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Posted less than an hour ago
 Arista NashvilleBrad Paisley has become one of Nashville's biggest cheerleaders. He gave a surprise performance of "Southern Comfort Zone" at Nashville mayor Karl Dean's citywide address Monday, and Brad will appear as himself on the season finale of Nashville Wednesday night on ABC.
As a longtime resident of Music City, Brad is excited to spread the word of how cool his adopted hometown has become in the past few years. Nothing illustrates that change like the section of Nashville called the Gulch, home to the world's most famous bluegrass club, The Station Inn. It's now surrounded by some of the city's hottest shops and restaurants, like Watermark.
"My wife and I went to eat at Watermark down in the Gulch, which is the hippest little area in Nashville," Brad tells ABC News Radio. "I mean, they're filming episodes of Nashville down there. They're doing all of this, and I'm walking out of the Watermark, and I just realized the Station Inn is right there."
He adds, "When I used to go to the Station Inn and see somebody like Junior Brown or I would go down there and see, like, Larry Cordle play or whatever, I used to think to myself, 'I probably oughta make sure that I'm packing when I go down to that area of town.'"
Now that the Gulch has been revitalized, Brad is happy to report The Station Inn is still going strong.
He says, "It doesn't change The Station Inn except that it really helps everybody. In that sense, it really does sort of illustrate just what's happened to Nashville."
Look for Brad on ABC's Nashville Wednesday night at 10 ET.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted less than an hour ago
 Comstock/ThinkstockWhat is the first song on Taylor Swift's album, Speak Now? ANSWER: "Mine."
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted today at 5:00am
 Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockTaylor Swift's RED has sold more than 5.8 million copies so far worldwide.
Wynonna performs "I Want to Know What Love Is" on ABC's Dancing with the Stars season finale Tuesday night.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted today at 5:00am
 Capitol NashvilleDarius Rucker is back with his new album, True Believers, in stores this week featuring his monster hit, "Wagon Wheel." That song has been a staple on college campuses and in honky tonks since Old Crow Medicine Show released their version a few years back, but Darius had no clue "Wagon Wheel" had such a cult following when he cut it.
"I just think recording that song for me was such an organic thing," Darius tells ABC News Radio. "I mean, I'm old and out of touch with today's popular music, and I didn't know it was so big on college campuses. I just didn't know. I was just cutting a great song I heard."
Darius is a fan of Old Crow Medicine Show's music, and he simply thought "Wagon Wheel" would be a great song to put on True Believers.
He says, "Even after we cut it, I thought, this is gonna be a great album track. You know, put it the last song on the record, a really great way to go out."
As for the rest of the True Believers album, Darius wants his fans to know he put a lot of time and heart into getting these songs just right for them.
Says Darius, "Making a record is always hard because I want to make a great record. I want to make a record that my fans want to go get."
Though he may start out worrying about getting it right, Darius usually lets the music take over once he gets into the studio. That was the case while making True Believers.
He says, "Whenever it gets hard in the studio, I always say, 'Sing what you feel.' And that usually works out."
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 10:37pm
 Show Dog/UniversalThe devastating tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, Monday hit close to home for Toby Keith, who grew up in the city. He released a statement Monday night saying, "I rode my bike through those neighborhoods. I have family and friends in Moore. My heart and prayers go to those that have lost so much. But Moore is strong and we will persevere. God be with you all."
Toby and his family live nearby in Norman, OK.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 8:00pm
 Stoney Creek RecordsThompson Square is set to debut their new single, "Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About," on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday night. The duo's Keifer Thompson co-wrote the flirtatious song with a little inspiration from his wife of 14 years, duo partner Shawna Thompson.
"Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About" is the second single from Thompson Square's sophomore album, Just Feels Good.
