Photo courtesy of Grand Ole Opry®. Photo by Chris Hollo.

The Grand Ole Opry will honor Vince Gill on his 20^th anniversary as an Opry member on August 13. Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, John Anderson , The Time Jumpers, Vince’s wife Amy Grant and his daughter, Jenny Gill, will be on hand for the celebration.

“Over the past 20 years, Vince Gill has helped create dozens and dozens of incredible nights of music here at the Opry, welcoming some of his best friends and musical collaborators to the stage, debuting new material, and performing his hits that have since become country classics,” said Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager. “He plays the Opry because he loves it, and the Opry family loves him right back. We’re excited to celebrate Vince’s 20 years with us among some of his best friends and biggest fans.” Continue Reading

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Billy Ray Cyrus's 2011 CD, I'm American. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Records.

The idea started on a USO tour to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009. It started when Billy Ray Cyrus was performing to troops on a mission to give back to those who serve our country. It started as performances of songs like the patriotic title track from his debut album, “Some Gave All,” were being interrupted by the sound of bombs in the distance.

Since that time spent overseas, what started as a short tour bringing a semblance of home to the battlefield evolved into an 8-song concept album honoring our men in uniform. Billy Ray Cyrus’ latest project, I’m American, is an impressive collection of patriotic country/roots-rock songs dealing with the truths, hopes and issues soldiers and their families face both overseas and at home. To Billy Ray, this collection is his “way of giving back and saying thank you to them for the gift of freedom.” Tonight on GAC at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, you can see our special with BRC called Billy Ray Cyrus: I’m American. Check out photos from the special HERE.

“Runway Lights,” the album’s opening track and first single, erupts to life with Continue Reading

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Vince Gill photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Vince Gill will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year, alongside fellow 2012 honorees Jennifer Aniston, Richard Burton, Kate Winslet, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez, Adam West, Barry White, Hal David, David Foster, the band Heart and cartoonist Matt Groening. Vince calls Nashville home now, but at the age of 19, he moved to Los Angeles, going up and down the famed sidewalk, finding the stars of his heroes.

“When I lived out there, I was such a young person that I hadn’t really accomplished much of anything,” Vince said. “So even the thought of one day having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was preposterous. It was silly. It wasn’t even in the realm of my thinking. I walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard and said, ‘There is so-and-so.’ I never thought for one second, ‘I will have one of these one day.’”

Vince’s wife, Amy Grant, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. “Amy has one out there, which is really neat,” Vince said. “I got to go out there and experience that with her. When I found out that I would be getting one too, I said, ‘If you could just put it next to Amy’s that would be awesome.’” Continue Reading

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Vince Gill photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Vince Gill fans, wait no more! Late this summer, he’ll release his first single in four years, “Threaten Me With Heaven,” which he co-wrote with wife Amy Grant, Dillon O’Brian and Will Owsley. The song is from his upcoming album, Guitar Slinger, due out this fall.

“Since the song was recorded, my friend Will Owsley took his own life, so the song has a profound impact on me now,” said Vince. “In my lifetime, ‘Go Rest High On That Mountain’ has been the song that helped a lot of people through their grief. I think this one will in turn hopefully do the same thing. It’s a powerful, powerful song.  I feel like it’s the crown jewel of the new record.”

Also on Guitar Slinger are the moving songs “Bread and Water” and “If I Die,” as well as more lighthearted tunes that feature Vince’s unmatched guitar skills. Vince wrote every song on the album, which was the first project recorded from start to finish at his new home studio.

“I feel like the emphasis has been on the songs and the songs have gotten better,” he said. “They really run the gamut of what they are about, how they feel, how they sound. It’s not an all-traditional record, it’s not Continue Reading

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Lady Antebellum & Darius Rucker photos courtesy of Capitol Nashville; Blake Shelton photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, KISS,  Amy Grant, Donny & Marie, Darius Rucker, Jennette McCurdy, Danny Gokey and Katy Perry are just some of the celebrities who have donated personal experiences, meet-and-greets, studio experiences and more to help Capitol Records Nashville Sr. Director of New Media, Dawn Gates, raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Dawn, a candidate for their Nashville Woman of the Year, is hosting the Celebrity eBay Auction as one of many of fundraising efforts to try and personally raise $50,000 by the end of May.

