The Oaks Are Finally Members of the Opry

The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night by Opry member Jimmy Dickens. The legendary country music group made up of William Lee Golden, Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban and Duane Allen was invited to join the Opry last month. The group was surprised on stage by a video greeting from former President George Bush who explained that he has been a fan since they performed “Elvira” on the White House lawn.

Taylor Swift won Teen Choice Awards in five of the six categories she was nominated in during last night's awards show. Taylor won Choice Music: Female Artist, Female Country Artist, Country Single for “Mean,” Choice Break Up Song for “Back to December,” Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon and she was honored with the Ultimate Choice award. Actress Emma Stone presented Taylor with the awards. In other country categories, Jason Aldean won the Choice Music: Male Country Artist award and Lady Antebellum picked up the Choice Music: Country Group surfboard. Taylor was the only country artist to show up in person.

Ronnie Dunn has officially joined a new kind of “million-air’s club.” The legendary singer-songwriter has garnered more than 60-million performances of his extensive music catalog and was recently honored with several MillionAir awards. Though Ronnie names “Neon Moon” as his favorite work, he admits that it was “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” that let him know that he was onto something special as a songwriter.

Keith Urban’s first fragrance has been in the works for some time now. Finally, the cologne has a name, Phoenix. Keith said that he didn’t name it after himself because the last thing he wants to “make a man do” is have to say, “I’m wearing Keith Urban” when asked about his cologne. This is Keith’s first fragrance but he knows a thing or two about them, admitting that he has been a Brut man in the past and more recently he’s worn Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana and Doir for men. Phoenix is available for pre-order now.

Backside of the Weekend

Canada’s Juno Awards took place last night, and while several Canadian artists were handed awards, Shania Twain received an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Ontario native accepted her honor from Bryan Adams. Adams called Shania, “a Canadian treasure.” Shania has several projects in the works including an autobiography to be released May 3rd and a reality series,Why Not? on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network.

Meanwhile, on television last night, John Rich continued to represent for country music, albeit rather quietly this week. On Celebrity Apprentice, Teams Backbone and A.S.A.P. were tasked with producing a TV commercial for a video phone. Rapper Lil Jon lead the men’s team on an out-of-the-box concept that some, including John Rich, thought would be too risqué. Their commercial featured grandparents who call their son in Argentina and are introduced via the video phone to their grandson’s fiancé, another man, played by José Canseco. The women’s spot had a young girl studying abroad, calling home to her parents in the U.S. and introducing her deaf mother to her “host mother” played by Dionne Warwick. After the commercials were presented to over 400 company representatives, the audience picked the men’s commercial as their favorite in a 47 – 53% vote. In the board room, when Donald Trump asked Dionne Warwick who should be fired, she said, “fire me.” Trump obliged. With the men winning a third week in a row, Lil Jon picked up 40-thousand dollars for his charity, the United Methodist Children’s Home. Next week, John Rich plays project manager. He says that he’s been holding out for the big money, “I didn’t go on there ‘cause I’m sellin’ a book or anything else. I’m on there to wait for my chance to raise a ton of money for St. Jude. Matter of fact my goal is to raise a million dollars for St. Jude. When my time comes, I’m gonna call everybody I know and try to hit that mark.” Next week’s promos teased that more money will be raised in one episode than in an entire season of Apprentice.

And finally, artists from several genres have united to raise money for disaster relief efforts in Japan. Some of the biggest names in music have made their songs available on Songs for Japan, a 38-track download available on iTunes for $9.99. Proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross. The track-listing includes Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum alongside other superstars such as John Lennon, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, and Cee Lo Green.

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.

The Voice? Or The Barber?

Rascal Flatts had Justin Bieber on set in Los Angeles on Monday for the new music video for the song “That Should Be Me.” Bieber even tweeted about it saying, “up early doing a video shoot for That Should Be Me with Rascal Flatts!!” While he was there, the teenage sensation changed his signature hairstyle. TMZ got the exclusive photo to share. According to his Twitter, Justin is donated his shorn locks to raise money for charity. The duet, “That Should Be Me,” was released on Valentine’s Day on Justin’s Never Say Never (The Remixes) EP.

