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.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Waylon: The Music Inside, Volume II, is set to release on February 7. The second of the three part series, the album features some of country’s biggest stars performing the songs Waylon made famous. Dierks Bentley, Justin Moore, Hank Williams Jr., Jessi Colter, Montgomery Gentry, Jewel, Jack Ingram, Colt Ford, Josh Thompson, Pat Green and Wyatt McCubbin are all included on the project.

The SiriusXM special premieres on February 4 at 4/5 CT and will re-air on Outlaw Country throughout the week.

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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 the wistful waltz “Dreaming My Dreams With You.” With a classic country ache and a quivering vibrato, Jewel beautifully renders the lines, Someday I’ll get over you / I’ll live to see it all through/ But I’ll always miss dreaming my dreams with you, over piano and reverb-washed guitars. Jessi lends her own voice to the haunting traditional heart breaker “Mama,” channeling her late husband through, ironically, a song she actually wrote herself.

The album’s overall sound is dynamic and spatially well-constructed, with a foundation of sturdy deep bass and full percussion. Credit is due to Producer Witt Stewart, as well as the mastering crew at Sterling Sound, for unifying such a diverse group of artists while simultaneously allowing each one to add their own unique voice. Fitting, really, considering The Music Inside is a celebration of one man’s unique voice and its lasting effect on a broad musical landscape.

Key tracks – “Lonesome, Onry and Mean,” “Waymore’s Blues,” “Bob Wills is Still the King,” “Rainy Day Woman”

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Fan voting for the ACM New Artist of the Year semi-finalists runs from Jan. 16-30, 2012!

Eight of country music’s most talented newcomers — each competing for the Academy of Country Music’s New Artist of the Year honor – will be featured on ACM Showcase, Monday, January 16 at 8/7c on GAC, check schedule for more times. The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be held Sunday, April 1, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Host Storme Warren will interview Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, JT Hodges, Scotty McCreery, Justin Moore, David Nail, Jerrod Niemann and duo Thompson Square, catching up with each on the remarkable year they’ve had. These eight semi-finalists were chosen by the first round of ACM professional membership voting and the fans will help choose the three finalists. Online voting is now open at gactv.com/acm and closes Monday, January 30 Noon ET and fans may vote once per day. When the three final nominees are chosen, online voting for the New Artist of the Year honor begins Monday, March 19, at 3pm ET by logging on to VoteACM.com.

“We’re pleased to once again partner with the Academy of Country Music to offer fans the chance to help make country music history by casting their vote for New Artist of the Year,” said GAC VP/Programming, Suzanne Gordon. “Our strong platform of new artist specials gives viewers an opportunity to find out more about these hot young performers.”

The three finalists will then be featured on ACM New Artist of the Year, a performance special premiering Monday, March 19, 9/8c on GAC. The winner of the New Artist of the Year honor will be announced on the 47th ACM Awards telecast LIVE on Sunday, April 1, 2012.

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The Academy of Country Music combined all newcomer categories into a single combined, overall category for New Artist of the Year.  The New Artist of the Year award absorbs all newcomer categories including New Male Vocalist, New Female Vocalist, New Vocal Duo, New Vocal Group, New Solo Vocalist and New Vocal Duo or Group categories from past years, and the winner will be revealed on the LIVE telecast at the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8 p.m. live ET/delayed PT on CBS.

The top 8 artists from the first round of ACM professional voting are considered semi-finalists and will compete via the GAC fan vote at GACTV.com/ACM, combined with the ACM professional membership vote, to determine the final 3 nominees for the Award.  The final 3 nominees will compete for the trophy, with a combined fan and professional membership vote to determine the winner. Don’t miss our special, ACM Showcase 2012, hosted by Storme Warren and featuring interviews with all 8 semi-finalists, premiering Monday, January 16 at  8/7c.

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR semi-finalists are:

• Brantley Gilbert
• Hunter Hayes
• JT Hodges
• David Nail
• Jerrod Niemann
• Justin Moore
• Scotty McCreery
• Thompson Square

First round fan voting for New Artist of the Year will begin at www.VoteACM.com and www.GACTV.com/ACM on Monday, Jan. 16  at 9 a.m. ET, and will close on Monday, Jan. 30 at Noon ET.  The final three nominees will be announced in February and will move on to compete for ACM New Artist of the Year.  Final round voting for the New Artist category will begin at VoteACM.com on Monday, March 19 and will close on April 1, with the winner being announced live during the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast on CBS on Sunday, April 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

As part of this partnership, GAC will air several stand-alone specials, including a show featuring the top eight semi-finalists, as well as a show featuring the final nominees who will compete for New Artist.  The first GAC special “ACM Showcase” will feature all eight semi-finalists, and will premiere Monday, January 16 at 8 p.m. ET. This special will re-air through January 30, when voting closes.  The GAC “ACM New Artist of the Year” special will feature interviews and exclusive performances with the final three nominees.  That special premieres March 19 at 9 p.m. ET and airs through April 1.

