How hot is Taylor Swift? Her new song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," is the #1 most downloaded song in 29 countries! Meanwhile, she gets set for the September release of her new perfume, Wonderstruck Enchanted, and the release of her new album, Red, in October with this new ad for the perfume. Note the clever use of the color red in it.

Dierks Bentley has had three #1 songs in a row from his Home cd, and he admits that his new song, “Tip It On Back,” nearly didn’t make it onto the album: “‘Tip It On Back’ was actually the last song that I really heard for the album. You kinda reach a place where you’re like, ‘I’ve listened to every song out there. There’s no more songs to listen to,’ and then you hear one like that, and you’re like, ‘Man, this is a great song.’” His college tour kicked off last night at the University of Georgia.

Luke Bryan’s 4th annual Farm Tour will kick off October 3rd in Claxton, Georgia and hit Clemson, SC, Valdosta, GA and Auburn, AL before it ends October 13th. Luke enjoys the small-town vibe and says, “I just love the fact that people can come out and have a big time, listen to some music and um...it’s just a fun experience all the way around and I wanna continue to do what I can to keep it rockin’.” This small-town tour raises money so kids from local farming families can go to college. Here’s the list of tour stops:

10/3 - Claxton (Statesboro), GA
10/4 - Clemson, SC
10/5 - Auburn, AL
10/6 - Valdosta, GA
10/10 - Villa Rica, GA
10/11 - Colbert (Athens), GA
10/12 - Tallahassee, FL
10/13 - Macon, GA

David Nail is also doing a series of smaller tour stops, focusing on small venues and featuring scaled-down shows. They’ll be special, though, because he understands the power of his fans: “You can’t help but not reference the people who came out to our shows when ‘Red Light’ was #36 – not even Top 20. Those people have kind of stayed with us, and it’s definitely helped our show a lot.” Here’s the list of his tour stops:

9/6 Cincinnati, OH
9/7 Marietta, OH
9/8 Cleveland, OH
9/9 Arcola, IL
9/13 Knoxville, TN
9/14 Richmond, VA
9/15 Philadelphia, PA
9/16 Baltimore, MD
9/18 New York, NY
9/26 Pittsburgh, PA
9/27 Ridgefield, CT
9/28 W. Springfield, MA
9/29 Boston, MA
10/1 Winston-Salem, NC
10/4 Southaven, MS
10/6 Houston, TX
10/10 Oklahoma City, OK
10/11 Dallas, TX
10/18 Minneapolis, MN
10/19 Milwaukee, WI
10/20 Chicago, IL
10/25 Carbondale, IL
10/26 Columbia, MO
11/2 Birmingham, AL
11/3 Biloxi, MS

Kix Brooks’ latest single, “New To This Town,” is climbing the charts. Wonder how he got Joe Walsh to be his guest on it? Wonder no more – according to Kix, “My manager and Joe’s manager Irving Azoff, who manages The Eagles, are partners. Actually an engineer from my radio show said ‘Man that’d sound great with some Joe Walsh-like guitar on it!’ And I go ‘Wow! I wonder if I could actually…maybe…’” And he found out the answer was “yes.” Kix releases his solo debut album on September 11th.

Singer/songwriter Dustin Lynch, who has his first single climbing the charts, loves to write. “Cowboys and Angels” is just one of the tons of songs he’s written lately: “Ahh, hundreds and hundreds. I’ve written hundreds of songs the past few years. It’s so funny, people are like, ‘Why did you write so many songs?!’ You know, when I woke up one morning and realized I was getting paid to write songs which is what I used to do for fun—you know I just love it! It’s so much fun for me to go into a room with nothing and come out with possibly something that could change my life or mean something to somebody else.”

Tim McGraw will answer fan questions on Pennzoil’s Facebook page this Friday. You can submit questions now, and if one of yours gets answered, you get autographed goodies from Tim.

Another country artist has been added to the Republican National Convention. Rodney Atkins will headline the official welcome party this Sunday in Petersburg Florida.

Dierks Bentley’s Country & Cold Cans EP is out today, as is the self-titled debut album by Dustin Lynch. The Dierks EP includes a special version of “Tip It On Back.”

There’s a lot of speculation over who Taylor Swift’s new song, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is about. Joe Jonas of The Jonas Brothers would like to make it clear: it’s not about him. He says “I don’t think we’ve ever tried to get back together another time.” Taylor’s not saying who she wrote it about, but does say, “I ended up being inspired by a lot of really crazy sort of zero-to-a-hundred-and-then-hit-the-wall-and-explodes relationships, which are so fun to write about...really dysfunctional and not good, generally, but when you write about them it...it gives you a lot of inspiration.” If you had to bet money, a good bet would be either Jake Gyllenhaal or Twilight star Taylor Lautner.

Jason Aldean is preparing to share new music with his fans on Live on Letterman September 5th. That’s the CBS.com production that some stars do when they are scheduled to appear on the David Letterman show. It will stream at 8pm Eastern, followed by a performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Meanwhile, his new song, “Take a Little Ride,” could be nearing the top of the charts by then. According to Jason, “We obviously had a huge first week when the song came out, and we’re hanging in there! It’s my highest debut of any song—ever!”

