(l-r): Heather Morgan, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Dave Pahanish, Cory Branan and Brad Tursi performed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, CO for a special 2010 Country Throwdown USO show. Photo by Beth Brinker.

The Country Throwdown Tour made a special stop at Ft. Carson military base in Colorado Springs, CO on Friday, June 11. Rather than just passing through town on the way, Country Throwdown producers teamed up with the USO to put on a free show for military families on the base, and even opened it up free to the public to give fans a preview of what to expect when the tour rolled into Denver the following Sunday.

The lineup included Bluebird Café artists Cory Branan, Heather Morgan, Troy Olsen, Dave Pahanish, Ashley Ray and Brad Tursi in addition to The Tyler Reeve Band.

While it was the first USO experience for some of the artists, a couple had previous experiences with the organization. Dave Pahanish told us all about his previous USO tours in South Korea and Afghanistan and Heather Morgan’s grandparents met at a USO show. No word yet on whether Heather may have met her future husband there, but you never know. Continue Reading

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Eddie Montgomery (center) & Heidi Newfield (right) jam during some downtime on the Country Throwdown Tour. Photo by Beth Brinker.

As The Country Throwdown tour makes its way up the east coast, each stop continues to serve up memorable performances and behind the scenes action with country’s hottest stars.

North Carolina stops included Charlotte and Raleigh, where I got to hang with Little Big Town and hear all about how much fun they are having with their “Little White Church” Country Throwdown weddings. Getting to know these four and their adorable families, who are out on the road with them, has been a tour highlight!

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a hot one! In between sets, artists could be found hitting golf balls into a lake behind the amphitheater. Nice swing, Little Big Towners!

My favorite stop of the week was Saratoga Springs, New York. Not only was the venue beautiful, the musical collaborations were epic. That’s a fancy word, but it was a fancy day at The Country Throwdown, people. Continue Reading

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Rodney Atkins photo courtesy of Curb Nashville.

Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music will help kick off the 2010 CMA Music Festival on June 9 with “The Sixth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade” at 11:30 a.m. Central through the streets of downtown Nashville.

Brenda Lee will serve as Grand Marshal and other artists participating in the parade include Lynn Anderson, Katie Armiger, Rodney Atkins, The Band Perry, Bo Bice, Ash Bowers, Carter Twins, Jeff Cook, Diana DeGarmo, Fast Ryde, Colt Ford, Brantley Gilbert, Gloriana, Josh Gracin, The Grascals, The Harters, Buddy Jewell, KingBilly, Jesse Lee, LoCash Cowboys, Lonestar, Jerrod Niemann, James Otto, Danielle Peck, Point of Grace, Marty Raybon, Pam Tillis, Trent Tomlinson, and Chuck Wicks. Members of the National Guard will drive artists along the parade route in Chevy vehicles, including the all new 2011 Silverado HD and the Military Specialty Camaro. Continue Reading

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(l-r): Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Anne & Josh York, Statt with WUBE, and Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild & Jimi Westbrook.

We are now officially seven stops into The Country Throwdown Tour! As this traveling music circus makes its way across the country, everyone is finding their groove out here on the road and really get to know each other. This past week we hit Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Indianapolis – rain or shine, The Country Throwdown was a party all day. What you may not know is that the party continues all night.

After the lights go down on the main stage, the grill is cranked up backstage thanks to Tyler Reeve. Affectionately called “The BBQ Band,” Tyler and his crew cook up a feast every night after the show, and the music starts up again. You never know who’s going to play together, what they will sing, or how many shakers Sarah Buxton will pass out (and whether or not the recipients have rhythm.) In Cleveland, Cory Branan sang an Irish song that had Emily West, Sarah Buxton and Country Throwdown creator Kevin Lyman doing a jig that earned him the nickname “Crazy Legs.”

In Cincinnati, I spent most of the day soaking wet and my Texas hair was getting curlier by the minute.  Some fans were covered in brown slime from head to toe after going down the mudslide. You could even catch members of The Eli Young Band out there throwing down with fans. This was the day that Mike Eli told me I had “Wal-Mart feet.” I hate to admit that my flip-flop feet were dirty from the weather, but c’mon Mike! What do you expect “when it rains”?

Fans didn’t let rain get in the way of their good time, or even their wedding! Little Big Town’s latest single, “Little White Church,” has inspired weddings at various stops along the tour. Anne Zimmerman and Josh York were the first couple married on The Country Throwdown Tour. The members of LBT even served as their wedding party. The second wedding, held Sunday in Indianapolis, IN, was a renewal ceremony for Maggie and Adam Clark. Continue Reading

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Emily West photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Emily West, Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and Jack Ingram are among the stars on the multi-act Country Throwdown Tour, and GAC’s Suzanne Alexander checks in with the crew from the tour launch in Tampa on this weekend’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

The central theme of the Throwdown is a sort of gritty, edgy, left-of-center brand of country that might seem a little out of character for Emily, who seems a bit sweeter than the Throwdown might imply. But her recent appearance on “The Celebrity Apprentice” might provide a clue about why Emily fits in with the outside-the-box lineup.

