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!

Tuesday Newsday

Taylor Swift has just completed the Asian leg of her 2011 Speak Now World Tour. Before her show at Hong Kong’s Asia World Expo on Monday night, she was presented with a few plaques that revealed she had sold more than 400-thousand copies of her latest album Speak Now. She has been certified platinum in Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines. Taylor’s tour will head to Europe in March, followed by the North American leg in May.

If you love to read, there are several books aimed at country music fans coming out later this year. Some of the titles include: a Shania Twain memoir, From This Moment On (May 2011); Family Tradition – Three Generations of Hank Williams, by Susan Masino (May 2011); Making the Scene – Nashville: How to Live, Network and Succeed in Music City, by Liam Sullivan (May 2011); and The Three of Us: Growing Up With Tammy and George, by Georgette Jones & Patsi Bale Cox (July 2011).

Kenny Chesney was spotted in Palm Beach, Florida over the weekend performing at the Everglades Foundation Benefit. Apparently feeling better after his recent fall, Jimmy Buffet even jumped on stage to join Kenny for a couple of songs. Mac McAnally was also there to sing “Down the Road” with Kenny. Jimmy invited Kenny to the event which raised money and awareness for work being done to protect and restore the Everglades.

And finally, word to NMSU Security that when the George Strait / Reba McEntire tour comes to the Pan Am on March 25th, the lady walking her dogs is Lee Ann Womack, not Rimes; so please let her pass. This plea stems from a recent prank played on Lee Ann by her own crew during their recent tour stop in Cleveland, Ohio. As Lee Ann walked off stage, she was met by a man with handcuffs and a badge, dressed in the British bobby outfit. Apparently the prank was all in good fun after Lee Ann had a real run-in with arena security earlier in the day for walking her dogs in areas that were off limits. She wasn’t sure how to get back to her bus and she was mistaken for LeAnn Rimes several times throughout the ordeal. “They got me good,” Lee Ann said about the prank.

Thursday Update

Have you seen the NBC series Who Do You Think You Are? It will be returning for its second season on January 21st, and Tim McGraw will be just one of the celebrities trying to dig up a long-lost family history on the program. Cameras follow the stars around the globe as they explore their family trees with the help of several historians and genealogists. Other celebrities participating in the new season are Steve Buscemi, Ashley Judd, Vanessa Williams, Rosie O’Donnell, and Kim Cattrall.

More country stars will be brushing up on their history in order to take part in the upcoming HBO Civil War mini-series, The Appomattox. Rascal Flatts announced their participation earlier this week. Now, Kix Brooks, Laura Bell Bundy, and Dwight Yoakam are on board with the 8-hour long mini-series where they’ll play real Americans who were part of the Civil War. Rascal Flatts will also produce the soundtrack for the series which will feature original material and new versions of Civil War era music.

News From Around The Country
USO Tour veteran, Keni Thomas, along with fellow artists Emily West, Buddy Jewell and Alana Grace, will join Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston as part of the annual 2010 Hope and Freedom USO Tour. Designed as a variety show, the 11-day tour will launch this week and deliver a much-needed break to troops during the holiday season. …… Jamey Johnson's 25-song double album, The Guitar Song, has been certified Gold. The project also received two Grammy nominations including one in the Country Album of the Year category. ….. The Band Perry has officially gone platinum. Siblings Kimberly, Reid, and Neil Perry received official RIAA Platinum status for selling over one-million copies of their #1 single, "If I Die Young." …… And finally, Lee Ann Womack is hoping to draw attention to the plight of women and girls in Malawi, Africa by teaming up with the charity, Join My Village. Fans can visit the groups website and click on links to support the cause. Lee Ann will also appear in PSAs in hopes of getting 100,000 of her fans to join the effort.

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:

Start of A Short Week

Jeff Foxworthy will be voicing a character in a new animated film called, Bunyan & Babe. He’ll voice “Paul Bunyan’s” best ox friend, “Babe.” “Bunyan” will be voiced by “John Goodman.” The movie will put “a modern twist on the classic folk tale of Paul Bunyan and his sidekick Babe, with the pair embarking on a mission to save a town from a rapacious real estate developer.” No word on a release date.

