Neil Perry, Kimberly Perry and Reid Perry of The Band Perry backstage at The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! Countdown to Music's Biggest Night at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 30, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Several country stars are in Los Angeles this weekend for the 54^th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Besides being nominated, several artists will take part in the all-genre show as performers and presenters. The GRAMMYs will air live from the Staples Center on Sunday, February 12 at 8/7 CT on CBS. LL Cool J will serve as host.

Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Glen Campbell will perform with Blake Shelton and The Band Perry in what is sure to be a highlight of the night. Blake is nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, including Best Country Solo Performance for “Honey Bee” and Best Country Album for Red River Blue. His No. 1 hit “God Gave Me You,” written by Dave Barnes, is also up for Best Country Song, given to the songwriter. The Band Perry is nominated for the all-genre New Artist of the Year award.

Other country performers include Carrie Underwood with Tony Bennett, Taylor Swift, and Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson. Carrie’s “Mama’s Song” is nominated in the Best Country Solo Performance. Taylor is up for three GRAMMY Awards. Her hit “Mean” is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, while her Speak Now album is up for Best Country Album.

Jason is also up for three GRAMMYs. “Dirt Road Anthem” is nominated in the Best Country Solo Performance category. “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” which he will perform with Kelly Clarkson during the show, is up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and his My Kinda Party album is in the running for Best Country Album.

Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Gwyneth Paltrow will be among the GRAMMY presenters during the show. A special tribute to the late Etta James by Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt will be featured during the telecast, as well as performances by Katy Perry, Adele, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney and Nicki Minaj.

Here is a complete list of all the country categories as well as a few others featuring country stars as nominees:

Best New Artist (all genres)
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Best Country Solo Performance
“Dirt Road Anthem” — Jason Aldean
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It” — Martina McBride
“Honey Bee” — Blake Shelton
“Mean” — Taylor Swift
“Mama’s Song” — Carrie Underwood

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson
“You And Tequila” — Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter
“Barton Hollow” — The Civil Wars
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” — Thompson Square

Best Country Song
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Jim Collins & David Lee Murphy, songwriters (Thompson Square)
“God Gave Me You”
Dave Barnes, songwriter (Blake Shelton)
“Just Fishin’”
Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
“Mean”
Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“Threaten Me With Heaven”
Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley & Dillon O’Brian, songwriters (Vince Gill)
“You And Tequila”
Matraca Berg & Deana Carter, songwriters (Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter)

Best Country Album
My Kinda Party — Jason Aldean
Chief — Eric Church
Own The Night — Lady Antebellum
Red River Blue — Blake Shelton
Here For A Good Time — George Strait
Speak Now — Taylor Swift

Best Bluegrass Album
Paper Airplane — Alison Krauss & Union Station
Reason And Rhyme: Bluegrass Songs By Robert Hunter & Jim Lauderdale — Jim Lauderdale
Rare Bird Alert — Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
Old Memories: The Songs Of Bill Monroe — The Del McCoury Band
A Mother’s Prayer — Ralph Stanley
Sleep With One Eye Open — Chris Thile & Michael Daves

Best Americana Album
Emotional Jukebox — Linda Chorney
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down — Ry Cooder
Hard Bargain — Emmylou Harris
Ramble At The Ryman — Levon Helm
Blessed — Lucinda Williams

Best Song Written For Visual Media
“Born To Be Somebody” — (From Never Say Never)
Diane Warren, songwriter (Justin Bieber)
“Christmastime Is Killing Us” — (From Family Guy)
Ron Jones, Seth MacFarlane & Danny Smith, songwriters (Danny Smith, Ron Jones & Seth MacFarlane)
“I See The Light” — (From Tangled)
Alan Menken & Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi)
“So Long” — (From Winnie The Pooh)
Zooey Deschanel, songwriter (Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward)
“Where The River” Goes — (From Footloose)
Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Drew Pearson & Anne Preven, songwriters (Zac Brown)
“You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me” — (From Burlesque)
Diane Warren, songwriter (Cher)

For a complete list of GRAMMY nominees in all categories, visit grammy.com.

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Carrie Underwood photo by James White, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum have been added to the list of country stars who will be a part of the 54^th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Carrie will join Tony Bennett for a performance while Lady A will serve as presenters. A tribute to the late Etta James by Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt has also been added. The GRAMMYs will air on CBS on Sunday, February 12th at 8/7 CT.

Other country artists scheduled to perform include Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Glen Campbell, with Blake Shelton and The Band Perry, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Gwyneth Paltrow will be among GRAMMY presenters.

Also in the lineup to perform are Katy Perry, Adele, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney and Nicki Minaj. LL Cool J will host the GRAMMYs for the first time.

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Lady Antebellum is gearing up to own Europe this summer when they take their Own The Night 2012 World Tour across the pond. They will play several shows in six different countries, kicking things off in Dublin, Ireland on July 10. Fans can get more information and start purchasing tickets on February 10 through LadyAntebellum.com.

“Every time we’ve gone over to Europe, the fans there have given us such a warm welcome,” Dave Haywood said. ”It’s an honor for us to be able to travel abroad and share our music with so many other countries. Plus, we love to get out and sightsee and really experience each place we visit.  Europe is going to be a blast!”

