Follow Up On The Indiana Stage Collapse

A little over a week after the tragic stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, further details are emerging. First, the fairly good news. There's a touching story of heroism surrounding Maggie, a 3-year-old little girl who was in the “Sugarpit” section of the audience at the time the stage fell. Her mother was knocked unconscious and left unable to stand due to a leg injury. According to the Indianapolis Star, at least seven strangers pitched in to help bring Maggie to safety as the little girl had sustained a life-threatening injury to her arm. An assembly-line style system of police officers, doctors and fans helped move people out of the area. The mother and her little girl have been reunited but both have a long recovery ahead of them. Maggie was wearing a tutu at the concert which had to be cut off due to her injuries. But, according to reports the little girl received two new tutus from friends over the past week. The Star also reports that she received a balloon bouquet to her hospital room from Sugarland.

Next is the sad news. A sixth person, Jennifer Haskell, a 22-year old student of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana is the latest victim to have died of injuries suffered during the horrific stage collapse. She was studying to become an athletic trainer. At least 40 people were hurt in the tragedy and several of them still remain in the hospital.

The succession of events leads next to the first wrongful death lawsuits being filed. According to Reuters, the suits were filed on behalf of one of the victims and her family member, who was among the injured. The suit names Mid-America Sound Corp, Live Nation Worldwide and Lucas Entertainment Group. The Indiana State Fair Commission has hired a New York engineering company to coordinate and conduct a structural investigation into the collapse, while a Washington, D.C. based firm will analyze the fair’s preparedness and response to the tragedy.

In today's lighter news, Martina McBride, Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum have been added to the entertainment lineup for the MDA Labor Day Telethon. Their performances were taped at the Opry earlier this year and will be played during the annual program. The telethon airs on Sunday, September 4th. And finally, look for the new video from Sara Evans for “My Heart Can’t Tell You No” to world premiere today on CMT.

Prepping For The ACM Awards

Not that CBS executives are nervous about Blake Shelton’s mouth or anything, or they wouldn’t have asked him to co-host the ACM Awards with Reba. But in making the media rounds to promote this Sunday’s show, a network executive let Blake know that they’re not taking any chances. Blake said, “He called and I said, ‘I take this serious. It’s a big deal to me and, and I definitely wouldn’t bring Reba down with me you know, but…makin’ fun of…you know, Craig Morgan’s toupee or whatever.’ He goes, ‘Well the reason I was calling you was to tell you that they’re goin’ to implement a 5-second delay for the ACM’s.’ This is a true story!” While on the West Coast, Blake has shot the music video for his next single which he will premiere on the ACM’s. He’s also dropping by E!’s Chelsea Lately today, CBS’s The Talk on Thursday and The Early Show on Friday. The ACM Awards airs live from Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3rd. Also on the show, look for Darius Rucker and 25 participants from last year's ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp program performing a special song. The music camp is one of the ACM's charitable endeavors for young people with developmental disabilities. The campers wrote "Music From the Heart" last summer with songwriters Brett James and Chris Young. ….. Julianne Hough will introduce the segment supporting Nashville's Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and its efforts to help make positive differences in the lives of families dealing with developmental disabilities. The segment will provide phone and text numbers to make donations to the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Prior to the show, Miranda Lambert is giving away a free download of “Dead Flowers,” first heard on her award-winning album, Revolution. The freebie is a special live version of the song that was recorded at the historic Ryman Auditorium. ….. And if you watch the red carpet show, keep your eyes open for John Rich’s date. John says he wants to bring Celebrity Apprentice teammate Gary Busey along with him. “I did invite him,” John said. “I don’t know if he’s gonna be able to make it but I know he wants to make it. I can’t imagine a bigger spectacle than Gary Busey walking down the red carpet at the ACM’s. Gary’s one of a kind, man. I think I’ll put him in a country music video one of these days.” If you still can’t get enough of the ACM Awards, The Academy has joined forces with ‘ZinePak to create a magazine and music combo to celebrate this year’s awards. The package features 24 songs on two CD’s from all six Entertainer of the Year nominees and tracks from some of country’s hottest up-and-coming artists. A 100-page magazine of artist profiles and interviews is also included. The ‘ZinePak is available exclusively at the biggest box retailer. News From Around The Country Taylor Swift has partnered with the cosmetic experts at Elizabeth Arden to launch her own line of perfume. Taylor has her hands in almost every aspect of the project, from the smells to the packaging. The new fragrance will be available this fall. …… Keep your eyes open for Reba Barbie dolls that are now being sold at big box retailers. She’s a red-headed doll wearing a long sparkling gown. You can’t miss her. And finally, look for Dierks Bentley to sing his new song, “Am I The Only One,” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight and tomorrow on CBS’ The Talk. He’ll also sing it Sunday on the ACM Awards.

