As you try to keep your hands out of the Halloween candy stash from last night, country stars share some of their favorite Halloween memories. Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood remembers his best costume as a kid – half of a pair of dice: “I was a die for Halloween. I had a big cardboard box that I had painted white and had the polka dots and stuff. And I remember I was walking up this hill to go to this hill and literally fell back down the entire hill, rolling in this giant cardboard box that I couldn’t do anything about, because I rolled down about 50-feet.” Luke Bryan says Halloween is great for researching your neighbors: “You can find out a lot about your neighbors by what kind of candy they put out. So, well, like full bars of Snickers bars, that’s what, and Reese’s cups, but the old chocolate popcorn ball of stuff, that’s no good either, like Dots – you get Dots one time of year and they pull your teeth.” And Taylor Swift has a different kind of Halloween memory: “All I remember about Halloween last year is that it’s when I bought my cat. She’s a Halloween cat. I didn’t really dress up for anything last year - I just went out and bought a kitten.”

Last week was the biggest sales week for any album in over a decade. Taylor Swift’s “Red” sold 1.2 million copies last week, meaning it is platinum after just seven days in release. It’s her second straight album to sell more than a million copies in its first week – “Speak Now” accomplished that feat in 2010. The last artist to sell over a million was Eminem in 2002, with the release of “The Eminem Show.”

What you’ll see tonight on the CMA Awards show: the show-opener will be Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Eric Church singing Jason’s new song, “The Only Way I Know How,” Tim McGraw performing his new single, “One of Those Nights,” Faith Hill performing “American Heart,” then Tim and Faith will be part of a tribute to Willie Nelson which will also include Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood performing separately, Taylor Swift doing her new single, “Begin Again,” Kelly Clarkson singing her new country song, “Don’t Rush,” backed by Vince Gill, and John Rich with the biggest smile on his face ever, because he and Big Kenny are nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year. “To see our name back in the lineup is pretty cool. It is like, ‘Alright there it is!’ It’s just a manifestation of what we’ve been doing for the last couple of years. You know, hookin’ the cables back together between Big Kenny and myself. It’s been quite a ride to do that, because you wonder if the fans are still there and you wonder if anyone gives a damn about your music anymore.”

The cash has finally all been counted, and Jason Aldean’s breast cancer benefit concert last weekend raised $509,125. Wanna bet he rounds the check up to $510,000?
Taylor Swift is the magazine cover queen right now – she’s on December’s Cosmopolitan magazine, plus the United Kingdom’s “You” and Australia’s “Sunday” publications.

Today's Country Tidbits

Kenny Chesney and his long-time record label, Sony, have come to an agreement that keeps that relationship going. Not only will they stay together, Kenny gets his own imprint – Blue Chair Records. According to Kenny, "I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, so to have my own label imprint feels like beyond a dream come true."

Tim McGraw has a new record label – Big Machine Music – and will be releasing a new album soon. Meanwhile, he gets to try out the songs that might be on the album on the Brothers of the Sun tour audiences. “That’s one of the highlights of me doing any tour is going out and playing new music. And I look forward to that every single night, I mean—I almost want to run to the new songs when I’m onstage!” Just how big is the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw entourage? Check it out - 283 crew members, 20 buses, and 80 tractor-trailers are needed to carry it all around, set it up and tear it down. The vehicles will travel about 20,000 miles by the time the tour ends at the end of summer.

Dierks Bentley says that his dad was the man who taught him about country music: “My dad's my biggest influence in country music, because my dad loved country radio, so we always drove around listening to country radio – George Strait and Hank Williams and Randy Travis and all those guys. So, without him, I wouldn't be doing this, for sure.”

Today in Nashville, Jake Owen, Vince Gill, Florida Georgia Line and stellar songwriter Dallas Davidson will sing their hearts out at the 8th annual Stars for Second Harvest benefit concert at the Ryman. Road trip alert – you can probably still get there in time!

Have you paid attention to the lyrics of Chris Young’s song, “Neon?” You should – Chris explains: “The rhymes in that are so smart, and I had nothing to do with writing that song, so I can totally say that. I love the way they wrote this song. It’s like just when you think they painted themselves into a corner where there’s not a good rhyme they find out a way either around it or a really, really funny one.” Tolerate the commercial and check out the video…



Alan Jackson’s “Thirty Miles West” is out today, and he’s quick to explain the slightly strange title: “Where I grew up was on Highway 34 there outside of Newnan, Georgia and it wasn’t actually the official Dixie Highway. That’s where we came up with thirty miles...I think I’m thirty miles west of the official highway that runs through Georgia that’s called the Dixie Highway, so that’s just kind of the title that came from looking at the map and figuring out where the Dixie Highway was and all that kind of stuff.” Celebrating the album’s release, he’s on the Today show and the Late Show with David Letterman today.

Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” is the #1 country song this week.

Today's Country Tidbits

Rascal Flatts' new cd, "Changed," debuted at the top of the Billboard Country chart this week, and the trio thinks they know why: “It’s probably the album we feel best about from top to bottom. You know, when you listen back to your previous works when you get through with them, there’s always something about each project that you wished you’d done differently or a different song you wished you’d cut, you know? But, this record we feel like we finally got it dialed in to the point to where we’re proud of every single thing on this project.”

Three quarters of a million. That's how many fans Lady Antebellum has played in front of so far on their Own The Night 2012 World Tour, and they're only halfway through. What keeps them going onstage each night? Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott weigh in: “[Charles] Red Bull... [Hillary] That’s what I was gonna say! [Charles] Alcohol...no...I mean, honestly, their response is what drives you, you know, when they’re freaking out. And it just keeps you comin’ back for more.” The summer leg of the tour kicks off May 3rd at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Carrie Underwood spends a lot of time in the spotlight, and that can really change a person. She's working to stay grounded, saying, “So much happens when you’re on the road and when you’re making albums and when you’re doing TV shows and awards shows and stuff like that, you forget I think! You’re in your celebrity bubble, and I don’t want to be in that bubble. It’s fun sometimes, but for your heart and for you as a person, you just kinda need to step away and just be real.” This Sunday in Parade Magazine, Carrie gets exposed. It's the What People Earn, Then and Now" issue, comparing what people earned before they were big stars with what they earn now. Carrie rakes in about $20 million a year now, but just eight years ago she was making just $16,000 as a waitress.