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Justin Moore photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore is the father of two little girls, Ella Kole and Kennedy Faye, but he didn’t get to really enjoy the process of becoming a father when Ella was born. Part of that was because his job keeps him on the road so much. “Nobody can really prepare you for how to handle it,” he said. “It was right at the point where I was enjoying some success so I was gone a lot and didn’t get to be as big a part of the whole process as I would like to have been.”

After Kennedy’s birth in November, he and his wife Kate have both made an effort to be more present and enjoy the little moments of having a new baby in the family. “I don’t think my wife and I really took the time to enjoy the whole process [with Ella], so we’re trying to do so this time,” he said.

Watch the videos for “Bait A Hook” and “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” >>

Justin was able to enjoy some time at home with his wife and two daughters over the holidays. His vacation is over though, as he prepares to hit the road with Blake Shelton on Blake’s Well Lit & Amplified Tour, which kicks off this Thursday, January 12, in Toledo, Ohio.

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Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/kelliepickler.

Kellie Pickler – KelliePickler: Fishing in St. Lucia!

Brad Paisley – BradPaisley: Happy 2012. Here’s hoping the Mayans are full of sh:@+

Lee Brice – LeeBrice: She said YES! I’m one lucky man!!

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/thompsonsquare.

Thompson Square – ThompsonSquare: all celtic’d out and yes we won!

Justin Moore – JustinColeMoore: You know you’re gettin older when you’re fallin asleep in your recliner on new years eve at 8:04 pm

Frankie Ballard – FrankieBallard: I respect mechanics, except when they go right from a brake job to their turkey sandwich

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/ScottyMcCreery.

Scotty McCreery – ScottyMcCreery: Here’s a pic of me and a little boy I gave a shoebox present to [sic] today!

Miranda Lambert – Miranda_Lambert: Spring cleaning in December! Blake even cleaned the garage and people that is HUGE! No more random carcasses!

Jaron and the Long Road To Love – JaronATLRTL: Just heard a guy say “Not gonna lie, some of my cousins are pretty hot.” #nicetobebackinthesouth

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/BrettEldredge.

Brett Eldredge – BrettEldredge: Im back on land! Apparently at this moment, I thought floating above a shark was a good idea, glad they werent hungry!

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Blake Shelton photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Each year GAC asks fans to help us choose the best of the best country music videos released during the prior 12 months for our year end Top 50 Videos of the Year countdown. Here are the voting results for 2011 based on videos released and added to the GAC playlist from Nov. 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2011.

1. Blake Shelton — “God Gave Me You”
2. Jason Aldean w/Kelly Clarkson — “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
3. Keith Urban — “Without You”
4. Jason Aldean — “Dirt Road Anthem”
5. Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood — “Remind Me”
6. Blake Shelton — “Honey Bee”
7. Lady Antebellum — “Just A Kiss”
8. Alan Jackson — “Long Way To Go”
9. Scotty McCreery — “I Love You This Big”
10. Trace Adkins — “Just Fishin’”
11. Brad Paisley w/Alabama — “Old Alabama”
12. Toby Keith — “Made In America”
13. Martina McBride — “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
14. Chris Young — “Tomorrow”
15. Taylor Swift — “Mean”
16. Brad Paisley — “This Is Country Music”
17. Blake Shelton — “Footloose”
18. Lady Antebellum — “We Owned The Night”
19. Keith Urban — “Long Hot Summer”
20. Kenny Chesney w/Grace Potter — “You And Tequila”
21. Jason Aldean — “Tattoos On This Town”
22. Scotty McCreery — “The Trouble With Girls”
23. Taylor Swift — “Back To December”
24. Tim McGraw — “Felt Good On My Lips”
25. Taylor Swift — “Sparks Fly”
26. Shania Twain — “Today Is Your Day”
27. Kellie Pickler — “Tough”
28. Jake Owen — “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
29. Billy Currington — “Let Me Down Easy”
30. Lauren Alaina — “Like My Mother Does”
31. Justin Moore — “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”
32. Loretta Lynn/Sheryl Crow/Miranda Lambert — “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
33. Rascal Flatts — “I Won’t Let Go”
34. Zac Brown Band — “Knee Deep”
35. Zac Brown Band — “Colder Weather”
36. Reba McEntire — “When Love Gets A Hold Of You”
37. Alison Krauss + Union Station — “Paper Airplane”
38. Reba McEntire — “Somebody’s Chelsea”
39. Josh Turner — “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
40. Sugarland — “Tonight”
41. Billy Currington — “Love Done Gone”
42. Martina McBride — “Teenage Daughters”
43. Reba McEntire — “If I Were A Boy”
44. Ashton Shepherd — “Look It Up”
45. Rascal Flatts w/Natasha Bedingfield — “Easy”
46. Pistol Annies — “Hell On Heels”
47. Gloriana — “Wanna Take You Home”
48. Luke Bryan — “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”
49. Toby Keith — “Red Solo Cup”
50. The Band Perry — “You Lie”