Justin Moore’s career has taken him to a lot of places he’s never been before, and as his new song, “Til My Last Day,” continues it’s climb up the charts, he’s getting set to hit the road with Eric Church on the Blood, Sweat and Beers tour. But there’s still one place he really wants to go: “Unfortunately I have not been able to do a USO Tour overseas. But it’s definitely something I would like to do at some point. I think it’s a small way that we can give back to our troops that have given so much to us on a daily basis.”

Jake Owen is on tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw right now, but he’s looking forward to November, when he and his wife add a daughter to their life. Jake says Lacey is rockin’ the baby bump: “She looks great! She’s just happy and smiley—there’s something beautiful about a woman that’s pregnant. It’s cool. This is a really cool time in our life because it’s the last few months before we have an addition to our family—and it’s three of us! So it’s gonna be cool.”

Reba is a grandma – sort of. Her stepson Brandon Blackstock dates Kelly Clarkson and the two have just gotten a German Shepherd puppy together. They named the puppy Bear and he joins her other two dogs, a Maltese and a Poodle. Kelly joked, “uh-oh…commitment level!”

Wynonna has postponed shows in Canada next week in order to stay at her hubby Cactus Moser’s side in the hospital. The two went out for a motorcycle ride on Saturday in South Dakota when Cactus had a head-on collision with another vehicle. They were on separate bikes, so Wy watched the accident. Cactus is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Taylor Swift’s new single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is selling so fast that if it keeps up the current pace, it’ll be a gold record by Sunday. Sales of this song rival Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” which came out in 2011. Taylor’s a worldwide superstar, which explains her face on nearly every magazine cover, but she admits she ignores the gossipy ones: “My friends make fun of me because if I see my name somewhere I just click off of it. I just don’t want to see anything that’s inaccurate.” Sounds like a good plan to me!

Carrie Underwood and hubby Mike Fisher just spent some time at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. While there, they had a date night or two, and Carrie says they really value that time: “Not just have dinner, but like sit and talk. We’re one of those annoying couples that like goes to a restaurant and never leaves.”

Keith Urban takes fans on a tour of his favorite places in Nashville – when you’ve got about 5 and a half minutes, check out his Nashville…

Did you catch John Rich on the series premiere of “The Next: Fame is on Your Doorstep” last night on the CW? The show follows John and his fellow mentors Gloria Estefan, Nelly and Joe Jonas as they travel across the country looking for America’s next big singing stars. John loves being part of the show because “I’ve always enjoyed working with new artists and artists that need a little helping hand. I’ve had people help me along the way, so a show like The Next is perfect for a guy like me.” By the way, the next Big and Rich album, Hllbilly Jedi, comes out September18th.

Congratulations to Colt Ford and everyone at Average Joes Records – Colt’s new cd, Independence Day, debuted at #1 on the Billboard country album chart and #4 on the all-genre chart. About the album, Colt says, “This is so personal for me. And it’s me at my best – which is being honest and real and open with the fans. It’s what I’ve always tried to do.” Nice job, Colt and crew! The first single, Colt and Luke Bryan singing “Back,” will have a wild video, apparently. If we can believe Colt’s Facebook post, it’ll be a dance competition, Chippendale style.

Speaking of Jake Owen, his summer EP, Endless Summer, comes out September 25th. According to Jake, “These songs are just a way, that even though the summer is winding down. It’s a way to always have a mix that caters to that feeling of what it feels like when summer rolls around.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd is on FOX & Friends this morning.

Kix Brooks has done a lot of concerts and a lot of charity events, but the one this past weekend was extra-special. It was a party and concert at his winery, Arrington Vineyards, and was a benefit for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. According to Kix, “We did it just to make awareness. I had eight of my buds with their balloons and they all took off – the wind was blowing so they went right over the crowd. It was just awesome. Probably the best part was taking the stage for the very first time, at my own venue. We’ve been open five years and it’s the first time I played there.” Thousands showed up for the fun, and to hear music that’ll be on Kix’s album, “New to This Town,” due out on September 11th.

The Band Perry is on tour with Brad Paisley, learning even more about working a crowd and playing live in front of really huge audiences. When they were a baby act, they sought advice from more established groups, and now baby acts are coming to them for advice. Kimberly and Reid share what they’ve learned: “[Reid] This guy told us way back when we started, he said, ‘Play anywhere and everywhere you can,’ cause he said, ‘you’ll learn how to deal with different situations on the stage.’ [Kimberly] I would just say sing and play loud, if there’s one pair of ears in the room or a thousand—and also—sing in front of everybody else the way you do in the shower.”

Taylor Swift released her new single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Monday night, and within 24 hours it was at #22 on the country charts, based on airplay. It’s #16 on the adult contemporary chart and #27 on the top 40 chart. Not bad for a day’s work!

Angaleena Presley of Pistol Annies is finally dishing the details of her May wedding to Miranda Lambert’s tour manager, Jordan Powell. They’ve both been married before, so didn’t want a big, splashy affair. They were married in the library of the Four Seasons resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jordan showed up in a custom-made Manuel suit, saying that he was marrying a part of country music history, so he needed to dress the part. No, she’s not related to Elvis. You can watch Angaleena search for the perfect wedding dress on TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress on August 24th.

After his abortive try at a tour this year, George Jones says he’ll hit 60 cities in 2013 on his last tour ever, The Grand Tour. He admits that it’s tough to stop doing what he loves, but it’s time to slow down and spend time with his wife, children and grandchildren. The Possum has spent more than 50 years on the road.

