Carrie And Mike Expand The Family

Carrie Underwood and her husband, Mike Fisher, have announced an expansion to the family. She’s copper in color, part dachshund, and Carrie named her Penny. Carrie said, “That’s the only expanding we’ll be doing anytime soon.” she added. The new pup joins Carrie’s famed companion, Ace, in the family.

PBR fans will be hearing a lot more of Gary Allan’s music. Gary, who has provided his talents to the organization before, will now have his hit song, “Get Off on the Pain,” used as the theme song for PBR’s 2011 broadcasts. The 2011 PBR season opened last weekend in New York at Madison Square Garden and includes over 220 events happening throughout the year.

News From Around The Country
Chris Cagle will be lending his voice to a great cause in a few weeks when he takes the stage in Nashville to help raise money for the organization, Saddle Up! The group is one of Tennessee’s oldest and largest recreational therapeutic horseback riding programs, serving kids with disabilities. Proceeds from Chris’s show will be used to help kids grow and build up muscles through horse riding and other related activities. ….. A barn on Charlie Daniels’ farm, just outside of Nashville, burned down last Friday night. A spokesperson said that the main barn on the property burned to the ground, but there was no damage to Charlie’s house and no one was injured. Charlie and his wife, Hazel, were on a ski trip to Colorado when the fire occurred. The blaze destroyed farm equipment and a kitchen stove that was a gift from the late Roy Acuff. The stove was previously on display at Acuff's museum. This is the same property where portions of the movie Pure Country 2 were filmed. …… Actor and musician Steve Martin is working on another banjo album with his touring band, The Steep Canyon Rangers. Some of Steve’s friends will make special appearances on the album, including The Dixie Chicks and Paul McCartney. Steve is also an author and his new book, An Object of Beauty, is at #21 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. The new album, Rare Bird Alert will be released on March 15th.

Award Season Is Starting

Darius Rucker will receive the Triple Play Award from the Country Music Association. The honor will recognize Darius for having three consecutive number one hits in a 12-month period – “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” and “Alright.” Past Triple Play Award winners include Shania Twain, Toby Keith, and Alan Jackson. And speaking of Darius, it’s fun to see that he is offering two bonus tracks to fans that purchase his new album, Charleston, SC 1966, on iTunes. The bonus tracks are “Let Her Cry” and “Family Tradition” from his CMT Invitation Only performance.

Billboard has announced the finalists for this year’s Billboard Touring Awards, and some country artists have made the cut. The awards will be announced on November 4th and are based on a global box office number from October 2009 to September 2010. Three country artists rule the Top Package category with top grossing tours. Brad Paisley’s H20 World Tour, Taylor Swift’s Fearless Tour, and Tim McGraw’s Southern Voice Tour are all up for the award. The Zac Brown Band with their Ram Trucks Letters for Lyrics campaign is up for the Concert Marketing and Promotion Award.

And finally, Charlie Daniels will receive the Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award from the T.J. Martell Foundation during a special ceremony in New York on October 27th. Charlie is being recognized for his 50 year career in the music industry.

Is It Award Season Already?

Fox is going to be launching a new country music award show, American Country Music Awards. The fan-voted show will air live from Las Vegas on December 6th. Bob Main, who also directs the Teen Choice Awards for the network, will be in charge of the show. Fox anticipates the following categories for artists: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Touring Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Video by a Breakthrough Artist.

Meanwhile, the Inspirational Country Music Award nominees have been announced:
Mainstream Inspirational Country Song
“My Best Days” – Danny Gokey
“Muddy Water “– Trace Adkins
“Love Like Crazy “– Lee Brice
“That’s A Man” – Jack Ingram
“That’s God” – Jo Dee Messina
“The House That Built Me” - Miranda Lambert
“The Man I Want To Be” – Chris Young
“There Is A God” – Lee Ann Womack
“This Ain’t Nothing” – Craig Morgan
“Temporary Home” – Carrie Underwood

Mainstream Country Artist
Carrie Underwood; Chris Young; Craig Morgan; Danny Gokey; Jeff Bates; Josh Turner; Martina McBride; Oak Ridge Boys; Ricky Skaggs; Rodney Atkins

Inspirational Video
“All I Ask For Anymore” –Trace Adkins
“American Honey” – Lady Antebellum
“Dancing In Circles” -Love and Theft
“Love Like Crazy” – Lee Brice
“Outside My Window” – Sarah Buxton
“Temporary Home” – Carrie Underwood
“The House That Build Me” – Miranda Lambert
“The Man I Want To Be” – Chris Young
“This Ain’t Nothing” – Craig Morgan
“Unstoppable” – Rascal Flatts

News From Around The Country
Luke Bryan will perform “Rain Is A Good Thing” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Monday, August 9th. ….. The Charlie Daniels Band is set to release a 15-track collection of patriotic songs on August 10th. Land That I Love will include newly recorded studio versions of “What This World Needs Is A Few More Rednecks 2010” and “Iraq Blues,” a song written during a previous tour in Iraq. ….. And finally, what’s good enough for Gwyneth Paltrow is good enough for Russell Crowe. Russell will star as a country singer in a new film adaptation of the novel, Dirt Music, which centers on a depressed country singer who has lost the ability to write or play music. Crowe has written his own music for the films soundtrack, and the songs vary from country to folk. The film is yet to have a release date.

