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Remember to VOTE!

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Nominees were announced yesterday (Wednesday) for the 2011 CMT Music Awards, to be handed out June 8 in Nashville. Fan voting will take place at CMT.com. The nominees are:

  • Video of the Year: JASON ALDEAN, My Kind of Party; KENNY CHESNEY, Boys of Fall; LADY ANTEBELLUM, Hello World; MIRANDA LAMBERT, The House That Built Me; RASCAL FLATTS, Why Wait; SUGARLAND, Stuck Like Glue; TAYLOR SWIFT, Mine; THE BAND PERRY, If I Die Young; CARRIE UNDERWOOD, Undo It; ZAC BROWN BAND, Colder Weather
  • Male Video of the Year: JASON ALDEAN, My Kinda Party; KENNY CHESNEY, Boys of Fall; TOBY KEITH, Bullets In The Gun; BLAKE SHELTON, Who Are You When I’m Not Looking; KEITH URBAN, Without You
  • Female Video of the Year: SARA EVANS, A Little Bit Stronger; MIRANDA LAMBERT, The House That Built Me; REBA MCENTIRE, Turn On The Radio; TAYLOR SWIFT, Mine; CARRIE UNDERWOOD, Undo It- Group Video of the Year: LADY ANTEBELLUM, Hello World; LITTLE BIG TOWN, Little White Church; RASCAL FLATTS, Why Wait; THE BAND PERRY, If I Die Young; ZAC BROWN BAND, Colder Weather
  • Duo Video of the Year: STEEL MAGNOLIA, Last Night Again; SUGARLAND, Stuck Like Glue; THE CIVIL WARS, Barton Hollow; THE JANEDEAR GIRLS, Wildflower; THOMPSON SQUARE, Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not
  • USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year: LEE BRICE, Love Like Crazy; AARON LEWIS, Country Boy; JERROD NIEMANN, Lover, Lover; THE BAND PERRY, If I Die Young; THOMPSON SQUARE, Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not
  • Collaborative Video of the Year: JASON ALDEAN/KELLY CLARKSON, Don’t You Wanna Stay; JUSTIN BIEBER/RASCAL FLATTS, That Should Be Me; KID ROCK/SHERYL CROW, Collide; AARON LEWIS/GEORGE JONES/CHARLIE DANIELS, Country Boy; LORETTA LYNN/MIRANDA LAMBERT/SHERYL CROW, Coal Miner’s Daughter
  • CMT Performance of the Year: MARTINA MCBRIDE with Train, A Broken Wing from CMT Crossroads; REBA MCENTIRE, If I Were A Boy from CMT Unplugged: Reba; DARIUS RUCKER with Adele, Need You Now from CMT Artists of the Year 2010; KEITH URBAN with John Mayer, Sweet Thing from CMT Crossroads; ZAC BROWN BAND with Jimmy Buffett from CMT Crossroads
  • Best Web Video of the Year: JASON ALDEAN, My Kinda Party; LUKE BRYAN, It’s A Shore Thing; LADY ANTEBELLUM, Stars Tonight; BLAKE SHELTON, Kiss My Country Ass; TAYLOR SWIFT, Mine

Most of the votes can made on the individual artist’s web pages…. so, get Voting!

Another new baby!!

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Zac Brown and his wife welcomed their fourth daughter in four years on Wednesday.

Shelly Brown delivered Joni Mason Brown Wednesday morning at the couple’s Atlanta-area home, according to a posting on the band’s web site. The baby weighs 7 pounds, 14 ounces. She joins three sisters: 4-year-old Justice, 2-year-old Lucy and 1-year-old Georgia.

The band is up for four Grammy Awards next week and just received five Academy of Country Music Awards nominations as a band. Brown got four nominations as a producer and composer.

info provided by CST

Walker Hayes won’t wait

Monday, February 7th, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011 – Walker Hayes is out with a new single Why Wait For Summer. The single ships to radio today and will go for official radio adds on Feb 21.The singer’s first single was Pants.

Hayes co-wrote the new single with Fred Wilhelm. There was no set date for a CD release.

On his debut, Walker Hayes seems to be aiming for the tongue-in-cheek country rock territory inhabited by Brad Paisley. But without the obvious undercurrent of good humor and genuine affection that softens Paisley’s work, he paints a rather grim picture of the state of male-female relations.

Hayes has apparently yet to meet a sexual metaphor he can’t put to bad use. It’s only four songs long, and from beginning to end, the EP maintains a firm focus on sex. The opening Pants features a controlling shrew for a love interest. But that’s okay, because, as the song says, “she can wear the pants, as long as I can take ‘em off her.”

Kitchen Table opens with a young couple picking up a used table for their new home and putting it to its obvious use, at least as far as these songs go: sex. The relationship goes straight downhill from there – the only good memories that warrant mention are sexual.

Cherry Stem is about a skilled manipulator using a man only for her own pleasure.