Emily and Luke Bryan were the subjects of image makeovers for the series’ two competing teams on that episode, which also featured “Apprentice” album Trace Adkins. Emily was thrilled when one of her childhood icons, Cyndi Lauper, was part of the celebrity team that attended to her, in great part because Cyndi’s quirkiness was always appealing to Emily.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

In light of the recent devastation in Nashville, the Country Throwdown Tour and its artists are lending a hand to the local residents in need.

Country Throwdown artists are coming forward to help in a collective way. As of today, main stage headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Bluebird Café Tent singer-songwriters Sarah Buxton, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan and Dave Pahanish will be donating the net proceeds from the sale of their merchandise at select shows throughout the U.S.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Throwdown Tour and through the course of the tour the artists get to participate in generating a lot of revenue for Nashville,” explains Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry. “Donating in one lump sum at the end of the tour gives us the opportunity to help any folks who may have fallen through the cracks, either through not having insurance or not being eligible for FEMA coverage. We’ll be able to place the money directly with the people who need it the most to rebuild.” Continue Reading

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Nan Kelley (l) & Suzanne Alexander at the 2009 ACM Awards. Nan & Suzanne will be back on the ACM Orange Carpet for the 45th Annual ACM Awards! Photo by Eric Jensen.

The 45^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards airs this Sunday, April 18, at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS – but the fun starts way before that on GACTV.com! In fact, right now on our ACM Awards main page, you can join us every day starting at 7:30p ET for a LIVE ACM Awards Show webcast from Las Vegas. Celebrity hosts include Emily West, Sarah Buxton, Danny Gokey and actress/singer Jennette McCurdy.

The streams will feature exclusive content all week, including, “ACM Awards Daily,” “ACM Awards LIVE! The Day Before” and “ACM Awards Orange Carpet Live.” Continue Reading

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Lady Antebellum on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at the Ryman Autitorium in Nashville. Photo courtesy of The Greenroom.

The Academy of Country Music is hosting two days of all-star concerts at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas during The Week Vegas Goes Country™! ACM Weekend on Fremont Street Experience will feature top newcomer category winners, Luke Bryan, Joey + Rory and Gloriana, special guests and headliners Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert performing on two different stages to crowds downtown. The weekend-long party leading up to the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards is sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and will feature Emily West, The Band Perry, Danny Gokey, David Nail and Lady Antebellum on April 16, 2010 and Joey + Rory, Gloriana, Randy Rogers Band, Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert on April 17, 2010.

DETAILS: Friday, April 16, 2010

7:00-7:30pm Emily West 1st Street Stage

7:45-8:25pm The Band Perry 1st Street Stage

8:40-9:30pm Danny Gokey 3rd Street Stage

9:45-10:30pm David Nail (Single Record of the Year Nominee) 1st Street Stage

10:45-Midnight Lady Antebellum (Top ACM Nominee with 7 Nods) 3rd Street Stage

Saturday, April 17, 2010

7:00-7:30pm Joey + Rory 1st Street Stage

(Top Vocal Duo Nominee & Top New Vocal Duo winner)*

7:45-8:25pm Gloriana (Top New Vocal Group winner)* 1st Street Stage

8:40-9:25pm Randy Rogers Band (Top Vocal Group Nominee) 3rd Street Stage

9:40-10:30 Luke Bryan (Top New Solo Vocalist winner)* 1st Street Stage

10:45-Midnight Miranda Lambert (ACM Nominee with 6 Nods) 3rd Street Stage

*Joey + Rory, Gloriana and Luke Bryan will compete for Top New Artist on Sunday’s LIVE telecast of the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment zone in downtown Las Vegas that is one of the world’s most-visited attractions. Fremont Street Experience features the world’s largest video screen at 1,500 feet long 90 feet above the pedestrian mall. VivaVision, with 12.5 million digital lights and a 550,000-watt sound system, dazzles visitors nightly with light & sound shows. Encompassing 10 hotel-casinos, 60 restaurants and free entertainment, Fremont Street Experience attracts over 18 million annual visitors. Visit www.vegasexperience.com for more information.

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Jamey Johnson photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Jamey Johnson’s 2008 album That Lonesome Song was a winner, earning nominations for Album of the Year in both the CMA Awards and the Grammys.

The track that drew the most attention from the album, “In Color,” owed its storyline to a black-and-white photograph, and Jamey’s next album will likely carry that theme forward, though it’s unclear if Jamey intended to link the two projects. He told Alabama outlet Our Prattville that the new album, titled The Guitar Song, should be out in June or July. And it’s taken on an interesting shape.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

This morning, tickets went on sale for the 2010 Country Throwdown Tour, sponsored by GAC. The tour kicks off May 14 at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Fla. and goes through June 20 in Mountain View, Calif. at the Shoreline Amphitheater.

The tour features Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Emily West, Eli Young Band, Heidi Newfield, The Lost Trailers, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and Jonathan Singleton and the Grove.

In addition to the artists above on the main stage, there will be a Bluebird Cafe Stage Continue Reading

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