Shania Takes on Idol

Shania Twain made her appearance as a guest judge on American Idol last night. If you missed it, here’s a clip of Shania praising Hollywood-bound contestant John Park. And what’s with the swinging strings, Shania? Nervous habit? Or funny to watch?



Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Charlie Daniels, who suffered a mild stroke last Friday while snowmobiling in Colorado. He was treated at a hospital in Durango and was later airlifted to a hospital in Denver and later released on Sunday. He is now resting at his Colorado home where he had been vacationing since December 27th. As of right now Charlie does not plan on cancelling any shows and thanks fans for their support.

2010 Tour Season Coming Together

The good news this morning? George Strait and Reba McEntire will tour together in early 2010. The bad news? According to the following tour schedule, George and Reba seem to have left The Pan Am off next year’s trip:

Jan. 22: Baltimore
Jan. 23: Greensboro, N.C.
Jan. 29: Knoxville, Tenn.
Jan. 30: Charlottesville, Va.
Feb. 5: Phoenix
Feb. 6: Las Vegas
Feb. 18: St. Louis
Feb. 19, Wichita, Kan.
Feb. 20: Tulsa, Okla.
Feb. 25: Atlanta
Feb. 26: Orlando, Fla.
March 4: Memphis, Tenn.
March 5: New Orleans, La.
March 6: Little Rock, Ark.
March 26: Portland, Ore.
March 27: Tacoma, Wash.
April 8: Omaha, Neb.
April 9: Kansas City, Mo.
April 10: Des Moines, Iowa

News From Around The Country
Billy Currington is the only country artist who will ride atop a float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. … Dolly Parton, Kid Rock, Charlie Daniels and the late Ernest Tubb and Tootsie Bess will be inducted to the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville on November 8th. … And finally, after having won $25,000 for the Arthritis Foundation on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Bucky Covington will be a Celebrity Ambassador for the Arthritis Foundation, Tennessee Chapters for five Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk events.

Award Season

Brad Paisley has rewarded his 1,000,000th concert attendee! Last week in Jacksonville, FL, Tim and Amber Brown, and their children, atteneded Brad’s show expecting nothing more than a good time. Soon enough, they were escorted to the front row, under the guise of an upgrade. Cool. After the show, they were taken backstage to meet Brad, still not knowing what was happening. When they were introduced to Brad he posed for a quick photo and then said, “Let’s go for a walk.” As they were walking he told them they were the millionth ticket holder and he had planned something special for them. When they approached the truck Brad handed Tim a set of keys and said, “It’s yours!” Amber was overcome with emotion and speechless while Tim shook Brad’s hand and thanked him over and over. Tim is in the Navy and the couple is expecting their third child. “You just don’t know how much of a blessing this truck is to us,” said Tim.

News From Around The Country
It’s award season in Nashville. Las Cruces’ own Barbara Hubbard received the prestigious “President’s Award” from the IEBA (International Entertainment Buyer’s Association.) The President’s Award recognizes an outstanding professional in the music industy. Mother Hubbard was chosen for her hard work and dedication to the business, and for her commitment to helping future generations get into the entertainment business through her ACTS Program. Barbara has been instrumental in bringing top entertainment to Las Cruces for over 40 years. As a reminder, ACTS presents Bill Cosby and Randy Houser at NMSU this week as part of Homecoming activities. …. Also receiving an award this week, Toby Keith accepted the Songwriter/Artist of the Decade award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Taylor Swift was honored at the same event as the Songwriter/Artist of the Year. Citing such smash hits as “Love Story”, “White Horse” and “You Belong With Me”, the organization recognized Taylor for the second time as the youngest person ever to be bestowed this honor.… Set your DVRs, Taylor Swift will be the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live November 7th. ….Charlie Daniels has released a special holiday CD/DVD package, Joy to the World: A Bluegrass Christmas. The deluxe, two-disc set includes a CD and a bonus DVD, A Twin Pines Christmas.

