Showing posts with label George Strait. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George Strait. Show all posts

Friday, August 26, 2011

Grandpa Strait

George Strait and Billy Ray Cyrus have something to share cigars over. Yesterday we heard the happy news from Billy Ray; today we hear the same news that George Strait will be a grandfather. George's son, Bubba, and his wife Tamara, who were married last December, are expecting their first child in February. George and his wife, Norma, are thrilled. By the way, Bubba helped co-write seven of the new songs on George's upcoming album.

The pair of shoes Shania Twain was wearing when she tripped and fell at this year’s CMT Music Awards went up for auction on eBay recently. The auction ended this week and the final bid was $9,000! Shania autographed the shoes, which are size 6, black satin BCBG Max Azria heels. The money will benefit Shania’s charity, Kids Can.

Taylor Swift has been rocking the crowds in Los Angeles this week as part of her Speak Now Tour. On Tuesday night, Taylor shocked fans by bringing Justin Bieber on stage. Then on Wednesday night, Jason Mraz came out on stage and sang “I’m Yours.” After the show, Taylor tweeted, “I couldn't love LA crowds more. I can't believe how awesome tonight was. And thank you [Jason Mraz] for singing "I'm Yours" with me!!” Makes you wonder who she's going to surprise the crowd with during this weekend's shows. Are Lady Gaga and Katie Perry busy?

Probably. The MTV VMA's are this weekend. Taylor Swift’s “Mean” is nominated for Best Video with a Message. The VMA's will air live from Los Angeles on MTV on Sunday. Taylor’s video will compete against “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem featuring Rihanna, “Firework” by Katy Perry, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, "F****** Perfect" by Pink and “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” by Rise Against.

And speaking of awards, The Band Perry and Jake Owen will reveal the CMA Awards finalists in five categories on Good Morning America on September 6th. Jake will also perform “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” on the show. Later in the morning, Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square will announce the remaining finalists during a press conference at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Album News

Martina McBride shares three new songs from her October 11th album, Eleven, on the latest installment of Unplugged. The show debuts tonight on CMT.com.

Lady Antebellum is teasing fans with a sneak peek of the songs on their upcoming new album. The 30-second snippets of all 12 tracks are available now on the Amazon music site. Own the Night will be officially released on September 13th.

Music fans and movie buffs will want to be looking for a deluxe, 10th anniversary re-release of the ‘O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack to hit stores this week. The expanded edition includes the original music plus 14 new tracks on an additional disc.

And finally, in addition to his new album, Here for a Good Time, George Strait has a greatest hits album coming out in September. The CD, which is part of the Icon series of releases, will include 11 of his hits. Here for a Good Time comes out September 6th. The Icon Hits CD is scheduled for release on September 13th.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Party At The Opry

It was a star-studded salute to Vince Gill at the Grand Ole Opry over the weekend. The celebration was in honor of Vince's 20th anniversary as an Opry member. Opry legends Little Jimmy Dickens, “Whisperin’ Bill” Anderson and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Jean Shepard all stepped out to honor Vince. Emmylou Harris took the stage with Vince to sing her hit “Two More Bottles of Wine” and “If I Needed You.” The night also included a special video montage of Vince’s great moments with his Opry family and a special performance by his daughter, Jenny Gill, who made her dad proud and earned a standing ovation with his song “If You Ever Have Forever In Mind.” Vince said, “Having my daughter Jenny here is perfect, because the first time I was ever invited to play here—I’d waited my whole life to get that invitation—I turned down because she had a talent show that Saturday night, and I promised I’d play guitar for her. I said, ‘I can’t believe I’m saying no, but I promised my kid I’d do that. I’m gonna do that.’” Vince’s wife, Amy Grant sang “Better Than A Hallelujah” and “True Love,” which she wrote for her hubby. A touched Vince closed out the show with his hits, “Look At Us” and the song he says landed him his first appearance on the Opry, “When I Call Your Name.”

When George Strait’s 39th studio album, Here for a Good Time, drops on September 6th, look for Faith Hill to join George on “A Showman’s Life,” which laments the not-so-publicized side of a musician’s life. The song also appeared on Gary Allan’s 2003 record See if I Care, as a duet with Willie Nelson.