Craig Morgan's song "What Matters Most" is making money for an organization that really matters. The Folds of Honor Foundation supports families of service men and women killed in the line of duty, and Craig is donating all of the proceeds from the song to that cause. You can only buy the song at one place on the internet, to ensure the maximum donation to Folds of Honor.

Set the DVR - Blake Shelton and his four team members will perform on The Voice Monday night at 8 on NBC.

Happy birthday to Vince Gill, who turns 55 today.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Welcome home to the Opry, Keith. You're rooming with Little Jimmy for the first month."

Today's Country Tidbits

Last night was Keith Urban and Vince Gill's "We're All for the Hall" benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Keith told us yesterday that there would be some surprises, but it turns out, the biggest surprise was on him. During the show, Vince Gill shocked Keith with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. Keith's official induction happens April 21st. The surprises that Keith knew about were Merle Haggard and Don Williams being part of the show. Here's video of Keith's moment - actually 4 and a half minutes...

Another surprise happened, this one involving The Band Perry. They popped in at the elementary school in Greeneville, Tennessee, their home town, and helped the kids with a fund-raiser. Thanks to the trio's support, Doak Elementary School raised nearly $35,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Blake Shelton weighed in on the Ashton Kucher faux pas at the ACM Awards. Ashton showed up in western clothes with a couple of guys he identified as his band, and he sang a lick of a George Strait song. Many country artists thought he was making fun of country music. Blake agrees - sort of: “I don’t know him; I just think that he was trying to be funny and probably really didn’t think that through as far as how it looks to us...I mean, that’s our night...you know what I mean? It’s not the MTV Awards where there’s a lot of pranks and things like that. I mean, we try to keep it fun but...I just think he didn’t think that through.” In case you missed it or want to see it again, here's the video of Ashton's antics...

June 5th is a big day for Alan Jackson and his fans - it's the day "Thirty Miles West" comes out. It's Alan's first new music since 2010's "Freight Train," and the first album on his Alan Country Records label. The first single, "So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore," is climbing the charts now, and there's a song on the album that really moves Alan: “There’s a song I wrote, it’s kinda hard to sing and listen to because I wrote it when Denise first found out she had cancer a year or so ago. Man, that just knocked me down, it was really tough. And this song came out of it. I don’t imagine it’s anything for commercial release or anything, but there’s a lot of emotion in that song.”

Sounds like Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are experimenting with a new way of eating. They've been spotted in Washington DC and Las Vegas ordering vegan dishes off the menus. No word from the stars themselves yet.

Craig Morgan is on the Conan O'Brien show tonight, and the Civil Wars are on Jimmy Kimmel.

Proof positive that social media is mainstream - Merle Haggard is on Twitter now. His twitter handle is @merlehaggard, in case you want to follow him, and he has the honor (??) of being the Tweet of the Day: "Hello Twitter. #FirstTweet"

Today's Country Tidbits

A few of the ACM Awards were already announced. There are major awards that won't be televised, so the ACM lets the cat out of the bag a bit early. Vince Gill was given the Career Achievement Award, Kenny Chesney won the Crystal Milestone Award, and Alan Jackson was honored with the Jim Reeves International Award. Alan says that being true to his kind of country helped him earn the award: “I’m just lucky to still be here I think and be able to make the kind of music I like to make – still go out there and sell a few tickets and enjoy it. The music is still what I like and being able to create a song that affects people.” They'll all be feted on September 24th in Nashville at the 6th Annual ACM Honors.

Chris Young was bowled over by one of his ACM nominations. Single of the Year didn't shock him, but Male Vocalist of the Year sure did: “That one kind of surprised me. I wasn’t expecting that this year at least. You know, obviously you always hope to get nominated in all the categories, but that’s a really big one. To be nominated, to be in that category is huge.” He's up against Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney. The winner will be announced April first on CBS.

Carrie Underwood has discovered Twitter. Thanks to hubby Mike Fisher, who long ago realized it was a great way to connect with his fans, Carrie is now a convert, with over 140,000 followers already. She explains, “I’ve always I guess been intrigued by it but I’ve always been scared of it as well. I think it’s important that I – I don’t know you see people get themselves in trouble so. We definitely use it as a tool to let people be able to know what I’m up to.” Find her @carrieunderwood

Neal McCoy's new album, Twelve, is in stores. It was produced by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, but Neal says it was an uphill battle to get Blake to take on the project. According to Neal, “He cussed me out a couple of times on text when I asked him, ‘would you be interested in producing an album on me?’ Well, he just texted me back a bunch of cuss words. So I texted him back, and he texted me back a bunch of cuss words. So I finally called him and said, ‘I don’t know what kind of answer this is you’re giving me.’ And then he said, ‘You’re not serious…’ And I said, ‘No, I’m serious!’”

If you run into Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, don't ask them about their "bromance." Adam says he'd like to kill that term, and Blake jokes that he'd like to make out with Adam. It's no secret that all of The Voice coaches enjoy each other's company, hanging out in each other's LA houses when filming of the show ends each day.

BamaJam is getting bigger. Already announced are Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson and Kid Rock. Added to that list are Willie Nelson, Uncle Kracker and Needtobreathe, the group that opened for Taylor Swift last year. BamaJam 2012 is June 14-16 in Enterprise, Alabama, and tickets are available now.

Don Williams is readying a new album, the first new one in eight years. He's lined up some heavy hitters to help him on the project: Keith Urban, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss will pitch in on "And So It Goes" which will be out this summer.

