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

Carrie Underwood and hubby Mike Fisher are in Australia as Carrie takes her “Blown Away” tour there. It’s not her first time there, but this time she hopes to actually see more: “I really hope I get the opportunity to see more. You know, last time we were in Australia, I got to go to the Zoo in Melbourne, and we got to just kind of walking around Sydney a little bit. We toured the Opera House—of course, we’ll be playing there this time! But I’ll definitely be snapping pictures everywhere!”

Miranda Lambert scored #1 on the country charts with her last song, “Over You,” and she’s hoping for another with her new single, “Fastest Girl In Town.” About the song, she says, “I love ‘Fastest Girl In Town.’ I love so many songs on this record, but I really was ready for like a ‘Miranda song’, like ‘Kerosene’ days, you know? And ‘Fastest Girl’ I wrote it with Angeleena, so it’s obviously close to my heart, cause I wrote it with a friend. And ‘Over You’ I wrote with Blake, so it’s kinda this trend going—I’m putting out singles that I write with people I love!” Miranda’s on tour and is in the studio during her down time, recording the next Pistol Annies project.

Country music women did ok on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of “Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Patsy Cline’s “The Patsy Cline Collection” showed up at #15, Dolly Parton’s 1975 greatest hits album earned the #32 slot and at #45, Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” album made the list. Rolling Stone says Taylor has “a flawless ear for what makes a song click,” and called her “one of the few genuine rock stars we’ve got these days.”

If you’re into great music by more obscure singers and songwriters, chances are you have heard Eli Young Band’s “Even if it Breaks Your Heart” before. The song was written and recorded by Eric Paslay and Will Hoge and showed up on Will’s album, “The Wreckage.” When the guys in Eli Young Band heard it, they knew two things: one, they loved it and wanted to record it, and two, they wanted to stick to the sound of the original: “This one is kinda one that we found, umm, and really fell in love with his version. So, when we recorded it, we wanted to stay as true to his version as we could. But still make it our own a little bit. But, we just loved the Tom Petty feel and the classic rock vibe he had to the song.” Eli Young Band is on the road with Rascal Flatts this summer.

From the “well, now, this is awkward” file – Wynonna Judd and new hubby Cactus Moser didn’t invite Naomi Judd or Ashley Judd to the wedding, even though they all live on the same piece of property. It gets worse – Cactus Moser strapped a .44 Magnum on as part of his wedding tuxedo outfit, and as soon as the vows were taken, he fired his gun near Ashley’s house. Awkward... 

And this is, too – Randy and Elizabeth Travis are swapping lawsuits, each claiming that the other is somehow in breach of one or more of their agreements. Randy says Lib is badmouthing him, and Lib claims that he undermined her effectiveness as his manager. She’s asking a judge to award her damages based on “lost earnings.” This is going to be not pretty for a very long time, sadly.

And a little bit of good news – George Jones is apparently feeling so well that he’s rehearsing with his band in anticipation of getting back out on the road to make up those shows he missed this spring. Apparently his recovery from respiratory issues is complete – he says “he don’t need no rockin’ chair!”

Happy birthday to Gretchen Wilson, who turns 39 today.

Today's Country Tidbits

Lady Antebellum's "Rebuilding Henryville Charity Ball" tickets go on sale today at Ticketmaster. The money raised by the May 16th concert is for tornado relief efforts in the Indiana town that was very hard-hit a couple of months ago. According to Charles Kelley of Lady A, “We’re just so excited to be able to be playing for the community there in Henryville and, you know, our thoughts go out to them. And we kinda just wanted to do something to bring a little joy and excitement to the community.”

Miranda Lambert will be joined by the Pistol Annies at her show in Fresno, California tonight, and they'll be on the rest of the tour with her. Miranda is very supportive of other artists, saying, “I have a kindred spirit with other artists, because I know what they’re going through and they know what I’m going through, and I think that’s why a lot of us get along—Hillary Scott, and with the Pistol Annies, and with Carrie—we don’t hang out that much, but you know I really respect her. And guys, too, I mean, I just feel like if it’s great, there’s room for all of it.”

