Wynonna Hits The Airwaves To Promote New Album

Wynonna is busy planning a full promotional tour surrounding her brand new album, Sing. You can catch her on the following shows and publications:

People Magazine – On Stands Today!

CMT Insider – airing Jan 31 and re-airing on Feb 1st

GAC On the Streets –airing February 3rd

Good Morning America – First live performance for this album on February 4th

Kath & Kim – Wynonna’s foray into the comedic sitcom airs on February 5th

The Rachael Ray Show – airing February 10th

GAC Nights – airing February 12th

Martina Releases Album Information- Shine Hits 3/24

Martina has an official title, release date and now cover art for her brand new album. You'll be able to purchase Martina's new cd entitled Shine beginning March 24th. The first single off the album is "Ride" which is climbing charts now.

New Zac Brown Band Tune- Played Live

Zac Brown Band perform "Whatever It Is" live in a gas station parking lot jam session here:

Collin Raye Sends You Good Wishes

Collin Raye has joined with Great Friends Greetings to be featured in their line of top quality custom printed greetings. A Great Friends Greetings' Collin Raye greeting card, which makes a wonderful gift, is designed and personalized by the customer and appears to the recipient to be from Collin himself.

The cards are available exclusively at the Great Friends Greetings website, www.greatfriendsgreetings.com. They are great for birthdays, congratulations, good luck (encouragement), get well and holidays.

Each card is one of a kind, with a beautiful photo of Collin printed on the front and a greeting inside that is prepared just for the recipient, signed with Collin's signature image. Shipped in protective mailers, they always arrive at their destination in perfect condition. It takes only a couple of minutes to create a special keepsake that will outlast other, more expensive gifts.

Collin Raye, nominated five times as Country Music's Male Vocalist of the Year, has five platinum albums, fifteen #1 hits and twenty-four top 10's to his credit. He joins an exciting group of well known sports, music, television and movie stars in the Great Friends Greetings roster.

Toby Keith To Launch Clothing Brand

Toby Keith is launching his own clothing line under the name of TK Steelman. Developed in partnership with Royal Merchandising Group, which already produces merchandise for Keith's restaurants- the line will be launched on February 18th formally.

TK Steelman will offer moderately priced clothing with long-sleeve shirts, t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, jeans, cowboy hats, baseball caps, bandanas, belts, leather wrist straps and all personally approved by Keith.

The line will be targed at retailers like Kohl's, Target, Wal-Mart and Macy's.

Lynard Skynard Loses A Family Member

Lynyrd Skynyrds' Billy Powell has passed away. The band has sent out this press release tonight:

"Beloved Pianist for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band, Billy Powell, passed away last night. We have no further details. The family and band request your respect and understanding during this difficult time. Thank you."

Lynyrd Skynyrd is canceling shows due to Billy’s passing. We hope to re-schedule the shows in the near future. Please refer to http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/ for updates on touring.

LeAnn Rimes Adds Author To Her Resume

LeAnn Rimes and songwriter Darrell Brown have written a companion book to their song "What I Cannot Change," which appears on Rimes' current album, Family. Also titled What I Cannot Change, the 128-page text and photo book is published by HarperStudio and is scheduled to go on sale the second week of April. Descriptions say the book is about "stories from people who have experienced their own journeys of change." A CD of the song is included in the package.