The Morning After More Awards

Last night a plethora of celebrities walked the red carpet for the Academy Awards. The only representation from country music was Keith Urban on Nicole Kidman’s arm to support her nomination for Best Actress in Rabbit Hole, and Gwyneth Paltrow singing a portion of “Coming Home” from the movie Country Strong. “Coming Home” was nominated for Best Original Song along with its’ writers Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey and Troy Verges, but did not win. Nicole lost her award to Black Swan’s Natalie Portman.

Preparing for the upcoming country music awards, the ACM New Artist Award winners have been announced. Voting closed for the categories last Thursday and Eric Church has been named the Top New Solo Vocalist while The Band Perry has been named the winner of Top New Vocal Duo or Group. Eric and The Band Perry will now battle it out for the coveted ACM New Artist Award which will be handed out at the ACM Awards April 3rd live from Las Vegas. Click Here to vote in the next round.

News From Around The Country
Thanks to a victorious poker game, Darius Rucker has tweeted for the first time. Darius has always had a Twitter account, but it’s been mostly used by his team. Darius was so excited about beating Brad Paisley at poker; he had to tweet about it, saying, “Just want everyone to know I DOMINATED Paisley’s camp at poker tonight…DOMINATED.” ….. A wedding took place in Sugarland recently. Congratulations to bass player Annie Clements and guitar player Thad Beaty, who wed earlier this month at a private ceremony. No word if Jennifer Nettles or Kristian Bush was invited. ….. And finally, Country Strong is set to release on DVD/Blu-Ray April 12th and will include extras such as music videos of songs from the soundtrack.

Social Networking Anthem

Watch as Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker pay homage to all the friends they've un'd:

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.

ABC Is Like The New Country Channel

ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has gone country! The show visited Nashville this week to rebuild the Lighthouse Christian School which was destroyed by the flood that hit the town in May. Carrie Underwood and LeAnn Rimes were on site to lend a hand to the reconstruction of Music City. Another caring face was also seen at the shoot, Leanne Touhy – the real-life mother whose story was told in the film, The Blindside. The crew from the TV show also stopped by the Grand Ole Opry to film Carrie’s performance. The episode will air on ABC during CMA Awards week on November 7th.

And speaking of the devastation from the flood, Brad Paisley was one of many musicians who lost some of his most valuable instruments, but he has recovered with some new instruments. Before joining Little Jimmy Dickens on stage to reset the oak center piece on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Brad purchased a 1938 Herringbone Martin D28 guitar. Little did he know, the guitar was a piece of sentimental history. Brad said, “This is something that I’ve bought since the flood that has a really unique story. I didn't know it before I bought it, but this guitar was purchased from an old man from Colfax, West Virginia, whose father worked on the B&O Railroad right alongside my grandfather.” Brad believes the guitar was brought to him by fate, which is why he used it during his first performance on the new Opry stage.

Darius Rucker and the band Hootie & The Blowfish are going to be honored with their own monument in South Carolina next month. The group was formed in 1986 after they met as freshman at the University of South Carolina Columbia. The monument will be a 20-foot tall, steel and black granite piece, placed near their alma mater on October 10th. The tribute comes just months before the group’s 25th anniversary next year.

