Tim McGraw, Kid Rock & Zac Brown Band will headline BamaJam 2012.

Military personnel will be able to attend BamaJam 2012 at a discounted rate. The festival, taking place June 14-16 in Enterprise, Alabama, will feature Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, Kid Rock, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and many more. Military members can get 3-day tickets for $99 and can be purchased online and at several military bases.

Several artists performing at BamaJam have shown their appreciation for our military, including Tim McGraw. His 2011 Tour for the Troops concert celebrated servicemen and women with a free concert for members of the military and their families. “I am proud to perform for the troops and to celebrate our heroes, bringing attention to the need to improve quality of life among men and women who serve our country,” he said.

“BamaJam 2012 is very appreciative of the men and women who serve our country,” Rendy Lovelady, executive producer of the festival, said. “We’re happy to be able to give back and have our military so involved in this year’s festival.”  Continue Reading

ShareThis

Tim McGraw photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.

Big Machine Records announced today the signing of country music superstar Tim McGraw to a worldwide recording deal. Tim and Big Machine will release new music, which will be distributed globally by Universal Music Group. With over 40 million albums sold and 32 No. 1 singles over the course of his remarkable career to date, this new era of Tim’s career will be driven by a dream team of the most successful and dynamic thinkers in the music industry.

“Many people know that I came to Nashville 23 years ago on a Greyhound bus with nothing but a guitar,” said Tim.  “And 23 years to the day, on May 9, I went back to the bus station and officially signed this deal. It was a significant way for me to mark this new beginning. Scott Borchetta has developed a powerhouse at Big Machine, and I’m happy to be a part of what he has built and to call Big Machine Records my new label home. Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling about working on a new album for this next chapter in my career. Here’s to the next 20 years!”

“I’ve always felt a kinship to Tim, as my dad (Mike) originally signed Tim to Curb Records,” said Scott Borchetta, President and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group. We have wanted to work together for years and I can’t believe this day has finally come.  His level of artistry, vision, passion and energy comes along only so many times in any given era and I can tell you with the utmost confidence that there are many, many important chapters left to write.” Continue Reading

ShareThis

Edens Edge photo courtesy of Big Machine Label Group.

The continuing commitment to the cause of hunger in America from Big Machine Label Group, General Mills and Feeding America is spotlighted this week with a new 30-minute GAC special, aptly titled Outnumber Hunger. Hosted by Edens Edge’s Hannah Blaylock, the special takes viewers behind the scenes of the program launch event in Las Vegas, and takes you through food banks with Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry and others. Airdates and times are as follows: Premiere:
Tuesday, May 22 at 11 p.m.

Additional airtimes:
Wednesday, May 23 at 3 a.m. & 9 p.m.;
Thursday, May 24 at 1 a.m.;
Monday, May 28 at 11 p.m.;
Tuesday, May 29 at 3 a.m.;
Thursday, May 31 at 10 p.m.;
Friday, June 1 at 2 a.m.

All times are Eastern. For more information, visit www.outnumberhunger.com.

ShareThis

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 20: Singer Taylor Swift, winner of the Woman of the Year award, poses in the press room at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ABC)

Taylor Swift was presented with the Billboard Woman of the Year award during Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards. Kris Kristofferson did the honors of introducing a video montage, highlighting Taylor’s many career accomplishments as well as home movie footage of a young Taylor playing guitar in her room. Actress Zooey Deschanelthen took the stage to say a few words before introducing Taylor.

“The first time I ever saw my song on the Billboard charts, I was 16,” Taylor said. “I was on a radio tour and I was in a rental car going to like three different stations, four different stations a day, homeschooling in the back seat, and that seems like forever ago thanks to so many people but mostly my family, everyone who’s helped me get here and the fans. I just love you so much. I’m so humbled and honored by this.”

See photos from the red carpet >>

Carrie Underwood blew fans away with her performance of “Blown Away” during the show. Dressed in red against a backdrop of grey, black and white and a wall of fans, Carrie emerged from a falling curtain and acted out the lyrics of the dramatic song. She ended the power ballad with an explosion of confetti, mimicking the song’s line about shattered windows.

While Scotty McCreery, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift were all nominated for multi-genre awards, they turned up empty-handed, with Adele and LMFAO being the big winners of the night. In the country category, Lady A picked up Top Country Artist, while Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party was named Top Country Album and his hit “Dirt Road Anthem” won Top Country Song.

For a complete list of the night’s winners, click HERE.

ShareThis

Miranda Lambert on the June 2012 cover of Self magazine. Photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

 Miranda Lambert graces the cover of the June issue of Self Magazine and is proudly telling women everywhere to ‘rock your curves.’ Miranda shared her candid thoughts on being thin, what she eats on the road and why husband Blake Shelton might be a little scared of her in her latest interview.

“I don’t care about being stick-thin,” she said. “I don’t want stuff to jiggle. Really skinny actresses make me hungry—I see them and think, ‘Honey, you need to eat!’ I’m lucky I don’t have to live like that. I feel my best when I’m a toned, not flabby, size 8. Women come up to me and say, ‘You’re beautiful and confident, and that makes me feel I can be, too.’”

