Kellie Pickler will continue her support in the fight against breast cancer by flipping the switch on The Grand Ole Opry barn backdrop for the fourth annual “Opry Goes Pink” event Tues., Oct. 30 supporting Women Rock For The Cure.

The special show will also feature performances by Jana Kramer, The Farm, and others as well as activities recognizing breast cancer survivors and the continuing fight against the disease.

Beginning today (9/19), $5 from each ticket will be donated to Women Rock For The Cure. Purchase tickets here.

Pickler is currently showing solidarity with a childhood friend facing cancer by shaving her own head, as revealed on a recent episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (video below).

Dustin Lynch will share some of his experiences from higher education as well as perform music from his debut album at a reception for “CMT Empowering Education,” this Wed., Sept 19 in Washington, D.C.

Held at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association building, Lynch’s appearance will follow a panel discussion and reception at 6 pm. CMT Empowering Education is a comprehensive educational campaign that provides an online resource aiming to provide education and resources to remove commonly perceived obstacles for further learning. Individualized action plans can be created on the organization’s website, here.

Artists offering support for the initiative include Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Lionel Richie.

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) hosted its annual World’s Largest No. 1 Party yesterday (9/17) at Regions Bank Music Row, co-sponsored by Frost Specialties, Inc. and The Recording Academy. The organization presented No. 1 plaques to Nashville’s hit songwriters and honored several notable individuals for their contributions to the music industry.

Ninety-seven songwriters were honored for their work on 46 songs across multiple genres (full list below). US Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante was also on hand for the presentations, along with NSAI President Lee Thomas Miller, Executive Director Bart Herbison, and Bluebird Cafe GM Erika Wollam-Nichols.

Heavy rain forced the event to move from its usual tented parking lot location to the Regions Bank lobby on the roundabout, which might have been facilitated by NSAI’s Stephen Foster Award recipient Lisa Harless, Sr. VP of Regions Bank’s Entertainment and Sports Division. Regions is also a top sponsor of NSAI’s annual Tin Pan South festival.

The Maggie Cavender Award, named for NSAI’s late first executive director, was presented to restauranteur Randy Rayburn, who owns Sunset Grill, Midtown Cafe and Cabana. Rayburn has been a longtime supporter of NSAI and helped the organization manage food and beverage operations of the Bluebird when it assumed ownership in 2008.

The President’s Award was presented to veteran music publisher Pat Higdon, owner of Patrick Joseph Music and former Universal Music Publishing executive. “Pat has been a mentor and friend to songwriters he has signed throughout the years and a source of wisdom and advice to all songwriters,” said Lee Thomas Miller. “He was an obvious choice to receive this honor.”

The Community Ambassador Award went to Doak Turner, editor of the Nashville Muse and host of “Third Sunday” gatherings for singers and songwriters. Prior to moving to Nashville, Turner was a coordinator of NSAI’s Charlotte, NC Chapter.

Also being honored were Douglas Corner Cafe owner Mervin Louque, who has operated his club for 25 years, and Hall of Fame songwriter Kenny O’Dell, the longest-serving board member in NSAI history, who recently stepped down.