Eric Church's new song, "Springsteen," has been certified gold and is chewing up the charts. Eric co-wrote it and explains, “The title of the song is ‘Springsteen,’ but what I love about it is it’s not a tribute song, it’s not about Springsteen. It’s just about whatever that artists is becoming the soundtrack for the love or the person your with.”

How far in advance do country artists plan? If you're Luke Bryan and you're planning a headlining tour in 2013, you've started already: “Next year will kinda be our year to get out there and headline. And so, we’re already getting everything lined up and getting all our plans together for a huge tour next year.” He was out with Jason Aldean on the "My Kinda Party" tour and has a shiny new gold record with "Drunk On You," so expect Luke's tour to be a good one.

Steel Magnolia is in the studios, working on a new album and getting set to hit the road for a tour. It kicks off next Saturday night in Winchester, Tennessee.

"No-show Jones" has returned, but this time it's the doctors' fault, not the bottle's. George Jones is still recovering from his recent medical woes and doctors have told him to postpone all concerts through May 20th. He says he's feeling much better but continues mandatory R&R at his home in Franklin, Tennessee.

Sunday night at 10 on ABC, Love and Theft performs their current single, "Angel Eyes," on the drama GCB.

The tweet of the day is from Toby Keith: "USO TOUR #10: CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Last night in New Mexico, Sugarland's "Incredible Machine" tour resumed after the tragedy last weekend that claimed five lives. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush asked fans to donate to a relief fund for the families of those injured and killed, and stagehands wore t-shirts honoring Nathan Bird, the stage hand who was up in the light rigging when the stage roof collapsed. He died at the hospital a couple of hours later. Just before last night's show, Jennifer led a moment of silence in honor of the victims.

The ACM is donating $661,000 to the ACM Lifting Lives Foundation, and the money was generated by the "Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country" special. The money is being gifted in the names of the performers and honorees, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, the Judds, Loretta Lynn, Reba, Jennifer Nettles, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Ronnie Dunn, Sara Evans, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Pistol Annies, Vince Gill, John Fogerty and the Jane Dear Girls.

Brad Paisley is on the European leg of his world tour, and he loves playing overseas. According to Brad, it's pretty easy to be incognito. “There’s a really great audience there, and there may not be a lot of people that love country music, but if there’s several thousand, they’re all going when you go play there. I mean, no one in the city knows who you are when you walk through except the people lined up. The best time to walk around in London is when they’re lining up for your show, because that’s it. That’s the only people who care about you. And they’re out in front of the theater. Go out the back and you can just go anywhere you want.” Scroll down for video of the encore performance that featured Rolling Stone guitarist Ron Wood.

Jake Owen loves his fans and loves to share his day-to-day exploits with them. When he needs stitches, he shows the photos. When he needs some fun time on the water, he invites his fans to come and play with him. Twitter is the medium he's using to keep in touch, and according to Jake, “I think Twitter’s supposed to be used, at least from my perspective, it’s supposed to be used for talking to people on a real level, you know? That’s why I do real things like that. I mean, I’m not scared. I’m a human being. If I invite someone out there that’s a weirdo that shows up to come on my boat, I’ll kick ‘em off in the water, man.”

Didja miss The Band Perry on Jimmy Kimmel Live? Here you go...

and their other performance...

When you're a big-time country music star, you get to be part of peoples' most important life moments. Case in point - Dierks Bentley got to help a guy propose to his girlfriend. Of course she said "yes!"

Told you yesterday about Brad Paisley being joined onstage by Rolling Stone guitarist Ron Wood. The two swapped licks on "Let the Good Times Roll" and according to Brad, "We've never rehearsed. But we don't care. Do we?" They ended the show, joined by Darius Rucker, with a rousing performance of "Alcohol."

Remember that Shania Twain took a fall when coming down the aisle at the CMT awards? The fabulous shoes she was wearing, which she blamed for the fall, are on eBay, being auctioned off for charity, the "Shania Kids Can" fund. The bid at the time of publication was $16,500. Pony up your credit card, if you're a huge Shania fan!

If you're a huge George Jones fan, you'll want to be in Nashville on September 30th for the Tuesday night Opry show. That night will honor George Jones, and celebrate his 80th birthday. Guests will include Alan ackson, Montgomery Gentry, Joe Diffie, Jamey Johnson, Pam Tillis and the Oak Ridge Boys.

