It Sure Is Monday

So Trevor Bayne became the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500 yesterday, and country stars entertained. Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley each performed prior to the start of the race, and Martina McBride covered the National Anthem. Brad also drove the pace car at the race, commenting on Twitter that it was the most “ridiculously exciting thing” he’s ever done. Other celebrities participating in the events of the day included movie director Michael Bay, and actors Josh Duhamel and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who gave the command to drivers to start their engines. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Glenn Beck were also spotted in attendance.

You may be hearing more and more about the Boot Campaign from some of your favorite country artists. Organizers have asked celebrities to be photographed in a pair of military boots as a way to show support by walking in their shoes. Joe Nichols is just one star participating, and he said that it is a very cool way to tribute the military. Joe found another way to pay tribute to the military by featuring a couple of American heroes in his video for “The Shape I’m In.”

And finally, if your anxious to get an inside peek at The Judds, the new series will premiere on April 10th on the Oprah Winfrey Network. For the first time on television, you’ll see the private and public lives of Naomi and Wynonna Judd. The six-episode show follows the mother-daughter duo as they hit the road for their first and final concert tour in ten years. Cameras capture their emotional journey as they work to heal their relationship, reconnect with their fans, and share the spotlight once again.

Tuesday Newsday

News From Around The Country
Lee Greenwood will headline the Hyundai Halftime Show at the Sun Bowl. The game will be broadcast from Sun Bowl Stadium at noon on December 31st on CBS. ….. Kenny Rogers has been presented with the key to Atlantic City for his efforts to perform in and promote the city. After accepting, Kenny said, “I have a key to the city of Florence, Idaho, and this is so much better.” This is Kenny’s 12th key-to-a-city recognition. ….. People Magazine is offering free downloads of Christmas music performed by several country artists. Some of the freebies on their website include Brad Paisley’s “Away in a Manger,” Joe Nichols’ “O Holy Night,” and Rascal Flatts’ “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

Record Setting Friday

Kenny Chesney has something else to celebrate this week besides the release of his album, Hemingway’s Whiskey. His current single “The Boys of Fall” has put Kenny in Billboard’s record books for having at least one number one single in each year, for the past 10 years. In the charts 66-year history, only six artists have had longer runs than Kenny including:
· 19 years, George Strait, 1982-2000
· 16 years, Ronnie Milsap, 1974-89
· 14 years, Alabama, 1980-93
· 12 years, Loretta Lynn, 1967-78
· 11 years, Tim McGraw, 1994-2004
· 11 years, Dolly Parton, 1977-87
· 10 years, Conway Twitty, 1968-77
· 10 years, Merle Haggard, 1967-76

Joe Nichols was a contestant last week on CMT’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader and he walked away with $125,000 in prize money that he donated to Camp Barnabas, a Missouri Christian camp for people with special needs. Joe’s younger sister, Kelli, has attended the camp for the past several years, and according to the camp’s co-founder, the money will go towards building a new Health Care Facility to take care of the 1,300 campers.

Montgomery Gentry, who recently parted ways with their longtime label, wrote a letter to fans to clear up the duo’s future. The statement said, “Eddie and Troy here. As you may have heard, there were plans to release a ‘Greatest Hits’ yesterday but we wanted to make sure you knew that would not be happening. BUT, know that we are working on an album of brand new material. We are more motivated than ever to get the biggest and baddest Montgomery Gentry album ever out there! Hang in there and we’ll get that done as quickly as we can. In the meantime, we can’t wait to see you out on the road!”

Fresh From The Horse's Mouth

You may recall, (or can scroll down to see) that on Wednesday reported rumors were flying around the internet that Bucky Covington was engaged. This news has now been confirmed, as Midday personality, Sheila, had the chance to talk to Bucky prior to his show at the New Mexico State Fair, Expo NM, in Albuquerque. Congratulations are in order for Bucky and his fiance, Katherine Cook.

