Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Alan Jackson isn’t known for being talkative. In fact, the shy superstar rarely does interviews. That’s why you don’t want to miss our exclusive new special, Backstory: Alan Jackson, premiering this Thursday, Dec. 22 at 10/9c! Alan and his wife Denise sat down for a rare open and candid chat about his remarkable career, as well as their marriage and family.

The problems he and Denise experienced in their marriage in the ‘90s are well-documented. “God took our mess and made something wonderful out of it,” Denise said. “We have the marriage we always wanted and I don’t think we would’ve had we not gone through that separation.” Their love and strong commitment to one another got them through what was possibly the most difficult year of their lengthy union. In 2010, Denise was diagnosed with cancer, a diagnosis that shocked their family.

“I just couldn’t believe it, it was unreal,” said Alan.  “To see her go through that, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I’ve been taking care of her since she was 16, but I couldn’t do anything to help her. It was tough.”

“But there were blessings in it,” Denise says. “For my children to see my faith in a situation like this, I think it made a profound impact on them.”

A member of the now-famous country music new artist “Class of ’89″ (classmates included Garth Brooks and Clint Black), Alan has charted an amazing 35 No. 1 hits and wrote or co-wrote 24 of them. “It’s great to see an artist like Alan Jackson who knows who he is, who doesn’t waver based on what’s going on.  He just keeps being Alan,” says Lee Ann Womack.

Alan clearly knows what works and has always kept it simple.  “Most of the singers I admire – Gene Watson, Charley Pride – they just sing,” he says.  “They’re not out there doing anything crazy.”

Here’s a sneak peek of Backstory: Alan Jackson: Continue Reading

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Rodney Atkins photo courtesy of Curb Records.

Last year, Halloween fell on a Sunday, which gave Rodney Atkins’ son Elijah the chance to cash in on several trick-or-treating events held over the Halloween weekend. As part of their weekend-long celebration, the Atkins family decided to go on a haunted tour of downtown Franklin, Tennessee — and one costume caught Rodney’s eye.

“I showed up at the courthouse downtown and these people were kinda dressed up — and this one girl was just over the top,” Rodney said. “I didn’t know what she was, she was all white with an umbrella and I’m thinking, ‘Who in the world is this freak?’ I start walking and I get tapped on the shoulder and she says, ‘Hey Rodney, Rodney it’s me, Jennifer Nettles…’ I think she was a jellyfish.”

Clint Black and wife Lisa Hartman Black still enjoy Halloween. Their daughter, Lily, is 10 years old and still trick-or-treating, though Clint knows her days of wanting mom and dad to go with her are numbered. While Clint isn’t looking forward to his little girl growing up, he does have hopes of returning to a former Halloween favorite – scaring people.

GAC’s Top 10 Most Haunting Country Videos >>

“I’ve always enjoyed even as an adult, getting to dress up and mostly scaring people that come around our house,” Clint says. “I had to knock it off for a little while when Lily was a certain age ’cause it scared her too. I’ll hopefully be able to get back to the scaring real soon.” Continue Reading

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Martina McBride on the Grand Ole Opry. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 86th birthday the whole month of October with a list of all-star artists and special shows and events, many of which will be aired on GAC during episodes of Opry Live.

The party kicks off October 4 when the Opry honors Randy Travis for 25 years in country music and as an Opry member. Carrie Underwood, Connie Smith and Josh Turner are just a few of the artists scheduled to be on hand to honor Randy. Several performances from the night will be part of an episode of Opry Live to air on GAC October 15 at 9/8 CT.

The Opry’s Official 86th Birthday Bash Weekend will be held October 7 and 8 and feature performances from Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts and the solo Opry debut of Ronnie Dunn. Other events scheduled for the weekend are a Saturday afternoon birthday concert featuring Mel Tillis and a free Opry Plaza Birthday Party. GAC will broadcast the birthday party live on Opry Live at 9/8 CT.

Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery and Trace Adkins are all scheduled to appear on the Opry October 11. The night will also include a live broadcast of Opry Live at 8/7 CT. Other performances from the night will be filmed for a an episode of Opry Live to air October 29 at 9/8 CT. Continue Reading

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GAC asked you, the fans, to help us pick the Top 50 Videos of the ’90s and all this week host Neal McCoy counted  them down! Here’s the final list — we hope each song title brings back lots of good memories! See the re-air times for the series HERE.  Check out the list below and leave us a comment to tell us about your favorite video from the ’90s.

GAC’s Top 50 Videos of the ’90s: Continue Reading

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As FM radio expanded in the early ’90s, Americans who only knew cowboy hats and a couple of Willie Nelson songs were introduced to stars like Garth Brooks, George Strait and Reba McEntire. It was a great time for country music; the genre was booming and the rest of America was taking notice. Here’s our list of the Top 10 artists who defined country music in a decade when the format reached new frontiers. As with any list, we know there are many more than 10 who impacted the genre. If you don’t see your favorite here, leave us a comment at the end and let us know which artists helped define the ’90s for you! And, don’t forget to cast your vote for GAC’s Top 50 Videos of the ’90s! Vote now »

Garth Brooks photo by Mark Tucker, courtesy of Pearl Records.

