CONTEST: WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED WHISKEY FALLS CD

Are you a Whiskey Falls fan? (And who doesn't love the hot newcomers!) CLICK HERE to enter for your chance to win an autographed prize package from Whiskey Falls, compliments of http://www.whiskeyfallsmusic.com/ and http://www.blackbookpress.com/ess.com/

The grand prize includes an autographed copy of the band's self-titled debut album, Whiskey Falls, a t-shirt and and 8X10 promo picture. The winner will be drawn on January 14, 2008.

WIN A WHISKEY FALLS CD CONTEST, CARRIE UNDERWOOD #1, RODNEY CARRINGTON

CARRIE UNDERWOOD #1

Country music superstar and American Idol Carrie Underwood and
her new hit "So Small" shares the #1 spot this week.



Click here to check out the Carrie Underwood Fan Club.

WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED WHISKEY FALLS CD


Are you a Whiskey Falls fan? (And who doesn't love the hot newcomers!) CLICK HERE to enter for your chance to win an autographed prize package from Whiskey Falls, compliments of http://www.whiskeyfallsmusic.com/ and http://www.blackbookpress.com/




The grand prize includes an autographed copy of the band's self-titled debut album, Whiskey Falls, a t-shirt and and 8X10 promo picture. The winner will be drawn on January 14, 2008.



ENTER THE WHISKEY FALLS CONTEST

RODNEY CARRINGTON CONTEST WINNER

We have a winner! Congratulations to Lesha Anderson, winner of the RODNEY CARRINGTON CD contest!

RODNEY CARRINGTON CD CONTEST, BLUEGRASS CD WINNER, THE WRECKERS, SHAWN COLVIN

CONTEST: WIN A RODNEY CARRINGTON CD

Attention: Rodney Carrington fans. You can win a Rodney Carrington "King of the Mountains" CD free just for sending an email with the subject line: WIN RODNEY!, compliments of blackbookpress.com and fanscape.com.

Rodney takes country comedy to a new level on his latest CD, "King of the Mountains." You can check it out online at http://www.rodneycarrington.musiccitynetworks.com/

With the release of a major new CD, live concert DVD, television special and book, 2007 promises to be the best (and busiest) year ever for multi-million copy selling Capitol recording artist and comedian Rodney Carrington.

"King of the Mountains," Rodney's first album of new material in more than four years, released April 3 and debuted at the top of the comedy charts. The album was followed by a Comedy Central special (April 14); his first DVD, "Rodney Carrington Live at the Majestic Theatre" (in stores May 1); and a book, Coming Clean (September). All will be supported by Rodney's first full year of touring since the debut of his television show in 2004.

CLICK HERE to send an email and win the free Rodney Carrington CD.

CONGRATULATIONS TO BLUEGRASS CD WINNER

Congratulations to Troy Bishop, winner of the PICKIN' ON TODAY'S ULTIMATE COUNTRY HITS VOLUME 4.

THE WRECKERS NEW CD OUT

The Wreckers new CD/DVD "Way Back Home: Live From New York City" is out today!
Listen to The Wreckers entire CD on CMT or imeem!

Watch Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp perform "Leave the Pieces," "Stand Still, Look Pretty" and "Different Truck, Same Loser" from the DVD only on CMT!

Watch the duo perform "Leave the Pieces", "My, Oh My", and "Cigarettes" only on AOL!
And last but not least, watch "The Good Kind" only on MSN!

THREE GIRLS & THEIR BUDDY TOUR

Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller will be hitting the road together in January 2008 for a select number of dates. Check out Shawn Colvin's website at http://www.shawncolvin.com/ for the dates and news. If you have never seen Shawn Colvin live you have missed magic! I saw her years ago at Sunfest -- a small woman with a big voice, and it was truly a magical moment. Don't miss this concert!

43rd Annual Country Music Awards Set; Win a Free Country Music Bluegrass CD

43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards set for May 18, 2008, in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - The Academy of Country Music Awards will be held in Las Vegas for a sixth year, but will move from Tuesday night to Sunday.

The awards will be presented May 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. CBS will broadcast the show live.

"Las Vegas is an ideal place for the Academy to showcase country music's best and we couldn't be happier to have the show on a Sunday night," Executive Director Bob Romeo said Monday in a statement.

The event will include multiple nights of country music on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas and a celebrity Motorcycle Ride for the Academy's charitable fund.

WIN A FREE COUNTRY MUSIC BLUEGRASS CD

MaGraw & Underwood Honored at 2007 American Music Awards

Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood were among the top country winners last night at the American Music Awards.

Tim was named Favorite Male Artist.

Carrie was named Favorite Female Artist, and also took hone favorite album honors for "Some Hearts."

Rascal Flatts was named Favorite Group.

Sugarland performed to a full house during the ABC live broadcast.

Country Music Fans & CMA Award Winners

FIRST TIMERS AND VETERANS SHARE HONORS AT “THE 41st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS”

Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, and Carrie Underwood Each Win Two on Country Music’s Biggest Night

Country Music’s newest stars and industry veterans stood shoulder to shoulder at “The 41st Annual CMA Awards,” as “Country Music’s Biggest Night™” honored a variety of its biggest artists.

Relentless touring phenomenon Kenny Chesney won his third Entertainer of the Year Award. “I can’t believe that I get to stand on the stages I stand on every summer and sing the songs I get to sing,” Chesney said. “I love Country Music and I love doing what I do.”

During the pre-telecast ceremony, Chesney won his first Award in the Musical Event of the Year category, sharing the honor with Tracy Lawrence and Tim McGraw for “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.” Chesney performed current single “Don’t Blink,” from his latest album Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates.

Lawrence was a first-time winner. “This is something that we wanted to sing,” Lawrence said of his friends backstage. “We all related to it. I’m proud to have the friends I have. It wouldn’t have happened without these guys.”

In such a relatively short career, Carrie Underwood continues to rack up awards, winning her second consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year Award and adding a Single of the Year Award for smash hit “Before He Cheats,” produced by Mark Bright.

“Here I go again, the waterworks have started,” an emotional Underwood said. “If you had told me years ago that I would be nominated with the people I was nominated with I would have thought you were insane.”

Underwood performed “So Small” from her sophomore album Carnival Ride, which sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week’s release.

Nominated seven times for Male Vocalist of the Year, Brad Paisley finally won his first Award in the category.

“I can’t tell you what this means to me,” Paisley said. “I have always wanted to win it once and this will do.” Paisley got emotional when talking about his father, “who carried amplifiers and ran sound even though he didn’t know what he was doing.”

The Brentwood High School Marching Band introduced Paisley’s performance of “Online” with an instrumental cadence. Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift, who made cameos in the Music Video of the Year winner “Online,” directed by Jason Alexander, joined Paisley on stage to dance with some members of the marching band.

Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait added another CMA Award to his mantle, winning his sixth Album of the Year Award for It Just Comes Natural, produced by Tony Brown.

“Of all of the Awards I was nominated for tonight, this was the one I wanted to win the most,” Strait said.

Strait performed “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” from It Just Comes Natural.

Strait’s “Give It Away” won the Song of the Year honor for songwriters Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Anderson commented, “Y’all have been letting me do this for 50 years and I love you.”

Johnson jokingly thanked his ex-wife who “deserves half of this song and half of this Award too,” referencing the lyrics of the song about a wife leaving her husband and all of their belongings behind.

Rascal Flatts, the top-selling artist of 2006 in all genres, proved why when they won their fifth consecutive Vocal Group of the Year Award. The group opened the show with “Still Feels Good,” the title track from their mega-selling new album, and closed out the broadcast with a duet with Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx (“Ray”).

