Bucky Covington and GAC's Storme Warren at the Country Weekly 15th Anniversary Party at Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.

A 15-year anniversary is definitely worth a party, and Country Weekly’s big event Tuesday at the Hard Rock Café brought out a load of stars — including Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, Bucky Covington, Aaron Tippin, Darryl Worley, Steel Magnolia and the Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen — to mark the occasion for one of the genre’s best-known publications.

“Is there cake in there?” Steel Magnolia’s shivering Joshua Scott Jones asked at the red carpet.

“Are you planning to jump out of it?” I asked.

“If it’s big enough!” he insisted.

Forget the cake, though there were multi-flavored mousses, shrimp, chicken, bruschetta and wine and beer.

And, of course, stars — and hints of stars — everywhere. The Hard Rock’s walls are adorned with guitars owned by the likes of Waylon Jennings, Carl Perkins and Buck Owens. Country Weekly covers featuring George Strait, Toby Keith, Patty Loveless and Johnny Cash flashed in video boxes. And the visitors ranged from newer acts — including Emily West, Whitney Duncan, former “Nashville Star” contestant Gabe Garcia, the Roys and Burns & Poe — to hit-makers Aaron Tippin, Tammy Cochran and Ira Dean (formerly of Trick Pony) and to award-winners Lee Greenwood and Bill Anderson.

Country Weekly has “always taken such good care of us, and young artists from the very beginning, even when we’re nobody,” said Lee Brice, whose “Love Like Crazy” is in the Top 40 on the Country Aircheck singles list. “We just wanna return the favor, come hang out, party and just enjoy our time with ‘em.”

CW still maintains a strong presence at check-out counters and ‘zine racks around the U.S., particularly impressive since the public’s conversion to the Internet has had a huge negative effect on circulation for magazines. It’s one of the few country publications that’s been able to survive, and its presence is welcome by those acts that braved the cold to help celebrate.

“One of the biggest charges is going through the airport and looking in the newsstand and there’s Country Weekly,” the Oaks’ Duane Allen said. “It’s the People magazine of country music, and it’s always a pleasure to see it.”

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