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4/23/2010
With summer right around the corner, Blake Shelton is thinking about cracking open another 'Six Pak!'
The 'Six Pak' concept, which was Blake's response to music fans preferring single-song digital downloads over full CDs, is six songs released as one project. It's a format he feels is more user-friendly than the traditional model. "Fans will get more music than me putting out a new album every two years," Blake says. "It's a quicker way to get new music to them."
Blake released the first 'six pak' in March, which spawned his ACM Award-winning title cut, 'Hillbilly Bone.' Now Blake is ready to release the next volume later this summer. "Looking back at the last one," he tells CMT, "I definitely think it worked. It did everything we hoped it would do."
The second single from 'Hillbilly Bone,' 'All About Tonight,' is steadily climbing the charts. In addition to spending time in the studio, Blake is currently crossing the country in support of 'Hillbilly Bone.'
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4/23/2010
To many of his fans, Kenny Chesney's music speaks the story of their lives, of falling in and out of love, reflecting on life's promises and should-have-beens, as well as hope that one day those grandiose thoughts and ideas of the future would turn into a reality. The Tennessee native has touched the hearts and minds of his audience with such songs as 'I Go Back,' 'Young,' 'Summertime,' 'Be As You Are,' 'The Good Stuff'' and ''A Lot of Things Different,' as well as his latest single, 'Ain't Back Yet.'
"'Ain't Back Yet' is just a song ... about chasing your dream," explains Kenny. "It reminded me a lot of a guy leaving east Tennessee with all his stuff in the back of a truck, and I was gone chasing my dream, and I'm not back yet ... I actually think that my family thought this music thing was something that I was going to do for a couple of years and then realize it wasn't going to work and then come back, so I'm not back yet."
Kenny is looking forward to performing the song live for fans during his handful of dates this summer, and hopes his followers ...
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4/16/2010
Country legend Garth Brooks has cleaned up at music award shows over his career, and he's still racking up honors – this time from President Barack Obama.
On Wednesday, the "Friends in Low Places" singer received the "Grammy on the Hill Award" from Obama – in the Oval Office, no less – honoring the singer’s leadership in advancing the rights of music makers.
The "Grammys on the Hill" is a two-day advocacy event that aims to connect top musicians with policymakers to inform them of the role recording arts play in the country's culture and economy.
Obama is a Grammy winner too, having earned the 2007 award for best spoken word album for his book, The Audacity of Hope.
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4/16/2010
Lyric Street Records, the Walt Disney-owned label that's currently home to Rascal Flatts, Bucky Covington and Love & Theft, is closing their Nashville operations.
"Given the changing nature of the music business and the more streamlined priorities of the [Disney] Studios, we need to find alternative ways to create and market new artists and their music to consumer," says Disney Music Group Chairman Bob Cavallo.
The label has been in operation since 1997. Six months ago, Lyric Street's sister label, Carolwood, closed, moving Trent Tomlinson and Love & Theft to Lyric Street, and leaving Carolwood artist Jessica Andrews without a record deal.
Now, Disney says they'll shift multi-platinum group Rascal Flatts, who recently wrapped up their seventh studio album, to another music division under the Disney umbrella.
There's no word yet on the future of any of the other Lyric Street artists. The Boot will have further details as they become available.
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4/16/2010
In anticipation of their upcoming reunion tour and album,The Judds will set the stage for the 2010 CMA Music Festival and Fan Fair with the first of the daily concerts at downtown Nashville's Riverfront Park, on Thursday, June 10, at 10:00 AM (CT).
Of course, mother and daughter Naomi and Wynonna are no strangers to the annual event. They've performed together at five of the festivals, most recently in 2009. Wynonna has performed solo at seven of the star-studded events. The Judds have also been big CMA winners, taking home a total of nine CMA Awards, including four consecutive wins as Vocal Duo of the Year (1988-1991) and three consecutive wins as Vocal Group of the Year (1985-1987).
"We are totally psyched to get to kick off CMA Music Fest this year on the Riverfront Park Stage," the duo said in a statement. "We can't wait to be live with fans and music lovers from across the country. It's such a privilege to partner with CMA to spread the word about our final tour. Plan your life around it.The Judds are coming back."
The Judds are also in the midst of their Name That Tour contest, with the winner receiving ...
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4/14/2010
With Josh Thompson's career in full bloom, the Academy of Country Music has asked the singer to document his first trip to the awards show in their series, 'Road to the ACM Awards,' available now at CBS.com.
"It was an honor to be chosen ... and it was an absolute blast to film," Josh says of the series. "I look forward to going to Vegas for my first experience with the ACM Awards."
Past 'Road to the ACM Awards' webisodes have featured Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Gloriana as newcomers.
