The Americana Music Association announced its year end Top 100 Albums of the Year.  The Top 100 albums are based on those records reported to the Americana Airplay Chart during the period of November 17, 2009 through November 15, 2010.  We’ll serve up the first half of the list and you can visit the Americana Music Association website to access the full list of all 100 albums…

The Top 50 most played albums, as charted on the Americana Airplay Chart are:

1.       Various Artists, Crazy Heart Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, New West

2.       Rosanne Cash, The List, Manhattan

3.       John Hiatt, The Open Road, New West

4.       Carolina Chocolate Drops, Genuine Negro Jig, Nonesuch

5.       Ray Wylie Hubbard, A Enlightenment B Endarkenment Hint There Is No C, Bordello/Thirty Tigers

6.       Robert Earl Keen, The Rose Hotel, Lost Highway

7.       Band Of Heathens, One Foot In The Ether, BOH Records

8.       Avett Brothers, I And Love And You, Columbia

9.       Patty Griffin, Downtown Church, Credential

10.   Reckless Kelly, Somewhere In Time, Yep Roc

11.   John Mellencamp, No Better Than This, Rounder

12.   Darrell Scott, A Crooked Road, Full Light

13.   Merle Haggard, I Am What I Am, Vanguard

14.   Alejandro Escovedo, Street Songs of Love, Fantasy

15.   Willie Nelson, Country Music, Rounder

16.   Lyle Lovett, Natural Forces, Curb/Lost Highway

17.   Carrie Rodriguez, Love And Circumstance, Ninth Street Opus

18.   Robert Plant, Band of Joy, Rounder

19.   Paul Thorn, Pimps & Preachers, Perpetual Obscurity

20.   Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust, Shout! Factory

21.   Jim Lauderdale, Patchwork River, Thirty Tigers

22.   Cross Canadian Ragweed, Happiness And All The Other Things, Universal Records South

23.   Red Molly, James, Independent

24.   Chip Taylor, Yonkers NY, Train Wreck

25.   Yarn, Come On In, UFO

26.   John Prine, In Person & On Stage, Oh Boy

27.   Tift Merritt, See You On The Moon, Concord

28.   Various Artists, Twistable Turnable Man, A Musical Tribute To The Songs Of Shel Silverstein, Sugar Hill

29.   Dave Rawlings Machine, A Friend Of A Friend, Acony

30.   Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Speed Of Life, NGDB

31.   Kevin Welch, A Patch Of Blue Sky, Music Road

32.   Johnny Cash, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, American/Lost Highway

33.   Elliot Randall & The Deadmen, Caffeine & Gasoline, ER

34.   Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs, God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise, RCA

35.   Shelby Lynne, Tears, Lies & Alibis , Everso/Fontana/CO5

36.   Marty Stuart, Studio B Sessions, Sugar Hill

37.   Sam Bush, Circles Around Me, Sugar Hill

38.   Will Kimbrough, Wings, Daphne

39.   Corb Lund, Losin’ Lately Gambler, New West

40.   Elizabeth Cook, Welder, Thirty Tigers

41.   Kevin Deal, 7 Seven, Blind Nello

42.   Allison Moorer, Crows, Ryko

43.   Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses, Junky Star, Lost Highway

44.   Eleven Hundred Springs, This Crazy Life, Smith Entertainment

45.   Guy Clark, Somedays The Song Writes You, Dualtone

46.   Dierks Bentley, Up On The Ridge, Capitol / Sugar Hill

47.   Patty Loveless, Mountain Soul II, Saguaro Road

48.   Drive-By Truckers, The Big To-Do, ATO/RED

49.   Tim O’Brien, Chicken & Egg, Howdy Skies

50.   Eilen Jewell, Butcher Holler – A Tribute To Loretta Lynn, Signature Sounds

Click here to see the rest of the Top 100 Americana Albums of the Year »

And, don’t forget to tune in for GAC’s Top 50 Videos of the Year as selected by you, the fans, who voted here at GACTV.com!  Click here for the complete schedule of airtimes »

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Gwyneth Paltrow & Tim McGraw from the upcoming movie, Country Strong, in theaters January 7, 2011. Photo by Scott Garfield, courtesy of Sony Pictures USA & Monarch Publicity.

