GAC host Suzanne Alexander.

Our very own Suzanne Alexander has been immersing herself into the bull riding culture lately — and now she’s blogging about it! Here’s Part 1 of her web series called “No Bull.” And don’t forget to tune in to GAC beginning in May to catch Championship Bull Riding every Tuesday Night!

Lufkin TX

I find myself flying into Texas quite a bit. This time was different – I flew into Houston instead of DFW. I don’t think I’ve ever been to that airport. It was like a mall! And on the plane there were some familiar faces, like Lee Ann Womack and her family, who must’ve been coming in for the Livestock Show and Rodeo (major event in Houston right now).

Also on the plane was Stokes Nielsen of the band The Lost Trailers. He was going to Texas to check out a new duo who I believe we’ll be hearing more of in the future.

So off to Lufkin from Houston – 2 ½-hour drive north. Not bad. During the drive I listened to a few new albums: Sara Evans’ Stronger and Josh Kelley’s Georgia Clay. Both are really good. You’ll be hearing more about them and from them on GAC very soon.

Back to bull riding. This is the 3rd televised event for the 2011 Cinch CBR Tour. When the crew and I get into town, there’s one agenda: find a restaurant we all like! Dinner is usually 7 guys and me – and you could usually tell that we’re not from “these parts.”

I’m amazed, though – no matter where we are, from the outskirts of New Mexico to the end of Texas, there’s still a Home Depot, a Bed Bath & Beyond…and a Logan’s, IHOP and an Applebee’s. We wound up at a BBQ joint, then at a Chili’s.

Lufkin is the 2nd TX event. There is $10,000 up grabs for whichever rider brings in the highest total score after all 5 Texas events. It’s called the Texas Swing.

You wanna see tough – you have to watch Craig Jackson ride. He won the first Texas event in El Paso. This guy is like The Hulk! He’s a Houston kid, but unlike many of the riders, he didn’t grow up on a ranch. He’s a city guy – but look out – he doesn’t go down easy! He’s amazing to watch, even when he gets bucked. And that’s exactly how his little girl feels, getting to watch her daddy. She’s only two years old but she is Craig’s whole world.

The event itself was a packed house once again. Unfortunately, having to make my way from the venue to outside to the bullpens for interviews wasn’t the best for my hair since it was a light rain and extremely humid. It’s the big reason I had to wear a ball cap for the shooting of the show.

Bull Rider Craig Sasse.

While there, I met up with Craig Sasse. He hails from Illinois and joined up with CBR late in the season last year, but so far he’s a mainstay on the circuit this year. The guy can ride..but he hasn’t had the best luck so far this season. And I’m tellin’ you – if anyone in country music needs a love interest for their music video, this is their guy! He is easy on the eyes. If he wasn’t a bull rider, I think he should be a model. I’m sure he hates me saying that. And ladies…he’s single!

Here are my 5 Questions with Craig Sasse from CBR in Lufkin, TX.

1) When did you start riding?
“[I started bullriding when I was ] 11 yrs old. My neighbors had a rodeo company and I started going to the rodeos and just got hooked.”

2) What’s the 1 thing you like having on the road with you?
“My friends and cellphone.”

3) If you weren’t a bullrider, what would you be doing?
“If I wasn’t a bullrider I’d probably be a 40-hour a week worker..just like that Alabama song.”

4) What’s your favorite way to listen to music?
“My favorite way to listen to music is on the radio — but it’s my friends that take over what to listen to.”

5) When you’re on the road, what’s your favorite place to stop & eat?
“Olive Garden”

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

He’s touring, he’s finished work on a movie and has yet another on the way. Now Tim McGraw’s been added to the lineup for a concert TV special and there’s speculation that he — or another of his fellow country stars — could become the halftime entertainment at next year’s Super Bowl.

Fitting in more recording sessions might be difficult, but you can bet Tim will be doing that, too.

Earlier this year, Tim joined Gwyneth Paltrow in shooting the movie Love Don’t Let Me Down in Nashville, flying back to Music City on occasion to work partial days before flying back out for concert dates in the evening. Next up on his film agenda is Dirty Girl, according to Variety. Shooting has already begun in Los Angeles with a cast that includes William H. Macy plus a couple of other stars who’ve been in a picture with Tim before: Dwight Yoakam and Mary Steenburgen took part, along with Tim, in the 2008 release Four Christmases.

Also on Tim’s agenda is a taping for “Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years.” The bulk of the concert will be shot April 10 in Connecticut with Smokey Robinson, Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton, Alison Krauss, Wynonna Judd, Lionel Richie, Chris Isaak and the Oak Ridge Boys. Tim will add his performance from a remote location, as will Darius Rucker and Billy Currington.

Amid all of that, there’s talk that Tim might be a strong candidate for the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show next year. In the wake of this year’s performance by The Who, Fox executives are leaning away from a classic-rock act. According to USA Today, six artists have been floated thus far as possibilities for the 2011 show and four of them are country: Tim, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn and Garth Brooks. The two other targets have had country hits: Jimmy Buffett and Bon Jovi.