The celebrity auction is hosted in honor of a special young friend of Dawn’s, Tanner Page, who was diagnosed in June 2009 at age 5 with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Tanner is currently undergoing chemotherapy maintenance treatments. The auction began April 19, 2011 and will end April 29, 2011. It can be viewed and bids placed at www.ebay.com/allaccessforlls. Continue Reading

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Josh Turner visits host Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.

The Colon Cancer Alliance announces the 3rd Annual “Stars Go Blue” benefit concert for colon cancer at the Country Music Hall of Fame this Wednesday, March 16, 2011. The event benefits the Blue Note Fund, which provides financial support for colon cancer patients in need of financial assistance.

The theme of this year’s show is “Couples in Country Music.” GAC host Storme Warren and his wife, Allison, will host the benefit, which will feature multi-platinum MCA recording artist and Grand Ole Opry member Josh Turner and his wife and band member, Jennifer, along with Grammy winning singer Linda Davis and her husband singer/songwriter, Lang Scott. Continue Reading

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Josh Turner visits host Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.

The Colon Cancer Alliance announces the 3rd Annual “Stars Go Blue” benefit concert for colon cancer at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. The event benefits the Blue Note Fund, which provides financial support for colon cancer patients in need of financial assistance.

The theme of this year’s show is “Couples in Country Music” featuring multi-platinum MCA recording artist and Grand Ole Opry member Josh Turner and his wife and band member, Jennifer, along with Grammy winning singer Linda Davis and her husband singer/songwriter, Lang Scott. Also performing is “Stars Go Blue” creator and Grammy nominated producer/artist Charlie Kelley with his wife, GAC host Nan Kelley.

Tickets are $100.00 per person and include the intimate concert in the Ford Theater, a VIP cocktail reception, and auction after the concert. For tickets or more information, please visit www.thestarsgoblue.com. Amgen is silver sponsor for the event. Continue Reading

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of artist.

It rained. And rained. And rained some more.

Nashville took in over 13 inches of water in a 48-hour period in May, and some areas of the region were swamped with as much as 20 inches. It was more than the rivers and streams could handle, and by May 3, the drainage system was overflowing. The stage and much of the floor seating at the Grand Ole Opry House was covered, water seeped into one room at the Country Music Hall of Fame, LP Field — the site of the CMA Music Festival — became a swamp, and an instrument storage unit was drowned, destroying guitars and equipment owned by Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Toby Keith and Vince Gill, among others.

It took a while for people to notice outside of Middle Tennessee. The focus of the major news organizations at the time was on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So Music City rolled up its sleeves and started digging out on its own.

The Nashville flood is No. 1 on the list as GAC concludes its countdown of the top country news stories of 2010.

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Loretta Lynn photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry.

Last week, Loretta Lynn got doubly good news when her “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was entered into the National Recording Registry and Vintage Books announced it was re-releasing her autobiography in September.

Now her autumn schedule is looking even more attractive. The Recording Academy has announced that Loretta will be recognized during the second Grammy Salute To Country Music Oct. 12 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. During the night, she’ll receive the Recording Academy President’s Merit Award. She’ll also be given her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; she was unable to attend in January when the Academy recognized her — alongside Bobby Darin and Michael Jackson — with that honor in January.

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Trace Adkins (l) and Blake Shelton rehearse on Friday, April 16, 2010 for the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Photo courtesy of the Academy of Country Music.

From the minute Tim McGraw and Faith Hill announced plans for their multi-artist flood-relief concert Nashville Rising, the event looked like the kind of evening ripe for surprises. And it was.

Even after Brooks & Dunn were forced to cancel because of Ronnie Dunn’s throat problems, a few unannounced stars made their way Tuesday to Music City’s Bridgestone Arena, one of numerous downtown facilities that took in water during the early-May flood. Trace Adkins popped onstage to join Blake Shelton on “Hillbilly Bone,” according to USA Today. And Sandra Bullock — who worked with Tim on the movie The Blind Side — took the spotlight and comically picked out the opening chords from Deep Purple’s classic-rock standard “Smoke On The Water.” Then she got serious.

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