From Crazy Heart to Country Strong, Hollywood and Nashville were tightly linked in 2010.

Tim McGraw, Julianne Hough, Trace Adkins and Carrie Underwood all went in front of the cameras. And artists as diverse as Ryan Bingham, Billy Currington, Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney got their music on the big screen in one way or another.

Country’s role in a large number of movies ranks No. 7 in GAC’s countdown of the dozen top stories of 2010.

Tim’s work in Country Strong can currently only be seen publicly in two cities — Los Angeles and Nashville — though it goes national on Jan. 7. Since it was a country music-based pictured, he was asked to give his insight on details during production, but he also showed a huge amount of commitment by making overnight trips to and from Nashville during a tour to shoot his parts in the middle of a ridiculously difficult schedule. Actor Garrett Hedlund has said that Tim never once complained.

“He had every reason to not be as professional as he was,” director Shana Feste says. “He’s Tim McGraw — and he was the first one to get on set and the last one to leave. He would do 100 takes if I wanted him to. He wants to be a good actor, and he will do whatever it takes. He takes it so seriously, and I so respect him for that.”

Here are some of the highlights in country’s connection to the silver screen in 2010:

• Gwyneth Paltrow made her debut as a country singer during the Country Music Association Awards in November to promote Country Strong, in which she plays a vocalist whose alcoholism has caused a downturn in her career. In addition to bit parts for such country figures as Lari White, Jim Lauderdale and Ed Bruce, the movie also thrust Chris Young, Ronnie Dunn, Patty Loveless and Sara Evans, among others, onto the soundtrack.

• Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett won a Golden Globe and the Oscar award for Best Original Song for “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart).” Jeff Bridges played a country singer on the downside of his career. Sound familiar?

• Carrie Underwood contributed “There’s A Place For Us” to the movie The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. It earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song as one of the three songwriters. Co-writer Hillary Lindsey is actually a double finalist in that category. She also co-authored “Coming Home,” one of the songs that’s central to the Country Strong plot.

• Carrie also shot scenes for her first movie, Soul Surfer, but she wasn’t alone in that regard. Julianne Hough wrapped up production on Burlesque, which is already in theaters, and on a remake of Footloose, due April 1. Trace Adkins took a role as the leader of a biker gang for the forthcoming Matthew McConaughey movie The Lincoln Lawyer. And Travis Tritt has shot some footage for a picture titled Fishers Of Men.

• Billy Currington’s “People Are Crazy” got some decent screen time in the movie Due Date. Music supervisor Randall Poster nudged that song into the production while he was also overseeing music for Country Strong.

• George Strait made some cameo appearances as himself in Pure Country 2: The Gift, starring Katrina Elam. George, of course, was the central character in the original Pure Country in 1992.

• The Social Network is likely to make a big impact on the awards circuit. One small moment in the picture also involved country music: An Ivy League glee club did an a cappella rendition in the movie of the former John Michael Montgomery hit “I Swear.”

• Kenny Chesney had a hand in two films — Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D and Boys Of Fall.

• Taylor Swift did double duty at the movies, too. Her song “Love Story” appeared in Letters To Juliet and she was one of numerous stars — including Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner, Ashton Kutcher and Jamie Foxx — in Valentine’s Day. The soundtrack to the latter included a pair of Taylor songs, plus material by Willie Nelson, Jewel and Steel Magnolia.

• Billy Ray Cyrus had a part in The Spy Next Door.

• Keith Urban went to the movies, too — literally. He accompanied wife Nicole Kidman on the red carpet at several premieres for her picture Rabbit Hole.

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Ryan Bingham photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Film makers want very much for the general public to buy in to the magic of movies. You can count Ryan Bingham among those who believe in celluloid’s power.

