Parenthood is actually a rich vein for songwriters to tap, and with Father’s Day upon us, it’s a perfect time to run through some of the best songs that deal with the old man. Some of your favorites might be missing. You could argue, for example, that the Mac Davis song “Watching Scotty Grow” belongs here or that “I Saw God Today” is a better fatherly entry from George Strait than “The Breath You Take.” But hey, that’s what lists are for: starting up a conversation. If you don’t see your favorite on here, let us know what’s missing!

In no particular order, here are 20 country songs for dads everywhere:

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“Love Without End, Amen,” George Strait (1990) – The father/son relationship is often used by the church to explain God. George makes those allusions here, portraying Dad – and the guy upstairs – as someone who’s strict, loving and ultimately forgiving.

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“That’s My Job,” Conway Twitty (1987) – Dad as protector, Dad as financier, Dad as inspiration from the grave. It sounds heavy, and it is. Beautifully so, with Vince Gill on supporting vocals.

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“Drive (For Daddy Gene),” Alan Jackson (2002) – If your dad spent a lot of time under the hood of the car in the driveway, then Alan likely hit the nail on the head for you. There are plenty of car and boat parts in the song, but they’re just a vehicle to show how Dad steered you right.

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“Seein’ My Father In Me,” Paul Overstreet (1990) – “I notice I walk the way he walks / I notice I talk the way he talks.” Get used to it, guys. Unless you work really hard at it, you’re going to be more like dear old dad than you ever expected.

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“Daddy What If,” Bobby Bare (1973) – There’s something distinctly schmaltzy about this quasi-lullaby that Bobby recorded with his son, Bobby Bare Jr., who was all of seven years old when it was released. That schmaltzy quality, coupled with the obvious affection between Sr. and Jr., is exactly why it works.

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“I’m Already There,” Lonestar (2001) – You can hear the teardrops in Richie McDonald’s voice as he makes his way through this long-distance call home.

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“Thank God For Kids,” The Oak Ridge Boys (1982) – Cartoons, endless questions and a lot of responsibility. William Lee Golden embraced what children add to the house as he assumed the role of dad in this Eddy Raven-penned song. He’s been known to put a little granddad spin on it when the Oaks do it live.

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“My Front Porch Lookin’ In,” Lonestar (2003) – Still the only country hit ever to reference a sippy cup. Believe it or not, there were plenty of non-parents who had to ask around when the song came out to find out what the heck that was.

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“The Breath You Take,” George Strait (2010) – Harry Chapin’s 1970s pop classic “Cat’s In The Cradle” poignantly told the story of a businessman who took his kids for granted until it was too late. This ballad is exactly the opposite: Dad gets it, and he goes out of his way to be there at the most important moments in his son’s life.

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“Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy),” Rodney Atkins (2007) – If every father was as imposing as the dad in this song, teen girls would likely get a lot fewer dates. Yes, he’s good-natured. No, you don’t wanna find out if he’d really pull the trigger.

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“Watching You,” Rodney Atkins (2006) – Probably the two biggest fears about being a parent: 1) Can you afford the little bugger? 2) As Rodney notes in this song, you actually become a role model to the kids. Is anyone really qualified for that job?

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“My Little Girl,” Tim McGraw (2006) – Most dads are suckers for their daughters. And Tim’s got three of ‘em. Wonder where he possibly found the inspiration for this sentimental song…

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“You’re Gonna Miss This,” Trace Adkins (2007) – The lyrics vacillate between mom and dad viewpoints, but with Trace’s big, booming voice, it clearly has a fatherly tone. It’s a great song, but the words are probably wasted on those who need them most. By the time many people figure out Dad was right, they’ve already lost the period in life they should have savored.

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“Family Man,” Craig Campbell (2010) – Funny how kids all want to grow up, only to find adulthood is harder than it looks. Craig puts it in perspective as a dad doing manual labor for crappy pay, stretching every dollar. What motivates anyone to live that kind of life? “It’s family, man.” And he sings like he means it.

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“Daddy’s Hands,” Holly Dunn (1986) – Holly got a Grammy nomination for writing a song that shows reverence for Daddy’s hands. They delivered love and the family’s daily bread, though the chorus deftly acknowledges they delivered disciplinary swats on the backside, too. Here’s a version we found on YouTube with Holly singing the song with Dolly Parton. Beautiful harmonies!