Of course, all of Tim’s activities and future potential are fueled by the public recognition of his music, and the business end of that career is reaching a turning point. Each of Tim’s hits over the last 16 years have come with Curb Records, but his contract with the label runs out after one more album, The Vancouver Sun reports. And that would likely make it possible for him to do a duet album with wife Faith Hill.

They haven’t done one thus far because of “labels and all these things,” Tim said. “Once we clear the woods a little bit, we’ll [record an album], for sure.”

In the meantime, Tim wraps up a concert swing through Canada Tuesday night in Winnipeg. Also on the bill: Lady Antebellum and the Lost Trailers.

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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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Alan Jackson's beach-themed birdhouse. Photo courtesy of The Birdhouse Thing.

Now’s your chance to own a home designed by your favorite country star! Disclaimer: you can’t actually live in this home unless you are a bird. GAC and The Grand Ole Opry have partnered with The Birdhouse Thing organization to offer you the opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind, autographed birdhouses designed by country superstars including Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, LeAnn Rimes and many more. Proceeds benefit The W.O. Smith Music School. Hurry and get your bids in now — the auction closes on March 23.

As you can see in the photo above, Alan took a minimalist approach when designing his beach-themed home. Other cool homes include Brad Paisley‘s log fishing lodge, Sara’s brightly-colored house (which she painted with her children), and Jake Owen‘s “8 Second Ride”-themed ranch, complete with cowboys and a few cold beers!

See the gallery of Birdhouses and place your bids!

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Once again Great American Country and the Academy of Country Music have teamed up to give fans the opportunity to pick their favorite stars for the 45^th Academy of Country Music Awards’ three newcomer categories including Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group.  Fans can start voting online today and are allowed to submit one ballot, selecting their favorite artist from each of the categories.  Voting ends on March 12, 2010 at 5 p.m. ET.

Click here to place your vote now »

For fans that want to get a little more acquainted with each of the nominees, you can tune in to GAC’s on-air special “ACM Showcase 2010″ hosted by the 2009 Top New Male Vocalist, Jake Owen.  The one-hour special features exclusive interviews with each of the nine nominees.  Click here for times »

After all the votes are tallied, one winner in each of the three categories will be announced mid-March and will move on to compete for the ACM Top New Artist. Voting for the Top New Artist category will begin on VoteACM.com Thursday, April 1 and will close April 18. The winner will be announced during the 45^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards telecast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 18.

Here is a complete list of all the nominees for each of the ACM Top New Artist categories, click on the links to learn more about each artist and to watch exclusive interview clips:

Top New Solo Vocalist:

Luke Bryan

Jamey Johnson

Chris Young

Top New Vocal Duo:

Bomshel

Joey + Rory

Steel Magnolia

Top New Vocal Group:

Eli Young Band

Gloriana

The Lost Trailers

For those of you anxious to see the full list of all nominees for the 45th Annual ACM Awards, stay tuned right here at GACTV.com as we will post them immediately after they are announced on Tuesday,  March 2 in NYC.

Visit the official ACM Awards Show website for details on this year’s show!

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Following is the list of final nominees in the Top New categories that the Academy announced today:

Top New Solo vocalist 

• Luke Bryan
• Jamey Johnson
• Chris Young

Top New Vocal duo 

• Bomshel
• Joey + Rory
• Steel Magnolia

Top New Vocal Group 

• Eli Young Band
• Gloriana
• The Lost Trailers

Professional members of the Academy of Country Music select the final nominees in the Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group categories. Professional member votes will be combined with fan votes to obtain the winners of the Top New categories of the Academy of Country Music Awards. 

Fan voting for these three categories will begin at VoteACM.com on Friday, February 26, and will close on Friday, March 12. The winner in each category will be announced in mid-March and will move on to compete for Top New Artist.  Voting for the Top New Artist category will begin at VoteACM.com on Thursday, April 1, and will close on April 18, with the winner being announced live during the 45^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast on the CBS Television Network.  

As part of this partnership, GAC will air several stand-alone specials, including a show featuring all the nominees from each of the three categories, as well as a show featuring the three winners who will compete for overall Top New Artist.

“GAC provides many new country music artists their first television exposure, and this special programming gives fans the opportunity to get to know the ACM new artist nominees even better,” said Sarah Trahern, Senior Vice President of Programming for GAC.

“The Academy’s partnership with GAC last year brought a lot of new faces to the forefront of country fans minds, and we hope to build on that success, exposing a brand new slate of newcomers to GAC viewers,” said Bob Romeo, Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music.

The first GAC special, hosted by reigning ACM Top New Male Vocalist Jake Owen, will feature the nine nominees, three from each newcomer category, and will premiere Thursday, February 25 at 10 p.m. ET. This special will re-air through March 12, when voting closes.

On March 23, GAC will tape a second special wherein the winner in each category will be named and presented with the award for Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo, and Top New Vocal Group.  Each winning act will perform on this special, which will air multiple times before the Academy of Country Music Awards. The premiere airdate of the special is Thursday, April 1 at 10 p.m. ET.

The winner of the new Top New Artist category will be awarded on the 45^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 8 p.m. live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. 

The complete list of nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in February.

