Country Star Trace Adkins Promotes 11th Annual "Food Allergy Awareness Week"
Adkins Puts Spotlight on Friends Helping Friends

Nashville, TN - April 7, 2008...Country music sensation Trace Adkins is once again joining with the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) for food allergy education. For the eleventh annual Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW), May 11-17, 2008, Adkins and FAAN are launching a poster geared toward teens and focusing on friends helping friends.

Teens are the most at risk for fatal allergic reactions, and studies have shown that education of their friends would make living with a food allergy easier. Teens report that they want help educating others about food allergies, Adkins is stepping up to help them.

"Get your game on - take charge of your food allergies, carry your medicine, and teach your friends so they have your back," says Adkins. He understands the effect food allergies can have on kids and their families. His daughter, Brianna, is one of the three million American children who have food allergies.

The free poster is available for download from FAAN's website and will be distributed with FAAW materials. To download a poster or register for a packet of FAAW materials please visit www.foodallergy.org.

Food allergy is a growing public health concern in the U.S. Though reasons for this are poorly understood, the prevalence of food allergies appears to be on the rise.

CRS Panel “Woman to Woman” Not Just for Women
By Bob Doerschuk

© 2008 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Scheduled for 11 AM on Thursday, March 6, the CRS "Woman to Woman" panel packs an imposing lineup of participants. Chaired by Kelly Ford, co-host of “Kelly, Mudflap & JoJo” on KYGO/Denver, the discussion will include ASCAP Senior VP Connie Bradley; Laurie DeYoung, host of the CMA Broadcast Awards-winning “The Laurie DeYoung Morning Show” on WPOC/Baltimore; Mary Quass, President and CEO of NRG Media LLC; Meg Stevens, PD at WPOC/Baltimore and WMZQ/Washington, D.C.; Julie Talbott, Executive VP for Affiliate Marketing at Premiere Radio Networks; and CMA CEO Tammy Genovese.

In the words of the CRB’s panel description, “Woman to Woman” is intended to “give attendees a chance to network with those who have made it to the top of the class,” who in this case happen to be among the most influential women in the music industry.

For Ford, a three-time winner of the CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year Award for Major Markets, it’s important to acknowledge the differences that women can bring to executive and on-air positions. “Now, I have my Type A side too,” she said, laughing. “But we are different. And different can be good. We tend to look for solutions instead of conflict. Look at Tammy: She epitomizes everything that’s real and authentic about bringing people together. I’m proud, as a woman, of what she has accomplished.”

Where does this leave the men as far as “Woman to Woman” is concerned? “Well, it’s like women who read Men’s Health and men who read Cosmo,” Ford answered. “The smart ones will be at that panel.”

For tickets, call CRB at (615) 327-4487 or register at www.crb.org.

Taylor Swift is Not ‘Just a Girl’ Anymore
By Holly Gleason

© 2008 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.


It’s hard to believe a year and a half ago I sat in a building that’d be my label, where the walls weren’t even painted, and we were stuffing envelopes with what would be my first single,” said Taylor Swift with the “aw shucks, hey world” enthusiasm that defines her suddenly high-profile personality. “We were just hoping people would listen to a song called ‘Tim McGraw.’”

They’ve done more than listen. With more than 40 million MySpace streams as of Feb. 16, three singles slammed into the Top 6 like home runs into bleachers (“Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops on My Guitar” and the six-week, chart-topping “Our Song”) and a self-titled album that spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, audiences and listeners are diving headfirst into the current unleashed by Swift, the first female solo artist in Country Music history to write or co-write every song on a double-Platinum-selling debut album and the youngest person to write and sing a No. 1 Country single (“Our Song”) wholly on her own. In January, she reached new sales milestones with the digital Platinum certification of “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and digital Gold of “Our Song.” Swift joins an elite group of superstars with her digital Platinum status, as the only other Country artist to achieve this level of certification are the Dixie Chicks, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood.

“I realize I am a business,” conceded the 5-foot-11-inch blonde who gushed “This is definitely the highlight of my senior year!” upon winning the Horizon Award at the 2007 CMA Awards. “I’m lucky to have that. It changes the way you look at things. But I know I’m not 25. I’ll have a whole year to be 25 when I am. So as much as I love to talk about business, I’m still 17.”

