Jeff Giles
Rascal Flatts to Join Grand Ole Opry
It’s been a pretty amazing decade for Rascal Flatts — they released seven platinum-selling albums and graced the charts’ top spots a number of times — but their latest honor might be the most meaningful of all: an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.
JT Hodges Promises ‘Very, Very Diverse’ Debut Album
With his first single closing in on the country top 40 and a prime opening slot on his label boss’ latest tour, JT Hodges could hardly ask for a better start to his recording career.
Hodges won’t be satisfied with an auspicious beginning, however. He’s in this for the long haul, and to prove it, he’s getting ready to release a debut album that he promises will be “very, very diverse.”
Lady Antebellum’s ‘Own the Night’ Debuts at Number 1
In what might be the least surprising debut of the year, Lady Antebellum‘s new album has ended its first week at the top of the charts — pretty much all of them, in fact.
With sales of nearly 350,000 units, ‘Own the Night’ outpaced its competition by a wide margin, coming in at number one on the country charts, as well as Billboard’s overall Top 200 tally. As an added bonus, it also topped the alb
How Did Lady Antebellum Get Through Their ‘Really Hard’ Early Years?
Lady Antebellum struck platinum with their first album and they haven’t looked back, sending each of their first nine singles to the top 20 and selling more than five million albums in the U.S. since 2008. It’s a success story that plenty of bands would love to duplicate, to say the least.
But no matter how quickly they found their audience, or how tightly the trio might harmonize at the mic, thin
Martina McBride Plans Cross-Country Train Tour to Promote New Album, ‘Eleven’
In today’s crowded musical landscape, it’s more important than ever for an artist plugging a new release to find new and interesting ways to attract the attention of potential listeners — even if that artist is a multi-platinum fixture on the radio dial.
Martina McBride is one artist who seems to have learned this lesson well — instead of booking just another tour as part of the promotion for her
George Strait’s ‘Here for a Good Time’ Debuts at Number One
MCA Nashville
Congratulations are in order for George Strait, who just added yet another number one record to his awe-inspiring list of chart-topping hits.
Strait’s new album, ‘Here for a Good Time,’ debuted on top of the Billboard country charts this week, surging past Jason Aldean and Jake Owen with more than 91,000 copies sold.
Alan Jackson and Ozzy Osbourne Team Up (Sort Of) to Save Missing Autistic Boy
They’re both legends in their respective musical genres, but aside from that, Alan Jackson and Ozzy Osbourne have never had much in common — until this week, that is.
Songs from the unlikely duo were used to find a missing California boy, eight-year-old Joshua Robb, who slipped through the fence at his school and ran off into the neighboring woods on Monday.
Lee Ann Womack Announces Plans for New Album
It’s been a few years since Lee Ann Womack had an album to promote, but she’s finally ready to get back in the studio and record some new music for her fans.
Womack, whose last release was 2008′s Grammy-nominated ‘There’s More Where That Came From,’ announced her return during her appearance at George Jones‘ recent 80th birthday party.
Jake Owen Performs Tracks and Shares Stories from ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’
If his repeat performance at the top of the Billboard country charts with ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ is any indication, you can’t get enough of Jake Owen right now.
Fortunately for you, Owen is happy to oblige. He recently sat down for a session as part of Walmart’s Soundcheck series, delivering live-in-the-studio performances of some of his favorite tracks while discussing the stories behind the
Reba McEntire to Star in New TV Series, ‘Malibu Country’
Reba McEntire struck sitcom gold with her first series, the sensibly titled ‘Reba,’ which ran on the WB and CW networks from 2001-2007. She’s concentrated on her music career since ‘Reba’ left the air, releasing a trio of bestselling albums — including her most recent effort, 2010′s ‘All the Women I Am’ — and returning to the road for successful tours.
Viewers who still mourn the loss of ‘Reba’ ca
Miranda Lambert Debuts New Song, ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ [VIDEO]
Miranda Lambert‘s upcoming release, ‘Four the Record,’ already has one hit single in ‘Baggage Claim’ and the album won’t even reach stores until November.
But that doesn’t mean she can’t already be thinking about the set’s second single — or share a potential contender with fans at a recent show.
Keith Urban Debuts Phoenix Fragrance for Men, Plans One for Women
With over 12 million albums sold and nearly 30 top 40 singles, Keith Urban has spent the last decade exerting a pretty profound effect on the country airwaves.
And now he’s decided he’d like to have a hand in what his fans smell like, too.