Billy Ray Cyrus photo courtesy of Walt Disney Records.

Billy Ray Cyrus is planning to release his memoir, reports Music Row. Hillbilly Heart will be available in hardback and ebook editions in the spring of 2013 through Amazon Publishing. Billy Ray will open up about his career, his family, and being a parent to superstar daughter Miley Cyrus.

“This is my chance to set the record straight,” Billy Ray said. “I realized that over the years that there have been untruths and misconceptions about me, my music, my life, my family and our dreams. I’m going to lay out the facts starting from August 25th, 1961 and work my way to the present, even if it stings a little.”

The book will begin with a five-year-old Billy Ray taking the stage alongside his father’s gospel quartet, The Crownsmen, and wind through his career and personal life, including when he listened to an inner voice that told him he’d find his purpose in life through music. Billy Ray found he was ‘too country’ for L.A., but despite being considered ‘too rock’ for Nashville, still reached No. 1 with his breakout hit, “Achy Breaky Heart” and later returned to stardom playing the TV father of real-life daughter Miley on Disney’s Hannah Montana. 

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Country Music Miniature Donkeys, based in Spicewood, Texas and owned by fourth generation ranchers Tim and Rhetta McAlister, raise and show cattle, South African Boer Goats and world class Quarter Horses – and miniature donkeys named after country stars. The farm’s two sires are ”George Jones” and “Garth Brooks.”

George, 30” tall, and Garth, also 30” tall, have a band of 35 jennets (female donkeys). All jennets have a “lovely disposition, excellent conformation and an extensive pedigree” according to the ranch’s website, resulting in high quality offspring. George and Garth have sired more than 25 National and World champions at Halter and Performance in Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the U.S.

If you would like to purchase an offspring of George or Garth, the website has a listing of donkeys for sale. For example, Tim McGraw stands 21.5 inches and is described as a true black with a small white marking on his forehead. Fathered by George Jones, Tim’s mother is Kelly Clarkson. Take a look at Tim in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jason Aldean is also available for purchase. He’s the son of Garth Brooks and Someday’s Cinderella. He is well behaved and said to be gentle and trusting. He stands 30” tall and you can see him below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you would prefer a girl, Sara Evans is for sale. She is a descendent of George Jones and stands just 22” tall. The McAlisters say Sara is beautiful, gentle, curious and fun to work with. Take a look at Sara to see if she is the donkey for you:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other donkeys who have already found homes include Julianne Hough, Sarah Darling, Steel Magnolia, Gloriana, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire.

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Dierks Bentley took his country act to Hollywood for the 53^rd Annual GRAMMY Awards and celebrated Saturday night with a Dierks-style hootenanny in West Hollywood, inviting friends from across all genres of music to join him onstage, reports the LA Times. Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Hayley Williams of Paramore and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys were just some of the stars on hand for a two and a half hour smorgasbord of music. Jamey Johnson, the Punch Brothers, and Kris Kristofferson also made appearances.

“We’re not running a tight ship here,” Dierks said at the beginning of the show.

He jammed to his own songs as well as cover songs such as Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” with Zac Brown and “Gunpowder & Lead” and “Silver Wings” with Miranda Lambert. Sometimes, he played the role of backup band member to let others take over the mic, such as when Lady Antebellum performed a stripped down version of “Need You Now” and during a ‘countrified’ version of Paramore’s “The Only Exception.”

Hollywood also contributed a star or two to the act. Garrett Hedlund,who starred in Country Strong, got onstage to cover Kris Kristofferson’s  “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33” and Jessi Alexander, who co-wrote the Miley Cyrus hit “The Climb,” from Hannah Montana: The Movie joined Dierks on his song “Down In The Mine.”

The night wrapped up with an unlikely jam session of folk songs, including “Single Girl, Married Girl” and “Worried Man Blues” by Dierks, Dan Auerback and Del McCoury.

Of all the Grammy pre-parties, it looks like Dierks’ hootenanny may have been the place to be.

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of artist.

It rained. And rained. And rained some more.

Nashville took in over 13 inches of water in a 48-hour period in May, and some areas of the region were swamped with as much as 20 inches. It was more than the rivers and streams could handle, and by May 3, the drainage system was overflowing. The stage and much of the floor seating at the Grand Ole Opry House was covered, water seeped into one room at the Country Music Hall of Fame, LP Field — the site of the CMA Music Festival — became a swamp, and an instrument storage unit was drowned, destroying guitars and equipment owned by Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Toby Keith and Vince Gill, among others.

It took a while for people to notice outside of Middle Tennessee. The focus of the major news organizations at the time was on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So Music City rolled up its sleeves and started digging out on its own.