Breaking a six consecutive year win streak by Brooks & Dunn, a stunned Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland accepted their first Vocal Duo of the Year Award by paying tribute to those that came before.

“All of our success,” said Nettles, “it’s because we are standing on the shoulders of giants. We are happy to be receiving this Award.” The duo performed a stripped down “Stay” from their Platinum album Enjoy the Ride.

Seventeen-year-old Taylor Swift performed “Our Song” before winning her first CMA Award, the coveted Horizon Award.

“I can’t even believe that this is real,” the high school senior said. “I want to thank God and my family for moving to Nashville so I could do this. The fans – you have changed my life. This is definitely the highlight of my senior year!”

Vocal Duo and Single of the Year nominee Big & Rich dedicated their performance of “Loud” to the late Porter Wagoner. Fourteen-time Vocal Duo of the Year Brooks & Dunn performed the poignant “God Must Be Busy.”

The crop of Horizon Award nominees showed why Country Music’s future is bright. Rodney Atkins performed his No. 1 hit “These Are My People” from his album If You’re Going Through Hell.

Jason Aldean served up the carefree “Johnny Cash,” a tribute to the Man in Black’s restless nature.

“American Idol” alum Kellie Pickler offered the heart-wrenching “I Wonder,” a song she wrote about the mother who abandoned her when she was 2 years old.

Little Big Town, who were nominated for Vocal Group of the Year as well as Horizon, performed their hit “Boondocks.”

Josh Turner, who was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, exploded on screen and with the audience at the Sommet Center with his hit “Firecracker” from his new album Everything Is Fine.

Fellow Male Vocalist nominee Keith Urban performed “Everybody” from his Platinum album Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing.

Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Miranda Lambert hit the target with her rocking “Gunpowder and Lead,” from her sophomore album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Fellow Female Vocalist nominee Reba McEntire, one of Lambert’s heroes, performed “When You Love Someone Like That” with LeAnn Rimes from her monumental Reba Duets album.

Alison Krauss, a six-time Female Vocalist nominee, performed “Simple Love” with her band, Vocal Group of the Year nominee Union Station featuring Musician of the Year winner Jerry Douglas on dobro.

Legendary group the Eagles made their awards show debut, performing “How Long” from their new album Long Road Out of Eden, their first studio album in 28 years.

The 2007 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame – Ralph Emery, Vince Gill and Mel Tillis – were recognized for their career accomplishments in a video montage.

The CMA Awards featured a new format this year with multiple segment hosts sharing hosting duties throughout the broadcast. ABC Television personalities James Denton of “Desperate Housewives,” Kimberly Williams-Paisley of “According to Jim” and Kate Walsh of “Private Practice” split hosting duties with Country stars Sara Evans and Rimes.

Presenters included Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jason Michael Carroll, Bucky Covington, Sheryl Crow, Jewel with Ty Murray, Kid Rock, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton and Gretchen Wilson.

The winners of “The 41st Annual CMA Awards” are:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Brad Paisley

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Carrie Underwood

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Rascal Flatts

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Sugarland

HORIZON AWARD
Taylor Swift

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
It Just Comes Natural
George Strait
Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait
MCA Nashville

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Before He Cheats”
Carrie Underwood
Produced by Mark Bright
19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Give It Away”
Bill Anderson / Buddy Cannon / Jamey Johnson
Sony/ATV Tree / EMI Blackwood / Run Slow Music

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Tracy Lawrence featuring Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
“Find Out Who Your Friends Are”
Rocky Comfort Records/CO5

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Online”
Brad Paisley
Directed by Jason Alexander

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas – Dobro

In 1958, CMA was the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. Its membership includes nearly 6,000 companies and music industry professionals around the globe.

These CMA award winners are featured in the Black Book Guide to Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100.

Country Music News, Gossip and Commentary: Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood

Check out Carrie Underwood online in these exclusive AOL Sessions. These live video performances are free. "Wasted" is awesome!

Carrie Q & A Interview

Q. What is the main difference between 'Carnival Ride' and your first album?

A. I got to write a little bit more on this one. And we got more time to make it really fantastic. I've really gotten the opportunity to get excited about this one. It was great, because I was there for every step, so I think it's definitely more me!

For the rest of the interview, click here.

Carrie Underwood has a fabulous fan club. You can join for $24.95 plus S&H. Benefits include a members only t-shirt, sticker and photo; a welcome letter and membership card; meet and greet opportunities; and exclusive online content. Click here for information.

Country Music News: Carl "Buster" Page

New Music By Carl "Buster" Page

Click here to listen to a clip of Heaven's Floor, an awesome new song written and performed by new country music singer/songwriter Carl "Buster" Page.

WIN BIG & RICH's NEW BOOK
end us an email with your favorite Big & Rich story. It can be your best concert memory, why you like a particular song, or why you joined the fan club. The best response will get a free copy of All Access Big & Rich, compliments of Fanscape and Black Book Press. Email amy@blackbookpress.com

100 Fan Clubs in a Black Book
Order it now at Amazon.com

Country Music News - New Videos Online; Brad Paisley; Rascal Flatts

NEW VIDEOS ONLINE

Click here to watch KENNY CHESNEY'S "Don't Blink" video.

Click here to watch CARRIE UNDERWOOD's "Wasted."

Click here to watch CRAIG MORGAN's "International Harvester."

Click here to watch KELLIE PICKLER's "Without a Sound."

BRAD PAISLEY FANS STABBED

Two men were stabbed after attending a BRAD PAISLEY concert Saturday night at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre in West Palm beach.

The men were taken to an area hospital. They were reportedly too "impaired" to identify their attacker.

RASCAL FLATTS INTERVIEW - From CMT

Rascal Flatts are at the top of their game right now. The trio -- Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney -- outsold every other artist in 2006 and performed for more than 1 million fans. And although Kenny Chesney cut "Take Me There" first (and co-wrote the song), he gave it to Rascal Flatts. In turn, the group took the song to No. 1 and used it to launch their new album, Still Feels Good, which will be released Tuesday (Sept. 25). Click here to read more.

Country Music: Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Merle Haggard, Big & Rich Contest

KENNY CHESNEY

Attn: KENNY CHESNEY fans! The country music superstar will appear on ABC's Good Morning America Show on Sept. 13. Kenny will sing "Never Wanted Nothing More."

Said Kenny: "It's the same idea as morning drive. When people are starting the day, it just sets the tone for your entire day and if we're going to kick-off a record, you wanna pull all that energy from New York City and put it right back into your music. If we can get that into people's homes, it'll be perfect."

Kenny will end the day in New York on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

GARTH BROOKS

GARTH BROOKS has a new single out: "More Than a Memory." A new 3-disc set (2 CDs, 1 DVD) titled The Ultimate Hits will go on sale Nov. 6.

MERLE HAGGARD

Also out on Nov. 6, Time Life issues a 3-CD set titled "Legends of American Music: Merle Haggard - The Original Outlaw." (Note: merlehaggard.com is still offline. If anyone has information, please email to amy@blackbookpress.com)

JASON MICHAEL CARROLL

You can hear "Living Our Love Song" on Jason Michael Carroll's My Space page. This follow up to "Alyssa Lies" is a hit.

TAYLOR SWIFT

I would not have thought so unless I saw it myself, but it is worth watching Taylor Swift's "Teardrops on my Guitar" duet with America's Got Talent youngster Julienne Irwin. [Note to NBC: You really should have this stuff accessible on your website. You are missing fan traffic.]

