Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album, photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Last week we gave you a sneak peek at 2 of the tracks on the album SWEET HOME ALABAMA: The Country Music Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd — Eric Church’s version of “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” and Randy Montana’s take on ”Tuesday’s Gone.” Now we have previews of all eight songs, also featuring Jamey Johnson, Shooter Jennings, Randy Houser, Uncle Kracker, the Eli Young Band and Ashley Ray.

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SWEET HOME ALABAMA: The Country Music Tribute To Lynyrd Skynyrd is available exclusively at Wal-Mart. Click here to order your copy!

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Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album, photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Pioneering southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has always had close ties to country music. Founder and original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant counted Merle Haggard as one of his heroes. Ten years after Ronnie’s untimely death in 1977 when the band’s touring plane crashed, the band regrouped with Ronnie’s brother Johnny singing lead. In 2005, Johnny and his brother Donnie (a founding member of .38 Special) released their first country album under the name Van Zant, called Get Right With The Man. Back in 1994, country artists tipped their hats to the band with the CD Skynyrd Frynds. So it’s only fitting that today’s country stars – some influenced as much by southern rock as country — would want to pay homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd, too. Continue Reading

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Photo courtesy of Webster & Associates PR.

Jamey Johnson, Eric Church and Randy Houser are among several country music artists featured on a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album to be released July 20, exclusively in Wal-Mart stores. Sweet Home Alabama – The Country Music Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd will feature covers of the legendary band’s biggest hits by Jamey, Eric, Randy, Shooter Jennings, Uncle Kracker, Randy Montana, Ashley Ray and Eli Young Band.

On the album, Randy records a soulful “Simple Man” and Eli Young Band takes on “Gimme Three Steps,” both tracks from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album. Jamey Johnson gives a traditional, dobro-laced performance of “Four Walls of Raiford” and Ashley Ray sings her take of the classic, “Sweet Home Alabama.”

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(l-r): Heather Morgan, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Dave Pahanish, Cory Branan and Brad Tursi performed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, CO for a special 2010 Country Throwdown USO show. Photo by Beth Brinker.

The Country Throwdown Tour made a special stop at Ft. Carson military base in Colorado Springs, CO on Friday, June 11. Rather than just passing through town on the way, Country Throwdown producers teamed up with the USO to put on a free show for military families on the base, and even opened it up free to the public to give fans a preview of what to expect when the tour rolled into Denver the following Sunday.

The lineup included Bluebird Café artists Cory Branan, Heather Morgan, Troy Olsen, Dave Pahanish, Ashley Ray and Brad Tursi in addition to The Tyler Reeve Band.

While it was the first USO experience for some of the artists, a couple had previous experiences with the organization. Dave Pahanish told us all about his previous USO tours in South Korea and Afghanistan and Heather Morgan’s grandparents met at a USO show. No word yet on whether Heather may have met her future husband there, but you never know. Continue Reading

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Pictured at the Country Throwdown Tour's kickoff party at the Nashville restaurant Cabana on May 25, 2010 (back row): BMI’s Jody Williams, 4Fini’s Sarah Baer, Bluebird Café’s Erika Wollam Nichols, and BMI’s Beth Mason; (front row) Bluebird Café Stage performers Troy Olsen, Ashley Ray, Cory Branan, Sarah Buxton, Dave Pahanish and Brad Tursi.

BMI hosted a Country Throwdown Tour launch party on May 25 at Cabana, a trendy hotspot in Nashville. The multi-act tour kicked off May 14 in Florida and concludes June 20 in California. The first of its kind, The Country Throwdown Tour features headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and Little Big Town. The tour also features the BMI-sponsored Bluebird Café Singer/Songwriter stage that provides fans with a unique and intimate setting to hear stripped down versions of hits songs performed by the writers who penned them and undoubtedly songs that they will hear on country radio in the future. The lineup includes some of Nashville’s up-and-coming and established songwriters like Sarah Buxton, Dave Pahanish, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Ashley Ray and more.

Check out what the artists had to say about their favorite moments of the tour so far in the clip from the party! Continue Reading

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

In light of the recent devastation in Nashville, the Country Throwdown Tour and its artists are lending a hand to the local residents in need.

Country Throwdown artists are coming forward to help in a collective way. As of today, main stage headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Bluebird Café Tent singer-songwriters Sarah Buxton, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan and Dave Pahanish will be donating the net proceeds from the sale of their merchandise at select shows throughout the U.S.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Throwdown Tour and through the course of the tour the artists get to participate in generating a lot of revenue for Nashville,” explains Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry. “Donating in one lump sum at the end of the tour gives us the opportunity to help any folks who may have fallen through the cracks, either through not having insurance or not being eligible for FEMA coverage. We’ll be able to place the money directly with the people who need it the most to rebuild.” Continue Reading

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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 Continue Reading

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