Johnny Cash Remixed Hits Stores- Label To Give Away Sun Records Guitar

Compadre Records/Music World Music has announced the release of JOHNNY CASH REMIXED, featuring bold new interpretations of Johnny Cash classics from top music remixers and producers who were recruited to take the original master recordings and infuse them with the sounds and technology of modern music styles such as hip hop and dance music. The album, which includes a performance from Snoop Dogg, will be available in stores and online on January 27. A vinyl deluxe-edition will be available on September 23 in select independent record stores. Johnny Cash Remixed is a tribute to the legacy of an American music icon whose work has touched every contemporary genre, and has the blessing and support of the custodians of Johnny Cash's legacy. "My father made his stead by defying the expected and accepted way of things" says John Carter Cash son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and Executive Producer of the Academy Award(c)-winning film, Walk the Line. "He set the standard at the same time. He would have loved this remix record. While it stays true to the original recordings, this CD touches on undiscovered ground. This is what my father was about: staying true to tradition while creating groundbreaking new music." Johnny Cash classics were licensed from Cash's first record label, the legendary Sun Records, also the first record label home of luminaries such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. The original tracks, recorded with Cash's first band the Tennessee Two from 1956-1959, were pure and stark, with only the essentials; guitar, light percussion and Johnny Cash's unmistakable voice and presence. The new mixes maintain this fantastic charm and personality while filing out the sound and creating daring re-interpretations.

To celebrate the release of Johnny Cash Remixed, Compadre Records is giving away a sun records guitar! Click HERE to enter.

You can also click HERE to watch a podcast of John Carter Cash talking about this project.

Watch Jamey Johnson Behind The Scenes

Watch exclusive behind the scenes moments and live cuts of Jamey Johnson and his band as they tour the country playing to sold out shows. Click here to watch the first webisode of the new Jamey Johnson series "On The Road With Jamey Johnson."

http://www.jameyjohnson.com/mediaplayer.aspx?mid=1235

Rachel Proctor Readies New Album This Spring

Rachel Proctor, the beautiful blonde and sultry singer behind the 2003 Top 20 hit tune "Me and Emily," is busy putting the final touches on her new album that will be released this spring. She left this note on her MySpace blog this week:

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I AM finally finishing my record. I'm so excited. Chad Carlson and I have been working on this record for almost a year now and we are finally on the home stretch. From time to time you've heard several of the tracks on my MySpace. These same songs will be amped up versions of what you've heard. We put the finishing touches on the tracks last Thursday and I have one more vocal to sing. I can't wait for you to hear it. It has definitely been a labor of love. Next step is a photo shoot and artwork. I'm HOPING to have everything ready by March. I'll keep you posted on a release date. Now all I have to do is figure out what to call it...Any ideas???"

TRACK LIST (no specific order yet)

What Didn't Kill Me (Proctor/Wallace)

Everybody Does (Proctor/Mobley/Demay)

Your Hands On Me (Proctor/James)

Don't Let It Hit Ya (Proctor/Wallace/Little)

What Goodbye Looks Like (Proctor/Wallace)

Wrong (Proctor/Wallace/Rose)

Why Wait (Proctor/Banks/Lee)

I'm Listening (Proctor/Lancaster)

That's A Lie (Proctor/Wallace)

Don't It Make You Feel Good (Proctor/Wallace/Hemby)

Happy Birthday To Tracy Lawrence

That Nashville Sound wishes Tracy Lawrence a big hearty Happy Birthday- he turns 41 today. Overall, Lawrence has charted more than thirty singles on the country music charts, including eight Number Ones and fourteen additional Top Ten hits. He has also released a total of ten studio albums and four compilations to date. Lawrence was Billboard's Top New Male Vocalist in 1992 and received the Academy of Country Music's Best New Artist and Top New Male Vocalist in 1993 as well as won the CMA Musical Event Of The Year in 2007.

Celebrate his big day with a watch of one of his most recent single releases, "Til I Was A Daddy Too" here:

Tracy Lawrence - New Music - More Music Videos

Vince Gill's Music To Be Turned Into Lullabies CD

Oklahoma native Vince Gill is latest country music star to have his hits turned into lullabies. “Hushabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Vince Gill,” the latest CD of country lullabies in the Hushabye Baby series, will be released Feb. 10.

The instrumental album will feature lullaby renditions of “Feels Like Love,” “The Reason Why,” “Pretty Little Adriana” and some of his more obvious hits.