Six Nashville Metro Police officers were suspended after taking an off-duty job escorting Taylor Swift and her security team around Music City. The Tennessean reports that the officers had received approval from their superiors to take the job, which paid more than $30 an hour, but then top brass rejected it. It was then that the officers decided to go ahead and do it anyway, hoping that their superiors wouldn’t find out. According to the article, Taylor was “unaware” of the approval problems, as was Firefly Entertainment, the company that hired them for her. “As soon as Firefly was made aware that there was a problem, they stopped using these officers immediately,” Taylor’s spokeswoman assured.

Kellie Pickler will make her TV acting debut on the CW’s show, 90210, this fall. Kellie will play “Sally,” the country-singing cousin of “Austin” in one episode of the upcoming season, as well as sing her latest single, “Tough.” 90210’s 4th season begins September 13th on the CW.

Friday, March 25, 2011

It's George and Reba Day in NM

Today is “George Strait and Reba McEntire Day” in the State of New Mexico. Along with Lee Ann Womack, they perform tonight at the Pan Am Center. Here is the complete text of the proclamation made by Governor Susana Martinez.

In appreciation of their frequent and record-breaking appearances throughout the State of New Mexico, as well as all of their combined personal achievements in the music industry, Governor Susana Martinez has proclaimed March 25, 2011 to be George Strait and Reba McEntire Day in the State of New Mexico.

PROCLAMATION

Whereas: George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history with his first performance at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center in 1985; and,

Whereas: George Strait has sold nearly 69 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has sold the most RIAA platinum certificates in country music and the third in all music genres; and,

Whereas: George Strait has received more than 60 major entertainment industry awards and countless nominations, has been a nominee for the CMA Entertainer of the Year 17 times and a nominee for the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year 24 times, He was named the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade in 2010, nominated for 2011 ACM Entertainer of the Year for the 12th time, bringing his all-time record to 81 ACM nominations; and,

Whereas: He has performed over 20 times in the State Of New Mexico, 13 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone; and,

Whereas: Reba McEntire is one of the most successful female recording artists in history having sold over 55 million albums worldwide, earned 33 #1 singles, the winner
of 15 American Music Awards, 12 Academy of Country Awards, 9 People Choice Awards, 7 Country Music Awards and 2 Grammy Awards; and,

Whereas: She will be honored at the ACM’s Superstar Women of Country in April of 2011; and,

Whereas: She has performed since 1983 multiple times in the State of New Mexico, 6 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone; and,

Whereas: George Strait and Reba McEntire have supported with their appearances the American Collegiate Talent Showcase (ACTS) scholarship program thereby enabling college students within the State of New Mexico the opportunity to pursue degrees in higher education.


Now, therefore I, Susana Martinez, Governor of The State of New Mexico, recognize George Strait and Reba McEntire for their incredible success and support of the music industry and their history of performing for thousands of New Mexicans throughout the years, and do hereby proclaim the 25th day of March, 2011 as “George Strait and Reba McEntire Day” throughout the State of New Mexico!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Friday Is George/Reba Day in NM

This just in ....

Governor Susana Martinez has declared Friday, March 25, 2011, "George Strait and Reba McEntire Day" in New Mexico. The Governor signed a proclamation to make the formal acknowledgement.

Among the career achievements, citations on the proclamation include:

- George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history with his first performance at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center in 1985.

- George has performed over 20 times in the State Of New Mexico, 13 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone.

- Reba has performed since 1983 multiple times in the State of New Mexico, 6 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone.

- George Strait and Reba McEntire have supported with their appearances the American Collegiate Talent Showcase (ACTS) scholarship program thereby enabling college students within the State of New Mexico the opportunity to pursue degrees in higher education.

Now, therefore I, Susana Martinez, Governor of The State of New Mexico, recognize George Strait and Reba McEntire for their incredible success and support of the music industry and their history of performing for thousands of New Mexicans throughout the years, and do hereby proclaim the 25th day of March, 2011 as “George Strait and Reba McEntire Day” throughout the State of New Mexico!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Feel Good Friday

Rascal Flatts and George Strait kick off their 2011 tours today, in Sioux Falls and Austin respectively. With $41.6 million cited in Pollstar, George had the highest-grossing concert tour in 2010. This year, George has teamed up with RedShirtFridays.org to show support for US military servicemen and women. He personally began participating in Red Shirt Friday during the holidays and will continue that tradition tonight, wearing a red shirt for opening night. He's encouraging fans to wear red shirts to all of his Friday shows and says, "I want to see a building full of red shirts if possible."