After sharing a Golden Globe and an Oscar Award for Best Song with T Bone Burnett for writing the “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart),” Ryan took home two trophies — Song and Artist of the Year — Thursday during the ninth annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards in Nashville.

The Americana nods only add to the lists in which Ryan finds himself. The Song of the Year Oscar put him in the company of such songwriters as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Henry Mancini and Irving Berlin — all of whom have won the Film Academy’s Best Song prize at least once. Ryan’s new album, Junky Star, made its chart debut this week, landing at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums list. And the Americana Artist of the Year trophy put him on yet another list among such previous winners as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Neil Young and Jim Lauderdale, who hosted Thursday’s show.

“[All the people] on the list are people I’ve looked up to and admired,” Ryan said. “So it feels kind of strange accepting this award.”

Rosanne Cash added her own list to the evening. The List, a selection of cover songs from her father’s 1973 selection of 100 country songs every aspiring artist ought to know, took home Album of the Year. The Ryman Auditorium provided a perfect setting for the honor — Rosanne accepted the trophy on the same stage where Johnny made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1956, when she was just 13 months old.

“This was such an emotional project for me,” Rosanne said. And she indeed choked up when she invoked the memory of the Man in Black.

Hayes Carll took New/Emerging Artist of the Year, the Avett Brothers won Duo/Group and Buddy Miller — the 2009 Artist of the Year — claimed the Instrumentalist title. Buddy also led the house band, which included Greg Leisz, who won one of the night’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Lifetime honors were also doled out to rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson, singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, producer Brian Ahern and Lost Highway Records founder Luke Lewis.

The Americana genre, which was recognized for the first time this year with a Grammy category, is a loose, catch-all idiom that embraces artists who create new music built on various American roots styles. Pieces of blues, country, folk, rock and soul were all weaved into the night’s performances, which included appearances by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rodney Crowell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Sarah Jarosz and — in an eight-song, post-awards set — Robert Plant.

The opening number was a particular highlight as Sam Bush, Will Kimbrough, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller and Don Was all took part in a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Tumbling Dice.”

The ninth awards show is just one portion of the 11th annual Americana Conference, which runs through Saturday. Awards presenter Mary Chapin Carpenter took part in the conference’s keynote, and the showcase lineup includes such acts as Guy Clark, the SteelDrivers, Raul Malo, Shelby Lynne and Tony Joe White.

Oh, and Dierks Bentley was a late showcase addition, set to play music from his Americana-tinged album Up On The Ridge on Friday. Just like with Ryan Bingham, you can add Dierks to a list…

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(l-r): Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Anne & Josh York, Statt with WUBE, and Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild & Jimi Westbrook.

We are now officially seven stops into The Country Throwdown Tour! As this traveling music circus makes its way across the country, everyone is finding their groove out here on the road and really get to know each other. This past week we hit Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Indianapolis – rain or shine, The Country Throwdown was a party all day. What you may not know is that the party continues all night.

After the lights go down on the main stage, the grill is cranked up backstage thanks to Tyler Reeve. Affectionately called “The BBQ Band,” Tyler and his crew cook up a feast every night after the show, and the music starts up again. You never know who’s going to play together, what they will sing, or how many shakers Sarah Buxton will pass out (and whether or not the recipients have rhythm.) In Cleveland, Cory Branan sang an Irish song that had Emily West, Sarah Buxton and Country Throwdown creator Kevin Lyman doing a jig that earned him the nickname “Crazy Legs.”

In Cincinnati, I spent most of the day soaking wet and my Texas hair was getting curlier by the minute.  Some fans were covered in brown slime from head to toe after going down the mudslide. You could even catch members of The Eli Young Band out there throwing down with fans. This was the day that Mike Eli told me I had “Wal-Mart feet.” I hate to admit that my flip-flop feet were dirty from the weather, but c’mon Mike! What do you expect “when it rains”?

Fans didn’t let rain get in the way of their good time, or even their wedding! Little Big Town’s latest single, “Little White Church,” has inspired weddings at various stops along the tour. Anne Zimmerman and Josh York were the first couple married on The Country Throwdown Tour. The members of LBT even served as their wedding party. The second wedding, held Sunday in Indianapolis, IN, was a renewal ceremony for Maggie and Adam Clark.