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“Anything Like Me,” Brad Paisley (2010) – “I hope when you grow up, you have a son just like you, so you know what it’s like!” It’s a good bet Brad’s mom said that once or twice when he was a kid. And, with “Anything Like Me,” he ends up sentimental about the prospect.

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“He Didn’t Have To Be,” Brad Paisley (1999) – Dads don’t have to be biological. As much of a stigma as it seems to have for some kids, an adopted dad actually chooses his children. That’s pretty special. And so is this song. Crying isn’t required, but it is encouraged.

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“The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” Reba McEntire (1992) – There’s a whole generation of dads who were raised to believe they shouldn’t tell their kids they love them. A lot of them came to realize they were missing out. Some left their children to read between the lines.

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“One Wing In The Fire,” Trent Tomlinson (2006) – If you want to become a full-blown, card-carrying adult, one of the crucial moments comes when you’re finally able to forgive your parents for being less than perfect. “One Wing” is a distinct attempt to do that with a father who was particularly taxing.

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“A Boy Named Sue,” Johnny Cash (1969) – You know how Montgomery Gentry “came to blows with my old man” in “My Town”? Cash gives a detailed description of an even bigger father/son fight that involves a gun and a knife – all wrapped up with a wink in the end.

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It’s probably not the definitive list – you could argue that others, such as Merle Haggard’s “Mama’s Hungry Eyes” – belong here, but it’s good enough to give you a full-bodied picture of your mom, my mom, somebody’s mom.

In no particular order, here are 20 country songs – and one bonus title – for moms everywhere:

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“Mama’s Song,” Carrie Underwood (2010) – A rolling music bed and Carrie’s own romantic storyline with hockey player Mike Fisher form the backdrop for a song that shows a mother just what a great job she’s done. She parented a daughter who picks the right kind of partner.

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“The Hand That Rocks The Cradle,” Glen Campbell with Steve Wariner (1987) – “There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas.” Well, there’s not, but there is this nifty little duet built around the psychologies of birth, breast feeding and teaching life lessons.

“Mama Don’t Forget To Pray For Me,” Diamond Rio (1991) – In many families, Mom is the one who provides the strongest moral compass. In this case, she gets a phone call from her adult son, looking for advice from his best-loved guidance counselor.

“So Much Like My Dad,” George Strait (1992) – “Mom, can we talk?” George is as good at anyone at delivering a song that’s essentially a conversation set to music. In this case, it’s a mother/son chat as he tries to figure out exactly why his own household is falling apart.

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“Mama Tried,” Merle Haggard (1968) – Perhaps the hardest part of the job for mothers: You can do everything right, and the kid insists on messing up anyway. In this mostly autobiographical account, the adult Merle takes responsibility for ignoring Flossie Haggard’s wisdom and ending up in prison by age 21.

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“The Sweetest Gift,” Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris (1976) – This duet works as an unintended companion piece to “Mama Tried.” First recorded by James and Martha Carson in the 1940s, it has Mom visiting her son in prison, offering nothing but a smile. One appropriate piece of trivia: When The Judds were living in Kentucky and had no money, they sang it as a Mother’s Day present to Naomi’s mom in 1975. Here’s a version we found of Linda & Emmylou singing it, with their Trio partner, Dolly Parton.

“I.O.U.,” Jimmy Dean (1976) – The biggest investments a mother makes are her time and her heart. If she’s doing her job the right way, all she asks for in return is love. Mom got it in a big way in this recitation that’s essentially a laundry list of all her sacrifices and expressions of dedication to a son.

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“Mama He’s Crazy,” The Judds (1984) – Kinda, sorta like “Mama’s Song,” except it’s delivered by a real-life mom and daughter team.

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“In My Daughter’s Eyes,” Martina McBride (2003) – Moms leave two kinds of trails: one is genetic, the other is character. It’s the latter that Martina embraces in this piano-driven ballad.

“Teenage Daughters,” Martina McBride (2011) – Seventeen years of changing your diapers, feeding you, hauling you around, and the reward is you ask for money and roll your eyes at me. Martina documents a real “special” time in parenthood.

