Storme Warren with Blake Shelton backstage at the 2011 CMA Awards. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Ecton.
Headline Country on GAC – the only entertainment news show on television devoted exclusively to country music – will begin airing new weekly episodes in 2012 with the first episode airing Thursday, January 12, 10 p.m. Eastern. The show had been bi-weekly.
Host Storme Warren has established himself as a true country music insider and is often the first call an artist makes when they have news to share. With this expanded format, Storme will continue to provide viewers with unprecedented backstage and behind the scenes access to country music’s biggest events and celebrations and will share intimate, in-depth interviews with the format’s top stars. Storme travels the globe to cover the format he loves and it’s taken him to festivals in Japan, Australia and Europe as well as military base visits in several countries.
“GAC’s dedication to bringing country music fans as close as possible to the stars is undeniable,” Storme says. “As a weekly outlet, Headline Country will provide a constant window to Music Row and we look forward to expanding our coverage of country music around the globe.”
“Storme is tireless and he and his crew work hard to be where the biggest stories in country music are taking place,” says GAC GM/SVP, Sarah Trahern. “It’s great that our fans will now get twice as much news delivered in a timely fashion.”
Headline Country is produced by Surfing Moose Productions; Executive Producers Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Hartley, Storme Warren and Supervising Producer, Jeremy Weber.
LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 05: Singer Jason Aldean poses in the press room with the awards for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Singer of the Year: Male, Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration, Touring Artist of the Year and Music Video: Group or Collaboration at the American Country Awards 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 5, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
If you missed last night’s second annual American Country Awards, don’t worry! GAC will re-air it Saturday,December 17, 10 p.m. Eastern. The two-hour music spectacular aired live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last night and allowed fans to vote for their favorite artists in many diverse categories.
“Giving fans a chance to vote for their favorite country artists has been a cornerstone of GAC programming,” said GAC VP/Programming, Suzanne Gordon. “By also doing so, the American Country Awards honor both the fans and their favorite performers.”
Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of The Greenroom PR.
GAC will be the proud sponsor of Lady Antebellum‘s upcomingOwn The Night 2011 Tour. The first leg will kick off in Knoxville, Tennessee on November, 11 and run through December 18 when it wraps with a show in Morgantown, West Virginia. Josh Kelley – the older brother of Lady A’s Charles Kelley – will join the tour as a special guest, along with a combination of Edens Edge and Randy Montana in the opening slot.
“GAC and everyone who works over there have always shown us so much love and support, even from the very beginning of our career and the release of our first single,” Dave Haywood said. “This Own the Night tour has been so much fun to plan. We’re excited that we’ll have our friends at GAC out on the road with us and helping us put together a once-in-a-lifetime experience for country music fans.”
“GAC has loved Lady Antebellum from their earliest days and we’re thrilled to be hitting the road with them in November,” GAC President Ed Hardy said.
Both the tour and the trio’s upcoming album, Own The Night, title were inspired by the album’s second single. “We named our new album Own The Night after one of our favorite songs ‘We Owned The Night’ off the new album, and felt it was a great description of how we wanted our fans to spend each night of tour with us,” Dave said. “When people come out to our live show or hear the song on the radio it’s a call to action. Be confident, live in the moment and enjoy the experiences you’re going through—own them.” Continue Reading
This Sunday, four-time Grammy Award winner Keith Urban and country music legend Bill Anderson will be inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame, presented by founding sponsor Gibson Guitar. The honorees will be recognized officially with the unveiling of commemorative sidewalk markers on Sunday, May 15, beginning at 2:30 p.m. in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The induction ceremony, which is sponsored by Great American Country (GAC), is free and open to the public.
The induction of Bill and Keith will bring the total number of stars along the Walk of Fame to 50, marking a significant milestone for the Walk. Created in the fall of 2006, the Music City Walk of Fame, on Nashville’s Music Mile, is a landmark tribute to those from all genres of music who have made significant contributions to preserving the musical heritage of Nashville and have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaboration.