Thursday night crowds were light at the self-proclaimed “Biggest Show in New Mexico.” No radio presence was apparent in the local market; but The Country Station had a representative in attendance to share the story of the evening with the Southern New Mexico radio audience! Bucky Covington rocked the house! The only time the show slowed was for his charted #1 hit, “I’ll Walk,” and a new song, “Hold A Woman,” that will be on the upcoming album, and that Bucky proclaims as his “sexy song.” He’s not too far off. Standing above the stage’s cooling fan to let his long, wavy locks blow in the breeze proved to be too much to handle for one young lady who jumped on stage to be the woman he held. She was quickly escorted off. After the catch-your-breath moments, the show picked back up to rock-star speed and never slowed down, despite the lessening crowd. Throughout the show, several new songs were featured along with format favorites, “A Different World,” “It’s Good To Be Us,” and the most recent chart-climber, “A Father’s Love.” The closure of Lyric Street records earlier in the year has forced Bucky to be looking at new labels, but deals are reportedly close, which could see the release of the highly-anticipated second album, I’m Alright, in coming months. Bucky and the band played several of the new songs for the State Fair audience. It’s debatable, but live performances are not always a fair platform to judge reactions to unfamiliar songs. Judging by Bucky’s energetic vocals and the upbeat melodies that the band was rockin’, new songs such as “Lamppost,” “Giants,” “Mexicoma” and “Mama Must Be Prayin’” are sure to delight with a studio recording. Your humble scribe has already had the chance to preview several new studio recordings, and one song in particular, “Evil Knievel,” lives up to the standard heard recently in other ‘country-folk-rockin’-a-good-time-in-a-small-town’ hits from artists like Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, and Josh Thompson. It’s just a matter of time until the new project is released from the high-energy country boy that the droves of country fans residing in Albuquerque should be disappointed that they didn’t bother to come see.

News From Around The Country
Taylor Swift’s former high school, Henderson High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, will name its auditorium in her honor. Taylor studied at the school during her freshman and sophomore years. She donated 75-thousand dollars to the school in 2009 to update the sound and lighting systems in the auditorium. School board chairman Don Long said Taylor did not request changing the auditorium's name. In other Taylor news, she will be part of Scholastic’s Global Literacy Campaign with a live webcast on October 27th. Designed exclusively for schools, Taylor will take questions from students in an online-chat format. ….. And finally, the RIAA has issued Digital Triple-Platinum (download) status to Carrie Underwood for her hit, “Before He Cheats.” Carrie also received a Gold award for “Undo It” which has sold more than 500-thousand downloads. Joe Nichols and Miranda Lambert also received Gold download recognition for “Gimmie That Girl” and “The House That Built Me,” respectively.

Music. Music. Music.

With summer comin’, compilations of previously released music are getting ready to come out to provide the beat to the season. Just in time for America’s birthday, Now That’s What I Call the USA (The Patriotic Country Collection) will be in stores on June 15th. The CD will contain 17 tracks, including Carrie Underwood's "All-American Girl," Trace Adkins' "Arlington," Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America," Kenny Chesney's "Back Where I Come From" and Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This." A portion of the proceeds from every album will benefit troops and military families. In related releases, Lady Antebellum's "American Honey" and Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me" are the only country songs included on Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 34, also scheduled for a June 15th. And if you can hold out until September 14th, Randy Houser will release his 12-track sophomore studio album, They Call Me Cadillac.

Joe Nichols’ fans have a couple chances to watch their man sing this month. Tonight, Joe is scheduled to perform "Gimme That Girl" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Then on May 25th, he’ll perform the same multi-week No. 1 hit on ABC's The View. The single comes from his 2009 album, Old Things New.

It's Friday! And almost May....

