Caitlin & Will Have a First Single At Last!

Caitlin and Will finally release their first single, and it’s sure to be an instant hit! Caitlin & Will were surprise winners of last year’s Can You Duet competition with stunning chemistry and certainly a unique sound. So where did they go after the big win? Well it seems they spent a little time getting things just right before making their big breakthrough because their first single “Even Now” is absolutely perfect. Gone is the awkwardness, and it would seem they stuck to their individuality. Will is still that teddy bear you just want to hug on, and Caitlin is a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Together they’re just amazing! A big thanks to CMTT for breaking this story open! Country Music Photo Gallery

Trace Adkins Films New Video

Trace Adkins marries for money, and stirs a few laughs in his new video. Trace Adkins may not have his game on in his new video, but that’s ok, he’s just in it for the money. The song “Marry for Money” talks about the expenses of marrying for, then falling out of love and how the boy’s just going to give up and marry for money instead. Hear what he has to say about the tongue-in-cheek look at being a male gold-digger! And don’t forget to catch Trace Adkins live at the Sticks Country Music Festival this April! Country Music Photo Gallery

Calling all Tim McGraw Fans!

Tim McGraw fans seem to be up in arms over a lack of news from his camp, so I’m calling all those fans to help us out! Tim McGraw is everywhere these days, with hosting duties at CRS-40, a performance scheduled at the 2009 ACM awards show, and even winning a Mom’s Choice award for his best-selling children’s book “My Little Girl”. But what about new music? After digging into both my files, and my favorite country music news sources, it turns out that nobody has made a peep about any new releases from the McGraw camp in quite some time. Instead I find rumor of him previewing new tracks at CRS-40, along with what appears to be some dissatisfaction with the powers-that-be at Curb Records: Tim McGraw previewed music from his upcoming album during his Wednesday night (March 4) performance at the Country Radio Seminar’s annual Music City Jam, but he indicated he has no idea when Curb Records will release it. Throughout the evening, McGraw and the Warren Brothers, who hosted the show, made several verbal jabs at the label for continuing to release singles from McGraw’s Let It Go album that was released in March 2007. Last year, McGraw apologized to fans for Curb’s decision to release a third greatest hits album instead of the project he finished recording more than a year ago. (read more) So I’m calling out to Tim McGraw fans everywhere (and especially those who were at CRS-40). What were the new songs? How did they sound? Is it worth the wait? Where do you get YOUR Tim fix? I can wait forever for his press team to send me some dirt, but I know some of you dedicated fans are far more “on top of it” than they seem to be :-)Country Music Photo Gallery

Taylor Swift to Host 2010 CRS

Taylor Swift has been announced as the host and headliner for 2010’s Country Radio Seminar and Music City Jam “I can’t think of a bigger star to host the Music City Jam at CRS-41 than Taylor Swift,” said CRB Executive Director Ed Salamon. “We’re thrilled to have her headline next year’s event and continue the tradition of superstar talent that has performed in years past.” “Taylor is an amazing talent, and we are thrilled to have her at the Music City Jam in 2010,” said Bob Romeo, Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music. “I can’t wait to see what she surprises everyone with. She always has a trick up her performance sleeve.” Country Music Photo Gallery

Brad Paisley Releases First Song Off American Saturday Nights

Brad Paisley releases “Then”, the first single off his new album “American Saturday Nights” which is due out this summer! Brad Paisley received much critical acclaim when he unveiled the first single from his new album during last night’s Country Radio Seminar. Quotes like , “If he needed another career song, this would be it!” and “It’s quite possibly the best song he’s ever done, and that’s saying a lot,” from renowned country radio stations are already pouring in. Paisley is set to release his new album, American Saturday Night, on June 30. The disc marks Paisley’s eighth studio album, including a holiday collection and his most recent release, last year’s mostly-instrumental excursion: the chart-topping Play. The first single from American Saturday Night – “Then,” co-written by Paisley, Chris DuBois, and Ashley Gorley – was unveiled last night during an invitation-only performance for an enthusiastic audience of industry movers & shakers gathered in Nashville for the annual Country Radio Seminar. “Then” will ship to country radio stations this Monday, March 9, with an official airplay impact date of March 23. Fans anxious to latch onto a copy won’t have to wait long, since the digital single for “Then” will be available at online music providers everywhere beginning March 17. BRAD PAISLEY – Paisley Party 2008 Tour Coming to Your City!!Country Music Photo Gallery

