Jimmie Johnson photo courtesy of NASCAR.com.

Several items have been added to the Bama Rising: A Benefit Concert For Alabama Tornado Recovery online auction. One of the most exciting new items added is a NASCAR experience with 5-time champion Jimmie Johnson. The package includes a meet-and-greet with Jimmie, passes to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Fest, suite passes to the Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup, a VIP garage/pit tour and an autographed No. 48 Team Lowe’s Racing fire suit from the 2009 championship season. Also added was a hand-painted Gibson guitar by Nashville artist Sam Bass, signed by all artists scheduled to perform.

The online charity auction opened yesterday at www.charitybuzz.com/bamarising and runs through 11 a.m. CST Thursday, June 16. Up for grabs are several artist meet-and-greets, tickets for two in Terry Saban’s box for a 2011 University of Alabama football game, and a football signed by top round draft picks and UA alumni Julio Jones, Marcell Darius and Mark Ingram. Continue Reading

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The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has an exciting schedule of events for the month of June, including CMA Music Festival events, songwriter nights, film screenings and more. The GAC-sponsored Tammy Wynette exhibit will  close in June. The curtain will fall on the display of some of Tammy’s most prized memorabilia June 13. Here are some of the other events lined up for June:

June 4, join the Hall of Fame for Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Songwriter Don Schlitz. Don is the man behind hit songs like “The Gambler,”  “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “When You Say Nothing at All” and “I Feel Lucky” among others. After the show, Don will sign a Poets & Prophets Hatch Print Poster and his two CDs, Allergic To Crazy and Greatest Hits.

On June 8, you can join GAC for the 4^th Annual Kick Off Breakfast. Lee Ann Womack as well as Ashton Shepherd, David Nail, and Laura Bell Bundy are all scheduled to perform. Limited seating is still available and the ticket price includes breakfast, acoustic performances from each artist, and an autograph session. Check out video highlights from last year’s Kick Off Breakfast HERE.

June 18, bring your kids to the Hall of Fame to learn the basics of a song. Designed for kids ages 5 to 11, Songwriting 101 with Jerry Vandiver and Tim Buppert teaches kids the basics of song form, rhyme scheme and meter as well as some of the secrets behind the creative process. Families are invited to tour the museum at a discounted rate afterward.

June 29 and 30, the Hall of Fame will venture to Nashville-area libraries for community outreach programs designed to expose children to musical instruments they may not have seen or heard of before.

For a complete list of Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum events, visit their website.

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Zac Brown Band photo courtesy of Atlantic Records.

Zac Brown Band has invited a few friends to share the stage during their performance at LP Field on Thursday, June 9, the first official night of the 2011 CMA Music Festival. Randy Travis, Amos Lee and Sonia Leigh have all been invited to make a guest appearance during the band’s performance. It was already announced that Alan Jackson would join the band for their smash hit “As She’s Walking Away.”

This year’s CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, in Nashville. The festival is celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year and ABC will once again film the nightly concerts at LP Field for a special to air in late summer. You can keep up with all things CMA Music Festival HERE.

Artists currently scheduled to appear at LP Field include (in alphabetical order):

THURSDAY, 6/9 – Jason Aldean with special guest Kelly Clarkson, Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band with special guest performances from Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Amos Lee and Sonia Leigh Continue Reading

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Brad Paisley & Nan Kelley on Brad's Nashville farm.

GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown left the studio this week to spend some time with Brad Paisley on his farm in Middle Tennessee. Brad showed host Nan Kelley where he comes to unwind and the recording studio on his property where he finds his inspiration. He also let us in on the details of his new album, This Is Country Music, and upcoming summer tour. If you missed Friday’s premiere, check our schedule to see when Top 20 re-airs this weekend!

On the charts, Keith Urban’s run at No. 1 comes to an end with Sara Evans’ “A Little Bit Stronger” taking the top spot. The Doobie Brothers “World Gone Crazy” makes its Top 20 debut in the No. 20 spot. Remember, you determine the countdown with your votes, so head to the voting page to cast your votes daily!

This Week’s Chart:

1.Sara Evans – “A Little Bit Stronger”
2. Chris Young – “Tomorrow”
3. Keith Urban – “Without You”
4. Brett Eldredge — “Raymond”
5. Billy Currington — “Let Me Down Easy
6. Josh Turner — “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
7. Blake Shelton — “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
8. Rascal Flatts – “I Won’t Let Go”
9. Reba McEntire – “If I Were A Boy”
10. Mark Wills – “Looking For America” Continue Reading

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Alabama photo courtesy of RCA Records.

Alabama has announced that they will spearhead ‘BAMA RISING: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery’ at Birmingham’s BJCC Arena on June 14. The concert will raise funds for relief efforts after tornados ravaged Alabama on April 27. Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker are just some of the artists scheduled to perform during the concert, which will be presented by Verizon.

