Toby Keith at CMT Music Awards

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Toby Keith World Premier Performance on 2011 CMT Music Awards. The 2011 CMT Music Awards are almost upon us, and Toby Keith has announced the award show will feature the world premier performance of his latest single “Made In America“. This song is the most recent music from Toby since his Bullets In the Gun album, and clearly showcases his patriotic pride! Keith is currently nominated in the Male Video of the Year category for the title single “Bullets In The Gun” off of the aforementioned album. The CMT Music Awards air live out of Nashville on Wednesday, June 8th (That’s tomorrow!) at 7pm CT. The show will be available on CMT and cmt.com. If you can’t catch it, have no fear! We will be sure to fill you in on all the shenanigans and excitement!

Tyrone Vaughan Releases Downtime

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Tyrone Vaughan Set to Release Downtime in September! Tyrone Vaughan’s album Downtime is set to be released in September. The son of blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan and nephew of legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, has made this album true to his country roots, including his well-known family guitar capabilities. Along with “Downtime“, the record gives us “9 Times Out of 10“, “Buzz Kill“, “She Could Have Had Anything“, “The House Feels So Empty“, “Next Stop, Texas“, and “Wanna Hear You Sing“. Throughout the record we get a touch of rock, blues, and R&B. “It’s country all day long, but it also rocks, there’s blues – I can’t deny it. I keep the Vaughan guitar in there, but with fiddle, banjo, and steel guitar in there as well. So it’s this whole different vibe.” Vaughan is the latest artist with Kick It Up Music and Records and “Downtime” has been released as his first single!

Trace Adkins House Fire

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Trace Adkins’ Tragic House Fire Devours Home. On Saturday, tragedy struck Trace Adkins‘ family as a fire demolished the country star’s 5,000 square foot home in Brentwood, TN. Adkins was away from the house on a flight to Alaska, and he did not receive the news until the plane landed and security met him at the gate to relay the information. The family resided in the home for the past eleven years, and the fire damage is being called a total loss. However, it was the property which was damaged, but not anyone in the family. Two of the Adkins’ children were in the house along with the families nanny who helped get the children to safety. Also, the family’s dog was rescued from the fire. Despite the devastation of the events Adkins’ wife, Rhonda is maintaining a strong perspective. “You can replace things, not people. I’m just glad that my children are safe.” -Rhonda Adkins It is known so far that the fire began in the garage, but the exact cause has still not been determined. There are several possibilities including a dryer explosion, and a complication with electrical work being done in the garage. Regardless, this a painful experience, and our hearts go out to the Adkins family.

CMA Music Festival Events at Grand Ole Opry

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The Grand Ole Opry Hosting Several Concerts and Events During the CMA Music Fest! Nashville is going to be all kinds of a frenzy next week with the CMA Music Festival running from June 9th – June 12th , and the Grand Ole Opry is definitely getting in on the action! Two of the concert events featuring a whole host of stars like Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Darius Rucker, Jerrod Neimann, Oak Ridge Boys and others on Tuesday, June 7th are unfortunately already sold out. However, on that Tuesday, the Opry is hosting a party with Jerrod Niemann and Eden’s Edge on the Opry Plaza at 5pm, so fans could always check in on that! Other fun events available to CMA attendees include the 3rd Annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit on Thursday, June 9th at 4pm in the Hall of Fame Park featuring performances by Josh Thompson and Steve Wariner. Up for auction are guitars either created or inspired by some of country music’s favorites like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and others. Also, fans should not forget about the special event taking place at the Opry Friday, June 10th featuring American Idol‘s Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina as they make their debut performances at the Opry in a concert including Randy Travis and Billy Ray Cyrus. Hopefully some of you will be getting the chance to check out this year’s CMA Fest, and the many corresponding events taking place in Nashville next week! For those of you who won’t be able to make it, just keep checking in with us! We’ll fill you in!