While in Vegas, Josh will also perform for the service men and women of Nellis Air Force Base during the USO Concert in Partnership with ACM Lifting Lives.
In other Josh news, the singer has launched his first official fan club, The Chrome Bullet Crew. With a membership to the fan club, fans get behind-the-scenes video and pictures from the road, opportunities for meet-and-greets at the singer's shows, special merchandise and more.
Josh hits the road with Brad Paisley next month on the H2O tour. His latest single is the title track of his debut album, 'Way Out Here.'
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4/14/2010
When he sits down to dinner, Garth Brooks knows what he likes. "The joke in our house is, 'Add tortellini to it,' " his country-star wife, Trisha Yearwood, tells PEOPLE Country in it May issue. "That's Garth's solution to everything."
Still, that's not necessarily Yearwood's. For the Nashville favorite, mother knew best.
"When I think of recipes, I think of church napkins and notebook paper. I have a lot of mom's handwritten recipes. I cherish those." says Yearwood, who has re-teamed with her sister Beth to dish up their second cookbook, Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood.
As icing on the cake, starting with the June 18 issue, Trisha is also launching a new column for PEOPLE Country – sharing recipes and personal anecdotes, and answering reader questions. (E-mail her at country@peoplemag.com.)
Trisha's time in the kitchen is often spent feeding her three teenage stepdaughters (two of them who don't like beef, while another passes on the chocolate), and she admits to finding joy when she cooks with her mother Gwen, 72.
"She makes the best everything," says Yearwood, who claims she can't top mom behind a stove.
For more information, visit people.com.
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4/12/2010
Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook and wife Karen Fairchild stick together on stage and in life, so it only made sense that the country couple tackle diaper changes for 5-week-old son Elijah Dylan as a team.
“Elijah hates it, so one does the distraction and one does the work,” says Westbrook, 39, of their strategy.
“I’m usually the one jumping around trying to distract him. There’s a lot of teamwork with us.”
Whether it’s diaper duty or 2 a.m. feedings, the couple — who shared their first photos of their son, born March 5th, with PEOPLE — is relishing parenthood, Westbrook says.
“It’s just a beautiful, beautiful experience, the whole thing, the pregnancy and him being here,” he says. “Your life changes – it’s all about him and that’s OK.”
Even, he says, when that means sleepless nights.
“We get up a couple of times in the middle of the night with him and you’re so tired, but then you look into that sweet little face and it’s just like, the world is good.”
Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook and wife Karen Fairchild stick together on stage and in life, so it only made sense that the country couple tackle ...
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4/12/2010
On Friday's Oprah Winfrey Show, Kenny Chesney opened up about his quickie marriage to Renee Zellweger.
After just four months of dating, the two shocked fans when they wed in May 2005 in a barefoot-on-the-beach wedding at Chesney's cliffside estate in St. John. Four months later, Zellweger filed for an annulment, citing "fraud."
"I panicked," Chesney, 42, told Winfrey. "...I look at my life as a box. ... So everything that I put in -- learn how to play guitar, put that in the box. The friends I made. I put that in the box, and my career grew. Everything around me—all of the awards and all of the songs I wrote and all the success and everything -- I put in that box. That box built grew into this wonderful house. Okay? And you protect everything and all the relationships and all the people that helped you build that house. And this is the first time I've actually talked about it, but that's what happened. I protected that box."
Asked whether their marriage was in or out of the box, Chesney replied, "It was out of the box. Oh my God, but it's tough. It really is tough. And ...
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4/8/2010
Chris Young is hitting the road with one of his heroes, Alan Jackson, beginning Thursday (April 8), and sometimes it takes him a few minutes to believe his good fortune.
While Chris says it feels amazingly cool to get to tour with Alan, it's also a bit disconcerting. "Just even saying it is kind of weird for me -- saying that I'm going to be on tour with Alan Jackson," explains the singer. "This is somebody that so many people are huge fans of his music, but, especially for me, the people that I mention when I start saying, 'I'm a big fan of ... ,' he's one of the people that's always mentioned, just because I love his music. I love him as a songwriter."
The Tennessee native actually got a chance to open a couple of shows for the superstar last year. "I remember I was so excited about that, and now ... it's just a big deal." And Chris is proud of the fact that he is able to tell people he is going out with Alan. "It's just a lot different than last year -- 'Hey! I'm gonna go do a fair.'"
The Freight Train tour, ...
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4/8/2010
First came heartbreak, then a second chance at love. Next up for country superstar Shania Twain? Her own TV series.
Twain, 44, will star on Why Not? With Shania Twain, an hour-long series premiering on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. "The show will follow [Twain] as she begins her climb back to the top, a personal journey filled with risk, revelations and unexpected adventures," says a statement from the network.