But Swift’s years, risen to 18 since the Awards broadcast, overflow with a lifetime’s worth of adventure. One has to study Hannah Montana to see anything even remotely like what she has experienced: Swift was just 11 when, having dragged herself to writer nights and karaoke contests back home in Wyomissing, Pa., she followed the stars in her eyes to Nashville. At 13 she secured a development deal with the RCA Label Group and, at 14, became the youngest writer in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing stable.

CMA 50th Anniversary: The First 10 Years
By Deborah Evans Price

© 2008 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.

Like most grand adventures, it began with a small group of visionaries, unafraid of hard work and totally willing to devote their time and resources to a common goal. The year was 1958, and that goal was the advancement of Country Music. Thus the Country Music Association was born.

“Country Music was in trouble,” recalled former CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador. “Rock ’n’ roll was taking over the airwaves, and so the radio stations were dropping Country Music and changing the format.”

To address these developments, a group of professionals met in Miami to launch an organization that would promote Country Music. At this meeting, hosted by the Country Music Disc Jockey Association, attendees included CMDJA President Connie B. Gay, Grand Ole Opry manager Dee Kilpatrick, talent agent and booker Hubert Long, publisher/producer Wesley Rose, the Wilburn Brothers and other key players in the Country Music community.

The late Ken Nelson, a legendary producer who headed Capitol Records’ Country division for many years, recounted this meeting in his book, My First 90 Years Plus 3. In discussing the travails suffered by the CMDJA at the time, he wrote, the conference members “concluded that the problem was the CMDJA was only one segment of the industry and that in order to be successful the organization must encompass all segments of the industry – radio and television, music publishers, record companies, artists, managers, bookers and trade papers. It was decided to form a Country Music Association with headquarters in Nashville.”

Barack Obama Goes Country?

Barack Obama, right, sings "Boogie Back to Texas" with Austin musicians during his fundraiser at the Austin Music Hall on Thursday night. Left to right: bass player David Miller, Ray Benson, Elizabeth McQueen, Joe Ely, and Jason Roberts on fiddle.

Guess the only way to top a saxophone-wailing first-husband is singing lead! The $250 a head benefit brought nearly 1,200 supporters to the Austin Music Hall to hear not just this one-in-a-lifetime musical event, but also a challenge from Obama:

“We’ve got a lot of work to do because even after we win the primary, even after we win the general election, it is not going to be easy to bring about change,”

GRAND OLE OPRY INDUCTS CHARLIE DANIELS AS NEWEST MEMBER

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - (January 21, 2008) - Legendary country superstar Charlie Daniels was inducted into the world-famous Grand Ole Opry by Opry members Marty Stuart and Connie Smith.

Stuart welcomed Daniels into Opry membership, before a sold-out crowd, by saying, "The Opry is American and its reach is universal. A steady force in the midst of passing trends. The Opry is family. God Bless Charlie Daniels."

Daniels responded, "My Bible tells me God gives us the desires of our hearts and tonight the promise has come true." He then invited Stuart, Smith, Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins to join him on stage to perform "Will The Circle Be Unbroken."

During the induction which aired live on "Opry Live" on GAC: Great American Country, Daniels was also presented the Opry Member Award, a 14-inch bronze and oak wood replica of the Opry's vintage microphone stand designed by renowned sculptor Bill Rains.

Garth Brooks : From Kansas City to your living room!

The final night of Garth's sold-out run in Kansas City was beamed to movie theatres around the world, and now it's heading to your living room! Several fans in attendance in KC have reported that Garth made the announcement during the non-broadcast part of his show, and AngryCountry has since confirmed this through local media and radio who were in attendance. The concert is said to be airing on the Great American Country (GAC) television network on November, 23 at 8PM Eastern time. A GAC spokesperson could not confirm the details, but a recent press release promised a future "Huge Announcement" and we can only assume that this is it! A check of the TV Guide listings for that night also shows a change to "To Be Announced" during that time-slot, further hinting at the accuracy of the reports.

GAC is the preferred country music television station of country fans around the country who prefer their mostly music programming over CMT's scripted shows and movie re-runs.

Great American Country is the leader in country music entertainment. GAC delivers to viewers the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. GAC broadcasts original country music programming, country music performance specials, live concerts, music videos, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in more than 50 million households and online at http://www.GACTV.com.