Kellie Pickler is on The Chew on ABC today.

Brad Paisley pranked his tour openers, Scotty McCreery and The Band Perry, over the weekend. He shortened the stage on Scotty, causing him to fall off, then the next night, put up cones and caution tape. For The Band Perry, he took it a step farther, changing their opening-song video to Canadian kids show, The DoodleBops. Aside from regularly checking out the screen to see what was going on, TBP didn’t miss a beat. Check out the performance, along with Brad’s video work…



Last year, Kenny Chesney broke the record for the biggest crowd at a ticketed event in the New York City area. This year, he broke his own record, selling 56,285 tickets at the show Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Taylor Swift is set to release her 4th studio album, “Red,” on October 22nd. According to Taylor, “All the different emotions that are written about on this album, they’re all pretty much about the tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships that I’ve experienced in the last two years.” You can bet there’ll be some discussion over which song goes with which ex-boyfriend. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is available on iTunes and Google Play.

Trace Adkins takes on a new role starting a week from today: television star. GAC premiers a new series, Great American Heroes, and each week the show follows Trace on his Songs & Stories tour. At each stop, he honors local heroes hard at work in their communities, making their part of the world a better place. According to Trace, “This show does more than tell some good stories, it affirms our faith in others.”

Road trip alert: Dierks Bentley will host his 7th annual Miles & Music for Kids charity motorcycle ride and concert on October 14th in Nashville. Along for the ride and show are Chris Young, Brantley Gilbert and Craig Campbell. Dierks says, “I want it to be about awareness, I want it to be about community, I want it to be about families—at the same time that we’re raising awareness and raising money for the children’s hospital. It’s a bigger picture than just numbers, you know?” So far he’s raised over $2 million for the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood will all be part of the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Labor Day Telethon, live on September 2nd.

Carrie Underwood is on the Today Show this morning.

Jason Aldean is daddy to daughters Keeley and Kendyl. Their summer vacation is their daddy’s busy time, but he’s excited about them going back to school: “I love having my two daughters’ home. Usually when I get home, I’m home Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and when they’re out of school I get to spend a lot of time with them during the day. But also starting school, gets us all back in our normal routine. I think they’re kinda ready to get school started again.” So, how did back to school clothes shopping go this year with his 5 and 8 year olds? “As far as the back to school shopping goes – momma handles all that stuff.”

Twenty years ago, Brooks & Dunn debuted as a new country duo, manufactured by a producer who thought they might be good together. Kix Brooks reminisces about the early days with Ronnie: “Our big dream was a Gold record. That was like almost unreachable, but it was just kind of a goof. If we could pull that off, it was worth getting together and seeing what we can do. We didn’t even talk in those lofty terms until that first single took off. We went, ‘Gosh we might actually have something for six months or a year, ya know! This could be a gig while we’re trying to get the rest of our lives together.” They did alright for themselves, didn’t they?

Lynyrd Skynyrd has been added to the list of performers at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. They’ll take part in a fundraiser for Citizens Helping Heroes on August 26th, and kicks off the four-day event that also includes Trace Adkins and Kid Rock. You can catch Lynyrd Skynyrd before that on FOX & Friends All American Concert Series this Friday morning.

Congratulations to Love and Theft for their first #1 song, “Angel Eyes,” which has just been certified gold for half a million paid downloads. The guys are marveling at how things are working out for them: “To get to see the song climb the charts, have people singing it back to us at our live shows—it’s really cool. It puts a big smile on our face and helps us realize we’re in the right spot!”

Dolly Parton has also just been awarded a gold plaque, for half a million in sales of her “An Evening With Dolly” double-album set, sold only at Cracker Barrel. Where will that award go? According to Dolly, “I’m lucky I have the Chasing Rainbows Museum up at Dollywood, and that’s going to go in a special place. I’m very proud to be working with Cracker Barrel – they’re the best people in the world.”

Carrie Underwood will be on the Today Show tomorrow morning.

Craig Morgan and a few of his country music friends teamed up with some of his motocross friends and raised money during Craig’s 6th Annual Charity Weekend in Vanleer and Nashville, Tennessee. The event, which included a celebrity motocross ride, concert, banquet, silent a live auction and skeet shoot raises money for Billy’s Place, an organization near and dear to Craig’s heart: “It’s something my wife and I started. We seen the need early on in our community as foster parents. We were foster parents at one point. We seen the need for a place where the children could go during the transition of being removed from the home and being placed in a foster family.” They’re still counting the cash, but it’s sure to be a big pile!

Rascal Flatts latest song, “Come Wake Me Up,” is racing up the charts. The video features Tiffany Fallon, Joe Don’s wife, with motorcycle freestyle world champion Dena Sodano as her motorcycle-riding stunt double. Jay knows why the song is doing so well on the charts: “Everybody’s had their heartbroken – obviously. Everybody can identify with those kinds of emotions that come out in our music.” Check out the video…CMT.com feeds a commercial first…



What happens when a superstar is a fan of yours? Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney found out when Brad Paisley called him up to come over and write. Mat says the call was “a little nerve-wracking at first,” but Brad was “super humble” and described Brad as a workaholic and an awesome musician. Can’t wait to hear what they come up with – both are amazing songwriters.

Lovelovelove Miranda Lambert? There’s an app for that. Whether you use iPhone or Driod, hit your app store for the free Miranda app that includes a news feed, tour schedule, videos, music, pictures and access to exclusive content about Miranda.

