Scotty McCreery photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Nominations for the 2012 Billboard Music Awards were recently announced. Scotty McCreery received two nominations — one for the all-genre Top New Artist Award and one for Top Country Album, for Clear As Day. Also up for Top New Artist are Bad Meets Evil, Big Sean, Foster the People and Wiz Khalifa. In the Top Country Album category, Scotty is joined by Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan and Lady Antebellum.

“This is amazing!” Scotty said. “It’s exciting that my name is listed with these other talented artists. I am honored that Billboard would recognize me for my debut country album. I’m also excited about the Top New Artist nomination because it recognizes artists from all genres of music. I’ve been overwhelmed by everything that has happened to me in the last year and I’m grateful to the fans who made all of this possible.”

The Billboard Music Awards will be held May 20 in Las Vegas. They will air live from the MGM Grand on ABC at 8/7 PM CT.

Billboard Music Awards Country Nominees:

Top New Artist (All-Genre):
Bad Meets Evil
Big Sean
Foster The People
Scotty McCreery
Wiz Khalifa

Top Duo/Group (All-Genre)
The Black Eyed Peas
Coldplay
Lady Antebellum
LMFAO
Maroon 5 Continue Reading

ShareThis

Carrie Underwood & Nan Kelley on the set of GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown. Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/carrieunderwood.

Carrie Underwood  did double the work on this week’s Top 20 Country Countdown. She joined Nan Kelley as co-host, helping count down this week’s Top 20 videos, while also giving Nan the inside scoop on her new album, Blown Away, out May 1. There was also plenty of girl talk, with Carrie discussing being married to pro hockey player Mike Fisher and what their plans are for the future. Miss Friday night’s premiere? Check the schedule for re-airs throughout the weekend! Full schedule »

Plus, while you’re watching Top 20, you’ll have the chance to win $1,000 in our Top 20 for $20,000 Sweepstakes! Just watch Top 20 then come back here to GACTV.com and answer the weekly question. A new $1,000 winner will be chosen each week and one grand prize winner will win $20,000! Enter Now >> 

On the chart this week, the Top 5 remain unchanged, with Hunter Hayes holding on to the top spot after debuting there last week. Jason Aldean is the big mover, jumping four spaces to No. 14 with his latest, “Fly Over States.” Craig Morgan and Kip Moore also re-enter the countdown with their videos this week, coming in at No. 19 and No. 20.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
2. Carrie Underwood – “Good Girl”
3. Alan Jackson – “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore”
4. Lauren Alaina – “Georgia Peaches”
5. Miranda Lambert – “Over You”
6. Luke Bryan – “Drunk On You
7. Keith Urban – “For You”
8. Josh Turner – “Time Is Love”
9. Lady Antebellum – “Dancing Away With My Heart”
10. Thompson Square – “Glass” Continue Reading

ShareThis

Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Love Lady Antebellum’s website? Help them win an award for it! Lady A’s website, www.LadyAntebellum.com, has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Best Celebrity/Fan Website category. Fans can help the group win the award by casting their votes HERE.

The Webby Awards are called the ‘Internet’s highest honor’ by the New York Times. Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), the Webby Awards are the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. The IADAS, which nominates and selects the Webby Awards, is comprised of web exerts including Skype CEO Tony Bates, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom and Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds. Continue Reading

ShareThis

Glen Campbell photo courtesy of Big Hassle PR

CMA Music Festival has included a legendary element to this year’s concert lineup. Glen Campbell, Ronnie Milsap, Kenny Rogers and The Mavericks have been added to the Nightly Concerts held at LP Field during the festival, which takes place June 7-10 in downtown Nashville.

Glen Campbell will open the performances at LP Field on Thursday, June 7. Ronnie Milsap will open on Friday, June 8, Kenny Rogers on Saturday, June 9 and The Mavericks on Sunday, June 10. The Night Concerts will once again be filmed for an ABC concert special to air in late summer.

The current lineups for the Nightly Concerts are as follows in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 7: Jason Aldean, Glen Campbell, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, and Zac Brown Band

Friday, June 8: The Band Perry, Brantley Gilbert, Ronnie Milsap, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood Continue Reading

ShareThis

Vince Gill invites Keith Urban to become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry during his "All For The Hall" benefit concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on April 10, 2012. Photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry,. Photo credit Chris Hollo.

The We’re All For The Hall benefit concert hosted by Keith Urban and  Vince Gill raised $465,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Now in its third year, the sum pushes the total raised by the annual event to approximately $1.5 million. Nearly 14,000 fans filled Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for a show that featured Keith, Vince, Alabama, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and many more, including surprise appearances by Don Williams and Merle Haggard.

“This museum, and country music in general, could not ask for greater ambassadors and caretakers than Vince Gill and Keith Urban,” Museum Director Kyle Young said. “They have such a reverence for this music’s history, and are passionate about its future. The first We’re All for the Hall benefit, in 2009, was a game changer for this museum in terms of both fundraising and awareness, and this year’s show, the third, has again helped take this institution to another level.”

See photos from We’re All For The Hall! >>

“The support that We’re All for the Hall has continued to receive truly validates the importance of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and its place at the epicenter of country music,” Keith said. “To all of the fans that have come out to the shows, the artists that have given so generously of their time and to the commitment of dollars, equipment and products that our corporate partners have given us, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  We’ll see you again next year.”