News From Around The Country
Not too long ago, there was a vote. Time Magazine has now compiled their “Most Influential” list, and Taylor Swift has been ranked at number nine. Others recognized on the list include, Robert Pattinson, Sandra Bullock, and Ashton Kutcher. ….. Meanwhile, People magazine has released their list of Most Beautiful People, and both Taylor and Carrie Underwood have made the list. This is Carrie’s fourth time being selected for the honor, as well as Julia Roberts' –who will grace the cover of the issue as the most beautiful person. …… Congratulations to Emerson Drive’s lead singer Brad Mates and wife Jana welcomed baby boy Tyler Robert at 7:04 p.m. Wednesday in Nashville. ….. Garth Brooks teamed up with NFL legend Troy Aikman to create a play area called the Child Life Zone in Denver’s Health Medical Center. The play area for children battling cancer was built with funds from both Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and the Troy Aikman Foundation. ….. Joe Nichols says the chances of him starring as Rusty in the Broadway adaptation of Pure Country are getting slimmer and slimmer. Broadway in general isn’t doing well so the production has been pushed back causing possible scheduling conflicts for Joe. ….. Alan Jackson will dedicate his May 22nd show in Charleston, West Virginia, to families who lost loved ones in the Upper Big Branch Mining Disaster. Profits from the show will go towards a local disaster fund to assist the families of the 29 miners who lost their lives. ….. Kid Rock will be hosting the CMT Music Awards, live from Nashville on June 9th. …. And finally, just click here if you’d like to take advantage of People Magazine’s “First Look” at an upcoming ad featuring George Strait for the “Don’t Mess With Texas” anti-litter campaign.

Caution: Hot Bachelors Ahead

Yesterday, it was revealed that Gary Allan took the lion’s share of the votes to become Country Weekly’s hottest bachelor. The rest of the Top 10 have been announced. Are you ready?

Gary Allan – is it the tattoos or just something sexy about getting off on the pain?
Chris Young – always ranked highly, it will be a devastation to the voting public if Chris ever marries.
Josh Thompson – ladies are lovin’ a man that can bring home the beer.
Chuck Wicks – six words: dance routines in the silk jammies.
Keith Anderson – who doesn’t love Mr. XXL?
Danny Gokey – last year’s Idol voters are still fresh in practice for their man.
Jake Owen – a man that promises an 8 second ride cannot NOT get the ladies attention.
Bucky Covington - Buckaneers love their man. Just wait, the country audience in general hasn’t even heard his sexy song yet.
Phil Vassar – the piano man is still tinkling the ivories of the voter’s hearts.
Stephen Barker Liles – from Love & Theft. One third of the group is married; the other third will surely be envious of this title.

News From Around The Country
Joe Nichols has been named the new face of Roper Apparel and will soon be featured in the company’s advertising and marketing campaign. ….. Toby Keith will embark on a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour later this month with seventeen shows in eleven days for U.S. troops. Toby will be visiting Afghanistan, and his band will be supporting him on several of the shows. On these USO Tours, Toby says he breaks out the funs songs for the soldiers, “My songs for the troops are a little different, they are a little humorous. I’ve got my own little group of songs. She didn’t say no, she said hell no, I try to entertain the troops with a smile.” Toby recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the Military Officers Association of America which recognizes civilians who give back to military personnel. ….. And finally, it you wanted a better look at the childhood videos that were playing behind Lady Antebellum when they performed on the recent ACM Awards, you can see them in their latest Webisode Wednesday video.

Thursday Briefing

Joe Nichols has partnered with TheHopeLine in creating a website designed to help people who are struggling with addictions (www.anoldfriendofmine.com). The partnership came about when Dave Anderson, TheHopeLine's director of rescue, saw Joe's music video for "An Old Friend Of Mine." Both the song and video depict the battle with substance abuse, and the song is the closing track on Joe’s upcoming CD release, Old Things New. TheHopeLine will make a HopeCoach available to moderate the chat room on Thursdays from 7pm to 9pm Eastern for an entire month, beginning this week. The goal is to help individuals find help and hope in a moment of need. Having struggled with addiction issues himself, Joe says it was a song he could relate to. Old Things New will be in stores on October 27th.

