Alan Jackson Moves To Capitol Records

After a long relationship with Arista Nashville, Alan Jackson is moving to Capitol Records. New music will be released as as a joint venture between his label, ACR (Alan's Country Records), and Capitol/EMI Records Nashville. Alan recently exited his old label after completing his contract. Capitol and EMI's country roster includes Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban, along with several new artists.

Kellie Pickler, Gary Allan, Kix Brooks, and Big Kenny will all don a kilt as part of the Dressed To The Kilt fashion show in New York City on April 5th. Kellie has Scottish in her heritage so the event has always been for her. This year’s theme is Country Chic – where Scottish couture meets country cool. Proceeds from will benefit Paralyzed Veterans Of America and the Wounded Warrior Project through Sir Sean Connery’s Friends Of Scotland non-profit. Connery and Lady Connery will host the event.

Watch for Sugarland on American Idol tonight. And finally, congratulations to Patty Loveless, John Michael Montgomery, Steve Wariner, Keith Whitley, The Goins Brothers, Molly O’Day and Larnelle Harris who are being inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame this year.

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.

Merry Christmas Eve

As the days of 2010 dwindle, the New York Times has compiled a list of the Top 10 Albums and Top 10 Songs of the year from all genres. The order of those who made the cut and those who did not will certainly make for some interesting holiday conversations:

Top 10 Albums of 2010

1) Rick Ross – Teflon Don
2) Taylor Swift – Speak Now
3) Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4) Drake – Thank Me Later
5) Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
6) Gary Allan – Get Off On the Pain
7) DJ Drama & Fabolous – There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service
8) Justin Bieber – My World 2.0
9) R. Kelly – Love Letter
10) Jerrod Niemann – Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury

Top 10 Songs of 2010

1) Waka Flocka Flame featuring Diddy, Rick Ross, & Gucci Mane – “O Let’s Do It (Remix)”
2) Rick Ross featuring Gucci Mane – “MC Hammer”
3) Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
4) Chris Brown featuring Drake, T.I., Kanye West, Fabolous, Rick Ross, & André 3000 – “Deuces (Remix)”
5) Miguel featuring J. Cole – “All I Want Is You”
6) Kanye West feat. Pusha T – “Runaway”
7) Cults – “Go Outside”
8) Earl Sweatshirt – “Earl”
9) Ellie Goulding – “Starry Eyed”
10) Lloyd Banks featuring Juelz Santana – “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley”

Words of Wisdom for Wednesday

Details are emerging regarding Kenny Chesney’s upcoming album, Hemingway’s Whiskey. Highlights include a duet with George Jones on “Small Y’All,” a song George recorded for his 1998 album, It Don’t Get Any Better Than This. Randy Travis also cut the song for his 1994 album, This Is Me. In addition, Kenny features soulful rocker Grace Potter on “You and Tequila,” co-written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter, and recorded by Deana for her 2003 album, I’m Just a Girl. He also returns to a beach theme on “Coastal” and sings about getting over a relationship in “Somewhere With You.” The new album is scheduled to be out on September 28th.

Set your DVRs, Blake Shelton will be taking over your TV. With “All About Tonight” being Blake’s fastest rising single-to-date, he is scheduled to perform on Good Morning America and speak with TV personalities Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on The Today Show on August 12th. Yesterday, GAC began an exclusive series entitled, 30 Days of Blake. The series will air daily leading up to the exclusive 90-minute airing of one of Blake’s sold-out arena concerts, Blake Shelton LIVE: It’s All About Tonight, on September 8th.

Also on TV, David Nail will perform his new single “Turning Home” live on Fox & Friends on Friday. A taped interview and video of his performance of “Red Light” will be featured on FoxNews.com.

And finally, Gary Allan opened his last show for Brooks & Dunn’s Last Rodeo Tour on Sunday night and showed his appreciation to the duo by hanging a banner on his bus. The banner said, ‘Kix, Ronnie and the B&D Family - Thanks for having us on 82 shows over the past 10 years! You guys are the gold standard of how it should be done. If we ever grow up, we want to be just like you guys. Thanks — Gary and the Gang.’

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.

ZBB Supports The Troops

The Zac Brown Band has partnered with Chrysler Group’s Ram truck brand to offer free music to fans through a creative campaign designed to boost morale of U.S. soldiers stationed overseas. Beginning May 10th, you can participate in the Letters For Lyrics campaign by dropping off a letter for the troops at local Ram dealerships. In exchange, you will receive a 3-song mini-album, Breaking Southern Ground, while supplies last. The goal is to receive one-million letters “thank you” letters. Soldier’s Angels will deliver the letters. Additionally, you can log on to a special website to be one of the first 100,000 fans to download an exclusive live version of the band’s latest single, “Free.”

