It’s Official: Taylor Swift Auditorium

Taylor Swift’s former high school has officially renamed their auditorium after her! Following a final Sumner County School Board vote, Hendersonville High School Auditorium will now be known as Taylor Swift Auditorium. The meeting held tonight was merely a formality in the process, as the issue was already decided last month. Taylor has shown no lack of charity for her former stomping ground. In 2009 Taylor donated $75,000 to upgrade the school auditorium’s lighting and sound, hoping that the improved equipment will inspire more students to follow their performing arts dreams. In just a few short days, Taylor Swift will make history again as she releases her long-anticipated album, “Speak Now“, which is sure to break sales records like all of her others.

Brad Paisley – The Diary of a Player

Brad Paisley signs a book deal, saluting the guitar gods of country, rock and blues. Brad Paisley has reportedly inked a deal with publishers Howard Books to issue his very first major book titled “The Diary of a Player“. In “Diary of a Player” Brad pays tribute to the many guitar gods in multiple genres that have shaped his career and heavily influenced his sound. It is a very personal story of his strong emotional ties to the art of playing, and the way he got to where he is today. The story jumps off with this quote, taken from the liner notes of his primarily-instrumental album “Play”: “When I was eight I got a gift from my grandpa. No coincidence that around that time I also got an identity. See, no matter how I have changed, learned and evolved as a person, the guitar has been a major part of it, and really the only constant. A crutch, a shrink, a friend, love interest, parachute, flying machine, soapbox, canvas, liability, investment, jackpot, tease, a sage, a gateway, an addiction, a recovery, backstage pass, pickup line, weapon of revenge, a makeover, compass, target, icebreaker, a temptress, a church, a voice, veil, armor, and lifeline. My grandpa knew it could be many of these things for me, but mostly he just wanted me to never be alone. He said if I learned to play, anything would be manageable, and life would be richer. You can get through some real tough moments with that guitar on your knee. When life gets intense, there are people who drink, who seek counseling, eat, watch TV, pray, cry, sleep, and so on. I play.” We can expect “The Diary of a Player” to release in May of 2011, and I personally cannot wait! Country Music Photo Gallery

The Judds are Everywhere!

The Judds are making the media rounds as they gear up for their Last Encore tour. As the nation clamors for tickets to the concert of a country fan’s lifetime, The Judds are making rounds to nearly every media outlet available to share the love. Here’s where you can find Naomi and Wynonna this fall: October 11th issue: Country Weekly – cover story on The Judds October 15th: 2nd Annual Opry Goes Pink performance – The Judds October 16th: CMT “Insider” – The Judds October 16th: NPR Weekend Edition – The Judds October 18th: On The Record w/ Greta Van Susteren – The Judds October 20th: The Joy Behar Show – Wynonna only October 20th: Fox Business News – The Judds October 20th: SiriusXM visit – The Judds to be interviewed on multiple channels October 21st : Good Morning America – The Judds exclusive performance October 21st: The Today Show – The Judds October 22nd: Wendy Williams Show – The Judds October 22nd: Fox & Friends – The Judds October 27th: Better TV – Wynonna only October 30th: GAC “Master Series” – The Judds October/November issue: CMA Close Up – The Judds November 11th issue: People Country – Naomi feature November 20th & 21st: Crook & Chase countdown – The Judds November 23rd: GAC “On The Streets” – The Judds November 25th: Crook & Chase Thanksgiving Special – The Judds December issue: Pain Pathways – cover story on Naomi Country Music Photo Gallery

Opry Goes Pink with help from The Judds!

