from a really good family – a good strong family with great values. I’m sure Jake will be a great Dad.” Jake lent his vocals to the song “Back,” which is Colt’s current single.

Grace Potter spied on Tim McGraw’s workout a couple of times on tour, and reports that he’s earning those muscles and slim physique. He uses spare tires from the equipment trucks as his weights, lifting them over his head, and ties off a couple of huge ropes to a fork lift and spends some time battle-roping with them. Grace said of Tim that, “he’s the most healthy guy on this tour – there’s no contest!”

Brantley Gilbert takes off on his Hell on Wheels Tour September 27th in Lafayette Indiana. It’s is first tour as a headliner, and he compares the rush to his high school football days: “You know when we’d run through the banner or something before the game, that’s kinda what walking on stage is like. It’s about the same amount of adrenaline too!” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” is his second #1 single and his next single is the rowdy “Kick it In the Sticks.”

If you fly American Airlines this month, be sure to check out their magazine – Keith Urban is on the cover, highlighting an article about Nashville. The article, entitled “An Old Star Shines,” showcases Nashville’s arts and entertainment scene and includes Keith’s discussion of the bars he used to hang out in to hear live music when he was just a struggling musician. Could Nashville be home to the Grammy Awards show one day? Could happen – that’s covered in the article, too.

George Jones has been trying to sell his 78-acre property near Franklin Tennessee, but once again, it’s a no-go. Last year he listed it for $10 million but there were no takers, so he decided to auction off 43 acres in 5 separate parcels. The auction this past Saturday didn’t result in a sale, either – none of the bids were high enough to satisfy George.

Today's Country Tidbits

Jason Aldean decided to see if his concert is big enough to sell out a stadium yet, and the answer is a resounding “yes.” Tickets for the August 5th concert at Columbus Ohio’s Crew Stadium are already sold out, well in advance of the show. It’s the first concert to sell out this far in advance in Crew Stadium History. Says Jason, “Columbus, Ohio, hope you’re ready to throw down with us!”

Rumors are flying that Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler are going to do a duet for the next Aerosmith album. When asked about the truth to those rumors, Carrie is pretty coy: “I worked with him quite a bit in the past. We obviously have a great working friendship – working relationship. We look for opportunities to hang out together whenever we can. I’d never count anything out with us.”

The CMA Music Festival in Nashville is being blessed (so far, anyway!) with the best weather in recent memory. Bright blue skies, highs in the mid 80’s and not too much humidity are making for good times for the record crowd. Last night, Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum performed at LP Field, and Brad Paisley explained the fans this way: “That’s what this festival is all about. These are the hardest core, of the hard core. They’re the people that come out – they’re the first to buy tickets to your concerts. They’re the first to buy your album. They don’t take any convincing. They love you sort of no matter what.” Lady A’s Charles Kelly says of the experience, “You’ll sit there and talk to them by name, give them a hug...I just can’t think of any other genre that has that kind of connection and people that come back the same time every year. You know where they’re gonna be. It’s really kind of a funny thing, you know? It’s really cool.” One of today’s highlights is a singing competition at the Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards booth in Fan Alley. The winner gets a trip to Las Vegas to see “Shania: Still the One.” Can’t be in Nashville today but still want a shot at the prize? You can enter online from June 18th through July 15th. Good luck!

Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more awards comes the 2012 Big Daddy Awards. Given out by a national prostate cancer awareness group, nominees include Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley. The winners will be chosen by your vote.

If you’re in or around Mobile, Alabama, be on the lookout for a movie set with a tall country star in the midst of it. Tracy Lawrence is in Mobile, filming L.A. Dirt, a move about a young man’s dream to become a champion dirt track racer. Tracy plays the role of the lad’s uncle. Filming starts Saturday and should run through the end of this month.

Jennifer Nettles is on “Duets” tonight on ABC.

 

Dierks Bentley lost his dad on Friday, and on Saturday he tweeted, “My Dad died yesterday. It was an honor to comfort him as he left us. Thank you fans for the time and understanding.” Dierks was scheduled to play a concert in Washington DC Saturday, and Big & Rich stepped in to cover for him. It was the first show in 10 years that Dierks missed, and he vowed to play a show in DC soon. Meanwhile, his Last Call Ball, scheduled for this Wednesday in Nashville, has been postponed, too. He’ll resume his touring schedule on June 9th in Detroit. Leon Bentley was 88. The photo is one Dierks shared via Twitter of their two hands near the end.