News From Around The Country
Country Weekly has calculated our votes and ranked the Hottest Bachelors in Country Music. With over 40,000 votes, Gary Allan wins the 2010 title. Phil Vassar, Jake Owen, Danny Gokey, Josh Thompson, Billy Currington, Kenny Chesney, Chuck Wicks, Lee Brice, Blake Shelton and Chris Young were among the other candidates. The remainder of the Top 10 should be revealed soon. ….. Clay Walker and the Band Against MS bike team participated in the annual BP MS150 bike ride in Houston last weekend, raising over 130,000 dollars for the National MS Society. Clay was the ride’s grand marshal, and sang the national anthem before the ride. Over 108 riders on the team pedaled 180 miles to raise cash. The money raised will help further the mission of funding research to find a cure for MS. …… Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney and his wife, Tiffany Fallon, have announced the gender of their second child due in September. It’s a girl. The couple has not decided on a name, because as Tiffany said, “We’re one of those couples that has to play with names. I can’t even decide what I want for dinner half the time and this is naming a child for the rest of her life!”

Half Off Sandwiches; Full On News

Happy Wednesday - your wallet's favorite day of the week! You can visit The Country Station's main website today and save half on tasty and toasty sandwiches at DG's University Deli. Located across from campus, it's a favorite hangout of the students; at half off, it fits nicely into a starving student's budget. Get your deli certificates while they last.

News From Around The Country
Not since Dierks Bentley took “What Was I Thinkin’” to number one in 2003 has a new male artist reached that pinnacle with the first single. Well, Dierks is now going to have to hand the crown over to Easton Corbin. “A Little More Country Than That” has become Easton’s first number one song. Watch Easton on national TV for the first time when he sings his first hit on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on April 1st.

While you’re setting the DVR, punch in The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 9. Kenny Chesney will be the guest and share feature footage from his surprise visit to Key West, Florida, with a crew from Oprah. His upcoming film, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D, will be released nationwide on April 21st. Although he's not mounting an extensive tour this summer, Kenny's performance calendar includes a few dates in Las Vegas and six music festivals.

And finally, here’s a great story you may not have heard before. Gary Allan was working as a car salesman in California when one of his demos was left in a car that was purchased by a couple. The couple came in a few days later wanting to know who was singing on the unmarked album and Gary proceeded to tell them of his dreams of going to Nashville to record an album. “Her husband asked, ‘How much is that going to cost?’ I said, ’12-thousand dollars.’ He patted her on the shoulder and said, ‘Write him a check!’” Gary recalls, “They wrote me a check for twelve grand, and I remember I kind of slid it back to them and said, ‘You know what, I’ve never taken money from my family because I would never want to owe anyone anything if I didn’t want to play. They kind of laughed at me and threw it back and said, ‘That’s not that much money to us, you should take it if it can change your life.” Six months later Gary had a record deal and paid the couple back and gave them a portion of his profit from his debut album Smoke Rings In the Dark. He later found out the couple owned a gold mine in Alaska which is why they were never concerned about giving him the money. Ten years later, Gary has released his 9th album Get Off On The Pain.

Monday Music News

In today’s digital world, it’s interesting to see that country music fans continue to shell out greenbacks for physical CD product. Check out some of these numbers. Gary Allan’s ninth studio album, Get Off On The Pain, moved 65,000 units during its first sales week. Reba McEntire’s current album, Keep On Loving You, has been certified Gold for cumulative sales 500,000 copies. (Reba sets her own standard. With this certification, every studio album since 1984’s My Kind Of Country has been certified GOLD or better.) The rest of the recent RIAA certifications include:

Alan Jackson - Good time - Platinum (his 15th)
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now - 2X Platinum
Taylor Swift - Fearless - 6X Platinum
Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride - 3X Platinum
Carrie Underwood - Play On - Platinum
Miranda Lambert - Revolution - Gold
Tim McGraw - Southern Voice - Gold

Musical Olympians

The opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics are tonight in Vancouver. Watch for music videos during the broadcasts from Rascal Flatts and Gloriana. The AT&T Team USA Soundtrack is available for digital download on iTunes today to benefit Team USA. The soundtrack features a new version of Rascal Flatts' "Unstoppable," Gloriana's "The World Is Ours Tonight," and Sugarland's "Wide Open." .

