Tour Updates From Little Big Town, George Strait, Julianne Hough, and Sugarland!

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Little Big Town headlines, Julianne Hough opens for George Strait and Sugarland jazz’s it up, all in this country music tour update! Little Big Town will launch their first-ever headlining tour this coming January. The first appearance is scheduled for January 24th in Jacksonville, FL and the tour will run all the way through October. Opening artists include Zac Brown Band, Ashton Shepherd, Kate & Kacey (of Can You Duet fame) and Jonathan Singleton and the Grove. Continue to more information on the Little Big Town concert tour. Julianne Hough has something to dance about now that she’s opening for major country music legend George Strait during his summer concert tour. Julianne will appear at select performances beginning May 15th and continuing through July 25th. Continue for more information about the George Strait concert tour. Sugarland  pulls a bit from Jennifer Nettles past as they jazz it up next spring for the 40th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Jazz Fest runs for two weekends, first on April 24th-26th and again on April 30th-May 3rd. Other acts included in Jazzfest are Dave Matthews Band, Aretha Franklin, Emmylou Harris as well as hundreds of others. Prior to her phenomenal success as half of the chart-topping-duo Sugarland, Jennifer Nettles was an accomplished jazz singer in the greater Nashville area. Continue for Sugarland concert information.Country Music Photo Gallery

Taylor Swift Angers Fans Over LiveDaily’s Fearless Contest

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Taylor Swift fans are up in arms over a stalled fan video contest promoted at LiveDaily. Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans are upset after participating in her “Fearless” fan video contest. It seems that while the promotions for the contest cited that winners would be chosen weekly, and a grand prize winner would receive gift certificates, signed albums and exclusive meet & greets with Taylor, there is no sign of any winners. The Taylor Swift Fearless contest even states in detail on her LiveDaily page that Taylor herself will choose which talented fan will win the exciting grand prize. However comments on her YouTube channel point out that the number of video views on Taylor’s page has not changed in over 3 months, meaning that she has not even looked at any of the entries. To quote a letter I received on the matter: “461 video responses were sent with some contestants saying that they put two weeks of work into their entries… The contest held in association with LiveDaily.com was supposed to be run for four weeks starting from November 10th which means it finished Sunday December 7th although the site was still accepting entries after that date? More controversy, what if the chosen winner, if it ever happens that there is one, is one of the videos entered after the close off date?” It is understandable that an artist’s schedule can get hectic, however the takeaway impression left by this contest is that it was a cheap publicity stunt to get devoted fans to buy and promote the new album. Now those same fans have agreed to file a fraud complaint against Taylor Swift and her management team unless the terms of this contest are met. Hopefully there is a reasonable explanation for this that will help to reconcile any hard feelings created between Taylor and her fans. In the meantime, my hat’s off to the mass number of fans who are willing to hold mainstream artists accountable for the promises they make! UPDATE: It appears that in the 24 hours after this article was published, the contest page at livedaily was updated to reflect 4 finalist up for fan voting. Since there are no contest terms posted, and the contest video from Taylor has been removed, then there is no way of proving that this method of selecting a winner is different than what her statements in the video had implied (in the video it stated that weekly winners would be chosen, then SHE would choose the grand prize winner). Either way, with the wording chosen on the contest page, I can only hope that the fans’ voices were heard. “But this is a contest and someone has to win, so Team Taylor has selected their Top 4 videos for you to vote on“. Country Music Photo Gallery

Alan Jackson Video Debut: Country Boy

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Alan Jackson gives fans a chance to star in his latest video “Country Boy”. After running a video submission contest on YouTube, Alan Jackson has released a concept video including some of this great fan footage. Congratulations to all the winning entries! To check out the original footage for each winner, visit the contest page on Alan Jackson’s YouTube Channel!Country Music Photo Gallery

