Faith Hill photo by Andrew Southam, courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Faith Hill made her mark on the charts by adding a little pop and rock spice to her brand of country. Monday night she honored the legendary pop group ABBA during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with her rendition of their hit, “The Winner Takes It All.” ABBA member Benny Andersson accompanied her on piano.

It’s not the first time Faith’s performed the number in concert. She thrilled fans with her version during the 2007/2008 “Soul2Soul Tour. Watch Faith and Benny below:

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Steve Wariner at the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy® Grammy Nominee party. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy® 2009 & Rubin Media. Photograph by Rick Diamond/WireImage.com.

Four country acts that launched a series of hits in the 1980s and ‘90s — Steve Wariner, Patty Loveless, John Michael Montgomery and the late Keith Whitley — are set to enter the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame when it holds its next induction ceremony in April 2011 in Lexington.

They’ll be joined as new members by bluegrass duo the Goins Brothers; gospel singer Larnelle Harris; and Molly O’Day, a country vocalist who left a critically acclaimed body of work in a short five-year recording period in the late 1940s.

Robert Lawson, executive director of the Hall of Fame, called the new class “some of the most recognizable music artists in the world.”

Patty, Steve and John Michael continue to make relevant recordings. Each has released an album of new material in the last year that was greeted with some level of commercial success. Steve, in particular, won a Grammy award for “Producer’s Medley,” a track from an album that paid homage to his mentor, Chet Atkins.

Keith died in 1989 of alcohol poisoning just as he’d hit his stride as a hitmaker. He was honored in 1994 with Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album, featuring remakes of his music by such acts as Alison Krauss + Union Station, Alan Jackson, Joe Diffie and Diamond Rio. Campaigns bubble up on occasion to have Keith inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

The 2011 Kentucky Music Hall of Fame class is the fifth group of performers inducted into the Bluegrass State’s shrine. Among the previous inductees are Dwight Yoakam, Tom T. Hall, Crystal Gayle, Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe, the Judds and the Everly Brothers.

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Sugarland photo by Kate Powers, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

The dates and lineups for the first eight of this summer’s Lilith Fair dates suggest organizer Sarah McLachlan is committed to providing a little country music in most of the outings. The rosters in six of those cities, released Tuesday, boast at least one country act — such as Miranda Lambert, Sugarland or Loretta Lynn — and the gigs in Atlanta and West Palm Beach have two apiece.

The lineup of all-female talent was a regular feature on the summer concert circuit during the late 1990s, and Sarah’s carting a reinstituted version of Lilith to a total of 36 cities this year. Each of the shows promises 11 acts from a pool of 80 performers. As it currently stands, a July 2 show in Portland is the earliest date on the schedule.

Sugarland is booked for that initial date, as well as a Seattle performance the following day. Miranda is on the bill for July 20 in Indianapolis, and Court Yard Hounds — a side project featuring Dixie Chicks Martie Maguire and Emily Robison — are slated for shows in Cleveland, Atlanta and West Palm Beach. The Hounds are the lone country act in Cleveland July 27, while they’re billed alongside Loretta in Atlanta Aug. 8 and Martina McBride in West Palm Aug. 10.

The initial Court Yard Hound appearances on Lilith come after the Dixie Chicks wrap an eight-concert stadium tour with the Eagles and Keith Urban in June. That itinerary includes stops in Toronto and Chicago, the two announced Lilith markets that have no country acts on the bill.

Emmylou Harris has also been tabbed as a Lilith performer, though she is not included in the initial eight lineups.

Highlights from the first round of Lilith lineups include:
• Portland, July 2: Sugarland, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat and Erykah Badu.
• Seattle, July 3: Sugarland, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat and Erykah Badu.
• Indianapolis, July 20: Miranda Lambert, Sarah McLachlan, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige and Suzanne Vega.
• Cleveland, July 27: Court Yard Hounds, Sarah McLachlan, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles and Mary J. Blige.
• Atlanta, Aug. 8: Loretta Lynn, Court Yard Hounds, Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls and Corinne Bailey Rae.
• West Palm Beach, Aug. 10: Martina McBride, Court Yard Hounds, Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae.

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

It’s a tour made in country rock Heaven. The Eagles will headline a June stadium tour with country superstars the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban* as opening acts. It’ll be the first time the three acts have toured together – and the fun begins on June 8 in Toronto.

Fans attending the shows will not be disappointed, as all three acts have a long list of greatest hits. The Eagles – Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit – will perform songs from their more than 35-year career, such as “Hotel California,” “Desperado,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It To The Limit,” “One Of These Nights,” and “Heartache Tonight.”  

The Dixie Chicks – Martie Maguire, Emily Robison and lead singer Natalie Maines – will hit the stage for the first time in four years, performing songs from all three of their albums including “Wide Open Spaces,” “Goodbye Earl,” and “Not Ready to Make Nice.” 

Keith’s career already boasts 11 No. 1s, including “Days Go By,” “Sweet Thing,” Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” “You’ll Think of Me” and “Better Life,” as well as Billboard’s Country Song of the Decade, “Somebody Like You.”

