Craig Morgan

The Craig Morgan Charity Ride is set for Saturday, August 7th and Sunday, August 8th, 2010, in Morgan’s hometown of Dickson, Tenn. (30 miles west of Nashville). Proceeds from the two-day event, which includes a ride and concert will benefit the Craig Morgan Charity Fund.

On Saturday, August 7th, the event will kick-off in Van Leer, TN (near Dickson), where you can join professional motocross riders Kevin Windham, Cowboy Kenny Bartrum, Fred Andrews, Barry Hawk and others for a motocross exhibition and a group trail ride – fun for the entire family. Gates will open at 8:00 am, exhibition and ride begin at 10:00 am and lunch will follow at 11:00 am.

The Ride tickets are as follows:
Pre-registration: Ride Tickets $40.00 and includes lunch
Day of Registration tickets $45.00 and includes lunch
Spectator tickets are available for $15 and include lunch.

Sunday, August 8th, Craig will host an acoustic concert with special guest Aaron Tippin at the Dickson Middle School in Dickson, TN. Doors will open at 6:00 pm the show will start at 7:30 PM. Tickets for this event are $35.

This years sponsors include: Fly Racing, Tennsco, The Dickson Herald, Tri-Star, Whitt’s Barbecue, The Dickson Shopper, Dikson Graphics, Mary K, McNeal M.D. and the Tennessee Bun Company.

Tickets may be purchased by clicking the link below, or you can visit your local Tri-Star Bank. Check local listings for locations.

http://bit.ly/CMCharityRide

More details are available at www.craigmorgan.com.

Swift during 2009's Fearless Tour

Nashville, TN – July 20, 2010 – Taylor Swift’s highly-anticipated third studio album will be released worldwide on October 25th, Taylor herself announced this afternoon during a web chat with her fans. Entitled SPEAK NOW, the album will be released on Big Machine Records and contains 14 tracks, all written solely by Taylor. Taylor co-produced the project with Nathan Chapman, and the first single from the new record, “Mine,” will be released on August 16th.

“Saying the right thing at the right moment is so crucial that most of us start to hesitate, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately what I’ve begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything,” Taylor says of the very personal collection that is Speak Now. “These songs are made up of words I didn’t say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person.” Starting on August 20th, Speak Now will be available for special pre-sale on the site www.SpeakNow13.com. Four-time GRAMMY award winner Taylor Swift is the top-selling digital artist in music history, has had singles top both the Country and Pop radio charts, and had the #1 best-selling album in any genre of music in both 2009 and 2008. This year, at the age of 20, she became the youngest artist in history, and the first female solo country artist ever, to win the music industry’s highest honor, the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. Also at the 2010 GRAMMYs, she took home the awards for Country Album of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Country Female Vocal Performance. In 2009, she was named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards and also became the youngest artist in the 43-year history of the Country Music Association, and the seventh female act ever, to be awarded country music’s top prize when she took home the CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. Taylor’s sophomore release, Fearless, reached double-platinum in just four weeks and in addition to the Album of the Year GRAMMY, was voted 2009’s Album of the Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. Fearless also won the 2009 American Music Award for Favorite Country Album, and was 2008’s biggest debut for any female artist, and the fourth highest debut of the year, over all.

Now 6X-platinum, Fearless has spent more weeks in the #1 position atop Billboard’s Top 200 all-genre CD sales chart than any other album this decade. Taylor, whose career record sales now top 13 million, currently holds the Billboard all-genre records for most first-week downloads by a female artist, for the longest charting album of this century and for most Top 20 debuts in a calendar year, as well as the Billboard record for the largest overall airplay audience for a country-based act. Taylor headlined her first arena tour last year, the TAYLOR SWIFT FEARLESS 2009 TOUR. Every show on the tour sold out within minutes, including Madison Square Garden in one minute, and Los Angeles’ STAPLES center in just two minutes. Taylor’s 40-date FEARLESS 2010 North American tour sold out arenas and stadiums in 32 cities in 26 states and provinces in the US and Canada.

Taylor Swift

At the age of 17, Taylor became the youngest person ever to single-handedly write and sing a number-one country single entirely on her own, and Taylor is the first female solo artist in country music history to write or co-write every song on a platinum-selling debut CD. When Taylor was just 14, she signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music, and in 2006 released her self-titled debut CD on Big Machine Records. Taylor Swift has surpassed quadruple-platinum status and spent more than 20 weeks in the #1 position atop Billboard’s Country CD Sales Chart. Taylor is consistently ranked Country’s #1 artist on MySpace, and was named Country Music’s Hottest Female Artist by AOL Music and Best New Artist by the editors of iTunes. Taylor has more than 7.4 million Facebook friends, more than 3.6 million followers on her Twitter account, and has had more than 273.8 million music plays on her MySpace page.