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“Don’t Take Your Guns To Town,” Johnny Cash (1959) – Was Mom a nag? A worry-wart? Or wise beyond her years? The cowboy in this spare, dark production changed his point of view just before drawing his final breath in a pool of blood on a barroom floor.

“I’m The Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised),” Johnny Paycheck (1977) – “Mama Tried,” the outlaw version.

“Roses For Mama,” C.W. McCall (1977) – A little boy puts flowers on his mom’s grave, inducing guilt in a man who’s taken his own mother for granted. It’s cheesy and contrived, but if you don’t feel at least a smattering of emotion over it, your own mama probably doesn’t like you.

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“Hot Mama,” Trace Adkins (2003) – Child birth and the stress of raising kids can take its toll on the body. Worried about it? Not an issue to Daddy Trace: “Let’s… turn this room into a sauna.”

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“No Charge,” Melba Montgomery (1974) – An enterprising kid figures out a way to make money from Mom, and hands her a $14.75 bill for doing all his chores. Her response is to remind him of the labor pains, the worry, the food and the clothes, all of which she’s provided at “no charge.” He, of course, zeroes out his invoice. Has this ever worked with the phone company?

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“Don’t Forget To Remember Me,” Carrie Underwood (2006) – Whether it’s her little girl’s first apartment or her departure for college, it’s a good bet that Mom will still be there for support. That $50 bill in the ashtray isn’t just a gesture of love; it’s also a token of Mom’s ability to plan ahead.

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“To Daddy,” Emmylou Harris (1977) – Dolly Parton wrote an enormously sad song that unfolds as if she were a child reporter, detailing the facts about her parents’ relationship. Mom does her family chores while Dad treats her more like an employee or a possession than a mate. When the child-rearing is done, it’s goodbye to Daddy.

“Mama Knows,” Shenandoah (1988) – Is it a sixth sense or the eyes in the back of her head? Yup, Mom knew about the cigarettes and the first love. And Marty Raybon and crew wish she was still around.

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“26 Cents,” The Wilkinsons (1998) – Two coins, a letter and a visceral umbilical cord. Oddly enough, this tribute to Mama was delivered by a family trio – a dad, a son and a daughter – without Mom.

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“Somebody’s Hero,” Jamie O’Neal (2005) – “The keeper of the Cheerios.” That’s just one of the roles Jamie laid out for moms in this sentimental effort that examines mothers in multiple situations: parent to a toddler, mother of the bride and caretaker of her own elderly mom.

“Pistol Packin’ Mama,” Al Dexter (1944) – The woman in this bonus song may not really be a mother; nowhere in the lyrics is there a reference to a kid. But it does show an adult woman protecting her home turf, disciplining a cheatin’ husband with a fatal gunshot. It was one of two versions of the song that put the word “Mama” on the very first Billboard country chart; the other featured Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters.

What did you think of our list? Did we forget any? Let us know your favorite songs about Moms by leaving a comment below!

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of artist.

It rained. And rained. And rained some more.

Nashville took in over 13 inches of water in a 48-hour period in May, and some areas of the region were swamped with as much as 20 inches. It was more than the rivers and streams could handle, and by May 3, the drainage system was overflowing. The stage and much of the floor seating at the Grand Ole Opry House was covered, water seeped into one room at the Country Music Hall of Fame, LP Field — the site of the CMA Music Festival — became a swamp, and an instrument storage unit was drowned, destroying guitars and equipment owned by Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Toby Keith and Vince Gill, among others.

It took a while for people to notice outside of Middle Tennessee. The focus of the major news organizations at the time was on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So Music City rolled up its sleeves and started digging out on its own.

The Nashville flood is No. 1 on the list as GAC concludes its countdown of the top country news stories of 2010.

The flood really was a whopper. The first floor of Kenny Chesney’s home was completely submerged, and water got into parts of the second floor as well. Opry member Jeannie Seely was forced out of her home when the Cumberland River overflowed. Julie Roberts was rescued from her house via boat. And Dierks Bentley Tweeted a now-familiar photo in which he battled water in his basement.

