Each episode of Noteworthy at the Opry will center on specific themes including:  (just a sampling of those artists performing)

6/02   Alan Jackson:  Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood
6/09   Heartache:  Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery
6/16   Love Songs:  Chris Young, Thompson Square, Keith Urban
6/23   Fan Favorites:  Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts

“Noteworthy at the Opry gives us the opportunity to highlight some of the best in country music today from its most famous stage, but also so much more,” said GAC GM/SVP Sarah Trahern. “From the legends that have stepped into the circle to the rising star’s debut to a superstar’s path to the top, viewers will be treated to amazing performances and interviews from those with a shared love and respect for this iconic institution.”

The 16-episode series of Noteworthy at the Opry is sponsored by Dish Network.

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Chris Young photo by Randee St. Nicholas, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Chris Young is continuing his support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by offering up a one-of-a–kind handmade quilt. The quilt was designed and produced by his grandmother, known to Chris and fans alike as ‘Nanny.’

Nanny’s quilt highlights many of the songs Chris has recorded across his three albums. Fans can bid on the quilt through the forum on Chris Young’s official website on the Chris Chatter board. A new quilt, handmade by Nanny, will be offered each month with all proceeds going to St. Jude.

“I think it’s really cool that Nanny has taken up the cause to help raise money for these incredible St. Jude kids who are fighting for their lives,” Chris said. “I hope my fans will check out her handmade quilts each month and consider making a bid to help support St. Jude.”

Check out the beautiful quilt below:

Photo courtesy of Monarch Publicity.

Chris is currently on tour with Miranda Lambert. His just released his latest single and music video, “Neon.”

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Rascal Flatts photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Everyone is connected to their cell phones these days and Rascal Flatts is no exception. But for Jay DeMarcus, one of his biggest pet peeves is people who don’t put their phones down while they are out to dinner.

“It’s a little bit disconcerting when you’re at dinner trying to hang out with friends and everybody’s text messaging,” he said. “That’s kind of gettin’ on my nerves. Sometimes you just want to go out to dinner and enjoy each other and then you have some folks sittin’ there that are totally tuned out just texting away.”

Jay admits both he and his wife Allison are guilty of such behavior themselves. They’ve reached a mutual decision to stop the habit. “We’ve actually made a pact that when we go to a restaurant and sit down we put the phones away,” he said.

The trio’s cell phones were probably ringing off the hook with congratulations when their latest single, “Banjo,” reached No. 1 recently. They’re gearing up to release a new single, “Come Wake Me Up,” from their latest album and will hit the road on their Changed Tour this summer.

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Eli Young Band photo courtesy of HBPR.

When Eli Young Band released their latest album, Life At Best, they had a suggestion for fans on how they could save money to buy the project. They recommended doing what the band does – start a swear jar. The idea is every time someone uses a swear word, they have to put money into the jar, eventually saving enough to buy a copy of Life At Best.

“That idea was because we have a bit of a swearing problem,” Jon Jones aid. “We thought that was just kind of a funny thing, especially for anybody who knows us, of how much we stumble on our words when we’re doing interviews because we’re trying not to curse.”

Since the band wasn’t actually saving to buy their own album, their swear jar “kind of turned into the extra change jar and for some reason the crew has ended up with a lot of extra change,” Mike Eli said. “It comes in handy on laundry day,” James Young added.

Eli Young Band will hit the road with Rascal Flatts this summer on their Changed tour. Their latest single, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” is in the Top 15 at country radio.

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Kenny Chesney photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Kenny Chesney has already given fans a taste of what his new album, Welcome To The Fishbowl, out June 19, will sound like with the release of his duet with Tim McGraw, “Feel Like A Rock Star.” He’s giving fans another peek into the new project by releasing “Come Over” to country radio. The song, written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, shipped out to country radio Monday.