WIN BIG & RICH's NEW BOOK

Send us an email with your favorite Big & Rich story. It can be your best concert memory, why you like a particular song, or why you joined the fan club. The best response will get a free copy of All Access Big & Rich, compliments of Fanscape and Black Book Press. Email amy@blackbookpress.com

Country Music News: Big & Rich Contest, Merle Haggard

BIG & RICH CONTEST

Are you a Big & Rich fan?

Do you want to win a free copy of the new All Access Big & Rich book and DVD?

Here's how: Send us an email with your favorite Big & Rich story. It can be your best concert memory, why you like a particular song, or why you joined the fan club. The best response will get a free copy of All Access Big & Rich, compliments of Fanscape and Black Book Press.

All Access Big & Rich is jam-packed with more than 200 color pages of behind-the-scenes photos and stories about the Muzik Mafia. You learn the stories behind the songs and get to know more about superstar entertainers Big Kenny and John Rich. Plus you get the All Access Big & Rich DVD, too. The book sells for $24.99 and is available online and in book stores.

Include your name and contact info and email your contest entry to: amy@blackbookpress.com

Join the Freak Parade. Become a member of the Big & Rich fan club for only $25 and you'll receive meet and greet opportunities, pre-sale ticket availability, exclusive audio and video online, member only news and photos, free desktop screensavers and buddy icons, and more.

Information about the Freak Parade and all of your favorite country music fan clubs is available in the Black Book Guide to Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100. Click here to order for only $7.95.

MERLE HAGGARD

We received an email that the merlehaggard.com web site is not operational. At present, when you log onto the site it says "Account Suspended." The snail mail address we have for the fan club is: Merle Haggard Fan Club, c/o Libby Roberts, 235 Murrell Meadows Dr. #72, Sevierville, TN 37876. If anyone has additional information, please email amy@blackbookpress.com

Country Music News: Big Dog Daddy

Toby Keith brought his Big Dog Daddy tour to South Florida Saturday night and rocked the house with his unique blend of country.

Janis Fontaine offered this review in the Palm Beach Post today:

WEST PALM BEACH — Even in the heat, I love freedom of the outdoor space at Sound Advice. If you've never seen a concert there, I recommend the venue. And if you can see a superstar like Toby Keith, so much the better.

Keith took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday following opening acts Flynnville Train and Miranda Lambert. Train delivered a solid set, showing that these guys are obviously great musicians. But their look is more sloppy than sexy - they all have longer hair than I do - and probably won't appeal to the fans who buy the CDs - women, who on top of talent want someone nice to look at.

Miranda Lambert, on the other hand, is very nice to look at. But she started her set with one of the worse faux pas in the music business - she said hello to the wrong city. That's like calling your date by the wrong name. How invested can you be if you can't get the name right?

Lambert tried to make up for it but giving a rocking performance. I was impressed with her stamina. Playing the stage at SAA in August is a bit like trial by fire, and the Kerosene girl didn't falter there. She took the stage to strains of American Woman in a teal tank and jeans, and played her signature pink guitar, then went right into Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the title cut from her second CD. She almost seemed to kick up a little breeze with her attitude.

The native Texan gracefully swept the sweat from her brow and delivered What About Georgia and Me and Charlie Talking, then followed the lighthearted Dry Town with the dark Gunpowder and Lead. They bathed her in red for the dark ballad about killing an abusive boyfriend: "His fist is big but my gun's bigger..."

Lambert kept up the pace for the rest of her set, flinging her long blond hair about and running across the stage even at the end of her set. Aside from the tiny but important mistake, she delivered a great show. But she knew that we were there for the Big Dog.

As usual, Toby opened with a video featuring a Ford truck (his sponsor) and Larry the Cable Guy: The Adventures of Big Dog Daddy and Possum Boy. Hilarious.

Then the curtain opened to reveal Keith's new set. (Unlike Tim and Faith he revamped just about everything this year and spared no expense.) No Ford truck center stage this year, but the whole set was based upon its grill. Sort of subliminal advertising.

And Keith did not forget where he was. As a date, he was fully engaged. Lots of eye contact - I don't know how you make a crowd of thousands feel like they're making an individual connection, but he did.

He looked great in a black T-shirt and jeans, very fit and strong. The set showcased his 10-piece band, with dozens of lights and a huge video screen behind the band that looked like a big trampoline.

Keith opened with Big Dog Daddy, the title cut from his new CD, and followed with Honkytonk U. He showed pictures of his grandma and himself as boy, great for the "Aaww" factor. The show, which on many levels seemed spontaneous, was a well-orchestrated game plan careully designed to give the fans an emotional experience. And it worked.

Keith played drinking songs: Get Drunk and Be Somebody, Whiskey Girl; love songs: He Ain't Worth Missing, You Should't Kiss Me Like That; and redneck songs: As Good As I Once Was, Who's Your Daddy. But when he sang his first No. 1 single, I Shoulda Been a Cowboy, the crowd shouted loud enough to drown him out.

After a whirlwind of hit songs, Keith and his band played a Ted Nugent song, and he scoffed, "I can rock but they can't sing country!"

When the show "ended" the crowd knew it wasn't over. We hadn't heard the patriotic songs, songs at the core of who Keith is. To chants of Toby and USA, he returned for the encore. He played American Soldier and Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue amid fireworks and flames.

It was the perfect good-night kiss.

More Miranda

Last week, Miranda gave this interview to Janis Fontaine at the Post:

"I'm partial to people with cocky attitudes," Miranda Lambert says with a laugh. "If you like it, great, if you don't, go somewhere else. I guess it gets translated into my music."

Lambert is not only talking about Toby Keith, whose Big Dog Daddy Tour she opens for on Saturday at Sound Advice Amphitheatre, but her second attitude-laden album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which was released to rave reviews in May.

"This album has some extreme songs, but it's more just about being strong," she said by phone from St. Louis. "That's more the message that I'm trying to send: Be strong in whatever you're doing. Be a strong woman and stand up for yourself."

Lambert, the Nashville Star reality show finalist who set the country music scene on fire with her first platinum-selling disc Kerosene, has been standing tough for a long time. She learned to do for herself in tiny Lindale, Texas, about 40 miles east of Dallas, population 2,500.

Her parents were private investigators. "My parents didn't shelter me much. I grew up in a really great home and in church, but my parents had parties on the porch with Dad and everybody playing music and drinking beer, and I was just exposed to that lifestyle. They never tried to shelter me from that so I saw a lot early in my life."

On Kerosene, released when she was just 22, Lambert showed a maturity most artists work years for.

"People used to call me an old soul, and I think I was, and now I'm kind of catching up with it. When I started writing Kerosene I was 17 years old and I didn't really have a lot of life to write about. But being on the road for three years has taught me a lot. I think on this album I really wrote more from my point of view, rather than taking other people's perspective."

Lambert, like her lyrics, is thoughtful and complex: "Sweet like a kiss, sharp like a razor blade," as one line goes. She's a contradiction: A girly-girl who killed a deer with a bow last November; a sophisticated songwriter and accomplished guitarist who'll be only 24 on her next birthday.

In 2003, Lambert got national exposure when she came in third on the first season of Nashville Star, a country version of American Idol. She says losing that contest was a blessing.

"I was 19 years old and I wasn't ready to make a record in a month. For me, I got all the exposure of the winner that season because I was on all nine episodes, but I didn't have to have that big yellow sticker - Nashville Star Winner - on every album from here on out, and I also had plenty of time. I waited two years to put an album out and he (winner Buddy Jewell) had to put one out in a month. So I think it was a blessing I had time to build it.