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Reba McEntire photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Reba is heading across the pond in 2012. She will headline the four-day International Festival of Country Music, which kicks off Feburary 26 at Wembley Arena in London. She will then travel with the festival to Belfast, Zurich, and Germany. Reba is looking forward to playing for her European fans.

“It’s been a decade since we’ve been out of the United States and Canada, out of North America,” she said. “The promoter put it together, said ‘Are you willing to come over?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely!’ We wish we could do more than four shows over there. We’d love to do more.”

Martina McBride will also be hitting the road in 2012. She’s set to head out with George Strait in January. “It’s been probably six or seven years since we’ve toured with him and that experience in itself was amazing, but we were doing stadiums,” she said. “I think this tour will be even more intimate, and it’s just great.”

One of the things Martina is looking forward to while out on the road is being able to spend some time with King George. “I don’t know if he still does this, but when we toured together before there was a tent every night,” she said. “You could go and hang out with him if you wanted to. He kind of likes to hang out, and I took advantage of that. I’m thinking if I get to hang out with George Strait, I’m gonna do that.”

One of Justin Moore’s goals in 2012 is to give back. Ever since he started his music career, he has wanted to organize a hometown event to raise money for charity. It looks like he’ll be able to accomplish that goal in the new year. “I wanted to wait until I had what I thought was a legitimate platform, instead of just going down there and raising a few hundred dollars,” he said.

He’s in planning mode for the event now and is looking to call in a few favors from some of his famous friends. “We’ve been trying to find a date for it,” he said. “Darius [Rucker] owes me a bet. We bet on the South Carolina/Arkansas game last year. He lost it, so he’s gotta come do a charity event for free for me. We just gotta find a date.”

With two healthy little girls at home, Justin will likely choose St. Jude as the beneficiary, after spending time visiting patients there. “I’ve got a soft place in my heart for that place and those kids,” he said. “I’ve been able to go down and visit those kids and see that. And if that don’t touch your life and change you then you’ve got something wrong with you.”

Edens Edge is making a list of goals to tackle in the new year. This year, they took part in three major tours – Brad Paisley, Reba and Lady Antebellum – and they’re already in talks to join another major tour in 2012. Riding high on the success of their debut single “Amen,” the group is planning to go big in 2012.

“We definitely would like to get a full album out,” Cherrill Green said. “We’d love to see something get in the Top 10. That would be a big goal for us for this next year, and then, working toward having our own headlining tour would be amazing. I think that’s a couple years out. And just keep on growing our fan base and meeting new people and getting new music out to ‘em.”

“It’d be awesome to win New Artist or Vocal Group of the Year, or Song of the Year or Album of the Year, or Music Video of the Year — or any of those,” Hannah Blaylock said. The group will  kick off 2012 with “Amen” heading towards the Top 15 and a performance in Nashville on New Year’s Eve.

Sunny Sweeney just wants to make even more music in 2012. While she’s still aiming for hit songs and a successful album, playing even more live shows is her main goal for the new year. “What I always hope for is to play shows, because that’s where my heart is and that’s what I started doing. Now all this has come from that, and that will always be where my heart’s at,” she said.

Sunny plans to visit a lot of radio stations in early 2012 to promote her latest single, “Drink Myself Single.” She’s also hoping to join another big tour, after spending the summer on Brad Paisley’s tour.