Throughout their career, Rascal Flatts has sold more than six million concert tickets. You might think they’ve been on stage so much that they wouldn’t have to rehearse, but you’d be wrong. They’ve been rehearsing their “Changed” tour, working out on the stage, practicing the songs from the new album and basically just trying to get back into “live” mode. “You know, when we put together the kind of show that we put together it’s kind of the same format every night. So, once you rehearse it and you know it well, you just go out and try to execute it the best you can. It’s kind of like a football player having a game plan. You just go out and try to make the plays. But, I get pumped up and high on adrenaline, really.” The tour kicks off in 12 days in Hartford Connecticut.

Lady Antebellum is excited to cap their Own the Night 2012 world tour in Australia. The last stops on the tour will be in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, with the final show in Sydney on October first.

Eric Church’s fall leg of The Blood, Sweat & Beers tour adds Justin Moore and Kip Moore (no relation). It kicks off September 13th in Amherst, MA.

Kellie Pickler is honored to be on her 5th USO tour of the Middle East, saying, “I come from a military family so I’ve always had a respect for our military men and women, but having been there...it changes everything about you. You leave one person and you come back a different person.”

Keith Urban showed a little skin – and undies! – on Australian TV. It was an accident – he was changing position, stood up and this is what the camera captured. 

Tonight is Darius Rucker’s 3rd Annual Darius and Friends event in Nashville, raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Wildhorse Saloon is the location and in addition to Darius, Rodney Atkins, Clint Black, Sunny Sweeney, Chuck Wicks and “surprise special guests” will all perform. 

As CMA Music Festival week nears, plans are being made for the annual ABC special, “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock.” Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry will co-host the show, which will air September 17th.

Also in September, a really great reason for a road trip. Zac Brown Band’s Southern Ground Music & Food Festival hits Nashville September 21st and 22nd. ZBB will headline both nights and food will be available from “Cookie,” the band’s mobile kitchen. Local restaurants will also set up booths for the hordes of music and food lovers. Tickets go on sale this Thursday.

Today's Country Tidbits

Keith Urban’s song, “For You,” is soaring up the charts. It’s from the movie “Act of Valor,
and Keith says that meeting the service men and women who were part of the movie blew him away: “Lieutenant Roarke who was the lead guy in the film, when he was interviewed, he was talking about all the funerals that he’d been to and he says there isn’t really any of us there that isn’t just a little bit jealous of the guy who has died. I mean, I heard that and just went OK, that’s a particular way of being that I cannot relate to. I mean, that is unbelievable depth of commitment and conviction.” Meanwhile, Keith’s donated a guitar to the Fourth Annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit Auction happening next Thursday in Nashville. The money raised by auctioning off a lot of stars’ guitars will benefit the Opry Trust Fund. Also donating guitars are Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Hunter Hayes, Merle Haggard, Casey James, Loretta Lynn, The Band Perry, Kellie Pickler, and Rascal Flatts. Well, no – Rascal Flatts donated a banjo in honor of their latest hit song.

Speaking of the song “Banjo,” Gary LeVox remembers the first time he heard the song: “Neil [Thrasher] and Wendell [Mobley] were actually at my ranch writing – the three of us were writing ‘Changed.’ Wendell just happened to get the rough copy of ‘Banjo,’ and was playing it for Neil to go, ‘Oh here’s the song they demoed for us.’ I heard it and I was like, ‘What is that?’ He was like, ‘Just some song,’ and Neil’s like, ‘Yeah I like it, it sounds good.’ I was like, ‘You gotta play it again!’” Hot on the heels of that song’s success, Rascal Flatts has released “Come Wake Me Up.” Prediction – number 1 on the country charts by the 4th of July!

What was Kenny Chesney up to while gearing up for the Brothers of the Sun tour this weekend? He was in the Bahamas – working! Not a tough job, though – he played a benefit concert at the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament. Proceeds are earmarked for Plan!t Now, an organization that provides scholarships to students affected by severe weather.

Alan Jackson’s 14th studio album is due out Tuesday, and the first single from it is drawing huge praise. “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” is being compared to “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” though Alan Jackson is a bit uncomfortable with the comparison, saying, “I wouldn’t want to put myself in that category with George Jones, but it is a great song.” Alan can say that, as he didn’t write it. He did write a song about wife Denise’s battle with cancer. “When I Saw You Leaving” is a song that “just came out,” according to Alan. Zac Brown shows up on the song, “Dixie Highway.” June 5th is the day we all get to hear the whole thing.

