Jake Owen photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Jake Owen is back on the road after undergoing surgery on his broken collarbone on January 17. He performed for a near sell-out crowd at Cowboy’s in Dallas on Friday night and a sold-out crowd at Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma on Saturday night.

“I’m not very good at sitting around the house taking it easy,” Jake said. “I had eight screws and a metal plate put in to repair my collarbone, so I’ve had to spend a lot of time at doctor’s appointments and physical therapy sessions over the past few weeks. Getting back out onstage was the best therapy I’ve had.”

Jake has several dates lined up through February, but will make a pit stop March 1 to be a guest on Chelsea Lately, hosted by Chelsea Handler, which airs at 11/10 CT on E! “I can’t wait to meet Chelsea,” Jake said. “She’s fearless.” Continue Reading

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Tim McGraw's 2012 CD, Emotional Traffic. Photo courtesy of Webster & Associates.

Tim McGraw’s Emotional Traffic album debuted at No. 1 this week on the Billboard Country Chart. This mark’s Tim’s 13th career No. 1 debut. His first new music since 2009’s Southern Voice, Tim is thrilled with how his fans have reacted.

“The most beautiful thing about this No. 1 debut, over the others, is that it was driven by the fans and their eagerness to finally have this music in their hands,” Tim said. “The fans don’t care about the business side of things. They just want the artists they follow to keep putting out great songs, and I think we have delivered some of the best songs of my career on Emotional Traffic.

Read our review of Tim McGraw’s Emotional Traffic >>

Tim will join good friend Kenny Chesney this summer on their co-headlining Brothers of the Sun stadium tour. They will kick off the tour on June 2 in Tampa and will stop at the nation’s biggest stadiums through August. With new music in the hands of his fans, Tim is looking forward to getting back on the road. “The reaction to the album makes me even more excited to get back on the road this summer on the ‘Brothers of the Sun’ tour,” he said. Continue Reading

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Eli Young Band photo courtesy of HBPR.

Eli Young Band is slowly revealing their 2012 plans. They’ll hit the road with Dierks Bentley on the 2012 leg of his Country & Cold Cans Tour which kicks off in Los Angeles on April 13 and also head Down Under with one of country’s super couples. “Some of them we can’t announce,” said Mike Eli, “but we get to go to Australia in March with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill which is absolutely incredible.”

They will also launch their own headlining tour, the Keep On Dreamin’ Tour, which will run throughout the year in between dates with other headliners. The rest of their touring plans are top secret. “There are two other big tours that we’re waiting on them to announce so that we can talk about it,” Mike said. “Those are happening in the summer and late spring.”

The band could also be on the bill for a major tour this fall, but they’re still waiting for confirmation. They are thrilled to see so many dates filling their calendar this year. “This is the first year where we can look at our calendar and it’s pretty much set, which is a really nice feeling,” Jon Jones said. “It’s not like we know we’re going to be busy through the end of February and then hope we can pick up some shows.” Continue Reading

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As the ACM Nominations came in yesterday, the honored stars were quick to respond. Kenny Chesney leads the way with nine total nods, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year. Kenny received the news just as he learned his Brothers of the Sun Tour with Tim McGraw has already sold over half a million tickets.

“It’s an honor to receive so much love from the Academy of Country Music after all they’ve done to support my music over the years,” Kenny said. “I can’t wait to get back on the road with my good friend Tim and throw one big spring break party all summer long.”

Blake Shelton is nominated for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He learned of his ACM nominations a week after losing his father, Dick Shelton. “The support I have felt this week is overwhelming,” Blake said. “Thank you everyone for this honor.”

Jason Aldean took to video to thank his fans for all of their support after learning he’s nominated for six ACMs, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year.


Jason Aldean on WhoSay

SEE THE FULL LIST OF ACM AWARDS ARTIST NOMINEES HERE >>

Reigning ACM Top New Solo Vocalist Eric Church is nominated for Video of the Year for “Homeboy” and his latest album, Chief, is up for Album of the Year. He sees the Album of the Year nod as an especially high honor.