Have Yourself a Country Christmas

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With the holidays right around the corner I thought I’d share a little Country Christmas Music News with you. Faith Hill tops this year’s new Country Christmas classics. Although new Country Christmas albums aren’t running rampant this year, new holiday titles from Faith Hill, Elvis Presley and Julianne Hough have managed to find room in the Top 10 of the current Billboard country albums chart. Country Radio has been giving “A Baby Changes Everything” massive amounts of radio airplay, while the Elvis Duets album has gotten nationwide news coverage. Just in time for the holidays, Joey+Rory created a “Sleighbell Mix” of their song “Cheater Cheater” and posted it on MySpace. Two of country’s top acts — Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood — have each released new holiday music this year, but you have to buy expanded versions of their current albums to get it. Wynonna is on the West Coast this month, in the midst of her Classic Christmas tour. In this interview with the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, the singer talks about overspending during the holidays, what to expect from her upcoming album and the year she gave her mother a hammer for Christmas. (”I’m not even sure why. She just liked to do things so I figured, well, she needs a hammer.”) However, if you don’t live on the West Coast, you better not pout and I’m telling you why: You can still hear her yuletide album, A Classic Christmas, on Rhapsody.Country Music Photo Gallery

Keith Urban’s 2009 Tour, Josh Gracin’s Telluride, Taylor Swift’s Jonas Inspiration and more!

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As the holiday season kicks in, the country music news starts comin’ at ya faster. Here’s this week’s top stories: Keith Urban has already started planning his 2009 concert tour, but has not released any specific dates or locations, only that it will kick off in May. Could this be because rumors have been flying that Keith Urban MIGHT tour with Brad Paisley in the coming year? Who knows? All I know is that would be one humdinger of a concert with supporting acts including Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley, Glen Campbell, Lady Antebellum and The Zac Brown Band. Josh Gracin‘s latest single “Telluride” may be working out on the airwaves, but it doesn’t seem to be working for the fans. Josh’s remake of Tim McGraw‘s 2001 hit has been receiving negative criticism across the blogosphere, along with many of his other recent attempts at reclaiming the passionate enthusiasm that his 2005 hit “Stay With Me” originally gained. Readers, I’d love for you to weigh in on this one… Do you think Josh Gracin has the chops to stay the course, or was this American Idol really a one-hit-wonder? Taylor Swift is rumored to be putting her heartbreak over Teen pop sensation Joe Jonas of The Jonas Brothers into her next series of bubble-gum sweet country music candy. Taylor has admittedly used her songwriting to openly share her thoughts and feelings about past romances, and will most likely do the same here. “I feel it’s best for me right now to be alone and write about what I’ve gone through,” Taylor told People magazine. “That’s how I deal with it. I would hate to jump into something so quickly and have it not be the right thing, because I don’t think I could take that right now.” And that’s it for today’s Country Music News update!Country Music Photo Gallery

Elvis Presley Christmas Duets

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Elvis Presley’s Christmas spirit is recalled in a special Christmas Duets album featuring some of our favorite female country music icons. Country Christmas albums are my guiltiest indulgence during the holiday season (besides all those fresh-baked treats and sweets) so I thought I’d share a sneak preview of the new Elvis Presley Christmas Duets album which features such amazing female country singers like Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.   More Videos Other artists on the cherished Christmas album include Amy Grant, Anne Murray, Wynonna Judd, Little Big Town, and Gretchen Wilson. Country Music Photo Gallery

Trace Adkins X, Zac Brown Band, Adam Gregory and More!

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Trace Adkins “X”, Zac Brown Band Tis’ the season to try something new! Part of what I love about my job is that I get sent sneak previews of a lot of music before it hits the radios or major networks. Here are some new releases to get you started! Take a taste and tell us what you think. Trace Adkins – X – In stores November 24th! Zac Brown Band – The Foundation – In Stores Now! Adam Gregory – What It Takes – New Video JUST released! Brad Paisley and Keith Urban – Start a Band – New Video JUST released!Country Music Photo Gallery