The Nashville flood is No. 1 on the list as GAC concludes its countdown of the top country news stories of 2010.

The flood really was a whopper. The first floor of Kenny Chesney’s home was completely submerged, and water got into parts of the second floor as well. Opry member Jeannie Seely was forced out of her home when the Cumberland River overflowed. Julie Roberts was rescued from her house via boat. And Dierks Bentley Tweeted a now-familiar photo in which he battled water in his basement.

Even before the week was out, Nashville was holding hands as it started the rebuilding process. The Grand Ole Opry never missed a beat, hopping from venue to venue to venue while crews began airing out the show’s home venue and renovating the building. Strangers literally visited flooded neighborhoods with food plates or helping hands. And country’s stars stepped up in a big way.

Among the contributions of time and money:

• A WSMV telethon, “Working 4 You: Flood Relief With Vince Gill & Friends,” pulled in $1.7 million. Vince and Amy Grant kicked off the evening with a $100,000 donation, and Taylor Swift called in with a $500,000 pledge. Keith Urban, Buddy Jewell, Darius Rucker and Alison Krauss were just some of the acts who came forward on short notice to help the cause.

• Reba McEntire donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross.

• Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley led the charge in a GAC special, Music City Keep On Playin’ — A Benefit For Flood Relief, which raised at least $1.8 million. Brad and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, started the night off with a $100,000 donation as the event brought in acts from Nashville’s multitude of styles — contemporary Christian, Americana, blues, gospel, pop and country.

• Dolly Parton donated $250,000, collected through Dollywood and her Dixie Stampede.

• Kix Brooks, Luke Bryan and Little Big Town took part as the Country Music Association delivered half of its CMA Music Festival proceeds — $1.46 million — to flood relief.

• Tim McGraw and Faith Hill organized Nashville Rising, a concert that contributed more than $2 million to rebuilding efforts. They were joined in the event by about 20 acts, including Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.

• Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood presented nine concerts in six days during December, raising more than $3.5 million. Steve Wariner guested, and the event helped demonstrate that Nashville as a whole is back on its feet, even though some of its citizens are still struggling to recover from life-changing setbacks.

Jeannie Seely eventually moved back into her house. And the Grand Ole Opry House reopened in a spectacular manner, with Brad Paisley and Little Jimmy Dickens leading a slew of members in “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” Many features of the building were upgraded, from the dressing rooms to the facility’s technology. The flood was devastating for many, but not debilitating for most.

“There’s a lot of people still hurting,” Brad said at the reopening. “It’ll take ‘em a long time. But I think this place did not feel sorry for itself — the city, I mean. It did not for a second sit around and boo hoo. It was ready to go to work. The artists did, the media did, the Opry did, and the city has as well.”

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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.

For Lady A, 2010 has included the band’s first headlining tour, a big pop crossover hit with “Need You Now” and a pair of CMA trophies. The trio also appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and — of course! — the Top 20. In addition, Entertainment Weekly has reported that a Lady A song will be used in an episode of “Glee” that airs in February on the heels of the Super Bowl. Still, there’s one major TV spot the band hasn’t conquered that remains on its wish list: “Saturday Night Live.”

“Being backstage and hopefully havin’ conversations with a couple of those actors that are so hysterical and their timing is so great would be a lot of fun,” Hillary Scott says. “Not to mention everybody watches it!”

“SNL” has lampooned Faith Hill, Miley Cyrus and Reba this year amidst appearances by Rihanna, Kanye West, Jude Law, Ashton Kutcher and Betty White.

“If a Golden Girl can do it,” Hillary winks, “Lady A can do it!”

Top 20 Country Countdown counts down the week’s top country videos from No. 20 to No. 1 as voted by viewers on each week on GACTV.com. A new countdown premieres every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on GAC and airs again Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET; Sundays at 1 p.m. ET; and Mondays at 10 a.m. ET. Viewers can vote for their favorite videos, as well as purchase Top 20 artists’ albums and ringtones at GACTV.com.

THIS WEEK’S CHART:

1. Carrie Underwood “Mama’s Song”
2. Jason Aldean “My Kinda Party”
3. Blake Shelton “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
4. Bo Bice “You Take Yourself With You”
5. Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson “As She’s Walking Away”
6. Sara Evans “A Little Bit Stronger”
7. Keith Urban “Put You In A Song”
8. Lady Antebellum “Hello World”
9. Reba McEntire “Turn On The Radio”
10. Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow & Miranda Lambert “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
11. The Band Perry “If I Die Young”
12. Miranda Lambert “Only Prettier”
13. Chris Young “Voices”
14. Taylor Swift “Mine”
15. Toby Keith “Bullets In The Gun”
16. the JaneDear girls “Wildflower”
17. Sugarland “Stuck Like Glue”
18. Trace Adkins “This Ain’t No Love Song”
19. Joey + Rory “That’s Important To Me”
20. Steel Magnolia “Just By Being You (Halo And Wings)”

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Billy Ray Cyrus photo courtesy of Walt Disney Records.