Billboard has released its list of the hottest TV theme songs, selected from the Hot 100 charts of the last 30 years and ranked according to where each song peaked on the chart between 1980 and 2011. Waylon Jennings put the only country song on the list.

BILLBOARD’S TOP 10 TV THEME SONGS 1980-2011

1) “How Do You Talk To An Angel”, The Heights – The Heights
2) “Miami Vice Theme”, Jan Hammer – Miami Vice
3) “Theme From Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)”, Joey Scarbury – Greatest American Hero
4) “The Theme From Hill Street Blues”, Mike Post feat. Larry Carlton – Hill Street Blues
5) “I’ll Be There For You”, The Rembrants – Friends
6) “Theme From The Dukes Of Hazzard (Good ‘Ol Boys)”, Waylon Jennings – The Dukes of Hazzard
7) “Moonlighting (Theme)”, Al Jarreau – Moonlighting
8) “Theme From Magnum P.I.”, Mike Post – Magnum P.I.
9) “Theme From Dynasty”, Bill Conti – Dynasty
10) “WKRP In Cincinnati”, Steve Carlisle – WKRP In Cincinnati

News From Around The Country
The first group of performers for the 53rd Grammy Awards has been announced, and the Miranda Lambert will represent country music. This will be her first time performing at the Grammys, which will take place live on CBS from Los Angeles on February 13th. ….. Jerrod Neimann will have his day in his hometown of Liberal, Kansas. Mayor Tim Long has declared tomorrow, January 15th as “Jerrod Niemann Day”. Jerrod graduated from Liberal High School in 1997, attended college in Texas, and eventually moved to Nashville. The proclamation made by the mayor mentions Jerrod’s success with his first single, “Lover, Lover,” and his album Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury. …… Reba McEntire has revealed her new Spring collection of clothes for Dillard's. Check here to see it. ……. And finally, Johnny Cash will be inducted in to the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame on January 24th in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Tracy Lawrence will hold his annual Mission Possible Turkey Fry in Nashville today. The event continues to grow as it benefits the Nashville Rescue Mission each year. Tracy said, “We may try and get in the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest turkey fry in the history of the world. If we’ve got several turkeys that are on board that are connected with this thing to see how many turkeys we can fry in one day. Wouldn’t that be awesome?” Friends such as Brad Arnold from Three Doors Down, Burns & Poe, LoCash Cowboys, Danielle Peck, Lorrie Morgan, The Roys, and Jett Williams will be on hand to help Tracy with the event.

Kix Brooks is ready to begin his new career as an actor. Half of the former duo Brooks & Dunn has been filming the movie “Thrift Store Cowboy” in Phoenix, Arizona. He plays the role of a bad guy, Wade Lockin. Kix says he’s reluctant, but ready, “It’s actually a real part, so, I’m a little nervous about it. I’ve been trying to learn lines, uh, for the last couple of weeks. And, I’m about halfway there and I’ve only got a week to go. So, I’m startin’ to get nervous. But, uh, they claim they’ll make it easy on me. So, it should be interesting.” The movie is an independent film, which also stars one of Kix’s favorite western actors – Barry Corbin. He has passed up on many acting roles throughout the years because of scheduling, but now that his Brooks & Dunn days are over he can film as many movies as he wants.

George Strait earned his 83rd Top 10 hit last week with his current single, “The Breath You Take.” The song was written by the father-daughter duo Dean Dillon and Jessie Jo Dillon. George is one hit closer to breaking Eddy Arnold’s record that has 92 Top 10 hits. George made his first debut on the charts with the 1981 song, “Unwound.” The top of the Top 10 list includes:

92, Eddy Arnold
83, George Strait
78, George Jones
75, Conway Twitty
71, Merle Haggard
59, Reba McEntire
57, Ernest Tubb
56, Red Foley
55, Dolly Parton
54, Waylon Jennings
54, Webb Pierce

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

"Pure Country 2: The Gift" Trailer



Lady Antebellum received five nominations to tie with Eminem as the top nominees for the 2010 American Music Awards. In addition to their country nominations, Lady Antebellum is alongside Black Eyed Peas and Train in the all-genre category for favorite band, duo or group. They also share a favorite artist nomination in the adult contemporary category with Michael Buble and Train. They're also among a field of eight for breakthrough artist of the year. In the country division, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Brad Paisley are nominated for favorite male artist. Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are up for favorite female artist. Favorite band, duo or group nominations went to the Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts. The favorite album nominees are Jason's Wide Open, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now and Carrie's Play On. No country acts were nominated for overall artist of the year. ABC will broadcast the fan-voted awards show live on November 21st.

