Martina McBride Fights Through Illness For Green Bay Fans

Martina McBride showed what a trooper she is by fighting through illness to perform for a near-capacity crowd at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, earlier this week. Martina admitted to the audience that she had been under the weather for several days but decided to carry on with the show when she found out that it was almost sold out. McBride was visibly ill and continued coughing throughout the show. “It’s just a struggle up here for me tonight,” she told the audience. “On nights like this, we just cross our fingers and hope for the best. I promise I will sing my heart out for you tonight.” Towards the end of her set, McBride applauded the audience for their patience and support, saying, “Thank you for sticking with me through this show.” Martina’s ongoing “Shine All Night” tour with Trace Adkins continues at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado, on April 8th.

LeAnn Rimes The New Face For Psoriasis Campaign

LeAnn Rimes is opening up about her long-running chronic skin disease and is urging other psoriasis sufferers to “stop hiding” the condition. Rimes was 2-years-old when she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder, which commonly causes recurring red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. Rimes has now teamed up with the American Academy of Dermatology and the National Psoriasis Foundation to back their Make A Change Pledge, which aims to de-stigmatize the disease.

Mindy McCready Threatening Legal Action Over Sex Tape

After news broke that Vivid Entertainment was preparing to release an explicit sex tape and tell-all interview starring Mindy McCready, the singer is now looking to take legal action to stop the unauthorized video entitled “Baseball Mistress” from getting out. However, Steven Hirsch, founder/co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment, isn’t concerned about a possible lawsuit. “We acquired the McCready video awhile ago and feel comfortable with our legal position to distribute it. You really have to see it to believe it,” he told Fox news. “If Mindy wants to discuss the video, she should feel free to contact me.” A teaser to the XXX video has already hit the Web and shows snippets of the “Celebrity Rehab” contestant bumpin’ uglies with an ex-beau and revealing intimate details of her relationship with baseball star Roger Clemens. McCready’s album “I’m Still Here” dropped last week, marking her first studio album since 2002.

Alan Jackson Finally Tracks Down Lee Ann Womack

Alan Jackson’s latest album, “Freight Train,” hit stores yesterday. The album features 12 new tracks including his current hit single, “It’s Just That Way.” Jackson has writing credits for eight of the songs, but it’s a classic song originally penned by Vern Gosdin that he says has been on his wish list for a long time. Jackson said he’s wanted to record “Till The End” as a duet for years. And, after several attempts, Alan finally convinced Lee Ann Womack to cut it with him. “It’s a cool song, one that I’ve always wanted to do a duet with somebody on, it’s a tribute to Vern Gosdin. So to have Lee Ann on there really made it that much more special,” Alan tells GAC.

Whisperin’ Bill Hears Haunted Whispers On Bus

Whisperin Bill Anderson, currently traveling through Canada on a 12-day tour with his Po’ Folks Band, has been dealing with a mysterious passenger on his tour bus. During their first few nights, the Country Music Hall of Famer said he heard voices and moans in the back state-room. On Wednesday night the bus driver actually had to come to a screeching halt after hearing a scream. Anderson said laughingly, “I’m trying to figure out if its Hank Williams wanting to co-write a song or Faron Young just messing with my head!” Check out www.youtube.com/billandersontv.

Gretchen’s Album Release Party At John Rich’s Home

Gretchen Wilson’s new album, “I Got Your Country Right Here,” hit stores yesterday. It marks the first album from her own record label, Redneck Records. John Rich opened his home for Gretchen’s album release party last Thursday night. The elevator, which took guests up to the third floor of Rich’s cube-like home overlooking Nashville, was equipped with a bar so guests didn’t have to wait long to get a drink. Several guests also enjoyed cigars from John’s private humidor while listening to Gretchen’s showcase. Along for the party were some of the album’s songwriters, including Jeffrey Steele, Rodney Clawson and Dave Berg.

Dierks Bentley Joins World Battle For Better Water

Dierks Bentley is joining forces with Live Earth and Life Time Fitness in an effort to solve the global water crisis and provide safe, clean drinking water for millions of people around the world. On April 18th, Dierks will perform at the Dow Live Earth Run for Water at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. The event, the largest global water initiative in history, will include a series of 6 km run/walks along with water education villages and live musical performances. “I’m looking forward to this event and helping bring attention to the global water crisis,” says Dierks. “The run/walks that are happening on the same day across the world are a great reminder that we are all connected and that we are all responsible for helping each other ... I’m excited to be part of this historic event.”

Emerson Drive’s New Addition

Emerson Drive lead vocalist Brad Mates and his wife, Jana, are expecting their first child in April. The couple will name their new son Tyler. Brad and Jana married in October 2008.