Lady A kicked off the U.S. leg of their tour with sold-out and record-breaking shows last week. They will take a break from their tour this weekend to head to the GRAMMY Awards this weekend where they will present and are also nominated for Best Country Album.

OWN THE NIGHT 2012 WORLD TOUR EUROPEAN DATES:
7/10 Dublin, Ireland                        Olympia Theatre
7/13 Glasgow, UK                           Royal Concert Hall
7/15 Manchester, UK                      Manchester Apollo
7/16 London, UK                             Hammersmith Apollo
7/18 Essen, Germany                     Philharmonie
7/20 Frankfurt, Germany                 Jahrhunderthalle
7/21 Munich, Germany                   Tollwood Festival
7/23 Copenhagen, Denmark            Falconer Theatre
7/24 Gothenburg, Sweden               Tradgardsforeningen
7/26 Seljord, Norway                       Countryfestivalen
7/27 Stockholm, Sweden                 Solliden Skansen

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Relativity Music Group will release the Act of Valor soundtrack on February 21, featuring original songs written and inspired by the Navy SEAL action-thriller. It will include “For You,” a song written by Keith Urban that is featured in the film’s end credits, as well as music from Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Trace Adkins, Wynonna Judd, Montgomery Gentry, and more. In theaters February 24, Act of Valor stars a group of active-duty Navy Seals along with actors Roselyn Sanchez, Alex Veadov, Jason Cottle and Nestor Serrano.

Produced and directed by Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh and written by Kurt Johnstad, Act of Valor takes audiences into the secretive world of the most elite, highly-trained force in the modern world as the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S. Inspired by true events, the film combines combat sequences, battlefield technology and heart-pounding emotion.

The track listing for the soundtrack includes Keith’s “For You,” “Guide You Home” (Sugarland), “I Was Here” (Lady Antebellum), “If the Sun Comes Up” (Trace Adkins), “Two Soldiers Coming Home” (Lori McKenna), “The Best I Can” (Jake Owen), “What It Takes”(Montgomery Gentry), “The Best of Me” (Josh Kelley), “Where We Left Off” (Hunter Hayes) and “Whatever Brings You Back” (Wynonna Judd).

The Act of Valor soundtrack is available for pre-order on iTunes now.

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of The Green Room PR.

Lady Antebellum kicks off their Own The Night 2012 World Tour tonight, January 27, in Tulsa Oklahoma and have already sold more than half a million tickets for the tour, including sell-outs of some of the nation’s biggest arenas — the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Allstate Arena in Chicago, and American Airlines Center in Dallas.

“We have been really involved in the planning of our tour every step of the way,” Hillary Scott said. “I remember drawing out an idea for our set design on a paper plate, so to now see it come to life is just crazy. We are just so invested in every moment and making it a great experience for the fans, and we’re really excited for everything 2012 has in store.”

“It has only been four years since we were driving around in Charles’ Jeep Cherokee and sharing a hotel room,” Dave Haywood said. “This tour is what we’ve always dreamed of!”

The trio just celebrated their No. 1 back-to-back hits “We Owned The Night” and “Just A Kiss” with a party in Nashville. Their latest single, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” is already in the Top 20 just three weeks after its release.

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, Miranda Lambert thanks fans for their support after Blake Shelton’s father passed away, Jake Owen  keeps fans updated on his broken collarbone from the waiting room, Josh Kelley shares a photo of wife Katherine Heigl that may land him in the doghouse and Taylor Swift puts her TV remote in its place. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/ladyantebellum.

Lady Antebellum – LadyAntebellum: We are all ready and excited! #OwnTheNightWorldTour

Miranda Lambert – Miranda_Lambert: Thank you all for your kindness and prayer. Our family means everything to us. Blake and I appreciate the support so much.

Jake Owen – JakeOwen: In the Dr. waiting on my sentence.. You know it’s not good when he comes in and says “That break is worse than the football teams”. Damn.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/joshkelley.

Josh Kelley – JoshBKelley: My girl getting her hair done for ONE FOR THE MONEY movie press

Storme Warren – StormeWarren: Hard lesson learned. Wear ski pole straps PROPERLY! Lazy = injury. Almost got BOTH thumbs. Close call. Better yet… Don’t use straps!

Charlie Daniels - CharlieDaniels: Went back and snowmobiled the mountain where I had my stroke 2 years ago,had a ball,ain’t God good!

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/kelliepickler.

Kellie Pickler – KelliePickler: Found a picture of me & Kyle fishing’ at one of Saddam’s Palaces on a USO tour. #BringingTheRedneckToAPalaceNearYou

Taylor Swift – TaylorSwift13: Apparently my only way of dealing with a remote control that isn’t working right is to bang it on the table and scream ‘COME ON!’

Little Big Town – LBTMusic: I wish @mattnathanson would serenade me from the top of my stairs…. sexy devil. jimi

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/BradPaisley.