"I think you can't really put your heart and soul into something you're rushed to do, especially in the creative sense. To me music is something that's very personal and that you really need to take time (with) and if you win, you don't have that time. When you're in such a rush, you maybe settle for a couple of songs you don't believe in."

Initially the picturesque blonde worried that her record label might want her to do just that: Sing songs she didn't like or believe in.

"I was ready with my whole spiel. Luckily, I had a great label. I signed with Sony and they just said, 'We signed you to be a writer, we signed you for who you are, now go and make your album.'

"It gave me a lot of confidence, but it was also a lot of pressure to do it right. I got to do this my way, but what if it's not successful? About a month before the album came out, I remember just being scared to death. Luckily, it worked."

Worked is an understatement. Kerosene debuted at No. 1 on the country charts, sold more than a million copies, earned her a Grammy nod, and was named one of the best albums of the year by The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Blender magazine.

And Kerosene's clever lyrics and catchy melodies helped Lambert distinguish herself in a country music landscape that seems to be littered with pretty blondes lately. She set herself apart from Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift, she said, by carving herself out a niche as the country-rocker girl.

"Every one of us has a different style," Lambert said. "I think I do something a lot different in my music and on stage. I sing about things other girls don't tend to sing about; drinking and cheating and real life situations and I think that sets me apart. And I have a tattoo," she laughs.

"It's a tough road, though. Everybody's looking at you and waiting to see who's going to have the next hit. I think I have more of an edge than the other girls, but thank God there's room for all of us."

Country Music News

TRACY LAWRENCE

Attention: Tracy Lawrence fans. There is a wonderful, if brief, interview with Tracy online at CMT.

About recording "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, Tracy says: We've all been friends for years. We've talked about it off and on -- for a long time -- of us doing something together. I sang on a track on one of Chesney's albums a couple of years ago with George Jones, and we bounce around and do those things periodically. I thought it would be real cool for the three of us to get together. I thought the lyrics of the song applied so much because they've had their whole deal with the horse.

[Chesney gained national media attention in 2000 when he rode away on a deputy's horse at the New York State Fair. McGraw was charged with attacking the deputies as they tried to corral Chesney and the horse.]

Kenny's had his bumps in the media, and everybody has, but we all met at the same time early on in our careers. And to see everyone succeed to the level that we all have is really pretty amazing -- for three kids to have met all those years ago and still actually have a good relationship with each other. When my vocal was done on the record, I burned copies of it and sent it to both of them. We talked on the phone a couple days later. They loved it and said it was a good idea. We booked a studio and everybody got together to finish up a record.


WILLIE NELSON

Attention: Willie Nelson fans. An awesome, Willie Nelson three-part interview with David Breskin in Musician magazine in 1982 is available online.

Part 1 http://stillisstillmoving.com/?p=1919
Part 2 http://stillisstillmoving.com/?p=1932
Part 3 http://stillisstillmoving.com/?p=1947

CMT

CMT has a new blog for country music lovers at http://blog.cmt.com/ Categories include albums, news, tours and, of course, CMT shows. Also a handful of artist under "Popular Topics." It is worth a look.

COUNTRY MUSIC FAN CLUBS

Your favorite country music fan clubs are included in the BLACK BOOK GUIDE TO OFFICIAL COUNTRY MUSIC FAN CLUBS: THE TOP 100, FROM TRACE ADKINS TO TRISHA YEARWOOD. Now available at amazon.com

Country Music: Billboard Top 10

Big and Rich have the number one song in country music this week, according to Billboard (7-28-07):

1. Big & Rich - Lost in this Moment
2. Kenny Chesney - Never Wanted Nothing More
3. Keith Urban - I Told You So
4. George Strait - Wrapped
5. Taylor Swift - Teardrops on My Guitar
6. Jake Owen - Startin' With Me
7. Montgomery Gentry - Lucky Man
8. Rodney Atkins - These Are My People
9. Jason Aldean - Johnny Cash
10. Bucky Covington - A Different World

It is good to see some of the new country music voices holding their own on the charts.

Billboard's Top Country Albums are:

1. Brad Paisley - 5th Gear
2. Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift
3. Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy
4. Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts
5. Big & Rich - Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace
6. Tim McGraw - Let It Go
7. Jason Aldean - Relentless
8. Rascal Flatts - Me & My Gang
9. Sugarland - Enjoy the Ride
10. Keith Urban - Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing

Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" is #18 on the Billboard Top 100 chart this week, down one. Still, the unmistakeably country song has crossed over onto the mainstream chart for 46 weeks now!

Big & Rich's "Lost in This Moment" stays at #38 on the Hot 100, with 17 weeks on the chart.

Taylor Swift's "Teardrops On My Guitar" is up one spot to #40 on the Hot 100, with 19 weeks on the chart.

Tim McGraw & Faith Hill's "I Need You" is up four to #50 on the Top 100, with 9 weeks on the chart.

Country Music at Live Earth

The 7/7/07 Live Earth concert for the planet was seen in more than 100 countries and included a taste of country music

KEITH URBAN sang an awesome rock duet of "Gimme Shelter" with Alicia Keys, then went on to play "Days Go By," "Stupid Boy" and "I Told You So." CLICK HERE to see the "Gimme Shelter" video.

BON JOVI sang a mixed set that included "Lost Highway" and "Who Says You Can't Go Home."

KELLY CLARKSON sang rock - no shade of her REBA duet.

You can catch all of the concerts online at http://www.liveearth.org/

COUNTRY MUSIC: REBA & KELLY CLARKSON

REBA & KELLY CLARKSON DUET

Did you see the REBA and KELLY CLARKSON Crossroads show on CMT last week? If not, it is sure to be rerun.

Once again REBA shows herself to be the a fantastic performer, capable of soulful country and rock. And Kelly held her own with her idol, Reba.

One difference in their singing - Kelly says Reba can hit the low notes she can't, and Reba says Kelly can hit the high notes.

Together, they made some beautiful and memorable music.

You can watch the video of the REBA & KELLY CLARKSON duet of "Because of You" online at YouTube and CMT.

The CD version is online, too. CLICK HERE.

the live performance of REBA and KELLY singing "Since U Been Gone."

the live performance of REBA and KELLY singing "Does He Love You."

the REBA and KELLY Crossroads interview.

Lyrics to BECAUSE OF YOU
by Reba McEntire featuring Kelly Clarkson
(Lyrics & Music by: Kelly Clarkson/David Hodges/Ben Moody)

I will not make
The same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break
The way you did
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Chorus
Because of you
I never strayed too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust
Not only me
But everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake a smile, a laugh
Every day of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never strayed too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust
Not only me
But everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die (I watched you die)
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep (in your sleep)
I was so young (I was too young)
You should have known better
Than to lean on me (lean on me)
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain (you never saw me)
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For that same damn thing

Because of you
I never strayed too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you I find it hard to trust
Not only me
But everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you (oooh)
Oooh Because of you (oooh)

CARRIE UNDERWOOD FAN CLUB NEWS

CARRIE UNDERWOOD FAN CLUB NEWS

The official fan club website for American Idol winner and country music superstar Carrie Underwood is www.carrieunderwood.fm . (NOTE the URL if .fm, not .com.)

The cost to join Carrie's fan club is only $24.95 a year.

The benefits are many, including:

• Meet and greet opportunities (subject to availability).
• Pre-sale ticketing opportunities.
• Members only t-shirt.
• Members only sticker.
• Members only photo.
• Exclusive web content, including audio, video and photos
• Personalized @carrieunderwood.fm email address.
• Private message boards, blogs and chats.
• Carrie's online journal, and more.
• Join the Carrie Underwood fan club community and when you are online your login is on the home page, so other members know who is available to chat.