Luke Bryan's "Tailgates and Tanlines" is back on top of the charts, due in part to his new single, "Drunk on You." About the song, Luke says, “It’s a deeper deal too than just a party. I mean, I think what’s important to be able to do those fun songs but then to hit fans with a big thought song that really gets ‘em.”

Road trip alert - Collin Raye is shooting a live concert DVD this Saturday night at the Marina Civic Center in Panama City, Florida.

One of Miranda Lambert's critters has gone missing from Miranda's Oklahoma property. Her name is Virginia, and Miranda says she misses her a lot. There's a reward for her return.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "Goodnight from me and the 3 dogs in my bed. And no, Blake isn't one of em. :)"

Today's Country Tidbits

Nearly 40 million people watched the season premier of "The Voice" with Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilara. Blake says the dynamic between the four of them is a little different this year: “The four of us were going, ‘Ah, I know I can hear pitch better than Cee Lo can, I’m hittin’ my button!’ It’s not that this year, I don’t think. I think we know what we’re after, and I think you’ll see when we do pick the same artist. You’ll see the claws come out a little bit more this year because we know exactly what we want.” The four coaches go at each other again next Monday night.

Lady Antebellum is headed over the pond for a European tour. According to Charles Kelley, "It’s definitely exciting; I mean I think you know it’s happened if we are being realistic, a lot faster than we could have probably dreamed. We’ve wanted this for a long time now, and to be able to get out there and have our own fans pace out the show, and take them through the musical journey we’ve always wanted.” July is when their European fans' journey begins.

First it was her father-in-law, then a childhood friend, and Miranda Lambert's third loss in as many weeks was her beloved dog, Dixie. Needless to say, her life has been a tear-filled experience so far in 2012. When she took the stage in Huntsville, AL she couldn't finish "The House That Built Me." Her fans helped her out - watch this...

Randy Travis was arrested and booked on public intoxication charges. He was in a parked car in a church parking lot, holding an open bottle of wine. When police did sobriety tests, he flunked, slurring his words and stumbling around. Randy released a statement, saying, “I apologize for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl.” He adds, “I’m committed to being responsible and accountable, and apologize for my actions.”

On the law enforcement flip side, Vince Gill has been sworn in as an honorary narcotics officer, complete with badge. The McMinn County Sheriff hopes to bring more awareness to the drug problems in his county. Vince quipped, “I’ve never used drugs, and never had those types of problems. If I had, my daddy would have killed me.”

Dierks Bentley's seventh cd, "Home," is out today and in the early morning hours, was #1 on iTunes. Dierks tweeted that he's going to be calling fans to see what they think of it, so tweet him your phone number! Meanwhile, early feedback on the title cut has been very gratifying: “One of the first times I played this song, a girl came up to me that had been in the Navy and told me just how much the lyrics meant to her and since then as the song has gone up the charts more and more, just hearing from so many different fans in the military saying how much the lyrics really affect them, so it’s just awesome to have a song out there that we can sing to our fans and they can sing back to us, and we can really honor those families that are making a huge sacrifice for all of us.”

Dierks is on the Today Show this morning, and here's a new type of media mention - Faith Hill is the guest on Self Magazine's Facebook page today.

Happy birthday to Garth Brooks, who turns 50 today.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "Damn you @adamlevine! Cocky rockstars...at least you finally admitted to the country how attractive I am."

Today's Country Tidbits

Amid the tragic loss of life and devastating injuries caused when the stage at the Indiana State Fair collapsed in August, two Indianapolis women tried to get money that they didn’t deserve. According to the state prosecutor, Stephanie Murry and Sandra Hurn both filed claims for settlements from the State Fair Remembrance Fund and the Indiana Tort Claim Fund, even though neither of them was at the Sugarland show that night. Heck, according to court records, they weren’t even at the fair! Both face lengthy jail time, if convicted.

DoSomething.org is out with their annual year-end list of Celebs Gone Good. The list recognizes stars who give of their time and talents to help others, and this year, several country stars show up on it. Taylor Swift is there – this year, she gave over a million dollars to charitable causes and did a benefit concert for tornado relief after the bad spring storms in the Southeast. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert made the list, too, Blake for his work with tornado relief efforts and wife Miranda for her work with the Mary Kay Ash Foundation.

Congratulations to Vince Gill and Amy Grant, who have been named Tennesseeans of the Year by the Tennesseean newspaper. In bestowing the honor, the paper noted: “Amy Grant and Vince Gill not only make a meaningful impact on the global stage through their music, but their philanthropy also helps people throughout Tennessee. Their years of charity work reached a crescendo in 2011, from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and American Red Cross to the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee and many, many more causes."

Lee Greenwood will be part of a tribute to fallen war heroes tomorrow at the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. He’ll perform the National Anthem and sing “God Bless the USA” before the game between the Washington Huskies and the Baylor Bears. The event will be especially poignant to the 2011 Valero Bowl Chairman and team physician for the Spurs, Dr. David Schmidt, whose son died not long ago while serving in the Marines.

Jake Owen is part of the pre-game fun at the Orange Bowl on January 4th from Sun Life Stadium in south Florida. He’s the headliner for the Bud Light Orange Bowl Game Day Fan Zone. The Voice winner Javier Colon will also be part of the show.

It’s always interesting to follow a conversation between two stars on Twitter. In the wee hours of this morning Martina McBride and Sarah Buxton were chatting about David Nail’s current (headed for #1) hit, “Let it Rain.” Sarah Buxton sings on it with David and the blend of their voices is so magical that Martina was gushing to Sarah about how good she sounds. The conversation turned into a mutual admiration society, so don’t be surprised if Martina and Sarah team up on something one of these days.

Happy birthday to Diamond Rio’s Marty Roe and Joe Diffie, who both turn 51 today.

