42nd CMA Awards Nominees Announced

Here are the nominees for the 42nd CMA Awards which will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 12
(8:00-11:00 PM ET) on ABC.

Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney Brad Paisley George Strait Sugarland Keith Urban

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney Alan Jackson Brad Paisley George Strait Keith Urban

Female Vocalist of the Year
Alison Krauss Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood

Vocal Group of the Year
Eagles Emerson Drive Lady Antebellum Little Big Town Rascal Flatts

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich Brooks & Dunn Montgomery Gentry Sugarland The Wreckers

New Artist of the Year (Formerly the Horizon Award)
Jason Aldean Rodney Atkins Lady Antebellum James Otto Kellie Pickler

Pickler Musician of the Year
Jerry Douglas - Dobro Paul Franklin - Steel Dana Huff - Guitar Brent Mason - Guitar Mac McAnally -

Guitar Album of the Year
Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood Cowboy Town, Brooks & Dunn Good Time, Alan Jackson Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates, Kenny Chesney Troubadour, George Strait

Single of the Year
“Don’t Blink” - Kenny Chesney “Gunpowder & Lead” - Miranda Lambert “I Saw God Today” - George Strait “Stay” - Sugarland “You’re Gonna Miss This” -

Trace Adkins Song of the Year (Award goes to Songwriter and Primary Publisher) “Good Time” Alan Jackson EMI-April Music/Tri-Angels Music “I Saw God Today” Rodney Clawson/Monty Criswell/Wade Kirby Big Red Toe/Extremely Loud Music/Steel Wheels Music/Blind Mule Music “Letter To Me” Brad Paisley EMI-April Music/New Sea Gayle Music “Stay” Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Nettles Publishing “You’re Gonna Miss This” Lee Thomas Miller/Ashley Gorley EMI Blackwood Music/New Songs of Sea Gayle/Noah’s Little Boat Music/Songs of Combustion Music

Musical Event of the Year
“Every Other Weekend” - Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney “Another Try” - Josh Turner and Trisha Yearwood “Gone Gone Gone” - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss “Life in a Northern Town” - Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen “Shift Work” - Kenny Chesney and George Strait

Music Video of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Director)
“Don’t Blink” - Kenny Chesney Directed by Shaun Silva “Good Time” - Alan Jackson Directed by Trey Fanjoy “Stay” - Sugarland Directed by Shaun Silva “Waitin’ On A Woman” - Brad Paisley Directed by Jim Shea “You’re Gonna Miss This” - Trace Adkins Directed by Peter Zavadil

Check out Yallwire.com for their newest internet reality series, The Long Road to Nashville.

The cameras follow Jonalee White for 20 episodes as she tries to make it in the country music industry. She travels to events like CRS, SXSW, Key West Songwriters’ Festival and the CMA Music Festival and conducts interviews with other notable country singers. There’s currently an introductory video and several episodes online.

The former home of Johnny Cash’s parents, which sits across the street from where Johnny and June’s home was burned down last year, is up for sale on eBay.

For only 1.4 million dollars you get the house, Johnny Cash memorabilia, including a gold record of “I Walk the Line,” and you’ll be neighbors with Marty Stuart and Connie Smith.

A London exhibit featuring rare Johnny Cash photographs will be opened in July .

The photos will document his early years in the music business to the final days leading up to his death in 2003.

Elvis Presley only recorded 20 Christmas songs, yet his 1957 release,

Elvis’ Christmas Album, is the top-selling holiday release of all-time. With today’s technology, his Christmas songs are getting a new twist–they’ll be duets. Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Gretchen Wilson, Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, Amy Grant and Anne Murray have all signed on to perform on Elvis Presley Christmas Duets, due out on Oct. 14.

READ THE FULL STORY ON THIS ALBUM RELEASE BY CLICKING HERE

"It's the most fun I've ever had as a songwriter," Dolly Parton said recently as she announced that the stage version of 9 to 5: The Musical would open on Broadway next spring.

The show, based on the 1980 film in which Parton starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, begins a tryout Sept. 3 in Los Angeles at the Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theater. An official opening is set there for Sept. 21 for a run through Oct. 19. The musical will star Allison Janney in the Tomlin role, Stephanie J. Block in Fonda's part and Megan Hilty in Parton's role as a sexy executive secretary. The plot concerns three office workers who plot against their sexist boss, played by Marc Kudisch. The musical will be directed by Joe Mantello, the director of Wicked

It opens in New York on April 23 at the Marquis Theatre.

Photo by Bill Waugh

Faith Hill’s first Christmas album, Joy To The World, is now released and includes mostly standards but will have one original in “A Baby Changes Everything,” written by Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman and K.K. Wiseman.

Listen to hear the single on Hot n Gold

SUGARLAND

Jennifer Nettles Celebrates Birthday With the Start of Love on the Inside Tour

ASHEVILLE, N.C. --
"This is about the best birthday present you could ever get!" declared Jennifer Nettles to a packed house at the Asheville Civic Center on Saturday night (Sept. 13).

The lead singer of Sugarland turned 34 over that weekend -- which just happened to coincide with the first night of their new Love on the Inside tour.

