TNS Video History- Johnny Cash- "Rusty Cage"

New Music Video For Tim McGraw- "Felt Good On My Lips"

Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel Working On Second Collaboration

Willie Nelson and Ray Benson, leader and founder of Asleep at the Wheel, have announced that they are working on a follow-up album to 2009's critically acclaimed album, Willie & The Wheel. They announced this week that a sequel album, Willie & The Wheel II, will be released in May 2011.

"We're calling it WWII and we'll have a World War II theme," Ray Benson said. "We're going to have a lot of Western Swing and cuts from the '30s and '40s."

The album will include several classic country genres including Western Swing, Honky Tonk, and even songs more in the style of Johnny Cash classic country music.

"One of the great things about country [music] was always the diversity. Nashville doesn't know how to honor the diversity of country music now," said Benson. "It's now more of a business. Maybe it always was."

TNS Video History- Johnny Cash Reads The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address was delivered by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on this date on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the decisive Battle of Gettysburg.

Lady Antebellum Releases Artistic Black & White Live Music Video of "Hello World"

Montgomery Gentry's Eddie Montgomery Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Eddie Montgomery released a short statement today to let the world know that he has prostate cancer.

“Yes, rumors have started. And the truth is I have recently been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. I will be undergoing surgery to remove the cancerous tumor in December. I will be back in January ready to rock for all the fans! Please keep my family and I in your prayers.” - Eddie Montgomery

The duo, who became members of the Grand Ole Opry in 2009, is currently on tour in Canada. Montgomery Gentry's last tour date of 2010, according to their website, is Dec. 4 in Charlotte.

Alan Jackson Readies 34 Number Ones For Release Next Week

On November 22, country superstar Alan Jackson releases 34 Number Ones, a career-spanning, double-disc collection featuring all of Jackson’s #1 hits to date, including the recent chart-topping smash, “As She’s Walking Away,” with Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson. 34 Number Ones also contains Jackson’s next single, “Ring of Fire,” a fresh take on a Johnny Cash classic. “Ring of Fire” is at country radio now.

With 37 songs in all, 34 Number Ones includes all 34 of Jackson’s previous #1 singles, along with “Ring of Fire,” “As She’s Walking Away” and “Look at Me” (previously available on the 2008 soundtrack to Billy: The Early Years.) Alongside Jackson’s first chart-topper, 1990’s “Here in the Real World,” are such enduring favorites as “Gone Country” (1995); Jackson’s poignant, GRAMMY-winning “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” (2001); the Jimmy Buffett duet “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (2003); last year’s “Country Boy,” and many more.

Delivered to radio this week, Jackson‘s cover of “Ring of Fire” is already gathering critical praise. Industry site All Access stated that, “If you are going to cover a classic, let alone a classic by the Man in Black, you better be ready to swing for the fences. Well, the ball is still sailing because Alan Jackson has given us what may just be the best single of 2010.” Roughstock said that “It’s hard to feel anything but reverence for this song and Alan Jackson himself . . .Very few artists could remake a song like this without drawing the ire of traditionalist fans but the vibrant vocal delivery and the tastefully updated production (even without the horns) should make ‘Ring of Fire’ a welcome addition to Alan Jackson’s catalog and country radio.”

Written by June Carter (wife of Johnny Cash) and Merle Kilgore, “Ring of Fire” was the biggest hit of Cash’s career, staying at number one on the charts for seven weeks in 1963. "Ring of Fire" ranked #4 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music in 2003 and #87 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Norah Jones Releases Duets Album Featuring Dolly Parton & Willie Nelson

EMI’s Blue Note Records released …Featuring, a star-studded collection of the multi-platinum selling, multi-Grammy Award winning singer Norah Jones’s musical collaborations from the past decade. The 18 songs on the album include duets with such legends as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, and with 21st Century icons from OutKast to the Foo Fighters.  Here's a live performance of Dolly and Norah performing "Creepin' In."

Darius Rucker & Brad Paisley Celebrate "Unfriend Day" With Jimmy Kimmel

Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley played live via satellite on the Jimmy Kimmel Show last night to help him honor ‘National UnFriend Day.’

Dolly Parton Readies New Album & 2011 Tour

CMT.com released an exciting news tidbit on their news wire today. Country legend Dolly Parton is finishing up an all-new album and is readying another tour for 2011. This from their site:

Dolly Parton has announced plans for a new album and tour in 2011, according to her official website.

The new album, which has not yet been titled, will offer all new compositions and will be released on her own label, Dolly Records. In addition, Parton will tour the U.S. in the summer, followed by a European tour in late summer and an Australian tour in the fall. In related news, Parton's theme park, Dollywood, was recognized with the Liseberg Applause Award, the amusement park industry's top award, on Tuesday (Nov. 16). Parton personally accepted the award at the ceremony in Orlando, Fla. Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and is celebrating its 25th season in 2010.

Carter's Chord Releases New Christmas EP

Carter’s Chord’s Christmas EP comes out this week. The EP contains 4 tracks, one original written by band member Becky Robertson called “Snowed In”. You can see an exclusive acoustic version of “Up On The House Top” on their Amazon Artist page.

Carter's Chord is sisters Becky, Emily, and Joanna Robertson, all of whom are singer-songwriters and vocalists. They are also the three daughters of Barny and Carter Robertson, both of whom played in Waylon Jennings' road band The Waylors in the 1970s.

After several years of performing locally, the trio was signed in 2006 to Show Dog Nashville (now Show Dog-Universal Music), a record label owned by country singer Toby Keith.