New music on the way from Montgomery Gentry. "Rebels on the Run" hits the streets October 4th. It's their 7th studio album.

Randy Travis and Josh Turner are on the Tonight Show, and Trace Adkins is on Chelsea Lately. Sunday night's "True Blood" episode will feature Taylor Swift's song, "Haunted."

Happy birthday to Eddy Raven as he turns 67 today, Clay Walker, who is 42 and Lee Ann Womack, who's 45. Sunday Kenny Rogers turns turns 73.

The tweet of the day is from Chris Young: "I was kinda down today... and then I remembered my dad survived lung cancer and I still have the man I look up to in my life #perspective"

Today's Country Tidbits

Word's out that Taylor Swift will sing "Today Was a Fairytale" on the Grammy Award show next Sunday night. In the first 24 hours it was available on iTunes, it was downloaded almost 100,000 times. Wow...she's one-fifth of the way to Gold in one day! It was the most she's ever sold on release day...so far.

Meanwhile, Luke Bryan's song, "Do I" has just been certified Gold for sales of more than 500,000.

Tonight's the night - country music's dream team tour hits the road in Baltimore. George Strait, Reba and Lee Ann Womack. No matter what you have to pay for a ticket, you'll get your money's worth!

Gonna be in Nashville on February 2nd? You might get to see a concert for free. For the new Tim McGraw movie, "Love Don't Let Me Down," there'll be a concert scene shot at the Municipal Auditorium. Tim won't be performing, but the Lost Trailers will be, along with Gwyneth Paltrow, Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund. If you'd like to be an extra, you need to be at least 18 years old, and the film producers would love for you to put on your best country concert duds.

And oh, to have been in Nashville for this surprise show - Dierks Bentley, who's working on a bluegrass album in addition to a mainstream country one, stopped by the Station Inn to gig with the Infamous Stringdusters, an amazing bluegrass band. He recorded a song with the 'Dusters for their upcoming cd, "Things That Fly." Don't be surprised if they guest on his bluegrass project - Dierks is known for pairing with not-so-well-known-but-really-talented artists on his cds.

Days before the official release, the new Lady Antebellum album is available for you to listen to, free. Might not be there long, so check it out quickly!

Got six minutes? Check out Five Questions with Luke Bryan.

Been a while since Lonestar has put out any new music, but there's some on the horizon. "Party Heard Around the World" hits the streets April 27th, and is their 10th album. It includes all of the original members except Richie McDonald, who left for a solo career. Cody Collins is his replacement, and has been part of the band since 2007.

On the walk across America with Jimmy Wayne, he's got Tennessee behind him and is in Arkansas now. Yesterday afternoon, he tweeted, "Wow! A homeless man pullN a grocery cart stopD me & said "I heard about U; if I had sum $ I'd give 2 U b/c its a good cause" wow wow wow wow"

Keith Urban's Ellen show re-airs today, and tonight, don't miss (how can you??) the Hope for Haiti telethon, with Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow.

Here's how country folks roll...we are the first to help when someone's hurting. If you're wanting to help the Haitian people recover from a disaster at least as big as Katrina, one thing to remember is that scamsters come out at times like this. Here are the safe ways to donate money - you can give $10 to the massive relief effort in Haiti by texting DISASTER to 90999. You can also call 800-Red Cross to donate, or the Catholic Relief Services at 888-277-7575. Both of these organizations are already in Haiti, working to recover trapped survivors, tending to the injured and helping to bury the dead. Give as much as you can, and thank you.

Today's country tidbits...

Carrie Underwood is performing at the Grammy Awards on February 11th, and while the rest of us are caught up in Christmas shopping for the perfect gift, she and her assistant have been caught up in finding the perfect dresses and outfits to wear. They've narrowed it down to 8 great looks, for the four or five she'll wear on Grammy night. They still have to shop for diamonds to accessorize the dresses. Tough duty for both of them!

