Elvis Presley image used by permission, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

In a bittersweet ceremony the day before a make-or-break court proceeding, four sets of session musicians received new awards Thursday at the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. The players — who collectively backed such artists as Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys and Johnny Cash — are among those recognized in the structure, which is likely to be demolished to make way for a new convention center.

“To have it all torn down,” said Elvis’ drummer D.J. Fontana, “is a damn shame.”

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Reba McEntire photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

As the cameras clicked and flashed about her in the lobby of her Starstruck Entertainment building on Music Row Monday, Reba McEntire jokingly sang a couple lines from Lady Gaga’s recent chart-topping single “Paparazzi.”

Wrong genre. Wrong artist. But right sentiment. Reba was the center attraction in a No. 1 party that honored her success with “Consider Me Gone,” which spent four weeks atop the Billboard country singles chart to become the best-charting release in her career. Dating back to her first No. 1 single, the 1982 release “Can’t Even Get The Blues,” it also gives her at least one No. 1 in four different decades. A cursory glance suggests the only other acts to have done that are Dolly Parton (‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s), Johnny Cash (‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s) and George Jones (‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s).

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"I Run to You," performed by Lady Antebellum and produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley, wins Single of the Year and the group wins Vocal Group of the Year at "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: Jim Hagans / CMA.

Taylor Swift might have gotten the most ink, but she wasn’t the only act to win more than one trophy at Wednesday’s CMA Awards. So did double-winners Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum, and all three of those artists will be among the guests appearing on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown after chatting with host Nan Kelley backstage at the awards.

Lady A had a particularly good night. Their first Vocal Group of the Year win ended a six-year run in that category for Rascal Flatts. And when they picked up the Single of the Year honor for “I Run To You,” Lady A followed in the footsteps of such classic hits as Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places,” Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” and George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

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Carrie Underwood photo by Matthew Rolston, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Following in the footsteps of Barbara Mandrell and Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood will headline her own variety television special on December 7, 2009. The still-untitled, two-hour show will air on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Fans will most likely hear Carrie’s latest hit single, “Cowboy Casanova” and other new music from her upcoming album, Play On, as well as previous hits and holiday classics. Her special guests include Dolly,  Continue Reading

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Barbara Mandrell photo courtesy of artist.

Barbara Mandrell spent years tending to her career, and that investment reached its full bloom in May when she took her place in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Now Barbara’s sprouting new roots in other ground-breaking ways: She’ll take part in the dedication of a Garden to the Stars in Nashville, and she’s been named the first female member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.

Barbara and Lynn Anderson will be celebrity hosts on Sept. 29 when the Nashville Music Garden is officially dedicated in Music City across from the Hall of Fame and Museum. It’s the first garden to pay homage to entertainers with flowers that bear their names. The ceremony is expected to draw Continue Reading

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Tammy Wynette photo courtesy of tammywynette.com.

Eleven years after her death, Tammy Wynette — whose “Stand By Your Man” ranks among the best-known country songs in history — will finally enter the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during a ceremony Oct. 18 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

Tammy will be inducted alongside two full-time songwriters who wrote their own iconic pieces: Kye Fleming was responsible for Barbara Mandrell’s theme song, “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”; and Mark D. Sanders authored Lee Ann Womack‘s mega-hit “I Hope You Dance.” Continue Reading

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Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Charlie McCoy, Barbara Mandrell and Roy Clark gather at a reception before the Medallion Ceremony at the Hall of Fame in Downtown Nashville on May 17, 2009. Photo credit: John Russell / CMA.

By Bob Doerschuk

© 2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

It was the kind of day that invites lingering outside: abundant sun, just enough breeze to keep the air fresh. But on this late afternoon of May 17, the place to be was past the red carpet that stretched from Demonbreun Street up the steps and inside its destination: the lobby of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where an Olympian assembly of music industry notables had gathered for the inductions of Roy Clark, Barbara Mandrell and Charlie McCoy as members of the Hall.

No greater distinction exists in the world of Country Music than membership in the Hall, founded by CMA in 1961 to honor the artists, songwriters and industry executives who had done the most to preserve and further this beloved genre. Continue Reading

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