The tweet of the day is from Kellie Pickler: “My grandpa got me a radar detector for Christmas. Think he's trying to tell me something?? ;)”

Today's Country Tidbits

Last night was country night at the White House, with a bunch of country stars performing for the Obama family. Dierks Bentley, The Band Perry, Darius Rucker, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, James Taylor and Lauren Alaina all turned the East Room into a country music hall. The show will air tomorrow night on PBS.

Dierks Bentley's new song, "Home," is touching a lot of hearts, but is about to be even more personal for people. On his website, Dierks is inviting people to upload their own videos and photos to make the video their own. Bet there'll be a lot of people sharing their videos to Dierks' beautiful homage to America.

Jake Owen knows how to round up a few friends on a random Sunday night - invite them to Waffle House. He tweeted, "Waffle House. I'm up late. On a Sunday. Anyone else hungry? I'm buying. Now. On my way." When he got to his neighborhood WH, he tweeted the address and before you know it the restaurant was filled with Jake Owen fans. Good to his word, he picked up everyone's tab. See - one of the perks of living in Nashville!

Speaking of rounding up a few friends in Nashville, Tracy Lawrence is set to host his 6th annual Mission Possible turkey fry. It was supposed to be today, but since it's outdoors and rain is expected, it's been re-scheduled until tomorrow. The fry will happen from 6am to 1pm in the parking lot of the Nashville Rescue Mission, and the 500 turkeys fried by Tracy and many Nashville music luminaries will provide several thousand meals at the mission. If you happen to be in Nashville tomorrow, you can stop by and pitch in if you'd like.

Congratulations to Justin Moore and his wife Kate on the birth of their second daughter. Kennedy Faye Moore was born early yesterday morning, weighing in at 7 pounds exactly. Big sister Ella Kole is 21 months old and delighted to have her very own little sister. Justin had just finished touring with Miranda Lambert, so was home for the birth of his second child.

Craig Campbell has a holiday song, just in time for Thanksgiving. Here's his video for "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and it comes complete with a tissue alert. The song is available on iTunes and part of the proceeds goes to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Eric Church is about to set out on the "Blood, Sweat and Beers" tour, and he's got Brantley Gilbert, Blackberry Smoke, Sonia Leigh and Jon Pardi supporting the show.

Speaking of Brantley Gilbert, congratulations on his first #1 song. "Country Must Be Country Wide" is #1 on both the Billboard and Country Aircheck charts this week.

Did you miss Rascal Flatts on the Today Show yesterday? The performances are online.

The CMT Crossroads with Vince Gill and Sting premiers on Thanksgiving Day. Here's a taste of the show - the two of them doing Sting's song "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You."

Tags: If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (From CMT Crossroads), Sting, Sting Videos

Lady Antebellum is on Dancing With the Stars tonight for the season finale.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "So this one time, at bandcamp...ah nevermind. It's in the book."

Today's Country Tidbits

Toby Keith's song "Red Solo Cup" is a huge hit - it's been viewed over 3 million times online so far and he has to perform it twice during live shows just to keep the fans happy. As the year winds down, Toby is sorting out his priorities, saying, “When you look back at the end of the year, you go, ‘Man, you know what? I ended up doing a lot of other stuff that I shouldn’t have been doing and it was eating my calendar up.’ So, I’m learning to back up from those things a little more.” One thing he said "yes" to - his song "Red Solo Cup" will be part of an upcoming Glee episode. Not sure if we'll see Toby or not...producers are being coy about that part.

Lady Antebellum's stage setting for this "Own the Night" tour is apparently pretty different, according to one concert staffer. She says, "Charles Kelley told me they sat down together and crafted it on a paper plate. Hillary Scott called it a spaceship, and that is kind of what it looks like. There are long runways on each side and in the middle that make it a very intimate show for the fans. Roughly 150 fans actually stand in an area within the floor of the stage. Each of three large screens focus on a member of the trio: Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood. The crowd could really follow each of them the whole show. Lady A have really taken it to another level."

Didja miss Miranda Lambert singing "Baggage Claim" on the Tonight Show Monday night? Here you go...

We probably all missed Tim McGraw at Camp Pendleton on Sunday night. Here's a tiny taste...

Reba's on tour and in love with her opening acts, The Band Perry, Edens Edge and Steel Magnolia. When she gets to the song "Does he Love You," Reba brings Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry onstage to sing the Linda Kelly part of the duet, and she's blown away by Kimberly's poise. “If I had been singing a duet with someone who’d been in the business as long as I had when I first got started, I would’ve been crawling on stage probably throwing up about every five crawls. Because nerves would’ve just been racking me. But they’re just so confident. They look so much at ease. I admire them so much, and I love to watch and listen to them.”

The only country artists on this Sunday night's 2011 American Music Awards show is The Band Perry. The show airs Sunday at 8pm on ABC. And The Band Perry will show up on the "Christmas in Washington" special, hosted by Conan O'Brien and also featuring Justin Bieber, Cee Lo Green and Jennifer Hudson. That will tape December 11th in Washington, DC to air on December 16th on TNT.

Don't know if it will make it into the final show, but apparently Vince Gill and Miss Piggy had a lot of fun singing "Baby It's Cold Outside" at the taping of "CMA Country Christmas" last week. When they finished singing the song, they started making out, and at one point, Vince said to Miss Piggy, "You're making my glasses fog up, baby. That's it, I'm going vegan!" The show will air December first at 9pm on ABC.

Vince Gill is on the Tonight Show, Miranda Lambert is on Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Kimmel Live today, and Dierks Bentley is on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Happy birthday to Keith Burns of Burns & Poe, who turns 48 today.

The tweet of the day is from Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts: "Jagger is watching Yo Gabba Gabba right now.... I gotta tell ya man, there's some slammin' music on this show!"

