Loretta Lynn photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry.

Last week, Loretta Lynn got doubly good news when her “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was entered into the National Recording Registry and Vintage Books announced it was re-releasing her autobiography in September.

Now her autumn schedule is looking even more attractive. The Recording Academy has announced that Loretta will be recognized during the second Grammy Salute To Country Music Oct. 12 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. During the night, she’ll receive the Recording Academy President’s Merit Award. She’ll also be given her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; she was unable to attend in January when the Academy recognized her — alongside Bobby Darin and Michael Jackson — with that honor in January.

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Carrie Underwood performs "Cowboy Casanova" 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

Her “Cowboy Casanova” video is still lodged at No. 2 on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, but Carrie Underwood’s got a new video on the way.

The clip for “Temporary Home” makes its GAC debut on Thursday, and she believes it will put a new spin on the song, which has caused a few folks to shed tears or at least develop a lump in the ol’ throat. The actual song is built around the stories of three people, all of whom are able to put a positive spin on a rough place in their lives by recognizing the transient nature of their situation. The video works a little differently.

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Sugarland photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Twenty-five years after Kenny Rogers’ then-manager Ken Kragen helped coordinate the landmark USA For Africa single “We Are The World,” the song was re-recorded Monday in Los Angeles with a cast of characters that apparently dwarfed the original, which featured nearly 50 artists of the time.

With Quincy Jones back to produce and Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, at the center of the event, more than 100 artists were expected to take part, according to CNN, though none of the artists who played on the first version were asked back this time. That means no Bob Dylan, no Bruce Springsteen, no Tina Turner and no Paul Simon. Country music’s Willie Nelson was on that first version, too.

Even without Willie, and without Kenny, country has a role again in the 2010 version.  Zac Brown, Sugarland, Julianne Hough and Miley Cyrus are among the artists who joined the crew in Los Angeles, according to an official release. They sang alongside Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, the Jonas Brothers, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Jason Mraz, Jeff Bridges, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher and Carlos Santana.

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Zac Brown Band photo courtesy of Atlantic Records.

Four-time winner Taylor Swift might have been country music’s most-honored figure at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, but she was hardly the only person in the genre to have a big time. The Zac Brown Band took the Recording Academy’s Best New Artist trophy during the three-and-a-half hour show, and Steve Wariner, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis were among the acts singled out during a streamed pre-telecast ceremony, where the bulk of the 109 victors were announced.

“It’s such a honor to be on stage and to be sharin’ in this big amalgam of music,” Zac told the star-studded Staples Center crowd. “We’re so honored and blessed to be here. We’re looking forward to playing for y’all.”

Play they did. The band whipped through a medley of songs with guest keyboard player Leon Russell, on stage less than three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the leakage of brain fluid. The set ended with a wicked-paced instrumental after the last verse and chorus of “Chicken Fried.”

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Nearly three weeks after a Jan. 12 earthquake destroyed large swatches of Haiti, the response from country music’s community is heartening. Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Pam Tillis, Big Kenny, Restless Heart and Toby Keith are just some of the artists who found ways to get involved.

They’ve donated their time, their voices and their money, and in one particular instance, one unintended result was a confirmation that the recording industry has crossed a barrier as it continues to evolve in the digital age. Taylor and Keith were both featured on the multi-network special Help For Haiti Now, which was immediately released as a digital-only album. It quickly sold more than 170,000 copies and came in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 all-genre albums chart. It marks the first time in history that the top album in the country could not be purchased in a physical format.

Here’s a summary of the ways country stars have reached out to help:

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Carrie Underwood rehearses on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Sommet Center in Downtown Nashville for "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," which will broadcast live on the ABC Television Network on Wed., Nov. 11th, 8-11PM/ET. Photographer: John Russell / CMA

You can do a little Grammy countdown for Carrie Underwood.

Four… the number of Grammys she’s won to date.

Three… she’s slated to perform on Sunday’s telecast in a Michael Jackson tribute that includes a 3-D segment.

Two… she’s nominated for a pair of trophies in that ceremony.

One… her first-year honor as Best New Artist is the one that really rocked her world.

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Carrie Underwood chats with host Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.

Carrie Underwood’s third album, Play On, hits stores both physical and virtual on Tuesday, and she’ll hit the small screen Friday in an interview with Nan Kelley on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, hosted this weekend by Suzanne Alexander.

It’s great timing. The album’s first video debuts at No. 1 on the show, as “Cowboy Casanova” employs a fair share of Michael Jackson-like group dance shots. Carrie’s also slated to co-host the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards with Brad Paisley on Nov. 11, and she’s up for an American Music Award Nov. 22. She’ll host her first network TV special on FOX on Dec. 7.

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Luke Bryan photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

“That kid,” LeClaire Bryan, his mother, told The Albany Herald in Georgia, “was a piece of work.”

Luke’s newest piece of work — his sophomore album, Doin’ My Thing — will be released on Tuesday, and Luke will celebrate with a big homecoming event, signing autographs in the afternoon and performing a concert at the Lee County High School that night.

He returns to Georgia a star, but he would not have achieved that distinction if he hadn’t had a do-or-die attitude about pursuing his dream. He spent a good deal of time waiting tables when he first arrived in Nashville, and he still won’t show his mom the apartment where he lived when he first moved to Music City. Continue Reading

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Jimmy Wayne photo courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

Celebrity deaths, it’s been said, come in threes, and that was certainly true this week with the passing of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon.

They were not country figures, but each of them had a small level of influence on the genre. And in the middle of their much-covered deaths, the loss of songwriter Tim Krekel — who authored a pair of hits — was overshadowed. Continue Reading

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