The snailmail address is:

The Official Carrie Underwood Fan Club PO Box 8639 Emeryville, CA 94662

Carrie is a wonderful role model for young women. In a world where the media is obsessed with bad-girl images like Paris and Lindsay, Carrie is a talented breath of fresh air. Show Carrie you appreciate her by joining the fan club today. Better yet, give a young female freind, sister or daughter a membership.

You can see Carrie live in Canada at the Merritt Mountain Music Festival in Merritt, BC, on July 13, and at the Craven County Jamboree on July 15.

Additional upcoming appearances:

07/19/07 Twin Lakes, WI, US Country Thunder

07/21/07 Harrington, DE, US Delaware State Fair

07/28/07 Dixon, CA, US Dixon May Fairgrounds

08/02/07 Detroit Lakes, MN, US WE Fest

08/04/07 Camrose, AB, CA Big Valley Jamboree

08/26/07 Syracuse, NY, US New York State Fair

09/02/07 Allentown, PA, US Great Allentown Fair

09/08/07 York, PA, US York Fair

Country Music Fan Club Interviews On the Radio

Catch my radio interviews about country music fans clubs:

WYTZ, Y97.5 Country, in S.W. Michigan, with morning man WILD BILL. And he is wild! Thursday, June 21, between 6 - 10 a.m.

WKKG, Indiana Country 101.5, with Joy Reynolds. Check out her Big & Rich photos online.

Call in with your fan club story and you could win a free copy of the Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100.

Keep the tradition alive - JOIN A FAN CLUB TODAY!

Toby Keith Interview

Photo: Toby on USO Tour, 2007

Published in the Palm Beach Post

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Toby Keith called his new album "Big Dog Daddy," and yes, it's more bravado from the brash country star.

Keith, a pitchman for Ford trucks, was asked to come down to Dallas to unveil the new F-450 Super Duty. "I walked up on it, got in it and one of the Ford guys said, 'Well, what do you think, Big Dog?' And I said, 'This is a Big Dog Daddy.'"

The line got such a laugh that Keith decided to write a song around it.

Of course, Keith being Keith ("How Do You Like Me Now," "I Wanna Talk About Me"), he made it a first-person chest-thumper about a guy who's "got 'em all screaming from here to Cincinnati."

For the first time in his career, Keith produced most of the new disc on his own, and "Big Dog Daddy" might be the first in any musical genre to include a song about an oil pump jack.

Released on his own Show Dog Nashville Records, it finds Keith returning to more familiar territory after experimenting with horns and R&B rhythms on his last record. The first single, "High Maintenance Woman," is No. 7 on the Billboard chart.

The 45-year-old Oklahoman spoke with The Associated Press recently about his music, his politics and why it's not such a good idea to bounce song ideas off your spouse.

AP: This is the first album you've produced on your own. Is that something you've wanted to do for a while?
Keith: I never thought I had the time or energy. I'm at a point in my life where it's time to do it. If I had gotten halfway in and felt I didn't need to be doing this, I would called a friend and got them to do it.

But it went well.

AP: Do you ask your family for their opinion on songs?
Keith: Once it's done, I'll play it for them. But I never let it influence what songs I record. What if you play something racy for your wife? To me, that muddies the process in what you're trying to do creatively. If I play a song like "High Maintenance Woman" about a guy stalking a woman, and my family goes "I don't know about that" — and I don't record it — I'm not being very true to my music.

AP: Are they surprised by your choices sometimes?
Keith: Even in your own family, you're not going to make everybody happy. Even my closest fans are not going to like everything I do.

AP: You recorded two songs by outside writers on this album, "Love Me if You Can" and "White Rose." That's rare for you.
Keith: Both are so damn good I couldn't resist. They're very well-written. I've been sitting on "White Rose" for five or six years. Craig Wiseman wrote "Love Me if You Can," and the amazing thing is it's exactly where I stand, word for word. I couldn't have written it any truer. When one of those comes along, once in a while you have to record it. I think your ego is too big if you don't.

AP: You do a lot of shows for the troops overseas. Have you ever had any close calls?
Keith: I set the standard for other artists to go there. I want the troops coming home and talking about where they saw me and they can't believe I was there. Maybe other acts will be inspired to do it, but I don't want to scare them off either.

AP: How close to battle were you?
Keith: We spent three or four nights on the Pakistani border in small tents. Most artists have to worry about mortar attacks. We stayed at a camp where you had to worry about getting hit in the head by sniper fire. But you don't have to do what I do. You can go to the green zones or stay in the country and go to the military hospitals.

AP: Do you consider yourself a traditional country singer?
Keith: I'm one of the only guys who've sold as many records as I have in our business and never had a crossover hit. Tim (McGraw) and Faith (Hill) and Shania (Twain) and Keith (Urban) and Kenny (Chesney) have all had crossover hits. I've sold 30 million records and written enough songs to be in the 50 million airplays club, which is the Bee Gees, Elton John, John Lennon. And not one time have I ever had a pop spin. So the pop world doesn't view me that way. I take a lot of pride in that.

AP: People view you as being very outspoken. What do you think is the biggest misconception about you?
Keith: I supported the ousting of the Taliban (in Afghanistan) 100 percent. My 9/11 song ("Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue") was all about that. But the far left won't allow that to be. They have to plug me into every pro-war thing they can find. I'm not a political person (Keith describes himself as a lifelong Democrat more interested in "right or wrong" than "left or right"). I get painted that way. I never said I support the Iraq war, but I never said I didn't either.

AP: Do you support the war?
Keith: That war has been over since 48 hours after it started. Our military disarmed them in two days. The dictator has been ousted. They (Iraq) need to step up with their oil money and fund it on their own. I don't say we shouldn't be in there. I say we should be there and step back and let them have their own fight. The U.S. should stand back and make sure the Syrians and the Iranians and the Saudi Arabians don't get involved and allow it to unfold.

Check out Toby's fanclub online at http://www.tobykeith.com/.

LeAnn Rimes Gives Disabled War Vet a Van

LEANN RIMES continues to make the news. Last week I reported on LeAnn's Shape Magazine cover. Now she is the country music hero of choice for vets everywhere after presenting a specially equipped van to an disabled Iraq War veteran.

Navy Seebee Peter Reid, of Palm Bay, Florida, was injured in a mortar attack in Iraq in 2004. He was partially paralyzed, blinded in one eye and suffered a brain injury. Since then he gets around in a motorized wheelchair.

The wheelchair limited his travel because it took two people to lift the chair into his van.

Enter LeAnn Rimes, who presented a brand-new, wheelchair-accessible Chevrolet van to Peter and his wife.

LEANN plays a concert at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida, on Saturday, June 16.

here to go to LeAnn's Fan Club page on her official website.

The Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs is available at http://www.blackbookpress.com/ and amazon.com

LeAnn Rimes, Country Music Fan Clubs

LEANN RIMES

LEANNE RIMES graces the cover of July Shape Magazine.

COUNTRY MUSIC FAN CLUBS

CMA MUSIC FEST starts today in Nashville and runs through the 10th. If you didn't get to attend you can still learn about your favorite country music entertainers, including how to join the best fan clubs, what you get, and how to get free stuff. All of the information you want is in the Black Book Guide to Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100, from Trace Adkins to Trisha Yearwood. On sale now for only $7.95. Click here for the Top 100 country music fan clubs.

Country Music Duo Meets Poet: Montgomery Gentry and Maya Angelou

Country music superstar duo MONTGOMERY GENTRY offered up a special performance of their hit song "Some People Change for AN EVENING WITH DR. ANGELOU at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Jackson Hall in Nashville last Monday.