Kip Moore is watching his latest single, “Beer Money,” take on a life of its own, and by the time he hits the road with Eric Church this fall, the whole audience will be singing it back to him. According to Kip, “It’s an infectious song and it’s one of those things that every night when we play it, the whole crowd’s singing it.”

Heavy metal of the gold variety was handed out to Dierks Bentley, Love and Theft and Chris Young. Each has sold over half a million digital downloads of their songs – “5-1-5-0” for Dierks, “Angel Eyes” for Love and Theft and “The Man I Want to Be” for Chris Young.

Brad Paisley is in the studio, working on his next album and worrying just a little bit about what the fans will make of it: “It’s kinda refreshing that I haven’t had a song on the radio for a couple months and in that sense it’s kinda nice to know that whatever is bubbling right now is the next thing I’ll hand them. And there’s both a pressure and a freedom in that. And so, I’m really more thinking about that. I’m thinking about things like what can I do that’s unique that I’ve never done musically.” 

Sure, you may think that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill live a glamorous life, but with back-to-school season upon us, you might be surprised to find that in at least one way, their life is a lot like yours. With three daughters, they spend a lot of time in the car, though oldest daughter Gracie has her learner’s permit. “Next year, she’ll have her full on license. The bad part is it’s a whole other set of nerves, but the good part is it cuts down on our taxi service a little bit. [Faith] Exactly! Being the taxi service isn’t glamorous at all. I’ve tried to make it, going to the studio… [Tim] How many days or hours do you spend in the car when you’re a parent? [Faith] Oh my goodness!”

Jennifer Nettles is pregnant with her first baby, due in November. She and Kristian Bush are on tour, and Jennifer’s first order of business in every new town is to find the best Mexican food. That’s what she’s craving – everything from salsa to black beans to fish tacos, as long as it’s Mexican. She normally watches her calorie intake but says that “it’s pretty much a free-for-all at this point.”
 

Another incident with autos, alcohol and authorities happened to Randy Travis this week. Tuesday night around midnight, officers responded to a report of a man lying in the middle of the road. They found Randy Travis, completely naked, intoxicated and with minor cuts and bruises, his car off the road nearby, wrecked in the midst of a construction zone. Thankfully, there was no construction going on at the time of the crash, so no one besides Randy was hurt in the incident. In addition to drunk and disorderly, public indecency and other charges, Randy has been charged with “retaliation,” because he threatened to shoot and kill the troopers after they placed him in the police vehicle. He bonded out of jail Wednesday morning, and had to have someone bring him clothes to wear home, because apparently he was naked when he started driving his car. He had to be given clothing to wear for his mug shot. In February of this year, Randy was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication in the parking lot of a church in Texas.

 

Curb Records is celebrating 50 years of success by putting 50 titles on sale for $5.99. C’mon, you know 50 cents would be too good to be true! Grab albums from LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Hank Williams, Jr., Clay Walker, Lee Greenwood and lots more. Search “Curb 50” on iTunes to see the whole list.

Zac Brown Band sits atop the country music album charts for the 4th week in a row with “Uncaged.” How does that make Zac feel? “It is dead center right down the middle for people who like our other music. I feel like it’s the best record we’ve made so far. I feel like we’re a better band now. I feel like we’ve just continued to improve and I feel like it’s – I really do feel like it’s the best record we’ve ever made.”

Miranda Lambert is on the Ellen DeGeneres Show – it’s a rerun.

Tim McGraw had some details to share about the Soul2Soul shows he and wife Faith Hill will do in Las Vegas. The eighteen-hundred seat Venetian Theater will be home to them for ten weekends, starting December 7th, and Tim says, “We’re in the process of building the show now, and we can say that the production’s gonna be very cutting edge. We wanna do really cool stuff...things that certainly we haven’t done before and probably some things that haven’t been done before in a lot of ways. Um, we don’t wanna give away too much of what the show’s gonna be, but it’s certainly gonna be a lot of us. I mean, it’s gonna be us together.” Just what do their daughters think of spending two and a half months in Vegas? “[Tim] They’re excited! They’re very excited ‘cause they love going to the shows, so they probably won’t see ours [laughs]. [Faith] They’ve been to most of the shows here over the years when we’ve been coming in and out, so they’re thrilled!” Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday at the theatre box office and online at Ticketmaster.

Taylor Swift is planning an interactive webcast this Monday night, and she’s got some news to share. Is it new music news? Tour news? Boyfriend news? She’s being pretty coy: “You can ask questions! I wanna share some news with you. Some really cool news—not gonna go into it too much—but it’s cool!” The webcast starts Monday at 7pm Eastern time on TaylorSwift.com.

Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus and wife Allison are enjoying their new son, Dylan Jay, even though Daddy Jay is on tour right now. When asked how being on the road with his dad’s band might affect little Dylan, Jay replied, “All of his bad habits, I’m sure he will learn from Uncle Gary and Uncle Joe Don. I hope that Gary teaches him how to sing like he does and hopefully Joe Don will teach him to play guitar like he does and then I’ll have the best of both worlds… Then I can go out on the road with my son and leave these two yahoos.” The tour hits Raleigh, NC tomorrow night.

Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour scored a major hit Monday night – he broke the attendance record at Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio. Over 27,000 people showed up for the concert, and Jason remarked, “It’s been a pretty crazy year as far as the tour goes. I mean, it’s kind of exceeded any expectations we could have had for ourselves.”

Craig Morgan’s 6th annual charity weekend is this weekend in Tennessee. Saturday, motocross stars lead a trail ride in Vanleer and Saturday night, Craig, Darryl Worley, Robin Meade and Nan Kelley of GAC team up for a concert to support the Craig Morgan Charity Fund. Sunday features the Celebrity Sporting Clay Event at the Tennessee Clay Target Complex in Nashville, led by “The Ultimate Shooter,” Tim Bradley. If you’d like to be on the trail ride but you don’t have the right wheels, fear not – there’s anauction on eBay that runs through tomorrow. The Husqvarna For a Day experience puts you on a great ride and up front with the celebrities!

First it was Garth Brooks. Then it was Shania Twain. Now, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are setting up house in Vegas for a stint at the Venetian Theatre. They’ll do a ten-weekend run of shows beginning December 7th, calling the shows “Soul2Soul,” the same name as their two successful tours together. Those tours happened in 2000 and 2006, and the two have not performed a full concert together since the last tour. Tim says that the residency arrangement in Vegas will be good for their family and he’s been looking for a way to work with Faith onstage, and this fits the bill. Presale tickets will be available tomorrow and the general public can start buying them on Monday the 13th at the hotel box office. This announcement comes on the heels of the mega-successful “Brothers of the Sun” tour with Kenny Chesney and being inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Tim was born and raised in Delhi, Louisiana.

Speaking of Garth Brooks, he’s been added to the list of performers on the Teachers Rock special on CBS. He joins Carrie Underwood and Dierks Bentley as the country performers. The show tapes on August 14th and will air on August 18th.

Keith Urban is working on a new album, and is laying down tracks all around the world. He’s planning a tour next year, so feels the pressure to get new music out, but wants it to feel fresh and different. Check out a tiny piece of his new song, “Tidal Wave,” in this video…



Blake Shelton worked hard to make his Christmas album a very special one. He’s co-written a song with his mom, Dorothy Shackleford, and she sings on it. He and Michael Buble re-worked the song “Home” into a holiday tune and for the first time ever, Blake Shelton and Reba duet on a song. “Cheers It’s Christmas” drops on October second.

Other country artists got in the Christmas spirit, lending their voices to the 25th anniversary of the Very Special Christmas project, a benefit for Special Olympics. Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry and Vince Gill all have cuts on this double-album project, which streets October 16th.

Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annies will kick off the new season of Say Yes to the Dress! Angaleena Presley and her hubby Jordan Powell eloped in May, but went dress-shopping at Bridals by Lori in Atlanta with her band members Ashley Monroe and Miranda Lambert. The episode airs on August 24th at 9pm on TLC.

Congrats to Kenny Chesney, who has the #1 country song in America with “Come Over.”

Zac Brown Band is on Jimmy Kimmel tonight – it’s a rerun.

Zac Brown Band loves to travel with their mobile kitchen, “Cookie,” a tractor-trailer fitted out for food preparation. Zac himself loves to cook and can’t wait to see what’s in the kitchen at each of the band’s tour stops: “You know, I love all the stuff they do with fresh...especially in the summer, spring and fall, they go out to local farms and find fresh produce. So, that’s one of my favorite things is just to see all the fresh vegetables and stuff that gets picked up.” The band’s annual Southern Ground Music and Food Festival hits Nashville on September 21st and 22nd with Gregg Allman, Amos Lee, Edward Sharpe, David Gray and the Magnetic Zeros joining them on stage. In Charleston, South Carolina, the shows are October 20th and 21st and fans will see the Avett Brothers, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Los Lonely Boys and another surprise guest or two.

When the Olympics are over, Carrie Underwood will light up NBC’s Today Show Summer Concert Series. Though the show is over a week away, Carrie admits to some butterflies already: “When you’re on live I feel like there’s so much more pressure because you want to hit every single note, you want everything to be perfect – because you really only get one shot at it! So I get nervous for TV performances, and I don’t get nervous in concert.”

The Voice is getting fans fired up for season three, and Blake Shelton is pleased to be helping out all the contestants, winners and losers: “The good part about it is, they’re all getting so much exposure. They all can go on from the show and be several steps ahead of where they would have been. Ya know?” Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine all return as judges, and in this promo, get their action hero personas on, with a little Olympic twist at the end…



Colt Ford’s new album, “Declaration of Independence,” is out today, and it’s star studded: Kix Brooks, Montgomery Gentry, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker and Jason Aldean pitch in on songs. About the Jason Aldean collaboration, “Drivin’ Around Song,” Colt reveals, “As soon as Jason heard it he was like, ‘This is the one – this is the one that you and I’ve been suppose to do right here.’ I just think that song – is a big, big song. I mean its got ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ kind of potential. I think it will probably kind of take on a life of its own.” This isn’t the official video – that doesn’t exist yet – but a fan posted the song on YouTube, so you can hear it now if you’d like…

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.

Zac Brown Band stays on the road a lot more than other bands and they enjoy themselves while they’re out. But Zac himself says it’s not all fun and games: “Sometimes you’ve just gotta do a little bit of time for yourself. I know every minute I’m away from my kids, I feel guilty about it...every minute. So, that’s a tough balance...tough thing.” They’ll take a couple of weeks off the road next month to unwind with their families.