Reba McEntire is giving fans a special treat when her 34th studio album All The Women I Am is released. The album will be available as a Limited Deluxe Edition with an interview and video performances of “Consider Me Gone,” “Strange,” “I Want a Cowboy,” and “Eight Crazy Hours (In The Story of Love).” The bonus DVD will also include Reba’s much buzzed-about performance of "If I Were A Boy" on CMT Unplugged. In addition, the Limited Deluxe Edition will include a dance remix of “I Want A Cowboy” and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the "Turn On The Radio" video as well as the "Turn On The Radio" music video itself. All The Women I Am will be available on Novembern 9th.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Power of Twitter

So where’s Jimmy Wayne? Lately, he has been walking through New Mexico on his way to Phoenix, the final destination of his cross-country Meet Me Halfway walk. As reported on Twitter, Jimmy was less than 400 miles away from his destination when a questionable man pulled up beside him and asked if he could walk with him. First, Jimmy asked to take a picture with the man for his twitter, but when the man refused it was Jimmy's first red flag. Jimmy said “It was extremely awkward and obvious that he was no one to be trusted. It was the feeling you get when you know you’re about to get bit by a dog.” Jimmy tweeted his location and asked for help. The tweet caused an abundance of calls from all over the nation to the State Troopers in the area and within 10 minutes, officers arrived. Jimmie walked away unscathed, and the strange man was driven away in the back of a highway patrol car.

News From Around The Country
Lady Antebellum continues to set records with “Need You Now.” The album rules the Billboard Country Album chart for the 18th consecutive week, and the song has become the longest-running number one song by a country group since the AC chart started 49 years ago. Lady A has broken Rascal Flatts' nine-week record from when “What Hurts the Most” was on the charts in 2006. ….. George Strait will re-issue the George Strait Live DVD on June 15th. This is the show that was filmed at the Dallas Reunion Arena on New Year's night 1986-1987. George Strait Live has been digitally re-mastered with 5.1 surround sound and includes five bonus music videos made available for the first time ever for fans on DVD. ….. Gibson Acoustic has designed a Brad Paisley guitar. Only 300 of the Brad Paisley J-45 Model guitars will be produced. Each one comes with a formfitting hard shell case with plush blue lining, an owner’s manual, Gibson’s Gold Warranty, label personally signed by Brad, and a Certificate of Authenticity. ….. Toby Keith raised almost $600,000 at the 7th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic . This year, the funds go to help fund the OK Kids Korral—a 16-room guest lodge which will house pediatric cancer patients and their families on the grounds of Oklahoma University Medical Center. …… And finally, look for Lonestar playing as the house band on The Price is Right on Thursday, June 16th. One of the showcase prizes will be tickets to attend a Lonestar concert plus band merchandise.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Country Music Rankings

If you’ve ever wondered where country music ranks among the average American consumer, count on the people at Harris Poll to find out. Accoridng to an online poll of 2,230 adults, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Rascal Flatts and Alan Jackson are among America's Top 10 favorite musical acts. Celine Dion led the list, with Tim charting at number 5, George at number 7, Rascal Flatts at number 8 and Alan tying with Frank Sinatra at number 9. In a demographic breakdown of the results, Rascal Flatts ranked highest among single women and people between the ages of 18 and 33. Tim was tops with respondents from the Midwest. Rounding out the Top 10 were U2 (No. 2), Elvis Presley and the Beatles (tied for No. 3) and Lady GaGa (No. 6).