The Judds set to flip the switch and turn the Grand Ole Opry pink! The Judds are all set to appear at the Grand Ole Opry this Friday, October 15th, and flip the switch, turning the Opry pink!. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, the mother-daughter duo will perform in a special concert benefiting Women Rock For The Cure™ and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This is the second year the Opry has participated in “Opry Goes Pink”. More information on this even can be found at Opry.com Meanwhile, The Judds are in final preparations for their upcoming high-demand tour which begins in late November. The Judds Last Encore Tour Dates: 11.26.2010 Resch Center Green Bay, WI 11.27.2010 Soaring Eagle Casino Mt. Pleasant, MI 11.28.2010 i wireless Center Moline, IL 11.30.2010 Mystic Lake Casino Prior Lake, MN 12.02.2010 Schottenstein Center Columbus, OH 12.03.2010 KFC Yum! Center Louisville, KY 12.04.2010 Family Arena St. Charles, MO 12.05.2010 Mid-America Center Council Bluffs, IA 12.07.2010 World Arena Colorado Springs, CO 12.08.2010 1STBANK Center Broomfield, CO 12.09.2010 EnergySolutions Arena Salt Lake City, UT 12.11.2010 Oracle Arena Oakland, CA 12.12.2010 ARCO Arena Sacramento, CA 12.15.2010 Nokia Theatre L.A. Live Los Angeles, CA 12.16.2010 Chumash Casino – SOLD OUT Santa Ynez, CA 12.17.2010 Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage, CA 12.18.2010 Mandalay Bay Events Center/Arena Las Vegas, NV 12.19.2010 US Airways Center Phoenix, AZCountry Music Photo Gallery

CMA Sweepstakes from Country Music Hall of Fame!

Win tickets to the CMA’s and more from the Country Music Hall of Fame! The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum want you to experience CMA Awards week like never before with the Country’s Biggest Night Meets Country’s Biggest Stars Sweepstakes. The Grand Prize winner and their guest will win round-trip Southwest airfare to Nashville, hotel accommodations, passes to legendary dining and entertainment venues, tickets to the 44th Annual CMA Awards, and autograph and meet and greet opportunities with Montgomery Gentry, Danny Gokey, Craig Morgan, Jerrod Niemann, Josh Thompson, and Chris Young! Simply enter at CountryMusicHallofFame.org/sweepstakes between October 4 – 24, 2010 for your chance to win!Country Music Photo Gallery

Riverstomp Music Festival – Watts, Oklahoma

Riverstomp Music Festival is almost here! Two days of DIY bluegrass and psychobilly music in the base of the Ozarks! This ain’t your grandma’s folk music festival for sure! On the weekend of October 23rd & 24th, the Redneck Yacht Club in Watts, Oklahoma will become the temporary home for countless bluegrass and psychobilly musicians and fans as they gather to celebrate! Nestled on the banks of the Illinois river, in the foothills of the Ozarks, over a dozen bands, vendors, fire dancers and other entertainers will spend two days celebrating what can only be known as the Riverstomp movement. Best of all, CMNB is going to be there, and we hope you will be too! RedNeck Yacht Club is located 2.5 miles across the Oklahoma border on Hwy. 59. About 30 minutes from Fayetteville Ar. For more information and tickets, visit riverstomp.webs.com/ Country Music Photo Gallery

Blake Shelton Joins Grand Ole Opry

Blake Shelton would be the the first country artists invited to the Grand Ole Opry via Twitter, wouldn’t he? The Grand Ole Opry extended a more-than-appropriate invitation for the seldom-appropriate Mr. Blake Shelton to join the ranks using the popular micro-blogging service Twitter this week. Following a performance by Blake, a screen at the back of the stage displayed the note from @opry: “@blakeshelton, you’re invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. See you on 10/23/2010!” This marks the first new invite from the Opry following the devastating flood that ground Nashville to a halt earlier this year. I don’t know what I ever did in the last year or so to turn Nashville’s head a little bit, but whatever I did, man, I love this,” Blake said. “This right here is hands down the highlight of my career. Thank you so much. Miranda Lambert‘s response: “I am engaged to a member of the Grand Ole’ Opry!!!! That rocks:).” She sent it, appropriately, via Twitter. Country Music Photo Gallery