Between touring and taping, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton haven’t seen much of Oklahoma lately. According to Miranda, “We’ve been just kinda crazy; I mean we’ve been basically living in L.A. So, we’re ready to go home, we really are. We’re ready for some country time.” They spent a week at their Oklahoma property, but it’s back to work for Miranda this weekend as her On Fire tour stops in Alaska.

Justin Moore has been combining work and pleasure, though this week it’s all play. When his shows are at fairs, Justin takes daughters Ella and Kennedy along for the fun, and Daddy Justin is pretty good at the midway games. He has won a bunch of Dora the Explorer blow-up dolls for Ella. This week they’re at a family reunion in Florida, and Justin is specializing in sandcastles with Ella.

Meanwhile, Hunter Hayes is chomping at the bit to hit the road, because he’s going out with Carrie Underwood on the fall leg of her “Blown Away” tour starting in September. According to Hunter, “I just want to get back in the bus and keep playin’ you know? Umm...working a little bit towards the next album a little at a time. I’m not thinking about it too much, I can’t. Umm...I want the next album to happen very naturally.”

Do you like to know how a song came to be: Jerrod Niemann’s new song, “Shinin’ on Me,” is climbing the charts this summer, but it was written last summer, when Jerrod and Lee Brice played AquaPalooza in Austin, Texas with Brad Paisley. Jerrod explains, “I think they said there were 70,000 boats there and estimated over 100,000 Texans. So I thought, ‘Well, if that’s not a great day, what is?’ So we went to the bus, and I think every window on the bus was open, this beautiful breeze, evening breeze, comin’ through the windows, and we just wrote ‘Shinin’ on Me.’” You can feel that Texas breeze in the song…



Dierks Bentley will add another job to his resume: he’s been chosen to host the 6th Annual ACM Honors show in Nashville. The event recognizes those who won ACM awards in the non-televised portion of the show earlier this year and will be held at the Ryman Auditorium on September 24th. Tickets go on sale at the Ryman box office on August 17th.

Willie Nelson has been tapped to play the Republican National Convention in Florida. The concert will be August 29th in Tampa.

Eric Church had a party in Nashville this week to celebrate the platinum success of his album Chief, as well as the two-week stint at the top of the charts for the song “Springsteen.” At the party, Eric said, “There are moments I think in your life that you just want to kind of pause and go, ‘Is this my life?’ This is one of ‘em. It’s been an unreal year. From Chief coming out, to ‘Springsteen’ and ‘Drink In My Hand’ before that.” His gifts included a pair of platinum sunglasses, a commemorative bottle of Jack Daniels with a platinum label, a keg of Jack to refill the bottle when it gets empty, and a platinum-label box of cigars.

Danica Patrick had fun working with Miranda Lambert on the video for “Fastest Girl in Town.” According to the race car driver, “She was really sweet. She’s got a lot of pep and a lot of spark. I just feel like her and I are sort of kindred spirits and we could be trouble together.” In case you’d like to see their collaboration again, here you go…



Taylor Swift and Conor Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have apparently been spending some quality time together. Reports have them attending church, eating pizza and strolling hand-in-hand on the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Taylor is 22 and Conor is 18. The New York Post has a photo spread.

Gloriana member Tom Gossin has set a date to wed his girlfriend of ten years, Jamie Moffett. The couple will have until October of 2013 to plan the event, and Jamie has already told Tom that he will NOT be singing at the wedding. About the group’s current song, “(Kissed You) Goodnight,” co-written by Tom, he says, “It’s just about a situation I think everybody’s been in on a first date, and I was always real shy...like I could never make that first move. And so, I think I wrote a song about what I wish I was like back in the day...a little more confident.”

There’s a new young ‘un in the Eli Young Band – Mike Eli and his wife Kacey have been graced with a baby girl. Kline Olivia Diaz is the couple’s first child, and about the experience, Mike says, “I feel like I accomplished something quite special there. You know, the career is one thing, but makin’ a baby’s another.” EYB hits the road with Rascal Flatts again next week, as both of the new dads on the tour had time off with their little ones. (Jay DeMarcus and his wife welcomed their second child just 10 days ago.)

Jamey Johnson has invited George Strait, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill and many more country artists to join him for a tribute album to Hank Cochran, considered one of the greatest songwriters in the history of country music. Jamey says Hank influenced him “not only as an artist and songwriter, but also as a person.” Check out the song list and artists:

Livin’ For a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran Track Listing

1. “Make the World Go Away” – Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss
2. “I Fall to Pieces” – Jamey Johnson and Merle Haggard
3. “A Way to Survive” – Jamey Johnson, Vince Gill and Leon Russell
4. “Don’t Touch Me” – Jamey Johnson and Emmylou Harris
5. “You Wouldn’t Know Love” – Jamey Johnson and Ray Price
6. “I Don’t Do Windows” – Jamey Johnson and Asleep at the Wheel
7. “She’ll Be Back” – Jamey Johnson and Elvis Costello
8. “Would These Arms Be in Your Way” – Jamey Johnson
9. “The Eagle” – Jamey Johnson and George Strait
10. “A-11” – Jamey Johnson and Ronnie Dunn
11. “I’d Fight the World” – Jamey Johnson and Bobby Bare
12. “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me” – Jamey Johnson and Willie Nelson
13. “This Ain’t My First Rodeo” – Jamey Johnson and Lee Ann Womack
14. “Love Makes a Fool of Us All” – Jamey Johnson and Kris Kristofferson
15. “Everything But You” – Jamey Johnson, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson and Leon Russell
16. “Livin’ for a Song” – Jamey Johnson, Hank Cochran, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson

Congrats to Zac Brown Band, as their “Uncaged” cd lands at the top of the Billboard 200 again this week.