During the show, Keith was surprised with an invitation from Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, The Oak Ridge Boys and Diamond Rio to become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry. Keith will be inducted into the Opry on April 21. You can watch the historic moment live on GAC in our new series, Noteworthy At The Opry airing at 9/8 CT. Here’s a sneak peek of the show:

Continue Reading

ShareThis

Lady Antebellum

Congratulations to Lady Antebellum‘s Dave Haywood, who married fiancee Kelli Cashiola on Saturday, April 14 at Front Porch Farms in Ashland City, Tennessee! People magazine reported that Dave’s band mates, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, attended the sunset wedding and that artist Dave Barnes (who wrote the Blake Shelton hit “God Gave Me You”) provided the ceremony music. [Click the photo above to see the full-size version.]

Click here to read about Dave’s romantic proposal to Kelli >>

According to People, Kelli, 30 — a Warner Bros. Records executive in Nashville — wore  Continue Reading

ShareThis

Nan Kelley & Keith Urban backstage at the We're All For The Hall benefit concert, Wednesday, April 11, 2012.

This week on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, Nan Kelley joined Keith Urban at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for his annual We’re All For The Hall benefit concert and learned about the importance of preserving country music’s history straight from Keith! Some of the special guests invited by Keith to perform also stopped by to discuss their involvement in the event, which raises money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Besides chatting with Keith and his famous friends, Nan also counted down this week’s Top 20 videos! Miss Friday night’s premiere? Check the schedule for re-airs throughout the weekend! Check the full schedule »

On the charts this week, Hunter Hayes’ latest video, “Wanted,” debuts on the countdown at No. 1 while Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” falls to No. 2 after spend the past couple of weeks in the top spot. Jason Aldean’s new video, “Fly Over States,” also debuts on the countdown this week at No. 18.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
2. Carrie Underwood – “Good Girl”
3. Alan Jackson – “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore”
4. Lauren Alaina – “Georgia Peaches”
5. Miranda Lambert – “Over You”
6. Keith Urban – “For You”
7. Josh Turner – “Time Is Love”
8. Luke Bryan – “Drunk On You
9. Lady Antebellum – “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”
10. Thompson Square – “Glass” Continue Reading

ShareThis

Kenny Chesney (L) and Lionel Richie perform onstage during Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert presented by ACM held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 2, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Country music superstars like Kenny Chesney,  Tim McGraw and Martina McBride will pay tribute to the legendary Lionel Richie in ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – In Concert. The concert special airs Friday, April 13 at 9/8 p.m. Central on CBS. During the show, country stars will perform some of Lionel’s biggest hits as well as duets featured on Lionel’s new album, Tuskegee.

Artists performing include Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, The Band Perry, Big & Rich, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Blake Shelton and Marc Anthony. Lionel’s daughter, Nicole Richie, also makes a special appearance.

See photos from Lionel Richie & Friends Concert! >>

Duets with Lionel during the show include “My Love” with Kenny Chesney, “Sail On” with  Tim McGraw, “Hello” with Jennifer Nettles, “Lady” with Kenny Rogers, “Stuck On You” with Darius Rucker, “Dancin’ On The Ceiling” with Rascal Flatts, along with surprises.

Watch exclusive backstage videos from the Lionel Richie & Friends Concert! >>

Continue Reading

ShareThis

Martina McBride photo courtesy of Republic Nashville.

Individual tickets to the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during CMA Music Festival will go on sale Saturday, April 14 at 11/10 AM CT. Tickets will be $40 for general admission in the upper deck of LP Field and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1 (800) 745-3000 or through CMAfest.com or 1 (800) CMA-FEST (262-3378).

Four-day ticket packages are still available and start at $125 per person. They include admission to all four Nightly Concerts as well as all daytime festival activities, including the Fan Fair Fall where artist autograph signing sessions are held. Children three years and younger are admitted free.

Additionally, Martina McBride, Jake Owen and Hunter Hayes have been added to the Nightly Concerts. This will mark Hunter’s first performance at LP Field during CMA Music Festival. CMA will announce more artists joining the lineup soon. The Nightly Concerts will once again be filmed for a concert special airing on ABC later in the year.

The current lineups for the Nightly Concerts are as follows in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 7:  Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, and Zac Brown Band

Friday, June 8:  The Band Perry, Brantley Gilbert, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood   Continue Reading

ShareThis

Little Big Town photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Little Big Town is one of the acts set to perform at Keith Urban’s third annual All For The Hall benefit concert tonight, April 10, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The concert will benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All For The Hall Fund, which goes towards helping the Museum with its mission to preserve the legacy of country music. Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman remembers her first visit to the Museum as a teenager.

“I think the Country Music Hall of Fame is so important to the whole world of country music,” she said. “When I was 14, we took a family trip and came up to the Hall of Fame. It’s one of the family trips in my whole life that stands out the most. I know what I wore and everything. It just was so special and so important.”

At 14, Kimberly had no way of knowing she would one day be performing with her bandmates to raise funds for the Museum, but realizes the impact that first visit had on her life as a musician. She supports the Museum’s goal of preserving the history country music for future generations.

“Country music is important, not only to our community but to families all over our country who want to see what Nashville is all about and what Nashville history is all about,” she said. “And now that the Hall of Fame is amazing, it’s incredible, one of the best museums I’ve ever been in, I think it’s so important that we continue our history and that we show the rest of the world what Nashville is all about.” Continue Reading

ShareThis