Headlines of the Day

Daily gossip aside, perhaps there are no two stories larger today than the devastating flooding in Nashville and Chely Wright.

Music City, USA, as Nashville is nicknamed, is the center point of where country music is created, recorded, promoted, and memorialized. Between the 24/7 music venues, the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, country music is a major source of tourism in the city. And conveniently, it’s where many of its artists choose to make a home to make a living. Nashville is also located on the banks of the Cumberland River, and when it rains, and rains, and rains, …. and rains, rivers swell and overflow, causing disastrous flooding. With reports regaling the damages to the Opryland complex and threats to the lower Broadway area, one can only imagine how the city will deal with the upcoming CMA Music Fest. That is only one event, but it bring thousands of tourists from around the world descending upon downtown. And it’s about a month away. But today, locals are losing their lives and property to the wrath of mother nature. As part of the greater family of the country music industry, our thoughts and prayers go out to all in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area who have been affected by the flooding and storms. Here’s what some of the artists have been saying on Twitter:

- Little Big Town: "So much flooding here ... so many friends having trouble. Praying for everyones safety."
- Rascal Flatts band members, Joe Don Rooney: "Everyone please pray for Nashville. The flooding is horrible, and the rain is still coming," while his band mate Jay DeMarcus wrote: Nashville is a disaster area! I've never seen anything like this!!"
- Kellie Picker said when she was driving past her little brother Eric's school, "there are kids floating in inner tubes down the street and in the school yard."
- Brad Paisley: "two giraffes, two elephants and two rhinos walking down the street toward a HUGE boat. Thinking about following them."
- Reba McEntire: "Lots of prayers are going up for everyone affected by the weather. I've never seen this much rain and water!!!"
- Kenny Chesney: “TN is a mess with floods. If you're fortunate enough to help out, hit up the mid-TN Red Cross. Stay safe, everyone.”
- James Otto: "I'm worried about my city! I wonder what will be gone when I get back? I left two days ago, and it seemed not a worry in sight. Pray for Nashville!"
- Lady Antebellum: “Our thoughts are with everyone hit by flooding in Nashville. Donate to the American Red Cross in Nashville to help.”
- John Rich: "Seven-feet deep in Granny Rich's basement! Fire Department is picking her up in a boat." He later tweeted an update that she had been rescued.

Meanwhile, Chely Wright has broken the unwritten barrier in the mostly-conservative format of country music and acknowledged her homosexuality. More on her position will appear in the interview she granted to People magazine, hitting newsstands with the next issue on Friday. An excerpt appeared yesterday on People.com, "There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality. I wasn't going to be the first." Raised in rural Kansas, the 39-year-old singer-songwriter said she didn't feel as though she could be honest about her sexuality during her youth or after embarking on a country music career. "I hid everything for my music," she told the magazine. She also said, "Nothing in my life has been more magical than the moment I decided to come out." Chely's announcement coincides with the release of a new album, Lifted Off the Ground, today and the publication of her memoir, Like Me. The new album was produced by Rodney Crowell. She is scheduled to appear Wednesday on NBC's Today.