News From Around The Country
Another Little Big Baby is on the way. This time it’s the married couple within Little Big Town who are expanding the family. Karen Fairchild has announced that she is pregnant with her first baby with husband, Jimi Westbrook. The new baby will be the third for the group, since Kimberly and Phillip each have one child with their respective spouses. …. LeAnn Rimes has announced that she is in the recording studio working on a new project slated for release next spring. She’s been writing all of the songs for the project and confesses that they are definitely about her life, which includes her very public, recent affair and pending divorce. Leann says it’s great therapy.

Old Music Is New Again

A second volume of Hank Williams' rare performances from the Mother's Best Radio Show will be released on November 3rd by Time Life. Unreleased Recordings, the three-disc set features dialogue and banter from the show, as well three full shows in their entirety. The collection also offers Williams' earliest public performance of “Cold, Cold Heart.” …. January 8th would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday and to mark the occasion, Legacy Recordings is releasing a 100-song box set. The four-disc package, Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight, promises to be a career-spanning retrospective of The King’s work. It opens with 1953’s “My Happiness” and ends with the hit 2002 remix of “A Little Less Conversation.” The set also includes an 80-page booklet and will be on shelves on December 8th. A single-disc version of the album will come out on January 5th.

Half Off Concert Tickets!

It’s Half Off Wednesday! This week, you can save half on a family four-pack of tickets to the Southern NM State Fair and Rodeo! That’s an excellent bargain any day, but even more valuable when you consider that you could choose to use your tickets for admission the day that Josh Grider or the Eli Young Band plays live! Check here for all the details.

No Kenny in '10. Kenny Chesney is taking a break next year, and will not do the major stadium tour that has become nearly an annual event in some markets. Kenny insists that he is not quitting, he is only scaling back to recharge his batteries, reconnect with family and friends, and work on some new music.

Gretchen Wilson will be presented today with the National Coalition for Literacy's Literacy Leadership Award during a reception at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The event is sponsored by the NCL and the Center for the Book. Gretchen has taken a high-profile role in promoting literacy after earning her GED last year. The award honors those who have made extraordinary contributions to improving literacy and raising awareness of adult literacy in the U.S.

News From Around The Country
Wynonna will be the special guest on the 2009 Santa Train going through Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia to deliver toys to children this Christmas. … Joe Nichols has been invited to perform his single "Believers" at a ceremony honoring His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Missing Peace Music and Art Program, the Dalai Lama's Foundation. … Toby Keith will receive the Nashville Songwriters Association International Songwriter/Artist of the Decade (2000-2009) award on October 18th. … And finally, Luke Bryan has announced his first 17-date headlining tour this fall to kick off his sophomore album, Doin’ My Thing, which drops October 6th.

Mid Week Coffee Break

Darius Rucker's first country album, Learn to Live, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 1 million copies. He has become the first artist in almost 17 years to top Billboard's country chart with three consecutive number one singles from a solo debut album -- "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright."

News From Around The Country
Sara Evan’s new fictional novel The Sweet By And By has been released. It’s the reported first of three. … Reba McEntire is the newest country artist to get an iPhone and iPod application. The app is available online, featuring music, photos, videos, games and blog updates. … After five years of negotiation, a movie about Hank Williams is in the works. With the cooperation of the Hank Williams Estate, the project will have access to Hank's biggest hits. The script will be based on the Colin Escott book, Hank Williams: The Biography. … Clint Black has a new television series to work on. He will be the Executive Director of American Storytellers, one-hour episodes that will turn current and classic country tunes into dramas for television.

And finally, today’s video comes from Joe Nichols’ recent 10-day visit to Iraq. Based on his new song “Believers,” Joe interviewed soldiers along the way to ask about what they believed in.

Mark Your Calendars

Jennifer Nettles may be on vocal rest, but Sugarland will be making a big week of their Live On The Inside DVD release. On August 3rd, the night before the DVD release, ABC will air a special about Jennifer and Kristian and their concert compilation. Then on August 6th, certain movie theatres across the country will be showing the DVD on the big screen. The closest showing in our neck of the woods will be at a theatre in El Paso.

