Eli Young Band photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

Billboard.com has released their year-end Top Country Songs chart for 2011. Here are the 50 most popular country songs of the year based on radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS. Congratulations to Eli Young Band for having the No. 1 song of the year with “Crazy Girl!” Of note, the song was co-written by Lee Brice who recorded “Love Like Crazy,” the Top Song of 2010.

1. “Crazy Girl” – Eli Young Band
2. “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” – Jake Owen
3. “Take A Back Road” – Rodney Atkins
4. “Tomorrow” – Chris Young
5. “You Lie” – The Band Perry
6. “Am I The Only One” – Dierks Bentley
7. “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney
8. “Honey Bee” – Blake Shelton
9. “Just Fishin’” – Trace Adkins
10. “Let Me Down Easy” – Billy Currington
11. “Here For A Good Time” – George Strait
12. “Knee Deep” – Zac Brown Band
13. “Just A Kiss” – Lady Antebellum
14. “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” – Justin Moore
15. “Made In America” – Toby Keith
16. “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” – Luke Bryan
17. “Heart Like Mine” – Miranda Lambert
18. “God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
19. “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean w/Kelly Clarkson
20. “What Do You Want” – Jerrod Niemann Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift's Speak Now CD. Photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Billboard.com has just released its year-end charts for 2011. Here are the 50 most popular country albums for the year (based on album sales). Congratulations to Taylor Swift for taking the top spot with her Speak Now album!

1. Speak Now – Taylor Swift
2. My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean
3. Nothing Like This – Rascal Flatts
4. Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
5. You Get What You Give – Zac Brown Band
6. Own The Night – Lady Antebellum  Read Our Review >>
7. The Band Perry – The Band Perry
8. The Incredible Machine – Sugarland
9. Get Closer – Keith Urban
10. Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney
11. This Is Country Music – Brad Paisley  Read Our Review >>
12. Clear As Day – Scotty McCreery  Read Our Review >>
13. Number One Hits – Tim McGraw
14. Tailgates & Tanlines – Luke Bryan  Read Our Review >>
15. Chief – Eric Church  Read Our Review >>
16. Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton – Blake Shelton
17. Red River Blue – Blake Shelton  Read Our Review >>
18. The Foundation – Zac Brown Band
19. Revolution – Miranda Lambert
20. Country Strong Soundtrack – Various Artists Continue Reading

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Opry General Manager Pete Fisher, Opry member Little Jimmy Dickens, Joe Don Rooney, Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Rascal Flatts is officially the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry. With the help of Little Jimmy Dickens, the trio was inducted into the Opry family on October 8, the same night the Opry celebrated its 86th birthday. Vince Gill surprised the band with an invitation to join the Opry during their performance on September 27.

Watch the Video of Their Invitation >>

“The Opry has had such a special place in my heart for such a long time,” Gary LeVox said. “I mean even before we were artists and musicians we were children growing up, you know, our grandparents, our mothers and fathers were big fans of the Opry. We had no idea if this was ever going to happen. But when Vince came out a couple weeks ago when we were onstage it was really shocking, it was mind blowing, so humbling and we’re so honored and proud to be a part of this legacy. There is no bigger pinnacle than the Grand Ole Opry. It is country music.”

“We are humbled by this,” Joe Don Rooney said. “We are absolutely blown away by this and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store with us through the Opry. Tonight is a great platform from which to set sail.” Continue Reading

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Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its  86^th birthday with a night of music, the Opry debut of one of country music’s most recognizable voices, the induction of its newest member, a giant cake and lots of balloons. The show was aired live on GAC as part of Opry Live.

Little Jimmy Dickens, Jeannie Seely, The Whites, Charley Pride, Jimmy C. Newman and Chuck Mead were all on hand to start off the evening. Opry member Craig Morgan was also in the Opry House. He kicked up the tempo with his new single, “This Ole Boy,” before performing his first ever No. 1, “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” He also debuted a brand new song, “More Trucks Than Cars,” for the Opry audience that will be on his upcoming album. Continue Reading

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Rascal Flatts is invited to join the Opry by member Vince Gill. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating their 86^th birthday the whole month of October  and this weekend will mark the Opry’s official Birthday Bash. If you can’t make it to Nashville, you can catch a lot of the action on GAC during episodes of Opry Live scheduled to air on Saturday, October 8 and Tuesday, October 11.

On Friday, October 7, Jason Michael Carroll, Crystal Bowersox, Mandy Barnett, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith and The Whites are just some of the talents on the Opry’s schedule. Mandy Barnett will sign copies of her CD Sweet Dreams and her new Christmas album, Winter Wonderland, in the Opry Shop from 5:30 to 6:30 prior to the show.

On Saturday, October 8, Jean Shepard, Charley Pride, Craig Morgan, Ronnie Dunn (who will be making his Opry debut as a solo artist) and Rascal Flatts, who will be inducted as the newest members of the Opry family, are on tap, among others. You can catch the show live on GAC during Opry Live at 9/8 CT.

