Big Machine Records Unveils Artist Performance For Brickyard 400

BigMachineRecords.com will be the presenting sponsor of the 2011 Brickyard 400 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31st. This is the first time a record label has ever presented a nationally-televised race in the 100-year history of The Speedway. In addition to the race, the event will feature performances by Big Machine Label Group artists such as Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, The Band Perry, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert and Thomas Rhett. There will also be opportunities to purchase artist merchandise at the Big Machine Label Group booth where clothing, music and more will be for sale.

Trace Adkins Wants His Fire-Damaged Home Torn Down

Trace Adkins and his family have been living in a cabin ever since a fire on June 4th destroyed their Nashville home. While the Louisiana native is grateful they have another place to stay, he admits the entire ordeal has been a challenging one. “The insurance company declared it a total loss, and now they have to figure out what that means and assign a value to it,” Trace tells CMT. “It takes ridiculously long. I just want to get what’s left of that house torn down. It looks sad. It’s the eyesore of the neighborhood. We all want to get it gone.”

Kenny Chesney Writes Theme Song For New ESPN Series

Kenny Chesney has written a new song titled “Rise Up” for an upcoming ESPN series of the same name. The reality series upgrades the athletic facilities in needy high schools. The first episode about a school in Wellston, Ohio, will air on September 13th. Chesney wrote the song in two hours after watching the episode from a New Orleans school, according to the series’ executive producer Joan Lynch.

Zac Brown Band Team With Gander Mountain

The Zac Brown Band has partnered with outdoor specialty retailer Gander Mountain for the band’s Southern Ground product line. The retailer’s 116 stores nationwide will carry the line of cookbooks, spices and sauces. In addition, an exclusive Zac Brown Band hat with a hand-tooled leather patch has been assembled by Brown’s Southern Hide leather shop. The cotton twill hat, priced at $20, features an embroidered Soles4Souls logo. All proceeds from sales of the hat will benefit the charitable organization that provides shoes to underprivileged people around the world. Meanwhile, a handcrafted GranDaddy knife created at the Southern Grind shop in Georgia features a blade made of recycled saw blades and a custom sheath. It is available only at Gander Mountain’s website.

Joey+Rory Take It To The Farm This Christmas

Joey & Rory will release a Christmas album, “A Farmhouse Christmas,” on October 11th. Merle Haggard sings on the couple’s rendition of his No. 1 hit, “If We Make It Through December.” In addition, the duo recorded “I Know What Santa’s Getting for Christmas,” written by Garth Brooks and Kent Blazy. Holiday standards on the album include “Away in a Manger” and “Blue Christmas.” The couple is also planning a Christmas tour.

Ira Dean Signs With Average Joe’s

Ira Dean, former member of Trick Pony, has signed on with Average Joe’s. Dean wrote the Trick Pony hit “Pour Me.” He left Trick Pony in 2008 and has since been busy writing songs for other artists including Joe Nichols, Chris Young, ex-band mate Heidi Newfield, Jake Owen, Gary Allan and Montgomery Gentry. He also has the writing credits on the title track for Trace Adkins’ album, “Proud To Be Here,” due out August 2nd. Dean’s self-titled solo debut CD is set to be released in late 2011. The first official single, “Something About A Sunday,” drops in September.

Josh Thompson On ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’

Josh Thompson is still beaming from an experience a couple of weeks ago. He was part of a taping of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Thompson performed a concert at Fayetteville Festival Park in North Carolina. His appearance was to help raise money for a female homeless veterans shelter.

Eric Church Is The ‘Chief’

To make sure there were no distractions while creating the songs for his new album, Eric Church was holed up for a month in a cabin in North Carolina. He says first he needed to pause and figure out where he was going in his career. Then he opened the door to songwriters. Church says they had no cell phones and no TV. He says “all you do is write songs. Sometimes it was 3 a.m. Sometimes it was 9 a.m., didn’t matter. We wrote songs.” The result is Eric Church’s new album, “Chief,” which came out yesterday.

Hank Williams Jr. Ready For Some Football

If anyone’s ready for some football, it’s Hank Williams Jr. Bocephus just shot a new opening for the upcoming season of “Monday Night Football” on ESPN. It was filmed last Thursday at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. This will be the 23rd season that Hank will be singing the Monday Night Football opening theme.