For The Monday Night Football Obsessed

Darius Rucker is a huge football fan! So how does a country artist combine his love of football and entertain his fan? He launches his End Zone Obsession Football Challenge. The competition allows fans to compete with one-another, or Darius, for a chance to win prizes by choosing real-time team statistics and competitor picks. At the end of each round, the ten highest point earners will receive prizes. The three fans with the end-of-season highest cumulative point totals will also receive awards, with the top point earner winning a grand prize trip for two to Hawaii for one of football's biggest weekends. Check it out on Darius' website.

Carrie Underwood graces the October cover of Women’s Health magazine where she discusses her marriage with Mike Fisher, her routine when she’s off the road, and what she thinks is her best physical feature - her legs. When Carrie is able to catch her NHL husband’s hockey games, she says, “I love cheering for my man. When I come home, I’m accused of picking up the Canadian accent.” Carrie is currently on the second leg of her Play On tour, and when she’s not on the road, she likes to keep her plans low-key. She says, “I’d sleep in a little, work out, do laundry, run errands, buy presents for people with birthdays coming up.”

And finally, Big Kenny is partnering with the video game Rock Band to bring donations to Nashville’s flood victims. The organization Rock Band Relief helps artists convert their music into playable songs for the video game series. Big Kenny contributed his songs, “One More Time” and “Happy People.” The songs are currently in the play-testing period and will go through the reviewing process before they will be available for download.

Words For Wednesday

Taylor Swift will premiere the music video for her new single, “Mine,” in a live special event, August 27th on CMT. Taylor will sit down with CMT Insider host Katie Cook to discuss the music video locations, and share behind-the-scenes footage from making the video. ….. Kenny Chesney has broken his own record for the largest number of opening week downloads by a male country artist with his new single “The Boys of Fall.” The song sold over 82,000 downloads within the first week, beating his 2009 hit “Out Last Night,” which held the record with 71,000 downloads. ….. Lady Antebellum has released a seven song EP on iTunes featuring fan-favorite songs and a cover of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers song, “Learning To Fly.” The performance was recorded during a studio session in Nashville in the Spring. ….. The final nominees for this year's CMA Awards will be announced on August 31st and September 1st. Justin Moore and Chris Young will read nominees in seven CMA categories at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on August 31st. Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert will be on Good Morning America on September 1st to reveal the nominees in five additional categories. ….. Similarly, the nominees for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards will be revealed during a live concert from past winners and nominees on CBS on December 1st. The award show itself will take place in Los Angeles on February 13th, 2011......Darius Rucker is featured in the latest issue of Golf Digest discussing the annual “Monday After The Masters Celebrity Pro-Am,” an event begun 17 years ago by Darius and his former Hootie & The Blowfish bandmates. The event is hosted in Myrtle Beach in April for golf-obsessed musicians like Darius, who, himself, plays more than 200 rounds a year. It’s his only hobby. Darius’ Pro-Am has raised over five-million dollars for various charities over the years

And finally, speaking of awards, a couple of country’s greats are to be receiving prestigious awards. Coming up on Saturday, George Jones will be inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Al Dexter and Ray Winkler. George is being honored as one of the most influential singers in country music history, and he is also being recognized for his influence on Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. Meanwhile, Dolly Parton will receive the 2010 James D. Vaughan Impact Award from the Southern Gospel Music Association for her significant impact on the Southern gospel music industry. The Executive Director of the Association said, “Dolly is the most honored female country performer of all time. Her efforts on behalf of our music at Dollywood have been instrumental in the establishment of our museum and Hall of Fame.” Dolly will appear in person to accept the award on September 29th at Dollywood.