Love must be in the air because in Chicago, I received a marriage proposal. His name was Kyle and he was a very articulate three-year-old. I told him I’d see him in 30 years.

Later that night, I caught a glimpse of Ryan Bingham and a few other artists dominating on a skateboard…or what a cooler person might call a “longboard.” All I’m saying is, protect your hands and face, fellas. Don’t hurt the moneymakers!

If you don’t see the big stars at the BBQ, you may want to check the Bluebird Café Singer/Songwriter bus. Jamey Johnson, Jack Ingram, Montgomery Gentry and Little Big Town have all spent some time hanging with these talented singer/songwriters, listening to their songs and even singing some of their own. Some lucky folks on that bus recently got to fall asleep to the sound of LBT’s Phillip Sweet singing “Bring It On Home.”

While the singer/songwriter bus is a party at night, it can be quite productive during the day. Just ask Dave Pahanish and Brad Tursi, who co-wrote the first song written on the Bluebird Café bus so far. I was able to hear the song right after it was born and let me tell ya, that baby is beautiful.  Come to a Country Throwdown show and I bet you’ll get to hear “Song About You” for yourself.

You’ll also get to hear one of my new favorite bands, Jonathan Singleton & The Grove. I can hear one song and it will be on repeat in my head for the rest of the day. That is impressive, considering my mind is usually like iTunes on shuffle. Jonathan and the boys perform songs from their latest EP and some hits they wrote, like Josh Turner’s “Why Don’t We Just Dance” and Billy Currington’s “Don’t.” With so many successful songwriters on this tour, it’s exciting to see the fans react to a hit song being performed by the writer.

This is not your ordinary country music tour and it’s not too late for you to get your tickets! Next stop Charlotte, North Carolina. Fingers crossed that Eric Church sings “Carolina.”

GAC is a proud sponsor of the Country Throwdown Tour.  For more information about the tour dates, tickets and merchandise visit www.countrythrowdown.com.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

In light of the recent devastation in Nashville, the Country Throwdown Tour and its artists are lending a hand to the local residents in need.

Country Throwdown artists are coming forward to help in a collective way. As of today, main stage headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Bluebird Café Tent singer-songwriters Sarah Buxton, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan and Dave Pahanish will be donating the net proceeds from the sale of their merchandise at select shows throughout the U.S.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Throwdown Tour and through the course of the tour the artists get to participate in generating a lot of revenue for Nashville,” explains Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry. “Donating in one lump sum at the end of the tour gives us the opportunity to help any folks who may have fallen through the cracks, either through not having insurance or not being eligible for FEMA coverage. We’ll be able to place the money directly with the people who need it the most to rebuild.”

The Country Throwdown Tour will donate $.50 of every ticket to charity, a portion of which will go directly to Hands On Nashville (www.hon.org) to rebuild community infrastructure in Nashville. Meanwhile, at the end of the tour, the merchandise donations from the aforementioned tour artists will also benefit Hands On Nashville.

“After moving part of our company down to Nashville well over a year ago, we’ve all grown deeply connected to this town,” states tour founder Kevin Lyman. “In the wake of this flood, all of us with the Country Throwdown Tour are inspired to help rebuild the Nashville community for many months to come.”

The Country Throwdown Tour kicked off May 14 in Tampa, FL and wraps-up June 20 in Mountain View, CA. The outdoor amphitheater tour mixes top country music artists with up-and-coming singer-songwriters on four stages. 

Country Throwdown Tour headliners include: Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram. Other mainstage artists include: Eric Church, The Lost Trailers, the Eli Young Band, Heidi Newfield, Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses, Jonathan Singleton & The Grove and Emily West. In addition, nine emerging singer-songwriters are featured in the Bluebird Café Tent: Ashley Ray, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan, Dave Pahanish, Jedd Hughes, Sarah Buxton, Troy Olsen, Heather Morgan and Walker Hayes. 