This Week in Country Music History

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Today’s country music seems to have forgotten its roots, so I thought I’d take a moment to remind the fans. Monday November 17th: 1938 – Gordon Lightfoot born in Orillia, Ontario. The pop singer-songwriter crosses into the country charts with his million-selling 1974 single “Sundown,” and writes Marty Robbins’ “Ribbon Of Darkness” and George Hamilton IV’s “Early Morning Rain” 1989 – “Steel Magnolias,” starring Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts, opens at theaters nationally 1997 -LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” album is certified quintuple-platinum, while her single “How Do I Live” is recognized as double-platinum Tuesday November 18th 1949 – MGM releases Hank Williams’ “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It.” Lurking on the B side: the classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” 1969 – Conway Twitty records “Hello Darlin’” in an afternoon session at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee 1980 – Johnny Lee earns a gold single for “Lookin’ For Love,” his best-known contribution to “Urban Cowboy” 1980 – “Barbara Mandrell And The Mandrell Sisters” debuts on NBC-TV, with guests Dolly Parton and John Schneider Wednesday November 19th 1994 -Mary Chapin Carpenters earns a #1 country single in Billboard with “Shut Up And Kiss Me” 1996 – American Recordings releases Johnny Cash’s “Unchained” 1997 – George Strait’s four-CD set, “Strait Out Of The Box,” is honored for shipments of 5 million units Thursday November 20th 1946 – Songwriter Roger Murrah born in Athens, Alabama. His credits include “I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why),” by Alabama; “It Takes A Little Rain (To Make Love Grow),” by The Oak Ridge Boys; and “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” by Alan Jackson 1961 – At the top of this chart stands a big, big man: “Big Bad John” takes Jimmy Dean to #1 on the Billboard country chart Friday November 21st 1955 – In a deal engineered by Col. Tom Parker, RCA Records buys Elvis Presley’s contract and master tapes from Sam Phillips’ Sun Records for $35,000. The papers are signed at the Sun Studios in Memphis 1981 – Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” settles in at #1 on the Billboard country chart 1986 – Lynn Anderson collects the only platinum album of her career, for “Rose Garden” which was later made famous again by Martina McBride Saturday November 22nd 1946 -Gene Autry rides in the Santa Claus Lane parade in Hollywood, as do Roy Rogers, Jack Benny and Red Skelton. When Autry hears children shouting, “Here comes Santa Claus,” he’s inspired to write “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” 1973 – George Jones & Tammy Wynette sing “We’re Gonna Hold On” in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 1980 – Kenny Rogers’ “Lady” goes to #1 on the Billboard country chart Sunday November 23rd 1950 – Hank Williams writes “Cold, Cold Heart” 1967 – Jack Greene becomes the first country star to appear in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 1968 – Tammy Wynette sits at #1 in Billboard with “Stand By Your Continue reading This Week in Country Music History→

Alan Jackson to be Honored on CMT Giants

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Alan Jackson will be honored on CMT Giants which airs December 6, 2008. Friends like George Strait, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and Lee Ann Womack serenaded Alan Jackson with his biggest hits. Even newer artists like Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift payed tribute to the small-town Southern man. The show will debut on CMT on Dec. 6. As is tradition on CMT Giants, Jackson sang a few of his own songs at the end. The show also features sincere testimonials from other famous friends, sprinkled among Jackson’s own stories and photographs.Country Music Photo Gallery

2008 CMA Awards in Review

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The 2008 Country Music Association Awards Recap Last night’s 42nd annual CMA Awards show was both a hit and a miss in my book. Artists like Sugarland and Carrie Underwood demonstrated that they are not only hits on the radio, but hitsduring a live performance as well. Meanwhile, top-grossing artists like Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean show that sometimes all you need is a pretty face and a great marketing machine to back it. Many people are up in arms over the way that the night played out, and what it means for the current state of Nashville and the future of country music. My favorite country music news source, The 9513, cites “Country Music’s Biggest Night Wasn’t Country… if you are reading this website now, on the morning after, not because you’re looking for pictures of Kellie Pickler’s boobs but because you love country music, or because you like country music, or even because you have just a passing interest in one of the few contemporary art forms that can be said to be truly and uniquely American, you should feel both insulted and outraged by what you witnessed last night.” DH Country Music site administrator and Earps guitarist Ump had this to say: [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0PM9VeGfqQ] Join the conversation and tell us what YOU thought of last night’s 2008 CMA’s in our country music forum! Country Music Photo Gallery