Monday Milestones

If you “like” Reba McEntire on Facebook, then you, friend, are one in a million! Reba has reached over one million “likers” on Facebook, thereby taking her place among only ten country artists who have achieved that milestone on the social networking site. The others are Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and the Zac Brown Band. Reba receives approximately 11-thousand new Facebook “likes” a day. You should join the crowd if you’d like to keep up on the latest happenings, such as the naming of her next album. All the Women I Am will be released November 9th. And while you’re at it, “like” The Country Station, too.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman have purchased a luxurious new penthouse in New York. The Manhattan suite is located in the west end area in a new building called the Sky Garage. The units were originally marked for 12.5-million dollars, but the couple received a “bargain” and bought the place for 10-million instead. The building features an elevator garage which allows Keith or Nicole to drive their car to their floor, and walk into their suite – quite a convenience when trying to avoid the paparazzi. The 32-thousand square-foot penthouse also overlooks the Hudson River.

And finally, Darius Rucker was in South Carolina recently to reunite with his old band mates from Hootie & The Blowfish for the group’s annual Homegrown Roundup. The event raised money for educational spending for low-income families in the state and collected school supplies which were distributed to schools in Charleston County, South Carolina.

CRS Day Two

Big show (in the snow) at the Ryman. Well, ok, snow flurries. They couldn’t have predicted the weather when it was planned to hold the first CRS luncheon across the street from the convention center at the Ryman Auditorium. But because of the cold and unfavorable weather, everyone was huddled inside the Ryman for the “picnic” lunch before a nearly full-roster show from the Universal Music Group. Small and large artists were paraded one by one onto the historic stage to sing an acoustic song of their choice. Some artists like Easton Corbin, or new artist Randy Montana, used the chance to play their new music, others played their hits, and in the case of Billy Currington, he chose to play one of his favorite songs, “You Ain’t Just Whistlin’ Dixie.” The only artists from the roster who sent regrets were George Strait and Shania Twain.

Back at the convention center, Darius Rucker hosted a songwriter’s showcase. He and his producer, Frank Rogers, led a parade of his songwriter friends to the stage to tell the stories behind many of the songs that comprised Darius’ string of recent #1 hits.

The evening activities opened with a cocktail party and artist reception. Here, the radio and record industries get a chance to mingle in a casual setting to meet and greet and make connections. Most labels hosted designated areas where their artists were to be stationed to meet mingling passersby. The organization didn’t last long, as many artists quickly “worked the room” and were soon scattered around to the point that you never knew who you were going to turn around and bump into. Spotted in the crowd were Bucky Covington, James Otto, Tyler Dickerson, Jason Aldean, Gretchen Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Buddy Jewell, Love and Theft, Steve Azar, Steel Magnolia, and many more.

Following the artist reception, the crowd moved inside the show hall for the Music City Jam, hosted by Taylor Swift. Taylor and her band were up for a full-blown concert experience, with breaks for costume changes filled by special guests Gloriana and Julianne Hough. Fresh from the overseas leg of the Fearlesss Tour, Taylor has grown into quite a dramatic performer. No longer the little girl who profusely thanked everyone for playing her song and making her girlhood dreams come true, Taylor commanded the stage with the theatrics of a pop diva. She spoke at the audience very slowly and deliberately to command full attention of her every word. She paused between songs to strut for the paparazzi of cameras. She performed at the piano with the mannerisms of a theatrical meltdown. As the show finished with “Should’ve Said No,” Taylor and her fiddle player, Katilyn, feigned a fight over a man by way of a musical battle of beats on a large steel drum tube that was wheeled onto the stage for the occasion. Overall, it was quite the spectacle.

To the contrary, Rascal Flatts put on a surprisingly subdued show for their 10th anniversary celebration. Entering, the ballroom was tastefully decorated with grand draperies around the room, soft candelabras to set the mood, and a smattering of decorator ottomans laid out on large throw rugs in front of the stage. Around the seating area were small end tables that offered bowls of pretzels and other munchies for the guests in the Flatts’ living room set up. The stage was small, with just three stools and a piano to suggest the acoustic show that we would receive. No large blowout bash, Rascal Flatts let a video retrospective tell their story to open the show, and then the trio came onstage to hang out, tell witty stories, and let the songs do the talking. To the boys' surprise, longtime pal Marty Raybon jumped onstage to congratulate them for ten years of success. It was a spontaneous moment at which the Flatts let Marty do the honors for one of their once-favorite songs to cover, “Church on Cumberland Road,” and then Gary insisted that Marty stay and do “Ghost In This House.” When the Flatts got back to business, they sang their hits, a couple requests, and had their own award presentation to say “thanks” and “we remember” to the radio stations who logged their first airplay way back in the day when they were a yet-unknown band presenting their first single to radio. Somebody’s got to take that chance on all new artists that come out. It’s nice to know the stations that do so are remembered. And isn’t that what CRS is all about? Building relationships between country radio and the artists of its format.