If you have an American Express® account, membership does, in fact, have its privileges. Cardmembers will have early access to tickets beginning Monday, March 22 at 10 a.m. and tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Monday, March 29, at 10 a.m.  Check http://www.livenation.com/ for complete ticket information.

The concert utilizes All-In ticketing, which allows fans to purchase tickets without any added fees and streamlines the ticket buying process. 

Tour dates are as follows (check artists’ official websites for more info): 

8-Jun              *Toronto, ON                       Rogers Centre

10-Jun           East Rutherford, NJ             New Meadowlands Stadium

12-Jun           Boston, MA                          Gillette Stadium

14-Jun           Philadelphia, PA                   Citizens Bank Ball Park

15-Jun           Washington, DC                   Nationals Park

19-Jun           Chicago, Il                            Soldier Field

22-Jun           *Winnipeg, MB                     Canad Inns Stadium

24-Jun           *St. Louis, MO                      Busch Stadium

*Keith Urban is not appearing at these concerts.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Tomorrow is a good day to be wearin’ the green and countin’ your lucky stars. Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of the luck of the Irish. And if you need a few country songs to make the day run smoothly, good luck’s gonna shine, as Keith Urban would say. We’ve got country’s “Lucky 13” titles, which run the whole gamut from the best of times to the worst.

Montgomery Gentry, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Alison Krauss are among the country stars who’ve used their music to embrace supposedly random fortune — good luck, bad luck, no luck at all. Luck’s been a central theme in songs about love, songs day-to-day living and even Jerry Reed’s “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” — a classic about a game of craps.

Then there’s the title track to Kenny Chesney’s Lucky Old Sun. The song was never a hit, but it got a vocal boost from Willie Nelson, and Kenny would certainly view that as a stroke of luck.

At any rate, here’s country music’s “Lucky 13.” In most cases, the title says it all. In a few instances, we’ve thrown in a line or two that explain why it’s on the list.

Did we miss any? Tell us…

• “I Feel Lucky,” Mary Chapin Carpenter, 1992
• “A Good Run Of Bad Luck,” Clint Black, 1994
• “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” (“My luck was so good I could do no wrong”), Jerry Reed, 1971
• “Good Luck Charm,” Elvis Presley, 1962
• “Lucky Man,” Montgomery Gentry, 2007
• “From A Jack To A King” (“Lady luck played her hand just right”), Ricky Van Shelton, 1988
• “I Always Get Lucky With You,” George Jones, 1983
• “Better Life” (“Good luck’s gonna shine”), Keith Urban, 2005
• “That’s The Way Love Goes” (“I’ve been throwin’ horseshoes over my left shoulder/I’ve spent most all my life lookin’ for that four-leaf clover”), Merle Haggard, 1983
• “The Lucky One,” Alison Krauss + Union Station, 2001
• “Dixieland Delight” (“lucky as a seven sent from Heaven”), Alabama, 1983
• “Lucky Old Sun,” Kenny Chesney, 2008
• “Sometimes I Get Lucky And Forget,” Gene Watson, 1983

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols made a nice move this week to launch his current single, “Gimmie That Girl,” into the Top 15 on the Country Aircheck Mediabase chart. It’s the first time he’s cracked that level on the chart in more than three years, and part of the reason is likely because he connects on a personal level to the upbeat sentiment of the song.

Watch Joe’s video for “Gimmie That Girl” »

When Joe married Heather Singleton in the fall of 2007, it had a huge, calming effect on his life. They’d actually known each other as friends for more than a decade, and she’d been a rock of support for him even when everything else was kind of wacky.

“I’ve been in relationships and she’s been in relationships before, throughout the course of this time,” he says. “But we’ve always been able to talk, we’ve always been able to share, we’ve always been like the best of friends. I just got the opportunity to marry her, my best friend, which some people cannot say, so I’m a very fortunate guy.”

Joe went into rehab shortly after their wedding, and his current album, Old Things New, is the first he’s recorded since then. It was a different process for him, particularly because his mind was working differently than it had when he drank. Heather was invariably able to help him find his way through what was essentially a new experience.

“She’s a great person to bounce things off of,” Joe reasons. “She doesn’t pull a lot of punches, she doesn’t lie. She makes me be a better person, makes me get a real good grasp of who I am, who I can be, when I’m bein’ a jerk and when I’m not, what parts of me need to grow, what parts of me need to ask for forgiveness, what parts of me need to feel proud.”

“Gimmie That Girl” is doing nicely while another part of Joe’s career has been delayed. He and Lorrie Morgan are slated to appear in the Broadway production of Pure Country, which was tabbed at one time to debut at the start of the year. It’s currently projected to hit the Great White Way in the fall.

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Luke Bryan photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville; Joey + Rory photo courtesy of Sugar Hill Records; Gloriana photo courtesy of Emblem Records.