This won't be Twain's first foray in front of the camera since her marriage to Robert "Mutt" Lange fell apart in May 2008 over his relationship with her then-friend – and employee – Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
The country singer has posted several personal videos on her Web site in recent months, chronicling her world travels, fun times with her son Eja, 8, and her blossoming romance with her boyfriend Frédéric, who is Thiébaud's ex-husband.
In February, Twain, who has recently been spotted in New York, posted a video – shot in Canada by Thiébaud – in which she visits a radio station, jokes about her junk-food cravings and the effect of the cold weather on her skin, and banters with her Swiss-born beau, whose French-inflected voice can be heard throughout.
Last ...
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4/7/2010
The Zac Brown Band were such a hit with military men and women in the Persian Gulf that the USO has invited them back for an encore performance to entertain the troops. This will mark the third USO tour for Zac, who joined the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff USO Holiday Tour in 2008. Zac and the entire band participated in the 2009 USO Fort Hoot Community Strong event. Details of the upcoming USO tour are confidential to protect the safety of the band.
But if you hunger to hear some live ZBB music stateside, there are plenty of places to catch a show. The band's latest tour begins April 24 in Live Oak, Fla. and concludes Sept. 2 when they headline the five-day Sailing Southern Ground Cruise on the Carnival ship, Inspiration.
The at-sea music festivals offer Zac and his bandmates a chance to mingle with fans and other musicians.
"We have been on cruise ships with 20 acts and then we were on one with Lyle Lovett and Brandi Carlile," Zac tells The Boot. "It's great to be trapped on a cruise with some of the best songwriters in the world. These are people we listen ...
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4/7/2010
John Rich is a big fan of the concept behind Blake Shelton's new "six-pack" CD, 'Hillbilly Bone,' which includes six tracks in a sort of mini-album that is more affordable for the fans. Blake has already sold 138,000 copies of the project, which is in the Top 5 on the country charts, and he plans to release a second one in the summer. Though some artists aren't exactly sold on the idea of doing shorter albums, John thinks the plan just makes good sense in this day and age.
"You start talking about $12, $13 or $14, it's a different level of commitment there," John tells the Boston Globe. "And it's a lot of decent music. Most records I've ever bought, it's hard to put 11 or 12 smashes right in a row. Six, I think you can have a better piece of product, it's cheaper and the fans dig it."
John says he's contemplating releasing his own "six-pack" of all up-tempo rockers, calling it, 'Rich Rocks.' His Warner Music labelmate, Blake, would certainly approve. "Nashville has been looking for ways to try to get people back into the stores and buy albums again," Blake tells The Boot. "You hear ...
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4/6/2010
Back in February, it was announced that brand-new Lyric Street artist Tyler Dickerson landed a coveted spot as an opening act for the Brooks & Dunn Last Rodeo farewell tour. And the hardest part wasn't preparing his set list for the shows -- it was keeping it a secret!
"I wasn't allowed to tell my Mom, my Dad, no one," he tells Stark Country. Finding out from his manager a full week before the official announcement was made, the 16-year-old Tyler kept the big news to himself until it was official. "This is probably one of the biggest things that's ever happened to me in my career and I couldn't tell anyone!"
With only one song released to radio so far ('Tell Your Sister I'm Single'), Tyler may seem an unlikely choice for the biggest tour of the year. But thanks to Brooks & Dunn's manager, who played the duo songs from Tyler's MySpace page, he was welcomed with open arms. "Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn said, 'Put the kid on the tour,'" he recalls. "I just can't even imagine that."
With only a few weeks until the tour kicks off, Tyler is ready to go. "I can't sleep at ...
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4/6/2010
Tim McGraw is planning a special show next month to express gratitude to members of the military and their families.
The concert is part of the PGA Championship tournament's Military Appreciation Day in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 5. That's the day before Tim's Southern Voice tour stops at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
"I can't begin to sympathize with the immense sacrifice that our U.S. Military and their families make on a daily basis," Tim says. "I'm proud to be a part of THE PLAYERS Military Appreciation Day and hope that a few songs for these brave men and women will help them to enjoy themselves at the tournament and understand all of our deepest appreciation for their service."
Any active duty, retired or reserve military personnel that want to attend can order complimentary tickets through Ticketmaster. Ticket holders must also present military ID to gain admission to the show. Kids ages 18 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a ticket holder.
This is just the latest way Tim has reached out to those in the military and their families. The country star teamed with corporate partner Outback Steakhouse for several promotions, including sales of an exclusive ...
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4/6/2010
It was Far East meets The South when Eric Gunderson, of the country trio Love and Theft, wed his girlfriend of four years, college student Emily Hagar, 24, at sunset on the front porch of the historic Hazel Path mansion in Hendersonville, Tenn., Saturday.