Lookin' Back on '09 Part 1

This week, we will be looking back on country music in 2009, as well as prepare for our look back on the decade, airing over New Year's Weekend.

No one has had a bigger year in music than Taylor Swift. This year she was named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards and became the youngest artist in the 43-year history of the Country Music Association, and the seventh female act ever, to be awarded country music’s highest honor when she took home the CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. One of the most-talked about moments of the year happened at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Taylor took the stage to accept the award for Best Female Video, when Kanye West stormed the stage and took the mic from her and went on say that Beyonce deserved the award. Later Beyonce went up to accept an award and gave the mic to Swift, who finally gave her acceptance speech. Ironically, Taylor Swift and Kanye West were named Billboard’s Artists of the Year for 2009. Other highlights for Taylor this year include hosting Saturday Night Live and having her sophomore album Fearless reach double Platinum status in just four weeks. Taylor headlined her first arena tour this year and will return to the stage in 2010 with 42 shows already scheduled. She’s also nominated for eight Grammy awards which will be handed out January 31st.

Rascal Flatts had a great year touring. In August they crossed the four-million mark in ticket sales. They became the first country act to perform at Wrigley Field, which the guys call a highlight of their career. Darius Rucker joined the trio on tour this year and will continue on the trek next year. Their album Unstoppable went Platinum bringing their album sales to over 20 million this decade. They made some interesting business partnerships such as teaming up with Denny’s to create the "Unstoppable Breakfast." Through iTunes, they also became the first country act to offer an iTunes pass for fans to receive downloads of previously unreleased music, such as live concert recordings. And when it came to awards, for the first time in five years, the trio was beat out by Lady Antebellum for the CMA Vocal Group of the Year award. However, they did take home the CMT Group Video of the Year award.

Darius Rucker continued to break boundaries in country music this year. His win for New Artist of the Year at the CMAs brought him to tears. His track record of releasing three number one country singles helped get him the credibility for such a special award. Darius enjoyed touring with artists like Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts and continually kept busy on the road. His album Learn to Live was certified platinum this year.

Another Chance to Buy First

We’re beginning to feel all kinds of privileged here in Las Cruces. Last week, John Arthur Martinez made his new album, Purgatory Road, available for the first time at the Harvest Wine Fest. It’s official release date is tomorrow, so Las Crucens got the CD more than a week before anyone else – including the hard core fans who pre-order! Well stand by for the second strike of lightning, because your second chance to buy an album before its release date is coming up! Josh Grider will make his new CD, Sweet Road To Ride, available to fans in Las Cruces on October 1st when he performs at the Southern New Mexico State Fair and Rodeo. That’s five days before its release on October 6th.

Are you ready for some football? Hank Williams, Jr. kicks off the 40th season of Monday Night Football tonight with this song:

2009 MNF Open Lyrics
For 40 years runnin' it's football's home
We’ve seen the greats carve their names in stone
From Earl to Walter, Barry and Bo
Even Johnny U played on this show!!
The NFL's best shine under these lights
Cause legends are made on Monday Night
Are you ready for some football!!!
A Monday Night Party
This is Hank and I'm ready to get this big bash started
Get the teams on the field, kick it off, that’s right!
'Cause All my rowdy friends play here on Monday Night!
Showtime!!

We’ve seen great games all the big names
They’re building blocks in this hall of fame.
Broadway, Elway, Montana and Rice
We've seen an LT not once, but twice (Taylor and Tomlinson)
Fathers, Sons and Brothers….A Family Tradition
It’s Monday Night Football….The 40th Edition!!
Ready...
C'mon and get ready
I mean really ready
Are you ready for some football!!!
A Monday Night Party
Where primetime pigskin officially started
Get those helmets crashing, the crowd is psyched!
All my rowdy friends are here on Monday Night!!!

Bocephus has won four Emmy awards (1991 – 1994) for his MNF videos, and this year marks an unprecedented 21 years of association with the organization. This year’s opening video presents a Hall of Fame theme; it was shot earlier this summer at the Parthenon in Nashville, TN.

Taylor Swift had a big weekend. Saturday night she played a hometown show in Nashville, with no less in the audience than Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (and probably their three girls.) As a surprise, Taylor invited Faith onstage to sing “The Way You Love Me.” Tim remained in the audience, but he was featured in a video called “Crimes of Passion,” as one of many men who’ve been “vicitims” of Taylor’s songwriting.

Last night was the MTV VMA Awards in New York. Taylor Swift won for Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me.” It was a simple win that might have otherwise gone overlooked in pop culture had it not been for Kanye West stirring the pot. Now it’s something for everyone to talk about. Just after Taylor started her acceptance speech, acknowleging that a country singer is winning a VMA Award, Kanye appeared on stage. "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time," Kanye declared, "One of the best videos of all time!" By the time he gave the mic back to Taylor, her time was up, so she couldn't do much more than leave the stage. The nest presenter, Justin Bieber, made a point of saying, "Taylor Swift deserved that award." Later in the show, Beyoncé called Taylor back to the stage.For his part, when his name was read later in the show to introduce the best male video nominees, Kanye was booed again, and the crowd started chanting Taylor’s name. This kind of a display of disrespect recalls another reaction in 2004, when Gretchen Wilson beat Kanye for the best new artist award at the American Music Awards. He suffered a similar meltdown.

PS: Do you like the new banner? Your humble scribe was feeling creative this weekend. For those that are identification-challenged, the group is (L to R) Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band, Sugarland, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, Bucky Covington, and Tim McGraw.

Start of A Short Week

Jeff Foxworthy will be voicing a character in a new animated film called, Bunyan & Babe. He’ll voice “Paul Bunyan’s” best ox friend, “Babe.” “Bunyan” will be voiced by “John Goodman.” The movie will put “a modern twist on the classic folk tale of Paul Bunyan and his sidekick Babe, with the pair embarking on a mission to save a town from a rapacious real estate developer.” No word on a release date.

Oprah Winfrey will kick off the 24th season of her daytime talk show this week. To celebrate, Rascal Flatts appear on Thursday (9/10). Also appearing among the live performances on Chicago's Michigan Avenue are the Black Eyed Peas, James Taylor and Jennifer Hudson.

And tomorrow, be sure to check back for the final nominees for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards. Darius Rucker and Lee Ann Womack will be making the announcements on ABC's Good Morning America.

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.

Friday Thrills

If you’re still planning your summer vacation, perhaps you can make it to Universal Studios Florida to check out the new rollercoaster, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. What’s unique about this bad boy is that it allows riders to pick the soundtrack of the ride. Possible song choices come out of classic rock, rap, pop and electronica, but guests can also choose one of six country songs; “All Night Long” by Montgomery Gentry, “Guitars, Cadillacs” by Dwight Yoakam, “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead” by Jason Michael Carroll, “Living In Fast Forward” by Kenny Chesney, “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers, or “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band. This personalized coaster experience has never been done before, pumping your favorite song to the speakers of your own seat, and videoing you the whole time you ride from a camera mounted on the back of the seat in front of you. Makes you wonder how noisy it will be if everyone in the ride vehicle chose a different song! And how do they video the people in the front seat? Maybe someone will go ride this thing and let us know!

So do you have an old copy of Alan Jackson’s 1994 cookbook, Who Says You Can’t Cook It All? Now you can get an updated version. The original cookbook had 45 recipes and Alan’s family photos. The family has grown up now, so in the newer version you’ll get never released photos and 60 more recipes. The cookbook is available on Alan’s website.