In addition to the new single, Thompson Square is also releasing a novel, titled Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not. The book is based on their debut hit of the same name. It'll hit stores on June 4.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 5:00pm
 Capitol NashvilleLittle Big Town's new video, "Your Side of the Bed," will premiere exclusively on ABC's Good Morning America Thursday. The clip was shot in Knoxville, TN at the Oliver Hotel and the Tennessee Theater, one of the stops on Little Big Town's recently-wrapped Tornado Tour.
Fans can watch the video at GoodMorningAmerica.com all day Thursday. Look for Little Big Town to make a special announcement during their appearance about the upcoming CMA Music Festival.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 3:58pm
 MCA NashvilleGeorge Strait's Sixty for Sixty campaign paid off with the superstar's latest single, "Give It All We Got Tonight," hitting #1 on the Mediabase country airplay chart this week. No other artist in any genre of music has put that many songs at the top of the airplay chart over the course of their career.
Says George, "I didn't realize we were making history -- I just hoped we were putting out music that my fans would enjoy."
George goes on to thank his fans and country radio for their support in getting to this latest #1. Some of country's biggest stars, like Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town, contributed to the Sixty for Sixty campaign to get George this 60th #1 while he was still 60 years old. George celebrated his 61st birthday on Saturday, but he's calling the Sixty for Sixty effort a success just the same.
"I may be 61," George says, "but I don't feel a day over 60."
"Give It All We Got Tonight" is the lead single from George's just-released 40th album, Love Is Everything.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 2:00pm
 ABCWhether it was Taylor Swift winning a bunch of awards or Justin Bieber pleading his case to be taken seriously as an artist, the Billboard Music Awards received a boost in ratings from the year before.
The three-hour ABC telecast, hosted in Las Vegas by former 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan, averaged 9.5 million viewers on Sunday night, according to Deadline. That’s a 28-percent increase from the 2012 ceremony.
Taylor was the big winner, taking eight awards including Artist of the Year, while her latest release, RED, took Top Billboard 200 Album honors. Kacey Musgraves and The Band Perry also performed on the three-hour show.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 12:36pm
 ABCThis week, a new Dancing with the Stars champion will be crowned. The finals begin Monday night with the four remaining couples -- Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff, Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough, Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas, and Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy -- stepping onto the dance floor to perform three times.
First, the duos will have to repeat a dance style as chosen by the judges. Next, the couples will take part in a "cha cha relay," in which they each dance to a different section of the same song. Finally, the pairs will participate in a "supersized freestyle."
Kellie Pickler undoubtedly wants the Mirror Ball trophy, but if she does take it, it will have come at a price. The country singer tells ABC News Radio, "My legs are sore. My calf is, we have to do the quickstep this week. That dance is exhausting. My legs, they're like overcooked noodles where they're just like, they're going to collapse at any minute."
The performance show airs Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The Mirror Ball trophy will be awarded Tuesday night, at the end of a two-hour results show.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 11:00am
 Mercury NashvilleCountry Weekly has announced plans for its annual CMT Music Festival kickoff event, set for June 4. Easton Corbin, Dustin Lynch, Greg Bates and Chris Janson are on the bill for the show, which will take place at Nashville's Hard Rock Café.
Proceeds from the show will benefit Musicians on Call in the organization's work to bring music to patients' bedsides. Tickets are now on sale at StayClassy.org.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 8:00am
 Comstock/ThinkstockWho is the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year? ANSWER: Blake Shelton.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 8:00am
 Greenroom PRJason Aldean agreed to perform at the Boston Strong concert coming up May 30 in Beantown without even thinking about it. He just wanted to help out after seeing the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Speaking of his invitation to perform as one of the artists at Boston Strong, Jason tells the Boston Globe, "That’s the good thing about what we do — you’re in a position to help out. I think that’s part of what we’re put here to do.”
Jason joins James Taylor, Carole King, New Kids on the Block and Jimmy Buffett among others at the Boston Strong concert.