News From Around The Country
The Deluxe Edition of Keith Urban’s Get Closer album is now available on iTunes. In addition to the CD’s eight original tracks, the deluxe version of the album features three new studio tracks and four live recordings from his Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing World Tour. The track “Georgia Woods” from Get Closer is featured as the iTunes’ free download of the week. ….. Garth Brooks will be among this year's inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His songwriting credits include his No. 1 hits “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “The Thunder Rolls” and “Unanswered Prayers,” along with “We Shall Be Free.” The 42nd annual Songwriters Hall of Fame induction and awards dinner is scheduled for June 16th in New York City. ….. You can finally add Buck Owens’ music to your iPod as his catalog has officially become available for digital retailers. You can download 25 original Buck Owens albums starting March 8th. …. Believe it or not, the Doobie Brothers will make their Opry debut this Saturday. With two original members left, the band starts a 40th anniversary tour later this year. ….. And finally, remember when Rodney Atkins was looking for military heroes to honor with “Your Name Here” on a NASCAR? He has announced Staff Sergeant Matthew Hansen as the grand-prize winner. The April 30th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will also honor Matthew’s brother, Daniel, who was killed in action in 2009.

Prepping for The Super Bowl

Tomorrow, The Country Station will be annoucing the winner of "The Big Game" prize package so you can throw the ultimate party for 20 of your friends this Sunday. Today is your last day to send entries through the main website.

If you can’t watch Super Bowl XLV on TV this Sunday, your next option is to listen to it on the radio. Our sister station, AM 570, will be airing the game; therefore, you’ll hear Lady Antebellum’s “Stars Tonight” remixed just for the pre-game radio coverage. The new version, which includes highlights from the Packers’ and Steelers’ winning seasons, will air on more than 640 stations in the Westwood One network, including KSNM.

Elsewhere in Super Bowl entertainment, the cast of Glee will perform Lady Antebellum's “Need You Now” in a new episode premiering on Fox immediately after the football game. ..... Dierks Bentley and Jack Ingram will be in Dallas, Texas during the Super Bowl this weekend to join a host of other performers for what’s being called “Texas’ Largest Tailgate.” The concert will be streamed live online at the sponsor’s website. ….. CMT Crossroads will go live with Faith Hill and The Pretenders during The Super Bowl Fan Jam on Saturday on CMT. … And look for Keith Urban to be a part of a Super Bowl pre-game concert broadcast on FOX.

Sugarland's latest album, The Incredible Machine, has been certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of more than one-million units. It's the fourth album from Sugarland to be certified platinum or better, bringing their career album sales to 9 million. ….. Brad Paisley’s been calling on several stars of country and Hollywood for his upcoming album, This Is Country Music. It was recently revealed that Alabama was in the studio with Brad recording tracks for the new album. Now, Clint Eastwood is offering up his talents on an instrumental track titled, “Eastwood”. Referring to Clint’s whistling, Brad tweeted, “Seriously. I think he has potential, this kid. Or should I say punk.” Other stars slated to be included on the CD are Sheryl Crow, Marty Stuart, and Don Henley of the Eagles.

End of The Month

Faith Hill is getting ready for the first ever live CMT Crossroads with The Prentenders, airing this weekend during the Super Bowl Fan Jam. Despite her busy schedule, Faith still found time to indulge her feminine side and release True, the second fragrance in her collection. Faith admits that though she knows how to pick the right notes for her music, picking the right notes for her new scent was not as simple and required a little gut instinct. “I’m pretty sensitive in that regard,” said Faith, “So I’m able to pick up on things that I like or dislike pretty quickly easily. It is a process, and it’s tedious, and it’s not that glamorous of a process!”

Last Friday night, Taylor Swift gathered with family, friends, bandmates and music industry executives to celebrate her career successes before she launches her 90-date world tour next month in Singapore. The party was held at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Nashville. Several awards presented were for the No. 1 success of her "Mine" single and video, and a plaque from the Recording Industry Association of America commemorating total shipments of more than 13 million records. The party was billed as "Heavy Metal at the Hard Rock."