Oprah Winfrey will kick off the 24th season of her daytime talk show this week. To celebrate, Rascal Flatts appear on Thursday (9/10). Also appearing among the live performances on Chicago's Michigan Avenue are the Black Eyed Peas, James Taylor and Jennifer Hudson.

And tomorrow, be sure to check back for the final nominees for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards. Darius Rucker and Lee Ann Womack will be making the announcements on ABC's Good Morning America.

It's CMA Fest Week!

Good Monday Morning … and thanks to all who joined The Country Station at some point on this past weekend’s Tour of Las Cruces. It’s always a pleasure to see familiar faces visiting new places in town and entering to win the Harley. Just 19 days to go!

The big news in country music over the weekend was the opening of the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. George Strait and Reba McEntire co-headlined the show to raise, er should we say open, the roof. It was said that a few songs into the set, George commented about how the roof was supposed to open and set the crowd off chanting to get that done. Opening for George on the inaugural show was Lee Ann Womack, filling in for the ailing Julianne Hough. After the show, guests continued to talk about the after party where Reba and Blake Shelton were seen donning wigs and singing karaoke.

Not since shows in Germany and the UK in '90 has Alan Jackson toured Europe, but that is changing this summer when he stops in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. It will be the first time Alan has performed in Scandinavia. In Norway, 14-thousand tickets were snapped up within days of them going on sale. This marks the first time Alan has played Europe since 1990, when he played Germany and the UK.

She doesn’t just collect honorary badges, she IS a badge. Honorary Girl Scout Dolly Parton will now have a patch of her very own to remember poverty-stricken children. The “Coat Of Many Colors”-inspired patch will be worn proudly by Tanasi Council Girl Scouts, in an effort to remember the 20-percent of American children who live below the poverty line. Dolly also wants the patch to remind Girl Scouts the importance of treating everyone equally. Those who have earned the patch will be honored at a special ceremony at Dollywood on June 13th.

Tuesday Newsday

News From Around The Country
There’s more gold in them there hills for several country artists. Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder & Lead” reached sales of 500,000 in singles and ringtones. And the RIAA certified Faith Hill’s Joy To The World, Toby Keith’s That Don’t Make Me A Bad Guy, and Lee Ann Womack’s Greatest Hits as gold albums. Blake Shelton has earned another number one single, as “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” makes it two-on-a-row to top the chart. Chuck Wicks went home to Smyrna, Delaware this past weekend for a charity concert to raise money for the community’s Boys & Girls Club. The community youth center is housed in an old building in desperate need of repairs. Chuck’s aunt and Smyrna School District Superintendent, Debbie Wicks, assisted with the project and said, “We made over $25,000 for the club's capital renovations. That seed money will help us get the detailed plans done to start on the $1,000,000 worth of badly needed repairs.” Unit Director, Trisha Moses commented that this was the biggest fundraiser the organization has ever had!

Brad Paisley has announced that the summer portion of his touring year will be called the American Saturday Night Tour. Brad will have Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne along to bring the Saturday night vibe to any night of the week throughout the 41-date run around the US and Canada. The closest the tour is coming to our area will be Thursday, September 17th in Albuquerque at the Journal Pavilion. Also look for Brad on the current cover of Guitar Player magazine.

TV Appearances
February 4th: Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift will be guests on Katie Couric's All Access Grammy® Special on CBS.
March 5th: Taylor Swift’s appearance on CSI.

And finally, here’s a strange coincidence for you. This past weekend, a million dollar mansion in Nashville caught fire. Due to the wind and cold weather conditions, there was little fire fighters could do to save it, so it burnt to the ground. Fire investigators are trying to determine the cause. But that’s not the whole story. It turns out that this particular mansion was built by Roy Orbison in 1963. For a period of time in the early 1980s, it was owned by the late Tammy Wynette. Strangely, this marks three homes that were built for Roy that have erupted in fire. In the first house fire, two of Roy’s sons died, and the second home that caught fire belonged to Johnny Cash at the time.