Jason will also play two sold out shows at Boston's Fenway Park on July 12 and 13.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 8:00am
 Capitol NashvilleLady Antebellum will take a little time off the road while band member Hillary Scott has her baby this July, but they won't disappear from the public eye completely. The group's new album, Golden, just came out, and Lady A's Charles Kelley tells Billboard, "We'll kind of keep ourselves out and about enough to stay in front and not let people forget about us too much."
Though the band has been working like crazy for the past few years, all three members are now married -- and "part of the next chapter" is to have children, Charles says.
"You've got to make time for life," he adds. "That's the only way you're not going to drive yourself crazy."
Lady Antebellum's current tour continues with a show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 5:01am
 Facebook.com/TaylorSwiftAt age 23, Taylor Swift is young, and most people would agree that she's beautiful as well. But the Grammy-winning star says she's already worrying about what will happen to her when she gets old and gray, and wondering if she'll know when it's time to hang up her microphone.
Speaking to the Australian paper The Herald Sun, Taylor says, "I think about the future a lot. That's when I start to get very confused. Essentially, you can't make big decisions like 'When am I gonna take a break? When am I going to start to slow down? When is my hair going to start to go gray? Am I going to dye it or am I going to let it go gray? How am I going to handle wrinkles?' You can't make those decisions until you're in that position."
She adds, "I'd like to think that in all aspects of my life I'll know the right time to leave the party. But you can't know when to leave the party until you're in the room."
For the time being, though, Taylor's doing just fine dominating the music world. And she tells the paper that she's fine with being pegged as the artist who's famous for her breakup anthems.
"Breakups are hard," she says. "And you need music to get through them. I am happy to be your go-to breakup musician...The heartbroken are a special kind of people. When you're in that spot, when you're going through it, I'll be there to hold your hand."
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 5:01am
 NBCThe All-Star Apprentice's finale aired on NBC Sunday night, and the ultimate ice cream showdown was appropriately a split. While Donald Trump declared "Maple Macadamia Mashup" creator Trace Adkins the first-ever All-Star Celebrity Apprentice champion, Penn Jillette earned his charity a hundred thousand dollars from Walgreens for having the best-selling flavor -- his "Vanilla Chocolate Magic Swirtle."
Tied into their flavors, the two contestants presented their commercials during a star-studded ice cream social in which they took big dollar donations from their friends.
While Team Trace raked in big checks from the likes of country music stars like Billy Ray Cyrus, and Wynonna, and NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, Jillette used his Sin City connections to attract money from Vegas performers like Wayne Newton, Blue Man Group, former American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.
In the end, it was revealed Jillette earned 503 thousand, 655 dollars, while Trace earned 664 thousand -- however, donor Tim Tebow showed up past a deadline, meaning his 100 thousand dollar donation didn't count towards Trace's bottom line.
Both presentations also featured a live performance -- magic from Penn & Teller, and music from Trace Adkins, playing his hit "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," which he called the, "nastiest song ever heard at an ice cream social." The country star also performed "Not Fade Away" featuring Gary Busey reprising his Oscar nominated role as Buddy Holly, and the competitors came together to play Adkins' new single "Love Will" with Adkins on vocals, and Jillette on bass.
Trump gave Lil Jon a hundred thousand dollar check for his charity, the American Diabetes Association, in honor of the recording artist's mother, who recently died from complications of the disease. The rapper was moved to tears behind his trademark giant sunglasses.
Trump also doled out 20 thousand checks to the respective charities for the stars who hadn't won any money for them during the season, including Busey and Dennis Rodman.
In a tweet before the show's finale aired, Trump hinted, "The cast for next season looks really good!"
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 5:01am
 Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockKenny Chesney is featured in a major spread in the May 17 issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Zac Brown Band's new video for "Jump Right In" is now airing on CMT, and it features the return of the band's good friend "Flody Boatwood."
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 5:00am
 Sony Music/Blue ChairKenny Chesney's show at Milwaukee's Miller Stadium attracted a sellout crowd of more than 43,000 fans over the weekend. Opener Eric Church joined Kenny during his set to sing "When I Sing This Bar," a song from Kenny's new album, Life on a Rock. Kenny also led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to George Strait, who turned 61 on Saturday. Kenny promised to email the video on to King George.