The Frisk Jubilee Singers joined MONTGOMERY GENTRY on stage for the song, a special request by Dr. Maya Angelou, the Pulitzer prize winning poet and author.

Dr. Angelou is a fan of MONTGOMERY GENTRY. She met the duo when she interviewed them for "Oprah and Friends" on XM Satellite Radio.

"When I listen to Montgomery Gentry they are young men I can claim as my sons--they don't know that, but it's alright," said Dr. Angelou, who says she owns all of their CDs.

The admiration is mutual.

"To meet someone as inspiring as Dr. Angelou and to hear her in this kind of setting has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life," said Troy Gentry.

"She is absolutely an amazing lady said Eddie Montgomery.

Gentry went to to add that he found Dr. Angelou to be an inspiration and that he was honored to have been a part of the Nashville stop of her Unique Lives tour.

Faith Hill & Tim McGraw Talk About Family Life and Touring

This morning I heard a wonderful interview about family and touring with FAITH HILL and TIM McGRAW on WIRK by JD (of JD & The Crew).

The dynamic country music duo is slated to play South Florida this summer when their Soul2Soul Tour 2007 hits the Bank Atlantic Center stage on Tuesday, July 24.

Thirty-three performances are slated for the nine week tour. The two and a half hour show will include several first time musical performances by Tim and Faith, as well as the #1’s such as “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Breathe,” “Don’t Take The Girl,” “Cry,” “I Like It, I Love It,” “It’s Your Love,” “This Kiss,” as well as Tim’s new single with Faith titled, “I Need You.”

In spite of a hectic schedule, the couple always makes time for family. Tim talked about coaching his daughter's softball team to an undefeated season, with Faith in the stands cheering each game.

When on the road the couple likes to get out and see local sights but seldom has time to really enjoy a visit when on tour. It is work.

You can listen to clips online at www.wirk.com

South Florida fans will want to check out Faith and Tim's respective fan clubs for information about joining, as well as how to get backstage passes for this upcoming show. The website for faith is www.faithhill.com and for Tim it is www.timmcgraw.com. Both website have free music clips and photos.

Country Music Award Winner Fan Clubs

There were no big surprises in Tuesday night's 42 Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, and all of the winners are on the Black Book Guide to Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100 list.

• Entertainer of the Year: Kenny Chesney
• Top Female Vocalist: Carrie Underwood
• Top Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley
• Top Vocal Duo: Brooks & Dun
• Top Vocal Group: Rascal Flatts
• Top New female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
• Top New Male Vocalist: Rodney Atkins
• Top New Duo or Group: Little Big Town
• Single of the Year: "Give It Away," George Strait
• Album of the Year: Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
• Video of the Year: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
• Vocal Event of the Year: "Building Bridges," Brooks & Dun, with Cheryl Crow and Vince Gill

Featuring 100 fan clubs in a black book, the Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100 gives you complete information about how to join your favorite fan clubs and how to get free stuff like photos, music downloads and autographs. The cost is $7.95. The Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs is available at http://www.blackbookpress.com/ and amazon.com

Live From Las Vegas - The 42nd Annual American Country Music Awards

Live From Las Vegas - It is the 42nd Annual American Country Music Awards.

Festivities started on Sunday with the annual ACM Motorcycle Ride for charity, hosted by MONTGOMERY GENTRY.

After the ride, country superstars took to the stage at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas for a free concert to kick-off the ACM Awards.

Performers included Montgomery Gentry, Phil Vassar, Trent Tomlinson, Keith Anderson, Little Texas, Emerson Drive, Craig Morgan, Trick Pony, James Otto, Big Kenny, Carolina Rain, Ray Scott, Heidi Newfield, Halfway to Hazard, Whiskey Falls, Rowdy and Memarie, among others.

Gretchen played a set with special guests Big and Rich and Heart's Nancy Wilson.

The 42nd Annual Country Music Awards airs tonight t 8 p.m. on CBS live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with REBA hosting.

Nominee milestones include:

• George Strait leads with 8 nominations.
• Brooks & Dunn receive 7 nominations.
• Rascal Flatts receives 6 nominations.
• American Idol Carrie Underwood receives 5 nominations.
• Big & Rich receives 4 nominations.
• Vince Gill, Josh Turner and Gretchen Wilson all receive 3 nominations.

And the nominees are:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
• Brooks & Dunn
• Kenny Chesney
• Tim McGraw
• Rascal Flatts
• George Strait

TOP MALE VOCALIST
• Kenny Chesney
• Toby Keith
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST
• Sara Evans
• Faith Hill
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Carrie Underwood

TOP VOCAL GROUP
• Diamond Rio
• Emerson Drive
• Little Big Town
• Lonestar
• Rascal Flatts

TOP VOCAL DUO
• Big & Rich
• Brooks & Dunn
• Montgomery Gentry
• Sugarland
• The Wreckers

TOP NEW MALE VOCALIST
• Rodney Atkins
• Craig Morgan
• Chris Young

TOP NEW FEMALE VOCALIST
• Miranda Lambert
• Kellie Pickler
• Taylor Swift

TOP NEW DUO OR VOCAL GROUP
• Heartland
• Little Big Town
• The Wreckers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
• Hillbilly Deluxe - Brooks & Dunn (Arista Nashville)
Produced by Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks
#3 Produced by Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks
# 6 Original demo produced by Kix Brooks, Tom Shapiro, Bob DiPiero
• It Just Comes Natural - George Strait (MCA Nashville)
Produced by Tony Brown, George Strait
• Me and My Gang - Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street Records)
Produced by Dann Huff, Rascal Flatts
• Some Hearts - Carrie Underwood (19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records)
#1, 2, 4, 7, 10 & 13 Produced by Mark Bright
#3, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 12 Produced by Dann Huff
• These Days - Vince Gill (MCA Nashville)
Produced by Vince Gill, John Hobbs, Justin Niebank

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
• Before He Cheats
Carrie Underwood, Produced by Mark Bright
19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records
• Give It Away
George Strait, Produced by Tony Brown, George Strait
MCA Nashville
• I Loved Her First
Heartland, Produced by Walt Aldridge
Lofton Creek Records
• What Hurts the Most
Rascal Flatts, Produced by Dann Huff, Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records
• Would You Go With Me
Josh Turner, Produced by Frank Rogers
MCA Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
• Amarillo Sky
Jason Aldean
Writers: John Rich, Big Kenny, Rodney Clawson, Bart Pursley
Publishers: © 2005 Rich Texan Music (ASCAP), Bound For Sound Music (ASCAP) All
rights admin. By WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) Big Love Music (BMI) Admin. By Carol
Vincent and Associates. Grinnin’ Girl Music (BMI) Bar Two Beat One Music (ASCAP)
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
• Before He Cheats
Carrie Underwood
Writers: Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear
Publishers: That Little House Music (ASCAP)/ Mighty Underdog Music/Sony/ATV Cross
Keys Publishing (ASCAP)
• Give It Away
George Strait
Writers: Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson
Publishers: © 2006 Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Mr. Bubba Music, Inc., admin. by Sony/ATV
Music Publishing (BMI); Run Slow Music, admin. By ICG (ASCAP); EMI Blackwood
Music Inc. (BMI)