Joe Nichols has finally given us a date for his new album that contains the current single, “Believers.” Old Things New will be out on September 29th. Look forward to guests Vince Gill and Jamey Johnson. Vince sings on the title track and Jamey contributes a song called, “Cheaper Than a Shrink,” which he co-wrote with Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.

Little Big Thursday News

Little Big Town recently hosted their third “Ride For A Cure” to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation. This year’s event was a huge success and raised $52,000 for cancer research.
Karen Fairchild is very proud of the event and says,"We have seen this event double in size every year and we are so grateful for all the artists and fans support. We want to see a cure and we believe TJ Martell has the means and the resources to make that happen in our lifetime. I had the chance to talk to a guy who was riding his brother's bike on Sunday. His brother had passed from cancer two years prior and he was there to ride in his honor. That's the kind of story that fuels this event."

Do you remember when Kenny Chesney opened Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana last year? There was a big brew-haha because fans weren’t too thrilled with the sound quality. Well this year, before Kenny returns to the stadium, he’s taking matters into his own hands and opening his wallet for a better stadium sound system so his fans will have the best concert experience possible. Total, 700-thousand dollars is being spent upgrading the stadium. Kenny’s pitching in 500-thousand dollars and the other 200-thousand is being covered by the building authority. The amount of speakers will be increased up to 25-percent allowing the upper bowl to actually hear the concert.

News From Around The Country
Jason Aldean has broken his own previous records and gone gold in just 10 weeks! The success of the newest CD Wide Open is due largely in part to the smash single, “She’s Country.” Meanwhile, the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack has been certified platinum for sales over one million since its release March 24th. Joe Nichols was honored to perform as part of a star-studded line-up at last week's 40th Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards in New York. He sang the Rodgers and Hammerstein composition “If I Loved You” from Carousel.

It's Finally Friday!

The end of a short week finds country music pretty busy with quite a few little mentions. John Rich voluntarily turned himself in to the Metro Davidson County Criminal Justice Center in Nashville yesterday afternoon. He is facing misdemeanor charges brought against him by former Nashville Star contestant Jared Ashley and Nashville attorney Chris Sevier. Last month, both men filed civil lawsuits against one another after an alleged altercation between the pair took place in March.

Times up on Carrie Underwood’s highway signs. The signs on Interstate 40 and U.S. 69 in Oklahoma proclaim Checotah Home of Carrie Underwood American Idol 2005. The signs are located near the interstate and highway exits into the town and are being removed by the state. It seems that Oklahoma Transportation Department regulations require them to be removed from state property after two years. But the signs aren’t going very far. They were given to the city of Checotah and will be placed within the city limits.

George Strait won Wednesday night. That’s TV talk that says Wednesday night’s George Strait: ACM Artist of the Decade All-Star Concert controlled the television ratings for the evening. With no reality singers to watch, the public was forced to watch the pros, so the special drew 10.6 million viewers.

News From Around The Country
Big Kenny of Big & Rich and Big Machine Records president and CEO Scott Borchetta will join Naomi Judd as judges on the second season of CMT's Can You Duet. Kellie Pickler has been forced to cancel two concerts because she is suffering from bronchitis. Darius Rucker now has his own iPhone application. Check out iTunes.com to download it for free. Miley Cyrus has two MTV Movie Award nominations this weekend. She has nods in the Breakthrough Female Performance for her role in Hannah Montana: The Movie and also for Best Song From a Movie for “The Climb”. LeAnn Rimes will be a presenter Sunday night. And finally, Joe Nichols will be in California over the next few days to film a tribute to popular children’s program host Mr. Rogers, who would have been 80 this year. Joe will be doing his new single "Believers" with a children’s choir, and the LA Philharmonic.

Will The Real Faith Hill Please Stand Up

On TV … Trace Adkins will be performing “Til The Last Shot’s Fired” to close the National Memorial Day Concert on May 24th. The event is always telecast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Trace will be accompanied by his band, the National Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Army Chorus, The Soldiers' Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, and the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters.

