Gene Watson photo courtesy of Tamara Saviano.

In celebration of 50 years in country music, Gene Watson has re-recorded 25 of his classic hits to sound like the originals. Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits will be released February 14 on Gene’s own record label, Fourteen Carat Music, and features legendary steel guitarist Sonny Garish along with a band of players that re-created the original arrangements.

“I wanted these to sound as close to the originals as could be done,” Gene said. “I had to work so hard to capture them the same way I did them originally. All of these songs are in the same keys. I just thank the good Lord above that He’s let me keep my voice intact. In fact, I can probably hit the notes better now than I could back then. Whenever there was a question when I was re-recording these, we went back and listened to the original recording.”

The Watson family, made up of seven children, grew up moving from shack to shack as their father took logging and crop-picking jobs to make ends meet. Home became a converted school bus and Gene dropped out of school in ninth grade to help his family. He settled in Houston, where he developed a local following on the club circuit. Capitol Records picked up “Love in the Hot Afternoon” for distribution after hearing him perform and it became the first of Gene’s two-dozen Top 10 hits in early 1975.

“Seems like my career just kind of happened accidentally,” Gene says. “It was purely unintentional. Music was just a sideline. I was going to be playing and singing no matter what line of work I was going to do. I never did really have any high expectations out of the music business. Even today, I never know what to expect from one day to the next.”

Gene Watson is a survivor. He quit drinking in 1980 and quit smoking in 1990. He underwent surgery and survived colon cancer in 2000-01. Through it all, he continued to record one critically applauded collection after another. He was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2002. Continue Reading

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Photo by Alana Goldmann, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Alan Jackson recently released his latest single, “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore,” to radio and the video debuted this week. Directed by Steven Goldmann and filmed at Coney Island, the video tells the story of lovers who call it quits on their wedding day.

Closed for the winter, the amusement park provides a lonesome backdrop as the couple separately revisit the happier times of their relationship. As the video draws to a close, they metaphorically throw the good memories into the ocean in the form of an engagement ring and wedding bouquet so they can move on without each other.

Watch the video HERE >>

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Gene Watson photo courtesy of Tamara Saviano.

To celebrate his 50th anniversary in country music, Gene Watson will release Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits on his own Fourteen Carat Music label on February 14. He has re-recorded 25 of his classic hits to sound like the originals. Sonny Garish, legendary steel-guitar player, returns for the recordings and is joined by a group of players that recreate the original arrangements.

“My first recording ever was on a little ‘ol independent label that was started up just for this recording session, Sun Valley Records,” Gene said. “Maybe I thought I could sell them at my shows or something. I wrote the record, ‘If It Was That Easy.’ It was not any good, but, boy, I thought that was something. I had my own record.”

In the music business, a major-label artist usually pays for their recording sessions though the label owns the recording. Gene’s classics are owned by four different corporations and so by re-recording them to sound like the originals on his own label, he now ‘owns’ them all himself.

“I wanted these to sound as close to the originals as could be done,” he said. “I had to work so hard to capture them the same way I did them originally. All of these songs are in the same keys. I just thank the good Lord above that He’s let me keep my voice intact. In fact, I can probably hit the notes better now than I could back then. Whenever there was a question when I was re-recording these, we went back and listened to the original recording.

Gene’s performances of hits such as “Fourteen Carat Mind,” “Love in the Hot Afternoon,” “Farewell Party,” and “Memories to Burn” have earned him the reputation as a ‘Singer’s Singer.’ Joe Nichols, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack and Randy Travis all count him as one of their idols. Continue Reading

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Blake Shelton photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Each year GAC asks fans to help us choose the best of the best country music videos released during the prior 12 months for our year end Top 50 Videos of the Year countdown. Here are the voting results for 2011 based on videos released and added to the GAC playlist from Nov. 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2011.