Today's Country Tidbits

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"

Today's Country Tidbits

Sugarland and Sarah Bareilles were the featured performers at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday night. Sarah had just finished her set and Sugarland was preparing to take the stage when a huge gust of wind hit, estimated at between 60 and 70 mph, collapsing the stage. Five people were killed and dozens more were injured, with 45 still hospitalized. Many of the injured are "walking wounded," but several spent Saturday night in surgery and are still very critical, so the death toll could rise. Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland said, "We are stunned and heartbroken for the fans and their families in Indiana. We hold those injured in our prayers at this very sad time. There are no words to process a moment of this magnitude and gravity. There are only prayers for peace in the hearts of the bereft, and prayers of thanksgiving for those who were spared or safe. A piece of our heart is left in that grandstand." Sugarland was also scheduled to perform Sunday night, but the fair was shut down yesterday and the performance cancelled. Most of Sugarland's staging and band equipment is onstage, tangled in the lighting rig and broken stage supports. A concert-goer shot this video of the stage collapse...

Here's a high-def video from another angle. As you watch, notice people running to, not from, the collapsed stage and light rigging. That's the spirit of America on display there - people rushing to help in a tragedy. YouTube has age-restricted this video, so you may have to sign in and verify your birthdate to see it.

The Indiana State Fair will re-open this morning, starting with a service for those who lost their lives. The concerts will resume on Wednesday night. No word on whether or when Sugarland's show will happen.

Taylor Swift is well-known for her heart-hands, a gesture she flashes to fans from stage. She started making a heart symbol with her hands when she was in high school, and explains that the meaning is somewhere between "hello" and "I love you." She uses it to express her appreciation for fans. “It’s not like meeting a stranger, it’s sort of like saying hello to someone that I already know is on the same page with me. And I just feel so thankful to have that understanding between us. I just have so much fun with them. They’re incredibly cool people and I’m really happy that I get to spend the summer with them.”

In other, less fun, Taylor news, six Nashville police officers have been suspended after accepting an off-duty job escorting Taylor around town. Firefly Entertainment contracted with the officers, who were initially given the go-ahead to do the job by their higher-ups. Then the top brass told the officers, no, they couldn't take the gig, but the officers decided to do it anyway, hoping their superiors wouldn't find out. They did. Firefly is working to mend fences, and their spokesperson says Taylor was unaware of and is not responsible for the issue.

When George Strait's "Here for a Good Time" lands in stores on September 6th, we'll get to hear George duet with Faith Hill. The song is "A Showman's Life," the same song that appeared on Gary Alan's "See if I Care" cd. His version of the tune is a collaboration with Willie Nelson.

In more George Strait news, he tops Billboard's list of the hottest 25 country artists from 1985 through 2011. Garth Brooks is second, Reba is third, Alan Jackson is fourth and Tim McGraw is fifth.

Kellie Pickler will play a country music singer on the CW's "90210" next month. She'll perform her new single, "Tough."

If you've been waiting to get Scotty McCreery's and Lauren Alaina's debut cd's, your wait is nearly over. Release dates have been set for them both: Scotty's "Clear as Day" comes out October 4th and Lauren Alaina's "Wildflower" drops October 11th.

Congratulations to Vince Gill, who celebrated his 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "My prayers to the people at the Sugarland concert in Indianapolis.... Absolutely shocking and hard to comprehend... Beyond belief..."

Today's Country Tidbits

Taylor Swift spent four nights rocking the fans in Newark, NJ and the show even got great reviews from the New York Post. There was one kinda scary moment for Taylor, when the balcony she uses to fly over the crowd while she sings "Love Story" started swaying out of control. The flying Taylor and her balcony made an emergency landing on the stage and she finished the show with her feet on the ground.

Meanwhile, Blake Shelton rocked the world of one fan - Mandy Rolbiecki - before his performance at Country Jam USA in Wisconsin. Seven-year-old Mandy suffers from Crohn's Disease, and the Make-A-Wish foundation reached out to Blake, letting him know that her wish was to hang out with him. Blake obliged, even making sure she was on stage when he sang her favorite song, "Ol Red." How did Mandy describe the experience? "It was awesome meeting him!" she said.

Darius Rucker has been tapped to be part of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Fall Gala on October 29th in Connecticut. He'll do a tribute to Stevie Wonder and also receive the Sprit of Hope Award at the event. Proceeds go towards research and treatment for this incurable blood cancer.

The list of top-earners among American Idol alums is out for 2011, and Carrie Underwood tops it. According to Forbes, she's made $20 million so far this year. Kelly Clarkson comes in at #6 on the list with a take of $2.5 million, and Kellie Pickler is #8 with $1.8 million.

Remember Bucky Covington, the former American Idol? He was doing a show at the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach, Florida last month when the concert promoter was rushed to the hospital for a suspected heart attack. Later, the promoter called police, claiming that Bucky, his brother and sister-in-law stole a cash box with $1,500 in it from the venue. Bucky says the accusations are false, and police are still looking into the case.

Love Vince Gill? Road trip time - Vince celebrates 20 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on August 30th, and the show will include Martina McBride, John Anderson, Emmylou Harris and of course Amy Grant and Jenny Gill. Next year, Vince gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Congrats to Brad Paisley, who's earned gold certification for "This is Country Music," to Jason Aldean's gold "Dirt Road Anthem" and Luke Bryan's "Country Girl Shake it For Me," Kenny Chesney's "Beer in Mexico," The Band Perry's "You Lie" and Rascal Flatts "I Won't Let Go" which are all gold. Sara Evans' "A Little Bit Stronger" is platinum.

Phil Vassar's new song, "Let's Get Together," has a party vibe. In it, Phil sings about having a crowd of people at his house. When the crew showed up to his house, according to Phil, "So we're shooting a video and a party broke out!"

Willie Nelson will be inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame for his support of American family farmers via his annual Farm Aid concert events. He's raised nearly $40 million over the past 25 years, and he'll be awarded the Hall of Fame induction on August 13th in Kansas City, just before Farm Aid #26.

Congratulations to Chris Young on his 4th straight #1 song with "Tomorrow."

Eric Church, Randy Montana and Ronnie Milsap all release albums tomorrow.