People magazine reports that Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife, Tish, are divorcing after 17 years of marriage.

“As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family,” they told the magazine in a statement. “We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers.”

Together, Billy Ray and Tish have five children — the most well-known being actress/pop star Miley Cyrus, with whom Billy Ray starred in the TV series and movie franchise, “Hannah Montana.” People reports divorce papers were filed today in Tennessee, citing irreconcilable differences.

Between his music — Billy Ray’s rock band, Brother Clyde, recently released their self-titled CD — and the new show he’s developing, ”UFO: Unbelievably Freakin’ Obvious” (to be co-hosted with his son Trace),  no doubt it was challenging to balance family schedules. Last year, Billy Ray stopped by GAC to answer fan questions, and had this to say about the difficulty of finding “alone time” with Tish:

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift couldn’t ask for much better timing. As she heads into the last week of promotion for her new album, Speak Now, she was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year Sunday night during the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s annual songwriter awards at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin took Song of the Year for penning the emotional Miranda Lambert hit “The House That Built Me,” and Chris DuBois earned Songwriter of the Year for his work as an author of Craig Morgan’s “This Ain’t Nothin’” and the Brad Paisley singles “Then” and “Welcome To The Future.”

The awards were part of a formal evening that saw four new members added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and had 11 titles recognized by the songwriting community as the cream of the crop: Songs I Wish I’d Written. That list included “Need You Now,” “White Liar,” “Big Green Tractor” and Taylor’s “You Belong With Me.”

“Since I can remember,” Taylor said, “my favorite thing in the whole world was a good story, going back to when my mom and dad would read me stories when I was little and then discovering poetry in English class. And then I discovered this town called Nashville, where they tell the coolest stories and in my opinion, they tell them in the most magical ways.”

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so generous with me,” she continued. “Whether it was telling fairytales or sad stories or stories that were just about my life and what I was going through, you’ve been wonderful to me, and I’m havin’ a blast telling stories.”

Chris deflected attention during his acceptance speech to Tom Douglas. In addition to writing “The House That Built Me,” Tom also penned Lady Antebellum’s “I Run To You” and Tim McGraw’s “Southern Voice,” giving him a trio of high-impact No. 1 singles.

“I feel like Tom Douglas should demand a recount!” Chris said.

Tom had already claimed his honor for “The House That Built Me.” His acceptance speech found him contemplating one of songwriters’ biggest foes: over-used language.

“You see people at awards shows and you often think, ‘Gosh, how cliché,’ ‘cause everybody kind of says the same thing,” he acknowledged. “But I think the reason why it sounds cliché is because you feel so small at a moment like this and you realize how many people have invested into your life to make a moment like this possible.”

The 11 “Songs I Wish I’d Written” include:
• “Need You Now” (Lady Antebellum), Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott, Josh Kear, songwriters
• “Use Somebody” (Kings Of Leon), Nathan Followill, Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill
• “A Little More Country Than That” (Easton Corbin), Don Poythress, Rory Lee Feek, Wynn Varble
• “Big Green Tractor” (Jason Aldean), David Lee Murphy, Jim Collins
• “I Run To You” (Lady Antebellum), Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott, Tom Douglas
• “Red Light” (David Nail), Dennis Matkosky, Jonathan Singleton, Melissa Peirce
• “Southern Voice” (Tim McGraw), Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas
• “The Climb” (Miley Cyrus), Jessi Alexander, Jon Mabe
• “The House That Built Me” (Miranda Lambert), Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin
• “White Liar” (Miranda Lambert), Miranda Lambert, Natalie Hemby
• “You Belong With Me” (Taylor Swift), Taylor Swift, Liz Rose

Which songs do you wish YOU had written? Leave us a comment below!

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Taylor Swift photo by Amanda Eckard/CMA, courtesy of Erickson PR.

Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts are among the most powerful celebrities in the world, right alongside Oprah Winfrey, Madonna and U2.

That’s one way to interpret the latest edition of Forbes magazine’s Celebrity 100, a ranking that goes beyond finances to provide a full picture of famous people’s star power. The list measures their income as well as their performance in four different media forms — TV/radio, press, the Internet and social media — to provide an overview of the celebrities’ relative place in the pecking order of popularity.