“I’ve never minced words about the fact that my passion is making great records for the sake of the music,” he said. “The fact that the ACMs have nominated us for the album category is quite the honor and frankly the one I revere the most. “Homeboy,” both musically and visually, is a song that tells a compelling story. I have a very special place in my heart for the video, and I’m very grateful that it is getting recognized. It’s been one hell of a year!”

Chris Young woke up on a tour bus en route to his next show on Miranda Lambert’s On Fire Tour to learn he’s nominated for both Single Record of the Year for his No. 1 hit “Tomorrow” and Male Vocalist Of The Year. He also recorded a video message to share his excitement with his fans.

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Lionel Richie sings “Endless Love” with Shania Twain on his new CD, Tuskegee. Photo by Alan Silfen, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Lionel Richie will release Tuskegee, a collection of 13 of his hit songs recorded as duets with some of the biggest names in country music, on March 27. Duet partners include Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and more.

In addition to the album, the Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions will tape an all-star concert special, Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas on April 2. The special will air at a later date on CBS. Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, and Kenny Rogers are among the artists scheduled to perform.

On Tuskegee, Lionel returns to his roots, paying tribute to his hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama where he was shaped as a man and a musician. He grew up listening to country, gospel, R&B and classical music and it was in Tuskegee that he helped form the Commodores and wrote some of his earliest hits.

“Tuskegee is where it all began, the place where I felt that everything was available and possible,” he said. “It’s where I learned about life and love and the power of music, and the place I built a musical foundation that knows no genres or boundaries.”

The artists who worked with Lionel have their own connections to the legend’s songs. “Every Lionel Richie song that I can think of I had a personal experience with – high school homecomings, proms, you name it,” Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts said. “Lionel was always playing in my house. His music always said what we felt and couldn’t express.”

Says Darius Rucker, who joins Richie on “Stuck On You,” “I wanted to work with Lionel because he is one of my idols. Lionel’s more a part of my DNA really than an idol. It was an absolute honor to work with him.” Adds Jason Aldean, who selected “Say You, Say Me,” “I’ve always been a huge fan. He is probably one of the best singer/songwriters of this generation.”

This isn’t Lionel’s first venture into country music. His songs have been recorded by Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers and Alabama, while other artists have covered his songs in their sets. He’s performed on the CMA Awards three times and his 2011 performance received two standing ovations.

“When I did the CMAs and the room was singing along with me, it was really more like a family reunion than it was a concert or show,” Lionel said. “It was just great validation to know that the music was accepted like it was.” Continue Reading

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Rascal Flatts photo courtesy of Big Machine Records. Photo credit Chapman Baehler.

Rascal Flatts will receive the CRS 2012 Artist Humanitarian Award during Country Radio Seminar on Wednesday, February 22 in Nashville following the event’s keynote address. The band was chosen to receive the honor based on their charitable contributions and humanitarian endeavors throughout their career.

Some of the band’s charitable work includes a donation of $3 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt’s Pediatric Surgery Center in 2010; and currently serving as celebrity spokespersons for the national suicide prevention organization and The Jason Foundation. They have been members of the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet for the last seven years.

“The board is very pleased to honor Rascal Flatts with the CRS Artist Humanitarian Award,” CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne said. “They join a long, distinguished list of celebrities who have received this prestigious award since it was instated in 1990.” Continue Reading

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Tim McGraw's 2012 CD, Emotional Traffic. Photo courtesy of Webster & Associates.

After a court ruled in November that Tim McGraw had fulfilled his contract with Curb Records, his final album for the label, Emotional Traffic, is set for release next week on January 24. The record that Tim calls one of his ‘best ever’ is a tight collection of 12 songs that brings a close to one of the most successful Music Row partnerships of the last two decades.

The album’s lead single, the multi-week No. 1 hit “Felt Good On My Lips,” serves as a solid representation of Emotional Traffic’s overall sound. The polished work of Tim’s longtime Producer Byron Gallimore (Martina McBride, Faith Hill) is heard in the song’s crisp mix and pop-laden structure. Driven by a melodic bass line and a crunchy, sing-along chorus, Tim lightheartedly sings, I want to go crazy with you over a hook more suited for a dance floor than a bar stool. Much of the record makes a move to combine this modern, adult-contemporary feel with subtle country twang. Album-opener “Halo” works to achieve this by layering mid-tempo, ringing guitars underneath the lower range of Tim’s smooth drawl before breaking into a powerful chorus.