Produced and performed by accomplished musicians, these children’s music albums are created by traditional country instruments like acoustic guitar, fiddle and pedal steel augmented with celeste, glockenspiel and xylophone. Hushabye Baby CDs are made by the same company that makes the rock-theme Rockabye Baby! lullaby series.

Born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, Vince Gill creates music that draws from country traditions yet appeals to contemporary tastes. Once he broke through to stardom in 1989 with “When I Call Your Name,” he became one of the genre’s top stars. He has sold more than 22 million albums and won more Grammy Awards than any other male country artist, boasting a total of 19. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007, Gill has been awarded 18 times by the Country Music Association, including two Entertainer of the Year wins and five as Male Vocalist of the Year.

Hushabye Baby CDs come in packages that are kid friendly with colorful and charming artwork and activities, and eco-friendly, made with 100% recycled materials. Inside each is a mini baby-book, a character bio for a featured farm animal and a baby food recipe created by executive chef Jeff Parker that's both tasty and healthy, making Hushabye Baby the go-to baby shower gift for country fans.

The Hushabye Baby series is the newest venture of CMH Records, which over the last 33 years has become one of the most distinguished and successful labels in bluegrass, roots and instrumental music, garnering numerous awards along the way. The CMH legacy of quality American music continues with Hushabye Baby, which utilizes producers and musicians whose work can also be heard on country radio and recordings.

Hushabye Baby has been awarded four “Excellent Product” honors from iParenting Media, the premier product evaluation and testing service in the country for children’s and family products, according to a news release.

CDs featuring lullaby renditions of the songs of Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson have already been issued by Hushabye Baby. Lullaby Renditions of Patsy Cline will be released concurrently with the Vince Gill lullabies, and future albums will spotlight the music of Oklahoman Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton and other classic and contemporary country stars.

Further information on the albums and sound samples can be found at http://www.hushabyebabymusic.com/.

Country Artist Adam Gregory's "Crazy Days" Selected for iTunes Free "Single of the Week"

iTunes has chosen Big Machine/NSA/Midas Records country artist Adam Gregory's "Crazy Days" as their "Single of the Week" for Jan. 27 - Feb. 2.

"Crazy Days" was Gregory's debut U.S. single and a Top 30 hit. Co-written with Lee Brice, Kyle Jacobs and Joe Leathers, the song will be made available for free download at the online iTunes store tomorrow.

Gregory's latest single, "What It Takes," continues its current climb up the charts, breaking into the Top 40 this week. The video is seeing significant airplay on CMT Pure, GACTV and Music Choice.

Recently named a Clear Channel Online Artist to Watch, Gregory is out on the road through the end of March on his "What It Takes 2009" tour, playing club show dates and special charity events in conjunction with Nashville-based nonprofit organization Soles4Souls.

Jason Aldean's New Album 'Wide Open' Arrives in April

Jason Aldean's third album, Wide Open, will be released April 7 on the Broken Bow Records label. Produced by Michael Knox, the album includes his current single, "She's Country," at country radio right now. Aldean's touring band is featured on the project. "When it came time to give this album a title, that track just summed it all up," Aldean said. "It describes my personality and attitude 100 percent. Me and the guys in the band went into the studio and recorded these songs live and tried to picture ourselves playing them in an arena down the road somewhere. I think you can definitely feel that energy."

Pat Green- Singer, Songwriter, Author?

This falls under the category of "not so new but new to me." While watching an interview with Pat Green on his new album What I'm For that hits shelves on Tuesday (Jan 27, 2009), they talked about a book that he wrote that was released in 2008.

Pat Green's Dance Halls & Dreamers is an all-access look at Texas's legendary music venues and the musicians who make them great. Author Luke Gilliam and photographer Guy Rogers III spent a day at ten of Texas's venerable dance halls, recording candid interviews and action-packed color photographs. The result is an unprecedented day-in-the-life look at the people who make the Texas music scene flourish. Each of the chapters documents a venue's personality, history, and atmosphere as everyone prepares for and parties at the biggest show in town. Pat Green shares his memories and favorite stories of each venue. He also gives fans a backstage pass into his world with a performance at his favorite dance hall, Gruene Hall.

