Dec
29
Taylor Swift's Speak Now CD. Photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.
Billboard.com has compiled their list of the Top 200 Albums of 2011. Adele’s 21 was named the No. 1 album of the year, but Taylor Swift’s Speak Now album came in at No. 2. Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party was also in the Top 5, coming in at No. 4. Rascal Flatts‘ Nothing Like This album took the No. 17 spot and Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now came in at No. 19.
Other country albums in the Top 50 include Zac Brown Band’s You Get What You Give at No. 23, Lady Antebellum’s Own The Night at No. 25, The Band Perry’s self-titled debut at No. 30, Sugarland’s The Incredible Machine at No. 33, Keith Urban’s Get Closer at No. 36, Kenny Chesney’s Hemingway’s Whiskey at No. 42, and Brad Paisley’s This Is Country Music at No. 46.
The Year-End top-selling albums are ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan.
Top 20 Albums of 2011:
- 21 – Adele
- Speak Now – Taylor Swift
- Born This Way – Lady Gaga
- My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean
- The Gift – Susan Boyle
- Tha Carter IV – Lil Wayne
- Pink Friday – Nicki Minaj
- Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons
- Loud – Rihanna
- Teenage Dream – Katy Perry Continue Reading
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Dec
27
Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.
Billboard.com has released its list of the Top Artists of 2011. Adele tops the multi-genre chart with Rihanna, Katy Parry, Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne rounding out the Top 5. Taylor Swift is the only country artist to make the Top 10, ranking No. 8. Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum found themselves ranked inside the Top 20 with Jason coming in at No. 13 and Lady A at No. 20.
Artists are ranked according to chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and the Billboard 200 albums chart. Other country artists making the Top 50 include Kenny Chesney at No. 28, Blake Shelton at No. 29. Zac Brown Band at No. 32, The Band Perry at No. 35, Rascal Flatts at No. 38 and Brad Paisley at No. 45.
Top 20 Artists of 2011:
- Adele
- Rihanna
- Katy Perry
- Lady Gaga
- Lil Wayne
- Bruno Mars
- Nicki Minaj
- Taylor Swift
- Justin Bieber
- Chris Brown
- The Black Eyed Peas
- Eminem
- Jason Aldean
- Britney Spears
- Wiz Khalifa
- P!nk
- Pitbull
- Kanye West
- Ke$ha
- Lady Antebellum
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Dec
9
Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.
Jason Aldean is one of the most prominent voices in modern country music, but good luck trying to put the guy in a stylistic box.
One of his biggest hits is named after country icon Johnny Cash, and you can’t get much more country than the farm-centered lyrics in “Amarillo Sky” or “Big Green Tractor.” On the other hand, the guitar chords on “She’s Country” sound more like AC/DC than Merle Haggard; his current single, “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” teams Jason with pop singer Kelly Clarkson; and he even has a rap section on “Dirt Road Anthem,” one of the key tracks on his current album My Kinda Party.
Jason grew up on the outskirts of Macon, Ga., and his background brought all of those different musical threads together.
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Nov
24
Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? On GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, our gratitude includes an appreciation for all the country stars who’ve embraced the show, and in this weekend’s edition, the countdown will feature some of the best interview clips with Nan Kelley and Suzanne Alexander from 2010, including guest visits from the likes of Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, Jeff Bridges and Reba McEntire.
It’s been a big year for many of the guests in the highlights episode. Trace Adkins released his first album after joining Toby Keith’s record company, Little Big Town snared a No. 1 country album, Blake Shelton picked up his first-ever Country Music Association awards and Taylor Swift sold 1 million copies of her new album in a single week.
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Nov
18
Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.
As Taylor Swift rolled out the promotional campaign for her current album Speak Now, one of the key moments came when she performed “Innocent” at the MTV Music Video Awards.
There was plenty of drama around it, since Kanye West had famously interrupted her acceptance speech at that show a year before, and he was in the house for the 2010 edition. As fans would discover during the performance, “Innocent” effectively offered forgiveness to Kanye, who had revealed just weeks before how badly his mistake had crushed him. He lost a concert tour because of it, had to fire employees and went through prolonged public ridicule.
And, he recognized, he brought it all on himself.
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Jan
7
Carrie Underwood wins Female Vocalist of the Year at "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: Jim Hagans / Provided by Country Music Association.
Carrie Underwood might have tripped on her way to the stage at Wednesday’s People’s Choice Awards, but she succeeded in taking home the trophy once she got to the podium.
“That just shows you,” she said after stumbling, “how excited I am!”
Carrie was one of three country stars to join the winner’s circle during the show, aired live on CBS from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Keith Urban walked off with Favorite Male Artist, and Taylor Swift collected Favorite Female.
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Dec
31
Taylor Swift performs “Forever & Always” at “The 43rd Annual CMA Awards,” on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: John Russell / CMA. Provided by Country Music Association.
#1 on GAC’s Top Stories of 2009 | View all »
The top news story in country music is unavoidable. Taylor Swift was everywhere, doing everything and reaching everybody in 2009. She appeared in movies with the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus; headlined her first concert tour; showed up on two different episodes of “Saturday Night Live”; won Entertainer of the Year from the Country Music Association; sold more records than anyone else in the year; crossed into the pop charts; contributed to albums by John Mayer and Boys Like Girls; and finally turned 20 in December.
Oh, and she earned lots of unintended sympathy by simply being on an awards-show stage at the same time as some perpetually angry guy named Kanye West.
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Oct
14
Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.
The American Music Awards! The Musicians Hall of Fame! The CMA Broadcast Awards! The Inspirational Country Music Awards!
Another wave of awards news rolled in this week. As always (unless Kanye West is involved), that means something good for Taylor Swift. This time around is no exception: Taylor snagged a total of six nominations Tuesday in the American Music Awards, putting her ahead of Michael Jackson, Eminem and a gaggle of pop and rock stars in the all-genre competition.
Taylor entertained her way into the Pop or Rock Music field and the Adult Contemporary category in addition to garnering expected country tabs. The Zac Brown Band snared a pair of country nods plus a nomination for T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist. Rascal Flatts was also a double nominee for the show, which airs on ABC Nov. 22.
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Sep
16
Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.
Toby Keith, Joe Nichols and John Fogerty join a long list of artists with big awards moments in their future, and it’s a good bet that all of them will enjoy a smoother time in the spotlight than Taylor Swift did when Kanye West stole her microphone at last weekend’s MTV Video Music Awards.
Toby and John are receiving honors that recognize long-term accomplishments, while Joe is taking part in an awards ceremony featuring one of the world’s spiritual leaders. Continue Reading
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Sep
16
Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.
Yesterday morning Taylor Swift went on The View to perform and talk about what everyone else was talking about — the Kanye West controversy. When asked if the rapper had personally contacted her to apologize for taking the mic away from her during her MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech, she said he had not.
Hours later, things changed. Continue Reading
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