It’s official!  The Academy of Country Music and GAC are proud to present the winners of this year’s ACM New Artist categories.  Luke Bryan, Gloriana and Joey + Rory have been named Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duo, respectively.  For each, this represents their first win for an Academy of Country Music Award.  All three winners are now nominees for the Top New Artist award, which will be given out on the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, to be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 18, 2010 at 8 p.m. ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Luke, Joey + Rory and Gloriana will each perform and receive their trophies on the Trace Adkins-hosted GAC special ACM Top New Artists, premiering Thursday, April 1 at 10 p.m. ET and airing multiple times on GAC leading up to the ACM Awards Show. For the first time ever, the special will be taped during the regularly-scheduled Tuesday Night Opry at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN.

For you the fans, your job is not over yet.  Once again, the winner of the ACM Top New Artist Award will be decided by fan voting, which kicks off on Thursday, April 1 at www.VoteACM.com and will continue right up until show time on Sunday, April 18 at 8p ET.

Get more details about this year’s 45th Annual ACM Awards Show and see a complete list of nominees for all categories »

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Even before Dierks Bentley had his first hit, he made it a point to pay homage to his roots. He made a passionate plea to take part in a bluegrass tribute album, and his enthusiasm won out: Even though he was unknown, Dierks showed up alongside Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Marty Stuart on Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: The Songs Of The Louvin Brothers.

Seven years later, Dierks is playing up his musical influences again in several different efforts. He debuts his own one-hour radio show Monday afternoon on classic-country WSM, the station that introduced the Grand Ole Opry. He’s got a roots-referencing album, Up On The Ridge, coming out this summer. And next month he launches a 30-date Up On The Ridge Tour with a couple of appropriate opening acts: bluegrass icons the Del McCoury Band and award-winning Americana singer-songwriter Hayes Carll.

“The only way I know to explain what this new album is to all the fans is to just get out on the road and play it for them,” Dierks says. “I’ve been rehearsing and working on set lists already. Every show is going to be different and really special. There aren’t any better acoustic musicians in the world than the Travelin’ McCourys, period. And I’ve been a big fan of Hayes for a long time. It’ll be a total blast. I’m already plotting and planning on how to fit more dates into the schedule.”

The itinerary kicks off with an April 21 show in Portland, Ore., and concludes with a May 22 gig at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium. The McCourys provide an important link to the Up On The Ridge album: They guest on the project along with Alison Krauss, Jon Randall, Miranda Lambert, Chris Thile, Tim O’Brien, Sam Bush and the Punch Brothers.

Meanwhile, Dierks’ radio show, “Threads,” can be heard at wsmonline.com at 2 p.m. CT. It’s also being made available as a podcast via iTunes. He’s not the only artist debuting a WSM radio show this week. Pam Tillis debuts “Lettin’ My Roots Show” on Tuesday, and “The Jim Lauderdale Show” launches Wednesday.

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Eric Church photo by Jim Wright, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Eric Church released his debut album, Sinners Like Me, in 2006 to nearly unanimous critical praise. The disc launched three singles into country music’s Top 20, but Eric wasn’t quite able to find his way into the Top 10.

That changed late last year when Eric reached that hallowed chart ground with “Love Your Love The Most.” The song is a ballad, unlike many of Eric’s rough-around-the-edges tracks, but it’s still just a bit left of center. And he figures it’s a testament to staying with the artistic program.

“I’m proud more than anything else that we never changed what we did,” he told The Wisconsin State Journal. “There are a lot of guys, if they don’t get a Top 10, they try something else. And when that doesn’t work, they try something else. We stayed pretty consistent, playing our kind of music and our kind of shows. I don’t think I could have done it the other way. I wouldn’t have been happy.”

Eric’s concerts get pretty loud and raucous, but there’s a connection in his sound to the honky-tonk and outlaw years of country’s past. He’s bending that history as he continues the lineage, but he insists on making his career about the music — and not about maintaining a public platform.

“I have a huge reverence for country music,” he said. “I still have albums and still play my old albums. I have no problem with somebody coming in and making a great album. If they come in and don’t make a great record and are just trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame, I got a problem with that.”

Eric and some of his fellow roughnecks will be part of the inaugural Country Throwdown Tour (sponsored by GAC), a multi-artist concert package launching May 14 in Tampa. Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Jack Ingram, the Eli Young Band and Ryan Bingham are among the other acts on the bill.

Eric is currently back in the Top 20 with his latest single, “Hell On The Heart.” He’s also the featured guest on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown on Friday.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

This morning, tickets went on sale for the 2010 Country Throwdown Tour, sponsored by GAC. The tour kicks off May 14 at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Fla. and goes through June 20 in Mountain View, Calif. at the Shoreline Amphitheater.

The tour features Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Emily West, Eli Young Band, Heidi Newfield, The Lost Trailers, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and Jonathan Singleton and the Grove.

In addition to the artists above on the main stage, there will be a Bluebird Cafe Stage featuring Ashley Ray, Brad Tursi, Corey Branan, Dave Pahanish, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Sarah Buxton, Troy Olsen and Walker Hayes.

Get your tickets here!

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