As long as we’re looking at numbers and rankings today, are you ever curious to know the All-Time Top 24 from American Idol? The good people at Billboard have ranked them for us:
24. Allison Iraheta
Album Sales: 96,000
23. Diana DeGarmo
Album Sales: 167,000
22. Danny Gokey
Album Sales: 124,000
21. William Hung
Album Sales: 240,000
20. Kimberley Locke
Album Sales: 240,000
19. Taylor Hicks
Album Sales: 780,000
18. Blake Lewis
Album Sales: 367,000
17. Bo Bice
Album Sales: 738,000
16. Katharine McPhee
Album Sales: 417,000
15. Elliot Yamin
Album Sales: 687,000
14. Josh Gracin
Album Sales: 787,000
13. Jennifer Hudson
Album Sales: 798,000
12. Adam Lambert
Album Sales: 685,000
11. Kris Allen
Album Sales: 310,000
10. Ruben Studdard
Album Sales: 2,600,000
9. Fantasia
Album Sales: 2,300,000
8. David Archuleta
Album Sales: 968,000
7. Kellie Pickler
Album Sales: 1,300,000
6. Clay Aiken
Album Sales: 4,900,000
5. David Cook
Album Sales: 1,300,000
4. Jordin Sparks
Album Sales: 1,300,000
3. Chris Daughtry
Album Sales: 5,700,000
2. Carrie Underwood
Album Sales: 11,500,000
1. Kelly Clarkson
Album Sales: 10,600,000

Friday, April 30, 2010

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

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

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Wednesday Wonders Never Cease

Stop the presses! George Strait set a record? Billboard has announced that George’s latest single, “I Gotta Get To You,” has become his 82nd Top 10 hit, making George the first act to hit the top 10 on any Billboard chart for thirty consecutive years. (His first top ten single was “Unwound,” in 1981.) Imagine the celebration when it gets to #1.

So how are the two Auburn University students that are trying to get a hug from Taylor Swift doing in their challenges? They had previously announced that their next response would be posted on April 13th. It was. Using Taylor’s favorite number 13 in a creative way, the video shows the guys giving away 13 donuts, picking up trash, delivering 13 roses to an elderly lady, and jamming 13 people into a small car. They even assemble cars to create the number 13 in a field – which they fly over in a helicopter. Over 70 fan videos were submitted as well, but only three fans were chosen. One fan managed to ship 13 Fearless albums to children’s hospitals.

This week was Elvis Week. Next up, it’s Idol Gives Back. It was previously announced that Carrie Underwood will be performing on the show. But many of the other former American Idol contestants who are now based in Nashville will be volunteering on April 21st to coincide with the charity-themed episode. Bucky Covington is among the volunteers who will be working at a Nashville food bank, alongside Bo Bice, Mandissa, Melinda Doolittle, and Phil Stacey. The event supports Feeding America, one of the beneficiaries of American Idol’s charitable activities.

And finally, just for fun, check out this quiz on the People Magazine website. Do you have what it takes to be a “Country Know-It All?” Each of the ten questions have four possible answers, and it’s up to country fans to distinguish which music lyric is sung by which artist. Perhaps the odds were unfairly stacked, but the quiz gave your humble scribe a "Yee Haw" for 10 out of 10. Isn't being a country know-it-all part of the job?

Monday, March 15, 2010

No Rest for the Weary

If you’re reading this an hour later than you normally do, you made it through Daylight Savings Time unscathed. Congratulations. ..... Recognition is also in order for the NMSU Aggies: 12th seed in the NCAA Tournament vs. Michigan State in Spokane on Friday at 5:20pm. You’ll hear the game on The Country Station. Happy Monday.

So Kenny Chesney took the year off the road to rest? How’s it going? “Well I can’t wait to get back on the road so I can get some rest,” Kenny said, “I really have been more mentally busy so far this year than I ever have been.” Between recording a new record and preparing the release of Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, he hasn’t had the “time off” he had hoped for. Kenny will be part of the Brooks & Dunn ACM Tribute which will tape the day after the ACM Awards, April 19th, in Las Vegas. There is no release date set for the new album, but Kenny is aiming for the fall. In the meantime, Greatest Hits II, includes the ESPN college football anthem, “This Is Our Moment,” and the current Top 10 single, “Ain’t Back Yet.”