Caylee Anthony’s Grandparents Reach Out To Rascal Flatts

The grandparents of Caylee Anthony have reached out to Rascal Flatts to thank co-writer Gary LeVox for the Caylee tribute, “She’s Going Places.” LeVox has not decided yet if he will take a meeting with the family. Caylee’s mother Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering the two-year-old. The prosecution alleged that Caylee was killed of chloroform inhalation while the defense argued she accidentally drowned. LeVox co-wrote the track with Cledus T. Judd, who says it was originally based on a different song they had written called “He’s Going Places.” Nashville recording artist Shane Hines sang on the track.

Taylor Swift Donates $250,000 To Alabama Charity

Taylor Swift, who previously donated almost $1 million from her ‘Speak Now ... Help Now!’ dress rehearsal concert to benefit Alabama tornado victims following April’s deadly storms, has offered another large check, this time to a Tuscaloosa-based organization. Swift gave $250,000 to benefit Nick’s Kids, which has already donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to recovery efforts. Taylor, who donated $500,000 to aid in Music City’s recovery efforts, also gave generously to Japan, New Zealand and Australia in recent months. She is currently in the middle of the North American leg of her “Speak Now World” tour.

John Michael Montgomery - Artist of the Day

•John Michael Montgomery first performed in public at age five with his father’s band, which also featured his mother on drums. He was performing regularly on the local scene at 16 and at 17 became the lead singer of a group with his father and brother, Eddie of Montgomery Gentry, after his parents divorced.
•John Michael issued his debut album, “Life’s a Dance,” in 1992. The title track rocketed into the Top 5. Its follow-up, “I Love The Way You Love Me,” went to No. 1, while his 1994 release of “Kickin’ It Up” topped both the country and pop charts. A self-titled 1995 album also topped the charts and kept Montgomery’s hit streak alive with more No. 1 hits.

•Montgomery put out “What I Do the Best” in 1996. “Friends” and “How Was I to Know” both hit No. 2; “I Miss You a Little” was also a top 10.

•JMM has sold more than 10 million albums and scored 15 No. 1 singles, including 1994’s “I Swear.”

•Montgomery released “Time Flies” in 2008, his 10th studio album and first on his own label, Stringtown. The album yielded his first country Top 30 hit since 2004 with “Forever,” as well as the singles “Mad Cowboy Disease” and “If You Ever Went Away.”

•His last album was a 2009 Cracker Barrel compilation titled “For Our Heroes.” JMM is currently working on a live album set for release this year, which will also include a DVD documentary of him talking about the songs, storyteller-style.
•John Michael Montgomery was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame earlier this year.

•John Michael Montgomery is teaming up with Eddie. The brothers will record an album as well as collaborate on a book about their lives, both of which they will begin working on this winter.

•Official website: http://www.johnmichael.com

‘American Idol’s’ Haley Reinhart Signs Record Deal

Haley Reinhart, who placed third on the 10th season of “American Idol,” has signed a recording contract with Interscope and 19 Recordings. The 20-year-old singer finished just behind “Idol” winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina, who are both pursuing country careers on the 19 Recordings/Mercury Nashville imprint. McCreery, Alaina and Reinhart are all taking part in the current “American Idols Live” tour. The tour’s next stop will be tonight in Duluth, Georgia.

Alan Jackson Premieres ‘Long Way To Go’ Video

Alan Jackson will premiere his video for “Long Way To Go” today on GAC and tomorrow on CMT. Jackson will elaborate on the making of the video during his appearances on GAC’s “Top 20 Country Countdown” on July 29th and CMT’s “Top 20 Countdown” on August 5th. “Long Way To Go” is the first single from Jackson’s new studio album to be released this fall and the debut single from the joint venture between EMI Records Nashville and ACR (Alan’s Country Records). The video was shot at the Square Grouper bar in Jupiter, Florida. It finds Jackson and his band waiting all day to shoot a video in the Florida sun because the forecast is filled with “rain, rain and more rain.” While Jackson, his band and the entire video crew wait for the rain to pass, the fun begins. Check it out at www.alanjackson.com.

