The Haircut Heard Around The World

“You’re 77 now, son. It’s about time to cut your hair ….” How many guys have heard that before? It’s been a long time for Willie Nelson. But recently Willie chose to change his style and cut his trademark braids. A spokesperson said that he didn’t make a big deal out of it and that it was time for a change because long hair required “a lot of maintenance.” If we ever hear that Crystal Gayle followed suit, country music traditionalists may just have to turn in their membership cards.

On Tuesday, former oil platform worker, Trace Adkins, and Diamond Rio participated in a memorial for the 11 lost crew members of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. In a video message to the families, Trace voiced his compassion for their tragic losses, saying “Nobody…expects it to end like this. People all over the world share your grief and your despair.” Diamond Rio sang “I Believe,” “One More Day,” and “In God We still Trust.” The group then met with each family after the completion of the memorial service.

Big Kenny, half of the duo Big and Rich, has partnered with Rock Band Relief to help benefit the America Red Cross. His songs “Happy People” and “One More Time” will be released to the Rock Band Network store, where a portion of the proceeds from all downloads are donated to the American Red Cross to assist victims of the recent flooding in Nashville, Tennessee.

Miranda Lambert’s 3rd Annual Cause for Paws was held last weekend in Tyler, Texas. The event is part of Miranda’s MuttNation Foundation. $91-thousand was raised through ticket sales, sponsorships, and auction items. Miranda performed with her band and attendees were surprised with a guest appearance by Blake Shelton, who performed his song “Hillbilly Bone.”

Feel Good Friday

Rascal Flatts is heading back to American Idol. While Shania Twain plays mentor next week, The Flatts will be on to perform "Unstoppable" and join Shakira in singing her song, "Gypsy." You may remember the trio’s ties to the show in the past. In 2005, Gary, Jay, and Joe Don performed on the night Carrie Underwood won the 4th Season. They also appeared on the Idol Gives Back episode in 2007. Oh, and as previously announced, Lady Antebellum will also be on Idol next week.

News From Around The Country
If you can’t wait until next week, you may want to catch Rascal Flatts on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution show tonight on ABC. ….. Laura Bell Bundy’s debut album, Achin’ and Shakin’ debuted at number five on the Billboard’s Top Country Album chart. She will continue her album launch with performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and will also tape a segment of Chelsea Lately. Laura Bell’s ACM performance is also available on iTunes. ….. The Johnny Cash Project, an online global art project and visual testament to the life and career of Johnny Cash, was officially launched yesterday with over 5,000 frames submitted to the website. The website celebrates the February 2010 release of American VI: Ain’t No Grave - Johnny Cash’s final studio recording. ….. And finally, let’s offer congratulations to Diamond Rio, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Ty Herndon. They were among the winners at the Gospel Music Association's 41st annual Dove Awards held Wednesday night in Nashville. Diamond Rio picked up the country album award for The Reason, and the Oak Ridge Boys received long form music video honors for A Gospel Journey. Ty won a Dove in the bluegrass recorded song category for co-writing "When We Fly" with Joel Lindsay and Wayne Haun.

Happy Monday

Garth Brooks, producer Allen Reynolds, and his former label head Jim Foglesong will all be honored with Leadership Music's Dale Franklin Award in August. The award in Ms. Franklin’s honor was created in 2004 to recognize music industry leaders who "exemplify the highest quality of leadership and leading by example."

One member just had a baby, and now another one is engaged. The Lost Trailers member Jeff Potter is just recently got engaged to girlfriend Beth Cooper. Yes, really, Beth Cooper. How funny for them that a movie called “I Love You, Beth Cooper" just opened in theatres last Friday. Look like Jeff will owe a few more "I love yous" to his own Beth Cooper.

Diamond Rio is getting ready for a big album and book release on September 22nd. No stranger to God and faith in their country hits, The Reason will be the group’s first album aimed at the Contemporary Christian market. The book, Beautiful Mess: The Story Of Diamond Rio, hits bookshelves the same day to tell the story of the group’s 2-decade career. With a platinum debut in 1991, 6 CMA Vocal Group of the Year Awards, 9 #1 singles, 15 Top 5's, and more than 10-million records sold, Diamond Rio is one of country’s most successful groups.