“I Will Not Fall Down” (written by Tim, Martina McBride, Brad Warren and Brett Warren) follows a similar path. Palm-muted guitar chords work methodically through a verse with the lines, I should probably just go out quietly / But I still got something left to say, before a dramatic chorus with lyrics that speak of thriving in someone’s love and gaining the strength to carry on in the face of adversity. While songs like these illustrate Tim’s mainstream appeal, he really is at his best in more traditional surroundings.

Possibly the album’s best song, “Touchdown Jesus” is a fresh description of divine intervention. With a similar feel to 2009’s No. 1 hit “Southern Voice,” Tim sings, I raised my hands above my head and said ‘Touchdown Jesus’, when witnessing the miracles made by recovering addicts and those who are sick. Continue Reading

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Tim McGraw photo courtesy of Webster & Associates.

Curb Records and NPR have teamed up to promote the January 24release of Tim McGraw’s Emotional Traffic album as part of NPR’s ‘First Listen Series; which offers NPR.org, NPR member stations and NPR mobile app users a stream of the album from January 16 through January 24. Curb has also released a fourth digital single, “Halo,” to iTunes ahead of the album’s release.

Tim’s first new music since 2009’s Southern Voice, Emotional Traffic houses 12 songs, including the No. 1 hit “Felt Good On My Lips” and Tim’s current single, “Better Than I Used To Be.” Tim once more teamed up with longtime producer Byron Gallimore for the project. Curb previously released “The One That Got Away” and “Right Back Atcha Babe” ahead of the album release date. Continue Reading

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Tim McGraw photo courtesy of Webster & Associates.

Curb Records has released Tim McGraw’s “The One That Got Away” as the fourth of five songs being released ahead of Tim’s Emotional Traffic album, which hits shelves January 24. The single is available on iTunes.

Emotional Traffic will include 12 new songs and is the first new music from Tim since 2009’s Southern Voice. The album includes Tim’s current single, “”Better Than I Used To Be,” and “Felt Good On My Lips,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 and set a new industry milestone. With a total of 69 weeks at No.1 over the course of 32 songs, Tim has the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country songs chart since the chart was established on the Nielson BDS system in January of 1990. Continue Reading

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Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott & husband Chris Tyrell. Photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Congratulations to Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott and Chris Tyrell, who announced to their fans they are officially married through a video posted on the band’s website on Sunday, January 8.

“I’d like to introduce you to Mrs. Hillary Scott Tyrell,” said Chris, as Hillary showed off her new wedding ring.

“We got married, and we just wanted you to hear it from us first,” added Hillary. “We love you, and we’re so excited to be starting our life together, and we just had to let you in on the exciting news.”

The pair were married on Saturday, January 7 during an intimate ceremony surrounded by family and close friends. Hillary and Chris exchanged vows just before sunset in upstate New York. The bride wore a custom Vera Wang strapless mermaid dress with abstract all-over lace underlay, layered tulle skirt with horsehair banding and hand-cut corded lace applique with hand-applied crystal and pearl beading. She complemented the gown with a mantilla veil with hand-cut chantilly lace applique. The groom donned a gray Ermenegildo Zegna suit. According to People.com, Contemporary Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman performed for the couple’s first dance.

Hillary and Chris met in 2010 on Tim McGraw’s Southern Voice Tour when Lady A was the special guest, and Chris played drums for Love & Theft.The couple was engaged last summer around the Fourth of July weekend.

Hillary shared the advice she received from fellow newlyweds. “If I ask(ed) advice to newlyweds, most of them have literally said, ‘At a point during the reception, sneak away, the two of you sneak away and hide behind a wall and look through a window and just observe what’s going on and just see everyone enjoying it and having a great time. It’s like to have that visual, to have that mental picture for the rest of your life.’”

“My only advice, and I’ve told her and told them,” said Hillary’s band mate, Charles Kelley, “[is] I think the first year, it was definitely a learning experience and learning, ‘Getting to know you,’” he sang. “It was just learning how to compromise, and I feel like after that, it really got just easy. And so, just be patient and love each other…”as hard as you can love…,” he sang.

“Oh, boy!” laughed Hillary.

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