Brad Paisley Fans ‘Arrested In Droves’

“Brad Paisley fans get themselves arrested in droves during Darien Lake concert,” the Batavian newspaper in upstate New York reports. The newspaper listed dozens of names and charges stemming in and around Brad’s concert Saturday night in the Buffalo area. Those charges include disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, underage drinking, criminal possession of drugs, driving while intoxicated and others. On Twitter, Brad posted a link to the article and noted, “Quite a performance in [Darien Lake] Saturday. We also played music.” Paisley’s “H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour” played to over 34,000 fans in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Darien Lake, New York. On Saturday Paisley made an unexpected appearance on the Water World Plaza Stage during Sunny Sweeney’s set and accompanied her on “Good Hearted Woman.” The tour, which has Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann on the main stage, continues this weekend with a show in Frisco, Texas.

Chris Young’s ‘Tomorrow’ Is Bright

Chris Young’s “Tomorrow” will hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart when it is released later this week, the singer’s fourth straight chart topper. The latest No. 1 occurs less than two weeks following the release of his third album, “Neon,” which opened at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. “I am completely blown away,” said Young. “For ‘Neon’ to get such an amazing response from the fans and then for ‘Tomorrow’ to go to number one right after, it feels like I’m living a dream.” Young’s three previous chart toppers include “Gettin’ You Home,” “Voices” and the title track to his 2009 sophomore album, “The Man I Want To Be.” Young will appear on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on July 27th.

Adkins Added To CMA Music Fest TV Special

Trace Adkins has been added to the list of performers appearing in the three-hour, primetime concert special: “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” airing August 14th on ABC. Adkins joins a lineup that includes individual performances from The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. The special also features one-of-a-kind collaborations including Alabama performing with Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean collaborating with Kelly Clarkson, a late-night jam with Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, Josh Turner singing with “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery, “Idol” runner up Lauren Alaina joining Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson with Big & Rich, and Alan Jackson performing with the Zac Brown Band.

Jason Michael Carroll Serves Up ‘Numbers’ At Cracker Barrel

Former Cracker Barrel Old Country Store server Jason Michael Carroll is set to give customers something more suited to his recent profession. The singer’s new CD “Numbers” makes him the first artist ever signed by the company’s exclusive music program who once worked in one of its restaurants. The North Carolina native started singing in public while working as a server at the Cracker Barrel in Henderson, North Carolina. The 12-track CD includes “Alyssa Lies,” a No. 5 hit in 2007, and the title song. “Most numbers mean absolutely nothing,” says Carroll, “but some of them, like the date you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, mean everything.” The “Numbers” CD debuted yesterday exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations and online at crackerbarrel.com

Kix Brooks To Speak At Louisiana Tech

Kix Brooks went to college at Louisiana Tech. Now he’ll be the featured speaker at the school’s 30th alumni and fan football preseason kickoff. Brooks grew up in Shreveport. He’ll impart his words of wisdom at the event on August 13th.

Grammy Auction

Signed musical instruments and special meet-and-greet experiences are up for bid at an auction organized by the Grammy people. Proceeds will go to MusicCares to help musicians with a range of issues. Money also goes to music education. Items available at the auction include a guitar signed by Kenny Chesney, CDs signed by Lady Antebellum, and meet-n-greet experiences with Sugarland or Keith Urban. The auction runs through Friday at www.ebay.com/grammy.

Rascal Flatts Visit Wedding Chapel, Karaoke Challenge

Rascal Flatts surprised two married fans who were renewing their wedding vows in Indianapolis Saturday night. The Flatts Fest tour is traveling with the “Why Wait” wedding chapel, and the group made an unannounced appearance inside as Anthony Payne and Stephani Giveans were renewing their vows. After that, Rascal Flatts took the stage on the tour’s traveling Karaoke Challenge. After cheering for contestant Jessi Bennett, the group sang a shortened karaoke version of “Bless the Broken Road.” Over 65,000 fans attended shows last weekend to see Rascal Flatts, including 2 sold-out “Flatts Fest” dates in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Indianapolis. Rascal Flatts’ next tour date will be Friday in Atlanta.