News From Around The Country
Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen, Rodney Atkins, Darius Rucker, and John Rich will be a part of the Salute To The Troops Concert on August 14th at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The concert caps Week Of The Eagles, which will honoring the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division who are returning from their service in the Middle East. And finally, if you catch the MLB All-Star Game from St. Louis on Tuesday the 14th, look out for Sara Evans and Sheryl Crow. Sara will be performing "God Bless America" during the "7th inning stretch," and Sheryl will be singing the National Anthem. Both ladies are from Missouri.

Thursday Stories

Love and Theft have filmed a video for their debut song, “Runaway” at an abandoned brewery in Memphis. Like the song, the video will depict the boys trying to make a fast paced getaway from their mundane existence. And like a lot of video shoots, there were issues. When the video is released in a few weeks, think about this. Stephen Barker Liles was sick all day with food poisoning. And, the engine in the 1971 Mustang Mach 1, featured in the video, had to be rebuilt the morning of the shoot. The car’s power steering later failed during filming with Brian Bandas behind the wheel.

News From Around The Country
John Rich is going to appear on an exclusive 13-artist iTunes page for Frank Sinatra called His Way, Our Way. John sings “One For My Baby, (And One For The Road).” The project is aimed at introducing a younger generation to Sinatra’s music. Michelle Branch has finished her first solo country album and says the project sounds very similar to the work she produced with Jessica Harp as The Wreckers. Lady Antebellum and Tayna Tucker join Darius Rucker as country artists who now have their own iPhone application. Jason Aldean is releasing a club version of his hit “She’s Country” featuring rapper Finesse. And as expected, Brad Paisley debuted his latest CD American Saturday Night at the top of the sales charts. This is the fifth time that Brad has done that with a non-seasonal album.

Making The Best of a Storm Delay

Last night, er, this morning at LP Field in Nashville, the first night of concerts at CMA Music Fest were almost rained out. Chuck Wicks opened with the National Anthem, followed by an Air Force flyover. Soon Brooks & Dunn took the stage and played a fairly lengthy set of hits. Pulling mostly from the tempo catalog, Kix and Ronnie only slipped a couple of semi-ballads, one of them “My Maria.” And yes, since she’s making her first big appearance in some 9 years at Fan Fair, now known as CMA Music Fest, Reba made a cameo to help on her part of the hit duet, “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.” Shortly thereafter, Reba was back on the stage on her own to belt out a couple of her hits, and then strange that the timing was, as soon as she wrapped her latest single, the host, appropriately Storme Warren from GAC, appeared on stage to stop the show with weather warnings. Fans were told that there was storm activity in the area, expecting heavy winds, torrential rain, hail, and frequent lightning activity. Learning from the morning’s fan-drenching, officials stopped the show at a point prior to the storm to allow ample time to evacuate the stadium in an orderly manner. With the storm approaching in minutes, fans were asked to wait in the shelter of the concourse, and if it were possible after the storm passed, the show would resume.

Nearly a couple of hours later, the storm hadn’t come yet. Patient fans were packed and scattered on the floors of the humid concourse, some seeking relief in the top few covered rows inside the stadium. Food vendors were doing brisk business as the captive audience that otherwise would have been more interested in music than food at that point in the evening, had nothing better to do to pass the time than eat. For the most part, steadfast fans made the best of the situation. Sections of restless fans were seen doing the wave. An impromptu sing-a-long of “Friends in Low Places” began. And as the rain delay progressed, more and more fans began creeping back into lower rows, despite security’s best effort to keep the evacuated fans in the concourse.

Then the rains finally came, about the time that many fans were feeling that had the show continued, it would have been almost over by this point – at which time if the show had been called for weather, fans would have just gone away satisfied with having had most of the show. But considering that there had been only two acts, and several more superstars were promised, fans weren’t going anywhere as they waited out white-out rains in the relatively dry confines of the concourse. The heavy rains continued for what seemed like an eternity, however, it was more likely about an hour.