In Magazines … Faith Hill is on the May cover of Redbook Magazine. Look for it starting Tuesday (4/28). Along with the interview, Faith got the chance to be dolled up to resemble 3 of her favorite blonds: Grace Kelly, Twiggy, and Bridget Bardot. The transformations are amazing. Get a preview here. Meanwhile, Martina McBride can be seen in the Hot Hollywood Style issue of US Magazine.com with a set of pictures that display her evolving fashion style.

On the Internet … Joe Nichols is asking for your help to be a part of the video for his new single, “Believers.” He wants to produce a montage of fans’ short messages stating why you are a believer. So get the video cameras turned on for a few seconds and state your peace. Good luck being chosen to be a part of the video. For details on how to enter the contest, Joe explains:

Pre-Release Hype Has Made The Climb

Hannah Montana, The Movie, opens nationwide today. It’s an extension of the TV show, but because this super-sized episode was largely filmed on location in Tennessee, there is a lot more country music throughout the movie. Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus star, but look for cameos from Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Bucky Covington, and Marcel. The Flatts and Taylor pretty much play themselves as friends of "Miley" and each sing well-placed numbers. Bucky and Marcel can be seen as band members in Miley and/or Billy Ray's bands. Last night in Nashville, the red carpet premiere saw plenty of celebrity with children in tow: Sara Evans, Phil Vassar, Martina McBride, Clint Black and Big Kenny.

If country music infiltrating the tween pop world isn’t enough for you, how about more country music on the Great White Way? Dolly took 9 to 5 to Broadway, next up is Pure Country. Joe Nichols will play the lead role in the Broadway version of the film. Joe is supposed to be going to New York City at the end of October, so that the show can start in early 2010. Joe said the production is an updated version of the 1992 movie. Asked how he feels about stepping into a role originated by George Strait, Joe said, "It feels pretty amazing. He's been a hero of mine since I was a little kid so to come along behind him … on Broadway and do something that people dream their whole lives of doing is pretty amazing."

News From Around The Country
Keith Urban debuted Defying Gravity at the top of the sales charts. It’s the first of his albums to best the number three opening slot that he’s so familiar with. Toby Keith has reportedly backed out of his next movie project due to a production conflict with his annual USO tour. Taylor Swift donated her prom dress to an online auction that helps girls give and receive the dress of their dreams; it earned $1200. And finally, all that dancing seems to be paying off. With more than one-half million profile views, Chuck Wicks ranks as the number two country artist on MySpace for the past two weeks, second only to Carrie Underwood.

And your Harley photo of the day: Brad Mates from Emerson Drive:

Big Things In Store For Fans

It pays to be a Jimmy Wayne fan. Recently, three Michigan fans were on their way to Jimmy’s Bay City concert when their car broke down. A tie-rod blew out a few blocks from the venue. The fans were told it would take until the next day to get it fixed, so they’d have to stay in a hotel overnight. Word of the fan’s plight made its way to Jimmy, so they were taken backstage to meet him, where he immediately offered to pay for their repairs! The fans told him that they couldn’t accept that kind of generosity, yet Jimmy insisted that he either pick up the repairs or the hotel!

Little Big Town has chosen the four opening acts for their A Place To Land Tour. Over the course of four weeks, 300 acts competed for the chance to break out their career by opening the show. The four winners are Josey Greenwell from Bardstown, Ky.; 32 Below from Fargo, N.D.; Corinne Chapman from Nashville; and J.W. Cudd from Nashville. Shows are selling out nationwide, and each act will open a different date on the tour.