The guitar Taylor Swift donated to the “All for the Hall” has been scheduled to be auctioned tomorrow. Since Taylor’s lucky number is 13, the auction will begin February 13th, and last for 13 days. Fans can place their bid on the Country Music Hall of Fame website until February 26th. Proceeds benefit the Hall of Fame.

News From Around The Country
Justin Moore and his wife Kate welcomed their daughter Ella Cole to the world yesterday. ….. Josh Turner makes a guest appearance on Martha Stewart’s “Valentine’s Day Show” today. ….. Trisha Yearwood's second cookbook, Home Cooking With Trisha Yearwood: Stories and Recipes to Share With Family and Friends, will hit stores April 6th. ….. Gary Allan will be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on March 9th to mark the release of his CD Get Off on the Pain. ….. And finally, look for Carrie Underwood and her dog Ace to star in Public Service Announcement encouraging pet adoption. During the shoot Carrie talked about her little companion, "I can't imagine life without my dog, Dogs are just beautiful souls that don't want a thing from you." Carrie goes on to say that Ace is, "just so special because he loves me for no reason other than I love him back," Carrie is also talking about what to expect from her upcoming Play On Tour, “We kind of took production to a whole new level. We have a lot of pieces on stage that move, and a surprise that allows me to get closer to the audience than I’ve ever been before.” Sons of Sylvia, and Craig Morgan will open for Carrie.

Billy Currington Numero Uno

With recent appearances on the top of research lists and various calculations of country hits, Billy Currington has been flirting with the top of the charts. Today, Country Aircheck listed “People Are Crazy” as the #1 song of the week. It’s only a matter of time until Mediabase follows suit. Mediabase 24/7 is the chart that Bob Kingsley follows for the Country Top 40 Countdown here on The Country Station. So when Bob gives the official word that Billy is at the top of the charts, Ernesto owes you a payoff on the bet with Sheila for doubting the songs ability to be number one. Stay Tuned!! Also, watch Billy perform his hit on The Late Show with David Letterman on August 19th.

Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban are offering iTunes uses some exclusive content. The Flatts have an iTunes pass for fans to receive downloads of previously unreleased music, such as live concert recordings (“I’m Movin’ On,” “Mayberry,” “Bless the Broken Road”), studio rehearsals (“What Hurts the Most,” “Take Me There,” “Here Comes Goodbye”) and unreleased demos. The first songs were made available yesterday, and additional titles will become available every Tuesday through September 1st. A total of 28 recordings are scheduled for release on iTunes this summer. Meanwhile, Keith released an iTunes Originals pack yesterday. It includes six newly recorded live in-studio songs and exclusive interviews.

Yesterday Gary Allan received a permanent restraining order against a woman accused of stalking him. With three hours of testimony from Gary and members of his band and management, Gary denied speaking to or emailing the woman who defended herself by alleging that Gary repeatedly called her.

It's All About The Fans

While in Nashville for CMA Music Fest last week, a popular activity for many fans is to attend Fan Club Parties. These gatherings provide fans intimate access to his or her favorite artist, as well as the opportunity to socialize in person with other fans met in online fan club forums. Most parties include meet and greet access to the artist, which is oftentimes as fun for the artist as the fans, since the artist normally only sees the hardcore fans a few at a time as he or she travels around the country. At a fan club party, all the familiar faces are in one place at one time! The parties also include a private performance from everyone's mutually favorite artist - sometimes acoustic, sometimes full band - but typically just a few songs. More generous artists have been known to throw a full blown concert for the gathering of faithful. Others will play games, hold activities, or put themselves on the hotseat for fan Q&A - which is the most dangerous interview they'll ever do because fans want to know about everything! Any way it's done, it's always a special treat to be able to spend exclusive time with one's favorite artist. And CMA Music Fest Week is when it all happens, since so many fans are already in town. Here is a sampling of some of this year's Fan Club Parties:

GARY ALLAN - JUNE 9 - Nashville
BUCKY COVINGTON - JUNE 10 - Rocketown
ALAN JACKSON - JUNE 10 - Cadillac Ranch
TRACE ADKINS - JUNE 11 - Belcourt Theatre
MARTINA McBRIDE - JUNE 12 - Limelight
SARA EVANS - JUNE 12 - Rocketown
JOSH TURNER - JUNE 13 - Rocketown
MIRANDA LAMBERT - JUNE 14 - Nashville Palace

Sweet Wednesday

During last nights performance on the Grand Ole Opry, Montgomery Gentry was asked to become members. Opry member Charlie Daniels surprised Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry by approaching them from the audience and making his way on stage. “I have been chosen to do something very special,” Charlie said. “I have known you guys for a long time, and I am very proud of all your accomplishments. If you agree to it, on June 23rd you’re gonna be made members of the Grand Ole Opry!” The guys were both surprised and Troy Gentry was speechless while Eddie borrowed a handkerchief from Charlie to wipe his eyes. After composing themselves, the two kicked off their current hit, “One In Every Crowd”.

