Taylor Swift on stage in Seoul, South Korea on the Asian leg of her 2011 Speak Now World Tour. Photo courtesy of Taylorswift.com.

Billboard.com has released their list of the Top 25 Tours of 2011. U2 takes the top spot, but country music is well-represented, notching four spots on the multi-genre chart. Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney both made it into the Top 10, with Taylor being ranked at No. 5 and Kenny coming in right behind her at No. 6. Jason Aldean took spot No. 24 and Toby Keith came in at No. 25.

Artists are ranked by total gross earnings, according to Billboard Boxscore, from Nov. 1, 2010, to Nov. 8, 2011.

Top 25 Tours of 2011:

1. U2
2. Bon Jovi
3. Take That
4. Roger Waters
5. Taylor Swift
6. Kenny Chesney
7. Usher
8. Lady Gaga
9. Andre Rieu
10. Sade Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift accepts Country Favorite Female Artist award onstage at the 2011 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on November 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Taylor Swift’s winning streak continued as she swept the fan-voted American Music Awards, taking home the top prize for Artist of the Year. She was also named Favorite Country Female Artist and her Speak Now album was voted Favorite Country Album.

Check out our 2011 American Music Awards photo gallery >>

“I ended up writing the record by myself, so the fact that you would honor it this way, you have no idea what this means to me,” Taylor said after receiving the trophy for Favorite Country Album, presented to her by  Josh Kelley and his wife, Katherine Heigl. After the show, she took to Twitter to express her excitement.

“I had one of the most magical nights with my friends tonight! Hopping on a red eye to play our last 2 shows at Madison Square Garden!!” she tweeted . Taylor also received congratulations via Twitter from her pal Katy Perry as well as from Martina McBride.  Continue Reading

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The Band Perry photo courtesy of Republic Nashville.

The Band Perry, Rihanna and Usher are the latest artists added to the lineup for ‘The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! – Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night.’ They join previously announced performers Jason Aldean, Lady Gaga, Sugarland, Ludacris and Lupe Fiasco. Two-time Grammy winner LL Cool J will again host the concert special, which will reveal GRAMMY nominees in several categories. The concert will also include a major announcement from an iconic group about their reunion on the GRAMMY stage.

5 Things You Don’t Know About Jason Aldean >>

This will mark the fourth time nominations for the GRAMMY Awards have been announced on prime time television. The special will air live on CBS at 10/9 CT on November 30 from Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 12, 2012 on CBS. Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift has received three People’s Choice Awards nominations while Blake Shelton and Lady Antebellum snagged two apiece. Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts are also nominated for a PCA Award each. The People’s Choice Awards will air live on CBS on November 11 at 9/8 CT from Los Angeles.

Taylor received nominations for Favorite Country Artists along with Blake, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts. She is also nominated for all-genre Favorite Female Artist with Adele, Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga as well as Favorite Tour Headliner with Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, U2 and Usher. Continue Reading

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

It looks like not even country superstars are immune to Bieber Fever. Rascal Flatts has recorded a duet with teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, “That Should Be Me,” which will be included on Justin’s new seven song album, Never Say Never: The Remixes. The album hits store shelves on Valentine’s Day, three days after Justin releases his 3D movie, Never Say Never, on February 11.

This isn’t the first time Rascal Flatts has collaborated with someone outside the country genre. The trio recorded “She Goes All The Way” with Jamie Foxx and Natasha Bedingfield duets with them on “Easy,” a cut from their latest album, Nothing Like This. Continue Reading

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Sugarland photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Twenty-five years after Kenny Rogers’ then-manager Ken Kragen helped coordinate the landmark USA For Africa single “We Are The World,” the song was re-recorded Monday in Los Angeles with a cast of characters that apparently dwarfed the original, which featured nearly 50 artists of the time.

With Quincy Jones back to produce and Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, at the center of the event, more than 100 artists were expected to take part, according to CNN, though none of the artists who played on the first version were asked back this time. That means no Bob Dylan, no Bruce Springsteen, no Tina Turner and no Paul Simon. Country music’s Willie Nelson was on that first version, too.

Even without Willie, and without Kenny, country has a role again in the 2010 version.  Zac Brown, Sugarland, Julianne Hough and Miley Cyrus are among the artists who joined the crew in Los Angeles, according to an official release. They sang alongside Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, the Jonas Brothers, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Jason Mraz, Jeff Bridges, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher and Carlos Santana.

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Zac Brown Band photo courtesy of Atlantic Records.

Four-time winner Taylor Swift might have been country music’s most-honored figure at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, but she was hardly the only person in the genre to have a big time. The Zac Brown Band took the Recording Academy’s Best New Artist trophy during the three-and-a-half hour show, and Steve Wariner, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis were among the acts singled out during a streamed pre-telecast ceremony, where the bulk of the 109 victors were announced.

“It’s such a honor to be on stage and to be sharin’ in this big amalgam of music,” Zac told the star-studded Staples Center crowd. “We’re so honored and blessed to be here. We’re looking forward to playing for y’all.”

Play they did. The band whipped through a medley of songs with guest keyboard player Leon Russell, on stage less than three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the leakage of brain fluid. The set ended with a wicked-paced instrumental after the last verse and chorus of “Chicken Fried.”

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Carrie Underwood rehearses on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Sommet Center in Downtown Nashville for "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," which will broadcast live on the ABC Television Network on Wed., Nov. 11th, 8-11PM/ET. Photographer: John Russell / CMA

You can do a little Grammy countdown for Carrie Underwood.

Four… the number of Grammys she’s won to date.

Three… she’s slated to perform on Sunday’s telecast in a Michael Jackson tribute that includes a 3-D segment.

Two… she’s nominated for a pair of trophies in that ceremony.

One… her first-year honor as Best New Artist is the one that really rocked her world.

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