Thursday Notes

News From Around The Country
Martina McBride will perform on the Today Show July 15th. She will be a part of the show’s wedding promotion, performing “I Just Call You Mine” for the lucky winning couple. Keith Urban fans are in for a treat this summer. Keith’s web site manager, Luke, is on the road this summer, and he’s promised that he’s going to share stories and candid pictures. CMT’s One Country initiative has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network and Dierks Bentley to take his Miles And Music For Kids event nationwide. The fundraiser kicks off October 11th in Nashville followed by Dierks’ hometown of Phoenix, then Seattle, Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago. And finally, it was announced this week that Charlie Daniels, Nashville record producer Fred Foster and the late Chet Atkins will be inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame on October 12th in Nashville.

Thursday Briefing

News From Around The Country
Last week, People Magazine announced beautiful people, now Glamour Magazine has released their 50 Most Glamorous Women of 2009 list. Country music is represented with Taylor Swift at number 35, Carrie Underwood at number 29, and Keith Urban’s wife, Nicole Kidman, is at number 19 on the list. Reba McEntire will be back on the Grand Ole Opry tomorrow night. This will be the first time she’s been on the Opry since before she went to Broadway in 2001 for Annie Get Your Gun. And finally, it’s nice to read about country stars and their work which supports military personnel. The Charlie Daniels Band just got home from a 7-show, 9-day trip to U.S. Troops in Kuwait and Iraq. Charlie says, "The reason I enjoy going to Iraq is because for a few days I am honored to walk among the finest young people America has to offer." Back at home, Vince Gill and Amy Grant will be hosting a concert on June 8th at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., paying tribute to wounded military personnel. The evening also marks the kick-off for Challenge America, a charity that works with local communities to support recreational and occupational programs for injured veterans returning from war. Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker, Michael McDonald and Melinda Doolittle will also participate in the concert.

Yee-Haw! The Ballroom's Gone Country!

Last night on Dancing With The Stars…

Ty & Chelsie did a countrified jive and Chulianne were in matching lace. It was all so adorable, but it’s sad to say that Ty may be losing some steam. Last week’s Paso should have been a perfectly suited dance for Ty Murray, yet he was constructively criticized for being too stiff. This week Ty & Chelsie looked like they were dressed for a night out at any all-American country bar, and it provided such hope that Ty would finally let loose and dance in his comfort zone. Yet despite his best efforts to loosen up for the jive, the judges still saw the “Girls Gone Wild” number as more line dancing than jive. Ty could be inching toward the bottom two, although Lawrence & Edyta and Steve-O & Lacey are still fighting for those spots as well. Obviously the judges have a different vantage point than what the viewers see on TV, but their comments seemed opposite to what was aired. Lawrence was praised for his jive that left Edyta to do all the work around his gentle kicks, yet Steve-O was again told that he’s just not good after watching him swirl Lacey around with the most movement he’s displayed since injuring in his back early on in the competition. In the end, whichever of those three couples has the least number of fans is likely to go. Chulianne, however, is not going anywhere. Appearing as lovebirds in matching lace outfits – Julianne Hough wore the front of the outfit, and Chuck Wicks took a cue from Tony and Gilles to show off his pecs by wearing the back of the outfit - it was a rumba right out of a honeymoon suite! Head Judge Len Goodman, who was wearing his cranky pants all night anyway, saw it as too much raunch for the ballroom. That’s the point of the rumba! Chulianne seemed to convince the studio audience that they were ready to finish the dance behind closed doors. But their scores kept them right in the middle of the pack. Continuing this week’s country theme, Rascal Flatts will be on tonight when they eliminate the next couple.

Elsewhere around the country, voting began yesterday for the CMT Music Awards. Sugarland leads the first round of finalists with six mentions; Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift received four a piece. This is the only fan-voted awards show, so you can vote for your favorites to determine the final ballot. First round voting runs until May 11th, then the final voting will pick up May 19 – June 15 to pick the winners which will be announced on the next live awards show, Wednesday, June 17th. Click here to vote.

News From Around The Country
Brooks & Dunn are in new print advertisements for M&M’s candy. Kix Brooks will be a blue M&M, and Ronnie Dunn will be a green one. Leann Rimes’ new book is out. She co-wrote What I Cannot Change as a compliment to one of her songs. Middle Tennessee State University presented Charlie Daniels with the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award, presented to a person who has demonstrated the spirit of America through contributions in government, education, and/or civic and charity work.

Half the Price, Double the Voting

Just 8 shopping days until Christmas! Half Off Wednesday is a good place to shop. Get certificates to give. Get certificates to spend. Just get Red Mountain Café while supplies last.

