Friday Cluster: Artists and Benefits

>>Ronnie Dunn was in Dallas this week, where he previewed music from his upcoming debut solo album, which includes first single, “Bleed Red.”

>>Joe Nichols is in New York to support the Boot Campaign, an initiative featuring celebrities wearing combat boots to show support for troops and help raise funds for partner charities. Nichols’ media schedule includes these dates: The Country Network’s Nashville Nights on Wednesday, February 16 & 23; online during FoxNews.com Live and ABC.com What’s The Buzz on February 17 Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom, Fox Business, and All Night w/ Joey Reynolds on Friday, February 18; syndicated show BETTER on February 24, and featured on Fox affiliates and various SiriusXM channels throughout the week of February 21. Nichols is among the many celebrities, politicians and sports figures that have slipped their feet into a pair of combat boots for the campaign. To see these celebrity photos and more visit www.bootcampaign.com
>>To mark his 25th career anniversary, Randy Travis has begun posting previously unreleased videos, photos, media clips and more from specific time periods during his career on his website. Currently, material from 1986-1990 is available on the site. More years, including 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005 and 2006-2010 are also planned to be unlocked in the future. www.RandyTravis.com
>>Five time Grammy Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners The Blind Boys of Alabama will release a traditional country-gospel album for the first time in their 70-year career on May 3 on Saguaro Road Records. Artist Jamey Johnson, co-produced the album and performs on it along with Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Lee Ann Womack, and The Oak Ridge Boys, backed by an A-list of top Nashville studio musicians. Recorded live in just a few days at Ben Folds’ Javelina Studio, the album includes songs such as Hank Jr.’s energetic re-working of his father’s “I Saw the Light,” and some more recent tunes like Danny Flower’s “I Was a Burden.”
>>Music entertainment television program Honky Tonk TV has teamed with CountryMusicIsLove to host an eBay auction in conjunction with the 2nd Annual CountryMusicIsLove Concert to be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 (sponsored in part by HT-TV). Bidders can vie for a personal luncheon at Nashville’s Hard Rock Café with the artist Ty Brown and tickets to the concert. The auction is currently underway on eBay (http://bit.ly/iejh0B) and closes on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 @ 10:50AM CST. The event will help raise funds for City Of Hope, a research center dedicated to finding cures for life-threatening illnesses. The concert will feature performances from Ty Brown, Chris Cavanaugh, Troy Olsen, Brett Eldredge, Thompson Square, Chuck Wicks and Josh Thompson. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.countrymusicislove.com. Brown appeared on season 6 of ABC’s The Bachelorette, when he made it into Ali Fedotowsky’s “Top Five.” For more information visit www.tybrownmusic.com.