Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

Jason Aldean is one of the most prominent voices in modern country music, but good luck trying to put the guy in a stylistic box.

One of his biggest hits is named after country icon Johnny Cash, and you can’t get much more country than the farm-centered lyrics in “Amarillo Sky” or “Big Green Tractor.” On the other hand, the guitar chords on “She’s Country” sound more like AC/DC than Merle Haggard; his current single, “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” teams Jason with pop singer Kelly Clarkson; and he even has a rap section on “Dirt Road Anthem,” one of the key tracks on his current album My Kinda Party.

Jason grew up on the outskirts of Macon, Ga., and his background brought all of those different musical threads together.

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BMI Icon Billy Sherrill and Taylor Swift with her awards for BMI Songwriter of the Year and Co Writer of BMI Song of the Year and BMI President Del Bryant at the 58th Annual BMI Country Music Awards at BMI on November 9, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BMI)

Through songs such as “Mine,” “White Horse” and “Fifteen,” Taylor Swift has shown a real appreciation for great drama and complex character development.

This week, she’s experienced drama firsthand. On Tuesday, she won BMI’s Country Songwriter of the Year award, becoming the youngest person ever to claim it. And she and co-writer Liz Rose shared Country Song of the Year for “You Belong With Me,” recognized as the most-played country title over a full year, according to the performing rights organization.

Just a day earlier, Taylor sang at a funeral for a friend.

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift couldn’t ask for much better timing. As she heads into the last week of promotion for her new album, Speak Now, she was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year Sunday night during the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s annual songwriter awards at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin took Song of the Year for penning the emotional Miranda Lambert hit “The House That Built Me,” and Chris DuBois earned Songwriter of the Year for his work as an author of Craig Morgan’s “This Ain’t Nothin’” and the Brad Paisley singles “Then” and “Welcome To The Future.”

The awards were part of a formal evening that saw four new members added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and had 11 titles recognized by the songwriting community as the cream of the crop: Songs I Wish I’d Written. That list included “Need You Now,” “White Liar,” “Big Green Tractor” and Taylor’s “You Belong With Me.”

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Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

Jason Aldean’s Wide Open album brought him to a new level as two of the singles — “She’s Country” and “Big Green Tractor” — became monster records within country music.

Now he’s looking to pack even more forward-moving energy into his career with the next album, My Kinda Party. Named after his current Top 25 single, it may not be much of a departure for Jason in the way he approached it. But it still represents a change in his career. Since he doesn’t write many of his own songs, he relies on the material that Nashville’s songwriters send his way. And after his last album sold so well, writers made sure that he got a crack at their best material. And early listens to a few of the tracks suggest that he may well have upped the ante creatively.

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The 48th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards were handed out on September 14, 2010 at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium. Pictured (l-r): Dierks Bentley, Artist/Songwriter of the Year; Josh Kear Song of the Year for “Need You Now,”; Chris DuBois, Publisher of the Year, Sea Gayle Music ; Brett James, Songwriter of the Year and Tim DuBois, ASCAP vice-president and managing executive, Nashville. Photo by Kay Williams.

Dierks Bentley won Songwriter/Artist of the Year, Josh Kear took Song of the Year for co-writing “Need You Now” with Lady Antebellum, and Brett James walked off with Songwriter of the Year during the star-studded ASCAP Country Music Awards for songwriters Tuesday at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium.

Dierks picked up the Songwriter/Artist trophy after two of his songs — “Sideways” and “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes” — were recognized among the performing rights agency’s most performed songs of the year.

Dierks played a bluegrass version of “Sideways” during the two-hour presentation in which each of ASCAP’s Top 5 songs was rendered live. Chris Young sang “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” songwriter David Lee Murphy played “Big Green Tractor,” Darius Rucker offered “Alright” and Josh Kear teamed with Lady A for a dramatic acoustic version of “Need You Now.” Josh was cheered heavily by the songwriting community when he sang some of the lines that Charles Kelley usually sings — Josh proved he was an admirable singer in addition to being an ace songwriter.

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Nan Kelley, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill at the Nashville Rising Flood Benefit. Photo by Jenny Dew, GAC staff.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill assembled an impressive array of stars for this week’s Nashville Rising flood-relief concert, and a bunch of them join host Nan Kelley on this week’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Jason Aldean, Julie Roberts, Luke Bryan and LeAnn Rimes all found their way onto the stage at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena as Nashville’s music community gathered together to assist the town as it recovers from a devastating flood the first weekend in May. Altogether, organizers expect the show will generate $2 million to $3 million total to aid a bevy of rejuvenation efforts.

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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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David Lee Murphy, writer of Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor," celebrates with Jason at the platinum party for his Wide Open CD. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of The GreenRoom.

One of the biggest hits of 2009 was Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor,” which went to No. 1 for four weeks in the fall and — combined with the power-packed previous single, “She’s Country” — launched his concert sales into a whole new stratosphere.

The song, written by 1990s hitmaker David Lee Murphy and Jim Collins, used the tractor as a literary vehicle for the escapism that a relationship can provide. But Jason’s not completely sure that the tractor itself wasn’t the attraction in the song.

“I told the writers if they have any more tractor songs, be sure to send them to me,” Jason told The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

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Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

Jason Aldean recently saw his hit “She’s Country” go platinum, and he’ll talk about his unique blend of country and hard-rockin’ music with co-host Nan Kelley on this weekend’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

“She’s Country” was the first hit off his current Wide Open album, which has notched two more huge singles: “Big Green Tractor” and “The Truth.” He’s taking a break from touring through the end of December, but he’ll be back out on the trail in 2010. His calendar already includes a major stop on the inaugural HullabaLOU Music Festival at Churchill Downs, the same Louisville venue that hosts the Kentucky Derby. Also on the bill with Jason in July are the Zac Brown Band, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi, Dwight Yoakam, the Dave Matthews Band, the Black Crowes and Gloriana.

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Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

Jason Aldean has taken quite a ride on his “Big Green Tractor,” planting the song at No. 1 for an impressive four weeks in a row.

With its sweet sentiment and winsome melody, it’s the first single to stay at the top that long since Brad Paisley’s “Letter To Me” occupied the No. 1 slot for four weeks in February 2008.

“This is crazy,” Jason says. Continue Reading

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