Jimmy Wayne Invents A Game For ‘Change’

Jimmy Wayne hasn’t even hit the halfway point on his “Meet Me Halfway” walk across America, but he’s already thinking of other ways to help raise awareness for teens who age out of the foster-care system. Earlier this month, Jimmy was reunited with Lt. Col. Jason Garkey, who took a special leave of absence from active duty to walk with the singer in January. This time around, they came up with a friendly competition to help pass the time – seeing who could find the most change. That competition was the inspiration for an additional fundraising effort Jimmy calls “Make a Change.” Jimmy says, “All the money I find on the road from here to Phoenix, I’m going to donate [to HomeBase Youth Services] once I get there. If it’s two or three dollars, who knows, I’ve got probably five dollars worth of change in my pouch right now. Maybe people can match the change that I find. That would be cool.” Jimmy’s fans are also getting onboard by coming up with their own fundraisers for the cause, including an auction for autographed coffee mugs of the star called “Get Mugged.”

Lady A Holds At No. 1

Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” hangs on to the top spot on the Billboard Country Albums chart this week, making it eight weeks at No. 1. They’re also No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the second consecutive week, with another 93,000 copies sold. Meanwhile, the Zac Brown Band gained some ground, climbing to the No. 2 spot for the week with “The Foundation.” It’s the only album in the Top 10 to show an upsurge.

Chuck Wicks Snags ‘Twilight’ Star For Steamy Video

Chuck Wicks shot the music video this week for his new single, “Hold That Thought,” a sultry song he co-wrote for his upcoming album. His love interest is played by actress Julia Jones, who will appear as Leah Clearwater in the third installment of the “Twilight” film saga, “Eclipse.” Jones was also featured in the final season of “ER,” as well as in Tim McGraw’s first feature film, “Black Cloud.” Chuck and Julia just met last week and didn’t even know each other existed until a mutual friend put them together. “I talked to my publicist out in L.A and said, ‘I need somebody that’s just a great actress, that’s exotic and sexy,” Chuck told The Boot. “And she [said], ‘I’ve got the perfect person ... Julia Jones.’ And so, you know me, I Googled her! And I said, ‘She’s perfect.’”

John Rich, Wynonna, Kenny Rogers Sing For Heroes

John Rich tweeted about his performance with Kenny Rogers and Wynonna last weekend in San Antonio: “Holy smokes! Just KILLED IT in San Antonio with Wynonna and Kenny Rogers!!! ‘Lady,’ ‘Love Can Build A Bridge’ ... major highlight of my career!!” Wynonna also took to her Twitter page after the special concert, announcing that it had collected close to $1 million for organizations that assist wounded military personnel. Wy, John and Kenny offered power-packed performances before a crowd that included more than 25 wounded soldiers and their families. The 82nd Airborne Division’s All-American Chorus received a standing ovation when it sang the anthem for each military division.

Jake Owen Joins Three Spring Tours

Jake Owen has been added as an opening act to three of this spring’s hottest tours. First on the schedule is Jason Aldean’s “Wide Open” tour, where Jake will kick off three shows. He then joins a group of rowdy friends, including Randy Houser, James Otto, David Nail and Luke Bryan, as part of Miranda Lambert’s “Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars” tour, playing a star-studded show in Louisiana. After those dates, Jake will hit the road for a long list of shows with Sugarland, joining their “Incredible Machine” tour.

Minnie Pearl Statue Drama In Tennessee

The town of Centerville, Tennessee, wants their statue of the late Minnie Pearl back in the city, but businessman Rod Harris, who gave the statue as a gift to the city in 2005, wants $10,000 for its return. Harris raised the money for the $150,000 statue through donations and then gifted it to the town with the stipulation that it not be moved from the public square, not far from where Minnie Pearl was born. However, the statue was relocated last year due to reconstruction, so Harris took it back and moved it to Grinders Switch Winery. Harris’ lawyer said he will return the sculpture if the town agrees to a suitable location and pays about $10,000 in legal fees. The town is considering getting a new statue made.

George Strait Headed To Nashville

George Strait has added a Nashville date on his 2010 tour, featuring Reba and Lee Ann Womack. The show April 28th at the Bridgestone Arena (formerly the Sommet Center) will be Strait’s first full concert in Nashville since 2004, when he broke the house record for most attendance. Meanwhile, at the opening festivities of the 28th Annual George Strait Team Roping Classic finals in San Antonio on Friday, Strait announced to the hometown crowd that he is bringing his tour to the Alamodome on May 1st. Strait, named Artist of the Decade last year, is nominated this year for ACM Entertainer of the Year for the 12th time and Top Male Vocalist for the 20th time, bringing the ACM Artist of the Decade’s all-time record to 81 ACM nominations. The ACMS will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 18th on CBS. Strait is supporting his latest chart-topping CD, “Twang.” The current single, “I Gotta Get To You,” is No. 20 on the charts.

Kenny Chesney Gets Back To The Music

Now that “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D” is ready for release, Kenny has returned to the studio to resume work on his next studio album. Working with long time producer Buddy Cannon, Kenny has assembled many of the musicians who’ve helped define his music. Chesney says, “It felt so good to be back in the studio. I mean, being in the studio is always such an awesome experience... because I came to town to write songs and maybe get to sing ‘em. But when you’re in the studio and you’re bringing them to life, creating the way they’re going to be heard, that’s just such a creative time – and I am blessed to work some of the very best musicians in not just Nashville, but honestly the world.”

Gloriana Says Milk Rocks!