Darius Rucker gets to spend his summer as part of the 2012 Jim Beam Live Music Series. He’ll headline a Dallas House of Blues show on June 24th. As you might guess because Jim Beam is the sponsor, concert-goers must be 21 or older.

Kellie Pickler is on her 5th USO tour in the Middle East this week.

Today's Country Tidbits

Consider the touring artist - they spend their days and nights on the road, dragging around a lot of expensive equipment so they can put on shows all around the country. All usually goes well, barring the occasional flat tire, but all went very wrong this week for Tracy Lawrence. His tour entourage stopped in Bakersfield, California and while everone was asleep, someone broke into their vehicles and stole nearly all of their stage gear. Local music companies have come to their rescue, lending them everything from amps to digital mixing consoles so the show can go on tomorrow night in Bakersfield. Police are on the case.

Carrie Underwood graces the cover of Billboard Magazine this week, talking about her next album, "Blown Away," due out May first, and talking about her experiences in the music business: “I came into this music industry in a different way through American Idol, and I feel like I’m an elected official, often, because they voted me in. They voted for me. I still get people coming up to me all the time saying, ‘I voted for you! Oh, my gosh, it’s been so great to see everything that’s happened in the past seven years.’”

Blake Shelton loves his eleventh #1 song, "Drink on It." Why? It reminds him of old-school country tunes: “I always wished I had a song like ‘The Chair,’ like that George Strait song ‘The Chair’, ‘cause it’s basically just a guy trying to pick up a girl at a bar. That’s what ‘Drink On It,’ that’s why I fell in love with that song when I heard it, outside of the melody being kind of a throwback to you know, Conway Twitty or Ronnie Milsap sounding records, which I love, too.” "Drink on It" is his 6th #1 song in a row.

Rascal Flatts is getting ready to hit the road this summer, and according to the guys, planning a tour gets harder, not easier: “You know, we’ve been doing this for a while now. I guess this is probably our seventh real headlining tour and each one it becomes harder and harder, such a challenge to try to make each tour better than the last one, and maybe bigger than the last one. And so we really got together and talked about what we wanted to do with this summer tour and we came up with a great idea I think.” This time around, they're taking not one single solo act on the road with them - Little Big Town, Eden's Edge and Eli Young Band are their tour mates.

A "gone gold" party is in the works for Lee Brice and his song, "A Woman Like You." Why does he think the song is so successful? “It is very conversational and it’s the truth. It’s like, ‘Yeah I’d probably be doing this, I’d be doing that. But I’d be the same ole me. I’d be that dude that was looking for you the whole time.’ So it’s really just true. I think that’s why it’s coming across so well. It’s just really honest.” "Hard 2 Love" is Lee's next album, and it comes out next Tuesday.

June 4th is the day for the 3rd Annual Darius and Friends celebrity golf tournament at the Gaylord Springs Golf Links in Nashville. Darius Rucker will announce other country stars who'll be part of the golf tournament and concert that follows it soon, and tickets go on sale Saturday at Ticketmaster.

Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap and Glen Campbell have been added to the nightly concert line-up at LP Field during CMA Music Festival week. Tickets are on sale for country music's ultimate summer vacation.

This Saturday is "Record Store Day," with artists all over the country showing up at local music stores to perform, sign autographs and raise awareness of brick & mortar stores that sell music. In celebration, Pistol Annies have released "Hell on Heels" in vinyl and are giving fans the chance to win an autographed copy and a turntable.

Catch Toby Keith on the Tonight Show.

The tweet of the day is from John Rich: "Wouldn't it be cool if they made "redneck sushi?" Fried catfish roll, spicy bass roll, smoked blue gill roll with crawfish on top? Ideas?"

Today's Country Tidbits

Oh, to have been in the audience for this - Darius Rucker's annual benefit for the childrens hospital in his home state of South Carolina raised $260,000. The show wasn't a typical Darius country set - he did 90 minutes of Sinatra music, backed by an orchestra which was led by Sinatra's long-time conductor. Darius is proud of this event, saying “Giving back is what you’re supposed to do. I’m a blessed individual. God has blessed me with a great life, and great kids, great wife, and you know I like helping people if I can – and giving back is how I do it I guess.”

Taylor Swift had a sit-down with an MTV reporter, talking about her new album, which should come out late this year - IF she quits writing long enough to get into the studio. She says she's been writing like crazy for the past year and will continue writing until she has literally zero time left to work on lyrics. According to Taylor, “With my feelings and things that I discover through love and through loss—writing about that is the only way that I feel better about that. And the only way that I get past it is when I’m standing onstage and I’m singing the words to that song, and I look down and someone is singing them back to me. ‘Cause it makes me feel like I’m not alone.”