To close things out, Naked aims for a little more depth. Nakedness is used as a metaphor for baring souls instead of bodies. Hayes contends that “there’s more to love than just the way we make it,” but that stands in marked contrast to the actual content of the album.

info provided by Country Standard Time

Casrter’s Chord – NEW music!

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Sister trio Carter’s Chord released a new single, A Little Less Comfortable, Tuesday on ShowDog-Universal.

Carter’s Chord is comprised of singer/songwriters Becky, Emma, and Joanna Robertson. The siblings were born in Southern California, where parents Barny and Carter Robertson (both of whom had previously toured with Waylon Jennings as members of the Waylors) filled their household with country and Christian music.

They made their major-label debut when Jennings enlisted the girls to sing on “Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals & Dirt, “a country album aimed at children and produced by the girls’ father.

The Robertsons soon relocated to Nashville where they hooked up with Toby Keith. Following a showcase at a Nashville club on Valentine’s Day 2006, Keith signed the sisters, who christened their group “Carter’s Chord” in reference to a musical triad.

info provided by Country Standard Time

Strait tour resumes Friday

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 – The George Strait tour continues into 2011, starting up again Friday in Austin with Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack opening. The trio will continue through April 9 in Louisville.

Pollstar recently announced its “Top 50 North American Tours for 2010,” and the Strait, McEntire and Womack tour was the top country music tour of the year. The tour was number 14 overall, list grossing over $41.6 million.

While the first date on the 2011 tour, Friday will be another first for Strait. Strait teamed up with RedShirtsFridays.org to show support for U.S. military servicemen and women. He personally began participating in “Red Shirt Friday” during the holidays and will continue that tradition this Friday as he wears a red shirt to perform at the Austin tour stop. Strait is also encouraging fans to wear red shirts to all of his Friday shows.

“We are going to wear red shirts to every Friday’s tour date and we encourage the fans to do the same,” said Strait. “I want to see a building full of red shirts if possible.”

Tour dates are:
Jan. 14 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
Jan. 15 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
Jan. 27 Tallahassee, FL Leon County Civic Center
Jan. 28 Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Arena
Jan. 29 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
Feb. 4 Fresno, CA SaveMart Center
Feb. 5 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Feb. 17 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
Feb. 18 Cleveland, OH Quickens Loan Arena
Feb. 19 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace
March 4 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena
March 5 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
March 25 Lubbock, TX United Spirit Arena
March 26 Las Cruces, NM Pan American Center
April 1 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
April 2 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
April 8 Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena
April 9 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Arena

info provided by Country Standard Time

Chesney produces football show for ESPN

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011 – Kenny Chesney continues his love of football as producer of a one-hour special on former University of Tennessee football star Condredge Holloway for ESPN’s year-long, Year of The Quarterback initiative. The documentary will air Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. eastern on ESPN.Chesney, who wore Holloway’s jersey number when he played high school football, idolized the University of Tennessee. “Condredge has meant so much to so many and is a very important figure in my life and to the history of college football,” said Chesney. “I’m excited, with the help of Shaun Silva, to tell his story, to show his journey, and to help show the world just how influential he was to how the game is played today and how many doors he opened for so many athletes that have followed in his footsteps,” he said.

Holloway was the first African-American to start at quarterback in the Southeastern Conference.

Year of The Quarterback will try to find a deeper understanding of one of sports’ most high-profile positions. The series will examine the leadership qualities, mental toughness, as well as issues of race and recruitment from the blue chip high school recruit to the Heisman hopeful, to the NFL legend.

Chesney recently put together the documentary “Boys of Fall” about football. His second single from “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” Somewhere With You, is fourth on the charts. Chesney is set to begin rehearsals for his “Goin’ Coastal” Tour, which includes 10 stadium shows, and kicks off in March.

info provided by Country Standard Time

Jewel is going to be a MOM!!

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 – Jewel is pregnant.The singer broke the news on her web site today, “I have some exciting news… Ty and I are expecting! .”

Jewel married the rodeo star and went to the country side thereafter. She has released two albums with Big Machine.

Jewel’s web site referred readers to the People web site. Jewel said she learned the news on the first day of her job as the co-host of Bravo’s upcoming new reality show “Going Platinum.” “I took a pregnancy test and it was positive,” Jewel told People. “It was so hard to keep it a secret. I was worried I’d start throwing up on set and everyone would be like, ‘Oh, she’s pregnant.’ ”

No birth date was given, but Jewel is in her second trimester, People said. The couple has been trying for a baby for two years. “I have always been a workaholic, so I had to learn how to slow down and take care of myself in a different way,” Jewel said.

The couple live on a 2,200-acre ranch in Texas.

“I’m trying to be in the moment and really enjoy my pregnancy,” said Jewel. “I feel really lucky.”

info provided by Country Stand Time

Mallary Hope’ new single….

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Making her radio debut in 2009 with “Love Lives On,” Mallary Hope left country music fans on the edge of their seats waiting for more. Mallary Hope had done it again with her new single “Blossom in the Dust.” Only 21 years old, Hope has accomplished more than the average young adult. Her sincerity and talent will keep her going for years. Like many great artists before her, Dolly Parton inspired Hope from a young age.