In 2009 Taylor won AMA Awards for Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist (Country), Favorite Female Artist (Pop/Rock), Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and Favorite Album (Country). She also took home CMA Awards for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Video of the Year and International Artist Achievement. The same year, Taylor was awarded the Academy of Country Music’s Crystal Milestone Award, given for Outstanding Achievement in Country Music. Taylor was the 2nd artist in history to receive this prestigious award — Garth Brooks received the award in 2007. She is also the first Country artist to win an MTV VMA Award, taking home the 2009 Moonman for Best Female Video.

In 2009 Taylor won CMT Music Awards for Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year, awards she was also honored with in 2008. In addition, she won 2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Female Artist and Choice Music Album – Female Artist. Taylor was named 2008’s Favorite Female Country Artist at the American Music Awards, and Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. She was named Choice Breakout Artist at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, and was honored as the 2008 Superstar of Tomorrow at the 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards, making her the first musician to ever receive this prestigious award. She was named Songwriter / Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International in both 2009 and 2007, and she won the 2007 CMA Horizon Award, as well as receiving a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. In 2009, NBC dedicated an entire hour to the primetime special “Dateline: On Tour With Taylor Swift.” Taylor’s other television appearances include a guest-starring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and in 2009 she became only the twelfth person in 35 years to both host and perform on Saturday Night Live. Taylor’s numerous television guest appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Jay Leno Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, The View, and Live with Regis & Kelly. Taylor made her feature film acting debut in 2010, as part of the ensemble cast of the Garry Marshall film Valentine’s Day. Taylor has been featured on the covers of Rolling Stone (twice), Billboard (twice), Elle, Glamour, People, InStyle, New York Times T magazine, Allure, Marie Claire, People StyleWatch, Blender, USA Weekend, Seventeen (twice), Redbook, Self, Us Weekly, CosmoGirl, Girl’s Life, Teen Vogue, Women’s Health, First, Your Prom, and Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine. She was featured in a Vanity Fair spotlight, was profiled in Vogue, was named one Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010, was named one of People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People of 2008, 2009 & 2010, was Cosmopolitan magazine’s Fun Fearless Female, was Allure’s Face of December, was named a Style Star of 2008 and 2009 by the editors of Seventeen, and was featured on Maxim’s Hot 100 list in 2008, 2009 & 2010.

Paltrow and McGraw in Country Strong

Nashville, TN – Today, country radio stations have begun receiving the dynamic new single, “Country Strong,” sung by Gwyneth Paltrow, who stars as singer Kelly Canter in the upcoming Screen Gems film, Country Strong. The song, which features Vince Gill and Patty Griffin on background vocals, is the first single from the original motion picture soundtrack to Country Strong, set for release October 26 on RCA Nashville.

Hear it now on the Boot here

Additional information on track listing and participating artists will be forthcoming.

The motion picture, Country Strong, will arrive in theatres on December 22, starring Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Leighton Meester, and Garrett Hedlund.

Paltrow Country

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher

Her song lyrics say, “I don’t even know my last name…” and right now newlywed and 2010 ACM Entertainer of The Year Carrie Underwood have some wondering how formally she may use her new last name Fisher!  Carrie Fisher?!.

We even heard the couple used “Fisher-wood” in some weeding announcments.

Mike Fisher and Carrie Underwood tied the knot this weekend.    The wedding happened Saturday at the Reynolds Plantation resort in Greensboro, Georgia.

People magazine reports they chose classical music and Bible readings to make their wedding day (July 10) a spiritual one. And the bride wore a Chantilly lace Monique Lhuillier dress.   No official pics yet but they told PEOPLE “We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!” .   Interestingly….they signed the statement “Mike & Carrie Fisher.”

Here’s your chance to win an autographed George Strait hat and your own copy of Strait Out Of The Box (George Strait’s CD Box set).

We just launched our new CSO Country Club and it is going to be your inside track for freebies, free downloads, breaking concert and artist news and more.

Get signed up HERE or below and you’re instantly in the running to win the hat and boxed set.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR POST FEED VIA E-MAIL

*No purchase necessary. Contest ends 12/31/10

Jay and Allison

Rascal Flatts bassist and vocalist Jay DeMarcus and his wife, former Miss Tennessee and CMT Personality, Allison are anticipating the birth of their first child in January of 2011.

