Country music stars sure love Twitter! In this week’s edition, Joey + Rory are getting into the Christmas spirit a little early, Charlie Daniels mourns the loss of a close friend, Julianne Hough returns to the Dancing With The Stars stage, and Tom McMillan of Tom’s Wild Life learns something new. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/JoeyandRory.

Joey + Rory – JoeyandRory: Someone’s excited that our new Christmas album is now up and available on iTunes!

Charlie Daniels: CharlieDaniels: Last night I lost one of my oldest and dearest friends when Taz DiGregorio was killed in a car wreck. It’s a sad, sad time for me.

Miranda Lambert – Miranda_Lambert: Yes…my husband just did the moonwalk on national television:)

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/BlakeShelton.

Blake Shelton – BlakeShelton: And THIS is why I check inside my boots every morning.. Welcome to southern Oklahoma!!! Continue Reading

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Vince Gill photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry®. Photo by Chris Hollo.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has announced that Vince Gill will serve as Grand Marshal for the 59^th Annual Nashville Christmas Parade on December 2. The parade officially kicks off the holiday season downtown with the lighting of the city Christmas tree where Vince will be joined by Mayor Dean and executives from Piedmont Natural Gas, which has sponsored the parade since its beginning.

The theme of this year’s parade is ‘Christmas Around the World.’ Following the lighting of the Christmas parade, Vince will lead parade floats through the heart of downtown Nashville. “I wanted to serve as grand marshal because I just like Mayor Dean,” Vince said. “It’s that simple. He has been beyond supportive of the music community.”

“Vince Gill’s community involvement and amazing talent as a singer, songwriter and musician have made a remarkable and lasting mark on Music City,” Mayor Dean said. “I am grateful that he will be taking part in this longtime Nashville tradition.” Continue Reading

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Taz DiGregorio photo courtesy of AristoMedia.

GAC sends condolences to the family and friends of Joel ‘Taz’ DiGregorio. Taz, longtime keyboard player and vocalist for The Charlie Daniels Band, has passed away.

DiGregorio died Wednesday night as a result of injuries he sustained in a single car accident in Cheatham County, TN, while driving to meet the CDB tour bus. The accident occurred on I-40 West of Nashville.  The band was scheduled to depart for Cumming, GA, for a concert appearance at the Cumming Country Fair and Festival on Oct. 13^th.

The CDB has cancelled their concerts scheduled for tonight, Oct. 13^th in Cumming, GA. at the Cumming Country Fair and Festival and Saturday, Oct. 15^th in Waterbury, CT. at the Palace Theater.

From Southbridge, Mass., Taz was an original member of the CDB for over 40 years and a co-writer on many CDB songs, including “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”

“I am in shock now, Taz was one of my best friends,” says Charlie Daniels. “The CDB family has lost a great friend and musician. We traveled many miles together and shared so many nights on the road. We’re going to miss you buddy. You were one of a kind and will never be forgotten. We send our deepest condolences to the family.”

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.

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Charlie Daniels photo courtesy of Webster PR.

The Grand Ole Opry will throw a 75th birthday party for Opry member Charlie Daniels during its two shows on October 29. Besides Charlie, Clint Black, The Grascals, Lee Greenwood, Tanya Tucker and more are on tap to take part in the celebration.

Charlie, whose birthday is October 28, became an Opry member in 2008. During his more than 50-year career, he has had hits on rock, country, pop and Christian charts and received numerous awards, including a GRAMMY. His signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” topped both the country and pop charts and brought him to fame internationally. He is also well known for his dedication to American troops. Continue Reading

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Rodney Atkins photo courtesy of Curb Records.

Growing up in Harrogate, Tennessee, Rodney Atkins remembers asking his parents one thing when he was a teenager – what did he have to do to be Charlie Daniels? In Origins: Rodney Atkins, premiering October 12 at 10/9CT on GAC, the story of how Rodney went from playing in a friend’s apartment to chalking up No. 1 hits will be told with the help of family, friends, a favorite teacher and a former boss.

Rodney was adopted by Margaret and Allan Atkins from the Holston Methodist Home, now the Rodney Atkins Youth Home, as a baby, sick with a staph infection and in danger of not surviving. Rodney joined big sister Tammy in a home described as nurturing, loving and religious, which Rodney believes was divine intervention. “You wind up where you’re supposed to be,” he said.

In the small town of Harrogate, Rodney’s childhood consisted of school, baseball and church. His dad was the church choir director but it took him years to convince Rodney to sing a solo. Rodney eventually bought a guitar and taught himself to play. By his freshman year of college, he was playing fairs, festivals and even a wedding in a grocery store.