News From Around The Country
Taylor Swift had a special guest join her onstage during her Los Angeles performance this past weekend. John Mayer jumped up for an impromptu “Crossroads” and the two sang his hit "Your Body Is A Wonderland" and her hit "White Horse." Gary Allan will face a stalker of four years in a Nashville area court today. The female was arrested outside his home earlier this month and the investigation is ongoing. And finally, it’s been announced that Bill Engvall will host the 2009 CMT Music Awards live from Nashville Tuesday, June 16th. It's country music's only fan-voted award show, so get your votes in at CMT.com between now and June 14th. The link’s at the top of the page.

Is It Getting Hot in Here?

Hot bachelors and beautiful people! What more do you need on a slow Thursday?

A couple of months ago, the links were posted so we could vote for Country Weekly’s Hottest Bachelor. The results are in. Exercise caution as you scroll down. If you can’t take the heat … stay out of the kitchen!

10. Chuck Wicks- Rumba anyone?

9. Chris Cagle – Chicks dig him!

8. Bucky Covington - It's good to be sexy!

7. Jimmy Wayne - Ladies love him this much!

6. Kenny Chesney - No shirt. No Problem.

5. Blake Shelton - Southwestern Playboy!

4. Dwight Yoakam - It's a crazy little thing called love!

3. Keith Anderson - XXL solo!












2. Gary Allan - The One for the ladies!

1. Chris Young - All you can think about is gettin' him home!

People Magazine has also released its list of the 100 Most Beautiful People. Taylor Swift, Julianne Hough, and Carrie Underwood show up on the list to represent country music.

News From Around The Country
Rodney Atkins surprised a couple near Milwaukee, Wisconsin yesterday as part of Good Morning America’s At Your House promotion. Rodney performed his current hit “It’s America,” live for the neighborhood and millions of GMA viewers. It seems like he just left for overseas, but Toby Keith has now finished his 7th USO trip. According to the military publication, Systems, Toby spent five days performing for troops in Afghanistan and it was the first time he got to take his band with him. During the day, he went to the front lines, and then he played nightly shows with his band. Regarding his shows for military personnel, Toby says, “It's a break from the monotony in their life. They're under fire and tremendous workloads trying to accomplish their goals, so when we show up, it changes that for a little while. We try to put smiles on their faces." Gretchen Wilson will travel to Capitol Hill to hand deliver nearly ten-thousand letters from volunteers across the nation to both Tennessee congressmen and senators urging them to increase funding for adult education programs. And finally, look for Dolly Parton on The View tomorrow.

Randy Travis Calls Today!

Tomorrow is the FREE Randy Travis concert at the Pan American Center. Randy is in Tucson today, and he will be calling The Country Station this afternoon. Sheila will be “diggin’ up bones” on Randy after 1 pm. Don’t miss it! Perhaps Sheila will ask Randy about “Charlie.” Hmmmm….

First it was vitamin water. Now it’s vitamin beer? It’s called Stampede Light Plus, brewed to include vitamins, and you’ll see Jessica Simpson in the ads. Although, she’s not there just to look pretty and sell beer. Jessica is part owner of the beer company based in Dallas. As an entrepreneur looking for ways to diversify her portfolio, Jessica gets a 15 percent cut in the brewery. "Yes, I work out and take care of myself," said Jessica, "but I also like a cold beer once in a while."

Note to self. If ever on a tour bus – follow the rules! Bus drivers don’t always subscribe to the principles of No Band Member Left Behind. It happened in Gary Allan’s organization. "We lost one guy at a truck stop on the way back to Nashville, and we didn't realize we lost him till about a hundred miles out from home," Gary confessed. "We'd left him like 800 miles out from home and he had hitched a ride with a trucker and headed to Nashville and caught up to us." How does this happen among friends and co-workers you ask? It’s simple. He failed to follow the bus rules. “He got off in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom," continued Gary. "And when you get off a tour bus you need to put something in the driver's seat. That's the code."

August 21, 1938 seems like yesterday, doesn't it? Nope. It was 70 YEARS AGO! ! ! Happy Birthday to Kenny Rogers! !