Sticks Country Music Festival

Sticks Country Music Festival is a perfect way to kick your summer off right! Sara Evans, Julianne Hough, Trace Adkins, Ashton Shepherd and Gretchen Wilson are just SOME of the outstanding names on the 2009 Sticks Country Music Festival lineup! The weekend of April 17th and 18th country music fans from across the nation will converge in Auburn Alabama to camp out and celebrate with a few thousand of their closest friends and favorite stars. The folks organizing the festival are encouraging fans to camp out all weekend long, bring a cooler, a tent, and even your favorite canned beer and just let them entertain you! STICKS is a 2-day, 2-night, COOLER-FRIENDLY, camping-friendly, showcase of true southern culture with 16 (and counting) COUNTRY SUPERSTARS! Use Discount Code CMNB09 starting Fri March 6th for $79 Passes! The STICKS lineup so far includes: Whiskey Falls Mark Chesnutt Craig Morgan Rodney Atkins Gretchen Wilson Adam Grant and Robert E. Granger Smith Shenandoah Chuck Wicks Ashton Shepherd Julianne Hough Jason Michael Carroll Diamond Rio Sara Evans Trace Adkins And the list just keeps on growing! With all those artists on the bill, you could expect tickets to be in the range of a couple hundred bucks like some “thunderous” events, but these are a STEAL at only $85 for a full weekend pass! And just for being a loyal reader here at CMNB, we’ll get you in for $79 when you use the discount code “CMNB09″ starting Friday March 6th! Stay tuned all month long, or subscribe to our country music newsletter for ways YOU can win a few tickets to STICKS along with some awesome gear, as well as feature articles about this year’s STICKS performers!Country Music Photo Gallery

Ashton Shepherd – 10 Facts

Ashton Shepherd is quickly becoming a household name in country music, so let’s get to know her a little bit better. Ashton Shepherd is taking country music by storm, with her traditional sound, and heartfelt lyrics. She’s gathered so much attention in fact, that she is now nominated for GAC’s Top New Female (which you can help her win by voting here). So we here at CMNB did a little digging to find out what we could about who Ashton is and what makes her tick. Here are ten things you may not have known about Ashton Shepherd. Ashton is a proud wife to Roland, and a very proud Mamma to 3 year old James who often accompanies her on tour. Ashton was signed with MCA Nashville in the summer of 2007. But just months before getting signed, she was selling vegetables on the side of the road outside Leroy, Alabama. Ashton’s favorite place to write music is where she calls her “pickin’ shed”. She loves it so much in fact that she included a song by that title on her debut album. The first song she wrote was for her Mamma when she was 8 called “The Rest of My Life” about a widowed woman. After that point she started competing in local competitions covering Patsy Cline tunes as well as her own original songs to her little heart’s content. 11 out of the 12 songs on her debut album were written by Ashton herself which is nearly unheard of in modern country music. The one song she did not write was penned by her brother in law, and titled “Whiskey won the Battle”. Until the last year or so, Ashton’s only internet experience was still through old-fashioned dial-up access on a landline! Also, until fairly recently, Ashton, along with her husband and son, was happily living in just a single-wide trailer on some family acreage. A lifesaver for Ashton during the beginning of her mainstream career has been a wonderful woman who goes by “Miss Rachel”. Miss Rachel happens to be Ashton’s mamma-in-law who helped take care of little James while she was in and out of studios and on and off tour buses. The rest of the time either James joins mamma and daddy on the road, or stays home with daddy letting the men of the house run things. Ashton is self-admittedly not good at “the girlie stuff” like helping design her merchandise or even decorating her own house! Ashton’s high school friends would have her sign a little self-produced CD that she had recorded at Cook Studios (run by Alabama member, Jeff Cook) when she was 15, stating that they just knew she would be a huge hit someday. Meanwhile Ashton was as humble as could be and now laughs about it when they say “I told you so”. Well that’s all I have for now about Ashton Shepherd. I’m really looking forward to seeing what more she has in store for us traditional country Continue reading Ashton Shepherd – 10 Facts

Lee Ann Womack CD Giveaway!

Lee Ann Womack is giving away 5 copies of her newly released album “Call Me Crazy” to our awesome CMNB readers! Lee Ann Womack is climbing the charts with her new hit single “Last Call” off her October release “Call Me Crazy”, and fans are going crazy over the album. The album has already achieved industry accolades such as a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Performance for “Last Call”, ACM nomination for Top Female Vocalist, and AOL’s Country Record of the Year for 2008. And of course, Lee Ann is taking the success in stride. “I’m so fired up to be back doing what I feel like I was born to do, which is making country music,” said Womack. “The time I spent writing, looking for songs, and meeting with Tony felt so effortless and natural.” Four of the twelve tracks are co-written by Womack and fans will discover two other very well-known male voices accompanying the songstress, including Keith Urban and George Strait. Last time Womack and Strait collaborated was for “Good News, Bad News”, which earned them a Country Music Association award for “Musical Event of the Year.” Lee Ann’s humble nature shows through when she credits the joy of this album to the process of making it: “One of my favorite things when making a record is working with some of the best singers and musicians in the world…it was so fun to have some of them work on this project.” Pay a visit to  Lee Ann Womack’s official  website at http://www.leeannwomack.com/ to view her video for “Last Call” and to learn more about upcoming appearances, projects and her latest news. Enter to win YOUR copy of “Call Me Crazy” To enter the contest simply sign up for our country music newsletter By March 31st. Winners will be drawn from our email subscriber list on Wednesday April 1st and announced here on CMNB!Country Music Photo Gallery