Usually there's a frenzy when the headliner finally steps out on stage, but the band decided on a really quiet buildup for their first song. Dressed in black and white, the supporting musicians walked toward the front of the stage and grabbed a fold-up umbrella from a trunk. Within a few minutes, a huddle of illuminated umbrellas were gathered in the corner, while Nettles and Kristian Bush gradually walked to the front of the stage.

Of course, the duo made up for lost time with a bounty of up-tempo hits, like "Settlin'," "We Run" and "Baby Girl." The latter song was enhanced by cute baby photos in the backdrop, while Nettles and Bush ran back and forth across the stage and made outrageous faces.

If only exercise videos could go platinum, too.

Sugarland is enjoying a No. 1 album in "Love on the Inside," but on the outside, there is litigation. The two members of the Atlanta-based group, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, have been sued by their former musical partner, Kristen Hall, for $1.5 million in federal court.

Hall, a folk musician and one-time Indigo Girls' roadie who founded Sugarland, claims that she has an existing partnership agreement with Nettles and Bush dating from 2002 in which they agreed to share profits and losses equally. Hall also alleges that she created the name Sugarland and agreed to "contribute" the trade name, trademark and service mark to the partnership. The partnership agreement, however, never was put into writing, according to Hall's lawyer.

TAYLOR SWIFT

In an effort to ramp up even more anticipation for her upcoming album, Taylor Swift will be releasing four tracks via iTunes from Fearless on a staggered schedule, starting Oct. 14 with the title track. When the album is released on Nov. 11, iTunes users will be able to utilize the “Complete My Album” feature to discount the cost of the album based on the number of songs they already own.

The video for Taylor Swift’s first single, “Love Story,” from her upcoming album is spreading like wildfire and features a performance from Nashville Star’s very own “Underwear Boy.”

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z4xmxb9K8RI

Taylor Swift made her debut in London (3rd September) to a sold-out crowd and form the website 9513 forum member SamB was there to catch all the action.
Read his review by clicking on the link below

http://www.the9513.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2133#p2133

You’ll want to burst out ye olde cookbook and add Trisha Yearwood’s recipes for “His ‘n’ Hers Deviled Eggs,” “Fourth of July Coleslaw,” “Barbecued Chicken,” “Easy Baked Beans” and “Boiled Custard.”

While you’re writing those down (or printing them out), check out her performance of “How Do I Live” on CBS’s Early Show.

Click on Trisha Photo opposite for her appearance on the Early Show

Download songs from Trisha Yearwood, Randy Owen, The Lost Trailers, Jimmy Wayne, Heidi Newfield, Jamey Johnson, Zac Brown Band, Jennifer Hanson, Steve Azar, Carter’s Chord and Shooter Jennings for free, courtesy of People magazine. (via NashvilleGab)

July 3, 2008 — The first six months of 2008 are now history, and no artist wrangled more airplay out of the year thus far than Kenny Chesney.

According to Country Aircheck’s assessment of radio broadcast data from Mediabase, Kenny’s total plays across the nation’s airwaves outdistanced every other artist in the country format from January to June, with Carrie Underwood finishing second and Taylor Swift placing.

Here is the entire ranking:

1. Kenny Chesney 2. Carrie Underwood 3. Taylor Swift 4. Brad Paisley 5. Rascal Flatts 6. George Strait 7. Alan Jackson 8. Montgomery Gentry 9. Rodney Atkins 10. Gary Allan

You’ve probably heard it 25 times by now, but coming completely out of left field is the news that Shania Twain and her husband of 14 years Robert John “Mutt” Lange are getting a divorce.

Lange produced Twain’s multi-platinum albums, and they co-wrote all of her charting singles for Mercury Nashville between 1995 and 2005, with the exception of “You Win My Love,” in which Lange is listed as the sole writer. The couple has one son, Eja, born Aug. 12, 2001. They have maintained homes in Switzerland and New Zealand.

“This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time,” said Jason Owen, Twain’s spokesman.

Rachael featured above with her new band the excellant New Union Jack

(Left to Right; PK, Shiny Clay, Billy Bob Bennett, Sly Jones, Rachael Warwick, Chris Startup & Ambassador Robert Tuttle)
With Special thanks to Rachael's website

To read all of Rachael's latest news click on her banner or photo above

Why didn't Merle Haggard or Waylon Jennings think of this?

Country superstar Tim McGraw will launch a men's cologne in August, fragrance firm Coty Inc. said. "McGraw by Tim McGraw" comes in a "masculine and sophisticated" bottle,

The metrosexual musician worked closely with Coty to develop the scent, and recently shot an advertising campaign in Los Angeles, Coty said. Other celebrities who have aligned with Coty include Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Jennifer Lopez.

USA Today says you’d almost expect his new fragrance to smell like a “saloon on Sunday morning, or perhaps old cowboy boots and a wet horse.” :)

Tim McGraw helped detain a rowdy fan during his recent concert in Auburn, Washington. He called for security to take the man away when he witnessed him rush forward and allegedly attack a female fan.

After security was unable to get to the man fast enough McGraw helped drag him on stage. The band continued to play on, and when the man was taken away McGraw jumped right back into the song. (here’s a YouTube video of the incident)