Buoyed by a No. 3 ranking in social media, Taylor came in at No. 12 on the list, one slot ahead of Miley Cyrus. Kenny, aided by an estimated $50 million in revenue, landed at No. 54. Rascal Flatts finished at No. 62, Toby Keith emerged at No. 67, and Keith Urban popped in at No. 76, sandwiched between Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts.

Given the amount of joint coverage Keith and his wife receive, it’s surprising to discover Nicole Kidman is nowhere on the chart, which does make room for comedian Jeff Dunham, Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Mariska Hargitay.

Oprah, who ranked No. 1 in both income and TV/radio, topped the entire list. Music acts in the Top 10 include Beyonce Knowles, No. 2; Lady Gaga, No. 4; Britney Spears, No. 6; U2, No. 7; and Madonna, No. 10. Go here for a complete list of The Celebrity 100.

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Trace Adkins (l) and Blake Shelton rehearse on Friday, April 16, 2010 for the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Photo courtesy of the Academy of Country Music.

From the minute Tim McGraw and Faith Hill announced plans for their multi-artist flood-relief concert Nashville Rising, the event looked like the kind of evening ripe for surprises. And it was.

Even after Brooks & Dunn were forced to cancel because of Ronnie Dunn’s throat problems, a few unannounced stars made their way Tuesday to Music City’s Bridgestone Arena, one of numerous downtown facilities that took in water during the early-May flood. Trace Adkins popped onstage to join Blake Shelton on “Hillbilly Bone,” according to USA Today. And Sandra Bullock — who worked with Tim on the movie The Blind Side — took the spotlight and comically picked out the opening chords from Deep Purple’s classic-rock standard “Smoke On The Water.” Then she got serious.

“They say a community is only as strong as its weakest link,” she told the crowd, according to The Tennessean. “And from where I stand, I see no weak links.”

It was definitely not a weak show in terms of star power. Carrie Underwood kicked things off with a set that included “Undo It” and “How Great Thou Art,” the Associated Press reported. Taylor Swift chipped in “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” Martina McBride sang the ultra-appropriate “Anyway,” ZZ Top cranked out “La Grange” and “Tush,” Jason Aldean served up “She’s Country” and “Big Green Tractor,” Faith offered “Piece Of My Heart” and Tim closed the night with “Southern Voice” and “Live Like You Were Dying.”

In all, about 20 acts took part, including Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Amy Grant, Miley Cyrus, Luke Bryan, LeAnn Rimes and Michael W. Smith. Dolly Parton, Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey sent videotaped messages, and a plethora of companies and organizations offered donations.

Flooding at the Bridgestone is documented in the GAC special Brad Paisley Underwater, which re-airs at 11 p.m. ET on Thursday and three more times on Friday. Floods also hit the Wildhorse Saloon, which reopened nearly three weeks ago; the Country Music Hall of Fame, which took water in the theater where new members are typically inducted; and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which sustained a whopping $42 million of damage, according to The Tennessean.

Organizers anticipate Nashville Rising brought in $2 million to $3 million in aid, a drop in the bucket compared to the $2 billion in estimated damages from the disaster.

“These things always seem to happen to people who really can’t afford for it to happen, people that are livin’ paycheck to paycheck and barely gettin’ by,” Tim said recently. “It’s not rocket science, what we do. We’re musicians and we sorta get to goof off for our whole career, so all we can do is put on a show and have all our friends do it.”

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Taylor Swift photo by Amanda Eckard/CMA, courtesy of Erickson PR.

She was born on Dec. 13, and Taylor Swift — whose Twitter account is @taylorswift13 — has forever deemed 13 her lucky number. She’ll put it to work in spades during the CMA Music Festival when she signs autographs for 13 hours on June 13.

Set for Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, the marathon event kicks off at 8 a.m. and runs until 9 p.m. Taylor plans a short break around 2 p.m. to give an acoustic performance — hopefully six hours of inking her name will not have impaired her ability to clutch a microphone or play her guitar.

“My favorite thing about CMA Music Fest has always been getting to spend time with the fans, so this year I wanted to figure out a way to meet as many of them as possible,” Taylor says. “Thirteen is my lucky number, and the 13th is during Music Fest, so I think spending 13 hours that day with my fans is going to be amazing!”

Assuming she completes the mission, Taylor will eclipse her previous Music Fest peak. She signed autographs for eight hours two years ago.

The Bridgestone event is Taylor’s only Music Fest performance this year, though it’s not the only time she’ll be at Nashville’s downtown arena this summer. She’s also on the bill June 22 for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s flood-relief benefit. Others slated for that night include Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, Amy Grant and Luke Bryan.

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