1. Blake Shelton — “God Gave Me You”
2. Jason Aldean w/Kelly Clarkson — “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
3. Keith Urban — “Without You”
4. Jason Aldean — “Dirt Road Anthem”
5. Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood — “Remind Me”
6. Blake Shelton — “Honey Bee”
7. Lady Antebellum — “Just A Kiss”
8. Alan Jackson — “Long Way To Go”
9. Scotty McCreery — “I Love You This Big”
10. Trace Adkins — “Just Fishin’” Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Billboard.com has released their list of the Top Country Artists of 2011. Artists are ranked based on album sales, song downloads and airplay, touring revenue, Social 50 chart action, ringtone sales and streaming data provided by Nielsen BDS. Congratulations to Taylor Swift for being named the Top Country Artist of 2011! What do you think of this ranking? Who’d top YOUR Top 50 list? Leave us a comment below!

1. Taylor Swift
2. Jason Aldean
3. Lady Antebellum
4. Zac Brown Band
5. Blake Shelton
6. The Band Perry
7. Rascal Flatts
8. Kenny Chesney
9. Brad Paisley
10. Luke Bryan
11. Keith Urban
12. Miranda Lambert
13. Sugarland
14. Eric Church
15. Scotty McCreery
16. Toby Keith
17. Thompson Square
18. Chris Young
19. Billy Currington
20. Tim McGraw Continue Reading

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Alan Jackson isn’t known for being talkative. In fact, the shy superstar rarely does interviews. That’s why you don’t want to miss our exclusive new special, Backstory: Alan Jackson, premiering this Thursday, Dec. 22 at 10/9c! Alan and his wife Denise sat down for a rare open and candid chat about his remarkable career, as well as their marriage and family.

The problems he and Denise experienced in their marriage in the ‘90s are well-documented. “God took our mess and made something wonderful out of it,” Denise said. “We have the marriage we always wanted and I don’t think we would’ve had we not gone through that separation.” Their love and strong commitment to one another got them through what was possibly the most difficult year of their lengthy union. In 2010, Denise was diagnosed with cancer, a diagnosis that shocked their family.

“I just couldn’t believe it, it was unreal,” said Alan.  “To see her go through that, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I’ve been taking care of her since she was 16, but I couldn’t do anything to help her. It was tough.”

“But there were blessings in it,” Denise says. “For my children to see my faith in a situation like this, I think it made a profound impact on them.”

A member of the now-famous country music new artist “Class of ’89″ (classmates included Garth Brooks and Clint Black), Alan has charted an amazing 35 No. 1 hits and wrote or co-wrote 24 of them. “It’s great to see an artist like Alan Jackson who knows who he is, who doesn’t waver based on what’s going on.  He just keeps being Alan,” says Lee Ann Womack.

Alan clearly knows what works and has always kept it simple.  “Most of the singers I admire – Gene Watson, Charley Pride – they just sing,” he says.  “They’re not out there doing anything crazy.”

Here’s a sneak peek of Backstory: Alan Jackson: Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift's Speak Now CD. Photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Billboard.com has just released its year-end charts for 2011. Here are the 50 most popular country albums for the year (based on album sales). Congratulations to Taylor Swift for taking the top spot with her Speak Now album!

1. Speak Now – Taylor Swift
2. My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean
3. Nothing Like This – Rascal Flatts
4. Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
5. You Get What You Give – Zac Brown Band
6. Own The Night – Lady Antebellum  Read Our Review >>
7. The Band Perry – The Band Perry
8. The Incredible Machine – Sugarland
9. Get Closer – Keith Urban
10. Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney
11. This Is Country Music – Brad Paisley  Read Our Review >>
12. Clear As Day – Scotty McCreery  Read Our Review >>
13. Number One Hits – Tim McGraw
14. Tailgates & Tanlines – Luke Bryan  Read Our Review >>
15. Chief – Eric Church  Read Our Review >>
16. Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton – Blake Shelton
17. Red River Blue – Blake Shelton  Read Our Review >>
18. The Foundation – Zac Brown Band
19. Revolution – Miranda Lambert
20. Country Strong Soundtrack – Various Artists Continue Reading

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Miranda Lambert And Nan Kelley. Photo by Cheryl Ecton.