Taking the Opry stage on Tuesday, October 11 will be Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery and Trace Adkins. Some performances will be broadcast live on Opry Live at 8/7 CT on GAC. Other performances from the night will be filmed for an episode of Opry Live to air October 29 at 9/8 CT. Continue Reading

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Martina McBride on the Grand Ole Opry. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 86th birthday the whole month of October with a list of all-star artists and special shows and events, many of which will be aired on GAC during episodes of Opry Live.

The party kicks off October 4 when the Opry honors Randy Travis for 25 years in country music and as an Opry member. Carrie Underwood, Connie Smith and Josh Turner are just a few of the artists scheduled to be on hand to honor Randy. Several performances from the night will be part of an episode of Opry Live to air on GAC October 15 at 9/8 CT.

The Opry’s Official 86th Birthday Bash Weekend will be held October 7 and 8 and feature performances from Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts and the solo Opry debut of Ronnie Dunn. Other events scheduled for the weekend are a Saturday afternoon birthday concert featuring Mel Tillis and a free Opry Plaza Birthday Party. GAC will broadcast the birthday party live on Opry Live at 9/8 CT.

Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery and Trace Adkins are all scheduled to appear on the Opry October 11. The night will also include a live broadcast of Opry Live at 8/7 CT. Other performances from the night will be filmed for a an episode of Opry Live to air October 29 at 9/8 CT. Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire photo courtesy of Valory Music Co. Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Artists, music industry elite and country music fans turned out for the Academy of Country Music’s 5th Annual ACM Honors, an evening dedicated to recognizing special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on September 19. Hosted by Joe Nichols, the event was held at the historic Ryman Auditorium which was awarded with the ACM for Venue of the Year.

The evening was a mix of live music, historical video retrospectives and current video tributes and interviews. Garth Brooks, the late Hank Cochran, John Dorris, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Reba, Taylor Swift and the film Country Strong were the Special Award recipients of the night. The winners of the Musician, Bandleader, Instrumentalist (MBI) categories and Industry Awards were also honored.

Several performances honored artists during the event. Rodney Atkins and Jerrod Niemann honored Garth by each performing a song of his each. Brett Eldredge performed his current single “It Ain’t Gotta Be Love” which is featured in Country Strong while The Isaacs honored Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers with a medley of their hits. Dean Dillon, Jamey Johnson and Joe Nichols paid tribute to Hank Cochran while Montgomery Gentry and The Whites honored John Dorris. Buddy Miller and Lee Ann Womack honored Tom T. Hall. Randy Houser, Thompson Square, Jack Ingram and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, with Romain Virgo, also performed.

Presenters included Ronnie Dunn, Ralph Emery, John Michael Montgomery, The Oak Ridge Boys and the Academy’s Bob Romeo. Robin Meade presented Industry awards while Laura Bell Bundy handed out MBI awards. Continue Reading

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Katie Amiger photo courtesy of Cold River Records.

Katie Armiger released a new deluxe package of her album Confessions of a Nice Girl (The True Confessional) on iTunes this week. The deluxe album includes four original songs, including her current single, “I Do, But Do I.” It also includes a brand new song, “Worth It,” as well as a dance mix of her song “Best Song Ever” and an acoustic cut of “Cry Cry Cry.” It also includes music videos for “Best Song Ever” and “I Do, But Do I.”

See Katie’s “I Do, But Do I” video now >>

Katie released the first edition of Confessions of a Nice Girl in October of last year. The album is Katie’s highest debut to date, landing at No. 6 on Amazon and No. 11 on iTunes. Her videos for “Best Song Ever” and “I Do, But Do I” both spent time at No. 1 on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Watch Katie’s Fan Q&A >>

This is a big week for Katie. Not only did she release her deluxe album, she will make her Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday during the Opry’s 7 p.m. show. She is currently out on the road opening shows for Darius Rucker and spent the summer opening for Ronnie Dunn, Little Big Town and Clay Walker.

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift returned home to Nashville last weekend for two back-to-back sold out shows at the Bridgestone Arena as part of her Speak Now World Tour. Taylor has made it a habit to bring out surprise guests during many of her shows and she had plenty of friends on hand to help make her homecoming special.

Friday night, Taylor treated the crowd to an appearance by good friend Hayley Williams of Paramore. The two friends sang the Paramore song “That’s What You Get.” Ronnie Dunn also made an appearance and performed “Bleed Red.” Saturday night, the stars kept coming. Tim McGraw joined Taylor onstage for a rendition of “Just To See You Smile” and Kenny Chesney came out for an appropriate performance of his hit song “Big Star.”

Watch Taylor’s “Sparks Fly” video now! >>

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The Oak Ridge Boys Photo Credit: Jarrett Gaza

The Oak Ridge Boys, Brett Eldredge and Robin Meade have been added to the lineup for the 5^th Annual ACM Honors. Joe Nichols is set to host the event and will also perform. ACM Honors is an evening dedicated to recognizing special honorees and off-camera winners from the 46^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. This year’s event will be held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 19.

Artists previously announced include Ronnie Dunn, Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Montgomery Gentry, Jerrod Niemann, Thompson Square, Lee Ann Womack, Dean Dillon, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, The Isaacs, The Whites, Laura Bell Bundy, Ralph Emery, John Michael Montgomery and songwriter/producer Buddy Cannon. Continue Reading

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