“My hope is that this will bring happiness and help to my fellow citizens in Alabama,” Alabama’s Randy Owen said. “I believe it’s extremely important that we do this benefit, and I want everyone in the state to feel like they are part of it. I hope we all can pull together to help get through the worst natural disaster I’ve ever seen in Alabama. I appreciate my friends in country music, everyone that’s been involved, and anyone that’s helped in any way.”
Continue Reading

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Sarah Darling photo courtesy of Black River Entertainment.

Sarah Darling is the special guest on this week’s Top 20 Country Countdown. Sarah dropped by to chat with host Nan Kelley about her latest travels and her current single, “Something To Do With Your Hands.” If you missed Friday’s premiere, check the schedule to see re-air times throughout the weekend!

On the charts, Keith Urban’s “Without You” remains at No. 1, but Chris Young’s sultry new video, “Tomorrow,” makes a huge debut, entering the chart at No. 3. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s “Paper Airplane” also makes its countdown debut. After many, many weeks, we say goodbye to Carrie Underwood’s “Mama’s Song.”

This Week’s Chart:

1. Keith Urban – “Without You”
2. Sara Evans – “A Little Bit Stronger”
3. Chris Young – “Tomorrow”
4. Blake Shelton — “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
5. Billy Currington — “Let Me Down Easy
6. Josh Turner — “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
7. Mark Wills – “Looking For America”
8. Jason Aldean feat. Kelly Clarkson – “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
9. Brett Eldredge — “Raymond”
10. Rascal Flatts – “I Won’t Let Go”
11. Reba McEntire – “If I Were A Boy”
12. Due West – “When The Smoke Clears”
13. Justin Moore – “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”
14. The Band Perry – “You Lie”
15. Zac Brown Band – “Colder Weather””
16. Sugarland – “Tonight”
17. Ashton Shepherd – “Look It Up
18. Easton Corbin – “I Can’t Love You Back”
19. Darius Rucker – “This”
20. Alison Krauss & Union Station – “Paper Airplane”

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 »

Enter GAC’s Top 20 for $20,000 Sweepstakes »

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Lee Ann Womack photo courtesy of MCA Nashville. Photo credit Danny Clinch.

For the fourth year in a row GAC will host its Annual Kickoff Breakfast.  This unique event gets things started leading into the summer’s biggest country music festival — CMA Music Festival. Fans get a one-of-a-kind experience featuring an intimate concert, full breakfast, admission into the Country Music Hall of Fame, plus a meet and greet with the stars. And once again, we have a stellar lineup — here are all the details:

Who: Lee Ann Womack, Ashton Shepherd, David Nail and Laura Bell Bundy

Where: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

When: Wednesday June 8 at 7 a.m. (doors open at 6:15 a.m.)

Tickets: $45/each

Tickets will go on sale this Thursday, May 12 at 11 a.m. ET at GACTV.com through our online store.

Check out photo highlights from last year’s Kickoff Breakfast »

Watch video highlights from last year’s Kickoff Breakfast »

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The 2011 CMA Music Festival is just around the corner and the CMA is teaming up with Kroger to make it more affordable for everyone to attend one of the Nightly Concerts at LP Field. Shoppers in Kroger stores in Middle Tennessee and Bowling Green and Hopkinsville, Ky. can stop by the Kroger Ticketmaster outlet found at the Customer Service desk to purchase a ticket to any CMA Music Festival Nightly Concert at LP Field. When the shoppers show their Kroger Plus Card at the time of purchase, they will receive a $10 discount, making the tickets $25 each, plus applicable fees.

CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12 in downtown Nashville. Continue Reading

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Martina McBride and her daughters, Delaney, Emma, and Ava are the special guests on this Mother’s Day edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown. The girls dish to Nan Kelley about their mom’s cooking, her driving, whether or not she sings around the house and of course, how they feel about Martina’s new single, “Teenage Daughters.” We’ve also got a look behind the scenes of Martina’s new video for “Teenage Daughters.” If you missed Friday’s premiere, check the schedule to see re-air times throughout the weekend!

On the chart, Keith Urban’s “Without You” remains No. 1. Brett Eldredge makes the week’s biggest jump with his video “Raymond” moving from No. 8 to No. 2. Thompson Square’s “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” exited the countdown after a long run.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Keith Urban – “Without You”
2. Brett Eldredge — “Raymond”
3. Sara Evans – “A Little Bit Stronger”
4. Josh Turner — “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
5. Jason Aldean feat. Kelly Clarkson – “Don’t You Wanna Stay” Continue Reading

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Ashton Shepherd photo courtesy of UMG Nashville. Photo credit Danny Clinch.

Ashton Shepherd has released an acoustic performance of a song from her upcoming album in honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday. The song, “I’m Just A Woman,” is an anthem for women who sometimes find themselves wishing men understood them better. “I wrote that one by myself,” Ashton said of the song. “I opened my diary, and I got to an entry where I was writing about feeling kind of bad, empty and sad. Right after that, I’d written, ‘Well, I guess I’m just being a woman.’ When I read that, I underlined it.” Continue Reading

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