Gloriana is being featured on over 50 million milk containers in schools across the United States as part of the “Milk Rocks!” campaign. Students who enter the contest at www.milkrocks.com get a chance at a $10,000 prize along with tickets and meet and greet passes to an upcoming Gloriana performance from sponsor Papermate.

Zac Brown Band Goes Live With DVD/CD

The Zac Brown Band will bring their live gigs home with the DVD/2-CD release of “Pass The Jar – Zac Brown Band and Friends Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre In Atlanta,” out May 4th. The live concert package captures performances from Zac Brown Band’s sold-out October 2009 show benefiting Athens’s historic Georgia Theatre. The DVD will feature 18 of the evening’s performances with guests including Kid Rock, Little Big Town, Joey + Rory, Shawn Mullins and Angie Aparo and Aslyn.

Justin Moore’s Guitar Stolen

Justin Moore came out of his show in Mississippi Friday night without his guitar. It seems that during the show in Royal Oak someone stole his guitar. Moore Tweeted about the theft, asking the thief to “do the right thing.” “It’s worth fightin over. I’ll give you my address,” Moore Tweeted, adding, “That guitar is part of me. I WILL find it.”

Tim McGraw, Big Kenny, Danny Gokey Honor Humanitarians

Tim McGraw, Big Kenny and Danny Gokey will perform at the star-studded T.J. Martell Foundation Honors Gala on March 22nd at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. The black-tie event brings together luminaries from the business and music industries to recognize the humanitarian works of chosen honorees. Along with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Tim will present the Lifetime Humanitarian Award to Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. Big Kenny will join Ross Perot Jr. in recognizing Senator Bill Frist with the Lifetime Medical Achievement Award. Brooks & Dunn will be presented with the Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award, and Michael Bolton and Susan Simons will also be recognized for their humanitarian and industry work. Anita Baker, Dave Mason and the Fisk Jubilee Singers will also be performing at the event.

James Otto Releases ‘Groovy Little Summer Song’

James Otto released a new single, “Groovy Little Summer Song,” last week, with a full-length album expected later this year. Otto wrote the song with Al Anderson and Carson Chamberlain and co-produced the track with Paul Worley. “It’s got that spring break vibe, a groove and a feel that just says summertime to me,” Otto said. “It’s a feel-good song that lends itself to partying and nights on the beach or time out on the lake.”

Rosanne Cash ‘Composed’

Rosanne Cash’s memoir, “Composed,” will be published on August 10th. Cash “writes candidly about her upbringing, her development as an artist and her current life.” Rosanne earned 11 No. 1 country hits in the ‘80s, including “Seven Year Ache,” “The Way We Make a Broken Heart” and “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me.” Her 2009 album, “The List,” was inspired by a list of influential songs given to her as a teenager by her father, Johnny Cash.

On The Charts

Sade has the No. 1 album in the country for the third week in a row, as “Soldier Of Love” sold over 190,000 copies last week. Country trio Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” remains No. 2. However, the biggest debut of the week comes from the late Johnny Cash, whose “American VI: Ain’t No Grave” debuts at No. 3 with over 54,000 copies sold.

Chesney, Miller Rock Tootsie’s

After treating a standing room only crowd at the Ryman Auditorium to almost two hours of music, Kenny Chesney and Steve Miller celebrated their “Crossroads” taping by doing an impromptu jam at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge on Lower Broadway. The pair walked down the alley between the Ryman and the bar, went in the back door and made their way to the front stage and straight into Miller’s classic “Fly Like An Eagle.” Taking the stage around 11 p.m., the pair played into Wednesday morning. Though no air date has been set, look for “Crossroads” to debut on CMT in July.

Jessica Harp Quits Singing To Focus On Songwriting

Jessica Harp, who returned to a solo career after partnering with Michelle Branch as the Wreckers, has decided to quit pursuing a singing career, according to a letter on her Web site. She plans to concentrate on songwriting instead. She also mentions that her album will be released digitally on March 16th. Harp released two solo singles, “A Woman Needs” and “Boy Like Me,” after the Wreckers parted ways.

Kimmel Goes Urban

Keith Urban will guest on the fifth consecutive “Jimmy Kimmel Live: After The Academy Awards” Sunday. Robert Downey Jr. will introduce the world premiere of the new “Iron Man 2” trailer right before Urban performs “‘Til Summer Comes Around,” from his 2009 album “Defying Gravity.”

Big Kenny Back In Haiti

Big Kenny flew back to Haiti on Tuesday. He returned to provide a little musical relief for the American soldiers who have been there helping earthquake victims. Big Kenny says he’s been “looking forward to saying thank you from all of us in the United States to all the men and women on the ground who have been serving in Haiti since the January 12th earthquake.” The return trip is also in honor of his friend, Walt Ratterman, who died when a hotel collapsed in the quake.

Danny Gokey Feels Welcomed In Nashville

Danny Gokey says arms are opening wide for him in Nashville. He admits it’s a competition but adds, “A lot of music has to be a competition. ‘American Idol’ proves that.” Gokey adds, “It’s a healthy competition where people are building off each other and building relationships.” Gokey’s first album, “My Best Days,” was released Tuesday. He’ll be back on “American Idol” tonight to sing and promote it.