Underwood To Sing At Superbowl

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carrieThe NFL and CBS have announced that ACM Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood will perform the National Anthem as part of Super Bowl XLIV pregame festivities at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, February 7. The performance will be televised live on CBS Sports prior to kickoff. More than 151 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s Super Bowl, the most-watched television program in history. The pregame show and Super Bowl XLIV will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.

Underwood  joins a stellar list of performers who have sung the National Anthem at the Super Bowl including: Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Faith Hill, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and many more. Underwood will be hitting the road in March for her headlining “Play On Tour.”

Jill Napier Joins Big Loud Bucks

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Jill Napier

Jill Napier

Big Loud Bucks Administration and Information has announced the addition of Jill Napier as Executive VP of Administration. Napier comes to Big Loud Bucks from Ten Ten Music, where she spent the last 8 years and served as VP of Business Affairs.

“Jill is one of the most respected and experienced company officers and administrators in Nashville,” says Big Loud Bucks owner Craig Wiseman. “We are so excited about bringing Jill on board as a part of our restructuring and upgrading to better serve our award winning clients.”

ole Adds Kele Currier 

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keleMusic publisher ole has announced the appointment of Kele Currier to the position of Director of Administration. Working closely with ole’s Toronto team on all administration matters, Currier will manage the company’s Nashville-based catalogs, serve as the administration client representative for ole’s roster of country music writers, and actively seek out new administration clients among the self-published Nashville songwriter community.

“Kele’s wealth of contacts and administration experience gives ole an even deeper connection to the Nashville music community and is further evidence of ole’s commitment to super serve country music songwriters,” says ole President Michael McCarty. “This move also provides us with an expert administration presence in the US market.”

Currier’s resume includes her most recent position as Executive Vice President of Administration for Big Loud Bucks, as well as roles with Integrated Copyright Group, Opryland Music, Maypop Music and SESAC.

Cadillac Sky Partners With Dualtone

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sky2With their third album, Letters In The Deep, ready for release, genre-blending bluegrass band Cadillac Sky has formed a unique partnership with Dualtone Music for the release of their new music. After considering traditional offers from a handful of labels, the band will release their new album “independently” in early summer through Dualtone.

“After weighing all the opportunities for releasing this phenomenal new CD, remaining independent is without question the best option,” said band manager Evert Wilbrink. “With Dualtone, we will optimize our national and international momentum while still owning and controlling our music.”

Dualtone President Scott Robinson is excited about working with musicians who are known Dualtonefor their fresh approach to both their musical and business lives. “I really believe Cadillac Sky has the potential to be one of the big breakout artists of 2010. The direction they took with this new album puts them in a unique position to cross many genre boundaries that still exist out there and we’re pleased to be partnering up with these guys.”

Key West Songwriters Festival Ready To Roll

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keys2Final preparations are underway for this year’s Key West Songwriters Festival, scheduled for Wednesday, April 28 – Sunday, May 2. Presented by Better Angels Music and benefiting the Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation, the  annual festival, now in its 15th year, will feature more than 100 top-tier songwriters.

Full band concerts will bookend the 2010 festival, with Universal South artist Randy Houser kicking things off with a free concert at the Ocean Key Pier on Wednesday, April 28, from 6-8 p.m. The Raul Malo Band will perform at the Ocean Key Pier Saturday, May 1.

Other scheduled performers include Robert Earl Keen, Kim Carnes, Jamey Johnson, Dean Dillon, Hugh Prestwood, Scotty Emerick, Shawn Mullins, Dallas Davidson, Chuck Cannon, Chuck Jones, Marty Dodson, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Kylie Sackley, Jon Mabe, Chas Sandford, Dave Pahanish, Sherrie Austin, Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird, Bonnie Bishop, Jaida Dreyer, Sunny Sweeney, Kelly Archer, Tim James, Ashley Ray, Heather Morgan, Emily Shackelton, Will Bowen, Casey Musgraves, Bobby Tomberlin, Molly Reed, Dan Adams, Joel Shewmake, Todd Wilkes, Josh Thompson, David Adam Byrnes and many more. Click here for more information.

Toby Keith Offers Semitrailers For Haiti

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tobyToby Keith has joined two nonprofit organizations, Can-Do and Livin’ the Music, to donate seven semitrailers at a Nashville drop site to benefit Project Haiti. The trailers are located at Stage Call at 1420 Cowan Court and will be open seven days a week through Feb. 2. On that day, supplies will be shipped directly to the Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti.

Nashville residents are encouraged to donate medical supplies, nonperishable food and water purification products, as well as first aid kits, soap, workgloves, tarps, hydration containers, bandages, alcohol wipes, baby formula and headlamps.