Brad Paisley - BradPaisley: I’ve never been cooler than this…

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Keith Urban’s third annual All for the Hall benefit concert has been rescheduled for April 10 after having to be postponed while Keith underwent and recovered from successful vocal cord surgery. The concert, which benefits the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All for the Hall fund, will feature performances by Keith, Vince Gill, Alabama, Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Band Perry, Blue Sky Riders, Diamond Rio, Exile, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, The Oak Ridge Boys,  Pistol Annies, Rascal Flatts and Thompson Square.

“My goal for the concert, is really the same as the halls,” Keith said. “To help country fans connect the dots – to find out where their music came from, how its evolved and is still evolving and to hear the artists that have influenced their favorite artists. Country music is like a big beautiful strange family tree and nowhere is that more honored than at the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum.”

“The first two We’re All for the Hall concerts have been landmarks for this institution,” said Museum Director Kyle Young.  “They have been the most successful fundraisers in the museum’s history, together raising roughly $1 million.  And they have not only set a new standard for fundraising and event coordination, but also brought together an entire community and helped us to see what can be done by individuals when there is a collective passion for a cause.

Tickets start at $25 and will go on sale January 27th at 10:00 AM/CT. They can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, the Bridgestone Arena box office or by phone at (800) 745-3000. There are also a limited amount of VIP Packages available.

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Luke Bryan photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, and Zac Brown Band have been added to the lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during this year’s CMA Music Festival. Jason Aldean, The Band Perry and Carrie Underwood were previously announced as performers. This year’s CMA Fest will take place June 7-10 in Nashville.

Faith will be returning to the CMA Fest stage for the first time since 2008 after debuting her current single, “Come Home,” on the CMA Awards, while Eric will be making his LP Field debut. Fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or 1-(800)-745-3000. They can also purchase them by calling 1-(800)-CMA-FEST (262-3378).

ABC will again film the Nightly Concerts during CMA Fest for the network special CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. The special will air later this year. Re-live last year’s CMA Music Festival! >>

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Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott & husband Chris Tyrell. Photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Congratulations to Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott and Chris Tyrell, who announced to their fans they are officially married through a video posted on the band’s website on Sunday, January 8.

“I’d like to introduce you to Mrs. Hillary Scott Tyrell,” said Chris, as Hillary showed off her new wedding ring.

“We got married, and we just wanted you to hear it from us first,” added Hillary. “We love you, and we’re so excited to be starting our life together, and we just had to let you in on the exciting news.”

The pair were married on Saturday, January 7 during an intimate ceremony surrounded by family and close friends. Hillary and Chris exchanged vows just before sunset in upstate New York. The bride wore a custom Vera Wang strapless mermaid dress with abstract all-over lace underlay, layered tulle skirt with horsehair banding and hand-cut corded lace applique with hand-applied crystal and pearl beading. She complemented the gown with a mantilla veil with hand-cut chantilly lace applique. The groom donned a gray Ermenegildo Zegna suit. According to People.com, Contemporary Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman performed for the couple’s first dance.

Hillary and Chris met in 2010 on Tim McGraw’s Southern Voice Tour when Lady A was the special guest, and Chris played drums for Love & Theft.The couple was engaged last summer around the Fourth of July weekend.

Hillary shared the advice she received from fellow newlyweds. “If I ask(ed) advice to newlyweds, most of them have literally said, ‘At a point during the reception, sneak away, the two of you sneak away and hide behind a wall and look through a window and just observe what’s going on and just see everyone enjoying it and having a great time. It’s like to have that visual, to have that mental picture for the rest of your life.’”

“My only advice, and I’ve told her and told them,” said Hillary’s band mate, Charles Kelley, “[is] I think the first year, it was definitely a learning experience and learning, ‘Getting to know you,’” he sang. “It was just learning how to compromise, and I feel like after that, it really got just easy. And so, just be patient and love each other…”as hard as you can love…,” he sang.

“Oh, boy!” laughed Hillary.

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of The Green Room PR.

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott is working with a Franklin, Tennessee family to start an orphanage in Haiti, reports The Tennessean. Missy and Mike Wilson adopted one child from Haiti and are in the process of adopting another. The two girls, Tia and Naika, are two of six Wilson children.

The Wilsons have previously been involved with Haiti via ministries. One of the Wilson’s children, Katie Erie, traveled to Haiti to participate in an internship at a children’s home in 2010. Just eight days after her arrival, she was left stranded with 48 children and 12 other workers after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the island. Since then, the Wilsons have made dozens of trips to Haiti to deliver goods and help.

Hillary has traveled with the family to Haiti and pledged her help both financially and emotionally. “To watch how the Wilson children have adapted, it’s a model we want to take into Haiti,” she said.

The MyLifeSpeaks organization will create a special type of orphanage in Neply, a small town 25 miles south of the nation’s capital, Port-Au-Prince. The home will serve about eight children, some having special needs, and will be headed by a mother and father. The home will also serve as community center and have a space to serve children from the community a meal. The Wilsons hope to open more homes across the country.

Lady Antebellum has skyrocketed to super stardom since the release of their debut album in 2008. See the story behind how three struggling solo artists met and formed the trio that would propel them to the spotlight in Backstory: Lady Antebellum, airing tonight on GAC at 9/8 CT!

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