Hank Williams Jr., Jessi Colter, Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, and Josh Thompson will all be a part of radio special set to air on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country (Channel 60). Filmed in front of a live audience at the SiriusXM Music City Theatre in Nashville, the special features music from WAYLON: The Music Inside, a three-volume collection dedicated to Waylon Jenning’s music.

Read our review of The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings, Volume II >>

Hosted by Outlaw Country’s Hillbilly Jim, the artists share stories and songs from the stage, accompanied by guitar legend Reggie Young and his wife Jenny on cello. Audience members include Billy Joe Shaver, Cowboy Jack Clement, and Waylon’s longtime drummer/producer, Richie Albright.

Watch a preview of Hank Jr. performing “Waymore’s Blues.”

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The second in a series of three tributes to the outlaw country legend, The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings, Volume II brings together a diverse, all-star cast to honor one of music’s great icons. Spearheaded by Waylon’s widow Jessi Colter, son Shooter Jennings and guitarist Reggie Young, The Music Inside is a hard country, rough-around-the-edges collection celebrating the freedom of Waylon’s music.

It’s like Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery sings toward the end of the duo’s spirited cover of the classic “Good ‘Ol Boys (Dukes of Hazzard Theme Song).” Just havin’ fun, mama, he muses over a thick rhythm section, honky tonk piano and pedal steel. On this song, and really everywhere on the record, that fun-loving sentiment is easily heard.

Be it Dierks Bentley, Hank Jr. or Justin Moore, the performances here are ignited by a love for Waylon’s enduring legacy and free spirit. Dierks opens the record with a swampy, thumping version of “Lonesome, Onry and Mean,” calling out the anthem with a smoldering intensity as the band’s obvious joy is heard through their own instrumental voices filling out the rest of the track. Hank Jr. couldn’t be more in his element than on the chuggin’ “Waymore’s Blues,” letting loose with the lines, Well, I woke up this mornin’ it was drizzlin’ rain / around the curb came a passenger train, over the song’s infectious shake. And Texan Pat Green, whose raspy voice gives the beautiful “Rainy Day Woman” a rugged edge, deftly navigates multiple tempo shifts before an around-the-horn solo handoff from pedal steel to fiddle and later electric guitar.

The majority of The Music Inside is uptempo, bordering on anthem. However, artists like country/hip-hop-infused Colt Ford and folk-inspired Jewel offer their takes on Waylon classics that serve to slow things down just a bit. On “Only Daddy That Will Walk The Line,” Colt dials down the original tempo, rhythmically speaking the verses before a searing slide guitar solo. Jewel, the only other woman on the album besides Jessi Colter, adds a bittersweet touch to Continue Reading

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! In this week’s edition, Taylor Swift shows off her artwork, Joe Nichols and Jack Ingram engage in some friendly banter over the World Series and both Laura Bell Bundy and Brett Eldredge make important discoveries. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/taylorswift13.

Taylor Swift – TaylorSwift13: About to play in Austin, Texas.

Lady Antebellum – LadyAntebellum: The boys aren’t the only ones who wear @theellenshow underwear, but a lady should never show her knickers…trust me tho they’re on!

Tom McMillan of Tom’s Wild Life – TmKansas: Dear IPhone, I’m officially changing your name to: ICharge. I’ve seen farts that last longer than your phone batteries. Love, Tom

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/chuckwicksmusic.

Chuck Wicks – ChuckWicksMusic: Wait…..Let me guess…..you want to play “ball”?? Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire photo courtesy of Valory Music Co. Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Artists, music industry elite and country music fans turned out for the Academy of Country Music’s 5th Annual ACM Honors, an evening dedicated to recognizing special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on September 19. Hosted by Joe Nichols, the event was held at the historic Ryman Auditorium which was awarded with the ACM for Venue of the Year.

The evening was a mix of live music, historical video retrospectives and current video tributes and interviews. Garth Brooks, the late Hank Cochran, John Dorris, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Reba, Taylor Swift and the film Country Strong were the Special Award recipients of the night. The winners of the Musician, Bandleader, Instrumentalist (MBI) categories and Industry Awards were also honored.

Several performances honored artists during the event. Rodney Atkins and Jerrod Niemann honored Garth by each performing a song of his each. Brett Eldredge performed his current single “It Ain’t Gotta Be Love” which is featured in Country Strong while The Isaacs honored Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers with a medley of their hits. Dean Dillon, Jamey Johnson and Joe Nichols paid tribute to Hank Cochran while Montgomery Gentry and The Whites honored John Dorris. Buddy Miller and Lee Ann Womack honored Tom T. Hall. Randy Houser, Thompson Square, Jack Ingram and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, with Romain Virgo, also performed.

Presenters included Ronnie Dunn, Ralph Emery, John Michael Montgomery, The Oak Ridge Boys and the Academy’s Bob Romeo. Robin Meade presented Industry awards while Laura Bell Bundy handed out MBI awards. Continue Reading

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The Oak Ridge Boys Photo Credit: Jarrett Gaza

The Oak Ridge Boys, Brett Eldredge and Robin Meade have been added to the lineup for the 5^th Annual ACM Honors. Joe Nichols is set to host the event and will also perform. ACM Honors is an evening dedicated to recognizing special honorees and off-camera winners from the 46^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. This year’s event will be held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 19.

Artists previously announced include Ronnie Dunn, Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Montgomery Gentry, Jerrod Niemann, Thompson Square, Lee Ann Womack, Dean Dillon, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, The Isaacs, The Whites, Laura Bell Bundy, Ralph Emery, John Michael Montgomery and songwriter/producer Buddy Cannon. Continue Reading

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The 2011 album, This One's For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark. Photo courtesy of Ellis Creative.