Darius Rucker’s Darius and Friends Announced

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Darius Rucker Announces All-Star Line-up for Darius and Friends Concert. Darius Rucker has announced several of his fellow country music stars will be joining him on stage for the 2nd Annual benefit concert “Darius and Friends“. This line-up includes Justin Moore, Easton Corbin, Jerrod Niemann, and Rodney Atkins. “Darius and Friends” will be taking place Monday, June 6th, and just like last year, will be hosted at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville. “The first event was so great that we wanted to keep that same theme for this year: artists coming together for a great cause.” -Darius Rucker All proceeds from the evening will go to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to aid in this institutions ongoing quest to find cures and help children who are fighting deadly diseases.

Turnpike Troubadours Headline Diamond Daze

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Turnpike Troubadours Dazzle While Headlining at Diamond Daze! The Turnpike Troubadours were welcomed to the Diamond Daze Festival in Sallisaw, Ok this past Friday, there I had the opportunity to sit and talk with them. Fittingly, their band name comes from living and traveling up and down the turnpikes of Oklahoma and sharing their love of music. Band members are Evan Felker, lead vocals and acoustic, R.C. Edwards, bass and backing vocals, Kyle Nix, fiddle and backing vocals, Ryan Engleman, lead guitar, and Giovanni “Nooch” Carnuccio, drums and backing vocals. Reading about them I found that, “isolation can be the mother of originality”. Coming from small towns, the guys of the band realized that they were able to do things their way. Not having to conform or compare to others made them who they are today, a mixture of folk, country, and pure talent! The Troubadours have many influences including Steve Earle, Old 97s, and Flogging Molly. When I asked who they would like to have an informal jam session with, dead or alive, they quickly replied with The Band, Bob Dylan’s former band or themselves ten years from now. The second answer must have left an intrigued look on my face because lead vocalist Evan Felker and bass player R.C. Edwards went on to explain how the impossible opportunity would give them a chance to learn from experiences and show a glance of what the future held. They shared with me their excitement for larger venues, like Fort Worth’s Billy Bob’s. Shows with 150-200 people always seem to be a fun time with tons of crowd enthusiasm. They have made some memories while joining artists like Jason Boland and Cross Canadian Ragweed on stage and once opened for legend Randy Owen of Alabama! At the same time they love a small town festival, fiddle player Kyle Nix said seeing a little kid singing along to their songs gives a different kind of satisfaction. Knowing that someone truly likes the songs and isn’t just looking for a good bar with live music must be a proud moment for any band. The song “Whole Damn Town” is a crowd pleaser, usually resulting in plenty of energized fans afterwards. Trying to dig for some crazy stories, all the guys agreed that after a while nothing shocks them, it all becomes the norm. The Troubadours have two albums, Bossier City and Diamonds and Gasoline. They are currently promoting the later of the two where they worked closely with Mike McClure. One goal of theirs is to put out a new album every year, they will be going into the studio next month to work on their third. Local band Sherman Conelly and War Pony opened for the Turnpike Troubadours Friday and Saturday the festival hosted The Brandon Butler Band, James Wesley, and Josh Gracin. Wesley is an up and comer already having his single “Real” on the country charts. Josh Gracin played many cover songs, along with some originals including “Nothing To Lose” Continue reading Turnpike Troubadours Headline Diamond Daze→

Trace Adkins Just Fishin’ Video

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Trace Adkins Releases Video for Latest Single Just Fishin’. Trace Adkins latest single “Just Fishin’” is a far cry from his more wild songs like “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk“! As much as we love those (and we do), it’s nice to have the change of pace, and see Trace showcase his softer side. Similar to “You’re Gonna Miss This“, this latest single takes on a paternal and loving tone, and highlights just how fast things can pass us by. So far, “Just Fishin’” which was released late March, has received favorable attention. The video debuted Friday, June 3rd, and it is nothing short of adorable (if you can use the term adorable about a big man like Trace). It features scenes of a “father” and “daughter” spending the day together at the lake, and appropriately mirrors the themes expressed in the lyrics. “Just Fishin’” is featured on Adkins upcoming album, Proud To Be Here, which is due out on August 2. You can check out the video here! Just Fishin’ – Trace Adkins – Trace Adkins Videos