Montgomery Gentry's first single for their new record label, "Where I Come From," is running up the charts, and T-Roy is really proud of it: “Every time I hear that song, I think about back home, I think about my family, and where I lived. Those years of growing up with all the neighborhood kids and hanging out and just playing ball in the front yard, and not having a care in the world.”

Lady Antebellum's members are still shocked over winning a Grammy, and they chat about that and Hillary dishes about Miranda Lambert and Lady Gaga's budding friendship as they shared a row at the Grammy Awards:

Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Toby Keith are all nominated in the 25th Annual Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, which will be handed out March first.

David Nail has picked up two gold certifications, one each for "Red Light" and "Let it Rain." That's a great track record for him so far, and he says the reason is the songs: “I feel like with this record, a lot of it, you make your job as an artist so much easier if you pick great songs and you pick songs you’ve lived or experienced. I feel like that’s something I’ve done well with.”

Blake Shelton has already signed up for season 3 of The Voice. All four judges will return, with Christina Aguilara raking in $10 million and the rest of them having to settle for $6 million for the season.

Happy birthday to Bryan White, who turns 38 today, and to Larry the Cable Guy, who turns 49.

The tweet of the day is from Jake Owen: "One of my main goals again this year is to try a local brew in every city. Oxford, MS thanks for a good time and a good beer."

Today's Country Tidbits

Lady Antebellum beat a record held by Kenny Chesney at the arena in Bloomington, Illinois this past weekend. They kicked off their tour by breaking the attendence record at US Cellular Coliseum, packing more than 32,000 fans into three shows. Charles Kelley says the trio are always looking for ways to get better: “It will be interesting, I think we’re gonna try to evolve now, after a third record. We really want to free ourselves up a little bit more and see where we can kind of go with the music and not get in too much of a stride, so to speak, where you just keep regurgitating the same type of music, so we want to try and push ourselves.”

Darius Rucker is touring with Lady Antebellum and has booked studio time to record in his down time. He's written most of the songs for his third country studio album, and says about his crazy schedule, “For me, it’s all really all about fun right now, so I’m just doing the best I can with that. And it’s really getting better and better every time I play, so I can’t...you know, I can’t complain about it.”

Reba is not just alive, she's poking fun at the rumors of her untimely demise. As reported here Tuesday, the top Google search Monday was "reba dead" as people sought details of her tragic fall from an Austrian mountain while filming a movie. She posted this on her WhoSay website yesterday:

Toby Keith and his family won, then lost, and now have won again a $2.8 million settlement in the 2001 death of his dad, H.K. Covel. Toby's dad was killed in a traffic accident, and the original trial found a bus company negligent in the wreck. The settlement was overturned when the bus company appealed, and now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has upheld the original verdict.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. When you're Taylor Swift, most of the time, you win, but not this time. She was up for a role in Les Miserables but lost it to a virtual unknown, Samantha Barks, a former contestant on "I'd Do Anything."

Congrats to Tim McGraw - "Emotional Traffic," the album he went to court to have released, debuts at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart and #2 on the Billboard 100 this week. It's his 13th #1 debut album, and his last project on his old record label, Curb Records. To what does he owe all those #1's? “Sometimes I know if I’m gonna go sing a song, I can spend all day in there and sing and at the end of the day, listen back to and not like anything I’ve done and have to start over the next day. But I’ve got to go do the best I can that day and wrap my mind around it in that way. If I’m successful most of the days, then the end result is gonna be success at the end of all of those things put together.”

The Grammy Awards get a little more country this year, as Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert have been added to the presenters. Previously announced Nashville denizens Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry and Blake Shelton will be performing on the show, which airs live on Sunday, February 12 on CBS

Blake Shelton and the other judges from "The Voice" grace the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine this week. The second season premiers right after the Super Bowl Sunday night.

Tonight, Blake Shelton is on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

The tweet of the day is from Reba: "Well, it's a great week when you find out you're NOT dead and everyone at ABC LOVES the pilot script, "Malibu Country""

Today's Country Tidbits

Lady Antebellum beat a record held by Kenny Chesney at the arena in Bloomington, Illinois this past weekend. They kicked off their tour by breaking the attendence record at US Cellular Coliseum, packing more than 32,000 fans into three shows. Charles Kelley says the trio are always looking for ways to get better: “It will be interesting, I think we’re gonna try to evolve now, after a third record. We really want to free ourselves up a little bit more and see where we can kind of go with the music and not get in too much of a stride, so to speak, where you just keep regurgitating the same type of music, so we want to try and push ourselves.”