For more information, videos, free songs and tickets, visit the Country Throwdown Tour website.

Tour Dates:

DATE                         CITY                                       VENUE
Fri       5/14                Tampa, FL                             Ford Amphitheatre
Sat      5/15                W. Palm Beach, FL                Cruzan Amphitheatre
Sun     5/16                Jacksonville, FL                     Metropolitan Park
Thu     5/20                Cleveland, OH                       Blossom Music Center
Fri       5/21                Cincinnati, OH                       Riverbend Music Center
Sat      5/22                Chicago, IL                            First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sun     5/23                Indianapolis, IN                      Verizon Wireless Music Center
Thu     5/27                Charlotte, NC                         Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Fri       5/28                Raleigh, NC                           Time Warner Cable Pavilion
Sat      5/29                Pittsburgh, PA                        Post Gazette Pavilion
Sun     5/30                Saratoga Springs, NY            SPAC Amphitheatre
Mon    5/31                Gilford, NH                             Meadowbrook US Cellular
Fri       6/4                  Virginia Beach, VA                Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sat      6/5                  Philadelphia, PA                    Susquehanna Amphitheatre
Sun     6/6                  Bristow, VA                            Jiffy Lube Live
Wed    6/9                  Houston, TX                           Sam Houston Racepark
Thu     6/10                Dallas, TX                              Superpages.com Center
Sat      6/12                Salt Lake City, UT                  USANA Amphitheatre
Sun     6/13                Denver, CO                            Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Wed    6/16                Bakersfield, CA                      Rabobank Arena
Thu     6/17                San Diego, CA                       Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Fri       6/18                Phoenix, AZ                            Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Sat      6/19                Irvine, CA                               Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sun     6/20                Mountain View, CA                 Shoreline Amphitheatre

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Emmylou Harris photo by Rocky Schenck, courtesy of Nonesuch Records.

Dave Rawlings grabbed four nominations to lead the rootsy field as Emmylou Harris and Todd Snider announced the nominees for the Americana Awards & Honors Wednesday at the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville.

Dave’s nominations came for music he recorded at the historic RCA Studio B with a band shaped out of members from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Bright Eyes and Old Crow Medicine Show. The Machine’s A Friend Of A Friend is a finalist for Album of the Year, and “Ruby” — co-written with Dave’s frequent collaborator Gillian Welch — is in the running for Song of the Year. Dave is up for Instrumentalist and the Machine is a finalist for Duo Group.

Ray Wylie Hubbard rode his cleverly titled album A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C) to a trio of nominations. Ryan Bingham, whose “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart” has already won a Golden Globe and an Oscar award, picked up three as well.

Americana is an umbrella term for music that embraces the rock, blues, folk and country roots of American music. It’s a wide-ranging genre, but that’s part of what makes it particularly attractive for its believers.

“That’s the great thing about Americana,” Ray Wylie says. “There’s freedom. You have the freedom to write and do what you feel like.”

Emmylou, who’s evinced an admirable elasticity in her own music, has become something of a symbol for Americana. She’s already anticipating the Sept. 9 awards, hosted by Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

“I’m prejudiced, but I think it’s the coolest [awards], I mean as far as all the different variety of artists and music,” she says. “We call it Americana — I don’t know what else you would call it — but it’s great. I look forward to it every year because it’s an interesting musical show. It’s not just a TV show about giving awards. It’s really about celebrating the music.”

Patty Griffin, Hayes Carll and the Avett Brothers appear twice on the nominations list, which includes such stalwarts as Rosanne Cash, Levon Helm and Steve Earle. The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a trio that draws heavily from string-band music, performed during the announcement ceremony and discovered they had been nominated in the Duo Group category.