Scotty McCreery’s New Single

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Scotty McCreery’s Debut Single Succeeds On Charts. Hot on the heels of his American Idol win last week, Scotty McCreery got some good news about his debut single. The song, “I Love You This Big“, was originally debuted on Idol before his win, and it hit the radio on May 24th. So far it is No. 32 on Billboard’s Nielsen BDS-based Hot Country Songs chart which is the highest debut for a new artist’s first single since the chart began using BDS data the week of Jan. 20, 1990. “I am humbled and shocked by this news. I can’t tell you what it means to me to be on the same charts as my musical heroes. I want to thank my fans and especially country radio for their support.” -Scotty McCreery Additionally, the single hit No. 1 on iTunes, and also reached No. 3 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart with 171,404 units sold. Also doing quite well is a compilation album featuring 14 of his performances from America Idol, entitled American Idol Season 10: Scotty McCreery which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 all-genre albums chart and No. 3 on the country albums chart with 23,196 units sold. It is clear that Scotty has a large and devoted fan base! Scotty will be appearing alongside Lauren Alaina at the CMT Music Awards on June 8th, and both will have multiple appearances through CMA Music Festival. Following up next week’s festivities, fans can look forward to Scotty’s forthcoming album which he will start working on in Nashville soon. So, since the powers that be seem to be keeping the two together for most events, I wonder when we will hear more about Lauren’s impending album?

Jerrod Niemann Signs CDs During CMA Fest

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Jerrod Niemann and Others Autograph Albums During CMA Fest Week. Next week is going to be a crazy and exciting week for Nashville! In addition to all the CMA Music Festival performances and appearances already scheduled from the Grand Ole Opry to LP Field, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced a line-up of album signings featuring Jerrod Niemann and others (For a complete list of dates and times, see below). The signings are hosted by CMT and will run from Tuesday, June 7th to Saturday, June 11th. For those of you already planning to attend the festivities, here’s one more thing to squeeze into your agenda! For the country fans who can’t attend, stay tuned for follow up details of next week’s shenanigans. Live From the Museum Store (Presented by CMT), the Complete Line-Up: Tuesday, June 7th Jerrod Niemann 12:00pm: Signing his CD, Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury Wednesday June 8th Joanna Smith 3:30pm: plaza performance 4:00pm: Signing her new EP, Joanna Smith: Georgia Mud Thursday June 9th Josh Thompson 1:00pm: plaza performance 1:30pm: Signing his CD, Way Out Here Tracy Lawrence 3:30pm: plaza performance 4:00pm: Signing his new CD, Tracy Lawrence – The Singer Friday June 10 Tom T. Hall 11:00am: Signing his new CD, I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow Saturday June 11 Tyler Farr 1:00pm: plaza performance 1:30pm: Signing his EP, Camouflage

Brad Paisley Kicks Off Tour

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Brad Paisley Kicks Off His 2011 Tour This Weekend! One of the best things about summer time in the world of country music is that everyone goes on tour, and there are limitless opportunities for a good party! Brad Paisley‘s wild and exciting tour H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour presented by Chevy is a perfect example. Back by popular demand, this is the follow up to last year’s similarly themed concert extravaganza. The much anticipated tour will kick off this weekend in Virginia Beach, VA on June 3rd followed by Hartford, CT on June 4th. Special guests on the main stage include Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann. The tour is bringing back the very popular and fan favorite “Water World Plaza,” turning every city into a water festival. The primary focal point in the Plaza will be the “Water World Plaza Stage” featuring new and rising country stars Edens Edge, Sunny Sweeney and Brett Eldredge and the JaneDear Girls alternating show dates. Adding even more fun, there will be multiple water-themed activities – including a Chevy H2O FLW fishing simulator, dunking booth, slip n slide, and other various water games. All said and done, the tour will cover 30 cities including four stadiums and an international leg covering London’s O2 Arena, Dublin, Stockholm, Oslo and more. So, be sure to check and see if Brad’s amazing concert event will be coming somewhere near you!