All posts in "Top Artists"

Josh Kelley (l) and his brother, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley. Josh Kelley photo courtesy of Prima PR; Charles Kelley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Most diehard Lady Antebellum fans know that Hillary Scott’s mother is singer Linda Davis. But Lady A’s Charles Kelley comes from a musical family too. His brother Josh had a debut pop hit in 2003 with “Amazing” and another Top 10  in 2005 with “Only You.”

Now Josh is coming over to the country. Record label UMG — home to Sugarland, Josh Turner, Lee Ann Womack and Jamey Johnson — announced that Josh signed a record deal with them in September and currently in the studio recording his forthcoming album, due in 2010.

“Universal is a perfect home for me and my music,” says Josh. “They have an awesome track record of allowing artists to be who they really are, and have already been so supportive of my new music. I’m stoked to be part of such a talented group of artists and staff.”

Prior to marrying his wife, Grey’s Anatomy actress Katherine Heigl, Josh made his home in Nashville.

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.

Joe Nichols spent a week this summer singing for American troops in the Middle East, and the good vibes from that trip are getting coverage on GAC, in the special Joe Nichols: My Military Diary.

Joe made some new friends on his overseas visit, and he was particularly impressed by the dedication the service men and women demonstrate on a daily basis. Their lives are on the line every hour, and they’re forced to be away from home for months at a time during their tour of duty.

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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill arrive on the Red Carpet for "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.Photographer: Jim Hagans / CMA.

The much-talked-about movie The Blind Side, in which Tim McGraw plays the husband of Sandra Bullock, finally hits theaters on Friday. Tim was at first reticent to get involved in a film that would have him play the father of a high school football player. That is, he reasoned, the same kind of role he had in the picture Friday Night Lights.

But when Tim read the script and realized how powerful the movie could become, he changed his mind. It certainly helped that he felt a kinship to his character, whose wife has the same kind of strength that Tim’s wife, Faith Hill, exerts in his real-life family.

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

The dust has barely settled here in Nashville from last week’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards Show and here we go again, sort of…

The 2009 American Music Awards will air this Sunday, November 22 at 8 p.m. CT on ABC LIVE from the NOKIA Theatre in L.A.  The AMA’s honor artists in the categories of Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Latin and Contemporary Inspirational.   For the third year in a row, the winners are determined by fan voting.  Voting has already closed for all the major categories with the exception of the “Breakthrough Artist Award.”  Fans that want to show their love of country can vote for Gloriana in this category all the way up until show time. Continue Reading

It looks like John Mayer’s brand new album Battle Studies, released this past Tuesday, is on the fast track to top the Billboard Top 200 chart.   This would be the second time John will have an album take the top spot week of release.   Of special interest to all you country fans will be the upbeat third track on the album,  “Half of My Heart” which he recorded with Taylor Swift.

John has not historically recorded a lot of collaborations so this record was a bit of an exception for him.  In fact, he has never put a song out with another artist’s name under the title. Continue Reading

Lee Ann Womack photo courtesy of MCA Nashville. Photo credit Danny Clinch.

The King of Country Music George Strait has added award-wining and platinum recording artist Lee Ann Womack to his previously announced arena tour with Entertainment Superstar Reba McEntire.  The tour kicks off in early 2010 and continues through late Spring.

“’Does Ft Worth Ever Cross Your Mind’? ‘Whoever’s In New England’? ‘The Fireman’? ‘Little Rock’? ‘Wrapped’? ‘The Last To Know’? We’re talking classic country from the source,” praises Womack. “I can’t imagine a better tour to be on than George Strait and Reba McEntire — and now I’m not imagining!” Continue Reading

Kenny Chesney photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

“It wouldn’t be summer without you!”

So Kenny Chesney yells at the end of his 69-second trailer for Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D, which appeared Wednesday on Moviefone, AOL Music and AOL’s country section, The Boot.

Kenny will nonetheless spend much of summer without his fans next year as he plans to spend the hottest part of the year without mounting a tour for the first time in eight years or more. With the exception of a comparatively small number of dates, Summer In 3D will have to do for the fans.

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Miranda Lambert photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

“Life,” according to the teaching of Buddha, “is suffering.”

“Life,” wrote The Road Less Traveled author M. Scott Peck, “is difficult.”

The characters in Miranda Lambert’s best-known songs — “Kerosene,” “Gunpowder & Lead” and the current “White Liar” — know suffering and difficulty well. Domestic violence, dishonesty and cheating are all some of the least savory characteristics of human beings, but they are human traits and behaviors nonetheless. Miranda understands, and it’s part of the reason she sings the kinds of songs she does.

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Carrie Underwood performs "Cowboy Casanova" at "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: John Russell / CMA

When the GACTV.com staff heard that the popular men’s magazine Maxim decided to put out a list of the “Hottest Women of Country Music,”  I reluctantly stepped forward to do some research.  It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it.  So off I went to Maxim.com to review the list, presented in the form of a photo gallery.   The list was comprised of a total of 19 women. The gallery appears to be in random order and not in any formal order or rank of  “hotness.”  No surprises for me, but I can tell you I think they left more than a couple of deserving ladies off the list… Continue Reading

Bucky Covington's 2009 EP, Live From Rockingham. Photo courtesy of Lyric Street Records.

Bucky Covington can go home again — and did, for his new EP, Live From Rockingham. The American Idol star-turned country hit maker recently went back to his hometown of Rockingham, N.C. to film a concert special that will air on GAC in early 2010.  A five-song EP is in stores today, featuring Bucky’s first three hits: “A Different World,” “It’s Good To Be Us” and “I’ll Walk”; his current single, “Gotta Be Somebody”; and a song from his upcoming full-length CD called “Mexicoma.”

Bucky tells GACTV.com that even though he’s come a long way since he was a mechanic with big dreams, he’s still the same small town-guy at heart. Continue Reading