Darius Rucker is touring with Lady Antebellum and has booked studio time to record in his down time. He's written most of the songs for his third country studio album, and says about his crazy schedule, “For me, it’s all really all about fun right now, so I’m just doing the best I can with that. And it’s really getting better and better every time I play, so I can’t...you know, I can’t complain about it.”

Reba is not just alive, she's poking fun at the rumors of her untimely demise. As reported here Tuesday, the top Google search Monday was "reba dead" as people sought details of her tragic fall from an Austrian mountain while filming a movie. She posted this on her WhoSay website yesterday:

Toby Keith and his family won, then lost, and now have won again a $2.8 million settlement in the 2001 death of his dad, H.K. Covel. Toby's dad was killed in a traffic accident, and the original trial found a bus company negligent in the wreck. The settlement was overturned when the bus company appealed, and now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has upheld the original verdict.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. When you're Taylor Swift, most of the time, you win, but not this time. She was up for a role in Les Miserables but lost it to a virtual unknown, Samantha Barks, a former contestant on "I'd Do Anything."

Congrats to Tim McGraw - "Emotional Traffic," the album he went to court to have released, debuts at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart and #2 on the Billboard 100 this week. It's his 13th #1 debut album, and his last project on his old record label, Curb Records. To what does he owe all those #1's? “Sometimes I know if I’m gonna go sing a song, I can spend all day in there and sing and at the end of the day, listen back to and not like anything I’ve done and have to start over the next day. But I’ve got to go do the best I can that day and wrap my mind around it in that way. If I’m successful most of the days, then the end result is gonna be success at the end of all of those things put together.”

The Grammy Awards get a little more country this year, as Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert have been added to the presenters. Previously announced Nashville denizens Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry and Blake Shelton will be performing on the show, which airs live on Sunday, February 12 on CBS

Blake Shelton and the other judges from "The Voice" grace the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine this week. The second season premiers right after the Super Bowl Sunday night.

Tonight, Blake Shelton is on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

The tweet of the day is from Reba: "Well, it's a great week when you find out you're NOT dead and everyone at ABC LOVES the pilot script, "Malibu Country""

Today's Country Tidbits

Dierks Bentley's next cd, "Home," is coming out on February 7th, and he says the new music feels fresh and represents some personal growth: “I mean, I’m always trying to be a better songwriter and trying to get in there and write songs that have more depth. At the same token, I love songs that are just fun, and when I’m driving around, I love jamming to. So, that aspect is represented on there as well.” Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild duets with him on one of the songs, and bluegrass legends Sam Bush and Tim O'Brien are also featured. And listen carefully to "Thinking of You," because Dierks says there's a "hidden special guest" on that track.

Rascal Flatts had a banner 2011, and are starting 2012 with a "Thaw Out" tour. Looking back on the year gone by, the trio are pleased with their accomplishments: “We started off the year with our own network special, which was thrilling, and there are very few acts that can say they've had their own television network special. We had a video with Justin Bieber, a song, a duet with him. So a lot of things that were milestones in our career - members of the Grand Ole Opry and so many of the goals that we had set for ourselves years ago had finally come true.”

Martina McBride is looking forward to touring with George Strait again, and the part she likes best is just spending time with him: “I don't know if he still does this but when we toured together before, there was a tent every night. You could go and hang out with him if you wanted to. He kind of likes to hang out, which I was surprised, and I took advantage of that. You know I'm thinking if I get to hang out with George Strait, I'm gonna do that. So, we’ve always just had a cool connection. I don’t know, I just really think he’s awesome.” The tour kicks off January 27th.

Justin Moore and Darius Rucker made a bet on a football game, and Darius lost the bet. Justin has plans - big plans - for Darius to pay off. He wants to do a concert in his home town of Poyen, Arkansas, and knows just the guy to bring in the bucks for St. Jude: “We’ve been trying to find a date for it, we’re gonna do that, and Darius owes me a bet. We bet on the South Carolina-Arkansas game last year, and he lost it. So, he’s gotta come do a charity event for free for me...F-R-E-E, free.”

Happy birthday to Deana Carter, who is 46 today, and to Patty Loveless, who turns 55.

The tweet of the day is from Sarah Buxton: "My 96 year old grandpa skyped me tonight & I recorded the stories he told me about his life. I can't believe I never thought to do that."