Even before the week was out, Nashville was holding hands as it started the rebuilding process. The Grand Ole Opry never missed a beat, hopping from venue to venue to venue while crews began airing out the show’s home venue and renovating the building. Strangers literally visited flooded neighborhoods with food plates or helping hands. And country’s stars stepped up in a big way.

Among the contributions of time and money:

• A WSMV telethon, “Working 4 You: Flood Relief With Vince Gill & Friends,” pulled in $1.7 million. Vince and Amy Grant kicked off the evening with a $100,000 donation, and Taylor Swift called in with a $500,000 pledge. Keith Urban, Buddy Jewell, Darius Rucker and Alison Krauss were just some of the acts who came forward on short notice to help the cause.

• Reba McEntire donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross.

• Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley led the charge in a GAC special, Music City Keep On Playin’ — A Benefit For Flood Relief, which raised at least $1.8 million. Brad and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, started the night off with a $100,000 donation as the event brought in acts from Nashville’s multitude of styles — contemporary Christian, Americana, blues, gospel, pop and country.

• Dolly Parton donated $250,000, collected through Dollywood and her Dixie Stampede.

• Kix Brooks, Luke Bryan and Little Big Town took part as the Country Music Association delivered half of its CMA Music Festival proceeds — $1.46 million — to flood relief.

• Tim McGraw and Faith Hill organized Nashville Rising, a concert that contributed more than $2 million to rebuilding efforts. They were joined in the event by about 20 acts, including Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.

• Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood presented nine concerts in six days during December, raising more than $3.5 million. Steve Wariner guested, and the event helped demonstrate that Nashville as a whole is back on its feet, even though some of its citizens are still struggling to recover from life-changing setbacks.

Jeannie Seely eventually moved back into her house. And the Grand Ole Opry House reopened in a spectacular manner, with Brad Paisley and Little Jimmy Dickens leading a slew of members in “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” Many features of the building were upgraded, from the dressing rooms to the facility’s technology. The flood was devastating for many, but not debilitating for most.

“There’s a lot of people still hurting,” Brad said at the reopening. “It’ll take ‘em a long time. But I think this place did not feel sorry for itself — the city, I mean. It did not for a second sit around and boo hoo. It was ready to go to work. The artists did, the media did, the Opry did, and the city has as well.”

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Brad Paisley performs “This is Country Music” at “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010, on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: John Russell / CMA

From the day Brad Paisley signed his first recording contract more than 10 years ago, he had a plan. He knew how he wanted his first album to introduce him, the kinds of talents and lyrical themes he wanted to unveil on the second and even a bit of how the third project should go.

Plans change, of course, and Brad’s planned and adjusted repeatedly through the years, finally finding himself at the top of the country music heap in 2010. He won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award after being nominated six straight years.

But it wasn’t the only highlight of the last 12 months for Brad. He put out his first greatest-hits album, he was the first musical guest when Jay Leno resumed his place as the host of “The Tonight Show,” and he got a personal phone call from President Barack Obama with words of encouragement for the city of Nashville in the wake of the floods in May. If that weren’t enough, Brad played for an estimated 65,000 people in boats during an AquaPalooza concert at Lake Travis in Texas. And he headlined a sold-out stadium for the first time, playing Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., with Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Sara Evans and Easton Corbin.

All of that planning he did in the beginning? Well, Brad’s way beyond any of his expectations.

“My dream, as far as my lifetime goal early on, was to get to what I call the level of tour musician,” he says. “To have a tour bus, to pile onto it, to go play a show somewhere other than where I lived, and then pile off of it, do the show, get back on it, and go to another town. And really stop there. That was what I wanted to do. And have hit songs that people knew. That was really it. I really felt like if I ever reach that league — that league of person, that has a hit song that people know their name, and go see them sing — I would be fine. That was the goal. I’m so far past where I planned to be that I’m here without a road map of any kind. I didn’t necessarily ask for directions on the way. So I’m certainly in more shock today than anybody.”

In addition to his status as a stadium-filler and a CMA kingpin, Brad’s also become something of a spokesman for the Grand Ole Opry. He joined Little Jimmy Dickens to put a crucial, historic circle of wood back in place on the stage at the Opry House when the building was renovated after the May flood. And Brad and Little Jimmy also led a passel of stars in a round of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” when the venue reopened in September.