The Center for Texas Music History will host the benefit concert ‘Wish I Was In Austin: A 70 Birthday Tribute to Guy Clark’ on November 2 at the Long Center in Austin. The live show also celebrates the release of the double CD This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark which is slated to be released on November 8. Guy was born in Monahans, Texas on November 6, 1941.

Several artists who recorded tracks for the tribute CD will perform at the concert.  Terry Allen, Shawn Colvin, Rodney Crowell, Joe Ely, Rosie Flores, Radney Foster, Terri Hendrix, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jack Ingram, James McMurtry, The Trishas, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kevin Welch and more are scheduled to perform.  Guy will also perform a set. Continue Reading

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Ronnie Dunn photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Ronnie Dunn, Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Montgomery Gentry, Jerrod Niemann, Thompson Square and Lee Ann Womack are among the artists who have been added to the 5^th Annual ACM Honors lineup. Joe Nichols is set to host the event and will also perform. Other artists scheduled to perform include Dean Dillon, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, The Isaacs, and The Whites.

ACM Honors is an evening dedicated to recognizing special honorees and off-camera winners from the 46^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. This year’s event will be held at the Ryman Auditorum in Nashville on September 19. Laura Bell Bundy, Ralph Emery, John Michael Montgomery and Buddy Cannon are also scheduled to appear. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com and are $37 each. Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift on stage in Seoul, South Korea on the Asian leg of her 2011 Speak Now World Tour. Photo courtesy of Taylorswift.com.

As the sun starts setting a little later and temperatures heat up, it’s time to start thinking about those wonderful summer days and nights. What better way to spend them than watching your favorite country artists sing your favorite songs? In no particular order, here’s our list of the Top 10 must-see summer music tours:

Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now World Tour”

Taylor Swift continues her “Speak Now World Tour” this summer headlining major stadiums and arenas across North America. Getting things started with two shows at Omaha’s Qwest Center Memorial Day Weekend, Taylor hits more than 50 dates through mid-September as she takes the scenic route through more than 20 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Detroit’s Ford Field, Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium and 4 sold-out appearances at Los Angeles’ Staples Center in late August are all on the itinerary. If you’re reading this and haven’t bought your tickets yet, it’s time to start calling every friend and cousin you have since all but 6 shows are sold out through September 21. Opening acts include NeedToBreathe, Randy Montana, Frankie Ballard and James Wesley. Tickets range from $27.00 – $89.50.

Jason Aldean’s “Summer 2011 My Kinda Party Tour”

Jason Aldean keeps rollin’ this summer and hosting nothing but good times at 18 shows scheduled through July and August. The party starts July 8 with a high profile gig at Milwaukee’s famed Summerfest before performing in 12 states coast to coast as well as Alberta, Canada. Other key dates include July 23 at Wyoming’s Cheyenne Frontier Days and a Saturday night show August 13 at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, MO. Chris Young and Thompson Square join on most dates to kick the party into high gear. Tickets range from $23.25-$70.00.

Brad Paisley’s “H2O II World Tour”

Has Brad Paisley ever taken a break from the road? It seems the current ACM Entertainer of the Year just keeps on giving the fans exactly what they want since he was forced to dry out his road gear after May 2010’s Nashville flood. If you remember, this was just before kicking off the original “H20 World Tour.” Paisley fittingly kicks off the new edition of “H2O II World Tour” at the Virginia Beach Ampitheatre on June 3 with 19 shows through the Midwest and Eastern seaboard before heading to Europe in early August. Tour stops include Country Stampede in Manahattan, KS on June 25 and Maine’s Scarborough Downs on July 17. Special guests include Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann. Tickets range from $30.00-$125.00. Continue Reading

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Gary Allan photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Gary Allan will kick off the Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage during this year’s CMA Music Festival with a 10:00 a.m. CT show on June 9. Reflecting 40 years of country music, the stage’s daily lineup will feature past, current, and future superstar artists. The Riverfront Stage concerts are free and open to the public.

“Gary Allan will provide a dynamic start to 2011 CMA Music Festival at the Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This stage is packed with great hit-makers from the ’70s through today, spotlighting all the decades of CMA Music Festival’s existence. And it’s free! We invite everyone to come and enjoy the great music on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage.”

Darryl Worley will close the Daily Concerts on Friday, June 10, Billy Ray Cyrus on Saturday, June 11 and Terri Clark on Sunday, June 12. Terri last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2007, Billy Ray in 2008 and Darryl in 2010.

The current daily artist lineups in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 9: Gary Allan, Emerson Drive, Colt Ford, Jack Ingram, Sammy Kershaw, Craig Morgan, James Otto, Jake Owen, Randy Rogers Band, and Steel Magnolia.

Friday, June 10: Frankie Ballard, Bucky Covington, Brett Eldredge, Jo Dee Messina, Randy Montana, Heidi Newfield, Sawyer Brown, Phil Vassar, James Wesley, and  Darryl Worley.

Saturday, June 11: Crystal Bowersox, Jason Michael Carroll, Billy Ray Cyrus, Steve Holy, Lonestar, David Nail, Corey Smith,  Mel Tillis, and Chuck Wicks.

Sunday, June 12: The Bellamy Brothers, Terri Clark, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Josh Kelley, LoCash Cowboys, Jerrod Niemann, Troy Olsen, and Sunny Sweeney.

Performance order will be listed on CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival, closer to the event. Additional artists will be announced. Artists and dates subject to change.

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