Congrats to Kenny Chesney, who has his 24th #1 song with “Come Over.” It tops the country charts this week, after only 11 weeks on the chart. About the song, Kenny says, “It is a very emotional and it’s a…more of a comfortable song being with someone that you’re just used to being with because you just…the idea of moving forward is scarier than the idea of staying in what’s comfortable, and I think we all relate to that.”

Good news for Miranda Lambert and her fans – she’s feeling better after some enforced rest, both physical and vocal, and is ready to get back out and chew up some stages. About her doctor-ordered rest, Miranda said she’d “been going 90 to nothin’ and it caught up” with her. While on vocal rest, she received a plaque for her latest gold record, “Baggage Claim.”

Toby Keith has rescheduled his Army Concert Tour at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin because he has to have his gallbladder removed. It’s an outpatient procedure, but it will sideline him for a little while. Gretchen Wilson will fill in for him tomorrow.

Cracker Barrel is teaming up with Josh Turner to release “Live Across America” on August 27th. The 12-track collection was recorded live at 12 different tour stops on his 2012 tour. Are you sensing a theme?

Gloriana will perform Friday morning on FOX & Friends as part of their summer concert series. Their new album, “A Thousand Miles Left Behind,” is out, and Tom Gossin explains the title: “A Thousand Miles Left Behind signifies how much we’ve toured – being that we’ve stayed on tour for about five years now and been around the world a couple times. It’s been crazy, so it has a literal meaning. Figuratively speaking – just all that we’ve learned. You know, it’s like every mile we learned a new lesson on the road.”

He’s being hailed as the boy version of Taylor Swift, and like Taylor, Hunter Hayes knows where the magic is in country music –it’s the song: “You know when I write a song, I definitely want it to be from me – definitely want it to be a real life thing. My favorite songs are songs that I relate to, songs that mean something to me – because someone else wrote from their heart. So, I wanted a record full of those songs.” His self-titled debut album has spawned his first gold record – the current single, “Wanted.”

Little Big Town is on the syndicated show, Better TV, today.

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.”

Toby Keith has turned down a chance to be a judge on American Idol. He told FOX producers that he was “too busy” to take on the judges role for season 12, but he would have been a great choice. Toby isn’t one to pull punches and is known for saying just what he thinks, kind of like Simon. Still no official word of who the third judge will be, and no further word on whether Brad Paisley is still being considered. Lauren Alaina is all for Brad being the choice: “I think that would be really cool. He has a great personality and every time I’ve talked with him he’s been super nice. He is really cool. I think that would be a good move for the show.”

Oh, to have had an invitation to this dinner: Reba invited Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Jennifer Nettles and her new hubby over for a night of food, drink and story-swapping: “Yeah, we were hanging out and they came over to the house for dinner. It’s just great to have friends that are in the business that you can talk about. We all sat around after dinner telling road stories. It’s just fun! Jennifer Nettles was over there with her husband Justin just having a great time.” That’s not all Reba and Blake have shared recently: “Blake is a character! I got to sing with him on his Christmas album...a single that he asked me to sing on for his Christmas album.” That album should be out in a couple of months.

Dierks Bentley has decided to release just four songs in his next project, an EP called Country & Cold Cans. It’ll be out on August 21st and was produced by rocker Jaren Johnston of the band Cadillac Black. That group will be part of Dierks’ Country and Cold Cans: Back to College Tour, which kicks off next month. The tour stops at UGA on August 20th, University of South Carolina on the 21st and The Grove at the University of Mississippi on August 22nd.

Kenny Chesney will be part of the Farm Aid concert on September 22 in Hershey, PA. He credits his small-town upbringing to his desire to help America’s family farmers. Willie Nelson, John Mellenamp, Dave Matthews and Neil Young are also part of the show.

Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood are the country celebrities participating in CBS’s benefit concert special, Teachers Rock.” It will tape on August 14th and air on August 18th. Proceeds from the event benefit Teach For America, Feeding America and DonorsChoose.org.

Sugarland will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on October 14th this year. They’re going into the hall in the Performer category – there will be eight other inductees from other areas of Georgia’s music industry.

Heads up on an event that always sells out fast: the 11th Anniversary of the Charlie Daniels Band & Friends Concert happens at the Ryman in Nashville on November 19th. Phil Vassar and Thompson Square are already confirmed to be part of this benefit for Christmas 4 Kids.

Miranda Lambert co-hosted The View last week, and brought along Pistol Annies to perform their new song, “Takin’ Pills.” Watch the whole episode if you’d like.

http://abc.go.com/watch/the-view/SH559080/VD55222128/the-view-725

Gloriana is on Good Morning America and Martina McBride is on Opening Act tonight.

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.

