Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/taylorswift13.

Taylor Swift has performed with musical artists across a variety of genres, often bringing special guests onstage during her live shows. She recently got to play the role of “special guest” when she joined The Rolling Stones at their Chicago show to perform “As Tears Go By” earlier this month. She’s always regarded them as musical heroes, but now she’s an even bigger fan.

“It just was everything that you would think it would be but better,” she said. “They’re now at an even higher level of hero status for me. Mostly because of their attitude. Because of their hospitality. Because they hand-write notes, thanking you for being there. Because you get to get pictures with them and hang out with them.”

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Justin Moore photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore struck out on his first headlining tour earlier this year and brought Dustin Lynch and Jon Pardi along as special guests. Having opened for everyone from Blake Shelton to Miranda Lambert to Eric Church, Justin has learned how he wants to treat his opening acts.

“They were all great,” he said. “Everybody did things a little different. Everybody was great to me in their own right, whether or not we should have been out there. Everybody treated us with the utmost respect, as if we deserved to be where we were.” Continue Reading

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Patty Loveless celebrates 25 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Patty Loveless celebrated her 25^th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry this past weekend with a performance as well as performances from Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn and more. Following an hour of her hit songs performed by good friends, Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher honored her with a commemorative print.

“This has been an absolutely magical night at the Grand Ole Opry,” he said. “I think we have heard everything that makes country music great. If I was to describe what makes country music great, I would use the name Patty Loveless.” Continue Reading

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The Band Perry photo by David McClister, courtesy of Splash Public Relations.

The Band Perry held their second annual fan club party during CMA Music Festival earlier this month and things went a little off the beaten path. Before the trio knew what was happening, they were revealing some of their hidden secrets to the crowd of fans.

See photos of The Band Perry at CMA Music Festival >>

“It somehow turned into ‘True Confessions with The Band Perry,’” Kimberly Perry said. “We told some of our most embarrassing stories on each other, which got a little dangerous.” Continue Reading

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Kenny Chesney photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Not even torrential rains could keep Kenny Chesney from performing for more than 50,000 fans at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium Saturday night. Kenny and his team kept a close eye on the storms that rolled through the area at show time, delaying the start of the night by 30 minutes.

“Obviously, we never want anyone to be in danger,” Kenny said. “But we know lots of people plan trips to come together for one of these shows – and you hate for them to lose their travel, their hotels. And selfishly, the fans at Arrowhead Stadium are some of the loudest we play to every year! So, Kacey (Musgraves) went on thirty minutes late and in the rain, like a real trooper – and we got on with the show.” Continue Reading

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MANCHESTER, TN – JUNE 16: Kacey Musgraves performs during day 4 of the 2013 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 16, 2013 in Manchester, Tennessee. (Photo by Gary Miller/WireImage)

Kacey Musgraves had a whirlwind weekend. After performing in front of 50,000 fans at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium in the rain as part of Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Nation Tour Saturday, she headed back to Tennessee to fulfill a lifelong dream of performing at Bonnaroo on Sunday.

Kacey was one of the only country acts on this year’s Bonnaroo bill. She played a 60-minute set on the Which Stage, including her debut hit “Merry Go ‘Round” and her current single, “Blowin’ Smoke.” She also pulled out a few covers, including Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Weezer’s “Island In The Sun.” Continue Reading

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Kellie Pickler photo by Kristin Barlowe, courtesy of Essential Broadcast Media.

Kellie Pickler will co-host and perform on ABC’s The View on June 18. Fresh off of winning ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, Kellie will join hosts Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck to talk about her own hot topics as well as current events.

Additionally, Kellie will perform her new single, “Someone Somewhere Tonight,” for the first time on television. The song will be included on her new album, set for release later this year. Rolling Stone recently said of the song, “Her winning streak continues…her big, open-throated singing sells the emotion of every last word.” Continue Reading

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Hunter Hayes photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Hunter Hayes has sold out both of his upcoming shows at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, set for October 18-19. The sellout took less than an hour. Ashley Monroe will open the show as a special guest.

“ONE night at the Ryman is something I’ve dreamed about for a long time,” Hunter said. “It makes it even better that we get to do TWO, and the fact that they sold out that quick is just such a thrill. I’m so excited! This pretty much guarantees it’s going to be crazy!”  Continue Reading

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Miranda Lambert photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

The CMA Songwriters Series will return to the Royale Boston Nightclub in Boston on July 11 to celebrate nine years. Miranda Lambert, Kip Moore, Brett James and Bob DiPiero, who will also serve as the evening’s host, will perform, sharing stories behind their hit songs.

“Nashville’s songwriters are the best in the world and CMA is excited to return to Boston to showcase some of these spectacular artists again,” Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said. “It’s great to see how this series has grown since it began in 2005, expanding to play in cities across the U.S., and overseas in places like the U.K. and Paris. Boston has given us such a warm reception and we are thrilled to continue to share the remarkable stories behind the hit songs with the terrific fans there.” Continue Reading

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Justin Moore photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore is the proud father of two daughters, Ella and Kennedy. Fatherhood has brought about a number of changes in Justin’s life, including the way he approaches songwriting. His girls have inspired his craft, which he believes was inevitable.

Top 20 Country Songs About Dad >>

“I’ve always said throughout my career that anything that you do in your personal life or anything you go through, affects the artist and the songwriter that you are,” he said. “Having become a dad over the past few years has definitely changed me and I think it’s been a good thing.” Continue Reading

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