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were recently surprised by Nicole’s adopted children with gifts to celebrate their new baby, Faith Margaret. Nic’s elder children, 18 year-old Isabella and 16 year-old Connor, live with ex-husband Tom Cruise, but sent their mom a hamper filled with designer gifts, including gourmet cupcakes, a mobile from Pottery Barn, and a certificate for American Girl Place made out to the couple’s first child, Sunday Rose. Faith was born on this past December 28th through a surrogate.

Former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey is stepping out to defend one of this season’s contestants. You may remember Danny’s story: his wife passed away due to complications during heart surgery just weeks before his Idol audition. This season, a similar story emerged as Chris Medina auditioned and shared that his fiancée had been in an accident that left her with brain damage. After seeing that people were already bashing Chris on the internet, Danny took to Twitter saying, “People hated me 4 sharing my story on idol & now Im already seeing their starting 2 bash Chris Medina for his. His story will help many!!” Danny added that you should never be ashamed to share your story, that it “makes you who you are”. Chris is one of the many who made it to Hollywood and will move on to the next round on the show.

Feel Good Friday

The ACM has revealed the lineup for the Girls Night Out taping. Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood will be honored when Girls Night Out: Superstars of Country Music tapes in Las Vegas on April 4th. The taping will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena the day after the ACM Awards and will air on CBS at a later date. A list of performers will be announced in the coming weeks. All five women have won multiple ACM Awards.

Ronnie Dunn has announced that his first solo single, “Bleed Red,” will be released soon. There is a preview on his website, but as soon as the entire song reaches The Country Station, you’ll hear it. Ronnie said that the song came to him by way of a friend. To be nice, Ronnie listened to the song that was attached in an email and was simply "blown away" by what he heard. “It wasn’t necessarily the suit that I was planning on wearing to the dance, so to speak, but it was a big song, and I said, ‘I’m gonna have to beat Bono to the punch,’” Ronnie said, “It sounded like U2, and I’m going, ‘Okay, so what if Conway Twitty were to come in and put a vocal on this anyway and cut the song?’ So that’s what we did.” Look for a complete album from Ronnie later this year.

And finally, get ready to hear Keith Urban with the Australian-based kid-friendly group The Wiggles. The track is a happy-sounding version of Roger Miller’s “England Swings”. Keith hopes this will score some “cool dad” points with his two-and-a-half-year old daughter Sunday Rose. “She’s not hip to The Wiggles yet,” Keith said, “ But I did do a song with them recently. So, um…hopefully when she’s, when she’s into them she’ll think dad’s cool cause he sang with The Wiggles.” The song will be included on The Wiggles next album, Let’s Eat, which will be released on February 1st.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman’s publicists have dropped a bomb. We are just learning that Keith and Nicole are the proud parents of Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, a biological daughter born December 28th in Nashville by a gestational carrier. The couple issued a statement saying, "Our family is truly blessed, and just so thankful, to have been given the gift of baby Faith Margaret. No words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process, in particular our gestational carrier." Faith Margaret joins two-and-a-half year old sister Sunday Rose. The young sisters also have a stepbrother and stepsister: Connor and Isabella who were adopted by Nicole and Tom Cruise.

News From Around The Country
From the gossip department, it looks like an on-screen romance is spilling over into the real world. Country Strong co-stars Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund were seen partying together after the Golden Globes on Sunday night at HBO‘s bash at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. One anonymous partygoer is spreading word that the two were “inseparable the entire night.” …… Kid Rock just celebrated his 40th birthday with a star-studded bash in Detroit on Saturday night. A-list friends like Martina McBride, Sheryl Crow, Uncle Kracker, and Cindy Crawford were among the more than 60,000 fans who attended a three-hour concert spectacular. For his birthday, Kid got an award from the City of Detroit and a customized 2011 Camaro SS from Chevrolet. Kid was also giving back on his night of gift getting, donating $25-thousand each to four Detroit-area charities. ….. And finally, the new season of American Idol premieres tomorrow night on FOX. The new season brings the much-hyped new judges, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. Host Ryan Seacrest is back again. Time will tell if the new format is acceptable, or if Idol has seen its better days.

