Craig Morgan & Carrie Underwood Among Inspirational Country Music Award Winners

The music video for Carrie Underwood's No. 1 hit "Temporary Home" won inspirational video of the year at the Inspirational Country Music Awards Thursday night.

The big prize, entertainer of the year, went to Christian trio Point of Grace. Singer Tommy Brandt won male vocalist for the second year in a row, and Mary James was named female vocalist of the year.

Craig Morgan picked up two awards: mainstream country artist of the year and mainstream inspirational song for "This Ain't Nothin.'"

Joey + Rory performed "Where Jesus Is" and Love And Theft performed "Dancing In Circles". Additional star-studded performances included: Branded, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Richard, Andy Griggs, Jeff Bates, Sarah Darling, The Springs, Emma Jacob, Mary James, Russ Murphy, Tommy Brandt, The Roys, Nathan Stanley and CrossCountry The Band

Following is the list of winners in the 21 categories voted on by the CCMA membership:

Entertainer of the YearPoint of Grace

Male Vocalist
Tommy Brandt

Female Vocalist
Mary James

Vocal Duo
The Roys

Vocal Group
CrossCountry The Band

Mainstream Inspirational Country Song
"This Ain't Nothin'"
Craig Morgan

Christian Country Song
"Cowboys Love Jesus Too"
Russ Murphy

Songwriter
Russ Murphy

Mainstream Country Artist
Craig Morgan

New Artist
Laura Dodd

Musician
Dennis Agajanian

Comedy Act
Johnny Lee Cook

Radio Personality
Rich Miller

Radio Station
WCWV, Summersville, WV

Video
"Temporary Home"
Carrie Underwood-Director, Deaton-Flanigen

Pioneer-Living Legend Award
Dan Cowart- Audio Outreach Ministries

Inspirational Bluegrass Artist
Ricky Skaggs

Youth In Music Award
Renee Spencer

Music Evangelist of the Year
Greg McDougal

Television Network
TCT Network

Faith, Family, & Country Movie
The Blind Side
Warner Brothers Pictures

TNS Video History- Johnny Cash- "Goin' By The Book"

Gary Allan To Require Surgery On Vocal Cord

Gary Allan will have to take some time off of the road for a couple months as a small polyp was found on his vocal cord which will require surgery. Below is an email from his manager.

Dear Gary Allan Fans,


It was determined that Gary will need to undergo a minor surgical procedure in late November to remove a polyp from a vocal cord. A complete recovery is anticipated and we expect to resume our full schedule in mid-February. Unfortunately, this means we have to reschedule the Cherokee, NC show originally scheduled for December 11th and cancel the Las Vegas show originally scheduled for December 31st. We wanted you, the fans, to know this information now, so you could change any travel plans you may have been making for these dates. Ticket refunds for these two shows will be issued at the point of purchase.

Thanks for your support,

John Lytle

Kathy Mattea & Connie Smith Among Seven Inducted Into West Virginia Music Hall of Fame

Two class artists of country music, Connie Smith and Kathy Mattea, have been named as part of the next class of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. The hall's fourth class, which was announced Tuesday, won't be formally inducted until next year. The inductees were announced Tuesday and the formal ceremony will take place in October of next year at the State Culture Center.

"Its important for West Virginian's to know the diversity of the artists that have come from the state. We've found it's important to the artists too," Michael Lipton, President of the W.Va. Music Hall of Fame said.

Kathy Mattea of Cross Lanes- Perhaps the most respected and revered musician to come from West Virginia, Mattea also is known for giving generously back to her home state. In the mid- to late 1980s, she was a successful hit maker who brought elements of folk, bluegrass, gospel, and singer/songwriter intimacy to her music. Her 1989 album, "Willow in the Wind," became her first gold record and included No. 1 hits "Burnin' Old Memories" and "Come From the Heart." In addition, her song "Where've You Been," which Mattea co-wrote with her husband, Jon Vezner, won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal.

Connie Smith, born in Elkhart, Ind., grew up in Hinton. Dolly Parton has said, "There's really only three female singers in the world: Streisand, Ronstadt and Connie Smith. The rest of us are only pretending." A country singer and longtime Grand Ole Opry member, Smith may be best known for her 1964 hit song "Once a Day." The song was written especially for her by country star Bill Anderson and spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Country music charts - the longest of any female country music artist in history. Smith joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1966 and her string of hits continued until late 1968. She continues to perform with the opry and remains a country icon.

New Music Video From Stealing Angels- "He Better Be Dead"

Caroline Cutbirth, Tayla Lynn, and Jennifer Wayne make up the members of the new trio Stealing Angels. They’re all descendants of some pretty famous people. Cutbirth is a descendant of Daniel Boone, Wayne is John Wayne’s granddaughter, and Tayla Lynn is the granddaughter of Loretta Lynn. He Better Be Dead is the debut single from their upcoming 2011 debut album TBD.

Classic Film Friday- Johnny Cash's The Last Frontier

There's a handful of feature film movies that star country music stars that have entered the public domain over the last couple of years and we're going to post a handful on this and upcoming Fridays. You'll be able to stream the whole movie here on That Nashville Sound.

This is a television special that Johnny Cash filmed about going to The Last Frontier- back then known as Australia in 1973. It's nearly an hour of music and him talking with locals.

jcinfocenter on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Trace Adkins on Chelsea Lately

New Music Video From Gwyneth Paltrow- "Country Strong"

New Music Video From The Band Perry- "Independence"

Watch The Band Perry perform their song "Independence" in a round live at Oceanway Studios in Nashville, TN. The Band Perry's debut snd self-titled album just became available this week- check it out HERE.