Kenny performed for a massive crowd at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas the weekend before the Milwaukee show. He said Sunday, "Milwaukee – like Dallas last weekend – had a very special magic to it. Those fans! That stadium! Funny how places that couldn’t be more different both have so much heart.”
Kenny continues the No Shoes Nation tour Thursday in Raleigh, NC.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted yesterday at 1:33am
 ABCTaylor Swift's night at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas was a success. She led all artists at the Sunday-night ceremony with eight wins, including top artist and top Billboard 200 album, for Red.
During her top artist acceptance speech, Taylor thanked her fans for making her music about her crazy emotions the soundtrack to their own crazy emotions. She added that her relationship with her fans was the longest and best relationship she's ever had.
Taylor found out she won the top Billboard 200 album category when fans in the mosh pit held up smartphones that spelled out the album title, RED, in big letters. She said, "I'm really happy about this" and went on to thank her fans for the "magical" award.
Taylor also delivered one of the more memorable performances of the night, singing her hit "22" in an elaborate production that began backstage and featured several dancers, a bicycle ride and plenty of red balloons.
Rihanna and Gotye each received four awards. Several artists, including Justin Bieber, picked up three.
Justin made a bid for musical relevance while accepting the first-ever Milestone Award for musical ingenuity and innovation. During his acceptance speech, Justin took the opportunity to address all the tabloid headlines saying, "I'm 19 years old. I think I'm doing a pretty good job, and basically, from my heart, it should be about the music and the craft that I'm making it."
Justin added, "This is not a gimmick. I'm an artist, and I should be taken seriously, and all this bull should not be spoken of."
Justin also accepted the top male artist award from Miley Cyrus. Her new song, "We Can't Stop," comes out June 3.
Prince closed out the night performing a rocked out version of his classic "Let's Go Crazy" backed by his all female band, 3rdEyeGirl. The Purple One, who received the Billboard icon award, was dressed in a fringe jacket and wore his hair in an afro. It was the first full-on rock performance of the show, and he went into the new song, "FIXURLIFEUP," after an extended guitar and bass solo.
Here's a rundown of the rest of the night's performances and winners:
The Performances:
Bruno Mars kicked off the night with a finely choreographed performance of "Treasure." Bruno's set looked like it was lifted from classic Soul Train footage with its multiple disco balls and gold flashing lights. Bruno worked the stage with him and his band all wearing matching '70s-inspired, red suits.
Selena Gomez heated things up performing a Middle Eastern-inspired dance routine as she sang "Come and Get It." Selena returned later to introduce Taylor Swift's performance of "22." Taylor kicked the song off singing in her dressing room before continuing the performance with a choreographed romp through the backstage area. An entire crew of dancers, showgirls and masked men accompanied Taylor as she entered the arena on the back of a bicycle during the second verse. She then took the stage to finish the song out with a dance remix breakdown of the song as red balloons rained down on the crowd.
Country star Jennifer Nettles was on hand to introduce The Band Perry's performance of their #1 country hit, "Better Dig Two," which featured a dramatic laser light show. The sibling trio broke it down towards the end with all three members playing individual drums in synch before returning to the chorus.
Carly Rae Jepsen introduced new Swedish pop duo Icona Pop to sing their debut U.S. hit, "I Love It." Psy and host Tracy Morgan had a dance off before Chris Brown hit the stage for a performance of "Fine China." Chris's Chinese-inspired set and costuming were accented by a martial arts-style dance breakdown. Chris even tapped Michael Jackson's former guitar player, Orianthi, to play as he closed the performance with moves reminiscent of Michael's classic "Billie Jean" routine.