The Baby Boom Continues

After a long-term relationship, they married in 2008 and have been trying to start a family for some time. Jewel and Ty Murray have announced that they’re expecting their first child later this year. Jewel is currently working on a second children’s album and filming her new reality show, Going Platinum.

A country music dance-venue marketing company, Marco Club Connection, has released its top-10 list of the year’s most-requested country dance-club songs. Each year, the company surveys a panel of more than 240 club owners, DJs, and dance instructors from across the country to compile its top-10 rankings. And the results are:

TOP COUNTRY DANCE CLUB HITS OF 2010
1) “Stuck Like Glue” – Sugarland
2) “All About Tonight” – Blake Shelton
3) “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins
4) “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
5) “Giddy On Up” – Laura Bell Bundy
6) “Country Done Come To Town” – John Rich
7) “Roll With It” – Easton Corbin
8) “Why Don’t We Just Dance” – Josh Turner
9) “Turn On The Radio” – Reba
10) “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” – Billy Currington

News From Around The Country
Tickets to Alan Jackson's third show in Brisbane, Australia sold out in 23 minutes. The show had to be added to Alan's original schedule due to demand. March 4th through March 12th will be Alan’s first tour in the land down under. To open, he’s taking along Miranda Lambert and newcomer Jasmine Rae, who is from Australia but now lives in Nashville. …… Rodney Atkins has been selected as the cover person for the debut issue of Country Music Profiles magazine. For the cover story, Rodney discusses his music, family, and more. The premiere issue also includes an interview with Eddie Montgomery. Country Music Profiles will be distributed nationwide in music stores and various mass-market outlets. ……. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has asked Garth Brooks to help him promote tourism in his state. The two appear together on the steps of the Virginia State Capitol in a public service announcement where Garth comments on the state’s beautiful landscapes and people. Garth recently visited the state as a producer on the made-for-TV movie, Unanswered Prayers. …… Martina McBride is back in an Atlanta recording studio working on the follow-up to her 2009 album, Shine. The new album will be Martina’s first since joining her new label, Republic Nashville, which is part of the Big Machine Label Group. …… If your New Year’s resolution was to hit the gym a little more often, you may find some encouragement in Keith Urban’s “Put You in a Song.” The tune has been recognized as one of the best workout songs for January 2011. Keith’s hit was the only country song to make the list on a fitness website.

Big Day Around The Country

Last night, Keith Urban and friends held the second annual We’re All for the Hall concert in Nashville. Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Billy Currington, Miranda Lambert, Charlie Pride, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, John Mayer, and Dolly Parton took the stage. Each artists sang two songs, one of their own and one made famous by one of their heroes. We’re All For the Hall raises money for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

After being invited by his 6th-grade nephew, Jace Jewell, Tim McGraw made a surprise visit to Grassland Middle School in Tennessee to speak out against bullying. Tim admitted the subject was not really his forte, but after a long conversation with Jace, he had his talking points together. Tim told a significant story about a 13-year-old in Texas who committed suicide last month after being bullied. Tim closed with a statement saying, “Speak up if they see bullying behavior, walk away from bad situations and, above all, not to fall into the trap of becoming a bully.”

Taylor Swift made an appearance on the MTV show The Buried Life on Monday night. If you missed it, we’ll recap. The show centers around a list of 100 things four guys want to do before they die. Ben, Jonnie, and Dave supported their friend Duncan who tried to cross out #59 on the list – ask out the girl of your dreams (Taylor Swift). Their first attempt to meet Taylor failed after they disguised themselves as a country act to get on the red carpet at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. Later, Duncan and his crew scored passes to the show where they posed as production guys. Duncan maneuvered his was to Taylor’s seat, explains his story, and gave her a note with his number attached. Two days later, Duncan received a text from Taylor saying, “Yes, and you’re pretty hardcore for doing that.” The episode ended without revealing if Taylor and Duncan have yet to go on a date.