News From Around The Country
Sara Evans will attend a court hearing today after filing a temporary restraining order against her ex-husband, Craig Schelske. The report states Craig is not allowed to make any derogatory statements about Sara to the media or make allegations about what let to their divorce in the fall of 2007. …..George Strait is normally the only celebrity at his George Strait Team Roping Classic, but this year James Pickens, Junior of Grey’s Anatomy showed up. It turns out Pickens is an avid fan of team roping and decided to attend the long-running competition for the first time. He’s planning a charity team roping event in late April in California. ….. David Nail has attending batting practice at spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals. He tweeted last week about his private batting lesson with Mark McGuire, his uniform, and how sore he was going to be after the three day adventure. ….. And finally, Gloriana will be featured on milk containers in schools nationwide as part of the Milk Rocks! Campaign, a member of the Ad Council’s Coalition For Healthy Children whose mission is to help children lead healthier lives.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Thursday by the Numbers

George Strait, Taylor Swift and Shania Twain have earned top certifications from the RIAA for music released between 2000 and 2009. With 29, George has the most gold and platinum certifications. 25 was enough for Taylor to top the list of the most digital song certifications. Her "Love Story" also tied with Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" for highest-certified digital song by a female artist. It reached quadruple platinum for 4 million paid downloads. 11 million shipped means 11-times platinum for Shania's 2002 album, Up! - the highest-certified album by a female artist. In addition, the Eagles were recognized for having the most total certifications, with 48 cumulative album, digital song, master ringtone and music video certifications.

Where’s Jimmy? In Oklahoma. Jimmy Wayne has crossed the state line from Arkansas to Oklahoma in his effort to walk halfway across the continental U.S. Jimmy started his journey January 1st in Nashville, and arrived in Oklahoma early Tuesday night. So far, he has completed 530 miles of the approximately 1,700-mile walk for his Meet Me Halfway campaign to raise awareness of homeless teens and young adults. With breaks and time-outs from the walk to play gigs around the country, Jimmy travels approximately 20 miles per day in his walk to Phoenix.

And finally, it's nice to see that two country artists made the Top 10 results when Billboard magazine asked readers who they felt were the Sexiest Females in Music. Here’s the list:

1) Britney Spears
2) Beyonce
3) Miley Cyrus
4) Rihanna
5) Lady Gaga
6) Carrie Underwood
7) Shakira
8) Nicole Scherzinger (formerly of Pussycat Dolls)
9) Taylor Swift
10) Katy Perry

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

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.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Thursday's Entertainment Wrap Up

She was a multi-instrumentalist by the time she was 10, now she’s the first woman to be inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Barbara Mandrell received the honor this past weekend at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, MO . Nicknamed "Sweetheart of the Steel," Barbara was on tour with The Johnny Cash Show by age 13 and had her first Billboard chart record at age 21. Her NBC variety show, "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters" drew nearly 40 million viewers weekly and introduced a nation to Country music. Earlier this year, Mandrell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and has now accepted the honor of joining the ranks of elite masters of the steel guitar.

News From Around The Country
How’s this for a cute family portrait? A spread on the Paisley family, Brad, Kimberly, Huck, and baby Jasper, is in the latest issue of People magazine. … Lee Ann Womack has officially launched her free fan club called the Lee Ann Womack Country Music Appreciation Society & Social Club. She is also up and tweeting at twitter.com/lawsocialclub … In case you want to make plans, the 28th Annual George Strait Team Roping Classic is scheduled for Friday and Saturday March 12th & 13th 2010 at the San Antonio Rose Palace in San Antonio, Texas. … LeAnn Rimes was seen adopting a Chihuahua from the Wilshire Animal Clinic in Santa Monica , California on Tuesday. …. Zac Brown Band will perform a benefit concert on October 30th in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. All proceeds from the show will go toward the rebuilding of the historic Georgia Theatre in Athens, which was destroyed in a fire earlier this year. … Luke Bryan has announced his inaugural Farm Tour, starting October 5th in Statesboro, Georgia. These shows are a way for Luke to give back to charity organizations in local farming communities. .... And finally, how about Taylor Swift’s reaction to the CMA Award nominations? Here’s a peek at Taylor at home:


Friday, August 28, 2009

Feel Good Friday Happenings

Are you going to the FFA convention this year? Say hey to Toby Keith for us! Toby will be your guest entertainer at this year’s FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention in Indianapolis. Toby says that he is looking forward to the convention because he was a member of the FFA when he was in high school. The convention will bring in around 55-thousand students this year.