Billy Currington - Artist of the Day

•Billy Currington exploded onto the country music scene in 2003 with his self-titled debut CD, which contained the hits “Walk a Little Straighter” and “I Got a Feelin’.”
•His sophomore CD, “Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” included the No. 1 hits “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” and “Good Directions.” “Why, Why, Why” made the Top 20.
•Weeks after his last album achieved platinum success in 2007, Currington came down with severe laryngitis and was forced to cancel nearly all of his tour dates. Soon after, he entered a 30-day trauma recovery program to deal with issues created by childhood abuse from his stepfather.
•Currington’s 2007 single, “Tangled Up,” peaked at No. 30. He was absent from the charts for nearly a year before the release of “Don’t” in mid-2008. The song was the first single from his third studio album, “Little Bit of Everything,” which debuted at No. 2. “People Are Crazy” was the second single and became Currington’s third No. 1. “That’s How Country Boys Roll” became his fourth No. 1 in March 2010.
•The singles “Pretty Good at Drinking Beer” and “Let Me Down Easy” hit No. 1. They are from Currington’s new album, “Enjoy Yourself.” He recently shot the video for “Love Done Gone” in New Orleans. The song is inside the Top 20.

•Currington has sold more than 11 million units, earned multiple RIAA Gold and Platinum certifications, had six No. 1 singles, 10 Top 10 singles, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and multiple CMA and ACM Awards.

•Currington is currently on tour with Kenny Chesney and plans to start work on an album of soul music.
•Official website: www.billycurrington.com

New Ricky Skaggs Music

Ricky Skaggs’ newest CD, “Country Hits Bluegrass Style,” drops today. The 14-song release is a mix between Skaggs’ country and bluegrass roots, something he has been sharing with fans around the country during his current “Treasure Chest Tour.” Skaggs’ first two country No. 1 singles and standouts on the new album, “Crying My Heart Out Over You” and “I Don’t Care,” are accompanied by eight more No. 1 country hits, such as “Cajun Moon” and “Highway 40 Blues.” Ricky’s guitar skills are showcased throughout this bluegrass rendition of his fan-favorite classic, “Country Boy.” Other songs include “Uncle Pen,” the first bluegrass tune ever to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart, “Don’t Get Above Your Raising,” “He Was On To Something (So He Made You),” and “Somebody’s Prayin’.”

Aldean Drives To No. 1

Jason Aldean scores his seventh No. 1 song as “Dirt Road Anthem” drives into the top slot on the Billboard Country Songs chart this week. The third consecutive platinum release off Country’s best-selling album of 2011, “My Kinda Party,” the track also tops the Country Digital Singles Chart again this week with over 1.3 million singles sold to date. Simultaneously, Aldean’s duet with Kelly Clarkson “Don’t You Wanna Stay” continues to climb the AC, Hot AC and Top 40 charts. Both songs follow the success of the lead single “My Kinda Party,” making this the third consecutive No. 1 hit from Aldean’s fourth studio effort.

Loretta Lynn Staying Out Of The Garden For Now

Loretta Lynn has decided to stay out of her garden until it gets cooler. She says “there ain’t a tomato worth it.” The recent stifling temperatures in the Nashville area had sent her to the hospital with heat exhaustion and dehydration. Now she’s back home while she continues to recover. This episode caused her to cancel two shows, one Friday and one Sunday. Lynn plans to perform at the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday and return to her tour August 1st.

Shania Twain Joins Michael Bublé On New Christmas Album

Shania Twain has recorded a duet with fellow Canadian Michael Buble. During a video chat with fans last week, Bublé revealed he’s working on a Christmas album that includes a “bouncy” version of “White Christmas” with Twain. Although she’s recorded holiday music in the past, Twain has never released a Christmas album of her own. Bublé revealed other tracks on the holiday project to be “Blue Christmas” and “All I Want For Christmas is You.” There’s no official release date yet, but he promises the album will be timely.

Lady Antebellum Ready To ‘Own The Night’

Lady Antebellum will release their third album, “Own the Night,” on September 13th. The trio has released the cover and the full track list for the album, which follows up the Grammy-sweeping, multi-platinum “Need You Now.” Lady A penned 10 of the 12 cuts on “Own the Night,” including “Just a Kiss,” which is currently lodged at No. 6 on the Billboard Country Singles chart and serves as their fastest rising single to date. Other songs on the set include “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” “Friday Night” and “When You Were Mine.”