The complete list of nominees includes:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• The List, Rosanne Cash
• A Friend Of A Friend, Dave Rawlings Machine
• Downtown Church, Patty Griffin
• A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C), Ray Wylie Hubbard

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Ryan Bingham
• Patty Griffin
• Levon Helm
• Steve Earle
• Ray Wylie Hubbard

DUO GROUP OF THE YEAR
• The Avett Brothers
• Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Band of Heathens
• Dave Rawlings Machine

INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
• Buddy Miller
• Dave Rawlings
• Will Kimbrough
• Sam Bush

NEW & EMERGING ARTIST
• Sarah Jarosz
• Ryan Bingham
• Hayes Carll
• Corb Lund
• Joe Pug

SONG OF THE YEAR
• “The Weary Kind,” Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (writers); Ryan Bingham (artist)
• “Drunken Poets Dream,” Hayes Carll and Ray Wylie Hubbard (writers); Ray Wylie Hubbard (artist)
• “Ruby,” Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch (writers); Dave Rawlings Machine (artist)
• “I And Love And You,” Avett Brothers (writers and artist)

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

With the 45th annual Academy of Country Music Awards a dozen days away, the ACM dropped a long list of trophy recipients Tuesday that’s tattooed with a few publicly recognizable names — including Keith Urban and Mel Tillis — as well as a bunch of significant songwriters, musicians and executives. The off-camera winners, as they’re called, will be formally recognized when the West Coast-based Academy presents its annual ACM Honors in Nashville Sept. 21.

Keith is being honored with the Jim Reeves International Award for bringing global attention to country. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, he’s done that somewhat naturally by connecting the dots between his homeland, the U.S. and Canada. Named for one of the first country stars to establish a strong presence overseas, the International Award has previously gone to such figures as Garth Brooks, Roy Clark, Dick Clark and Dolly Parton.

Mel and Marty Robbins are the latest acts to claim the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award, which recognizes a lifetime of artistic achievement. They follow in the footsteps of such trailblazers as Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.

Don Schlitz and the late Cindy Walker are being recognized with the Poet’s Award, a songwriter prize based on a career’s worth of work. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Cindy penned such classics as Eddy Arnold’s “You Don’t Know Me,” Ricky Skaggs’ “I Don’t Care” and Roy Orbison’s “Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream).” Don set himself up nicely by writing Kenny Rogers’ 1978 classic “The Gambler.” He would later become one of Nashville’s most in-demand composers, authoring Randy Travis’ “Forever And Ever, Amen” and “On The Other Hand,” Collin Raye’s “I Think About You” and Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All” among more than 50 hits.

Former ACM chairman Rod Essig, a Nashville-based booking agent, receives the Mae Boren Axton Award — named after the author of “Heartbreak Hotel” — for his service to the organization. And Crazy Heart, the movie that brought a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar to Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett, wins the Tex Ritter Award for motion pictures.

A bundle of session players, producers and engineers are also being recognized as the top figures in their particular craft. The winners, and some of their credits, follow:

• Top Guitarist: Brent Mason (credits: George Strait’s “Troubadour,” Lee Ann Womack’s “I May Hate Myself In The Morning”)
• Top Piano/Keyboard Player: Michael Rojas (credits: Jack Ingram’s “Barefoot And Crazy,” Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now”)
• Top Bass Player: Michael Rhodes (credits: Darius Rucker’s “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” Toby Keith’s “Who’s Your Daddy”)
• Top Percussionist/Drummer: Shannon Forrest (credits: John Rich’s “Shuttin’ Detroit Down,” Josh Turner’s “Why Don’t We Just Dance”)
• Top Steel Guitar Player: Paul Franklin (credits: Chris Young’s “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” Jake Owen’s “Eight Second Ride”)
• Top Fiddle Player: Stuart Duncan (credits: Billy Currington’s “Good Directions,” Faith Hill’s “Breathe”)
• Top Specialty Instrument(s) Player: Randy Scruggs (credits: Sara Evans’ “Born To Fly,” Earl Scruggs’ The Ultimate Collection: Live At The Ryman)
• Audio Engineer: Justin Niebank (credits: Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night, Blake Shelton’s Hillbilly Bone)
• Producer: Dann Huff (credits: Steel Magnolia’s “Keep On Lovin’ You,” Rascal Flatts’ “Unstoppable”)

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Jamey Johnson photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Jamey Johnson’s 2008 album That Lonesome Song was a winner, earning nominations for Album of the Year in both the CMA Awards and the Grammys.