Read our review of Rodney Atkins’ new album, Take A Back Road >>

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! In this week’s edition of Top 10 Tweets, Alan Jackson, Reba and Taylor Swift reflect on 9/11,  Chuck Wicks gets a surprise while visiting GAC and Charlie Daniels has a minor mishap on the road. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/chuckwicksmusic.

Chuck Wicks – ChuckWicksMusic: Playing “New” Music for @gactv and what comes on??? #winning

Justin Moore – JustinColeMoore: Just waited in bathroom in LA to wash my hands for a guy (i think) to fix his hair. Probly 5 min. Wow…he can’t even bait a hook…

Brett Eldredge – BrettEldredge: Extremely late for our flight… Bout to run through LAX like Lloyd Christmas with a Samsonite for Mary Swanson #dumbanddumber

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/ladyantebellum.

Lady Antebellum – LadyAntebellum: celebrating Charles’ birthday in style! happy 30th, we love you! can’t wait to get to New York -dave and hills YFROG

Jerrod Niemann – Jrodfromoz: Last time I played KS, I was so sick that it sounded like an exorcism of a drunk yodeling coyote. Tonite much better…just a drunk Kansan. Continue Reading

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Colt Ford photo by Sean Cokes.

Colt Ford and Joe Nichols have joined the lineup for the 10th Anniversary of the Charlie Daniels Band & Friends Concert to benefit Christmas 4 Kids, a division of Christmas For Kids, Inc. They join previously announced artists Phil Vassar and Sawyer Brown as well as the Charlie Daniels Band. Charlie will also serve as host for the evening.

Christmas 4 Kids is a non-profit organization that provides children with their very own shopping spree each holiday season. The funds are generated by the annual concert and the Tour Bus Show/Artist Meet and Greet event. More than 400 children from 29 different Nashville-area schools go on a day-long shopping trip that consists of being chauffeured from their school on a luxury tour bus, lunch, and a party hosted by Santa and Mrs. Claus. At the end of the day, the buses take children to a Hendersonville, Tennessee Walmart where they receive a new winter coat and $150 to spend however they wish. Continue Reading

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! In this week’s edition of Top 10 Tweets, Sugarland urges fans to pray for the victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse, Frankie Ballard returns to his baseball playing days, Chris Young gets perspective and Alan Jackson goes to Norway. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Sugarland – SugarlandMusic: We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you’ll join us. They need your strength.

Frankie Ballard photo courtesy of Twitter.com/FrankieBallard.

Frankie Ballard – FrankieBallard: Throwin’ out the first pitch at the Indians Tigers game…I piped a heater in there:)

Chris Young – ChrisYoungMusic: I was kinda down today… and then I remembered my dad survived lung cancer and I still have the man I look up to in my life #perspective

Charlie Daniels photo courtesy of Twitter.com/CharlieDaniels.

Charlie Daniels – CharlieDaniels: How do y’all like my new fiddle? Continue Reading

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Aaron Lewis, lead singer of Staind.

By Bob Doerschuk
© 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Not every newcomer can persuade Charlie Daniels, George Jones and Chris Young to join in on his debut single. Then again, Aaron Lewis isn’t your typical newcomer. He’d already built a massive following as frontman for Staind when he came down to Nashville to explore a side to his music seldom exposed on the alt-metal circuit.

Town Line, produced by Lewis and James Stroud and released on R&J Records, brings that side to life. These five songs and two bonus tracks, all written solely by Lewis, combine sensitivity and introspection, poetic soul and fierce pride in his roots. Lewis is in fact a product of rural America, raised in Vermont and exposed by his grandfather to Merle Haggard, Hank Williams (Senior and Junior), fishing, hunting and communion with nature. Continue Reading

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Charlie Daniels photo courtesy of Webster PR.

Charlie Daniels has announced that Phil Vassar and Sawyer Brown will join him for the 10^th Anniversary of the Charlie Daniels Band & Friends Concert to benefit Christmas 4 Kids, a division of Christmas For Kids, Inc. The concert will be held Monday, November 21 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Christmas 4 Kids is a non-profit organization that sends children on their own holiday shopping spree each year. Funds raised by the concert and the Tour Bus Show/Artist Meet and Greet event give over 400 children from 29 different schools a day-long shopping adventure that begins with a chauffeured trip from their school on an entertainer’s tour bus. They have lunch and attend a party hosted by Santa and Mrs. Claus at College Heights Baptist Church. At the end of the day, the bus takes the children to Walmart, where the kids receive a brand new winter coat, and $150.00 to spend as they wish. Continue Reading

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