Brad hasn’t announced any stadium plans for 2011, but he does have 16 shows on the itinerary — many in the northern reaches of the U.S. and Canada that he’s billing as the Frozen Over Tour. He’ll be joined on those dates by Jerrod Niemann and Darius Rucker.

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Taylor Swift photo by Joseph Anthony Baker, courtesy of Big Machine Records.

The recording industry has been in a tailspin for a decade as fans started buying digital singles instead of albums. In the middle of the business’ overall decline, Taylor Swift stepped in went on a one-woman incline, building a career in which she sells digital tracks and full albums by the millions.

So when she got ready to put out her third project, Speak Now, the pre-release debate in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville was not just about whether the album would be any good, but also about how many copies she might sell in the first week. Most guesstimates put it in the range of 750,000-800,000 units as many executives believed the days of the one-million debut were gone.

But Taylor did reach that plateau, selling 1.047 million copies the first week out. The accomplishment ranks No. 2 as GAC continues its countdown of the one dozen top stories in country music for 2010.

The album’s release was quite the production. She announced the title, Speak Now, during a Ustream web chat with fans in July, barely a month after writing the final song for the project. The album’s title addresses the idea of being specific about your words — what you say, what you don’t say and when you say it.

“Timing and when you say something and when you say the right thing and when you say the wrong thing,” Taylor notes, “has so much to do with the way that your life goes, and with the way that your story weaves in and out of the people who come into your life and how long they stay there. It all has to do with communication — timing and a lot of stuff that I still haven’t figured out yet.”

Taylor led up to the release with a series of events — an appearance on a special before the first game of the NFL season, a bunch of magazine covers and talk-show appearances. And she spent the week of release in the news by performing several places in New York, then playing for fans on a plane to Los Angeles, where she assembled an audience with a single Tweet for a one-song performance on Hollywood Boulevard from the top of a double-decker bus. It didn’t hurt that she was spotted with Jake Gyllenhaal by the tabloids in the weekend leading up to the release — whether it’s intentional or not, Taylor appears to have the timing part of communication down.

The album’s impact will most certainly continue into 2011. The second single, “Back To December,” is a bona fide hit. The Speak Now Tour begins in February with a series of international dates, starting in Singapore. And the tour hits the U.S. in May, sprinkled with at least a half-dozen stadium gigs, several of which have already sold out.

Speak now? Taylor spoke, and people responded.

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Luke Bryan photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

A new year is around the corner, and so are new administrations in many of the nation’s states. Not to mention a few new folks occupying seats in Congress.

That means parties, and that also means an opportunity for country stars to show off their wares. Jo Dee Messina, Luke Bryan, John Michael Montgomery and LeAnn Rimes have all been enlisted to help usher the politicians into their new positions in four different locales.

Here’s what’s on tap in 2011’s inaugural month:

• Jo Dee will play a Jan. 7 concert at the Knitting Factory in Boise to celebrate the election of Butch Otter. According to The Idaho Statesman, tickets to the show are $35, though if you want to drop $150, you can take part in a private reception with both Jo Dee and the Guv.

• Luke has agreed to perform Jan. 10 at Philips Arena in Atlanta at a concert that welcomes Nathan Deal into Georgia’s top office, Jacobs Media reports. Luke is, of course, a Georgia native. So is Mark Wills, who’s also participating in a Jan. 8 Day of Service concert that honors the state’s volunteers.

• Newly engaged LeAnn was already engaged to play a Jan. 4 swearing-in event at the W Hotel in Washington, D.C., that’s actually a fund-raising opportunity for several new Republican members of Congress. According to OutsideTheBeltway.com, tickets are a whopping $2,500 apiece.

• Aaron Tippin, John Michael Montgomery, Lee Greenwood and Rockie Lynne are among the artists playing military-appreciation concert in conjunction with the inauguration of Florida Governor Rick Scott Jan. 3 in Tallahassee.

Texas and Tennessee both have inaugural ceremonies slated for January, and those states being what they are, it’s likely that country stars will have a role in the entertainment at one or both. Neither state has announced its plans thus far.

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Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton on the Black Carpet at the 44th Annual CMA Awards on Nov. 10, 2010 in Nashville. Photo by Brian Kaplan Photography.