The track that drew the most attention from the album, “In Color,” owed its storyline to a black-and-white photograph, and Jamey’s next album will likely carry that theme forward, though it’s unclear if Jamey intended to link the two projects. He told Alabama outlet Our Prattville that the new album, titled The Guitar Song, should be out in June or July. And it’s taken on an interesting shape.

“There will be a white album and a black album,” he said. “There will be more explanations inside the album jackets as to why it is done this way. But basically it is a little tale that revolves around a yin yang. As it gets further along you see how the opening situation evolves into some of these other situations. Each song … affects the next, or kind of sets up the next.”

It’s unclear whether the project will be come out as a single two-disc album, two simultaneously released CDs or a pair of releases staggered several months apart. The latter approach is being taken by at least two artists on rival labels, Blake Shelton and Jo Dee Messina. GACTV.com asked for clarification from Mercury Records, but at press time had not received a response.

Either way, the yin-yang, dual-disc approach serves Jamey’s creative theme for The Guitar Song.

“It gets dark and dismal [on the black album] and then it shows how on the white album everything gets better and better until it can’t get any better,” he said. “It just keeps going full circle. Each album bleeds into the other without stopping, and so if you put both albums on and hit the repeat button they play in perpetuity. They never stop.”

In the meantime, Jamey’s on tap for the inaugural Country Throwdown Tour, a multi-stage package designed after the highly successful Vans Warped rock tour. Hitting the road with him are Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Little Big Town, the Eli Young Band, Eric Church, the Lost Trailers, Ryan Bingham, Jonathan Singleton, Heidi Newfield and Emily West. And a few others, too. It launches May 14 in Tampa.

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Eric Church photo by Jim Wright, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Eric Church released his debut album, Sinners Like Me, in 2006 to nearly unanimous critical praise. The disc launched three singles into country music’s Top 20, but Eric wasn’t quite able to find his way into the Top 10.

That changed late last year when Eric reached that hallowed chart ground with “Love Your Love The Most.” The song is a ballad, unlike many of Eric’s rough-around-the-edges tracks, but it’s still just a bit left of center. And he figures it’s a testament to staying with the artistic program.

“I’m proud more than anything else that we never changed what we did,” he told The Wisconsin State Journal. “There are a lot of guys, if they don’t get a Top 10, they try something else. And when that doesn’t work, they try something else. We stayed pretty consistent, playing our kind of music and our kind of shows. I don’t think I could have done it the other way. I wouldn’t have been happy.”

Eric’s concerts get pretty loud and raucous, but there’s a connection in his sound to the honky-tonk and outlaw years of country’s past. He’s bending that history as he continues the lineage, but he insists on making his career about the music — and not about maintaining a public platform.

“I have a huge reverence for country music,” he said. “I still have albums and still play my old albums. I have no problem with somebody coming in and making a great album. If they come in and don’t make a great record and are just trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame, I got a problem with that.”

Eric and some of his fellow roughnecks will be part of the inaugural Country Throwdown Tour (sponsored by GAC), a multi-artist concert package launching May 14 in Tampa. Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Jack Ingram, the Eli Young Band and Ryan Bingham are among the other acts on the bill.

Eric is currently back in the Top 20 with his latest single, “Hell On The Heart.” He’s also the featured guest on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown on Friday.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

This morning, tickets went on sale for the 2010 Country Throwdown Tour, sponsored by GAC. The tour kicks off May 14 at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Fla. and goes through June 20 in Mountain View, Calif. at the Shoreline Amphitheater.

The tour features Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Emily West, Eli Young Band, Heidi Newfield, The Lost Trailers, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and Jonathan Singleton and the Grove.

In addition to the artists above on the main stage, there will be a Bluebird Cafe Stage featuring Ashley Ray, Brad Tursi, Corey Branan, Dave Pahanish, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Sarah Buxton, Troy Olsen and Walker Hayes.

Get your tickets here!

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