It's not what Taylor Swift GOT for her birthday, it's what she gave. Quoting Taylor: "Something I wanted to do at the end of this amazing year and especially on my birthday was give back to something I really believe in, which is education. The schools that I went to and the amazing people I got to learn from really turned me into who I am." What she gave was a quarter of a million dollars to schools she either attended or worked with for teachers' salaries, books and educational programs.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift's walls keep getting shinier..."Fearless" was just awarded quintuple-platinum status.

If you're anywhere near Franklin, TN this Friday, stop by George and Nancy Jones' house. They are hosting an open house and collecting toys for needy families. Word is, the light display is amazing and Santa Claus will be there, too. Here's the address, for your map-questing pleasure: 4025 Nestledown Drive in Franklin, TN.

Tim McGraw is talking, just a little bit, about his next movie role, playing opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. He says, "I can say that she plays a country music singer, and I don't. She can sing, and it's a pretty heavy story. I play her husband and her manager." Production begins in January for a release later in 2010.

Josh Turner will release two versions of his new cd, "Haywire," on February 9. The regular version will consist of 11 original songs, and the deluxe version will include the same songs along with two more new songs, live recordings of “Your Man” and “Long Black Train,” a video for his current hit “Why Don’t We Just Dance” and footage of Turner in the recording studio.

Each year, the Grammy Foundation puts on a party in honor of a musical legend, and the proceeds go to MusiCares to provide for musicians in need. The honoree for 2010 is Neil Young, and Lady Antebellum will be performing at the show on January 29th. Also on stage, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, James Taylor and host Jack Black.

And speaking of Lady A, they're number 2 and celebrating. "Need You Now" has been the #1 country song on the Billboard chart for five weeks, but it's been kicked down a notch by "Do I." Luke Bryan gets his first #1 and Lady A celebrates? Yep, because Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood wrote it, and Hillary Scott sings the harmony vocals.

Congrats to Justin Moore, named Billboard Magaine's Top New Country Artist of 2009.

If you missed it the first time, you get another chance tonight: "Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau" airs again tonight on CMT. Billy Currington and the Zac Brown Band are part of the party.

Darius Rucker will be on Good Morning America tomorrow morning, singing "History in the Making." He'll be back again on Christmas morning, singing "Candy Cane Christmas."

Big & Rich will be in a Chevrolet ad to air during the Super Bowl.

The marriage between Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock has officially been dissolved, and the divorce will be final on May 28.

Here are today's country tidbits...

There was some pranking going on last night in Minneapolis, when the first half of Taylor Swift's tour was ending. Taylor broadly hinted that Gloriana would be the prankee, and I'm scouring YouTube to find the video evidence. Check back later today...I'll post what I find for your giggling pleasure.

Looks like the rumors were true...Garth Brooks says the deals are being finalized for shows in Las Vegas some time early next year. Yay...GB in concert!!

Are you part of Blake Shelton's fan club? If you're a BS'er, log into the club page on his website today to hear his next single, "Hillbilly Bone." If you're not a BS'er, you can join today and hear it, or you can wait until tomorrow, when it'll be available for everyone to hear.

Keith Urban on his benefit concert tomorrow night in Nashville: "I began to think about a dedicated show, specifically for the Hall, with a lot of different people involved. And then everyone jumped on board. Before I knew it, everybody was offering their time, from the artists to the vendors. It's a small way for me to give back. The things I've got in my life and that I'm able to do, it's all connected in some way to Nashville. This is where I'd dreamed of being, where I am, and where I want to be, [so] doing this show was a no-brainer to me."

Jason Aldean has a new family member…a Bulldog named Athens. She’s already stolen his heart, and has her own UGA jersey to wear on game days.

PEOPLE has gone country, and is giving fans exclusive photos and taking us behind the scenes with Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert and more.

Random silliness - Jake Owen cut his hair, and fans are aflutter on Twitter about it. They're not happy. No word from Jake about his new 'do, and female fans are praying it will grow back soon.

Didja catch the Possum on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday morning? He was honest and open, especially about his drinking & "no-show Jones" days, and the tour of his house was mind-blowing…wow, that man has won some awards!

On tv tonight: Love And Theft are on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Dierks Bentley is part of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Tim McGraw guests on the Late Show with David Letterman.