Artist Action: Dolly Plans Album, Tour

Dolly Parton caught up with former collaborator Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) while in London as part of a European press tour in support of her forthcoming Better Day album. Featuring 12 original songs, the album will be released on Dolly Records this summer. She will debut the first single “Together You & I” with a live performance May 26 on Ellen and will launch a worldwide tour in July.

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Jake Owen’s new single “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” scored over 20,000 first-week downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan. It is the lead single from his forthcoming third album, due in stores late summer, with tracks produced by Joey Moi (Nickelback), Rodney Clawson and Tony Brown.
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Matraca Berg has signed with Keith Case & Associates for booking representation. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee will release her new album May 17. The Dreaming Fields is her first album in 14 years. For booking info call 615-327-4646.
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Alan Jackson performed at the “Coming Home Concert” in Rogersville, TN recently. The sold-out event was organized by veteran country radio and TV personality Charlie Chase – a Rogersville native – to benefit the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life of Hawkins County.”
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Margaret Durante premiered the video for her new single, “Maybe Tonight,” on Tuesday (4/19) exclusively through AOL’s The Boot.   The video, directed by Kristin Barlowe for Taillight TV, was shot in downtown Nashville. The song was co-written by Durante along with Rachel Proctor and Blair Daly and is on the singer’s new four-song digital EP for Emrose/Stroudavarious Records.

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Kenny Rogers is working on his autobiography, tentatively scheduled for a fall 2011 release by HarperCollins. Rogers is also gearing up for his first tour of South America – a five-date run in May that includes stops in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Punta del Este, Uruguay; Santiago, Chile; and Bogotá, Columbia.