“Allison and I are thrilled about becoming parents. I am confident Ali will be a wonderful mother because she has done an incredible job raising me over the past six years,” says Jay.

“Jay and I are thrilled to let everyone know we are going to be parents! We can’t wait and are ecstatic to share our news,” adds Allison.

Jay and Allison were married May 15, 2004 in Nashville, Tenn.

Kenny Chesney On Tour

No massive concert tour this summer for Kenny Chesney… instead his has spent his time bailing flood waters and committing to a Gulf concert with Jimmy Buffett… he also took the time he wanted to really enjoy the process of making a new studio record. While he has released the ocean-driven Lucky Old Sun, which yielded the multiple week #1s “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” and “Down The Road” with Mac McAnally, and his Greatest Hits II, which had the chart-topping “I Went Out Last Night,” as well as “Ain’t Back Yet,” the theme from his nationally-released Sony Motion Pictures “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D,” it has been almost three years since Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, his last true studio release.

“I knew I wanted the record to be something more, something that took what I do in my special projects and weaved it into what I do for the mainstream,” Chesney says. “It takes a lot of energy and mental space to be on the road… and I kind of felt like – especially coming off of this second Greatest Hits – this next record should be something that set the stage for the next phase of my music, the same way No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems opened up the music I’ve made for the past 8 years.

“I came to town to write songs, to make records, to create something that spoke about how I lived, and the people who I knew who were just like me and my friends lived. I’d like to think we’ve captured that, just like I’d like to think that we’ve all come to realize that life is a little more complicated than maybe we thought. It’s still fun. It’s still intense. It’s still about friends and dreams and all kinds of things, but there’s something more, too.”

Whiskey's Cover

That something more is probably the best way to describe Hemingway’s Whiskey, which will arrive in record stores Sept. 28. The album – which builds on many of Chesney’s trademarks – pushes each thing further and in new directions, including the pensive Guy Clark title track.

“When I heard the song, I knew it was the perfect title for the record,” Chesney says. “I was sitting in my truck and a friend had given me Guy’s album, which had just come out – and it’s a song that talks about living life to its fullest, being a man about your responsibilities and not compromising. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to cut it… and call the album that… because it says everything about the way you live your life, and what life can be if you refuse to buy into limits, which – as someone who’s read all his books – is everything Hemingway’s novels revolved around.”

While details are emerging slowly from the studio – beyond there will be guests, surprises and songs his audience can see their own lives in – Chesney has savored the time spent in the creative process. As he says, “There’s something about getting inside songs, finding the keys and working with these amazing Nashville musicians that inspire and reminds me not just what a privilege making music is, but how important great songs can be in all of our lives.”

Pickler, Miranda,and Underwood all to Wed

Kellie Pickler, 23, will join Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert in making wedding plans soon. Her boyfriend,songwriter Kyle Jacobs, proposed to her on a Florida BeachonJune 15th.

People Magazine reports:The couple met through friends about 2½ years ago, and Pickler, who was raised by her grandmother after her mother left and her father went to jail, says she learned how to have a healthy relationship from her new fiancé. “Kyle took away all my fear of marriage and has shown me the way love is supposed to be,” she says.

Surely one of the networks wants to pitch Carrie, Miranda, or Kellie a TV special as they plan the nuptuals!

Free Concert Set For CMT

update:The 90-minute CMT Presents Jimmy Buffett & Friends: Live From The Gulf Coast, originally scheduled for Thursday, July 1^st has now been rescheduled to air live and commercial-free on Sunday, July 11^th at 7PM Eastern time on CMT. Special guests are yet to be determined.  Performances will be simulcast live on Radio Margaritaville, available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, all CMT Radio Network affiliates, and streamed live on www.CMT.com.

Jimmy Buffett has been seen on the news lately reacting to the Gulf Oil Spill. Now he’s responding with music and his pals Zac Brown and Kenny Chesney are playing along with a free concert on the Alabama coast to show support for the Gulf region.

The Alabama tourism department says the show will be July 1 on the beach at Gulf Shores.

Buffett’s website says the concert is meant to demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast. It will be broadcast live on CMT.

Buffett (who has a and his Coral Reefer Band will be joined in Gulf Shores by Sonny Landreth, Kenny Chesney,Zac Brown (who crossed roads with Jimmy recently)  Band, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint.

In a new benefit twist a special Tshirt will be designed for the concert. It will be available online and at the show.

Win / Wynn for Garth?

Garth Brooks has knocked out capacity shows and recieved fantastic write-ups for his intimate Encore Theater shows at Wynn Las Vegas.  Now — more tickets for the next series of concerts are being made available and they’ll go on sale on Saturday, June 19 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are available exclusively at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-877-65-GARTH. Tickets are $125 plus fees and tax.

