Sep
3
Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
When Miranda Lambert set a record for female acts by picking up nine awards nominations this week from the Country Music Association, no one was more surprised than her.
But that wasn’t the only shock-a-roonie of the two-day nominations announcement. Lady Antebellum achieved something that’s never been done before, Steel Magnolia and The Band Perry each accomplished something that’s probably been done only once. And Miranda did something that’s only happened twice.
Here’s a bevy of CMA trivia that you may not have seen anywhere else:
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Jun
16
Martina McBride photo by Kristin Barlowe, courtesy of Front Page Publicity.
The CMA Music Festival, held in Nashville the past weekend, isn’t really complete without the YWCA Celebrity Auction, which Martina McBride has hosted since 1995. This year’s event brought in a whopping $102,289, a 29% over the 2009 receipts. That’s particularly impressive given the weak status of the current economy.
Martina items brought in the highest bids of the day during Sunday’s auction. Two handwritten, autographed lyrics of “She’s A Butterfly” earned $11,000 apiece. The song was featured on her 2003 album Martina, and Big Kenny — who wrote it with Big & Rich compadre John Rich — was on hand to help out.
GAC’s Storme Warren emceed the auction, which got some other large bids. A Brad Paisley package, including a guitar and a meet and greet, raised $6,000. A Keith Urban combo, featuring a chance to meet the singer and an autographed Living Right Now DVD, netted $3,800. And an autographed poster hailing Martina’s induction into the Grand Ole Opry scored a $4,600 bid.
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Apr
13
Big Kenny photo courtesy of GLOTOWN/Love Everybody, LLC.
When Big Kenny performs at Arizona’s Country Thunder music festival on Saturday, the show will be something of a first for him. He’s played the annual event three times previously as a member of Big & Rich, but this will be his first time to appear there as a solo act.
It may not be the last. Kenny and John Rich have repeatedly said they will be working on their duet project again, but in an interview with The Arizona Daily Star, Big Kenny is now quoted as saying he’s not certain if the collaboration has a future.
“I’m not focused on that right now,” he told the paper.
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Dec
10
John Rich photo by Frank Ockenfels, courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
In late 2008, John Rich took an active role in John McCain’s presidential push, authoring the campaign’s theme song “Raisin’ McCain,” playing numerous events during the Republican National Convention and performing with Hank Williams Jr. at McCain’s election-night soiree in Arizona.
John stayed with public issues, even after the votes were tallied. He performed “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” at a tea party in Atlanta, sang at a pro-coal Labor Day rally in West Virginia, played a November fundraiser for a Conservative Party candidate in Watertown, N.Y., and even hosted an event last weekend at his house for Republican Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp.
Tuesday, he hit the road again to campaign for a Republican candidate in Alabama.
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Nov
10
Big Kenny photo courtesy of Glotown/Love Everybody/Bigger Picture Records.
If you buy Big Kenny‘s The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy, in stores today, you’ll truly be getting music that lives forever.
Kenny’s CD package (surrounding the disc) is made of 100% compostable materials embedded with a variety of the artist’s favorite perennial wild flowers. This means you can actually plant the casing and later, have a lovely bunch of flowers, courtesy of Big Kenny. Continue Reading
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Nov
9
Sugarland photo by Kate Powers, courtesy of UMG Nashville.
It’s a pretty good thing to be a member of Sugarland these days. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush have won the Country Music Association’s Vocal Duo of the Year honor two times in a row, picked up a Grammy award and last week had their Twice The Speed Of Life album certified triple platinum.
Despite all those obvious indicators of their success, it was something that tied back to Kristian’s childhood that convinced him they’d turned a corner with their music careers.
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Oct
27
Jamey Johnson photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.
Weddings, funerals, parties, parades — country music stars do more than just sing in public. Jamey Johnson, Taylor Swift, Hank Williams Jr. and John Rich have been spotted — or will be soon — in locations from a New Jersey golf course to a California hockey arena and other points in between.
Country’s celebrity sightings include: Continue Reading
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Oct
27
Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.
Toby Keith will top 1 million ticket sales, Jimmy Wayne had an onstage drop-in from a legendary pop artist, and Kenny Chesney had the summer’s top tour.
In addition to the weekend’s previously reported mass of ticket sales for the new Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift dates, there’s still plenty of country concert news to skim.
What’s up on the road:
When Toby Keith concludes his current America’s Toughest Tour, he will have sold a whopping 1 million concert tickets for the year. It is, he says, the ninth time he’s reached that mark.
When Jimmy Wayne appeared in Baltimore last week on Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night Tour, he had a surprise guest join him onstage. John Oates, of the pop duo Hall & Oates, helped out on Jimmy’s performance of “Sara Smile,” a 1976 H2O hit that Jimmy’s re-recorded as his current single. Brad’s tour, which also featured Dierks Bentley, came to a close over the weekend. Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore take over Dierks’ and Jimmy’s slots when Brad goes back out in January.
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Oct
19
Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Nashville.
The current Montgomery Gentry single “Long Line Of Losers” celebrates a colorful family tree that’s “half outlaw, half boozers.” And if it sounds like they mean it, that might be because Eddie Montgomery in particular can relate to the song firsthand.
“I really was raised with a shot glass in my hand,” Eddie says. “I ain’t gonna lie about it. You know, everybody’s like, ‘Well, I don’t know if I’d talk about it,’ or what. Hell, it does not bother me at all. You know, it never has. [Although] now I do know as an adult why none of the other parents would ever let kids come over to our house.”
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Sep
21
LeAnn Rimes photo courtesy of Curb Records.
Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap and LeAnn Rimes are all affected by a spate of tough news stories, though none of them are the kind of issue that would make or break a career.
A single recorded by Trace and Ronnie is being hung out to dry in a spat between record companies, while LeAnn had her second minor car accident in a month. In addition, a fire at a long-established Indiana venue leaves a series of artists with cancelled shows. Continue Reading
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