“’Come Over’” is about two people who are as broken as their relationship is, when they realize deep down that their time together has probably ran its course, but they aren’t really ready to emotionally or physically move on to something else,” Kenny said. “They keep going back to each other because it’s familiar. It’s about emotionally feeling wanted in a moment, but it feels impossible to let anybody else fill that void. It’s a really sexy song with lyrics that are incredibly universal.”

The song’s video was directed by Kenny’s longtime collaborator and friend Shaun Silva. They filmed it off the coast of Florida and while the “Come Over” video hasn’t been released yet, Shaun shared a few details about their latest collaboration.

“’Come Over’ is the most intimate journey I’ve captured of Kenny in the 10 years we’ve been making music videos together,” Shaun said. “It’s clear within the first five seconds of this video that Kenny is committed to his character in the video and was more than willing to open up to the vulnerabilities associated with this tortured love story. The music video was finished in black-and-white, delivering a strikingly timeless and cinematic result.”

Fans will hear some of the new album live this summer on Kenny and Tim McGraw’s co-headlining Brothers of the Sun Tour. The tour will stop at more than 20 stadiums across the country and bring along Jake Owen and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals as special guests. The tour kicks off June 2 in Tampa.

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John Rich entertains patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Photo courtesy of the hospital.

John Rich, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, Big & Rich and Jeff Foxworthy will perform at the St. Jude Presents John Rich & Friends concert on June 5 at the Cannon Center in Memphis, Tennessee. The event will serve as the first-ever concert kick off for the 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic. St. Jude Children’s Research hospital is celebrating its 50^th anniversary of its life-saving mission this year.

“The John Rich & Friends concert is an incredible way for us to kick off this year’s FedEx St. Jude Classic and celebrate the 50th anniversary of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “This year’s tournament is about so much more than golf. We’ve planned a full week of events for our supporters to enjoy while also helping St. Jude continue its mission of finding cures and saving children.”

Ben, a 19-year-old patient at St. Jude, is especially looking forward to the concert. On the day Ben was admitted to St. Jude in 2011, John Rich made a special appearance at the hospital. John spent time with Ben that day and invited him to attend a concert when he was feeling better. Ben is one of many patients who have been affected by John’s 15 years of dedication to St. Jude.

“St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital holds a very special place in my heart, that’s why I’m excited to kick off the FedEx St. Jude Classic with the John Rich & Friends concert,” John said. “I don’t know how you could spend your time any better on this earth than to support something like St. Jude. It’s truly God’s work – taking care of them babies.”

The FedEx St. Jude Classic has raised more than $25 million to help St. Jude continue its mission of finding cures and saving lives. In addition to the concert, other special events during the Classic include the Danny Thomas Pro-Am, Championship Pro-Am, Michelob Ultra Party Tent, a fun-filled Kid Zone and the Super T concert “after party.” Tickets to the event and tournament can be purchased HERE.

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On May 15, 1988, Martina Schiff married John McBride in Wichita, Kansas -- and the two lovebirds continue to make beautiful music together! Photo courtesy of Big Machine Label Group.

Happy anniversary to Martina McBride and her husband John McBride! The couple is celebrating their 24^th wedding anniversary today, May 15. So what’s the secret to their success and longevity?

“Well first of all I got lucky and chose well,” Martina said. “And we just have a lot of respect for each other and we are really good friends, and I think that that’s really important. We’ve grown together instead of apart. So it’s all worked out. He’s a great partner and I try to be a good partner back.”

Martina and John aren’t the only country couple celebrating an anniversary this week. Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton tied the knot a year ago on May 14 and Jake Owen and his new wife, Lacey, exchanged vows on the beach at sunrise just over a week ago on May 7. Check out our Country Weddings Gallery for photos of some of your favorite couples!  See the photos now >>

Martina’s latest single, “Marry Me,” is appropriate as the couple celebrates another year as husband and wife. Martina is currently on a tour of theaters across the country, giving her an intimate setting to share the stories behind her songs with her fans.