The tweet of the day is from The Band Perry: "Sharp knives of short lives. Heartbroken for the Norwegians. Tragic days. Sending warm thoughts and honest prayers."

Today's Country Tidbits

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton have been man and wife for a month, and finally some video of their wedding is available. Enjoy!

Little Big Town is in the studio right now, working on a Christmas album.

There's only one country star who'll receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. That star is Vince Gill. All of the honorees for 2012 are listed here.

Next Tuesday evening, Toby Keith presents "An Evening with Toby Keith and Friends" featuring songwriters Bobby Pinson and Scotty Emerick. The benefit show goes to pay bills on the historic venue, and the show will be followed by an auction, featuring an autographed Toby Keith guitar. The Nashville Songwriters Association International bought the Bluebird Cafe, and the money raised will help put money back in the association's coffers.

Major Leage Baseball hosts a benefit All Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game each year. This year, it's July 10th in Phoenix, Arizona, and Jason Aldean is one of the participants. We'll see if his pitch is as perfect on the field as it is on the stage.

Sad news for Glen Campbell and his wife Kim. Glen was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease six months ago. Glen will still go out on his farewell tour this fall, and the couple shared the news because, as Kim says, "Glen is still an awesome guitar player and singer. But if he flubs a lyric or gets confused onstage, I wouldn't want people to think, 'What's the matter with him? Is he drunk?'" Glen is 75 years old.

The tweet of the day is from Jerrod Niemann: "Make no mistake, they only serve virgin Marga-daquiri-screw-olada-on the beaches at this location. So happy to be in gorgeous Charleston!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Blake Shelton turned 35 on Saturday, a day that he was on stage as part of Brad Paisley's H2O II tour. Brad isn't one to miss a good pranking opportunity, and he didn't miss this one. He dressed up a member of his crew in a pair of way too small "Kiss my country a$$" boy shorts and a hair ribbon and sent the guy on stage while Blake was performing. The look on Blake's face is priceless.

The movie "Cars 2" opens this week and features two songs from Brad Paisley. The first one he co-wrote with British pop star Robbie Williams, and it's called "Collision of Worlds." He also has the song, "Nobody's Fool," in the film. According to Brad, he laid down 66 tracks of guitar for the songs, which were written specifically for the movie.

Justin Moore has an interesting publicity angle for his "Outlaws Like Me" cd. He'll spend six hours in a bass boat on a lake in Central Park. While fishing in New York City, he'll do satellite interviews with dozens of media outlets, and there's a live stream of the event so you can watch. He'll be boat-bound from 6am to noon Eastern time today.

Reba and Darius Rucker are getting ready to be part of the national Fourth of July celebration. They'll perform during "A Capitol Fourth" live from Washington DC. The event airs starting at 8pm on PBS-TV.

Martina and John McBride just celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary, and Martina chimed in on what makes their marriage work so well. They try to find a perfect blend of personal and professional, and according to Martina, “I think it’s just being a great partner, you know and seeing what your partner needs and doing it for them, you know? And being…for me just the fact that John will call me up to ask me if there’s anything I need on the way home from work at the grocery store or he’ll go to the grocery store when it’s the last thing I wanna do. You know, or something like that, and he’s always cheerful about it and that’s a gift in itself.”

Did you miss Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter on the Today show last Friday? Oh, no you dih-uhn!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

By the way, you can see Kenny and Grace in a photo spread in the latest issue of People Country. The shots were taken in Malibu California, where they were filming the video for "You and Tequila."

Vince Gill has new music coming out this summer. He co-wrote "Threaten Me With Heaven" with his wife Amy Grant, along with Dillon O'Brian and Will Owsley. Soon after working on the song, Will took his own life, and Vince says that the song now has a profound impact on him. It will be on his album, "Guitar Slinger," due out this fall.

The world got a little smaller over the weekend. Clarence Clemons, the legendary sax player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, passed away a week after suffering a stroke. The Big Man was an admired person and musician by people from all walks of the music world. He was 69.

Happy birthday to Keith Urban's wife, Nicole Kidman, who is 44, and to Kenny Chesney's duet partner, Grace Potter, who turns 28 today.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "I'm so drunk right now I just toilet papered my own house while shouting "Now who looks stupid?!!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Saturday evening was the big moment for Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. They're now officially husband and wife, having married at Don Strange Ranch, just north of San Antonio, Texas. Miranda wore her Mother's wedding dress, and about 550 guests were in attendance. Spotted at the shindig were Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelly of Lady Antebellum and of course Neal McCoy, who provided the entertainment for Saturday's reception. The two have been dating since 2006, and engaged for just over a year.

John Rich did it last night - he's in the finals of Celebrity Apprentice. Marlee Matlin is the other finalist, and the two will go head to head this coming Sunday night for the finals. The challenge? Create a marketing campaign for 7 Up Retro. John's psyched to have gotten this far, and has a very singular goal: “I mean, this is a crazy, crazy show and the reason I want to have a shot at winning it is ‘cause you get 250-thousand more dollars for your charity if you win. Being able to play for St. Jude is…I don’t know that I’ve ever done anything better in my life. Really proud to be that ambassador and be the guy sluggin’ it out for them.”

Congratulations to Vince Gill, who earned an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Belmont University. The president of the university, Dr. Bob Fisher said, “As a singer, songwriter and multi-faceted musician, Vince Gill has mastered his craft and yet he keeps pushing himself to service and providing opportunities for others to succeed. Vince is truly a Nashville — and national — treasure.” Vince became famous for his pure tenor voice, but his work with charities has become very important to him, helping the community and raising money for scholarships. “I have never been more honored to receive anything in my life,” Vince said.

On May 27th, Randy Travis will be on the Home Shopping Network, celebrating 25 years in country music. Viewers will have the chance to pick up a special 2-disc set, which includes his top 10 greatest hits and his new Anniversary Celebration duets cd. His duet partners include Zac Brown, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, George Jones and others.