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Billboard.com has released their list of the Top Country Artists of 2011. Artists are ranked based on album sales, song downloads and airplay, touring revenue, Social 50 chart action, ringtone sales and streaming data provided by Nielsen BDS. Congratulations to Taylor Swift for being named the Top Country Artist of 2011! What do you think of this ranking? Who’d top YOUR Top 50 list? Leave us a comment below!

1. Taylor Swift
2. Jason Aldean
3. Lady Antebellum
4. Zac Brown Band
5. Blake Shelton
6. The Band Perry
7. Rascal Flatts
8. Kenny Chesney
9. Brad Paisley
10. Luke Bryan
11. Keith Urban
12. Miranda Lambert
13. Sugarland
14. Eric Church
15. Scotty McCreery
16. Toby Keith
17. Thompson Square
18. Chris Young
19. Billy Currington
20. Tim McGraw
21. Sara Evans
22. Darius Rucker
23. George Strait
24. Carrie Underwood
25. Jerrod Niemann
26. Jake Owen
27. Eli Young Band
28. Justin Moore
29. Trace Adkins
30. Rodney Atkins
31. Brantley Gilbert
32. Ronnie Dunn
33. Alan Jackson
34. Reba McEntire
35. Dierks Bentley
36. Lauren Alaina
37. Easton Corbin
38. Josh Turner
39. Craig Campbell
40. Martina McBride
41. Joe Nichols
42. Sunny Sweeney
43. the JaneDear girls
44. Steel Magnolia
45. Steve Holy
46. David Nail
47. Jamey Johnson
48. Randy Travis
49. Ashton Shepherd
50. Uncle Kracker

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Eli Young Band photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

Billboard.com has released their year-end Top Country Songs chart for 2011. Here are the 50 most popular country songs of the year based on radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS. Congratulations to Eli Young Band for having the No. 1 song of the year with “Crazy Girl!” Of note, the song was co-written by Lee Brice who recorded “Love Like Crazy,” the Top Song of 2010.

1. “Crazy Girl” – Eli Young Band
2. “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” – Jake Owen
3. “Take A Back Road” – Rodney Atkins
4. “Tomorrow” – Chris Young
5. “You Lie” – The Band Perry
6. “Am I The Only One” – Dierks Bentley
7. “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney
8. “Honey Bee” – Blake Shelton
9. “Just Fishin’” – Trace Adkins
10. “Let Me Down Easy” – Billy Currington
11. “Here For A Good Time” – George Strait
12. “Knee Deep” – Zac Brown Band
13. “Just A Kiss” – Lady Antebellum
14. “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” – Justin Moore
15. “Made In America” – Toby Keith
16. “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” – Luke Bryan
17. “Heart Like Mine” – Miranda Lambert
18. “God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
19. “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean w/Kelly Clarkson
20. “What Do You Want” – Jerrod Niemann
21. “A Little Big Stronger” – Sara Evans
22. “Long Hot Summer” – Keith Urban
23. “This” – Darius Rucker
24. “Mean” – Taylor Swift
25. “Dirt Road Anthem” – Jason Aldean
26. “Remind Me” – Brad Paisley w/Carrie Underwood
27. “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” – Thompson Square
28. “I Won’t Let Go” – Rascal Flatts
29. “Without You” – Keith Urban
30. “Country Must Be Country Wide” – Brantley Gilbert
31. “Somewhere With You” – Kenny Chesney
32. “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” – Blake Shelton
33. “Someone Else Calling You Baby” – Luke Bryan
34. “This Is Country Music” – Brad Paisley
35. “Voices” – Chris Young
36. “I Got You” – Thompson Square
37. “Sparks Fly” – Taylor Swift
38. “Back To December” – Taylor Swift
39. “Colder Weather” – Zac Brown Band
40. “Hello World” – Lady Antebellum
41. “Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley
42. “Put You In A Song” – Keith Urban
43. “Felt Good On My Lips” – Tim McGraw
44. “Bleed Red” – Ronnie Dunn
45. “Baggage Claim” – Miranda Lambert
46. “Live A Little” – Kenny Chesney
47. “Love Done Gone” – Billy Currington
48. “One More Drinkin’ Song” – Jerrod Niemann
49. “Family Man” – Craig Campbell
50. “Mama’s Song” – Carrie Underwood

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