Lady Antebellum, James Otto, Kellie Pickler, Chuck Wicks and the Zac Brown Band have all been selected to perform at the New Faces Show and Dinner, which will conclude the 2009 Country Radio Seminar (CRS). Because of the considerable airplay these artists have seen over the last year, they will each be given the honor of performing a 20-minute set during the show.
CRS is an industry convention hosted by Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) that targets programmers, executives and key personalities. The event will take place March 4-6 at the Nashville Convention Center. To get a feel for exactly what this "insider" event is like, check out Jonalee White's "Long Road to Nashville" episodes 2 - 5, in which she meets tons of notable artists and executives at CRS 2008.
A defamation lawsuit has been filed against the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines due to a comment she made about the controversial West Memphis Three case, in which three 8-year-old boys were slain in 1993. Maines spoke out in support of the three people convicted of the murders and suggested that Terry Hobbs, one of the boys' stepfather, was instead involved in the slayings. What initially sparked celebrity interest in the case was a documentary that highlighted the convicted teenagers' interest in heavy metal music as a potential reason for their convictions.
One thing's for sure, the Dixie Chicks are known to be very outspoken when it comes to political affairs.
Josh Gracin and wife Ann Marie have welcomed a new addition to their family! Daughter Isabella Sophia Gracin was born yesterday afternoon in Nashville. The new bundle of joy is the couple's fourth child and joins sisters Briana and Gabby and brother Landon.
[via AristoMedia]
Like many, Jason Aldean took on a variety of jobs during his high school years. He tells The Wichita Falls Times Record Sews, "I worked at a grocery store bagging groceries. I worked as a Pepsi delivery guy, and for a while, I worked at Discovery Zone, a Chuck E. Cheese-type place." As Jason recalls, it was his mom who helped him land one of his first paying gigs as a performer when he was 15. He played the local VFW in his hometown of Macon, Georgia. After being a part of several bands in high school, Jason eventually made the move to Nashville to pursue his dream.
It was no easy task for Rascal Flatts to choose the songs to include on their newly released Greatest Hits Volume 1. What was the problem? Too many hits! Lead singer Gary LeVox shares, "As time goes on, you start getting a few more hits under your belt, that kinda thing, your show grows and you start dropping your first couple of songs." Gary adds that as the band continues to move forward, it's been really cool for them to take time and reflect on their growth and creativity as artists. He says putting the hits collection together was "a nice ride through history." LeVox shares that he can still remember exactly where he was the first time he sang such early hits as "Prayin' For Daylight"; and "While You Loved Me." Meanwhile, it seems Rascal Flatts continues to have more success than they can keep up with. While their Greatest Hits Volume 1 is already on store shelves, the group's latest single, "Here," is zooming up the charts.
Two-time Dancing With the Stars champ Julianne Hough's ailment that sent her to the emergency room following last week's show was more than a stomach ache. According to TMZ, she will have minor surgery to remove an ovarian cyst and also have her appendix taken out at the same time (unrelated to the cyst). On her website, Hough does not mention the cyst, but reveals that she suffers from endometriosis, a painful condition caused by the growth of the tissue lining the uterus in other parts of the abdomen. It is found in 5-10 percent of women of reproductive age around the world. Julianne shares that after consulting with her doctor, surgery was recommended. As of press time, there are no details on whether she will remain on the show this season.
Tim McGraw will be delivering the game ball to the pitcher's mound with a local member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the official charity of Major League Baseball (MLB), in Game Three of the World Series tomorrow in Philadelphia. Tim was invited by the Phillies and MLB as a symbolic gesture to honor his late father, Tug McGraw. Tug pitched the Phillies to a World Series win in 1980 and was the last pitcher to close a Series win for the team.
Craig Morgan has been waiting for what will happen to him on Saturday night's performance on the Grand Ole Opry for a long time. A Native Tennessean, Craig has listened to the historic show since he was a child, and Saturday he will be inducted as a member of the Opry, an honor that most recently went to Carrie Underwood. Craig says being asked to be a member of such a prestigious institution is a huge honor: "I just think it's important to our format that we know as artists and as an industry... know and display the importance of the Grand Ole Opry to our format. It is a cornerstone for our format in my opinion. If we were to lose the Grand Ole Opry, we would lose a lot of what country music is about." [via AristoMedia]
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