Say What?

The TSA is no laughing matter, but you can’t help but find a little humor in a story that has Jimmy Wayne’s name plastered in more places than a number one record would ever get for him. Jimmy had just finished a routine radio station visit and was on his way home to Nashville through the Oakland International Airport. Still groggy from a country music artist’s grueling road schedule, Jimmy approached security dressed in shorts, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. He tried to walk through, but the detectors went off. He made repeated attempts to walk through, all the while stripping off his sweatshirt and jewelry, but the detectors kept going off. Jimmy continues the story, “Finally the TSA officer said something to the effect of, ‘Remove your shorts,’ and I thought to myself, ‘Now that sounds a little weird, but I guess it’s okay – I mean they show guys in boxers in the Sunday paper ads, right? I guess maybe between not having enough sleep and not understanding him … I don’t know. I did it!” Now picture the shorts on the conveyor belt and Jimmy Wayne walking through in his skivvies. “He flipped!” Jimmy says. “I ran back to the belt – I thought I could grab my shorts real fast – but the belt sucked the shorts up in the X-ray into the other side. So now I’m stuck in my boxers and everyone’s staring.” Unamused, TSA Officers called for backup. Jimmy continues, “Two Oakland Raiders-sized police officers come up to me and were like, ‘Sir put your hands behind your back now!’” From there, Jimmy was cuffed and questioned for 25 minutes as other airport passengers filed past – some shooting photos with their cell phones. “At least my hair was fixed,” Jimmy jokes, although because he was arrested and place in juvenile detention when he was a teenager, he added that the incident brought back memories “…I’d rather not revisit.” After the interrogation, Jimmy was released to fly home, clothes and all, and no charges were issued. Although you do have to wonder, if not “take off your shorts,” what were the instructions that Jimmy misheard?

Dancing With The Stars made a triumphant return last night. A marathon 13 couples danced the first of two routines that were prepared, and tonight 12 of those couples will be called upon to stay on the show and dance the second routine during the first elimination of the 7th season. Tomorrow night, the last of the 3-night premiere will dismiss one more couple based on the lowest combined total of judge’s scores and viewer votes. Country music’s newest darling Julianne Hough returned for her 4th season on the show with partner, Cody Linley. The youngest couple ever to compete, the two made a strong entrance despite seemingly low judge’s scores. As the night progressed, it became apparent that Julianne and Cody’s scores were pretty average for the low-balling first night. The judges are leaving the contestants plenty of room for improvement to earn the healthier scores. First night injuries included dancer Karina with a twisted ankle, celebrity Jeffrey Ross with a scratched cornea, and Julianne with a hurt leg from slipping in her driveway while wearing flip flops. She’s apparently used to wearing heels, so flats make her a little clumsy. High ball for the first night went to Lance Bass and his partner Lacey, low ball to Jeffrey Ross and Kym, and the Oscar for most entertaining dancer went to 82-year old Cloris Leachman for being woman enough to fling her leg at judge Bruno Tonioli and flash her cleavage to elderly judge Len Goodman.

News from Around The Country….
If you see a familiar face on a package in the frozen foods department, it’s not your imagination. That’s Lee Ann Womack, the new face of Banquet’s new healthy TV dinners, Banquet Select Recipes. Aaron Tippin has signed with a new record label. He’s now on Stroudavarious Records, home of Darryl Worley and Richie McDonald. And finally, look for some yuletide music from Randy Travis. His next Christmas album called Christmas on the Pecos is out November 4th.

Newbies Top The Charts; Icons Get Honors

Anybody surprised that a pop princess with an established following would debut an album at #1? What if the pop princess was Jessica Simpson debuting a country album at the top of the Country Top 75? It’s not a huge stretch. Do You Know scanned over 65,000 units its first week out. That was plenty to grab the top spot, but what might be surprising is that this country project is the first time any of Jessica’s albums have debuted at number one on any chart!