Keith Urban & Darius Rucker Cover Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" In Nashville

Darius Rucker was performing at the Capital Records Street Party and invited special guest Keith Urban on stage to perform two songs with him. This was one of the two. It's a cover of Steve Miller "The Joker" song. Performed live on Demonbreun St. in Nashville.

New Music Video From Lady Antebellum- "Something Bout A Woman"

CD Reviews- Kenny Chesney- Hemingway's Whiskey

The Background-
Says Kenny Chesney on his brand new album, “I just knew I’d had my foot on the gas for a long, long time, I’d gotten signed to BNA Records in 1995, and I’d never let up. I was able to do things I didn’t even know to dream, but in the work and the rush of it, things started to become a blur… and I knew it. I also knew that was not the reason I’d come to town: to just get on the treadmill and not look up. I loved songs, I loved artists… and I loved the process of making music. Suddenly, it was all deadlines and it didn’t feel right. So I did what a lot of people have now told me was the unthinkable: I decided to stop everything for a year, to refocus on some personal projects and really think about my music and where I wanted to go. I am so glad that I did.”

The Review-
Check out my full review over at American Twang HERE.

Sounds Like-
Every other Kenny Chesney album lately

Track Highlights (Suggested iPod adds):
Hemingway's Whiskey
Seven Days
Small Y'all
Somewhere With You

The Verdict:
Three Stars Out Of Five

My Interview With Randy Houser Over At The 9513

Randy Houser's second album, They Call Me Cadillac, was released in September by Show Dog-Universal Music. "I put my heart into this record," Houser said. "We went into the studio with a direction in mind, conceptually, for the album, and the result is something I'm really proud of. I think people are ready to hear real country music again, and I'm one of them." Houser's hits include "Anything Goes," "Boots On" and "Whistlin' Dixie."

Houser was kind enough to sit down with me for an interview over at The 9513 during his busy promotional and touring schedule to talk about his brand new album–as well as a wishful conversation between Elvis and Jesus.  Read a snippet of the interview below and then click HERE to read the entire thing.

"All those genres you talk about, blues and and soul southern rock, are my categorization. I think they are all country these days. I think it’s all country to me. When you listen to country music now, it is a lot of different things. It is just a good dose of the things we listen to as country people. We grew up in the country, we hear so many things, we hear a lot of blues and we hear a lot of southern rock. We hear a lot of old school country. I guess those are influenced by different things, but they are still country to me."

Grand Ole Opry Legend Jesse McReynolds Releases Bluegrass Album Of Grateful Dead Covers

For those who may be unaware of his name, Jesse McReynolds is a bluegrass musician known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing. He's a forty-two year member of the Grand Ole Opry and a multiple GRAMMY nominee and award winner.

Jesse McReynolds, along with his late brother Jim McReynolds, formed the bluegrass band Jim and Jesse back in the late 40's. The famed duo with his brother continued until Jim’s untimely death in 2002, now he carries on as on his own.

His latest is titled simply Songs of the Grateful Dead: A Tribute to Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter. It contains twelve Dead songs both famous and obscure, transformed into mandolin-picked bluegrass. David Nelson and Stu Allen, both veterans of Jerry Garcia’s non-Dead bands join in, but McReynolds has an even bigger card up his sleeve: Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who wrote final track “Day By Day” with McReynolds.

“Jesse’s singing voice is like a long-lost brother voice between Jerry Garcia and David Nelson,” Hunter wrote. “Everyone who knows their work and is fortunate enough to hear this record will know what I mean. What a trio you’d all have made! The singing is steady and strong. Jerry would approve, I’m certain."

New Music Video From Jewel- "Ten"

Michael McDonald Releases New Christmas Themed DVD This Christmas Live In Chicago

One of the music world’s most recognizable voices, Michael McDonald, performs a special Christmas-themed episode of “SoundStage” on his new DVD and Blu-ray This Christmas Live In Chicago that just arrived in stores this week. Opening the show with the Doobie Brothers’ classic “It Keeps You Runnin’”, McDonald jumps into two selections from his solo career, before launching into a dozen Christmas songs. Many of these songs appeared on his 2009 holiday album “This Christmas”. The set ends with three Doobie Brothers classics and a cover of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah” is included as well. Check out a clip below before checking out the track listing following the video.



TRACK LISTING
1. It Keeps You Runnin’
2. I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)
3. Sweet Freedom
4. Every Time Christmas Comes Around
5. On This Night
6. This Christmas
7. Come, O Come Emanuel
8. Wexford Carol
9. Christmas On The Bayou
10. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
11. That’s What Christmas Means To Me
12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
13. Peace
14. White Christmas/ Winter Wonderland
15. Minute By Minute
16. What A Fool Believes
17. Takin’ It To The Streets
Bonus: Hallelujah

Katie Armiger Performs On CBS' The Early Show- "The Best Song Ever"

Tammy Wynette Exhibit At Country Music Hall of Fame

The dramatic life and remarkable career of one of country's greatest singers, Tammy Wynette, opened up early in September and is shown off in this exhibit. Drawing from a wealth of personal and professional memorabilia, the exhibit will tell the powerful story of the ladylike but tough woman whose talent and determination took her from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the heights of stardom with hits like "Stand By Your Man."

Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson & Martina McBride Cover Don Williams' "Tulsa Time" at All For The Hall

Dolly Parton Covers George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" At All For The Hall

Billy Currington Covers Kenny Rogers' "Sweet Music Man" At All For The Hall

Miranda Lambert Sings "The House That Built Me" At All For The Hall

John Mayer, Keith Urban & Vince Gill- "I'm Gonna Find Another You" At All For The Hall

Keith Urban Covers Don Williams' "I Wouldn't Want To Live If You Didn't Love Me" At All For The Hall

TNS Video History- Kenny Rogers- "Twenty Years Ago"