The Hollywood rumor mill is running hot and heavy that Brad Paisley will be the next new American Idol judge. Could be – if they don’t need him before January. Here’s what he’s up to between now and then: 26 stops on his Virtual Reality World Tour, probably co-hosting the CMA Awards, heading to Sweden and Norway for some shows, spending a couple of weeks with his family during the holidays and recording his next album. Phew! In contrast, the newest American Idol judge, Mariah Carey, has nothing scheduled between now and the end of the year, according to her website. Ultimately it’s up to Brad – can FOX dangle enough dollars in front of him to jam one more thing into his jam-packed schedule? I’ll keep you posted.

Steven Tyler vacated an American Idol seat, but has been busy with Aerosmith’s new album…and with Carrie Underwood. She and Steven recorded “Beautiful” together several months ago, and the cut landed on the new project, “Music from Another Dimension!” which drops November 6th. About working with Steven Tyler, Carrie said, “He’s a wonderful guy and I look for any opportunity possible to just be in his company, you know, because he’s just so talented and so cool.”

Maxim magazine’s next issue is a salute to the military, and Kellie Pickler graces the cover in a pin-up style photo. She’s a proud supporter of the military, making multiple trips to the Middle East and adding a star tattoo for each trip. Kellie says, “It’s so wild the sacrifices that they make that we don’t even know about. And not just our service men and women, but their families as well, you know? To sit and know that your husband or wife is in Afghanistan fighting a war...it makes it hard to sleep at night.” Maxim’s August issue hits newsstands next Tuesday.

Jake Owen’s new song, “The One That Got Away,” has spawned some new swag. According to Jake, “We have t-shirts we sell on the road that say, ‘I’m the One That Got Away,’ but yeah, my wife…she probably will…she’ll scratch part of that out and say, ‘I’m Not the One That Got Away.’”

Willie Nelson and Jamey Johnson have teamed up for the 2012 Railroad Revival Tour. They’ll travel in vintage rail cars from Georgia to California, playing eight shows along the way at outdoor venues near the tracks. Joining them are the rock group Band of Horses and actor/musician John C. Reilly. Here’s where the train will stop…

Oct. 20: Duluth, Ga.
Oct. 21: TBA
Oct. 22: Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 23: Oklahoma City
Oct. 24: Old Town Spring, Texas
Oct. 26: Tempe, Ariz.
Oct. 27: San Pedro, Calif.
Oct. 28: Oakland, Calif.

Jay DeMarcus finally got to spend some time with his new son this week. Allison had an emergency c-section Friday afternoon, and Jay was able to fly home from Detroit in time for the delivery. As soon as Dylan was born, Jay had to fly back out for concerts last weekend. When he got home Monday he says he held his son all day long. When their daughter Madeline met Dylan, the 18-month-old said “Hi baby!” and kissed him on the cheek. Awwww….

Did you miss Love and Theft on FOX & Friends? Here you go…

Jason Aldean is about to make history. His new song, “Take a Little Ride,” debuted at #19 on the Billboard country single chart, and they predict it’ll make history as the top-selling digital song ever by a male artist in it’s first week out. So far, after just a few days, it’s sold more than 200,000 digital copies. Just how hot is his career right now? He sold out a 20,000 seat theatre in Cleveland, Ohio in 30 seconds!

Lady Antebellum has been touring, but that’s not all they’ve been doing. While on the road, the trio makes good use of their down time by writing, and according to Charles Kelley, they’re rarin’ to hit the studio once the tour is over: “We’re going to start working on new material in the fall. We’ve been touring so much this year, and now I think we’re writing all these songs, and can’t wait to get in there and see what it turns into. I’m actually really anxious about it and excited.”

With the American Idol judge turnover, it’s only natural that country stars might want to see one of their own in the judge’s role next season. Kelly Clarkson has gone public with her support for Carrie Underwood as an AI judge, and Scotty McCreery thinks Garth Brooks would be the perfect choice. There’s still one seat to fill on the show – no word on who FOX is considering.

Kenny Chesney has new heavy metal for his walls – “Come Over” has been certified gold and “Don’t Blink” received platinum certification. “Come Over” went gold faster than any other single of his, and Kenny knows why: “When you get to a point in your career that I am, you have to search for melodies that are just different. You just do. So I think that it was a perfect song for me, and it’s a song that I needed at this point in my career, and it was an incredible way to kick off the record, I think production-wise and emotionally ’cause it does set a tone.” It’s #2 on the country charts this week – watch it take over the #1 spot next week.

Dierks Bentley is a good guy to tour with, apparently. Eli Young Band was his opening act on the Country & Cold Cans Tour, and when it wrapped, EYB had some nice swag: “Dierks Bentley was nice enough, after we finished the tour with him, he bought us a big outdoor tent, chairs and travel grill. We can grill out on those long days where we don’t have a lot to do so. It was a really nice gift.”

Dierks Bentley has the #1 country song in America this week with “5-1-5-0.” He’s happy with fan reaction to it: “They’ve been great, the song’s definitely taken a life of its own and that’s what you want. You want people to hear it and just, you know, bring as much out of it as they possibly can.” It’s his 10th #1 song and the third in a row from his “Home” album.

Congrats to songwriter-extraordinaire Sarah Buxton. She and hubby Tom Bukovac are expeting their first child in December. You know her by her songs for Keith Urban, “Stupid Boy,” “Put You In A Song,” and the new Big & Rich song, “That’s Why I Pray.”

Pistol Annies are on The View today, and John Rich is on Live With Kelly.