Day 2 voting on the listener poll saw Blake Shelton increase his lead, Carrie Underwood jump into second place out of nowhere, and Bucky Covington slip down to third place. Remember, the top 5 vote-getters out of this week’s group will face the top 5 vote-getters from Group 2, which will be posted next week. The finals will be at the end of the year. The poll is to the right.

News From Around The Country
Julianne Hough has landed the opening spot on George Strait’s summer tour. Her first concert with Strait will be May 15th in Charlotte, North Carolina. A second act will be announced at a later date. Little Big Town is moving up to the big time. Jimi, Karen, Kimberly, and Phillip will embark on their first headline tour in ’09 with the Zac Brown Band as the opening act. The Associated Press just put out their list of the top ten albums of the year, and Taylor Swift lands at number seven with her new CD Fearless. Several artists have found themselves without a label as Equity Music Group suspends business citing the economic downfall. The Equity roster includes partial-owner Clint Black, Laura Bryna, Carolina Rain, and Kevin Fowler. Charlie Daniels is featured in the January 2009 issue of Esquire Magazine. Look for Charlie in the "What I've Learned" column, where remarkable people are featured offering wisdom and advice.

Christmas With The Stars
Looking back through all of her years of giving gifts, Julianne Hough says the gift she is most proud of is a homemade ornament she made for her mother when she was 13. She recalls that at the time, her mother loved the “Tazmanian Devil.” So, Julianne got creative and designed a one of a kind “Tazmanian Devil” ornament for her mother. As far as what Julianne wants for Christmas, she can’t come up with anything. She prefers giving than receiving this time of year.

Holiday Preparations

One week until it's time to give thanks for the year's blessings. Don't forget Trace Adkins and Darius Rucker are among those scheduled to be a part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.


Just short of the holiday, Trace Adkins will release his tenth studio album, appropriately titled X on Tuesday. The same day, Trace Adkins: X (ten) Days will air on GAC, documenting Trace's ten-day USO trip to the middle east to entertain the troops. Trace spent time with troops in some of the most isolated areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, performing 11 shows at forward operating bases. The special includes concert footage, one-on-one conversations with the soldiers at the front and a personal reunion between J.W. Williams, of Trace’s management team, and son Trey Williams, currently serving in the sand. How cool is that? Parents everywhere pray for letters from the front lines, it's not often that a parent gets to personally visit their child in that setting.


Released recently, here's a holiday gift idea for the horse lovers on your list - Horse Country: A Celebration of Country Music and the Love of Horses by Lisa Wysocky. This 224-page hardcover book tells the private stories of country music stars and their horses. Included in the read: George Jones, Charlie Daniels, Lynn Anderson, Tanya Tucker, Brad Paisley, Willie Nelson, Hal Ketchum, Chris Cagle, Eddie Montgomery, Tracy Byrd, and Todd Fritsch.

New George Strait Video! ! !

George Strait made a video? Believe it. It’s been two years since we’ve seen the camera-shy superstar on a video set, but “Troubadour” was just the song to get him back in front of a director. Award-winning video director Trey Fanjoy made George’s last music video for “Seashores of Old Mexico,” and after she heard the latest single she knew she had to approach George again. Trey proposed an autobiographical story for the video in order to capture George’s essence as an entertainer, husband, and father. Why wait for the nostalgic mixture of old photos and new footage shot near his home in San Antonio to world premier on the video channels this weekend? Watch it right here.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman took their baby daughter, Sunday Rose, home to meet the family in Australia this week. Nicole’s mother and sister were in Nashville last month for the birth, but this trip allowed Nicole’s father and Keith’s parents to meet the 4-week old. Sources in Nashville have been spreading rumors that the baby sports tufts of red hair. Those observations were confirmed this week when Keith and Nicole phoned a Sydney radio station. "She looks like Keith, I think she does, she's got a little bit of hair, it's a bit of a reddish tint," gushed Nicole. The new parents have asked the paparazzi for a little privacy while down under, so they can show the baby around their hometown before they return to the States. Keith added, "I'm not looking forward to having to go on tour and having to leave." Listen to the whole interview here. It’s quite an interesting breakfast conversation.

If your DVR is not full of country programming yet, here’s one more program to set. James Otto is going to be on an episode of Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network, August 27th. Charlie Daniels will also make a guest appearance in the show. The premise of the show is to test the skills of the world’s most respected chefs by throwing them into culinary challenges. James will assist Chef Michael Symon as he tries to serve 300 fans and musicians in this special Opry: Impossible episode.

And what’s a Feel Good Friday without some more videos from the Spotlight Artist, Trace Adkins. After all, those going to Ruidoso tonight need to be in the right frame of mind.