Search Results for "Eli Young Band"

The Academy of Country Music and Great American Country (GAC) announced today that for the second year, the three newcomer categories for the Academy of Country Music Awards— Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group —will be opened up to interactive fan voting through VoteACM.com. As previously announced, the Top New Solo Vocalist category will take the place of the Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist categories.

Following is the list of final nominees in the Top New categories that the Academy announced today: Continue Reading

Sarah Buxton photo courtesy of Lyric Street Music.

One of the most infectious singles of the last year came with Sarah Buxton’s “Outside My Window,” which is bubbling and bopping at No. 23 on the most recent Country Aircheck singles list.

Just as engaging is her video, shot with a digital camera on a whim with co-writers Victoria Shaw, Mark Hudson and Gary Burr for only about $80. Her record company didn’t even know she was shooting it, but its goofy, happy-go-lucky attitude and panorama of colors made it easy for Lyric Street to get it into circulation.

The video has, however, made it more difficult for the competition.

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Toby Keith (l) signed Trace Adkins to his label, Show Dog-Universal Music, on Jan. 12, 2010. Photo courtesy of Show Dog-Universal Music.

Thanks to his song “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American),” Toby Keith was billed in some circles as a warmonger, but it turns out that one of the moments that bonded him to his new label president was a time when Toby took a peaceful stance during the Country Radio Seminar.

Toby’s Show Dog Nashville label has merged with Universal South to create Show Dog-Universal Music, with Toby as the principle and former Universal South chief Mark Wright as the president. The two actually go back a long way. Mark started out in the business as a songwriter, penning such hits as Mark Chesnutt’s “Your Love Is A Miracle,” George Strait’s “Today My World Slipped Away” and Alabama’s “Take A Little Trip.” He heard some of Toby’s songs before Toby ever released a single, and he was completely knocked out.

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Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.

A little over three years since he launched his own Show Dog Nashville label, Toby Keith unleashed his newly merged Show Dog-Universal Music Wednesday during a press conference at BMI in Nashville in which his appreciation for risk underscored much of the discussion.

The music business is in a strange transition in which the album, which previously funded the business, is selling in smaller numbers each year while single tracks are increasingly becoming the way the public buys pre-recorded sound. Companies are required to pay the same amount to market their material as in the past, but with less than a tenth the per-unit income they previously received.

A number of people lost jobs in the merger, though the new company is larger than the previous version of Show Dog. And Toby — whose income stream includes songwriting royalties, concert fees and income from film work, a fashion line, horse racing and his I Love This Bar & Grille chain — is in a position to roll the dice on a label.

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The last time we headed into a new decade, it was the beginning of a completely new millennium, and it kicked off with a bang: The Judds reunited in Phoenix; Trisha Yearwood and Kenny Rogers performed for President Clinton in Washington, D.C.; Kenny Chesney opened for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at the arena in Nashville; and Grand Ole Opry stars Marty Stuart and Connie Smith went to church in Mississippi.

As we enter 2010, country stars are once again a big part of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Martina McBride and Diamond Rio will be on TV; Shania Twain carries the torch for the Winter Olympics; Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw will appear at college bowl games; and Garth Brooks, Rodney Atkins and the Eli Young Band will help transition into January on stage.

Here’s how some of country’s biggest stars will add to the turning of the calendar on Thursday and Friday:
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Joe Nichols recently visited troops on US military bases in Kuwait and Iraq. His trip was filmed for the GAC special, Joe Nichols: My Military Diary, premiering Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 at 10 p.m. Eastern.

#7 on GAC’s Top Stories of 2009 |  View all »

Seven years into post-9/11 wars that continue to stretch America’s psyche and its public coffers, President Obama’s agonizing decision over how to proceed was one of the most analyzed topics in the national news during 2009.

Whether they approved of the wars or not, country’s stars continued to support the troops whose jobs demand they wage them. Joe Nichols, Toby Keith, Craig Morgan and the Charlie Daniels Band were among the numerous acts who made it a point to go overseas and play for the men and women in uniform. They went to the Middle East, to European bases and to Korea — and plenty more artists found time to give shows for the troops at U.S. bases.

In a couple of instances, GAC brought the experience to you with the specials Stars For Stripes: Wounded Warriors Return and Joe Nichols: My Military Diary.

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Miranda Lambert photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Christmas time’s a-comin’, to quote a song made famous by the late Bill Monroe. In fact, the big day is almost here. And just as country fans will be celebrating the holidays, so will the genre’s most familiar artists, including Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Alan Jackson, Montgomery Gentry and Brad Paisley.

Whether it’s decorating trees, hiding presents, singing carols or watching ‘A Christmas Story,’ the stars’ plans for December — and their memories of holidays past — are probably a lot like yours.

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Taylor Swift gives her acceptance speech live from London via satellite during the 2009 American Music Awards help on November 22 broadcast live on ABC from the NOKIA Theatre in L.A.

At the end of last year, Taylor Swift hosted GAC’s countdown of the Top 50 songs of 2008. Little did she know in January that she would dominate the year ahead of her.

But as 2009 comes to a close, it’s clear that she’s been the biggest thing in music — and not just country music, which she still calls home. Billboard has named her Artist of the Year, ahead of Kanye West, Beyonce, Coldplay and everybody else. That honor comes just weeks after she earned Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards and a month after the Country Music Association handed her Entertainer of the Year.

And that particular moment is the one that still has her floored.

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If you answered yes to this question, then GAC’s wants you! GAC wants you to decide the Top 50 Videos of 2009. It’s time to rally your family, friends and fellow fan club members to get the vote out. We have over 140 videos from over 100 unique artists nominated. You can vote for up to 10 of your favorites every day.

So what are you waiting for? If you’re a fan of any of the artists listed below then it’s your duty as a card carrying country music fan to vote today and every day through Nov. 30, 2009 when the ballot closes.  Vote Now »

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Nashville.

Country Throwdown 2010, a multi-act outdoor tour produced by the same company that created rock’s annual Vans Warped Tour, has enlisted Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram among the initial acts for a five-week, GAC-sponsored series of concerts next spring. Specific markets and the entire lineup have yet to be revealed, though the Throwdown will feature 21 total acts on an itinerary from May 13-June 20.

“When Eddie [Montgomery] and I were approached about doing the Country Throwdown Tour we immediately said yes,” Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry said. “We loved the idea of it being like a big festival, a big party. I mean, that’s what Montgomery Gentry is all about. We’re keeping the ticket prices low because we know it’s hard out there. Fans are going to get a lot of entertainment for their money. This tour is going to be a great experience for us, the other artists and especially the fans.”

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