Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Expect the unexpected.

That semi-silly phrase actually has a lot of relevance to everyday life. Good things sometimes happen when we least expect them; so do bad things.

Carrie Underwood, Randy Travis and bluegrass legend Del McCoury are among a handful of country artists who are very current examples of the unexpected truth.

Here are the developments — both happy and sad — that have taken place in their lives:

• Between multiple trucks and buses crisscrossing the nation’s highways, country stars rack up big mileage on the interstate. Carrie Underwood and her crew were stunned Saturday when one of her truck drivers died in an accident along Interstate 95 in Stonington, Conn., The Hartford Courant reported. The driver’s body was burned so badly that authorities needed to use dental records to validate his identity. Carrie went on and performed that same night at the MGM Grand Theater in Mashantucket. According to The Norwich Bulletin, she shed tears in dedicating “Temporary Home” to her late employee.

• Just as spring officially sprung, Randy Travis got snowed out in Oklahoma. That’s right — four-and-a-half inches of the white stuff fell in the Tulsa area, and KTUL-TV reported the weather unexpectedly knocked out Randy’s show at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel.

• Del McCoury probably did not see this one coming: The state of Pennsylvania is naming him the Artist of the Year in the annual Governor’s Arts Awards, according to cybergrass.com. He’ll be honored April 8 in York, Pa.

• “I’m just so proud to be here!” The late Minnie Pearl’s trademark phrase seems ironic in a dust-up in her hometown of Centerville, Tenn., that could not have been predicted when a local businessman raised money for a statue to honor the Country Music Hall of Fame member. Rod Harris gifted the marker to the town in 2005 with the stipulation that it be located in the town square. When the city decided to do some reconstruction and move the statue, Rod packed it up and moved it to the lobby of a winery. Now, Nashville’s WSMV-TV reports, he’s willing to return Minnie’s statue to the city, but only if the town pays $10,000 to cover his legal fees. City officials are looking into raising money to have a new Minnie Pearl statue made.

• Steve Holy added an unexpected appearance to his calendar over the weekend: He served as a pallbearer at Saturday’s funeral for Texan country-music promoter Johnnie High, according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Joey Floyd, who plays guitar and fiddle in Toby Keith’s touring band, sang a duet version of “One Day At A Time” during the service. Johnnie’s Country Music Revue was a building block in the careers of several acts, including Steve, Lee Ann Womack, Gary Morris and LeAnn Rimes. The public tribute ended with an estimated 200 people singing the country-gospel classic “I’ll Fly Away.”

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