• If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)
Rodney Atkins
Writers: Sam and Annie Tate, Dave Berg
Publishers: Gravitron Music, SESAC, Whaddayadef Music, Cal IV Songs, Bergbrain Music,
ASCAP
• Would You Go With Me
Josh Turner
Writers: Shawn Camp, John Scott Sherrill
Publishers: © 2005 Sony/ATV Songs LLC/All Mighty Dog Music/Travelin' Arkansawyer
Music, admin. By Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Sony/ATV Songs LLC/All Mighty Dog
Music/City Wolf Music, admin. By Sony/ATV Music Publishing (BMI)
VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
• 8th of November - Big & Rich
Producer: Steve Lamar
Director: George Flanigen, Robert Deaton, Marc Oswald
• Amarillo Sky - Jason Aldean
Producer: Brittany Hailes
Director: Wes Edwards
• Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
Producer: Randy Brewer
Director: Roman White
• Hillbilly Deluxe - Brooks & Dunn
Producer: Mark Kalbfeld
Director: Michael Salomon
• The Seashores of Old Mexico - George Strait
Producer: Shelli Jury
Director: Trey Fanjoy

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
• Building Bridges - Brooks & Dunn with Vince Gill & Sheryl Crow
Produced by Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks
Arista Nashville
• I Don't Want To - Ashley Monroe & Ronnie Dunn
Produced by Mark Wright
Columbia Nashville
• Me and God - Josh Turner featuring Dr. Ralph Stanley and Marty Roe, Dana Williams and
Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio
Produced by Frank Rogers
MCA Nashville
• Politically Uncorrect - Gretchen Wilson featuring Merle Haggard
Produced by Gretchen Wilson, John Rich and Mark Wright
Columbia Nashville
• That's How They Do It In Dixie - Hank Williams Jr. with Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and
Van Zant
Produced by Doug Johnson for Curb Productions
Curb Records

Country Music News, Gossip & Commentary: Bucky Covington, Terri Clark

BUCKY COVINGTON Debut Sales Soaring

News from buckycovington.com

BUCKY COVINGTON SELLS MORE THAN 100,000 CDs IN FIRST THREE WEEKS OF RELEASE

Nashville, TN…(May 9, 2007) – American Idol Season 5 finalist Bucky Covington continues to establish himself as the hottest new artist in country music, having sold in excess of 100,000 copies of his self-titled debut CD in just three weeks.

His debut single “A Different World” is generating strong phone requests as it enters the top 20 and continues to climb the Billboard chart.

Bucky Covington debuted at #1 on Nielsen SoundScan’s Country Top 75 Chart on April 25th with 61,000 units sold.

Covington’s debut CD entered Nielsen SoundScan’s all genre Top 200 chart at #4 and was the only new country act to open inside the top five this year.

Covington has the distinction of having not only 2007’s biggest unit debut from a new country artist, but also the best first week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any new male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992.

FAN CLUB OF THE WEEK: BUCKY COVINGTON

You can join the BUCKANEERS, Bucky Covington's new fanclub, online. Click here for fan club details.

TERRI CLARK to Perform at at CMA Music Fest

Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/ BNA Records) - Terri Clark, the hardest working showgirl in country music, gets to do what she does best - play for the fans - in her hometown, as the Country Music Association tapped the 4-time CMA nominee to open their annual Fan Festival with a rocking set on the Cumberland River . Hitting the Greased Lightning Stage at 10:00 a.m. sharp on Thursday June 7th, Clark will ring in the 2007 CMA Music Festival with her signature take-no-prisoners performance style and a fistful of hits, that include her first BNA smash 'Dirty Girl.'

Click here to read the rest of the story at top40-charts.com

Justin Timberlake, Big & Rich, Blake Shelton & the Top 10 Country Albums

Country Music News, Gossip and Commentary

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is going back to his Tennessee roots.

He told USA Today: "I've had a good share of the spotlight. I don't feel I need too much of it right now. I want to write country music because I grew up in Tennessee...."

The popular singer says he wants to concentrate on song writing. He wants to express himself through different types of music.

If BON JOVI can do it, why not TIMBERLAKE?

BIG & RICH

BIG and RICH, along with COWBOY TROY, will be soaking up the sunshine in Florida this weekend. The MUZIK MAFIA crew will be performing at SUNFEST in West Palm Beach on Sunday.

According to the Muzikmafia.com website: "It's about putting a bluegrass guy up there with a rock 'n roll gut and seing what happens."

Big & Rich will be happening on the stage at 7:30 p.m. Other music acts start at noon on the closing day of Sunfest. Tickets are available at the gate.

BLAKE SHELTON

Check out news and clips from BLAKE SHELTON's new album on his website at www.blakeshelton.com Pure BS is BLAKE'S fourth album. It was released on Monday. The single "Don't Make Me" is number 17 on the Billboard Country Chart this week.

BILLBOARD TOP 10 COUNTRY ALBUMS
1. Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts
2. Martina McBride - Waking Up Laughing
3. Tim McGraw - Let it Go
4. Alison Krauss - A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
5. Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift
6. Rascal Flatts - Me and My Gang
7. Bucky Covington - Bucky Covington
8. Larry the Cable Guy - Morning Constitutions
9. Sugarland - Enjoy the Ride
10. Alan Jackson, George Strait, Jimmy Buffett - Live at Texas Stadium

Country Music News, Gossip, Commentary: Show Dog Records, Brad Paisley

TOBY KEITH'S SHOW DOG RECORDS

TOBY Keith fans will want to check out the website for his new Show Dog Records label at http://www.showdogrecords.com/ . You'll find all of the latest TOBY news, including upcoming events.

Also on the site are links to Show Dog Records artists -- Rushlow Harris, Broken Bridges, Lindsey Haun and Flynnville Train.

BRAD PAISLEY

Click here for a review of BRAD PAISLEY'S concert in Chattanooga.

CHARLIE DANIELS HONORED

From the Equestrian News Release Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas —The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) recently awarded renowned country music entertainer Charlie Daniels with its Legendary Achievement Award.

Daniels was honored for his work over the past 25 years in breeding American Paint Horses and spotlighting their beauty, versatility and athletic talents. APHA also issued him a lifetime membership certificate.
Daniels raises horses on his Twin Pines Ranch in Tennessee.

Photo: Charlie Daniels & Brenda Lee.

CMA Award Show Performers, Bucky Covington, Billy Ray Cyrus

CMA AWARDS SHOW PERFORMERS

Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Josh Turner and Taylor Swift have joined the line-up of performers at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards show.

Also on the show are: Rodney Atkins, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire with special guest Kelly Clarkson.

The 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards show airs live at 8 p.m. on May 15 on CBS.

BUCKY'S DEBUT

Country Standard Time reports that BUCKY COVINGTON's self-titled debut CD opens at number 1 on Nielsen Soundscan's Country Top 75 chart with 61,000 units sold. Covington's debut CD also enters the all genre top 200 chart in fourth and is the only new country act to open inside the top five this year. The sales figure is the best first week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any new male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992.

BILLY RAY CYRUS

Speaking of BILLY RAY CYRUS, he is still dancing his way to acclaim on Dancing With the Stars. Catch him on the ABC show on Monday at 8 p.m. The results are aired on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Even when he misses a step he still looks like he is having the time of his life. Vote BILLY!

Country Music News, Gossip & Commentary: Amy Grant, Big & Rich, Billy Dean

AMY GRANT COLLECTS FOOD FOR AMERICA’S SECOND HARVEST

AMY GRANT helped kick off a one million meal drive for America’s Second Harvest in New York yesterday. The singer has long been associated with program and spreadthesharing.com, which collects stories of sharing. (Photo: Dima Gavrysh, America’s Second Harvest.)