That Nashville Sound Hits It's 2,000th Story

Three years in, That Nashville Sound is celebrating its 2,000th post this morning. This particular post about nothing in particular is TNS's celebratory moment for crossing a major blog milestone. Yea, us. Now... back to regularly scheduled programming.

New Music Video From Dean Brody- "Trail In Life"

This is one of the better songs of 2010 off of a very underrated Canadian-only release you likely didn't hear.


Dean Brody - Trail In Life from Jeth Weinrich on Vimeo.

Kid Rock Covers Jamey Johnson's "In Color"

My pal Shannon over at Nashville Gab uncovered this little gem of Kid Rock covering Jamey Johnson's critical smash hit, "In Color."

Jason Michael Carroll Releases New Holiday Album Christmas On The Farm

Jason Michael Carroll releases his very first Christmas album today called Christmas On The Farm. Produced by co-writer Patrick Davis, JMC offers a variety of standards mixed with uniquely crafted original songs for the holidays. It will be available on iTunes and other online retailers.

Jason Michael Carroll is no stranger to the charts as his first two offerings on Arista Records received regular radio airplay and produced such chart winners as “Alyssa Lies,” and “Livin’ Our Love Song,” as the album entered the Billboard Top Country Album Chart in the No. 1 post. The Denver Post said, “It only takes one listen to realize his chops are obvious. This boy has a voice.” He has had 5 singles that have all hit the Top 20 or higher on the country radio charts to date. Today, Jason Michael Carroll has been on a non-stop touring schedule taking breaks to complete this release, as well as upcoming full-length album in 2011.

“I have always wanted to do a Christmas album and as you can image having four children at home we do spend a lot of time singing around tree. When I heard ‘Christmas on the Farm’ I knew that was the song and one I thought radio would love to play. My kids have always wanted me to do a Christmas album, so with that song as the lead and my children’s favorite ‘Joy to The World’, I knew we had to do it,” says Jason Michael Carroll.

Up & Coming New Nashville- Phoenix Hart

In her hometown of Dallas, Texas, singer/songwriter Phoenix Hart has garnered a loyal following from her live performances, and has been heralded as one of the truly promising new artists. With the recent release of her debut CD, “Save Love,” and subsequent touring plans, she is looking to make her mark on the music landscape.

Phoenix has been inspired by some of her favorite artists – Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, KT Tunstall and Rachel Yamagata – but there is no mistaking her own unique style.She will tell you that her most important inspiration came from her parents.

“Both my mom and my dad influenced my love of music by making sure that it was always around. They had broad and eclectic musical tastes, which exposed me to all kinds of music and artists as I was growing up. When I was little they took me to see the Canadian children’s singer Raffi in concert, and it may have changed my life. He became my first favorite artist, and my first favorite song became his “Baby Beluga.”

“I saw my dad ‘in concert’ a lot. He played mandolin, banjo, and guitar in a bluegrass band and they would come over to our house and set up in the living room and play all night. I was too young to understand why I liked it, but I knew I needed to be a part of it. I learned how to hold three chords on the mandolin so that I could play along with my dad and everyone to songs like ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’ and ‘I’ll Fly Away’.”

Phoenix got her first guitar when she was 16. “Unfortunately, I was never able to take lessons or really get into it because I was too into sports,” she admits. “Later on, I picked up a guitar book and tried learning a few chords on my own. Then more. Then I started to sing and play. After a few months I was writing and getting lost in music again.”

In 2008, Phoenix began working on the “Save Love” album. “I was given the opportunity to finally put a few songs down in a studio – just me and a guitar. The plan was to record 4-5 songs so I could give them to my family. The 4-5 songs turned into 6-8 songs with some players. Then came a horn section.”

About this same time, Phoenix was given another opportunity – to go to Stockholm, Sweden, to meet with songwriters. “It was a wonderful, productive and rewarding experience.” She worked with two of Sweden’s best-known writer/producers, both with extensive and impressive international resumes. Her songwriting collaboration with them resulted in two songs for the album – “Until We Meet Again” with Mats Valentin, and “Disconnected” with Mathias Wollo.

As she was finishing the last vocal on the final song on the CD, Phoenix was overjoyed. “To me, this is unbelievable, and not in a million years did I think I would be this far on a dream. I had to take a second to soak it all in. There is a lot that went into this album from start to finish and I will take it with me forever.”

“Save Love” was released out on the 26th of October.

Jack Ingram Unveils "Riding High, Eating Good, Staying Out of Jail"

Rachel Proctor Unveils Five Brand New Songs

Rachel Proctor has unveiled five brand new songs she's written or co-written and has made them available for streaming on her mySpace page. That Nashville Sound has the link to the player below. If you have a daughter, "The Blossoming" is HIGHLY recommended.

Proctor was originally signed to BNA Records in 2002 and released her debut album Where I Belong. It spawned chart hits “Days Like This” (#24 in 2003), “Didn’t I” (#43 in 2003), “Where I Belong” (#37 in 2004) and her highest chart hit, “Me and Emily” (#18 in 2004). The last track, a song about a young parent escaping from domestic abuse, became an anthem for abused women across the world and earned a direct commendation from then-President Bush.

After BNA closed after being purchased, she kept with her songwriting roots, co-writing country/pop singer Jessica Simpson’s 2008 singles “Come On Over” and “Remember That” and Jesse Lee’s 2009 debut single “It’s a Girl Thing.” This last October, she went the indie route and self-released a brand new album called What Didn’t Kill Me.

TNS Video History- Johnny Cash & Oscar The Grouch- "Nasty Dan"