Permanent sidewalk medallions with each honoree’s name displayed in a star-and-guitar design will be installed in the sidewalk along the Music Mile. The plaques for this class of inductees will be inlaid in Walk of Fame Park on Demonbreun, between 4th and 5th Avenues South. Continue Reading
LeAnn Rimes was a seasoned star at age 11 and scored her first chart-topping hit at 13. She is the youngest recipient of a Grammy Award and has charted 42 Billboard country singles. And she’s had her fair share of headline-grabbing attention. The singer, songwriter, actress and author opens up about the tumultuous early years, the truth behind the tabloid headlines and how she’s found peace in the 90-minute biodoc, Backstory: LeAnn Rimes,Sunday,April 24, 8/7c on Great American Country (GAC).
“LeAnn’s story is so compelling, we were moved to make this episode of Backstory 90 minutes in length instead of the typical 60 minutes,” said GAC’s GM, Sarah Trahern. “Since she was a child she’s had the ability to touch people with her music and although still a young woman in her 20s, she continues to do just that.” Interviews with her mother, friend and agent Rod Essig, friend and songwriter Darrell Brown, label head Mike Curb, childhood friend and artist Steve Holy and industry insiders along with archival video clips and photos complement Rimes’ no holds barred interview.
Watch a sneak peek:
LeAnn talks candidly about her father’s insistence that she stay on the road while she was hot. “From the time I was 14 to 16 and a half I did 500 shows,” Rimes says. “I was worn out, I was done.” Continue Reading
If you’ve been watching GAC over the past year or so you’ve probably seen episodes of Origins featuring Miranda Lambert, Jewel and Jake Owen. Each episode of Origins gets you up close and personal with the artist, their music, family and friends. We have a couple new episodes in the works showcasing Little Big Town and Luke Bryan. Here is a special behind the scenes look at the Luke Bryan show, scheduled to premiere on GAC September 15th at 10 p.m. ET.
Scripps Networks Interactive check presentation (l to r:) Ellen Lehman, president CFMT, Ed Hardy, president GAC, GAC’s Storme Warren, Suzanne Alexander, Food Network’s Pat Neely, Gina Neely, HGTV’s Vern Yip, Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown, Adam Richman. Credit: Ed Rode/edrode.biz
From large corporations to small kids, their goal was the same: help middle Tennesseans rebuild after devastating floods. Donations from Sunday night’s live concert event and telethon, Music City Keep on Playin’ – A Benefit for Flood Relief on Great American Country Television, have reached $1.8 million and that amount will grow as donations made at www.gactv.com/help and through a texting component will continue through this Sunday, May 23.
With an all-volunteer production staff, crew and talent line-up, 100% of the money raised is going to help those most affected by what has been estimated to be $1.5 billion in damages. Organizers GAC, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Gaylord Entertainment incurred all necessary expenses tied to the event.
The televised concert included performances by Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Rodney Atkins, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler, CeCe Winans, Keb’ Mo’, Jaci Velasquez, Randy Montana and Will Hoge. NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer also appeared. Hosts James Denton and Kimberly Williams-Paisley were joined by on-air personalities from GAC, Food Network, The Travel Channel and HGTV. Stars also spent time manning phone banks alongside a fleet of volunteers. Click here to see photos from the night.
Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.
Jason Aldean has seen some crazy things at his shows. “I’ve seen a lot of body parts,” he tells GAC. “And one time, we were playing my hometown in Macon, Georgia and this guy ran up on the stage and jumped off the other side and broke his leg, so that was pretty crazy. I don’t think he felt it, though. He was pretty rockin’.”
Jason’s crazy fans have helped propel his latest single, “Big Green Tractor,” to the top spot for several weeks. He tells AOL’s The Boot that he’s built his career by playing wherever, whenever. Continue Reading
Craig Morgan (l) and Chris Young photos courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
Craig Morgan, Chris Young, and GAC host Nan Kelley are joining forces withStars For Stripes (SFS), Great American Country (GAC) and Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) to bring hardworking service members overseas a much-needed taste of home.
The Stars For Stripes tour will visit military bases and hospitals in Iraq and Germany this month for a series of acoustic concerts, courtesy of RCA recording artist Chris Young and BNA recording artist Craig Morgan. Chris is currently celebrating his first No. 1 on the Billboard chart with “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song) while Craig’s “Bonfire” is close behind at No. 12. GAC host Nan Kelley will serve as guest emcee at each tour stop.
“This will be my sixth trip to entertain and visit with the men and women of the Armed Forces,” says Craig, who was the first artist to perform on a Stars For Stripes/AFE event in 2003. Continue Reading