News From Around The Country
Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and the Zac Brown Band will be honored as the first CMT Artists of the Year. They were chosen based on music sales, country radio airplay, concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner and video streams, searches and page views on CMT.com. The special will air in December. ….. The three major music channels, CMT, MTV, and BET, will air a one-hour, commercial-free town hall event, A Conversation With President Obama, on October 14th at 2PM Mountain. The President will answer questions on a wide range of topics from the studio audience, as well as from viewers who submit questions via Twitter. ….. Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban have been added to the list of performers at the 44th Annual CMA Awards show happening November 10th in Nashville. ….. Carrie Underwood: A Biography has been released. The book follows Carrie from her hometown in Oklahoma to competing on American Idol. It will also cover Carrie’s charity work and will highlight her successful career. The book is available at your favorite bookseller. …. And finally, if you want to catch up with Taylor Swift and get some inside scoop on her upcoming CD, check out the November issue of Glamour magazine. Inside, Taylor talks about her relationship with Taylor Lautner. She said, “He’s one of my best friends. He’s wonderful, and we’ll always be close. I’m so thankful for that.”

Tuesday Newsday

As though you didn’t have enough contests to enter that were mentioned last week. Keith Urban is working with a guitar retailer to find talent among unsigned artists. The company's Your Next Record contest provides the winner with an opportunity to record a three-song EP with a top producer and have Keith make a guest appearance on the single. The prize package also includes musical merchandise, product endorsement deals, and an opening slot at one of Keith's concerts. Check it out if you’re talented.

Meanwhile, Gretchen Wilson is endorsing a million-dollar sweepstakes with a dollar store chain. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to Nashville along with one-million dollars, and other qualifiers have the opportunity to win over 5-thousand prizes. The contest runs through December 15th.

News From Around The Country
Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott will be featured on Dave Barnes upcoming Christmas album. The song “Christmas Tonight” will be a duet shared between the two singers. ….. Zac Brown’s wife, Shelly, is pregnant with the couple’s fourth daughter. Zac jokes that he and his wife are going to keep trying until they have a boy, even if that means 13 kids. Although, 13 kids may not seem too far out of the question considering that Zac is one of 12 children in his family. ….. This past weekend, the 25th edition of Farm Aid took place in Milwaukee and concertgoers got quite a surprise. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler came out to harmonize with Willie Nelson. The pair sang “One Time Too Many” and “Once is Enough” together. Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and many others performed at the annual event, which raises money for independent farmers. ….. Keith Anderson is off the market. He’s built his career on songs about the girl who got away. He popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Woodruff, so she wouldn’t get away. Keith said, “I'm so excited to be marrying my best friend of 10 years. Lauren has been my rock and support and has always believed in me and my crazy dreams. I don't deserve such a great lady and I'm so happy she said, 'yes!’” The couple is planning to marry sometime this fall. …. And finally, early political returns are starting to come in. Sammy Kershaw was defeated in his second bid to be elected as Louisiana's lieutenant governor. According to the Louisiana Secretary of State's office, he placed 3rd out of 8 candidates with approximately 19 percent of the votes. In 2007, Sammy received 30 percent of the votes and placed second behind Mitch Landrieu who resigned as lieutenant governor in May to become mayor of New Orleans.

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.

Housewives Are Desperate for Schneider

John Schneider is going to be back on TV, and it’s not just in Dukes of Hazzard re-runs on CMT. John is going to be picking up a part on Desperate Housewives as the father of Brian Austin Green’s character, “Keith.” Nice to see that he can put the fatherly acting skills back to use since his character of Clark Kent’s father, Jonathan, was killed off Smallville several seasons ago. John says that he pulls inspiration for his more mature roles from Uncle Jesse’s character on the Dukes of Hazzard, played by the late Denver Pyle, “Loved us dearly, but was never afraid to tell us like it was. Was never afraid to say, ‘Boys, sit down!’ Here’s a couple of things, I’m going to tell you these things.’ Knowledge imparted from “Uncle Jesse” served ‘Bo’ and ‘Luke’ well.”