Anybody surprised that a legend like Hank Williams, Junior would be declared a BMI Icon? He will be given the honor at BMI’s 56th annual Country Music Awards ceremony in November. Bocephus will join a list that includes Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Charlie Daniels and Willie Nelson. The BMI Icon is presented to artists and songwriters who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” Meanwhile Reba McEntire will be the recipient of the prestigious Golden Note Award from the other performance rights organization, ASCAP. The award is reserved for “…artists, composers and songwriters who have achieved extraordinary career milestones.” Reba has sold 55 million albums and scored 31 number one hits. Previous recipients include Garth Brooks, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Alan Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Lionel Richie, Tom Petty, André Previn, Michael W. Smith, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones.

2009 may just be the Year of the Pickler. Kellie Pickler will ring in the New Year as a special reporter on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest. Kellie will be the Times Square correspondent, reporting live from New York City.

Lee Ann Womack will soon make her silver screen debut in Noble Things. The movie was three years in the making. Production on the film, shot in south Texas, was shut down twice in 2005 -- by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Filming finally resumed this year, but the crew had to rush to wrap up before Hurricane Gustav hit the area. "Rita really did wreck plans -- everyone was sent home and there was this thinking that we'd never be able to get the film off the ground again," a movie spokeswoman told IMDB. "Over 80 percent of the locations for filming were damaged by Rita. We had to cancel the entire shoot of the film." But Brett Moses, the movie’s writer, director, and principal character actor, refused to give up. It wasn’t until this year that the film could resume filming, and the crew barely managed to finish before yet another storm – Gustav – would wreak evacuation déjà vu. Lee Ann plays a frumpy deputy in the film and will have several songs on the soundtrack.

And here’s one of the hottest gossip pictures on the ‘net. Aspiring country singer Justin Gaston and Miley Cyrus attended church service in Pasadena, CA. 20-year-old Gaston has given the standard “just friends” response when asked if he and 15-year-old Miley are dating. After the church outing with Cyrus and her family, the pair were seen at Disney's Concert for Hope. Miley was there to perform. Tuesday, the two were spotted again having lunch with Miley's mom, Tish, and older sister, Brandi.

Heavy metal....

Tuesday is always a big day for CD's. You'll see in the sidebar that Mark Chesnutt's new album is out today, as well as a patriotic country CD for your 4th of July barbecuing pleasure. In addition to that, we're hearing about some pretty big sales numbers for existing albums. Troubadour from George Strait is now certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as Gold for sales better than 500,000. Still Feels Good from Rascal Flatts has now pushed over the 2,000,000 mark to reach double-Platinum status.

Unstoppable Taylor Swift owns the Billboard Country Albums Chart for the 20th week with her self-titled debut CD. That puts Taylor in good company with Carrie Underwood and the Dixie Chicks, each of whom has kept an album at number one for 20 weeks. And speaking of heavy metal, Taylor is now triple-Platinum. The RIAA has certified that Taylor Swift has scanned an impressive three million copies. And the numbers just keep adding up for Taylor. She’s now had 50,ooo,ooo streams on her My Space page, she’s gotten a Gold Mastertone for selling half-a-million “Our Song” ring tones, and “Our Song” has received a BDS Spin Award to acknowledge the song having been played on the radio more than 200,000 times.

In other news, Lee Ann Womack's next album, Call Me Crazy, is supposed to feature guest appearances by George Strait and Keith Urban. LeAnn Rimes has designed her own My Little Pony for charity. It will be auctioned off for charity this fall alongside other celebrity-designed Ponies. Carrie Underwood has lost her reign as PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian to pop singer Leona Lewis. And finally, Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart have announced plans to tour together for the first time since the No Hats Tour back in the early '90's.

And the last thing for today is the addition of the New Faces on the left sidebar. You've heard them on The Country Station, now you can see what the newer artists look like! Just click the picture links to learn more about the artists. Enjoy!