 

Concert Dates:

 

September 10, 11, 12  — October 1, 2, 3 —  October 22, 23, 24

November 5, 6, 7 — November 19, 20, 21

Concert times:

Fridays 8 p.m., Saturdays 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m., Sundays 8 p.m.

Please note that the name for each individual ticket holder must be provided at time of purchase or the transaction will be cancelled. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the Wynn Box Office on June 19.

Here’s more from the official Press Release

UNAUTHORIZED TICKET SALES

Specific measures have been put in place in an effort to ensure that the tickets for concerts are accessible to fans at face value and through authorized sales channels exclusively. Fans are discouraged from purchasing tickets through unauthorized channels as these tickets will be cancelled.

Please note the following booking procedures and rules and regulations:

At time of purchase, the full name of each person attending the concert must be provided. No changes will be permitted after completion of the order. Incomplete orders will be cancelled.
Limit 4 concert tickets per order or per person or per credit card.
Tickets will be available for pick-up at Will Call at Wynn Las Vegas on the day of the concert. Tickets are not available in advance.
Purchaser will be required to show valid, government-issued photo ID, confirmation number and actual credit card used for payment.
Each individual ticket holder must be present with purchaser to collect tickets upon presentation of valid, government-issued photo ID.
Tickets must be picked up no later than one-hour prior to show time or will be subject to cancellation with no refund.
The age limit for concerts is five years or older; anyone under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.
Cellular phones, cameras, flash photography and audio/video recording devices are not permitted inside the theater. If you use any of these devices you will be escorted out of the theater.
All ticket sales are final and are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Visit www.visitwynn.com/terms/garthtickets for a complete list of terms and conditions.

About Garth Brooks

Certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, Garth Brooks has sold in excess of 128 million albums. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. His most recent release, The Ultimate Hits, has been certified five times platinum. Garth became the first artist to put out a simultaneous edition of his latest collection for a charitable cause. November 6, 2007 saw the launch of the pink edition of The Ultimate Hits, available only at the Susan G. Komen Web site. His body of work — including the groundbreaking No Fences, Ropin’ The Wind, The Hits and Double Live — propelled country music as a genre to the front pages of newspapers worldwide and the covers of magazines, to the point where Forbes declared on its cover, “Country Conquers Rock,” and featured Garth in a major music piece. According to the RIAA, Garth Brooks is the top-selling solo artist of the 20th century.

The key to his record-setting success lies within the personality and talent of Garth Brooks. It has been said that through the 1990s, Garth’s only real competition was himself. He brought daring individualism and a love of music to the table. His wide range encompasses a variety of styles which include working-class blues, honky tonk, bluegrass and arena rock. His easy-going, approachable charisma was matched only by his fearless willingness to take chances and step outside the lines. He has had an unprecedented run so far, and opened the doors for many more country artists to follow.

Garth has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow on an artist, including two Grammys, 17 American Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 18 Academy of Country Music Awards, five World Music Awards, 12 People’s Choice Awards and 36 Billboard Music Awards. He was named “Artist of the ‘90s” at the 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, received the Artist Achievement Award at the 1997 Billboard Music Awards and was named “Artist of the Decade” at the American Music Awards in 2000 and the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1999.

In the midst of one of the most successful careers in music history, Garth retired in 2001, delivered his last record for Capitol Records and moved back to Oklahoma to raise his children. While in retirement, when called upon by events greater than his own self-interest, he returned to the stage. The latest of these was when the President himself requested that Garth headline President Obama’s Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. He performed as Barack and Michelle Obama, their girls, Joe and Jill Biden and a crowd of over 300,000 lined the mall from the Lincoln Memorial all the way to the Washington Monument. It was a moment in history when all did the “wave” to Garth’s performance of “Shout” while the President sang along. Once again, Garth was called upon by the network to perform for President Obama’s very first late night TV appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When the Governor of California asked for Garth’s help, he responded by performing five concerts in two days, where proceeds from 83,000 tickets sold were donated to efforts to prevent fire catastrophes. Portions of the live concerts were shown as a TV special, “Garth Brooks: Live in L.A.” where viewers donated to the organization Fire Intervention Relief Effort (FIRE).

Oct. 15, 2009, Brooks announced that he was out of retirement: “I am naturally nervous, but it feels good to be out from under the low ceiling of ‘retirement’ I put on myself.” Brooks has entered a five-year “relationship” with Las Vegas resort developer, Steve Wynn.