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.

It's New Music Tuesday!

Tuesday’s are album release days, so before we look at the news, let’s talk about the music that makes The Country Station, well, “country.,” According to the CD/DVD Release Date Calendar on the right, several albums are coming out today. You're hearing all the associated new singles on the air. …. This week at the station, we’ve kicked off our new music feature, so you can plan on discovering the new songs at 8:04am, 1:04pm, 4:04pm, and 10:04pm. Write and let us know what you think about them. ….. And as far as live music is concerned, quite a few shows are coming to our area in the next couple of weeks: Friday night, Josh Grider will be at Hurricane Alley, and John Michael Montgomery will be at Whiskey Dicks down in El Paso. Next Wednesday night, Jason Boland and the Stragglers will be at Hurricane Alley. And then on October 2nd, it’ll be time for the big fall concert at the SNM State Fair; it’s Reckless Kelly this year.

News From Around The Country
Mel Tillis was honored with the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award last night during the ACM Honors event. It’s one of many awards he has received during the years including being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In other Mel news, his first comedy album, You Ain’t Gonna Believe This, hits stores today. In the 23 cut album you’ll hear three new songs and the jokes that kept his fans laughing during his 13 year run in Branson, Missouri. He’ll be on Fox & Friends tomorrow morning to promote it. ….. Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music For Kids event was held in Seattle, Washington last Saturday. Despite the rain, it raised $50,000 for the Seattle Children’s Hospital. Last year, Dierks partnered with several charities to expand the success of the event to six cities across the country in 2009 and 2010. ….. Keith Urban’s wife, Nicole Kidman, is returning to Broadway to star in Sweet Bird of Youth. The story is a “sultry tale of a gigolo and a faded movie star” and will begin production next fall. So that’s why Keith and Nicole recently purchased the penthouse with the automobile-elevator to their floor! … And finally, congratulations are in order for the youngest member of Gloriana, Cheyenne Kimball. Over the weekend, the 20-year-old and her boyfriend, singer-songwriter Casey Twist, announced their engagement.

Gearing Up For Country's Biggest Night

Tomorrow night, the 42nd Annual CMA Awards will air on ABC. Check out the widget from ABC to see videos, photos, news, and more. Cast your opinion in the Listener Poll.
Watch for co-host Brad Paisley performing tonight on the Dancing With The Stars Results Show. Former tour mate Julianne Hough is also expected to be back to perform, and should he be voted through to dance another week, Julianne will be dancing with Cody Linley in next week’s semi-finals.

Reviewing a few more of the nomination categories:
Female Vocalist
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban

New Artist
Jason Aldean
Rodney Atkins
Lady Antebellum
James Otto
Kellie Pickler

A couple of big releases today should stimulate the economy. Toby Keith is making the DVD of Beer For My Horses available to the masses. Taylor Swift will be competing with herself, as her debut album is still one of the top five on the Billboard Country Album chart, but today Taylor Swift releases her sophomore album Fearless. Taylor wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, so there are some recurring themes throughout the album. Taylor explains, “I’m fascinated by the theme of love, and kissing, and breaking up, and fairy tales, and boys and that’s what I love to write songs about. And it’s funny how you can mention one thing like kissing, and have it be completely different in each song. Have it mean a different thing.”

News From Around The Country
John Michael Montgomery has signed a partnership agreement with Sticks and Stones Outdoor Adventures Magazine & TV Show to co-host the televised adventures. The 52-week series will run for an entire year on stations across the country starting in January 2009. Keni Thomas will be a guest on the 700 Club today. In a special Veteran's Day tribute, Keni will share his story of military service and his musical career. Keni is a former Army Ranger and combat veteran, and is the recipient of the Bronze Star for Valor and Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his efforts in the Battle of Mogadishu.
A spokesperson for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Keni’s new album, Gunslinger, benefits the Hero Fund, a fund which provides for the college educations of children of fallen soldiers.

And finally, CMT has provided the story behind the song “You Look Good In My Shirt.” It was originally written in 2002 for Tim McGraw. Tim had requested a song with a “Tom Petty feel” to it, but he ultimately decided to pass on the tune. That’s when Keith Urban grabbed it for his Golden Road album. The song languished in obscurity, slowly gaining popularity at Keith’s live concerts. Keith included it on his Greatest Hits album, and released it as a single, where it went to number one. Keith didn’t feel too bad about taking the song from Tim, though. He points out that he sang the original demo for “I Like It, I Love It” – the song that catapulted Tim to superstar status in 1995.

It's Like Kenny In Your Living Room

The rack of new CD’s released today offer quite a bit of bonus music. The first crack at the new Kenny Chesney CD is the Deluxe Edition of Lucky Old Sun, which contains four bonus tracks that will not be on next week’s regular edition. Expect the latest album to have more of a stripped down feel as opposed to the party theme of the last record. Little Big Town offers A Place to Land – part two – today. It’s the new and improved version of an album that failed to materialize substantial hits when it was released on a smaller label. The band switched record labels, added four new tracks, and now the collection has been given a second wind. Included on the upgraded disc is the collaborative single “Life In A Northern Town.” The track can now be found on Sugarland’s latest CD, Love On The Inside and Little Big Town’s CD. One would imagine that Jake Owen will get a turn to put the song on his next CD as well. Other notable new releases are Billy Currington A Little Bit of Everything, and John Michael Montgomery Time Flies. As the title suggests, you’ll hear a little bit of country, a little bit of pop, and some soulful tracks on the new Currington CD. The new JMM project allows fans to catch up through song on how the 90’s hitmaker has been feeling in the last few years. As with all CDs, a few of the tracks are purely for fun, but there are one of two tracks that really take the listener back to the familiar era of big John Michael Montgomery ballads.

News from Around The Country
George Jones is planning to build a country music-themed attraction in Dothan, Alabama, that will include an 11,000-seat amphitheatre, museum, and casino. George envisions the attraction to be like Branson, MO, with additional restaurants and theatres. George and his wife also plan to build a home in the area. Willie Nelson is planning an album of western swing music. Collaborating with Asleep At The Wheel, look for Willie and The Wheel in February 2009. Taylor Swift is becoming quite the world traveler. She recently performed in Europe, now she’s scheduled to perform at the CMC Rocks Festival in Australia next March.

Monday Movie Madness

The week starts with word that Toby Keith's action-adventure comedy Beer For My Horses will be in theatres on August 8th. Toby co-stars with Rodney Carrington, Willie Nelson, Tom Skerritt, and Ted Nugent. Toby is currently on The Biggest and Baddest Tour with Montgomery Gentry.

Luke Bryan reports that his little boy, Bo, is recovering from stomach surgery he had when he was only five weeks old. Little Bo Bryan had the surgery in early May to repair a stomach valve that was preventing him from digesting food. The baby is doing fine and was together with four generations of Bryan men for Father's Day.

John Michael Montgomery reports that he is feeling healthier than ever now that he is out of rehab. JMM will be releasing his latest CD, Time Flies, on September 9th. Jimmy Wayne is set to release his new CD, Beautiful Thing, on August 19th. And finally, congratulations to Carolyn Dawn Johnson. Word is that she and her husband, Matt Fisher, are expecting their first child in the fall. The couple has opted to wait and be surprised by the sex of the baby when it is born.