Keith Urban is one of many famous faces taking part in a new campaign for the American Cancer Society. The organization’s campaign “More Birthdays” features different celebrities performing their own renditions of “Happy Birthday.” Artists will also create or donate artwork. Keith says, “I love the spirit of the American Cancer Society's More Birthdays campaign because it celebrates life. The marking of time, especially when spent with family and friends on that special day, helps to remind us of the little things that are most important to all of our lives.” Keith’s rendition will also be turned into advertisements for television, online outlets, and custom e-cards.

This Christmas season, Trace Adkins will serve as a celebrity narrator for Disney World’s Candlelight Processional. The Epcot theme park will be transformed into an international celebration with various festive decorations and live entertainment from different cultures. The Candlelight Processional is a special event that will be held nightly at the American Gardens Theatre using a variety of celebrity voices to tell the story of Christmas, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and choir. If you’re making travel plans, Trace’s voice will be used from December 19th to 21st.

And finally, many country musicians were honored at Tuesday night’s ASCAP Awards. Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley were the evening’s top honorees receiving the ASCAP Founders Award and the Songwriter/Artist of the Year, respectively. Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," which was co-written by Josh Kear, was deemed Country Song of the Year. Special performances were given by the writers of the year’s top five most performed songs. Those performances included “Need You Now,” by Josh and Lady Antebellum; “Sideways,” by Dierks, “Alright,” performed by Darius Rucker and Frank Rogers, “Big Green Tractor” performed by David Lee Murphy, and “Gettin’ You Home,” by Chris Young.

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.

Awards And Potential iGarth

The bell has rung on another round of the Teen Choice Awards. Sunday night in Los Angeles, Taylor Swift won four trophies for choice country artist, country song ("Fifteen") and country album (Fearless), and the female breakout award for her movie role in Valentine's Day. Taylor is currently in Japan and accepted her awards via satellite. Keith Urban claimed an award for male country artist while Lady Antebellum won for country group.

In other Taylor tidbits, she and the Dave Mathew’s Band will perform live before the New Orleans Saints first season game with the Minnesota Vikings on September 9th. NBC slipped the news in during a commercial break of the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game Sunday night. This game will kick off the 2010 National Football League season.

Alan Jackson is set to receive a special tribute at the ASCAP Awards next month. Alan will receive the Founder’s Award, which is given to songwriters or composers who have made contributions to music by influencing future music creators. Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Emmylou Harris, and James Taylor have previously won the award.

And speaking of Garth Brooks, there’s a possibility that your drought of digital Garth could be coming to an end. Garth has made a catalog of songs available for licensing with the Harry Fox Agency. The permission to allow his songs to be available for licensing may be one step closer to the release of his songs on iTunes. Though Garth is one man who said he would never release a single song to a digital music company, Harry Fox Agency said they will provide Garth with endless business support opportunities.

Catching Up From The Weekend

News From Around The Country
Wynonna Judd, her daughter, and her tour manager were hospitalized in Salt Lake City after being involved in a traffic accident last week. Wynonna gave a quote to the local paper, the Lake Tahoe Tribune, “I was in a major head-on collision and they didn't want to let me out of the hospital, and I said ‘Listen, I've got to go do a show.' And the guys were like, ‘If anybody can Wynonna, it's you. You've shown us that you have quite the spunk.' I said, ‘Listen, I've spent 10 years on a bus with my mother. If I can do that, I can do anything.'” Wynonna would not give details about injuries they sustained but said “I'm not in grave danger or anything. It was pretty dramatic but I made it through.” Wynonna performs July 31st in Truckee at the Lake Tahoe Music Festival.

Craig Morgan is on the Outdoors Channel. Now Gary Levox of Rascal Flatts has joined one of the channel's hunting shows, The Crush with Lee and Tiffany. Gary joins the couple as they hunt for animals in Iowa. You can watch the show Sunday nights on the Outdoors Channel.

Keith Urban was one of the many country music artists whose equipment suffered damage during the flood in Nashville. But it looks like one of Keith’s guitars is back up and running. He recently played it at a show in Sarnia, Canada, and told the audience that it had been resurrected to play that night. Keith also celebrated his single, “I’m In,” going number-one in Canada.