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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill arrive on the Red Carpet for "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.Photographer: Jim Hagans / CMA.

The much-talked-about movie The Blind Side, in which Tim McGraw plays the husband of Sandra Bullock, finally hits theaters on Friday. Tim was at first reticent to get involved in a film that would have him play the father of a high school football player. That is, he reasoned, the same kind of role he had in the picture Friday Night Lights.

But when Tim read the script and realized how powerful the movie could become, he changed his mind. It certainly helped that he felt a kinship to his character, whose wife has the same kind of strength that Tim’s wife, Faith Hill, exerts in his real-life family.

“In our family, my wife Faith Hill is very much in control of our life,” he told Parade magazine. “She works out everybody’s schedule. I wouldn’t be able to function without her. So I can totally relate to a wife like that, and I feel that it is a blessing for me because I would be a mess without her giving me that kind of structure.”

Music remains Tim’s primary interest, though he’s taken on more acting jobs and has expressed a long-term interest in politics. Nonetheless, his biggest current career expansion is one that’s still firmly connected to his first vocation.

“My songwriting used to suck,” he conceded. “After 18 years that I’ve been touring and recording so many songs, I think I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I feel like I’ve garnered enough knowledge to sit down and write some music. I think that’s the next progression in my career, I’ve started writing more and recording more songs that I write.”

Tim kicks off the next segment of his Southern Voice Tour Feb. 11 in Omaha with Lady Antebellum and the Lost Trailers on the bill. Two months later, the Trailers’ slot in the lineup will be taken over by Love And Theft.

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Nashville.

Country Throwdown 2010, a multi-act outdoor tour produced by the same company that created rock’s annual Vans Warped Tour, has enlisted Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram among the initial acts for a five-week, GAC-sponsored series of concerts next spring. Specific markets and the entire lineup have yet to be revealed, though the Throwdown will feature 21 total acts on an itinerary from May 13-June 20.

“When Eddie [Montgomery] and I were approached about doing the Country Throwdown Tour we immediately said yes,” Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry said. “We loved the idea of it being like a big festival, a big party. I mean, that’s what Montgomery Gentry is all about. We’re keeping the ticket prices low because we know it’s hard out there. Fans are going to get a lot of entertainment for their money. This tour is going to be a great experience for us, the other artists and especially the fans.”

The concerts will boast a trio of stages plus a Bluebird Café Tent that highlights nine singer-songwriters. The experience will be enhanced with lifestyle-appropriate attractions and merchandise. Among the other performers who’ve already signed up are the Eli Young Band, Ryan Bingham, Eric Church, the Lost Trailers, Jonathan Singleton & The Grove and Emily West. Other acts will be disclosed in the future.

“Being part of this tour is a very exciting prospect for us,” Eli Young Band vocalist Mike Eli notes. “It brings together a group of similar-minded artists. And the organizers have done some impressive things with other tours in the past, and from what we’ve seen…we’re excited about what they’re going to do with country music.”

The Vans Warped Tour has been a regular rock attraction for more than a dozen years. Among the previous Warped acts are the All-American Rejects, Paramore, Kid Rock, Katy Perry, AFI, Fall Out Boy and Blink-182.

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

Tim McGraw releases his new Southern Voice album Tuesday, and in gearing up for the street date, he’ll appear this weekend with host Nan Kelley on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

The album’s first single, “It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You,” was written in part by Chad Kroeger of the rock band Nickelback, and his current hit, “Southern Voice,” namechecks such rockers as Chuck Berry, Tom Petty, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Allman Brothers. In fact, Gregg Allman will sit in with Tim when he performs “Southern Voice” on “The Jay Leno Show” Oct. 27.

Tim has more than just an album and TV appearances up his sleeve. His next movie, The Blind Side, reaches theaters Nov. 20, and he kicks off his Southern Voice Tour Feb. 11 in Omaha. Lady Antebellum will open the entire run, which stretches through Aug. 15 in Virginia Beach. The Lost Trailers will take the lineup’s third slot through April 10. Beginning the following day, Love And Theft will take over that role and keep it the rest of the way.

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.

Click here to preview each song on our Top 20 list and download the ones you want!

THIS WEEK’S CHART:

1. Kellie Pickler “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You”
2. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now”
3. Luke Bryan “Do I”
4. Keith Urban “Only You Can Love Me This Way”
5. Chris Young “Gettin’ You Home”
6. Trace Adkins “All I Ask For Anymore”
7. George Strait “Living For The Night”
8. Billy Currington “People Are Crazy”
9. Toby Keith “American Ride”
10. Martina McBride “I Just Call You Mine”
11. Josh Turner “Why Don’t We Just Dance”
12. Jason Aldean “Big Green Tractor”
13. Jason Michael Carroll “Hurry Home”
14. Jake Owen “Eight Second Ride”
15. Brad Paisley “Welcome To The Future”
16. Alan Jackson “I Still Like Bologna”
17. Dierks Bentley “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes”
18. Due West “I Get That All The Time”
19. Zac Brown Band “Toes”
20. Brooks & Dunn “Honky Tonk Stomp”

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