No. 1 songs and songwriters honored: (artists listed in parentheses)
“A Woman Like You” – Phil Barton, Johnny Bulford, Jon Stone  (recorded by Lee Brice)
“All Your Life” – Brian Henningsen, Clara Henningsen  (recorded by The Band Perry)
“Alone With You” – Catt Gravitt, J.T. Harding, Shane McAnally  (recorded by Jake Owen)
“Am I The Only One” – Jim Beavers, Dierks Bentley, Jon Randall  (recorded by Dierks Bentley)
“Banjo” – Tony Martin, Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher  (recorded by Rascal Flatts)
“Barefoot Blue Jean Night” – Dylan Altman, Eric Paslay, Terry Sawchuk  (recorded by Jake Owen)
“Country Must Be Country Wide” – Mike Dekle, Colt Ford, Brantley Gilbert  (recorded by Brantley Gilbert)
“Crazy Girl” – Lee Brice, Liz Rose  (recorded by Eli Young Band)
“Dirt Road Anthem” – Colt Ford, Brantley Gilbert  (recorded by Jason Aldean)
“Drink In My Hand” – Eric Church, Michael P. Heeney, Luke Laird  (recorded by Eric Church)
“Drink On It” – Jessi Alexander, Rodney Clawson, Jon Randall  (recorded by Blake Shelton)
“Drunk On You” – Rodney Clawson, Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins  (recorded by Luke Bryan)
“Eyes Open” – Taylor Swift  (recorded by Taylor Swift)
“Fly Over States” – Michael Dulaney, Neil Thrasher  (recorded by Jason Aldean)
“God Gave Me You” – Dave Barnes  (recorded by Blake Shelton)
“Good Girl” – Chris Destefano, Ashley Gorley, Carrie Underwood  (recorded by Carrie Underwood)
“Here For A Good Time” – Dean Dillon, Bubba Strait, George Strait  (recorded by George Strait)
“Home” – Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson  (recorded by Dierks Bentley)
“I Don’t Want This Night To End” – Rhett Akins, Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip  (recorded by Luke Bryan)
“If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” – Dallas Davidson, Rob Hatch, Brett Jones  (recorded by Justin Moore)
“If I Die Young” – Kimberly Perry  (recorded by The Band Perry)
“If This Was A Movie” – Martin Johnson, Taylor Swift  (recorded by Taylor Swift)
“Just A Kiss” – Dallas Davidson, Dean Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott  (recorded by Lady Antebellum)
“Keep Me In Mind” – Zac Brown, Nic Cowan, Wyatt Durrette  (recorded by Zac Brown Band)
“Knee Deep” – Coy Bowles, Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Jeffrey Steele  (recorded by Zac Brown Band w/ Jimmy Buffett)
“Let It Rain” – David Nail, Jonathan Singleton  (recorded by David Nail)
“Long Hot Summer” – Richard Marx, Keith Urban  (recorded by Keith Urban)
“Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” – Al Anderson, Chris Stapleton  (recorded by George Strait)
“Made In America” – Toby Keith, Bobby Pinson, Scott Reeves  (recorded by Toby Keith)
“Mr. Know It All” – Ester Dean, Brett James, Dante Jones, Brian Seals  (recorded by Kelly Clarkson)
“Ours” – Taylor Swift  (recorded by Taylor Swift)
“Over You” – Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton  (recorded by Miranda Lambert)
“Reality” – Kenny Chesney, Brett James  (recorded by Kenny Chesney)
“Red Solo Cup” – Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers, Brad Warren, Brett Warren  (recorded by Toby Keith)
“Remind Me” – Chris DuBois, Kelley Lovelace, Brad Paisley  (recorded by Brad Paisley w/ Carrie Underwood)
“Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” – Dan Couch, Kip Moore  (recorded by Kip Moore)
“Sparks Fly” – Taylor Swift  (recorded by Taylor Swift)
“Springsteen” – Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell  (recorded by Eric Church)
“Take A Back Road” – Rhett Akins, Luke Laird  (recorded by Rodney Atkins)
“Tattoos On This Town” – Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher  (recorded by Jason Aldean)
“Tomorrow” – Frank Myers, Anthony L. Smith, Chris Young  (recorded by Chris Young)
“Tonight, Tonight” – Evan “Kidd” Bogart, Ryan Follese, Emanuel Kiriakou, Nash Overstreet, Lindy Robbins  (recorded by Hot Chelle Rae)
“Wanted You More” – Matt Billingslea, Dennis Edwards, Jason Gambill, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Jonathan Long, Hillary Scott  (recorded by Lady Antebellum)
“We Owned The Night” – Dallas Davidson, Dean Haywood, Charles Kelley  (recorded by Lady Antebellum)
“You” – Luke Laird, Chris Young  (recorded by Chris Young)
“You Gonna Fly” – Preston Brust, Chris Lucas, Jaren Johnston  (recorded by Keith Urban)

Carrie Underwood performs at the 2012 CMA Music Festival. Photo: CMA

Last night’s (9/17) CMA Music Festival television special was a showcase of country’s hottest talent. Unfortunately, the ratings were a little cooler than last year, but landed almost on par with the 2010 installment. Hosted by Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry, the 2012 show averaged 6.2 million viewers, sliding ABC into third place among the major networks, according to preliminary data from Zap2It.

The country extravaganza was stacked against mega hit The Voice, which led into the series premiere of the much-hyped drama Revolution. These programs secured the night for NBC with an average of 12.8 million viewers.

In the 8 PM/ET hour CMA Music Festival drew 6.6 million, dropped to 6.1 million at 9 PM, and then to 5.96 million at 10 PM.

TV ratings aren’t the only indicator of a successful broadcast, next week’s Soundscan report could reflect a post-show glow.

In 2011, the festival special aired Aug. 14, a month earlier and on a Sunday night. That drew an average audience of 7 million viewers. It came in second place most of the night, and moved into first place during the final hour.

In 2010 the show lunged into third place on Wed., Sept. 1 with about 6 million viewers.

The 2009 installment on Mon., Aug. 31 won the night with 7.8 million viewers, but ran against repeats across the board.