Garth Brooks

Garth charted more number one hits (19 in the 1990s) and sold more albums (current tally 128 million, making him the second best-selling American solo artist of all-time behind Elvis) than any other country artist. He is the recipient of 18 ACM awards, 11 CMA awards and 2 Grammys, as well as 16 American Music Awards. However, these staggering facts and figures only tell part of the story of how he defined country music throughout the ’90s; Garth was a one-man country music marketing machine. Through incorporating elements of rock music into his songs and amping up his live shows with an endless supply of energy (remember the music videos of Garth running around stage with a wireless headset mic and joyfully smashing guitars?), Garth brought country music to the mainstream masses. Even people who “don’t like country music” have his Greatest Hits album featuring songs like the classic and universally known “Friends in Low Places,” which, be assured, someone will be singing in a New York City karaoke bar tonight. And not only did Garth headline major concerts in the US, including his free Central Park performance for 980,000 fans in 1997, he was a worldwide phenomenon touring such locales as Brazil, Europe and the Far East as the symbol of American country music. Continue Reading

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John Rich photo by Frank Ockenfels, courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

John Rich has made it to the final two on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice and is in prime position to take the trophy right out from under Marlee Matlin. While John and his cowboy ways are making noise in the big city, he’s not the first country star to do well on Donald Trump’s hit reality show. Trace Adkins came in second in 2008 and Clint Black finished fifth a year later. Trace isn’t surprised at how well John has performed on the show this far.

“I knew John would excel in that situation, and he has,” Trace told The Associated Press. “I think it’s John’s to win, actually. I think he’s got the best shot of anybody, from what I’ve seen.”

The contestants play to win money for their charities of choice by being project manager. It’s a volatile position to be in, as the project manager for the losing team usually takes the brunt of the blame and is often in danger of hearing Donald’s infamous phrase “You’re fired” directed at them. John has won both tasks he has led as a project manager. Continue Reading

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. This week, Keith Urban posts a photo from his recent video shoot, Sugarland tweets from the U.K. and Rascal Flatts‘ Jay DeMarcus shares a moment from backstage. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Keith Urban photo courtesy of Twitter.com/KeithUrban.

Keith Urban:  @KeithUrban    Shooting for the new music video… here’s a sneak peak [sic].

Laura Bell Bundy:  @LauraBellBundy    My Grandma just told me it was their ‘SEXtieth’ Wedding Anniversary! Grandpa replied ‘Laura, She’s Dreaming’ .. Haha!

Clint Black:  @Clint_Black    Word from insiders is; They played eeny meeny miny mo in Egypt and Mubarak lost.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/Sugarlandmusic.

Sugarland:  @Sugarlandmusic    We’ll post plenty of #Sugarpics from our trip — for example, here’s Jennifer getting ready for today’s taping.

Emily West:  @emilywestmusic    Just took a nyquil & now I’m drunk. So this is how fitty cent feels when he be rapping. Thank u all 4 the sweet shout outs for my ACM nom! Continue Reading

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week!

Taylor Swift hangs with Selena Gomez. Photo courtesy of twitter.com/taylorswift13.

Taylor Swift:  @taylorswift13    Thank you SO much for the People’s Choice Award! It’s sitting here all sparkly in my hotel room. I love you guys.  

Kellie Pickler:  @kelliepickler   Private Island. Caribbean. Cigar in one hand, Rum in the other. Someone just called me “Mrs. Jacobs.”….sounds nice

James Otto:  @jamesotto    I know I’m gonna have my man card pulled for this but, while doing chores around the house the Baby Bjorn is indispensable.

Laura Bell Bundy:  @LauraBellBundy    Really fun night hanging with @billyraycyrus & talking @cootercounty. Okrr!

Clint Black:  @Clint_Black    Bud Adams was behind Fisher in the good times. He should stick with him through the bad. Let’s don’t throw out our champions. Humbly.

Blake Shelton:  @blakeshelton  Worked out with Mirandas trainer today… Is it normal to find blood in your shorts afterward?… Continue Reading

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Nashville’s Music Row took a hit on Wednesday when the Disney Music Group announced it’s shutting down Lyric Street Records, the home of Rascal Flatts.

The guys in the group — Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney — should be OK. They’re working on one last album for Disney, and an official release indicates that project will still come out in the fall on a different Disney-affiliated label. In addition, the guys are in talks about a new recording deal with the Mouse. If, for some reason, they can’t come to an agreement with Disney, it’s a sure bet that the band could find another partner willing to invest in its massive career.

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