Nashville's Hayden Panettiere introduced Macklemore & Ryan Lewis singing "Thrift Shop" live from the Tryst nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. Country duo Florida Georgia Line introduced fellow country newcomer Kacey Musgraves' acoustic performance of her debut hit, "Merry Go 'Round."
Justin Bieber emerged from an airplane cockpit to sing and dance his way through "Take You," the song his fans chose via Twitter for him to perform. Justin returned to perform "That Power" with will.i.am from Will's new album #Willpower.
Ke$ha introduced Pitbull and Christina Aguilera's performance of "Feel This Moment," which includes a sample of the '80s hit "Take on Me" by Norwegian band A-ha. A-ha actually showed up to sing a chorus of the original song to close it out. Pitbull returned later for his latest collaboration with Jennifer Lopez, "Live It Up."
Miguel crooned his breakthrough hit "Adorn" behind a screen projecting evocative images to go along with the sexy song. Once the screen went up, Miguel danced around the smoke-filled stage and even jumped over the fans in the mosh pit to the catwalk, accidentally landing on top of one girl and kicking another in the head.
Ed Sheeran turned in an intimate, solo performance of "Lego House" from the arena's b-stage. David Guetta, Ne-Yo and Akon transformed the MGM Grand into a giant rave with their high-energy performance of "Play Hard," and Nicki Minaj gave Lil Wayne a full-on lap dance during their performance of "High School."
The Winners:
Vegas headliner Shania Twain noted how odd it was that she was presenting the evening's first trophy, top rap artist. Nicki Minaj took that award and admitted she didn't expect to win it in her acceptance speech.
Will.i.am confessed his favorite Madonna song is "Like a Virgin" before introducing Madonna herself to accept the top touring artist award for her blockbuster MDNA tour. An extended highlights reel of the show, including a shot of Madonna's bare backside, aired before she took the stage. She joked that it took longer to negotiate whether she could show her bottom in that trailer than it took to rehearse for the actual tour. Madonna took off what she called her "pretentious sunglasses" to thank a few key people in her touring organization, her four children and her fans.
Avril Lavigne and Alyssa Milano presented the digital song award to Carly Rae Jepsen for "Call Me Maybe," which has sold seven million downloads.
Kid Rock got a jab in at people lip-synching to pre-recorded music on the show before presenting the top rap song award to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Macklemore thanked Goodwill and Value Village for the win.
Kelly Rowland and Austin Mahone handed the top EDM artist award to David Guetta. Fun. took the top rock artist award, and Psy's "Gangnam Style" won honors for top streaming video. Rihanna was named top radio artist, and One Direction won new artist honors.
For a full list of winners, go to Billboard.com.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Posted Sunday morning
 ABCSunday night's Billboard Music Awards, airing live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on ABC, will feature quite a bit of country flavor throughout the night. Kacey Musgraves and The Band Perry will join big-time nominee Taylor Swift on the performers lineup.
Taylor joins fun. and Maroon 5 as the lead nominees for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, with 11 nods apiece.
All three of those artists are up for the Top Artist prize too, along with One Direction and Rihanna. Taylor is also up for Top Female Artist, and for Top Billboard 200 Album for Red. Other categories including a nod for Taylor are Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Social Artist and Top Streaming Song (Video) for "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
Taylor also got a mention in the Top Country Artist field, along with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes and Carrie Underwood.
Jason also picked up a nomination for Best Male Artist against Justin Bieber, Flo Rida, Bruno Mars and Drake. Taylor's Red and Jason's Night Train projects are up also for Top Country Album honors, along with Luke Bryan's tailgates & tanlines, Carrie Underwood's Blown Away and Tuskegee by Lionel Richie.
The finalists for Top Country Song are Luke Bryan's "Drunk on You," Eric Church's "Springsteen," "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes' "Wanted" and Taylor's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
Look for Florida Georgia Line, Shania Twain, Jennifer Nettles and Nashville's Hayden Panettiere to present trophies on the show too.
The 2013 Billboard Music Awards will air live from Las Vegas Sunday, May 19 at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
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