Miranda Lambert has new music out this week and stopped by GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown to talk about her latest project, Four The Record, with host Nan Kelley. Miranda also discussed the success of her all-girl group Pistol Annies, being nominated and performing on this year’s CMA Awards and of course, gave the dirt on husband Blake Shelton. If you missed Friday’s premiere, check the schedule for re-airs throughout the week!

Read our review of Miranda Lambert’s Four The Record >>

On the chart this week, Scotty McCreery and Blake Shelton are in control, making up four of the Top 6 videos. Scotty remains at No. 1 this week with “I Love You This Big” while his new video, “The Trouble With Girls,” debuts at No. 3. Blake comes in at No. 5 and No. 6 with “God Gave Me You” and “Footloose.” Reba’s latest, “Somebody’s Cheslea,” debuts this week at No. 11.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Scotty McCreery – “I Love You This Big”
2. Brad Paisley w/ Carrie Underwood – “Remind Me”
3. Scotty McCreery – “The Trouble With Girls”
4. Kellie Pickler – “Tough”
5. Blake Shelton – “God Gave Me You”
6. Blake Shelton – “Footloose”
7. Martina McBride – “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
8. Taylor Swift – “Sparks Fly”
9. Toby Keith – “Made In America”
10. Lauren Alaina – “Like My Mother Does” Continue Reading

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Jason Michael Carroll from his video, "Meet Me In The Barn."

After the kids are tucked in for the night, grab their trick-or-treat loot and settle in for an especially haunted edition of GAC’s Late Shift, hosted by Jason Michael Carroll. Jason, who admits Halloween is one of his favorite holidays, has chosen a lineup of some of the spookiest country videos, like Alan Jackson’s “Midnight To Montgomery” and Willie Nelson’s “Gravedigger.”

During Late Shift, Jason will show the video for his new single, “Meet Me in the Barn.” The video is an 11-minute mini movie dedicated to the entertainers who have inspired Jason’s career. The clip is reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller” video, full of spooky scenes and people who aren’t quite what they seem. Jason, who turns into a vampire thanks to a pretty girl’s charms, even has a dance sequence in the new video.

GAC’s Top 10 Most Haunting Country Videos >>

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Kellie Pickler (and her pumpkin likeness) on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown. Photo by Julee Cobb.

It was a ‘tough’ week on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown this week. Kellie Pickler paid a visit to talk about her new single, “Tough,” as well as the song’s video, which was inspired by Kellie’s childhood. Kellie also gave details about her upcoming album, 100 Proof, and her role on 90210. If you missed Friday’s premiere, check the schedule for re-airs throughout the week!

If you’d like to make your own Kellie Pickler pumpkin like the one in the photo, check out our Halloween section with carving templates of Kellie, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and more!  Halloween Goes Country >>

On the chart this week, Scotty McCreery remains at the top with “I Love You This Big” while Blake Shelton has a video in two of the Top 5 slots. Several new videos are on the chart this week with Rodney Atkins’ “Take A Back Road” making the highest debut at No. 5. New videos from Eric Church and Jason Aldean are also in the Top 20 this week.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Scotty McCreery – “I Love You This Big”
2. Brad Paisley w/ Carrie Underwood – “Remind Me”
3. Blake Shelton – “God Gave Me You”
4. Blake Shelton – “Footloose”
5. Rodney Atkins – “Take A Back Road”
6. Kellie Pickler – “Tough”
7. Lauren Alaina – “Like My Mother Does”
8. Taylor Swift – “Sparks Fly”
9. Martina McBride – “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
10. Toby Keith – “Made In America”
11. Keith Urban – “Long Hot Summer”
12. Chuck Wicks – “Old School”
13. Eric Church – “Drink In My Hand”
14. Lady Antebellum – “We Owned The Night”
15. Jake Owen – “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
16. Pistol Annies – “Hell On Heels”
17. Alan Jackson – “Long Way To Go”
18. Jason Aldean – “Tattoos On This Town”
19. The Band Perry – “All Your Life”
20. Sara Evans – “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”

GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown premieres every Friday night at 8/7c with re-airs throughout the weekend. Click here for a complete schedule.

Vote daily for GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown »

Browse GAC’s All-Star Top 20 Photo Gallery »

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