CRUISE WITH BILLY DEAN & JULIE ROBERTS

BILLY DEAN and JULIE ROBERTS are headlining a country music cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean Empress of the Seas. The ship leaves from Philadelphia and goes to Bermuda for seven nights on September 29. Make your reservations early. For more information, visit Billy’s website at http://www.billydean.com/


FROM THE AP NEWSWIRE: BIG & RICH CANCEL SHOW

HIGHLAND, Calif. -- Big & Rich left fans disappointed after they backed out of an April 12 concert at the last minute because of a dispute over a young guest.

The country music duo of "Big Kenny" Alphin and former Lonestar singer John Rich had been set to perform at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino.

To accommodate the wishes of an ill 5-year-old girl, a local radio station had arranged for the young fan and her family to meet Big & Rich and see the show. But the casino, which bans anyone under 21, wasn't notified.

"While we are sympathetic to the request from the young fan, we are held accountable to the requirements that prevent anyone under the age of 21 from entering our facility at any time," Steve Lengel, director of casino operations, said in a statement.

Big & Rich then canceled the show.About 1,600 people were allegedly kept waiting in the arena for over an hour before it was announced that Big & Rich wouldn't perform. Refunds were offered.

"This was an unfortunate incident and caused great inconvenience for our guests," Lengel said.

Rich said in a statement that he was concerned about offending fans.

"We did have the opportunity to spend some quality time with the young girl and her family on our bus that evening. I am sorry for the girl, the family and all our fans that did not get to see the show," Rich said.

2007 CMT Award Winners

CARRIE UNDERWOOD, KENNY CHESNEY, RASCAL FLATTS, SUGARLAND, JACK INGRAM & TAYLOR SWIFT Take Home Top Honors

The fans have voted, and the belt buckle goes to….

American Idol CARRIE UNDERWOOD was queen of the 2007 Country Music Television Awards last night in Nashville, taking home the Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for her anger-fuel hit single “Before He Cheats.”

Said Underwood, “Thank you, fans. I've had such an amazing, blessed two years. I started out on a fan-based show, and you guys have continued to support me throughout everything. ... Everybody around me has been so amazing. We're so blessed. I hope we continue to be blessed because this is awesome."

KENNY CHESNEY won the Male Video of the Year for “You Save Me.”

RASCAL FLATTS was awarded the Group Video Award for the smash hit “What Hurt the Most.”

SUGARLAND continues their meteoric rise with Duo Video of the Year for “Want To.”

JACK INGRAM won the Wide Open Country Video for the clever “Love You.”

And newcomer TAYLOR SWIFT picked up the Breakthrough Award for a single named for a previous buckle winner, “Tim McGraw.”

These superstars and more are included in the Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fans Clubs: The Top 100. Click here buy the book at Amazon.com

Click here to check out the 2007 CMT Awards photo gallery.

Ain't No Hos in Country Music

Ain't No Hos in Country Music

The question is not: Should Don Imus have been fired -- for a bad joke or a racist remark, you choose. The question is: Why perpetuate a culture that makes a living on the backs of hos and bad jokes about them in the first place?

The Rev. Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, the NAACP and other civil rights groups were up in arms last week over Imus. Nappy headed hos! Them’s fightin’ words. Imus apologized. CBS folded and fired him.

So why are these same critics and CBS still making a profit on those fighting words, today as they did yesterday? Rap and hip-hop music is a business that makes millions of dollars singing about bitches and hos. The genre objectifies women and glorifies the use of drugs and alcohol and guns. Show me the money. Show me the bling. And if it comes with a scantily clad woman dancing beside me, so much the better.

Of the Don Imus firing, infamous rapper Snoop Dogg said, "It's a completely different scenario. [Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hos that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh*t, that's trying to get a nigg* for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them muthaf*ckas say we are in the same league as him. Kick him off the air forever."

Well, of course, that explains it.

But it doesn’t explain why comics on urban The Steve Harvey Morning Show can regularly do a bit parodying southern rednecks that would make a ho blush, and no one says a word.

That’s because, as civil right attorney Constance Rice puts it, it is what he does.

“But there’s also no basis for firing him [Imus] or ending his show. Firing Mr. Imus for racist riffs would like firing Liberace for flamboyance. It is what he does,” said Rice.

Other than evoking an out-dated reference to the long past Las Vegas entertainer, I agree with Ms. Rice. It is what Imus does – he’s a equal-opportunity mouth, and in America he should be free to speak as he pleases. If you don’t like what he says, change the channel. That's what I do when Steve Harvey makes fun of rednecks.

There ain’t no hos in country music. That’s because if there were, country music fans would turn the dial. It’s a choice.

Save your self-righteous indignation, Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson and Snoop Dogg and CBS. Until you stop encouraging rappers to sing about bitches and hos by making it profitable, you are as bad as those you accuse.

In Country Muisc News Today: Johnny Cash, Kenny Chesney, Tracy Lawrence, Little Texas

JOHNNY CASH

The former home of JOHNNY and JUNE CARTER CASH, now owned by BeeGee Barry Gibb, was destroyed by fire Tuesday.

Only the stone chimneys remained of the 13,880-square-foot house in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The cause of the blaze is unknown.

The Johnny and June Carter Cash family lived in the lakeside home from 1968 until their deaths in 2003. Scenes from cash's last video "Hurt" were shot at the house. (Photo: Reuters)

KENNY CHESNEY TOUR

KENNY CHESNEY kicks off his Flip Flop Summer Tour 2007 in Omaha tonight.

The tour name comes from Kenny's philosophy for living. In an interview with CMT, he said: "I have a friend that lives down in the islands. He's 60 years old and has never worn a pair of shoes in his whole life. He's either been barefoot or wearing flip-flops, and I thought, "I wish I could live like that." And then I thought for a second, "Well, you kind of do live like that." (laughs) ... It just creates a great atmosphere, and so I try really hard to bring a lot of the way I live my life into my music and especially into my tour. It's just another example."

Click here to read the CMT interview.

KENNY CHESNEY is featured in the Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100.

TRACY LAWRENCE INTERVIEW

TRACY LAWRENCE fans will want to check out CountryInterviewsOnline for an interview about his new album For the Love, recorded on his own label, Rock Comfort Records.

When asked about influences for the new album, which mixes traditional country, honky-tonk and rock, Tracy said: "What I really drew from was that I really wanted to go back to my early motivation with music, from when I first came to Nashville. I wanted to cut a more traditional album, but I didn’t want it to be dated. So I really looked for a lot more positive lyrics, more up-tempo stuff. I just wanted to get away from chasing the pop direction like everyone’s done so much of in the last several years. I guess I just wanted to go back to the basics and cut an album that was true to me."

LITTLE TEXAS Missing Years

LITTLE TEXAS has a new album, aptly named Missing Years, coming out on June 12.

Country Music Goes Pop Culture

COUNTRY GOES POP CULTURE

Country stars are stepping into the mainstream celebrity pop culture in a big way. Look for BIG & RICH tonight on the "Dancing with the Stars." They will sing "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy" and "Lost in this Moment." The big question of the night: Will BILLY RAY CYRUS stay to dance another waltz or has America voted him off the show?

American Idol and country darling CARRIE UNDERWOOD is gracing the cover of the May issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. In the accompanying article Carrie talks about her meteoric career, dieting and romance. May Cosmo hits the newsstands today. Carrie's "Before He Cheats" is #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The album, "Some Hearts," is #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.

TIM McGRAW TOPS 3 BILLBOARD CHARTS

TIM McGRAW hit a triple this week claiming the top spot on the Billboard Country Album Chart and Top 200 Album Chart with "Let it Go," and the Billboard Hot Country Songs with "LAst Dollar (Fly "Away)."