Jimmy Wayne

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will celebrate the holiday season with an assortment of programs and events for the entire family. They will also have limited edition holiday posters from the Hatch Show Print and special offers from the Museum Store, just in time for holiday shopping.

Jimmy Wayne will help kick off festivities on Friday, November 25 at 4 p.m. Central with the lighting of the Museum’s Christmas tree. He will also perform and sign copies of his new book, Paper Angels. The next day, November 26, Ricky Skaggs and The Whites will be in the Museum Store at 2 p.m. to sign copies of A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume 2.

For those who like to start their morning off with country music, the Museum will host a special breakfast with Bill Cody on Friday, December 2 as he broadcasts live from the Museum’s Curb Conservatory. Admission is $6.50 and includes breakfast, performances by Ronnie Milsap, Julie Roberts, Victoria Shaw and more and the chance to win a museum prize pack.

Saturday, December 3 is a busy day at the Museum. The day starts off with a cookie decorating class at 10:30 followed by a songwriter session with Deborah Allen at 11:30 p.m. She will sign copies of her new children’s book, The Loneliest Christmas Tree, following her performance. From 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. the Museum will hold the family program Make Letterpress Art with Hatch Show Print, where attendees will learn about letterpress printing straight from the staff of Hatch Print Show. The day will wrap with Phil Vassar signing copies of his Noel and Live on Broadway album at 3:00 p.m.   Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Reba McEntire will headline the International Festival of Country Music when the festival returns to Wembley Arena in London for the first time in 20 years on February 26, 2012. This will be Reba’s first performance in the UK in 12 years.

“My band, crew and I are really looking forward to going back to Europe to play our music,” Reba said. “The last time we performed there was in 1999!  We have been very busy for the last 10 years doing the Reba TV show and concerts in North America. Now, we are so excited to be able to travel abroad and do both our new and old songs for our European audience, who has always been so good to us.”

“I’m bringing the International Festival of Country Music back after over twenty years due to popular demand,” Mervyn Conn, festival founder and CEO of MM Events Ltd., said. “The regard for Country Music has grown significantly in the UK since the first year I promoted this event and I believe that now is the time to reintroduce this once hugely popular event to converted fans of country music and to a new and emerging group of country music lovers.” Continue Reading

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Randy Travis photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

The GRAMMY Museum will host “An Evening With Randy Travis” on September 21. The event will honor Randy’s 25-year career with Randy on hand for a special discussion and acoustic performance. Randy recently released Anniversary Celebration, a duets CD featuring artists such as Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, George Jones, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood among others as well as new songs from Randy.

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Over the span of his career, Randy has sold more than 20 million albums. He has had 18 No. 1 singles, won 7 GRAMMY Awards, 10 ACM Awards, 5 CMA Awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, among other honors. He will sit down with GRAMMY Foundation Vice President Scott Goldman to discuss his career and new album before participating in an audience Q&A and performing two songs acoustically. Continue Reading

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l-r: Josh Turner photo courtesy of UMG Nashville; Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville; Blake Shelton photo courtesy of WBR Nashville.

The Grand Ole Opry and Cracker Barrel have teamed up to release four new albums. The three-CD series Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection and the contemporary Our Kind of Country albums together feature more than 50 legendary and contemporary country music stars spanning six decades.

“The classic collection is truly ‘classic’ in every sense of the word,” said Julie Craig, marketing manager for Cracker Barrel.  “It’s as close to an Opry experience as you can get without actually being in the Opry House.  Listeners will enjoy high quality sound on every track, songs by historically renowned artists and enduring examples of some truly great performances. And Our Kind Of Country is an incredible showcase of the Opry’s current superstars and more recent additions—a dozen of the Opry’s best available on one CD for the first time.”

Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride and more are featured on the Our Kind of Country album. All artists are Grand Ole Opry members and have collectively won every major award presented by the Country Music Association. Continue Reading

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Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.

The lineup for the 10^th Annual Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam has been announced. Joining Marty this year will be Dolly Parton, Mel Tillis, Connie Smith, The Quebe Sisters Band, Doug Kershaw and other surprise guests. The Late Night Jam has become known as the unofficial kick-off of the CMA Music Festival and tickets this year have sold faster than ever, despite a previously unknown lineup. Continue Reading

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Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.

Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam has become recognized as the kick off event of the CMA Music Festival and in 2011, Marty will celebrate the jam session’s 10^th year. Marty started the event as way to welcome fans to country music’s biggest festival, but the jam has also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for MusiCares, which provides assistance for music people in times of need.

“The Late Night Jam has evolved into the centerpiece concert event for me on my yearly calendar,” Marty said.“It’s hard to believe that this is the 10th anniversary of the show. Looking back, the guest list has been staggering. Fans come from all over the world to support us and the relationship with NARAS and MusiCares is precious to me. The Late Night Jam has raised a considerable amount of money over the last decade with the mission of helping people in need. MusiCares has done a wonderful job of distributing the funds as they see fit.  I know of a number of people who have benefitting from MusiCares and in some instances lives were saved.  That’s what it’s all about.  I’m looking forward to this year’s event, me and the Superlatives will do our best to add another interesting chapter to the Jam’s ongoing story.” Continue Reading

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Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Thanksgiving is officially a holiday, but that won’t stop many of country music’s top stars from working while the rest of us eat.

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and James Otto are a few of the artists who have Turkey Day activities planned. Some of those appearances — including Taylor’s first-ever network special — were already shot. But others, such as Gloriana’s appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, indeed occur in real time.

Here’s a roundup of country-related Thanksgiving stuff:

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Danny Gokey photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Years ago, Schlitz used to hail itself as “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” It even inspired a hit song, Jerry Lee Lewis’ “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me).”

Schlitz beer bit the dust, though it’s been revived in the last few years, and Danny Gokey has brought back a little attention to the city where Schlitz was brewed. In fact, “American Idol” decided to hold auditions there for its upcoming season specifically because of Danny’s history.

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Carrie Underwood backstage at the 45th Annual ACM Awards on April 18, 2010. Photo by Jenny Dew, GAC Staff.

Carrie Underwood and Trace Adkins have finished their work on a couple of movies that are in the works. And that’s just a start among a raft of film projects tied to Nashville’s best-known genre.

Travis Tritt and Julianne Hough have their own acting bits on tap, and there might well be a picture in the future about the life of Jerry Lee Lewis.

Here’s the latest on-screen news of note:

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Elvis Presley image used by permission, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

The King is gone, but he’s certainly not forgotten — especially in Memphis, where the city is gearing up for Elvis Week, the annual pilgrimage of fans marking the loss of a cultural icon.

This year’s Elvis Presley activities kick off Tuesday, Aug. 10, when an Elvis tribute artist (that’s a euphemism for Elvis impersonator) re-creates one of Presley’s first noteworthy concerts at a venue formerly known as the Overton Park Shell. It all wraps up Aug. 16 — the anniversary of Elvis’ 1977 death — with a concert at Graceland Mansion.

In between those bookends is a wealth of panel discussions, movie screenings and even a 5k run and walk. Naomi Judd’s husband, Larry Strickland, will take part in a performance during one event as a member of the Stamps Quartet. He was a part of the vocal group when it toured with Elvis during the 1970s.

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