(l-r) Brad Tursi, Dave Pahanish, Marcel & Jimmy Wayne in Nashville, TN. Photo by Beth Brinker.

Music City is a town that celebrates the songwriter…especially when it comes to a milestone birthday.

Tuesday, September 7, country artists and friends came out to surprise hit songwriter Dave Pahanish (“American Ride” – Toby Keith, “I Will” – Jimmy Wayne) for his 40th birthday at Third & Lindsley Bar & Grill in Nashville. The stage was a revolving door of talent, with performances by duo Buxton Hughes (Sarah Buxton and Jedd Hughes,) Jonathan Singleton, Brad Tursi, Hugh Mitchell, Eric Paslay, Marcel, Jessica Andrews, Emily West, Jimmy Wayne and more!

Dave’s wife, Kristin Lee Pahanish, had been quietly scheming for weeks while she arranged the superstar guest list of Dave’s friends, fans and artist admirers. One of Dave’s biggest fans is Jimmy, who performed “Sara Smile” and the No. 1 song “Do You Believe Me Now,” also written by Dave.

“He’s so creative and talented and it’s a shame that Dave Pahanish is not out there on the road touring as an amazing superstar,” Jimmy  praised.

Dave and his band, The Rust Belt, rocked the night away. He was humbled by the surprise party-turned-show in his honor.

“I love you all and I’m so honored to call you my friends. Thanks for being a part of one of the best days of my life,” Dave said.

For the play by play of the evening, go to Jimmy Wayne’s Twitter feed. Also, check out Dave’s music on his MySpace page.

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James Otto's 2010 CD, Shake What God Gave Ya. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

This afternoon, James Otto‘s record label, Warner Bros. Nashville, released a statement from James:

Dear Friends~
I want to share with you that I was admitted to the hospital yesterday for an abdominal illness and will be cancelling my shows this weekend– 9/10 in Clarksville, Tennessee and 9/11 in Berea, Ohio.

I have been feeling badly on and off for a while now but didn’t think it was serious. Plus, I may have been a bit distracted by all the excitement of baby Ava’s arrival! I’ll be down for a few days but hope to be back in action and on the road again soon. Continue Reading

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Carrie Underwood at the photo shoot for her new stint as Celebrity Ambassador for Olay Skin Care. Photo courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Who wouldn’t want to look like Carrie Underwood? Olay cosmetics also appreciates the beauty of one of country’s biggest stars — they’ve named Carrie their first-ever “North American Celebrity Ambassador,” as part of the brand’s “Challenge What’s Possible” campaign. In her new role with Olay, Carrie will also represent a line of skin care products for the brand. The campaign is scheduled to debut later this year.

“I am so excited to be associated with a beauty brand that has been trusted by women for more than 50 years,” Carrie said. “As a little girl, I remember my mom always using the original Oil of Olay Beauty Fluid and encouraging my sisters and I to take care of our skin. I love that Olay has managed to change with the times, yet stay in touch with women of all ages who want affordable skin care products that do what they promise. My music career has been a dream come true and proven to me that the seemingly impossible can be achieved. Olay’s inspiring campaign echoes my beliefs.”

“With her genuine beauty and girl-next-door likeability, Carrie is a natural fit and wonderful addition to the Olay family,” said Chris Heiert, Marketing Director, Olay.” Through all her success, Carrie remains a grounded and connects with women everywhere using her powerful voice. She personifies the iconic image of the brand while representing the faces of the future.”

Carrie joins a list of Olay brand celebrity ambassadors around the world, including actress Maggie Cheung in Greater China, singer/actress Lucero in Latin America, and actress Thandie Newton in the United Kingdom.

Carrie will show off her beautiful skin as co-host (with Brad Paisley) of the 44th Annual CMA Awards, airing Nov. 10 on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern.

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The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.

Oprah Winfrey kicks off her 25th season on daytime TV next week, launching what’s billed as her final season.

So who’s among the first week’s guests? Appropriately, the Judds, who are reuniting this fall for what they’re calling their Last Encore Tour.

Wynonna and Naomi are slated for Tuesday’s “Oprah” show, according to The Chicago Tribune, with Wy discussing her loss of a staggering 60 pounds. The edition was taped Sept. 3, according to a tweet from executive producer Sheri Salata, and the Judds talk a bit about what fans can expect with the Last Encore.