Webcast + 60,000 People

Yesterday, over 60,000 fans tuned in to Taylor Swift’s webcast as she released new details behind her upcoming album and first single. Taylor’s third album Speak Now, will be released worldwide on October 25th, following her brand new single “Mine,” which is scheduled to hit radio mid-August. Taylor says, “The new single is about my tendency to run from love, and finding the exception to that.” Taylor also revealed she is planning a world tour following the album, and plans to visit some of her favorite places including, Ireland, Latin America, and Italy. The album which is co-produced by Nathan Chapman, will feature 14 different tracks – all of which were solely written by Taylor.

Keith Urban has collaborated with such artists as Brad Paisley, John Mayer, and John Fogerty. Now he’s completely switched gears and recorded with The Wiggles and he didn’t even do it to impress his daughter Sunday. Keith says, “She’s not hip to The Wiggles yet. But I did do a song with them recently, so hopefully when she’s into them, she’ll think Dad’s cool ‘cause he sang with The Wiggles. We did a cover version of “England Swings” by Roger Miller.”

Trace Adkins will be starring alongside Mathew McConaughey in next year’s drama The Lincoln Lawyer. The film portrays the story of a lawyer who does business out of a Lincoln Town Car while representing a prestigious Beverly Hills client. Trace will portray the leader of a bike gang. It’s a small role, but Trace looks forward to it because it’s easy, and it only takes three days out of his schedule.

Kellie Pickler has added a new addition to her family with the adoption of a ten-month-old Weimaraner puppy named Tucker. The new dog will join Kellie’s other three dogs Pixie, Maddie, and MooMoo as she tours with Rascal Flatts. The band better watch out because Kellie says that she often gives away rescue dogs at concerts. "If I see a dog sitting anywhere on the road, I'm going to put him on the bus and try to find him a home. I've been notoriously known for giving animals away at concerts." Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, or Joe Don Rooney may wind up with a dog of their own.

And finally, if you're a fan of Gloriana, you'll be able to get an inside look at the band's Long Hot Summer tour this Friday, as they stream their live performance at Churchill Downs music festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Check it out at 4:35 pm on the band’s website.

It's a Monday-like Tuesday

Keith Urban is featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the recording process of his new album on his website. Keith has been in the studio for almost seven weeks and from here on out, the website will post a new album blog each week. The most recent blog revealed that unlike most artists who stand up while they record their vocals, Keith prefers to sit in a brown leather chair. And if you wondered what became of Keith’s favorite guitar, the one that he received the first time he came to the United States, it was saved from the Nashville flood. Keith said, “I managed to salvage out of the water and I’m having it rebuilt. I don’t know if it’s going to sound very good but it’s one of those things to me, even if it had to go up on the wall, I would never part with this guitar.”

Though Martina McBride is still on her Shine All Night tour, she still has family vacation plans for the summer. Describing her summer plans, Martina said, “Let’s see. We’re kind of having a low-key summer. The girls have gone to a couple of camps, just day camps, you know, sports camp. And we have a trip planned to the West coast. And we’re really looking forward to that because the only time we really get out there is during the summer because of the tour schedule and the school and all that. So we’re looking forward to spending some time together on the bus.”

And finally, bargain hunters, rejoice! The Judds are having a vintage merchandise sale. Where else can you get those highly-desired cassette tapes of The Judds hits for one dollar? Old t-shirts, postcards, posters, and CDs can be snapped up for cheap at the online vintage sale until the end of the month.

Nashville Helps Itself

Much information has arisen since Monday’s early reports of the devastating flooding in Nashville. The Country Station has heard from many friends and associates in the area. One associate’s home was a casualty of the flood, another reported basement flooding, and a couple were stuck at home because of flooded roads and communities, but most of their homes and offices seem fine, suffering little more damage than phone and power outages.