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Love & Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson get a lesson in the fine art of whiskey making at Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey Distillery (Photo provided courtesy of Taillight ©2012 All Rights Reserved)

Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson have experienced their share of whiskey in the bars they’ve played, but they didn’t know that the process of getting whiskey into the bottles served at those bars is a fine art. On tomorrow’s episode of GAC’s Day Jobs, the duo learns the craft of making whiskey from Jamey Grosser, owner of Popcorn Sutton’s White Whiskey Distillery.

The pair were unsure of what they were getting into when they arrived at the distillery. Under Jamey’s guidance, they tried their hand at distilling Popcorn Sutton’s legendary recipe. The trick was doing so without breaking the machinery or sampling their work.

Can they handle the pressure that comes with making this famous whiskey? Tune in tomorrow, May 16, at 10/9 PM CT to find out. Also on the episode, Mark Wills tries life as a deputy sheriff and Craig Campbell revisits his time as a corrections officer.

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Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery pose with Rae Ann Cook of Callisburg, Tx. at the CMA booth in the Fan Fair hall during the 2011 CMA Music Festival. Photo Credit: Jim Hagans.

The 2012 CMA Music Festival is still a few weeks away, but the Country Music Association is already planning for next year’s event. Tickets for the 2013 CMA Music Festival will go on sale this Saturday, May 19, at 10/9 a.m. Central.

Fans will be able to order tickets by calling the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. To purchase tickets online, fans can visit www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are subject to change and do not include handling fees. Four-day ticket package categories correspond to levels of seating at LP Field and children 3 years and younger are admitted free.

“We hear frequently from our fans, and they are telling us they want to buy tickets for next year’s Festival now,” Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said. “CMA Music Festival has always been about the fans since it started as Fan Fair in 1972. We are happy to fulfill their request and make next year’s tickets available earlier than ever before.”

Fans who like CMA’s Facebook page and follow them on Twitter, plus all subscribers to CMA Exclusive and the CMA Mob, can take advantage of a pre-sale opportunity to buy 2013 CMA Music Festival tickets this week. Anyone interested in joining CMA’s social networks can visit CMAfest.com or join the CMA Mob by texting FESTIVAL to 66937.

CMA Music Festival features concerts, autograph signings, family activities and more. The four-day festival drew a record-setting crowd of 65,000 fans from all 50 states and 26 nations in 2011 and for the second consecutive year, sold out of the nightly concerts at LP Field in advance. According to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, direct visitor spending generated by the festival totaled more than $30 million.

2013 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL- FOUR DAY TICKET PACKAGE PRICES
SEATING LEVEL
Gold Circle (sections A-E) – $350
Floor – $250
Lower Level Premium – $250
Lower Level – $200
Club Level Premium – $200
Club Level – $160
Upper Level Reserved – $135
Upper Level General Admission – $125

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Carrie Underwood photo by James White, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood’s new album, Blown Away, debuted at No. 1 on Canada’s Top 100 Country and Top 200 all-genre sales chart this week and was immediately certified Gold in Canada, marking Carrie’s best first week of sales in the country to date. The album also debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. sales chart. Continuing her international success with her new music, Blown Away debuted at No. 4 on the ARIA Album Chart, giving Carrie her best first week in Australia.

Carrie will make several television appearances on both the U.S. and Canada in support of her new project this week. On Tuesday, May 15, she’ll perform on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. The next day, she’ll head to Canada for two days of radio, print, online and TV interviews and appearances. It’s then back to the U.S. to perform on The Billboard Music Awards, airing live on ABC from Las Vegas on May 20.

Read our review of Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away >>

In June, Carrie will take her recently announced Blown Away Tour overseas, performing shows in Australia and the UK. The tour will visit venues across the U.S. and Canada this fall, wrapping in December. Hunter Hayes will join Carrie as a special guest for her North American dates.

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