The reception for approximately 200 guests was held in a tent on the grounds of the 1837 plantation and featured a Moroccan theme. "I wanted it to be dark and romantic with a lot of candles, a bunch of really cool lanterns, satin purple linens and lots of jewel-tones," says Hagar of their exotic fete. The menu, however, was a bit more traditional. "Chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, bread and salad – good-old southern country food!" according to the bride.
But don't forget the most important detail: the drink of the day. "I only drink Miller Lite, so that was pretty much my only stipulation – that and a really good band," says Gunderson of letting his bride handle most of the wedding planning details.
The couple, who shared their first dance to Michael Buble’s "Crazy Love," is honeymooning in the Dominican Republic and, according to Gunderson, marriage suits him already. "I'm actually pretty excited about ...
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4/5/2010
Word on Music Row is that several well-known artists have fallen victim to their respective record labels cleaning house this past year. According to CMT, label publicists provided an annual survey that denotes comings and goings on their rosters since March 2009.
Among those who have gone their separate ways are Kenny Rogers from Capitol, Trace Adkins from Capitol (who has since signed with Show Dog-Universal), SheDaisy from Lyric Street, Emerson Drive from Valory Music Co., Randy Owen from Broken Bow and Hal Ketchum, the Bellamy Brothers and Hank Williams Jr. from Curb Records.
With all due respect to privacy policies, it is not noted by label publicists whether an artist was dropped by the label, or if the artist declined to renew their contract.
Also moving on this past year has been Jessica Andrews and Trent Tomlinson from Lyric Street, Rhonda Vincent from Rounder, Jennifer Hanson and Shooter Jennings from Show Dog-Universal, Jason Michael Carroll from Arista, Pat Green from BNA, Shelby Lynne from Lost Highway, and Keith Anderson and Gretchen Wilson from Columbia Nashville. Gretchen of course, has since launched her own label, Redneck Records.
According to CountryMusicTattleTale, record deals have also been axed for Kevin Costner and ...
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4/5/2010
They've certainly reached the point in their careers where they can headline their own massive shows, but both Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks are thrilled to be opening acts later this year. The country superstar and best-selling female group of all time have been asked to join the Eagles on select dates of the legendary country-rockers' summer stadium tour. The Boot talked to both openers about the huge honor.
"To grow grow up listening to all the Eagles records ... to be a huge Don Henley fan, Joe Walsh fan, Glenn [Frey] and all the boys ... it's phenomenal," Keith gushes. "I'm so thrilled to play on these shows, and I wish we could do more of them!"
The Eagles tour also marks the first time in four years that the Chicks will perform live together. Martie Maguire, Emily Robison and Natalie Maines have been on a touring hiatus since the shows supporting their Grammy-sweeping 2006 album, 'Taking the Long Way.'
Emily Robison"We really are just doing it for fun," Emily explains to The Boot. "The opportunity arose, and all three of us were really into it. The thought of being able to open up shows for the Eagles ...
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4/1/2010
Tim McGraw has released 10 studio albums since he first signed to Curb Records almost 20 years ago. In spite of dozens of Top 10 singles and millions of albums sold, the singer-turned-actor reveals he's more than ready to act on finally leaving the label tied to much of his musical success.
"In the history of the music business, artists and labels have not gotten along incredibly well," Tim tells the Vancouver Sun, "because there's a financial way to do things and there's an artistic way. There's just other things I would like to do, and I think the best part of my career is ahead of me."
What is unclear is whether Tim will sign to another label, or start his own. "I don't know," he admits. "I'm just gonna see what's best for me. The music business, there's no formula to it. You sort of have to find your own way. It's a changing industry, and it's not gonna be the way it was before. Labels do need to figure out how they're going to operate in the future, if they're going to operate."
Already announcing plans to record a duets album with his wife, Faith Hill, Tim ...
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4/1/2010
The first time Kimberly Williams-Paisley left her country star husband in charge of their son Huck, she was, he recalls, a nervous mother.
"She was going away to do a press thing in New York, and she gave me this list of things to do like: 'No gluten, make sure he takes his nap, don't let him watch TV,' " Brad Paisley says of the care needs of the now 3-year-old. So, he did what any caring husband would do: He punk'd his wife.
"We no sooner had a 'coast is clear' kind of situation, [then my band and I] went and bought a doll at Toys 'R Us – a life-size, most realistic doll we could find – and dressed it up in the same clothes [as Huck] and filmed," says the practical jokester, known for pranking tour mates Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler.
"We had the doll on a horse, and we wanted to see how far down this hill the stroller would go and what would happen. We filmed all this stuff – these fictitious things that I put my son through – like shooting a gun. He was shooting a revolver at a target, and he's ...
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