Mallary made her debut in Nashville at age nine. She performed at the world famous Nashville palace where she sang the classics: “Unchained Melody” and “Daddy’s Hands.” “I just knew this is what I wanted to do,” Mallary said.

From there, she wrote her first song and formed her first band at age 12. She began singing at fairs all across the south. By the time she was a junior in high school she was performing in 150 shows a year.

Just before her senior year, he dad made the decision of her career. “He was outside mowing the lawn and came inside and said ‘I feel like God is telling me to move to Nashville,’” Mallary recalls. “I joke about this but little does my dad know I was sneaking into his bedroom at night whispering in his ear ‘This is God you need to move your daughter to Nashville.’”

Upon arrival, Mallary got to work. She immediately landed a song-publishing contract. During this time, she recorded almost 500 demos as a session singer. All her hard work paid off. At 21, she signed with MCA records. The world was introduced to Mallary in 2009 when she released her debut single “Love Lives On.”

Aside from the fame and glamour, Mallary knows who is driving her career. We know them as fans, but she calls them friends. “I really don’t like the word fan, I think it sounds silly,” Mallary says. Mallary keeps in touch with her fan base through her social networks. “A lot of people say I’m addicted to Facebook and twitter.” Mallary checks her Facebook, MySpace and Twitter daily. “I read all of it,” She said, and she responds. She recalls fans responding to her saying, “Is the really you?” and she replies, “Yeah it’s me, can’t you tell by all the misspellings?”

“It’s a blessing to hear that the music is touching people is a blessing to me to know we’re doing something positive and actually witness it with the messages.” Mallary said. “I love it. I feel like I have so many friends now that I get to talk to every day.”

After the release of her first single, “Love Lives On,” her fans would send her messages telling her about how the song touched them in the mist of their grief from the loss of a loved one, missing their boyfriend, or going through a divorce. Upon receiving these emails and messages Mallary recalls, “I would stay up til 2 or 3 in the morning crying.” Reacting to the phenomenal response to her music Mallary recalls her parents saying, “Ok I think we made the right move by moving to Nashville.”

After the release of “Blossom in the Dust” her friends send her pictures of themselves holding a rose representing Rose in the song.” I think it’s cool that little girls are doing that.” She admits the steals the pictures and posts them on her page so she can share them with everyone else.

“I look forward to getting up and talking to everybody. It’s just fun!” she said. Mallary believes in making an impact with her music. “I like being able to write about real life.” “I always think that music is a healer.” Clearly, she is doing something right.

info provided by Country Standard Time

A Music Minute…

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

ACM Showcase show tickets go on sale

Tuesday, January 4, 2011 – Tickets for a taping of GAC’s ACM Showcase, an evening recognizing the newcomer nominees for the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, go on sale today.Luke Bryan will host the event as a special Grand Ole Opry performance on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. central at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The event will feature Top New Solo Vocalist nominees Eric Church, Randy Houser and Easton Corbin and Top New Vocal Duo or Group nominees The Band Perry, the JaneDear girls and Steel Magnolia.

Tickets are available at opry.com or by calling 1-800-SEE-OPRY.

This special will air at 10 p.m. eastern on Thursday, Jan. 27 on GAC and will kick off fan voting for these categories at VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM. Voting will close on Thursday, Feb. 24 at noon eastern tine. The winner in each category will be announced in March and will move on to compete for Top New Artist, with the winner being announced LIVE during the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast April 3 on the CBS.

“Each and every Opry performance is a journey which features the past, present, and future of country music,” said Grand Ole Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher. “Every year, fans visit the Opry to tune in and see, not only country’s superstars and legends, but also its new stars. We’re excited to kick this new year off with the Academy of Country Music and GAC for a special Opry performance showcasing six of country’s most talented new acts in one great night of music.”

The complete list of nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in February.

A Muisc Minute…

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Sugarland’s Nettles goes solo – for one show

Monday, January 3, 2011 – Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles is going solo – for one show anyway.Nettles will play a solo show at the Murchison Performing Arts Center in Denton, Texas on Jan. 15 to benefit Attic Community Playground, a non-profit organization supporting the performing arts.

“Attic Community Playground is one of my dearest charities,” Nettles said. “Art programs within schools continue to be cut. To me, this is a very sad fact. I not only enjoy a career in the arts, but I also enjoyed and benefited from the performing arts as a kid. Music, band, chorus, drama – each of them provided me with outlets of emotional exploration and self expression and offered me an avenue to develop self confidence.”

Proceeds from the show will go to the Ponder High School Band and Choir Program in Ponder, Texas, and the music program at The Museum School of Avondale Estates, Georgia, a suburb of Nettles’ adopted hometown of Atlanta.

Jack Ingram will open the show, which Nettles said “should be a night of banter, music and, of course, fun for a good cause


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