With the Aggies’ Tough Enough To Wear Pink game coming up on September 12th, we know a thing or two about pink in Las Cruces. Carrie Underwood will join the pink crowd when she helps the Grand Ole Opry stage turn pink for two shows on October 2nd. Carrie will flip the switch to turn the Opry’s signature backdrop pink in support of the groups Women Rock for the Cure and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

News From Around The Country
George Strait’s new video for “Livin’ For The Night,” premieres exclusively today on CMT.com and debuts Monday on CMT. The video is a taped performance from George’s concert at Reliant Stadium in Houston. …. Today is Shania Twain’s 44th birthday and the day she promised fans a special gift on her website. Open it here. …. CMA Award Nominations are coming out on September 9th. ….. American Idol alum Danny Gokey has confirmed he is heading in the direction of country music. …. Abrams ComicArts will introduce Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness in November. It’s a new comic book/graphic novel based on the life of Johnny Cash. … Jack Ingram has partnered with KC Masterpiece in a campaign to encourage Americans to keep grilling throughout football season. … And finally, Trace Adkins, Elvis Presley and Keith Urban are among the latest artists receiving sales certifications from the RIAA. The digital single for Trace’s “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” earned Platinum status for one-million paid downloads. Elvis’ album, 30 #1 Hits, from 2002, reached five-times Platinum. Keith received three Gold digital singles this summer for more than 500-thousan downloads of “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” “Stupid Boy” and “Sweet Thing.”

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Top O' The Charts

George Strait’s new album Twang is the number one album in all of America. This is the fourth time in George’s career that a new release has debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and the 13th time debuting at number one on the Top Country Albums chart. This is also the first CD George has contributed to as a writer. … Carrie Underwood has started a charity in her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma - the C.A.T.S. - Checotah Animal, Town, and School Foundation. Carrie says the town she grew up in has always been supportive of her and this is a way to give back. … The Rolling Stone collector’s edition comes out later this week and features a conversation between Brad Paisley and Kevin Jonas who have become friends. In the issue Jonas asks Brad why some people “hate” country music. Brad answers by saying, “To some degree we deserve it. Our job in country music is telling true stories, the things that matter to us. I think at times we've strayed from that, and our songs have become very defensive and anti every other kind of music -- sort of like, 'We're country, and we're this, and we're that.' " … Rodney Atkins stopped by The Holston Home for Children in Greeneville, Tennessee this week to attend the opening of a house that has been named after him. Rodney lived at the center when he was an infant and says it was important for him to attend the ceremony because he can relate to the children currently live there. He wanted to bring the message of hope because that’s what he feels the center is all about.

Friday, August 7, 2009

King George on The New Album

George Strait’s highly-anticipated new album Twang is coming out on Tuesday. Listen to George talk about the project and predict his legacy.

DVR Settings
Trace Adkins will make a guest appearance on A&E’s reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels this Sunday, August 9th. In the show, Simmons travels to Nashville to take a bickering country band under his wing, and Trace stops by the studio to surprise him. And then on August 16th, Jack Ingram will be making his guest appearance on Army Wives. Also, plan ahead for August 31st – the airing of CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night to Rock.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Album Release Day

The release date has been announced for George Strait's 38th album. Twang drops August 11th. The new album was recorded in the same place as the last two, Shrimpboat Sound Studio in Key West, with producer Tony Brown at the controls. You’ve already been hearing the first single from the new CD on The Country Station. “Living For The Night” was co-written by George, his son Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon. Yes, George had a hand in writing the song, the first time he’s gotten writing credit since his 1982 debut song, “I Can’t See Texas From Here.” George says, "We had a great time writing with each other and then Dean adding his magic made it even more special. I hope the people that buy this record have as much fun listening to it as I had making it."

News From Around The Country
Rascal Flatts
fans will want to make sure the DVRs are set for Friday. The Flatts will be on Today. The appearance on the Summer Concert Series happens to be on Gary LeVox's birthday! And speaking of Rascal Flatts, did you catch the season premiere of the Style networks hit Ruby over the weekend? The show follows a woman’s effort to lose over 300 pounds. After losing her father, her friends encouraged her to attend a Rascal Flatts concert where she was able to meet the trio who offered her some love and support. TV fans will also be interested to know that Jewel turned down the first right of refusal to appear on the next season of Dancing With The Stars to make up for her season lost to injury. She says that she hopes to be pregnant by the start of the new season. And finally, Carrie Underwood is the first country star who can be heard in a new public service announcement campaign called Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher. The PSAs will make a point to show how important teachers and a good education are, even for celebrities. Carrie got involved in the project because she comes from a long line of teachers. Her mother taught for 25 years, and both of her sisters teach currently.