Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Alabama and Kid Rock will headline the first annual Boots and Hearts Music Festival. Set to take place August 10-12 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the event will be the largest international country music festival ever hosted in Canada. Big and Rich, Lauren Alaina, Jason McCoy, Paul Brandt, Dallas Smith, High Valley, Canaan Smith and many more are also scheduled to perform.

“Canadians deserve a festival where they can enjoy the very best country music has to offer and camp with their friends and family without having to travel to the United States,” Shannon McNevan, partner and executive director at Republic Live, said. “We have three full days of country music on two stages, tailgates, barbeques, and all kinds of activities throughout the day to keep fans entertained. And just when other music festivals call it a night, Boots and Hearts will ramp things up with nightly after-parties. It’s definitely shaping up to be the party of the summer.”

More than 20 international and Canadian artists will perform on two stages during the festival. Fans will be able to camp out at the festival grounds which offers more than 750 acres. They can spend their days visiting Boom Town, letting their kids play in the kids zone, shopping the local Farmer’s Market, and enjoying the Country Fair & Midway before the concerts start at night. Continue Reading

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Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw will perform a song together on the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

The Academy of Country Music announced today that Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton & Lionel Richie, Rascal Flatts & Steve Martin, and Toby Keith with surprise Las Vegas guest performers are set to perform a variety of special duets and collaborations at the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The ceremony, which honors country music’s top talent as well as the industry’s hottest emerging artists, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8 p.m. LIVE Eastern/delayed Pacific on CBS. Before the awards, you can catch all your favorite stars LIVE on GAC on the red carpet, beginning at 7 p.m. Central.

Here’s the duet lineup:
– Brothers of the Sun tourmates Kenny and Tim will take the ACM Awards stage Sunday night for a very special performance.

– Blake and Lionel will sing Lionel’s classic hit, “You Are,” and it will air as part of the special, ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – In Concert, Friday, April 13, 2012 on CBS.

– In a unique collaboration with Rascal Flatts, Steve Martin will showcase the banjo during a performance of the band’s new single “Banjo.”

– Toby will be joined by special surprise iconic Las Vegas performers for an unforgettable performance of his chart-topping smash “Red Solo Cup.”

Previously announced ACM Awards performers are Continue Reading

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Lionel Richie's 2012 CD, Tuskegee. Photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

When Lionel Richie set out to record his new album Tuskegee, a collaborative project with 13 of country music’s biggest stars out March 26, he was told it would take three weeks. Nine months later, he had a completed project of some of his greatest hit songs recorded as duets.

“I discovered this album to be a labor of love,” Lionel said. “At the same time, how we created this album, what it was supposed to be, is probably the mystery of the studio. How you start an album off and what it ends up being is a journey. Nine months later, I must tell you, Tuskegee is going to be one of the most special albums I’ve ever done in my life. It’s hard enough to pull off one duet, and we did 13 for this album. This is something that’s going to be so special forever because it’s a moment in time when these artists all got together and celebrated some music.”

Each artist appearing on Tuskegee has a connection to Lionel’s music, whether as a fan or in Kenny Roger’s case, as an artist who turned a song written by Lionel into one of the biggest hits of his career. Lionel and his fellow artists shared the stories behind each of the 13 tracks on Tuskegee. The album leads off with “You Are,” featuring Blake Shelton. Blake’s knowledge of the song took Lionel by surprise.

Read our review of Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee >>

“I let him sing the song down by himself to get him comfortable with the song, not realizing he knew the song in great detail, to the point where I had a problem putting my voice on Blake Shelton’s song, ‘You Are,’” Lionel said. “That’s our joke because it was truly an eye opener. I said to all these artists, ‘I want you to make this song your song; don’t worry about me. I can handle me. You just make sure you’re comfortable.’”

“He’d been there for a while, and it’s just a different energy in the room ’cause he’s just talking so much,” Blake said of meeting and recording with Lionel. “He saw me, and he came over and introduced himself and thanked me 50 times for being there. I felt ridiculous with him thanking me.”

Jason Aldean recorded “Say You, Say Me” with Lionel. To better mesh with Jason’s style, Lionel changed up the tempo of the song to include what he refers to as Jason’s ‘nasty rock’ vocals. A longtime fan, Jason was excited to work with Lionel – and to watch him work.

“The day we recorded was the first time I ever met him,” Jason said. “Having been a fan for so long, I was a little starstruck, but then he was so cool and down-to-earth and excited to be doing the project that we got into a groove pretty quickly. Plus, seeing how a guy like that – who has made so many albums – works in the studio is a cool thing. I know how we do it today, but I loved watching him work and record the way he has always done it.”

Darius Rucker sings “Stuck On You” with Lionel on Tuskegee. He considers Lionel one of his musical idols and was blown away when he received the call that Lionel wanted to record with him. He was completely floored when he was told he could also pick the song they would record.

“I’ve been singing along with Lionel on ‘Stuck on You’ since I was a kid, riding around, singing those little harmonies,” Darius said. “I’ve been doing that for as long as I can remember. As soon as I knew we were definitely doing ‘Stuck On You’ together, I knew exactly what part I wanted to sing. This isn’t my favorite Lionel song, but it’s definitely the song that I wanted to sing.” Continue Reading

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Lionel Richie's 2012 CD, Tuskegee. Photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

If you’re a younger fan of country music, let’s say under the age of 35, then chances are the superstar guests on Tuskegee, Lionel Richie’s new collection of duets in stores March 27, might be a bit more familiar than the man who rocked “Dancing On The Ceiling” in 1986. However, in a twist not often realized, Lionel actually influenced many of the country stars on the album through his own work as a singer/songwriter – and a country one at that.