Meanwhile, Keith Urban has said that he's pretty sure he lost all of his road equipment, guitars and amps. According to Keith, the facility where he and a lot of other Nashville musicians store their instruments and gear was one of many locations in Music City to be full of water. Still, Keith stressed that his loss “pales in comparison” to what many families are currently dealing with. He called the tragedy “unfathomable” and recalled going through something similar in Australia in 1974. Keith added that he and wife, Nicole Kidman, are doing their part to help out financially, and he expects many benefit concerts to occur as part of relief efforts.

One of those concerts has already been organized. Vince Gill and several of his musical friends have stepped up to host a special fundraiser for flood victims. The “Working 4 You Flood Relief” telethon will be broadcast tonight on Nashville’s local TV stations. Naomi Judd, Phil Vassar, Lonestar and former American Idol finalist Bo Bice will participate. All proceeds will aid the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Second Harvest Food Bank in their flood relief efforts. Broader-ranging relief concerts should be held in the coming weeks. Because that’s what country music does – help itself.

That’s why, for the fans around the country who have been wondering, CMA Fest is still a go! Organizers say the event will go on as planned, despite the fact that many of its intended sites are underwater. CMA Board of Directors Chairman Steve Moore calls the festival “Nashville's signature music event,” and notes, “We cannot think of a better way to help our local economy at this time of great need than to continue the 39-year tradition of CMA Music Festival.” The event is scheduled to take place June 10-13th in various venues around Music City. If you plan to attend, expect changes or accommodations to the facilities. To say the least, attendees booked at the Opryland Hotel and Resort will be looking for alternate lodging. Yet with area hotels already at capacity for the Music Fest on a typical year, and now unseasonably full due to evacuations of residents displaced from their homes, it will be an exercise in coordination to get everybody re-booked.

Having heard information from the locals that is being overlooked by most national news sources, our thoughts and prayers are with those in Nashville.

Tuesday Newsday

So how are Ryan and Michael doing in their quest for a hug from Taylor Swift? Very well. Yesterday, Taylor surprised the creators of AHugFromTaylorSwift.com and the entire campus of Auburn University with a spontaneous appearance. Taylor and her band boarded a plane and headed to Auburn University Hotel & Dixon Conference Center to perform a free concert for fans while wearing a homemade shirt reading, “A Hug for Ryan and Michael,”- the creators of the website. At first she greeted fans via video, and then surprisingly made her way through a back door. She belted out an acoustic version of her songs including, “Love Story,” and “You Belong With Me.” At the end of the performance she joined the crowd with the Auburn chant, “War Eagle!”

Lady Antebellum’s second album, Need You Now, has been certified double platinum by the RIAA for shipments of two-million copies, and the title track is now certified triple platinum for retail sales of 3 million copies. The album is spending its 12th week atop the Billboard country albums chart. Don’t forget, Lady A will be a part of Country Week on American Idol to perform the song tomorrow night. The appearance was taped prior to the recent Academy of Country Music Awards show. Also, Never Alone, a special CD/DVD package containing Lady Antebellum's 2008 collaboration with composer-pianist Jim Brickman, will be released today. Lady Antebellum's performance with Brickman on the title track marked the group's first commercial CD release and music video.

CMT Crossroads: John Mayer and Keith Urban is set to premiere June 18th on CMT. Taped recently near Nashville before an invitation-only audience, Keith and John are the first artists to ever perform on two episodes of the concert series. The Brad Paisley / John Mayer episode aired in May 2004, and Keith Urban / John Fogerty episode aired in February 2005. The latest taping includes collaborations on Keith's "'Til Summer Comes Around" and "Sweet Thing" and Mayer's "Perfectly Lonely" and "Gravity." Their performance concludes with a cover of George Michael's 1987 pop hit, "Faith." And finally, speaking of Keith Urban, he and his lovely wife, Nicole Kidman, are said to have taken over the microphone at a local hangout in Indio, California while Keith was in town to perform at Stagecoach this past weekend. Keith performed a few karaoke songs for the small audience including, “Amie” by Pure Prairie League, “Jack Daniels, If You Please” by David Allan Coe, and Journey’s classic “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The crowd let the couple hang-out without interrupting.