Country Music Hall of Fame Welcomes Ralph Emery, Vince Gill and Mel Tillis
By BOB DOERSCHUK

As night falls in Nashville, the skyline as seen from the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum transforms slowly, its silhouette flecked by lights in the deepening dark.

So it was on Oct. 8, as the Museum welcomed guests to the annual Medallion Ceremony to witness the inductions of Ralph Emery, Vince Gill and Mel Tillis into the Hall of Fame.

Founded by CMA in 1961, the Hall honors the individuals whose contributions to Country Music have been judged most significant by their peers. All inductees are chosen by CMA’s Hall of Fame Panel of Electors, consisting of more than 300 anonymous voters appointed by the CMA Board of Directors. Hall of Fame members were easy to spot among those who gathered in the vast, glass-roofed Curb Conservatory. Whether in formal or Western attire, each wore a black ribbon from which a handsome brass medallion hung.

There were 98 in this august group as the day dawned; by evening’s end, there would be 101.

A festive feeling took hold as the crowd filed into the Museum’s Ford Theater. Harold Bradley, Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, Jim Foglesong, Sonny James, the Jordanaires’ Louis Nunley, Gordon Stoker, Ray Walker and Curtis Young, Charlie Louvin and former CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador were among the previous inductees whose presence makes this annual event, in the words of Hall of Fame member E. W. “Bud” Wendell, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees, a “reunion.”

FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA HOLDS OPEN CASTING AUDITION IN NASHVILLE FOR FIRST SEASON OF “CAN YOU DUET?” ON CMT

BURBANK – November 15, 2007 – In their quest to discover the next Johnny Cash and June Carter, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Big & Rich or The Judds, FremantleMedia North America, producers of “American Idol,” and CMT will hold an open call audition on January 12, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee, to find contestants for their new music competition show CAN YOU DUET? Performers can also audition via video-taped submission. Slated for Spring 2008, the weekly series is designed to find the best country music duet in America.
Unlike other talent competition shows, each contestant will compete as part of a duo. As a result, viewers will witness first-hand all the on and off-stage drama to be had in creating a dynamic musical duet. In addition to critiquing each performance and deciding who will advance to the next round, the Judges (to be announced) will also serve as mentors to guide, groom and develop the duets along the way.
For more information, such as audition applications, video submissions, eligibility requirements and location for the open audition in Nashville, please go to www.canyouduet.com or call (866) 800-6539. PLEASE NOTE: This competition is subject to applicable rules, which are subject to modification at any time in the producer’s discretion.
CAN YOU DUET? is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Jeff Boggs (“Nashville Star,” “Spy TV”) is executive producer. Bob Kusbit and Melanie Moreau serve as executive producers for CMT.

Bon Jovi Puts a Jersey Spin on Country
By Deborah Evans Price

© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.

Never etched in stone, the boundaries between genres of popular music seem more like lines in sand. Country artists are scoring airplay at AC stations, and veteran rockers are breaking into Country radio.

So it is with the New Jersey stadium rockers Bon Jovi. Buoyed by the chart-topping success of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” the duet he recorded with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, frontman/songwriter Jon Bon Jovi has led his group straight into the heart of Nashville on their new album, Lost Highway.

“It wasn’t a difficult leap,” admitted Jon Bon Jovi. “We had to just make sure we weren’t patronizing the true Country format. We realized what we were doing was making a Bon Jovi record influenced by Nashville.”

That influence permeates Lost Highway. Half of the album is produced by Grammy winner John Shanks, whose credits reflect his own creative crossover from sessions with Celine Dion, Melissa Etheridge and Alanis Morissette, to SHeDAISY and The Wreckers. The other half features the handiwork of Nashville’s Dann Huff, whose credits include Rascal Flatts’ quadruple-Platinum Me and My Gang and Carrie Underwood’s sextuple-Platinum Some Hearts.

As for the material, Music Row hit-crafters Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson all co-wrote with Bon Jovi, and Lindsey sang as well on one track, “Seat Next to You.” Other guests include LeAnn Rimes, who duets on the sultry “Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore,” which will also be on her forthcoming album Family, and Big & Rich, who join in on “We Got It Going On.”