But even Miranda has posed the question many wives have asked their husbands. “I asked Blake, ‘Dude, why didn’t you tell me I got fat?’” she said. “He said, ‘That would go over like a lead balloon. It’s not my job to tell you you’re fat. It’s my job to tell you you’re beautiful.’”

With a hectic touring schedule, it would be easy for Miranda to fill up on backstage pizza and fast food. Instead, she reaches for something a little more green after shows and keeps her bus void of tempting treats. “I always scarf down food after a show,” she said. “But now, instead of eating a burger, I’ll have a grilled-chicken salad waiting for me. And except for almonds and bananas, I don’t keep snacks on the bus. I don’t want Cheetos anywhere around me.” Continue Reading

ShareThis

Little Big Town photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Little Big Town will host the annual Ride For a Cure benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation on June 10 in Nashville. This will be the group’s sixth year hosting the ride. The ride will be followed up by a lunch hosted by Applebee’s, a live auction and a concert featuring performances by Little Big Town, Lauren Alaina, Love and Theft and Dean Alexander.

This year’s ride will stay true to previous years, with the exception of a new starting location for registering and the pre-ride Jam Session, which will now take place at Mickey Roo’s. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with performances by Cali Rodi and others on the welcome stage. The ride will depart at 10:30 a.m. with lunch and performances beginning at noon. Continue Reading

ShareThis

Kristen Kelly photo by Kristin Barlowe, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

BMI will debut their BMI Tailgate Party during this year’s CMA Music Festival. The stage will be located outside of LP Field just off the river and feature some of BMI’s best songwriters and artists warming fans up before they head into LP Field for the Nightly Concerts. The BMI Tailgate Party is free and open to the public.

Artists scheduled to perform include Brent Cobb, Florida Georgia Line, Hogslop String Band, Kristen Kelly, Chuck Mead and His Grassy Knoll Boys, Chancie Neal, the Peach Pickers (Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson), Mo Pitney, Trent Summar and the New Row Mob, Kenny Vaughan and the World Famous Headliners (Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, and Pat McLaughlin).

Tickets are still available for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field after the BMI Tailgate Party. Fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1 (800) 745-3000. They can also be purchased through CMAfest.com or by calling 1 (800) CMA-FEST (262-3378).

Continue Reading

ShareThis

Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.

The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation is celebrating 25 years of service and Minnie Pearl’s 100th birthday and part of that celebration is the ‘Minnie Moments’ campaign. The campaign features stories from clients, survivors and caregivers who have used MPCF’s services as well as memories from celebrities and fans of Minnie Pearl.

Marty Stuart recently recorded his Minnie Moment. He recalled being invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, but before he could accept, he had to make sure Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl welcomed him into the family. Minnie’s illness kept her in bed a lot and so Marty went to her with 100 white roses to ask for her blessing.

“When I walked in the room holding a hundred white roses, you could barely see my face, and I lowered them and I said ‘Hi, I love you,’” Marty remembered. “She said ‘Look at them tight pants!’ She didn’t say anything about the roses. About 30 minutes later I had to run out the room, she was getting my face red.”

Watch Marty’s Minnie Moment!

To see more Minnie Moments from artists including Lorrie Morgan, Wynonna Judd, Connie Smith, Craig Morgan, Bill Anderson and more, visit www.minniepearl.org/minniemoments.  Fans are invited to submit their own Minnie Moments as well. Continue Reading

ShareThis

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15: Actresses Connie Britton (L) and Hayden Panettiere attend the Entertainment Weekly & ABC-TV Up Front VIP Party at Dream Downtown on May 15, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

ABC has picked up the pilot of the music industry drama series Nashville, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The show, set and largely filmed in Nashville, will star Hayden Panettiere as breakout country star Juliette Barnes and Connie Britton as Rayna James, 40-year-old superstar and mother of two who is forced to tour with Juliette Barnes to save her career.

In the trailer released by ABC, viewers get a glimpse of scenes filmed at the Grand Ole Opry and downtown Nashville and get a taste of a feisty Juliette and Rayna’s struggles to save her career while being a wife and a mother.

Watch the trailer!

Continue Reading

ShareThis

Oprah Winfrey with Carrie Underwood in Nashville, Tennessee © 2012 Harpo Inc./George Burns

Oprah Winfrey traveled to Nashville to sit down with Carrie Underwood for an in-depth interview that will air on Sunday’s episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter. For the first time, Carrie invited cameras into her and husband Mike Fisher’s Nashville-area cabin retreat. The interview will air May 20 at 9/8 PM CT on OWN.

During the interview, Carrie reflects on her rise to fame since winning American Idol in 2005, revealing she sometimes wonders what she’s doing. She also discussed her two-year marriage to Mike, a professional hockey player for the Nashville Predators, and how they maintain normalcy despite their  high-profile life.

Later in the interview, Mike joins Carrie for their first ever television interview together. Mike and Carrie share how they balance their careers and personal life and how their belief in God helps them navigate everyday life. They then take Oprah to new plot of land where they plan to build their dream home.

Carrie recently released her fourth studio album, Blown Away. She will hit the road on her Blown Away Tour with dates scheduled in the UK and Australia this summer. The North American leg of the tour kicks off this fall with Hunter Hayes along as a special guest.

ShareThis