Next year is a decade since Blake Shelton released his first album, and there were years of grinding it out in Nashville even before that moment arrived.

This year was seven years since Miranda Lambert first popped on the national radar in the TV contest “Nashville Star,” and while she was able to work as a developing and mid-level artist with her first two albums, it seemed as if she might never meld her critical acclaim with a similar level of commercial appreciation.

All of that changed over the last 12 months for Blake and Miranda, who got engaged in May, then became the first couple in a decade to win Male and Female Vocalist of the Year in the same evening at the Country Music Association Awards in November.

Blake and Miranda’s arrival as country’s “it” couple makes them the No. 3 entry as GAC counts down the one dozen biggest stories in country music from 2010.

Their relationship also played a role in one of the year’s biggest hits. Blake had already asked a publishing company to put a song “on hold” for him to record, and when they were driving home from the airport, he played a CD of demos that had been pitched to him. When that song caused Miranda to cry, over and over again, he decided to give the song to her instead. Even though, as his producer predicted, it was likely to win Song of the Year.

The song, of course, was “The House That Built Me,” and it did indeed win Song of the Year at the CMAs. It also got nominated for the all-genre Song of the Year and Best Country Song at the Grammy Awards, and it’s likely to win the Song honor at next year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, too. For Blake to give it up says much about his feelings for Miranda.

It’s not like things didn’t work for him without “House.” He shared a No. 1 single with Trace Adkins for “Hillbilly Bone” and nabbed another with “All About Tonight.” And his record label made him a symbol for change within the music business when it released a couple of albums that featured only six songs, meaning he could put out new product faster. On top of that, he put out a greatest-hits package, Loaded: The Best Of Blake Shelton, in November.

Miranda, meanwhile, had her first headlining tour and took home a total of three honors from the CMAs, including Album of the Year for Revolution. And she joined Loretta Lynn and Sheryl Crow to sing the title track of Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn.

When the renovated Grand Ole Opry House featured images of Miranda and Blake in a duet-themed dressing room, that pretty much iced it for her — she really has arrived.

“I saw that and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m here!’” she notes. “It’s those little things more than anything that make me realize it.”

The last couple to win Male and Female Vocalist of the Year? Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in 2000. If things work out for Blake and Miranda the way they did for Tim and Faith — well, you can see why Miranda’s still in shock.

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The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.

Their life is kind of a crazy train, so when Wynonna and Naomi Judd launch a reality series on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network in 2011, will it be a new version of “The Osbournes”?

Probably not. But they could have done that if they wanted.

“We were offered the VH1 slot after ‘The Osbournes,’” Wynonna remembers. “I was like, ‘I’d rather have a lobotomy.’”

“They offered us so much money,” Naomi chimes in.

Mother and daughter might have driven each other crazy, though they certainly would have been entertaining for VH1 viewers. Naomi and Wy have been brutally honest about their love/hate relationship through the years, and the results haven’t always been pretty. But they’ve learned — with a commitment to therapy — how to get along. It’s part of the reason they were able to work together for a run of nearly a month on the Last Encore Tour.

Oprah’s production team will likely edit its version of the Judds a little less luridly than VH1 might have. But it’s a good bet that the OWN Network is still banking on the drama, uncertainty and roller-coaster emotions that seem to inhabit the two redheads’ relationship.

“There’s so much about us that [makes] people in airports want to look,” Wy notes. “It’s like part train-wreck, but part, ‘Oh, my God, they really love each other, and they get along and this is so great.’ They’re waiting for a train wreck.”

Oprah launches her OWN cable network Jan. 1, and the Judds are not the only country act on the schedule. “Why Not? With Shania Twain” is expected sometime this spring.

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

When Lady Antebellum wrote “Need You Now” in 2009, the band had no idea that the song was going to vault them into the same pop world inhabited by the other lady — Lady Gaga — in 2010.

In fact, a lot of songwriters in Nashville thought “Need You Now” was a bold song — it was built around a drunken booty call, and since country radio stations are very attuned to offering family-friendly material, many Music Row writers were a bit shocked when the song caught on. And it caught on very quickly. Not only was it a multi-week No. 1 single at the end of ‘09, it also got picked up by pop stations who played it frequently throughout 2010, aiding a jump for the oddly-named trio into music’s big leagues.