Alabama, Conway Twitty and Kenny Rogers have all recorded and released Lionel’s music. Kenny even scored a massive hit with “Lady,” a song that ranks No. 47 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100. On Tuskegee, a record consisting of 13 of Lionel’s best-known songs, it becomes increasingly apparent just how much “country” there is in his soul.

For the most part, Tuskegee features standard contemporary country instrumentation. Crisply produced acoustic/electric guitars, light pedal steel, hints of mandolin and a tight rhythm section fill out the majority of tracks. Yet, when listening to classics like “Stuck On You,” a duet of swirling harmonies with Darius Rucker, it’s lyrics like, Oh I’m leaving on that midnight train tomorrow, that stick out for their classic country imagery and ramblin’ man themes. On “Sail On,” Lionel and Tim McGraw trade verses between rolling lines including, It was plain to see that a small town boy like me wasn’t your cup of tea. Strong country elements were always a part of Lionel’s songwriting, and Tuskegee gives him the chance to explore this in more depth.

Lionel was born and raised in Tuskegee, Ala., which gives weight to the album’s title and the larger meaning of returning to his country roots for this project. Though there’s not much twang in his voice, Lionel sounds completely at ease in these arrangements. On “Say You, Say Me,” his soulful phrasings and natural feel flow over the acoustic guitars and pedal steel with an intimate familiarity. Jason Aldean joins here, and the song takes on a spontaneous feel when Lionel suggests singing the refrain ‘one more time’ during the song’s close. Lionel’s veteran touch is felt throughout the record, but most strikingly on rootsy works like “Deep River Woman,” which features the beautifully textured harmonies of Little Big Town. Here, and on songs like the piano-based “Easy” with Willie Nelson, Lionel’s timbre and inflection find the song’s swaying current with uncanny precision and feel, singing the famous line, I’m easy like Sunday morning. Continue Reading

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

The Academy of Country Music announced today that Blake Shelton, Chris Young, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts are scheduled to perform as part of the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The ceremony, which honors country music’s top talent as well as the industry’s hottest emerging artists, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8 p.m. Eastern/delayed Pacific on CBS. Blake will also co-host the Awards alongside Reba McEntire.

These artists join previously announced performers Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw. Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Country stars are making big bucks. Billboard released its annual list of Money Makers, ranking the Top 40 wealthiest artists of 2011 based on U.S. income from tours, albums sales and publishing royalties. Country stars took up 11 of the 40 slots, with Taylor Swift coming in on top, earning $35.7 million — 17% more than last year’s top earner, Lady Gaga.

U2 came in behind Taylor with Kenny Chesney taking the third spot. Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne rounded out the Top 5. Other country stars making the list include Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw, all of who were listed in the Top 20, as well as Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Zac Brown Band and Sugarland. Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire & Blake Shelton photo courtesy of the ACM.

The first round of performers at the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards have been announced! Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Toby Keith and Tim McGraw are all scheduled to take the stage during the show. Co-hosted by Reba and Blake Shelton, the ACM Awards will air live on CBS on April 1st at 8/7c.

See All ACM Awards Nominees »

Once again, fans will be able to help choose both the “Entertainer of the Year” and “New Artist of the Year.” Voting begins at www.VoteACM.com on March 19th at 12 noon ET and will continue until 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 1st, just before the LIVE show starts. Winners will be revealed during the show. Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are up for Entertainer of the Year while Scotty McCreery, Brantley Gilbert and Hunter Hayes vie for New Artist of the Year. Continue Reading

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Miranda Lambert photo by Randee St. Nicholas, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery, Chris Young, The Band Perry and more have donated auction items to benefit Sweet Relief Musician Fund. The online auction is taking place on Charitybuzz and include items such as concert tickets, meet & greet passes, and memorabilia. Sweet Relief Musician Fund provides financial assistance to musicians facing illness, disability or age-related problems.

Some of the items up for grabs include meet and greets and two concert tickets with Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery, The Band Perry and Chris Young, an Epiphone Guitar signed by Sugarland, “If You’re Reading This” sheet music signed by Tim McGraw and co-writers Brad and Brett Warren and “Mississippi Girl” sheet music signed by Faith Hill. Continue Reading

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Scotty McCreery photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Scotty McCreery has been chosen to perform the ‘goodbye’ song for the eleventh season of American Idol. While Scotty himself didn’t have to say goodbye – he won American Idol last season – he is honored to be the one performing the song as he understands the emotions that come along with it for the contestants.

“It’s always a sad time whenever this song is played, but it’s definitely a really big part of the show,” he said. “I never had to experience that feeling personally, but I always felt the pain because we became such a close family on the show. We were such a tight-knit group of people, so it was always sad to see people go. The send-off song was always a way to stay connected to the show.  I’m glad they chose me to do it.”

Scotty chose Tim McGraw’s “Please Remember Me” as this year’s goodbye song. After a contestant is eliminated, Scotty’s song will be heard while a video reel of highlights from the contestant’s time on Idol. The song will debut on Idol today, March 8th. Continue Reading

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Lionel Richie photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw and Jennifer Nettles have been added to the all-star list of artists scheduled to perform at the ACM PRESENTS: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert taping on Monday, April 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The special will air on CBS on April 13th.

ACM PRESENTS: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert is a special event showcasing some of Lionel Richie’s biggest hits performed by country stars as well as the the country music collaborations found on his upcoming album, Tuskegee, out March 26th. Artists already announced to perform include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, and Rascal Flatts. Lionel will perform “My Love” with Kenny Chesney, “Sail On” with Tim McGraw and “Lady” with Kenny Rogers during the special.

Buy tickets to Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert » Continue Reading

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