Underwood To Join Opry

03/17/2008

Carrie Underwood was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry during Saturday night’s sold-out show. After she performed “I Told You So,” a cut from her latest album that was originally written and recorded by Opry member Randy Travis, he surprised her on stage with the invitation. Underwood made her Grand Ole Opry debut on June 10, 2005, just two weeks after winning American Idol. Watch Underwood’s invitation at opry.com and on this week’s Opry Live on GAC.

Pictured (L-R): Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood.

Artist News Friday (5/16/08)

Michelle Ross – 05/16/2008

Artist Skyla Spencer is one of the line-dancers in Alan Jackson's new "Good Times" music video. Dancers from local agencies and Jackson's Fan Club participated.

Trace Adkins performed live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to preview the 43rd Annual ACM Awards this morning on the CBS Early Show. He is also set for appearances on The Week in Baseball (FOX Sports, 5/17, 2pm CT), Geraldo At Large (FOX News, 5/17, 7pm CT) and the ACM Awards Show (CBS, 5/18, 7pm CT).

GAC's Master Series has signed up to be the official media sponsor for Ronnie Milsap's 2008 #1 Hits Tour, set to kick off June 20 in Wendover, NV and run through Dec. 11. GAC will give on-air mentions and promotions for the tour and provide streaming interview and features from the tour on its Web site. The show Master Series with Bill Cody will also mention the outing and shoot in studio or on location from the tour.

The GAC Music Fest Kickoff Breakfast at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will start the CMA Music Festival. Performers include Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen, Rissi Palmer, and The Road Hammers. Tickets are $30 and include breakfast, performances and admission into the museum. Tickets are on sale at CountryMusicHallofFame.com.

The Gospel Music Channel will air the late Dottie Rambo’s final interview on May 17 and 19. The interview is in the newest episode of GMC's biography series, Faith & Fame. The original version of the episode has been re-edited as a tribute, premiering May 17 at 1 PM CT.

The R.O.P.E. 2008 Spectacular, featuring appearances by Crystal Gayle, Stonewall Jackson, Jim Glaser and many others is set for June 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Nashville Nightlife (2620 Music Valley Drive). Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children.

The Nashville Palace will host Breakfast with the Stars as a tribute to the late Billy & Bettie Walker on June 4 from 7-11 AM. Tickets are $25 per person and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Opry Trust Fund. Artists scheduled to appear include American Idol alum Bo Bice, Stella Parton, Trent Tomlinson, Mel McDaniel, Barbara Fairchild, Ray Pillow, Jason Meadows, and many others.

"Long Gone Loner" the latest single from Slovakian country band Peter Dula & The Rowers features guest Joe Diffie.

CMT.com Sets Records, Celebrates Bluegrass

Sarah Skates – 05/15/2008

CMT.com hit a high note in April, recording its best month ever, according to data from comScore. Thanks in large part to the 2008 CMT Music Awards, traffic on the Web site grew +68% over April 2007 with more than 4.3 million unique visitors. Among the awards nominees who attracted the most visitors were Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. MTV Networks’ Music Group saw a first quarter surge of unique visitors to its CMT.com, VH1.com and MTV.com music brands, and remains the third most-trafficked collection of music sites on the Web, according to comScore.

CMT is honoring bluegrass month by airing blocks of bluegrass videos, and adding a new blog to bluegrass.cmt.com with posts by artists Rhonda Vincent, Dan Tyminski, The Grascals and more. Also launching on CMT.com this week are bluegrass editions of the online video series Wide Open Country, Stacked, and Unplugged at Studio 330. Performances and interviews available on-demand feature the Steeldrivers, Cadillac Sky (featuring Sonya Issacs), Sam Bush, Chris Thile, Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury Band, Cherryholmes, Nickel Creek, Mountain Heart, John Cowan, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Old Crow Medicine Show and more.

Vassar, Messina To Open CMA Fest Riverfront

Sarah Skates – 05/15/2008

Phil Vassar and Jo Dee Messina will kick off 2008 CMA Music Festival on the Greased Lightning® Daytime Stages Thurs., June 5 at 10 AM. Others performing at the Riverfront June 5-8 include Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson, Jeff Bates, American Idol: Season Four runner up Bo Bice, Lane Brody, Jason Michael Carroll, Erika Jo, Billy Gilman, Josh Gracin, Andy Griggs, Con Hunley, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Mindy McCready, Joe Nichols, and Eddy Raven.

Newcomers Dean Brody, Zac Brown, Stephen Cochran, Star De Azlan, Flynnville Train, Jeff Griffith (performing with the legendary Joe Stampley), Greg Hanna, Rick Huckaby, James LeBlanc, Jeremy McComb and Jason Meadows will also perform. Single-day tickets for the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages will be sold the day of each show at the gate for $16 each. Children 6 and younger are admitted free of charge.

Shania, Mutt Separating

Sarah Skates – 05/15/2008

Shania Twain and husband, music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, are separating after 14 years of marriage. Twain’s publicist, UMG Sr. VP Jason Owen, made today’s announcement, adding, “This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time.”

Artist News Thursday (5/15/08)

Taylor Swift will perform on the CBS Early Show Saturday morning, May 17, live from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, the site of the upcoming ACM Awards. The following night she is set...

Sierra Hull Releases New Album

05/14/2008

Sixteen-year-old Sierra Hull and band played a sampling of her new Rounder Records CD at an ASCAP's Roots Of The Row party in Nashville recently. Hull, who credits Alison Krauss as her mentor remarked that the release of her long anticipated debut project felt like “graduation from high school into the music business.”

Pictured (L-R): IBMA Exec. Dir. Dan Hays, ASCAP’s Earle Simmons, Rounder Records founder Ken Irwin, Hull and ASCAP VP Dan Keen. Photo: Suzanne Lee

Kellie Covers The Scene

David M. Ross – 05/14/2008

Lying on a sea of green and holding a fistful of Benjamins, Kellie Pickler creates a scene on this week’s wraparound Nashville Scene cover. The story, entitled Stimulate Your Summer, offers suggestions on how to spend your soon-to-arrive government tax rebate check.

One Flew South Visits Music Row

05/14/2008

One Flew South landed at the Music Row offices yesterday (5/14) to perform for the staff. The band’s single "My Kind of Beautiful" is out now and the debut album will be released May 27 on Decca Records.

Pictured (L-R): OFS’s Chris Roberts, MR News Editor Sarah Skates, RowFax Mgr. Michelle Ross, OFS’s Royal Reed and Eddie Bush, MR Chart Dir. Jon Freeman and MR Publisher David Ross.

Arrangements for Dottie Rambo

Sarah Skates – 05/13/2008

A public memorial celebration for gospel singer Dottie Rambo will be held Mon., May 19, at 1 PM at Christ Church (15354 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, TN 37211). The public is also welcome to visitation on Sat., May 17, 4-8 PM and Sun., May 18 from 2-4 PM at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home (660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37204).

A private service will precede the memorial celebration and private entombment will follow.

Donations may be made to the Dottie Rambo Memorial Fund, P. O. Box 50508, Nashville, TN 37205.

Artist News Tuesday (5/13/08)

Dwight Yoakam will make his 24th appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno May 15. Yoakam will kick off the show's seventh season of outdoor concerts with the Mercedes-Benz Summer Concert Series. He...