Lady Antebellum’s ascent ranks at No. 4 as GAC counts down the dozen biggest stories of country music from 2010.

“Need You Now” became the title track for Lady A’s sophomore album, released in January 2010, and the complete collection held its own throughout the year, ranking as the best-selling country album for the year and finishing at No. 3 on the year-end Billboard 200 list, topped only by Susan Boyle and Eminem.

But that’s just one of numerous events and accolades that occurred for Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood in 2010. They won twice during the Country Music Association Awards, appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” sang the national anthem during the World Series, got a triple-platinum sales award for Need You Now, launched their first headlining tour and closed the year with six Grammy nominations.

So much has happened in such a short period of time that the band can’t really grasp its good fortune as it’s occurring.

“You can’t really process the big moments,” Hillary says. “Like you’re at Oprah, you know, you’re there and you’re talking to her, but it doesn’t really hit you. It’s in those quiet moments like when you’re on a plane, or in the van or at home havin’ dinner with your family. There’s just different moments. I think when I really … get overcome with that emotion of really doin’ it is in those quiet moments when I let myself breathe and think and just stop because so much of what we do is just constant moving. So whenever you have a chance to just stop, it’s like, ‘Oh, OK. Yeah, this really has all happened. We’re not just dreamin’ it.’”

The 2011 calendar already promises at least one new horizon for Lady A: The group will tour Australia for the first time, opening for Keith Urban in April.

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Brooks & Dunn photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

When they first came to national attention with “Brand New Man” in 1991, Brooks & Dunn were an unlikely combo — a couple of guys who moved to Nashville with dreams of becoming solo performers who were sort of glued together by a Music Row executive.

By the time Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn wound it down with the Last Rodeo Tour in 2010, they had become the most commercially successful duo in country music history — better known than Country Music Hall of Famers the Louvin Brothers with more hits than Hall of Famers the Everly Brothers.

The Brooks & Dunn breakup ranks No. 5 as GAC counts down the dozen top stories of the past year.

B&D have won more awards from the Academy of Country Music than any other act in history, and they’re No. 2 on the Country Music Association’s career list, trailing only George Strait. How did they make such a huge impact? In part it was the way they’re constructed — there aren’t a whole lot of duos, and Kix and Ronnie beat all the competition for many of the years they were eligible for awards.

But the awards aren’t the whole story. Whether they had been classified as a duo, a group or something else, the fact is they simply did a lot of really good work. Ronnie owns one of the most soulful voices in the business, and Kix is one of the most energetic stage performers in country music. They managed to build on those talents with a string of top-notch, sing-along hits, including “Only In America,” “My Maria,” “Red Dirt Road,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “You Can’t Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl.”

Their impact was such that the Rolling Stones asked them to open a show in Omaha on the Bigger Bang Tour in 2006 — a rare opportunity for a country act. Kix attended a Stones show in Memphis a few months earlier, and less than a quarter of the seats were filled for the lead-in band, Los Lobos. Kix warned Ronnie not to expect much when Brooks & Dunn took their turn as openers.

“Sure enough, we got out there and the place was full, and they’re singin’ ‘Neon Moon’ just like ‘Sympathy For The Devil,’” Kix recalls. “We get done, and actually Mick Jagger, all of ‘em came back and gave us a little time in the green room. [He] said, ‘Hey, mate. We’re really impressed. We haven’t seen that type of turn out for any of our opening acts for the entire tour. And they were singing along with your songs.’ [I] said, ‘Yeah, no disrespect, Mr. Jagger, but we played Omaha a lot more than you did.’”

Gary Allan and Jason Aldean split time among the opening acts for Brooks & Dunn’s farewell tour, and Tyler Dickerson played all of the Last Rodeo shows, joining Ronnie for a duet in the final concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Reba McEntire also showed up that night to sing “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” as the dynamic duo brought a historic career to a close.

Not that either of them are done. Kix hosts the national radio show “American Country Countdown” and has a role in an upcoming movie, Thrift Store Cowboy. Ronnie’s been working on a solo album, and he remade Gary Stewart’s 1970s classic “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles)” for the soundtrack to the movie Country Strong.

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