Brad Paisley's H2O II tour was supposed to start in Pittsburgh on May 28, but noooooo - the kickoff of the tour will now be June 3rd in virginia Beach. Brad's hoping to be able to reschedule the Pittsburgh date, but refunds are being processed for those who want them.

Happy birthday to Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel.

The tweet of the day is from Laura Bell Bundy: "@blakeshelton & @Miranda_Lambert Mr & Mrs. Shelton! Y'all know how to have a wedding! Where's the advil!!!! Xo"

Today's Country Tidbits

Not every guitar that got caught in the flood in Nashville will be scrapped. Keith Urban's first American guitar is being restored, and Keith will keep it, whether or not it sounds good after the restoration. “I managed to salvage out of the water and I’m having it rebuilt. I don’t know if it’s going to sound very good but it’s one of those things to me, even if it had to go up on the wall, I would never part with this guitar. So I don’t know if it’s priceless to me, but it’s certainly near and dear to me.” By the way, Keith's been in the studio for the past seven weeks, recording the follow-up to "Defying Gravity." and unlike most artists, he lays his vocals down while sitting down.

Love Tim McGraw? Have an iPod Touch or an iPhone? There's a free app for that.

Love the Judds? Love garage sales? Naomi and Wynonna are having a virtual garage sale, with items ranging from a dollar to $10.

Richard Petty and Trace Adkins are spokesmen for Goody's Headache Powder and BC Powder. Now they've gone head-to-head in the "Pick a Powder" contest. Each is trying to get the most team members, and each team member gets a chance to win great prizes, including a VIP trip for four to a Trace Adkins show or a VIP trip for 4 to the Goody's 500 in Martinsville.

For your early holiday planning pleasure, Vince Gill and Amy Grant have announced their Twelve Days of Christmas tour stops already.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Proud to say for the first year in a row we had no fireworks injuries on our farm."

Today's Country Tidbits

Just four weeks ago, large portions of Nashville were so flooded that even the 50-foot-high flood marker in Riverfront Park was completely submerged. It was the largest non-hurricane natural disaster in US history, and next week, just 5 weeks later, Nashville welcomes visitors from all over the world to the 2010 CMA Music Festival. Stages are being erected, parade routes are being re-drawn and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a "Thanks for Visiting, We're Glad You're Here" campaign. Bureau President Butch Spyridon said, "Attendees could have gone anywhere, but we're glad they're spending their vacation here in Music City. The traffic is usually an inconvenience, but this year it's going to be a blessing for Nashvillians."

The 20th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge is Monday night at Nashville's Greer Stadium. Among those playing on the Grand Ole Opry team are Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Craig Morgan. On Blair Garner's After Midnight team are Luke Bryan, Vince Gill, Joe Nichols and more of Nashville's finest.

Congratulations to Miranda Lambert, who has her second #1 song with "The House That Built Me," a song that made her cry when she first heard it, and still makes her cry sometimes when she performs it, especially when family is in the audience. “Grandma was on the front row—and it’s general admission, mind you—she’s up there, like, head-banging and stuff—“The House That Built Me” came up and she was standing there, and she’s kind of like me— she doesn’t cry, she’s kind of a tough woman—and she just had big tears in her eyes and of course, I just couldn’t even finish.”

There's good money in wrecked cars. The owners of a California company that auctions off wrecked cars for insurance companies has purchased Alan Jackson's 135-acre estate outside of Nashville. It went on the market last year, listed at $38 million, and sold for $28 million to Willis and Reba Johnson. Don't feel too bad for Alan, though - that sale price is more than twice as much as any single-family home has ever sold for in Middle Tennessee.

Jimmy Wayne is still walking across America to shine a light on the plight of homeless teens. People Magazine has mentioned his trek a time or two, but yesterday a crew flew to New Mexico and drove out into the dessert to cover Project Meet Me Halfway.

Luke Bryan is celebrating June by putting the mp3 version of the cd, "Doin My Thing" on sale for only $5.

Live Nation, a major concert promoter and venue owner, has a goal of filling every seat this summer. In order to do that in a soft economy, they decided to declare June the month of no service charges on their tickets. Check out the venues near you and the concerts coming to them, plus buy tickets service-fee-free, on their website.

That Kid Rock cd I told you about last week? It's due out September 7th and will feature some really special guests - Martina McBride, Zac Brown, Sheryl Crow and Bob Seger will show up on Kid's country project.

Catch Dierks Bentley on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Today's Country Tidbits

Tonight in Nashville, a birthday celebration begins, and the city gets the gifts. The "Opry Guitar Jam for Flood Relief," featuring Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner, is the inaugural event in the Grand Ole Opry's 85th anniversary celebration. Donations for flood relief will be accepted during the show, which will stream online.

Alan Jackson gave of his time and talents on Sunday in West Virginia, where he played a benefit concert for the families affected by the Montcoal mine explosion in April. The 27 families who lost relatives in the disaster attended the show free, and were also taken backstage for a reception with Alan. The money from the show will go to the families, and online donations are still being taken.

Reba could be headed to Broadway. Last week, she attended a reading for the Broadway production of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." She was supposed to play the role of Molly Brown in the movie, "Titanic," but had to back out because of schedule conflicts.

11 million people watched the Brooks & Dunn special on Sunday night. Relive your favorite performances whenever you wish, as they're archived online.

Also on Sunday night, Taylor Swift was storming around onstage, when her feet went right out from under her. She's a pro, though...got right back up and kept right on singing.



Can't get enough Taylor Swift? Check out People magazine's photo gallery of Taylor and her purses, and Us Weekly's collection of her best style moments.

If your travels take you past a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store today, pick up Wynonna's "Love Heals." A portion of the proceeds goes to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Today's Country Tidbits

On July 4th, as part of the celebration of our country's 234th birthday, Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker will perform with the National Symphony Orchestra for "A Capitol Fourth." But it'll be an even bigger day for Reba, who will receive a Congressional medal, the National Artistic Achievement Award. This is the fourth time the award has been given, and Reba joins composer John Williams, Latin music legends Gloria and Emilio Estefa and Stevie Wonder as recipients of the award.

