Billy Dukes

'Tim McGraw and Friends' -- a new compilation album put together by the singer's former record label partner Curb Records -- will feature 11 fan-favorite collaborations from a 21-year career. 'Twisted,' a duet with Colt Ford, has been announced as the album's single, but fans can look for other pairings with Lionel Richie, Randy Travis, Tony Bennett and Faith Hill when the compilation is released on Jan. 22, exclusively at Walmart.

Read More

Between tour dates, a Christmas album, 'The Voice' and his bad Twitter habit, Blake Shelton found time to record a new single called 'Sure Be Cool if You Did' in 2012. He released the song minutes after the new year began, leaving many to wonder when a new album will follow (no plans have been announced). Sonically, his 23rd radio offering is a continuation those from 'Red River Blue' -- it'd fit nicely as the project's fifth single. 

Read More

It's been 18 years between Christmas albums for Sammy Kershaw, but the singer says despite personal and professional ups and downs, the meaning of the holiday hasn't changed one bit. On 'A Sammy Klaus Christmas' he says he was looking to simplify -- to create a collection of songs that kids could enjoy in the way he enjoyed the holidays during his childhood.

Read More

While details about Friday morning's school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut are still trickling in, it's clear that innocent lives were taken when a gunman stormed Sandy Hook Elementary School and began firing. The small town in the state's southwest corner will be in the hearts of every American this weekend, including country music's biggest stars. 

Read More

Next Christmas season, Carrie Underwood will bring us the gift of music. The 'Blown Away' superstar will play the role of Maria von Trapp in a live broadcast of the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'The Sound of Music.' The singer takes on a role made famous first by Mary Martin on Broadway, then by Julie Andrews in the 1965 Oscar-winning movie of the same name.

Read More

Country duo Thompson Square needed every vote to get past Craig Campbell on the Showdown yesterday and last night on Taste of Country Nights radio. A strong push at the end proved to be the difference for their new single 'If I Didn't Have You.' Today, the ballad will face off against 'Somebody's Heartbreak' by Hunter Hayes. It's a match-up of reigning ACM and CMA New Artists of the Year. 

Read More

Friday night's Taste of Country Showdown promised to be a battle of country music titans, but one didn't show up. Chris Young fans dominated supporters of the Band Perry, meaning his new single 'I Can Take It From There' is just one win away from retirement and enshrinement into the Showdown Hall of Fame.

Read More

The title track to Toby Keith's 'Hope on the Rocks' album shows the singer's genuine understanding of the nuanced relationships between bartenders and their regulars. But it's not just barkeeps that will relate to the ballad. Servers, liquor store clerks, the dry cleaner, radio DJs... anyone who provides a service and a set of open ears will appreciate his story.

Read More

Barack Obama was re-elected President of the United States on Tuesday (Nov. 6) following a heated battle with Republican candidate Mitt Romney in the key battleground state of Ohio. Within minutes of learning the news, country music's top stars were celebrating, congratulating, complaining or simply making jokes about the 2012 election results. Like much of the nation, Nashville's best are split politically. 

Read More

With one more win, Jerrod Niemann will put his new song 'Only God Could Love You More' into the Showdown Hall of Fame. The ballad has topped singles by Thompson Square, Jason Aldean and Montgomery Gentry in recent days. Today and tonight on Taste of Country Nights radio, Niemann fans will have to out-duel fans of the 2012 CMA New Artist of the Year. 

Read More

The Entertainer of the Year award at the 2012 CMA Awards will provide a nervous moment, as fans for the two favorites to win couldn't be further apart in terms of interests or tastes. The trophy is meant to honor the singer with the best year of sales, music, touring and general exposure, but really it comes down to who CMA voters like best. It's not as scientific as it seems it should be, although our prediction is based on hard data. 

Read More

Hurricane Sandy crashed into the east coast on Monday night, and Trace Adkins was among a handful of country singers trying to stay safe in the Big Apple. Chely Wright and Billy Ray Cyrus also took to Twitter to describe what was happening as the 100-year storm flooded the New Jersey and New York coastline. 

Read More