Keith Urban is pre-releasing new music from his Defying Gravity CD. The physical disc doesn’t come out until March 31, but Keith is going to start early by releasing a new song a week. If you play along and buy the rest of the album within two weeks of release, you’ll get a bonus track, “Call My Name.” Keith will do podcasts about each song at it releases on iTunes. The schedule is::
March 3: Complete My Album Campaign begins with "Sweet Thing"
March 10: 2nd song releases, "Kiss A Girl"
March 17: 3rd song releases, "I'm In"
March 24: 4th song releases, "Only You Can Love Me This Way"

News From Around The Country
Joe Nichols is currently doing his first 10-day tour in Australia. He’ll perform at a festival called CMC Rocks the Snowys this weekend, along with Taylor Swift, Deana Carter, Old Crow Medicine Show and several Australian country artists. Joe is expected to release a new single in April, followed by a new album on Universal South Records.
Tracy Lawrence’s next album The Rock will feature largely inspirational music. Look for it in June. And Jeff Cook, from Alabama, will release Ashes Won’t Burn, his first CD with his Goodtime Band, on March 17. The thing is, the music will only be available as digital download. Jeff calls the album, “country, soul, and rock-n-roll,” and promises an album that country, blues, rock, and soul fans can appreciate. Jeff affectionately calls the music “funtry.” Jeff’s Allstar Goodtime Band is a nine-piece group with a three-piece horn section and percussion. Prior to forming the band, Cook handpicked all eight band members based on stage chemistry. "I put this group together to target the casino, fairs and festival demographics," he said. "We love playing the diversified music types!"

The Happy Hour Goes Dark

At the end of this afternoon’s show, Dana Hanson is leaving The Country Station to pursue other options. Sean will be taking the mic from 3 – 7 pm, and weekender John Thompson moves into the weeknight shift.
Dana came to The Country Station as a fan 7 years ago to fulfill a girlhood dream of being on the radio. In her generation, women were not widely accepted on the airwaves. She started late at night on the weekends, and eagerly absorbed all there was to learn about radio from her more experienced co-workers. Soon she was offered a full time morning show on sister station, KKVS. That experience proved to be a fertile initiation into the world of 21st Century radio. When the opportunity presented itself, Dana was transferred back to her first love, the country format. Dubbed The Happy Hour for her bubbly personality, Dana made the afternoon show her own through down-home humor and a neighborly demeanor. Often called The Red-headed Hurricane because of her brassy and whirling personality, Dana commanded respect from her younger peers, who in turn revered her tutelage and bestowed the nickname, Mama Dana. She will be missed by all of her chil’ren. The word just doesn’t sound the same without the Texas accent.

In other news from Around The Country….
Trace Adkins is going on a USO trip. No specific details will be known until he gets back and is free to tell all, but this is not his first trip overseas. His first USO trip was in 2002, he performed for the USO World Gala in Washington, D.C., and in 2007 he was given the USO Merit Award for his continual dedication to supporting troops. Trace said, "This is such an honor for me to be able to visit with our military and tell them how much we truly appreciate all the sacrifices they make for our country and our freedom.”

Dwight Yoakam and Kris Kristofferson are currently filming a new movie together in Canada. The Last Rights of Ransom Pride is described as a unique and non-traditional western that takes place in 1910 with all the western elements. Dwight plays a killer in the movie while Kris plays an outlaw. No timeline for the movie has been set yet, but Dwight and Kris have other projects set to be released soon. Four Christmases starring Dwight, Tim McGraw, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn hits theatres November 26th. And Blue Powder starring Kris, Jessica Biel, Patrick Swayze and Lisa Kudrow will be released New Year’s Eve.

Joe Nichols will be inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. He was born in Rogers, Arkansas and is among eight Arkansas entertainers slated to receive the honor on November 15th.

LeAnn Rimes and her husband Dean Sheremet renewed their wedding vows last Friday in Napa Valley, CA. You may remember that LeAnn was 19 and Dean was 20 when they wed. Their actual seven year anniversary isn’t until February, but the couple decided to celebrate early to take advantage of the warm weather and LeAnn’s birthday. Next on the couple’s list are children. They just moved into their new house and say they are ready for little ones. And, good friend and former neighbor Keith Urban seems to be nudging them along as well. LeAnn says, “He’s encouraging us to start gettin’ on it.”