When the soaking storm they promised finally disappeared as quickly as it began, the stage was squeegeed and the remaining faithful were called back to our seats – then invited to more down front to fill the vacancies left by those that chose to flee to drier and more comfortable accommodations. As promised, the show continued, with due accommodations made for late night / early morning noise ordinances. And due to the late hour, the artists who hung out through the storm performed only abbreviated sets to move things quickly, yet satisfy promises to the fans.

Darius Rucker played his three singles and a rowdy cover of “Family Tradition.” Dierks Bentley was next with a selection of his high-energy numbers. And then Brad Paisley came out to close the show and make good on all his tour threats to play concerts until 2 or 3 in the morning. All he had to do was sing a couple of songs, and it was gettin’ to be 2 in the morning. Dierks came back out to duet with Brad on an encore of “Alcohol,” and then the first nightly concert of 2009 was in the sopping bag. Rascal Flatts sent apologies that they were unable to wait out the storm due to travel times necessary to get to their next gig tomorrow night.

Providing there is not more rain in the morning, we’ll check out the riverstage shows tomorrow and then it will be time to head home all too soon.

Wednesday Notes

The CMT Music Awards are just a couple of weeks away. The performance lineup continues to grow. Kellie Pickler, Lady Antebellum, and Darius Rucker have recently been added to the show. These are the only fan-voted awards, so don’t miss the link at the top of the page to get your votes in.

If Dancing With The Stars withdrawl syndrome is starting to set in, try dreaming about which other country stars you would like to see on the show. Just leave out Dierks Bentley. Dierks says, “I have no dance moves. I was asked to be on the first season of DWTS, and whether I wanted to or not, it was like, ‘Ah, sorry. There’s just no hope for me. I don’t care if you get the best trainer in the world.’”

Here’s something that you can watch. Steve Azar will be featured on The Golf Channel on July 6th taking lessons from the pros. Steve will join 13-time PGA Champion Kenny Perry for a lesson on fine-tuning a short game. You’ll also learn Steve’s secret to long drives.

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.

Feel Good Friday Entertainment

Martina McBride’s 10th studio album, Shine, will be released next week. Accordingly, Martina will be everywhere to promote it. Look for Martina on the current cover of First Magazine, and on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (3/24) and Wednesday (3/25). Next, it’s off to Live with Regis and Kelly on Wednesday, as well as a taping of the Rachael Ray Show for April 6th and A&E's Private Sessions for April 5th. Martina is also scheduled to appear on upcoming episodes of Chelsea Lately and Ellen DeGeneres. And then there will be pieces on Access Hollywood, CNN, CMT Insider, GAC's Headline Country and GAC Nights, TV Guide Channel, Fox News Feed, Better TV, CBS Newspath, ABC.com, Out.com, AOL's The Boot, The Tennessean, Shape, Nashville Lifestyles, OK! Magazine and US Weekly. Whew! Martina fans may need a larger scrapbook.

March Madness is upon us, and Billy Currington is inviting you to match wits. Billy’s filled out his NCAA bracket, and made his Final Four picks. Now he’s inviting fans to fill out their own bracket to play against him for a basket full of cool prizes. One Grand Prize winner who beats Billy’s bracket will receive a collection of his CD’s. Five first-prize winners will receive a copy of his latest release Little Bit Of Everything. To play, you have to become a member of CBSsports.com before Thursday, March 19th. Check out his NCAA bracket by entering the group password "billy".

News From Around The Country
Randy Owen has been honored with the Development District Association Of Appalachia’s (DDAA) first-ever Donald R Myers Humanitarian Award for his work in his hometown of Ft. Payne, Alabama. With his latest single topping the charts, Darius Rucker becomes the first male artist in 15 years to have his first two singles reach the #1 position. Rascal Flatts has shattered all sales records with the first-week sales of the digital single, “Here Comes Goodbye.” 126,000 copies is the most any one single has ever sold in it’s first week in country music history.

And finally, for a Feel Good Friday, how ‘bout we relive Wednesday night’s Idol?