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Lee Brice photo courtesy of Curb Records.

One slow week at a time, Lee Brice has pieced together a chart record that demonstrates unusual patience and longevity.

“Love Like Crazy” is in the Top 5 on the current Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, putting him on the list for a whopping 55 weeks. With this latest edition of the chart, Lee passed Eddy Arnold’s “Bouquet Of Roses” to spend more weeks on the magazine’s chart than any other single in history.

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Keith Urban photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

A year ago, Keith Urban raised $500,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame when he threw an all-star All For The Hall concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

This year, he’s pitching in again, but it’s not the only thing going on in country music with hall of fame overtones. Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn will be celebrated with a tribute album, fellow Hall of Famer Merle Haggard will receive another rare honor, and five composers — including a former Beatle — are being added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Here’s a rundown of the hall of fame-related events of note:

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Troy Olsen photo by Kristin Barlowe, courtesy of EMI Records Nashville.

New artists frequently visit the GAC offices to play us their music and tell us a little bit about themselves. When Troy Olsen stopped by, he kept GAC staffers entertained with his debut single, “Summer Thing” – plus lots of stories about growing up in Arizona, from being a true working cowboy to illustrating his life’s adventures through “tattooing” his guitar.

We asked Troy to share these stories with you, too, in a web series called “Livin’ The Dream With Troy Olsen.”  Troy will be telling stories now through the end of October. He releases his self-titled debut EP on October 5. Currently, he’s headlining the “Get Right Tonight Tour” in clubs across the country. Here’s the first webisode — check back every Tuesday for a new one! Continue Reading

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Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.

If you look at the credits on Toby Keith’s albums, it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to figure out that he writes most of his own material — and that he’s pretty prolific.

As it turns out, Toby’s writing even more songs now than ever. It’s not that he gets more ideas than he used to. He’s simply figured out a better way to manage them.

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Justin Moore photo by Kristin Barlowe, courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

“I’m just a hick from Arkansas that half the time can sing on key.”

Justin Moore’s self-description on last week’s ABC special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock” suggests that he hasn’t gotten a big head about his early career success. His rise to prominence gets dissected in another special, Justin Moore: How I Got To Be This Way, this week on GAC.

“I’ve decided that everybody wants to know what you sing about, what you write about and what you look like,” Justin says. “But I think it’s more important that they you’re at least a halfway-decent person before they spend 10 or 12 bucks on an album or 50 or 60 bucks on a concert ticket.”

Justin wasn’t necessarily groomed for the national stage. He grew up in Poyen, Ark., a community of less than 300 people 50 miles southwest of Little Rock. Since he was one of the few people in the tiny town that could sing on key, he got a lot of opportunities to sing solos in church. That on its own doesn’t separate him from a lot of people, but the experience certainly stuck with him. When Justin went to college and discovered he didn’t really know what he wanted to do, he quit just two weeks into his first semester and headed off to Nashville. Singing was something he definitely wanted to do.

It took a few years to get his shot, but once it came, he made the most of it. Justin’s earned a national audience with a trio of hits from his debut album: “Backwoods,” “Small Town USA” and “How I Got To Be This Way.” Despite his success, if you ask the musicians he tours with, you’d likely find they see Justin less as a boss than as a co-worker.

“Even though I’m a solo artist, we are a band,” he says. “I hire guys to do a job that I can’t do.”

Justin Moore: How I Got To Be This Way premieres on GAC Sunday, Sept. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week!

Miranda Lambert's airstream trailer is filled with congratulatory bottles of Dom Perignon for her CMA Awards nominations. Photo courtesy of http://twitter.com/Miranda_Lambert.

Miranda Lambert: @Miranda_Lambert    Dom for nom’s!!!! Celebration in the airstream!!!

Martina McBride: @martinamcbride    Playing “Secret Agents” with my 5 year old is pretty much as good as it gets…

Brad Paisley:  @BradPaisley    Recording with Darius today. Its between a song we wrote and a Bluegrass version of Ebony and Ivory. Tuff choice.

Laura Bell Bundy: @LauraBellBundy    I just met Satan. She works at American Airlines

Whitney Duncan: @whitneyduncan    Booty Pop…really?! Who needs extra junk n the trunk? That’s like false advertising & just plain weird. Continue Reading

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