A unique assemblage of Texas musicians share their stories about dance halls that have served as landmarks on their rise to fame. Hear from honky-tonk heroes Willie Nelson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Robert Earl Keen, as well as established stars Jack Ingram, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cory Morrow, and Kevin Fowler, and up-and-comers Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen. Each performer offers a firsthand perspective on his career.

The venues are equally diverse, from the big city lights of Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth and Stubb's BBQ in Austin to road-trip outposts in Luckenbach and Schroeder Hall. But the Texas music scene's true essence is painted by the dance hall owners, bartenders, bouncers, and fans, who commingle at these halls on a nightly basis. Colorful sidebars delve into the unique characteristics of each hall as well as its founding fathers.

New Johnny Cash Remixed Video

This reworking of Johnny Cash’s signature song, “Folsom Prison Blues,” is from hip-hop producer and DJ Pete Rock. Mainly noticeable is added syncopated percussion. The fun video is made up of old clips of Cash performing- it will be added in fairly heavy rotation on CMT beginning this week.

New Jim Brickman Album Features Many Country Artists- Including New Lady Antebellum Track

Ultimate Love Songs: The Very Best of Jim Brickman- being released this week on Tuesday, Jan 27th- features 15 of the internationally popular contemporary instrumentalist's greatest vocal collaborations, such as "Simple Things" with Rebecca Lynn Howard, "Never Alone" with country-pop collective Lady Antebellum, "Valentine" with contemporary country superstar Martina McBride, and a couple tracks with his buddy Collin Raye. Brickman has worn many hats throughout his career (jingle writer, new age composer, contributor to both the Muppets and Sesame Street), and this fine collection represents just one facet of his musical output.

Listen to a short clip of the new collaboration with Lady Antebellum HERE.

Below is Jim talking about his music with Rebecca Lynn...

Amy Grant & Steven Curtis Chapman Lend Voices To Charity Album

It reads like a bad gag; what do you get when you leave 12 Christian songwriters in a remote Scottish house for five days? Answer: anything but a joke. CompassionArt: The Album is one of the most remarkable releases of recent years.

In January 2008 – after a year and a half of planning – Martin and Anna Smith were joined by 11 other songwriters for the first CompassionArt retreat. Next to a Scottish Loch a few hours north of Glasgow were these dozen writers who between them had written pretty much every song the church has been singing over the last decade. A week later and the group emerged with a whole load of new songs that are bound to provide the soundtrack for the coming years; songs that answered the question 'what's faith got to do with poverty?'

Four weeks later and the writers were gathered in Abbey Road to record the best fifteen tracks from the retreat. Five days later and they had the bones of an album.

In the months that followed Martin and fellow producers Les Moir and Matt Bronleewe added the flesh, drawing in yet more artists from the world of Christian music. And as the music took shape so too did the plot; each of the twelve writers nominated a charity to which 1/24th of CompassionArt royalties will go to. The remaining 50 per cent of the funds raised will be distributed among projects that CompassionArt wants to give extra support – such as the Watoto community in Uganda. There, orphaned children are given food, shelter, education and a loving, caring home as they rebuild their lives. CompassionArt will provide funding for a series of music and arts centres that support the world-famous Watoto Children's Choir, as well as offering essential training for those wanting to pursue a future in the arts.

The involvement of the twelve writers; Michael W. Smith, Israel Houghton, Darlene Zschech, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Stu G, Chris Tomlin, Graham Kendrick, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Andy Park and Paul Baloche didn't just guarantee plenty of exposure. Their skills have combined to make an album that pushes, inspires and challenges in all the right places.

The story has covered so many pages already, yet in many ways it has yet to really begin. This first album – as well as the book that partners it – will generate income for years to come, giving compassion and art a more meaningful way of working together.

You can watch the video for There Is Always A Song by Martin Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman here: