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- A bunch of country artists got really good news over the last couple of days — Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry were just a few of the acts that found out they’re finalists for the 44th annual Country Music Association awards show. And, guess what: They’re happy! Different forms of happy — in shock, completely elated, humbled, yada yada yada — but they’re happy nonetheless. Here’s what some of the CMA nominees are saying about being on the ballot for Nov. 10:
- To purposely misquote a Paul McCartney classic, bands are on the run in country music — straight to the top of the charts. Little Big Town’s new album The Reason Why, bolts out of the chute to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Country Albums chart, and it’s followed by the Randy Rogers Band’s Burning The Day, checking in at No. 2. In fact, groups occupy four of the Top 5 slots on the chart. Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now checks in at No. 4, and the the Zac Brown Band hanging in at No. 5 with the double-platinum project The Foundation. The only thing blocking bands from a Top 5 sweep is the Trace Adkins album Cowboy’s Back In Town. Most fans probably don’t think much about it, but being in a band is completely different from working as a solo artist. There are more expenses, more opinions and more egos involved, so decisions require more communication and more time. As a reward for all that extra work, there’s less potential income — the band members have to split up the proceeds in the end.
- Now that the Country Music Association has wrapped up its annual nominations process, the organization is looking forward to tonight’s broadcast of an ABC special, “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock.” The three-hour show is packed with heavy hitters, including Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts and Darius Rucker, and it’s hosted for the first time by Tim McGraw, who’s making it just one of several firsts on his agenda. For starters, he’s set to play Australia for the first time this month, beginning Sept. 16, and he’s already got some extra-curricular plans. Tim and Faith Hill are making a family vacation out of the trip — he’s earned a pilot’s license and plans to fly out over the outback. In addition, one of his daughters has been working at getting certified to take a scuba expedition in a shark cage and see some great white sharks.
- “The truth,” Miranda Lambert sang in “White Liar,” “comes out a little at a time.” For the first time in history, the Country Music Association rolled out its nominations in a two-day process, and when it was all said and done, the truth is that Miranda had set a new all-time mark. She joined Dierks Bentley to read the finalists in the last five categories Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and discovered she’d amassed nine nominations in all — more than any other female in history.
- In a day of firsts, the Country Music Association began a two-day unveiling of the nominations for its 44th annual awards Tuesday, leaving Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum and the Zac Brown Band in an unprecedented overnight drama as they wait to see if they can maintain the lead positions in the list of finalists. Miranda’s “The House That Built Me” and “White Liar” each ended up as finalists in both Single and Music Video of the Year, accounting for four of her five first-day nominations. Additionally, both titles are up for Song of the Year, though Miranda received only one nomination in that category; she was a co-writer on “White Liar” but did not compose “The House That Built Me,” which brought Song of the Year nods to songwriters Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin.
- When Blake Shelton determined it was time to do his first-ever concert television special, he decided to do it in a big way. So he found an indoor stadium, brought in a special guest and worked up a 90-minute blast that debuts Sept. 8 on GAC, Blake Shelton Live: It’s All About Tonight. Blake took over Evansville’s Roberts Stadium, the biggest facility he’s headlined to date, and filled most of the set list with hits, modeling his effort after an icon who grew up in the same homestate.
- When “Love Like Crazy” was released to radio stations in August 2009, Lee Brice had no idea how long it would take for the song to hit its stride. It’s now been on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 53 weeks — that’s more than a year that it’s been in circulation, and it’s still on the move in the Top 5. That longevity is so rare that only one song has ever lasted longer on the country chart: Eddy Arnold’s “Bouquet Of Roses,” which began a 54-week run in 1948. Still, because it’s been around so long, “Love Like Crazy” could have driven Lee crazy. Plenty of artists admit that they watch the charts obsessively, and his ascent — 56 chart positions in a 53-week period — was agonizingly slow. But Lee had a pretty good method for dealing with it.
- When Marty Stuart set out to record his latest album, Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions, at a historic Nashville studio, he was the perfect guy to do it. RCA Studio B was the breeding ground for a ton of country hits by the likes of Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers and Jim Reeves. It’s currently owned by the Country Music Hall of Fame and serves more as a tourist attraction these days than a working studio, but it was a great location for Marty, who has an avowed appreciation for country’s past. The RCA studio had a personal connection, because it was the site of Marty’s very first recording session, when he worked as a sideman for Country Music Hall of Fame member Lester Flatt. Since then, Marty’s gone on to have some important final moments with several other Hall of Famers. He was the producer of Porter Wagoner’s very last album, Wagonmaster. And Marty co-wrote the last song that Johnny Cash authored. Both Porter and Johnny are recalled on Ghost Train — Marty wrote a recitation called “Porter Wagoner’s Grave,” and he recorded the song that he and Johnny wrote together, “Hangman.”
- Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week! Trisha Yearwood: @TYcom Me and Josh Turner yesterday at the Today Show (see photo above). Reba McEntire: @reba Working on clothing line today. Blake Shelton: @blakeshelton “@reba (http://twitter.com/reba): Working on clothing line [...]
- They spent much of the summer together on the American Ride Tour, and this weekend, James Otto and Toby Keith will both check in with host Nan Kelley on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown. Their joint concert run is not the only thing James and Toby have in common — they’ve both shown a strong support for the military, too. Toby makes an annual trip overseas to perform for troops on the frontlines, and he put his feelings down in song with “American Soldier.” James is likewise demonstrating his appreciation for the folks in uniform with his newest single, “Soldiers & Jesus.” It’s from his latest album, Shake What God Gave Ya, set for release Sept. 14.
