Pam Tillis & Kris Thomas photo courtesy of Absolute Publicity.

Pam Tillis and rising R&B star Kris Thomas have recorded a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Elvis Presley. “Two Kings” blends the sounds of soul, country, pop and gospel and was appropriately released in the week between Elvis’ birthday and Martin Luther King Day. Pam wrote the song with Brenda O’Brien,whose family owned the Memphis night club, The Plantation Inn, which was both a hot spot frequented by celebrities and a melting pot of races and social classes during the height of the Civil Rights movement.

“Martin Luther’s contribution to civil rights is an unassailable matter of history and Elvis’ disregard of the division of race in music helped change it forever,” Pam said. ”My friend Brenda O’Brien, who grew up during the turbulent times of the civil rights struggle, right in the middle of the Memphis music scene, saw the connection and brought the song idea to me. All I did was help her see her vision through.”

“The message of this song is so powerful and relevant, especially in our world today and all the connections to Memphis make this song really special to me, being a Memphis native,” Kris said. “Plus, being able to sing and work in the studio with Pam was such a thrill and an education for me.”

Watch the “Two Kings” video!

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Craig Morgan photo courtesy of Monarch Publicity.

Craig Morgan has announced the lineup for his 5^th annual Charity Ride and Concert to be held August 6 and 7 in his hometown of Dickson, Tennessee. The event, which benefits Billy’s Place, a home for temporarily displaced children in Dickson, will include a celebrity dirt bike ride, a sporting clay shoot and a concert.

The event kicks off on Saturday, August 6 with a celebrity dirt bike ride. Kevin Windham, Cowboy Kenny Bartram, Fred Andrews, Randy Hawkins, Ricky Carmichael, Andrew Short and Bucky Covington have been confirmed for the ride.  On Sunday, Craig will perform along with Bucky, Pam Tillis and Sarah Darling. Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

“Let the blubbering begin!”

Gerry House, who’s been the morning man to the stars as a fixture on Nashville’s morning radio for most of the last three decades, signed off Wednesday on his very last shift for WSIX-FM. It’s a retirement from regular morning shows, but not a retirement from his life’s work as a writer and comedic talent.

Gerry announced his departure some three months ago, and the stars have either called in or come by the studio in droves over the last week to wish him well. Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban have had funny and/or sentimental moments. On Wednesday’s shift, the well-wishers included Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire.

WSIX Vice President Tom English announced the station was renaming the studio as “The House,” in honor of Gerry and his House Foundation show.

“It’s a very, very sad day for Nashville, but a great day for you,” Brad said.

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Trailer Choir & Pam Tillis backstage at the 4th Annual Country Weekly Fashion Show & Concert, at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville on June 8, 2010. Photo by Kendra Motycka, courtesy of Country Weekly.

They’re always fashionable, but on Monday, June 8, stars including Clay Walker, Pam Tillis and Bucky Covington amped up their style even more at the 4th Annual Country Weekly Fashion Show and Concert, raising more than $20,000 for Musicians On Call.

The event was hosted by Clay and emcee’d by GAC’s own Suzanne Alexander, and also featured Luke Bryan and Joe Nichols along with models including Pam, Bucky, Bo Bice, Aaron and Thea Tippin, Trailer Choir, Katie Armiger, Sarah Darling, Whitney Duncan, Danielle Peck and others. See photos here >>

“Country Weekly is thrilled to be able to support Musicians On Call and the amazing work they do,” said Lisa Konicki, editor in chief. “Our 4th fashion show and concert was a success due to the hard work of many people and we thank the artists, sponsors, staff and crew that brought it all together seamlessly.”

We caught up with the stars backstage just before they strutted the catwalk: Continue Reading

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Rodney Atkins photo courtesy of Curb Nashville.

Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music will help kick off the 2010 CMA Music Festival on June 9 with “The Sixth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade” at 11:30 a.m. Central through the streets of downtown Nashville.

Brenda Lee will serve as Grand Marshal and other artists participating in the parade include Lynn Anderson, Katie Armiger, Rodney Atkins, The Band Perry, Bo Bice, Ash Bowers, Carter Twins, Jeff Cook, Diana DeGarmo, Fast Ryde, Colt Ford, Brantley Gilbert, Gloriana, Josh Gracin, The Grascals, The Harters, Buddy Jewell, KingBilly, Jesse Lee, LoCash Cowboys, Lonestar, Jerrod Niemann, James Otto, Danielle Peck, Point of Grace, Marty Raybon, Pam Tillis, Trent Tomlinson, and Chuck Wicks. Members of the National Guard will drive artists along the parade route in Chevy vehicles, including the all new 2011 Silverado HD and the Military Specialty Camaro. Continue Reading

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Clay Walker photo courtesy of Curb Records.

Clay Walker is positioned nicely on the chart with the video for “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” and he’ll drop in to talk with host Nan Kelley this weekend during GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Currently at No. 6 on the countdown, the song is the title track for Clay’s next album, due out June 8. On the day of release, he’ll be spending time with GAC, joining network personality Suzanne Alexander to handle the host/emcee duties during the fourth annual Country Weekly Fashion Show and Concert at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon. The event, which raises money for a hospital-visitation agency called Musicians On Call, will also feature Aaron Tippin, Joe Nichols, Bucky Covington, Love And Theft, Pam Tillis and Bo Bice, among others.

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift is walking through yet another door, becoming the first country songwriter to win the Hal David Starlight Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in June.

Introduced in 2004 to recognize young composers already working at a substantial creative peak, the award’s previous honorees include pop, rock and R&B singer-songwriters Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, John Legend, John Rzeznik and Jason Mraz. The Starlight Award is named for Songwriters Hall of Fame chief Hal David, who’s a substantial writer himself, known for such titles as Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson’s “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before,” Ronnie Milsap’s “It Was Almost Like A Song,” B.J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” and Dusty Springfield’s “The Look Of Love.”

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

No, they’re not leaving their “day jobs” as country artists, but Dierks Bentley, Pam Tillis and Jim Lauderdale will moonlight as deejays for Nashville’s legendary radio station, 650 AM WSM. On March 15 the station will kick off a series of new midday shows hosted by various award-winning artists. 

The three weekly one-hour shows hosted by Dierks, Pam and Jim will air Monday – Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT.  The shows can also be heard online at http://www.wsmonline.com/ or as podcasts via iTunes.

You’re not likely to hear a strict “Top 40″-type playlist on the shows — these will be songs that the artists want to play, so expect a nice mix of country, bluegrass and Americana music. There may also be in-studio guests and jam sessions. Continue Reading

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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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Tim McGraw photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Curb Records.

#10 on GAC’s Top Stories of 2009 |  View all »

You can count on seeing country music in certain places on television. It’s a 24/7 proposition on GAC. And the daily talk shows — including “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” and “The Late Show With David Letterman” — obviously need a good smattering of country acts to fill out the music slots on their programs.

But country artists did an excellent job in 2009 in grabbing a larger share of acting roles and musical moments on TV and in the movies. Led by Tim McGraw’s part as Sandra Bullock’s husband in The Blind Side, by Taylor Swift’s TV acting debut on “CSI” and by the bevy of country stars who appeared on the platinum soundtrack to Hannah Montana: The Movie, the genre was well represented in the visual media in the last 12 months.

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