Justin Moore photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore might be able to remember the words to his songs, but  he’s not all that great at remembering special dates, including that February 14 is Valentine’s Day. “I’m kinda notorious for being terrible at Valentine’s Day,” he said. “My wife, Kate, is all into that stuff and does a great job. And she deserves for me to be a little more romantic but I’m just not that good at being romantic.”

Remembering the day has gotten a little easier for Justin in the last couple years. His oldest daughter, Ella, was born on February 11. He has her birth date tattooed on his forearm and it helps remind him Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Remembering is only half the battle though. He also has to come up with something special for Kate.

Watch Justin Moore’s “Bait A Hook” video! >>

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Gary Allan photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Gary Allan will headline the third annual Country Throwdown Tour, joined by Josh Thompson, Eric Paslay, and Sunny Sweeney. The tour will run through 20 cities, kicking off in Gulfport, Mississippi on May 18. Rodney Atkins will join the tour June 1-30 and Justin Moore will play dates May 18-17.

“I’ve always been a fan of the Warped Tour, so I thought it was great when they came up with the concept of doing a country version of it with the Throwdown Tour,” Gary said. “I’m excited to be a part of it this year. My band and crew can’t wait to take this experience to our fans and we look forward to making new fans along the way. We’re hoping this is the best Throwdown Tour yet.”

Rodney is also looking forward to joining his friends on the tour and has spent time getting to know Eric, whom he recently met. “I had the privilege of playing shows with each of these incredible artists with the exception of Eric Paslay, but a few weeks ago he and I got to hang out in East Tennessee – talking and fishing,” Rodney said. ”I can’t wait to be a part of this tour. Every artist brings something awesome and different to the show. It’s gonna be a blast!”

The Country Throwdown Tour will once again spotlight emerging singer-songwriters on the Bluebird Café Stage throughout the day and then on the main stage during set changes. Those artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

“As we roll into our third summer of Country Throwdown, the team has been working hard to put together a can’t-miss package for true country fans, and we’re excited to work with some of country music’s greatest acts,” Sarah Baer, tour co-founder and co-producer, said. “We know the party that Gary, Justin and Rodney bring to the show, and the up-and-coming acts like Sunny Sweeney and Eric Paslay are sure to have fans coming early and staying late.” Continue Reading

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Host Nan Kelley visits with Alison Krauss and Union Station on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown. Photo by Julee Cobb.

Top 20 Country Countdown welcomed Alison Krauss & Union Station this week. They sat down with host Nan Kelley to talk about recording their first project together in seven years, Paper Airplane, and to promote their new single, “My Love Follows You Where You Go.” If you missed the Friday night premiere, check the schedule for re-airs throughout the weekend.

On the chart this week, Scotty McCreery maintains his stronghold at No. 1 with “The Trouble With Girls” while Kellie Pickler , Taylor Swift, and Luke Bryan shuffle spots, leaving Alan Jackson to take the final spot in the Top 5 with his latest video. Justin Moore’s “Bait A Hook” returns to the countdown this week at No. 18, while Ronnie Dunn’s latest, “Let The Cowboy Rock,” makes its countdown debut at No. 19.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Scotty McCreery – “The Trouble With Girls”
2. Kellie Pickler – “Tough”
3. Taylor Swift – “Ours”
4. Luke Bryan – “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
5. Alan Jackson – “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore”
6. Chris Young – “You”
7. Keith Urban – “You Gonna Fly”
8. Casey James – “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night”
9. Miranda Lambert – “Baggage Claim”
10. Toby Keith – “Red Solo Cup” Continue Reading

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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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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. Continue Reading

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The Academy of Country Music and Great American Country (GAC) announced today that for the fourth consecutive year, the newcomer category for the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards — New Artist of the Year—will be opened up to interactive fan voting through VoteACM.com and GACTV.com/ACM, beginning Monday, January 16, 2012.

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” >>

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, Kellie Pickler and Brett Eldredge show off photos from their tropical vacations, Scotty McCreery shares a picture from his trip to the Dominican Republic as part of Operation Christmas Child, Brad Paisley hopes the Mayans aren’t right, and Lee Brice celebrates his engagement to Sara Reeveley! Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

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! Continue Reading

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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’” Continue Reading

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