Rimes, Bowersox Set For ACM Benefit

LeAnn Rimes and Crystal Bowersox will do their part for the Academy of Country Music’s charity arm. They’ll perform at a benefit concert in Chicago for Lifting Lives. It’s set for August 15th at Joe’s Pub. Money raised goes for grants to music therapy and music education programs, among other things. Tickets are available now. More information about the concert and the charity can be found at www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

Tim McGraw Has No Clue How He Broke His Foot

Tim McGraw is still mystified about his broken foot and he has no idea how he injured it. McGraw has been hobbling around in a cast on tour and he says the only reason he hasn’t told fans how he broke his foot is because he doesn’t know. He only got the diagnosis when his wife Faith Hill forced him to see a doctor. He says, “I don’t know if it happened running or in the part of the show where I jump off speakers. It could’ve happened any number of ways. It hurt for a while, and I kept running and kept working out and kept doing shows. And for a couple weeks, it just kept getting worse and worse, and it finally got to where I couldn’t walk, and it was really swollen.” McGraw said it was “like a green twig break. It started out as a stress fracture, and I kept pounding it, pounding it and pounding it, and it got worse and worse.”

Taylor Swift One Of Vogue’s Style Icons

Taylor Swift can sing, play musical instruments, dance, act, and now the 21-year-old has been named one of fashion magazine Vogue’s “American Idols: Icons of Stateside Style.” She earned high marks for her eclectic wardrobe that includes sundresses with cowboy boots and ball gowns with sky-high heels.

Toby Keith ‘Very Angry’ After Robbery At His Club

Toby Keith better not get his hands on the thieves that robbed one of his clubs. They might not live to tell about it. Keith is offering a hefty reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual responsible for a brazen robbery at his BelMar golf club in Norman, Oklahoma, on Wednesday. According to employees, a man approached an unattended register and helped himself to the cash before escaping unnoticed. Toby, who was not at the club at the time, is said to be “very angry” over the crime.

Party Time For Chris Young

Chris Young’s new album, “Neon,” is in stores now, but that’s far from the only exciting thing going on with Chris these days. Chris kicked off his first dates last week on Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party” tour. Young said recently that he’s thrilled to be on the tour, and he has it on good authority that being on the road with Jason is definitely a good time.

Craig Morgan - Artist of the Day

Craig Morgan

• Craig Morgan enlisted in the Army and was later named the U.S. Army Male Vocalist of the Year.
  
• Morgan signed with Atlantic and released his self-titled debut in May 2000, followed by the 2003 album “I Love It,” which included the No. 2 single “Almost Home.”
  
• In 2005, Morgan released his third album, “My Kind of Livin’,” which included the hit “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” A four-week No. 1 hit, it was the biggest country music song of the year, according to Billboard. The album also included the No. 2 hit “Redneck Yacht Club” and “I Got You,” which Craig had originally penned for Keith Urban but then decided to record himself.
  
• He released the album “Little Bit of Life” in 2006. It produced three singles, including Top 10 hits in the title track and “International Harvester.” “Tough” peaked at No. 11.
  
• Craig Morgan was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008.
  
• Morgan signed to BNA Records and released the album “That’s Why” in October 2008. The first single, “Love Remembers,” became his sixth Top 10 hit, while the follow-up, “God Must Really Love Me,” peaked at No. 26. BNA re-issued the album in 2009, replacing two of its tracks with the newly-recorded “Bonfire” and “This Ain’t Nothin’.”
  
• Craig is the spokesman for “Not Alone,” which helps military men, women and their families who are struggling with the aftereffects of combat and the difficulties transitioning to life back home. Find out more at www.notalone.com. Morgan wrote the song “Not Alone” in support of the organization, which will be included on his upcoming sixth studio album.
  
• The second season of Morgan’s top-rated Outdoor Channel show, “Craig Morgan: All Access Outdoors” is airing now.
  
• Craig will host his fifth annual Charity Ride and Concert August 6-7 in Dickson, Tennessee, with a celebrity dirt bike ride, sporting clay shoot and live show. The event benefits Billy’s Place, a home for temporarily displaced children in the singer’s hometown of Dickson.
  
• Morgan is working on his sixth studio album, which is expected for release in early 2012. The new music will be the first collection of songs with his new record label, Black River Entertainment. The album’s lead single is “This Ole Boy.”
  
• Official Web site: www.craigmorgan.com