Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Alan Jackson is set to add another honor to his ever growing collection. He will be inducted into the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Star Trail of Fame on March 18 as he reaches 1 million in attendance at RODEOHOUSTON. He will join superstars Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Charley Pride and George Strait in the Trail of Fame as well as Gene Autry, Elvis Presley and Roy Rogers. He’ll be only the fifth entertainer history to perform in front of 1 million RODEOHOUSTON fans. Continue Reading

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

While much of America is noshing on turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving Day, Keith Urban will be working.

Keith is set to play the Salvation Army’s Kettle Kickoff halftime show at Cowboys Stadium in Texas when the Dallas Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints on national TV. It marks the 14th year the Cowboys have brought awareness to the Salvation Army’s holiday campaign with the mid-game entertainment during the team’s traditional Thanksgiving match.

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

The building that houses country music’s family treasures just got a big infusion of cash.

Keith Urban and Vince Gill played hosts Tuesday night at All For The Hall, a multi-artist concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Country Music Hall of Fame. The arena and the hall share an intersection in Music City, and the artists who paraded across the Bridgestone stage shared a love for the district’s best-known genre.

Billy Currington threw judicious moments of vocal ferocity into his version of Kenny Rogers’ “Sweet Music Man,” Martina McBride emulated Reba McEntire well with a few well-placed trills at the close of “Is There Life Out There,” and Dolly Parton resurrected George Jones’ funereal “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

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Willie Nelson photo by David McClister, courtesy of Lost Highway.

Concerts, politics and awards were the order of the day.

Country music kicked off the final quarter of 2010 with some pretty special moments this past weekend, including iconic live dates by Carrie Underwood and Willie Nelson, a public vote involving Sammy Kershaw and an NFL appearance by Country Music Hall of Fame member Charley Pride.

Country’s big moments included:

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The Band Perry photo courtesy of Republic Nashville.

The Band Perry took a bit of a risk when it released “If I Die Young” this year. But the latest development for the trio is essentially a thumbs up for the siblings’ willingness to trust their guts.

“This just in,” the band tweeted on Wednesday. “If I Die Young is now GOLD!! 500,000 in sales and counting!! A million thank yous to each one of you who lent your ears and hard earned dollars.”

“If I Die Young” defied some conventions in the music business. People generally respond to songs that fit their mood, so music execs figure that the public is more responsive to upbeat songs in the summer and to ballads in the winter. “If I Die Young” was released in May, setting them up to have a slow song about mortality airing in summer months when a lot of people are thinking of vacations and the beach.

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Keith Urban at the ACM Honors on September 20, 2010. Getty Images/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music.

He hails from Australia and New Zealand, he conquered America and he’s found an audience in Europe. Keith Urban’s global assault was hailed Monday as the Academy of Country Music handed him its Jim Reeves International Award during the fourth annual ACM Honors at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

The award wasn’t just a nicety. While country music was born and bred in the U.S.A., it’s had a bit of a rocky road in building audiences beyond American borders. Keith’s made a point of taking his music to other territories, leading host Lee Ann Womack to hail “the world domination of Keith Urban.”

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Keith Urban photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

A year ago, Keith Urban raised $500,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame when he threw an all-star All For The Hall concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

This year, he’s pitching in again, but it’s not the only thing going on in country music with hall of fame overtones. Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn will be celebrated with a tribute album, fellow Hall of Famer Merle Haggard will receive another rare honor, and five composers — including a former Beatle — are being added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Here’s a rundown of the hall of fame-related events of note:

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Charley Pride, pictured here second from the left, played for the Memphis Red Sox during the late 1950's. Photo courtesy of CharleyPride.com.

In the years before Charley Pride became a country singer, he proved himself as a talent on the baseball field. He was a player in the Negro Leagues, and he once pitched four innings in an all-star game against a team made of major-league players, including future Hall of Fame members Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

Now that Charley’s a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, he finds himself back in baseball in a big way. On Thursday, an 18-person investment group headed by former pitcher Nolan Ryan placed the highest bid in a Fort Worth auction of the Texas Rangers ballclub, with a bid of $593 million, according to MLB.com. The transaction still has to be approved by Major League Baseball, which has its next quarterly meetings Wednesday and Thursday in Minneapolis.

Charley’s hardly the only country singer who’s ever had a stake in a professional team. Glen Campbell was part of the original investment group in the Arizona Diamondbacks, Roy Clark had a hand in the ownership of the Tulsa Drillers, and several stars — Conway Twitty, Jerry Reed and the Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban — all had a share when the Nashville Sounds franchise was established in the 1970s. Country’s most-successful owner was Gene Autry, who established the Los Angeles Angels in 1960.

A few other sports notes from country music:

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

The King is gone, but he’s certainly not forgotten — especially in Memphis, where the city is gearing up for Elvis Week, the annual pilgrimage of fans marking the loss of a cultural icon.

This year’s Elvis Presley activities kick off Tuesday, Aug. 10, when an Elvis tribute artist (that’s a euphemism for Elvis impersonator) re-creates one of Presley’s first noteworthy concerts at a venue formerly known as the Overton Park Shell. It all wraps up Aug. 16 — the anniversary of Elvis’ 1977 death — with a concert at Graceland Mansion.

In between those bookends is a wealth of panel discussions, movie screenings and even a 5k run and walk. Naomi Judd’s husband, Larry Strickland, will take part in a performance during one event as a member of the Stamps Quartet. He was a part of the vocal group when it toured with Elvis during the 1970s.

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Chef Duff Goldman and Sous Chef Geof Manthorne of the Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" with Grand Ole Opry member Charley Pride. Photo by Chris Hollo, 2010 Copyright Grand Ole Opry.

The Grand Ole Opry received a very special birthday cake during Saturday’s Opry show, held at the Ryman Auditorium. Celebrating its 85^th birthday with a months-long celebration, the Opry was presented with a one-of-a-kind cake. Chef Duff Goldman and Sous Chef Geof Manthorne of the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes” traveled to the Opry from Maryland in an RV as part of a road trip for an episode of the show that will air in the fall.

Working backstage in a dressing room after unloading the cake pieces from their RV, Duff and Geof assembled the cake just minutes before revealing it onstage. The cake was a four foot model of the Opry mic stand and placed on a replica of the iconic circle of wood taken from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium. Guitars stood on either side of the mic stand. Continue Reading

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