Sunday night, GAC will air "Music City Keep on Playin' - A Benefit for Flood Relief" telethon. Initially planned as a two-hour show, it has grown to three hours because so many artists want to be part of it. Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler, Rodney Atkins, and Brad Paisley are all signed on, and the list of performers continues to grow. The show will air live from the Ryman Auditorium Sunday night, starting at 8 eastern.

Montgomery Gentry's "Country Throwdown" tour is kicking in 50 cents per ticket plus all the proceeds from merchandise sales for tour partners Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and the artists on the Bluebird Stage towards flood relief efforts. The tour kicks off today and runs through June 20th, at which point a lump-sum check will go to Hands On Nashville. By the way, production rehearsal for the show was yesterday, and when it was over, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry fixed a mess of crawfish for everyone.

A number one party in Nashville was just what the town needed, after dealing with flood-related issues for the past 12 days. Craig Wiseman and Luke Laird wrote "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton sang it, and if you know anything about those three, you know they're all a bunch of kidders. The plaque presentation turned into a stand-up comedy routine when Craig quipped that he and Luke were just messing around when "Hillbilly Bone" was written. Blake replied, "It's tough enough to do interviews on shows like Chelsea Lately and talk about a song called 'Hillbilly Bone.' I've been defending that for awhile. But then to hear Craig Wiseman do an interview about how he and Luke were messing around and came up with the song called 'Hillbilly Bone'... Anyway, I'm the guy that sang it, but that's between y'all." In addition to the other keepsakes that were handed out, $10,000 in dog treats - "Hillbilly Dog Bones" - were given to the Nashville Humane Society.
Miranda Lambert was at the party, sporting her engagement ring and her Chihuahua pup, Cher. A self-confessed addict to wedding reality shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway," Miranda quipped, "I don't think I can talk myself out at least one trip to Klenfeld's Bridal!" Blake says that as tough as Miranda's image is, she's "200% girl" when it comes to planning their wedding.

Jewel has come up with an innovative album launch idea: a virtual "Sweet And Wild" concert and party, simulcast at theatres, private clubs and Morton's Steakhouse and Maggiano's Little Italy locations. Steel Magnolia will be Jewel's opening act.












Well, this was a secret for a while, wasn't it? Vince Gill's daughter Jenny married her childhood sweetheart, Josh Van Valkenburg last Saturday at Vince and Amy's Belle Meade home. The couple is honeymooning in Jamaica.

Today is the on-sale date for "Nashville Rising," the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill-led benefit concert to be held in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena on June 22nd. Tickets go on sale at 10am eastern online and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Remember, tomorrow is the CMA Music Fest volunteer fair. If you'd like to be part of the festival, head to the CMA offices at 1 Music Circle S., Nashville, TN 37203 to apply between nine and noon central time Saturday. Fill out your application ahead of time, drive safe and good luck!

David Nail is the star of a 6-part CMT.com series titled "Making the Team." The online show follows David's spring training tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sunday night, catch Trace Adkins singing on the Miss USA Pageant, Wynonna on "Army Wives" and most of Nashville on "Music City Keep on Playin' - A Benefit for Flood Relief" on GAC.

Today's Country Tidbits

There'll be a telethon in Nashville tonight from 7 to 10pm central. "Working 4 You: Flood Relief with Vince Gill & Friends" features not just Vince, but Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker, Naomi Judd, Phil Vassar, Steve Wariner, Buddy Jewell, Lonestar, Lee Roy Parnell and Bo Bice. All proceeds go to the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Second Harvest Food Bank for flood relief efforts. You can watch online or on WSMV-TV out of Nashville.

Kenny Chesney's home flooded, and he had to use a boat to rescue what he could. Who knew he owned chest waders?

Toby Keith, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban are just some of the artists who lost all of their tour gear when SoundStage flooded this week. Toby had seven production trucks parked at SoundStage, and his stage set, production cases, backdrops and instruments all got soaked when the parking lot flooded. They are not planning on missing any tour dates, though - they've all started ordering new equipment, and will rent stuff to use until their new gear arrives. Brad Paisley has a sense of humor about it, as you might guess: "I sent a Tweet the other day that basically told people that when they come to the show just know that what you're seeing has been fully tested under water. You're talking about total cred. This is the H2O Tour. This isn't posers acting like we know about it. We've done it, buddy." His H2O tour kicks off in two weeks, and he says his guitar tech is "spending like a broker on the stock exchange floor" trying to line up enough equipment by then.

Lady Antebellum's latest Webisode Wednesday installment is all about how we can help Nashville recover from the devastation.



Some good Nashville news - the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum reports that all of the collections are safe and dry, and they plan to re-open on Saturday. The Ford Theatre on the main level flooded, but all of the exhibits are on the second, third and fourth floors. The museum is closed until electricity can be restored, and then the staff is ready to welcome visitors back to the exhibits.

The CMA Music Festival will go on as scheduled, and CMA Board Chairman Steve Moore said, "We cannot think of a better way to help our local economy at this time of great need than to continue the 39-year tradition of Festival." If you were going to the CMT Music Festival and have reservations at the Opryland Hotel, you're going to have to get another hotel room, as the Opryland won't be cleaned up by then. You can check with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau for hotel availability, and starting Monday, you can call 800-657-6910.

Taylor Swift performed at Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World gala Tuesday night. She was honored and thankful to have made Time Magazine's list this year. “It was so wonderful and so unexpected. This is such a prestigious list and to be on this list and to be in that room and to be asked to perform, it was such an honor.”

Gosh, big surprise here - Lexington, Kentucky is the overwhelming winner of on-line voting to select the site for the Montgomery Gentry ACM Humanitarian Award's playground. Eddie and T-Roy will be on hand this fall to help Home Depot with the build.