Country Blog Plans City Of Hope Benefit

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country-loveCountry music blog, CountryMusicIsLove has announced the inaugural CountryMusicIsLove Concert benefiting City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. The intimate, acoustic show featuring Johnny Bulford , Carter Twins, Whitney Duncan, Adam Gregory, Mallary Hope, Jason Jones, Jesse Lee, Caitlin Lynn, Gwen Sebastian, and Matt Stillwell will be held at The Rutledge in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00 PM. Jon Anthony from Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Radio will emcee the event. Tickets are $15 and 100% of the proceeds will benefit City of Hope. Click here for tickets and more information.

Lady A Album Sales Soaring

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lady a newHitsDailyDouble.com is reporting that, based on impressive initial sales figures, Lady Antebellum’s new release, Need You Now, is set to debut at No. 1 on their next album sales chart, with projected possible first-week sales of 375,000-400,000 copies.

The band, up for two awards at this Sunday’s Grammy telecast, made it onto Hits’ mainstream sales chart last year with their self-titled debut album, the first country act to do so since the Dixie Chicks in 2007.

Flatts, Strait, Reba, Wynonna And A Cheese Promo

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LNTKraftyLove And Theft And One Cheesy Kraft Promotion
America’s favorite cheese, Kraft Singles, is partnering with Disney ABC and Lyric Street artists Love And Theft to discover America’s “Single Best Town,” inviting people across the country to share the single best thing about their hometown. Kraft Singles is searching for the “one-of-a-kind features that make America’s towns special and uniquely American.” This spring, the winning town will enjoy a block party featuring Love And Theft, who will perform live and share the stage with ABC Soap Stars. From January 25 through February 28, fans can enter the “Single Best Town” contest at www.familyfun.com/best-town-contest by submitting a photo and short description of what they consider the single best thing about their town. Ten finalists will be selected and America’s vote will determine the “Single Best Town” in America.

“When we’re out on tour we get to see the best of America in every town we visit, so we’re really looking forward to jamming with the “Single Best Town” in America,” says Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles.

Rascal Flatts To Honor Songwriters
Country supergroup Rascal Flatts will celebrate their decade of hits honoring the more than 75 songwriters who have contributed their creative talent to the band’s six studio albums. A ceremony will be held at the Musician’s Hall of Fame in Nashville next week to recognize the contributions of the songwriters who have contributed to Rascal Flatts’ hits. Among those to be honored include the 17 writers of Rascal Flatts 11 No. 1 singles, including Blair Daly, Marcus Hummon, Wendell Mobley, Jeffrey Steele, and Neil Thrasher.

George Strait and Reba Take Tulsa
Tickets to the upcoming George Strait/Reba concert at Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma Center sold out in less than an hour on Saturday. The February 20 concert, which will also feature Lee Ann Womack, represents the first time in the history of the Bank of Oklahoma (BOK) Center that over 18,000 tickets have been sold for one event.

“The demand for this show is phenomenal,” says John Bolton, General Manager of the BOK Center. “It has been as high as all the shows we’ve had in the past and it’s the most number of tickets sold since the venue opened.”

Wynonna And Wyclef To CBS Early Show
As part of CBS News’ coverage of Super Bowl activities, Wynonna will share the stage with Wyclef Jean at Lummus Park in Miami’s South Beach for a special edition of The Early Show, Saturday Edition. The live broadcast from The Early Show’s Super Bowl stage will be hosted by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, with weather anchor Lonnie Quinn, and will feature a “special announcement” from Wynonna.

ACM Continues Fan-Voted New Artist Noms

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acm_logoThe Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Great American Country (GAC) announced today that for the second year, the three newcomer categories for the Academy of Country Music Awards — Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group — will be determined through interactive fan voting at VoteACM.com. As previously announced, the Top New Solo Vocalist category will take the place of the Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist categories.

Fan voting for the three categories will begin at VoteACM.com on Friday, February 26, and will close on Friday, March 12. The winner in each category will be announced in mid-March and will move on to compete for Top New Artist. Voting for the Top New Artist category will begin at VoteACM.com on Thursday, April 1, and will close on April 18, with the winner being announced live during the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast on the CBS Television Network.

As part of this partnership, GAC will air several stand-alone specials, including a show featuring all the nominees from each of the three categories, as well as a show featuring the three winners who will compete for overall Top New Artist.

Following is the list of this year’s final nominees in the Top New categories:

Top New Solo Vocalist
Luke Bryan, Jamey Johnson, Chris Young

Top New Vocal Duo
Bomshel, Joey + Rory, Steel Magnolia

Top New Vocal Group
Eli Young Band, Gloriana, The Lost Trailers

Professional members of the Academy of Country Music select the final nominees in the Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Group categories. Professional member votes will be combined with fan votes to obtain the winners of the Top New categories of the ACM Awards. The complete list of nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in February.