Colt Ford hits Kix 106 in Memphis … The Harlem Globetrotters hit the Opry … Joe Nichols performs at a benefit concert in Knoxville.

Average Joes Entertainment's Colt Ford and Kix 106 Memphis' Music Director Kay Manley backstage at the Desoto Civic Center for the Rowdy Friends tour stop on Friday, October 15th.

Both the Harlem Globetrotters and the Grand Ole Opry are celebrating their 85th birthdays, so the Harlem Globetrotters joined Charlie Daniels for a surprise collaboration on October 19th. Harlem Globetrotter ballhandling wizard Scooter Christensen helps country legend Charlie Daniels spin a basketball on the tip of his fiddle bow during a performance of Daniels’ signature “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” onstage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.

Show Dog – Universal Music’s Jordan Pettit, WIVK’s Mike Hammond, and Joe Nichols after a benefit concert in Knoxville, TN for Horse Haven, a local charity that rescues abused & neglected horses.

Photo credit: Josh Rhinehart / Music Allies

Brad Paisley’s H2O World Tour stopped in Gulf Shores, AL last week, drawing over 35,000 fans for the free show that was part of “Concerts for the Coast” series to restore tourism to the region. Paisley’s outing continues through Nov. 20 with Justin Moore and Darius Rucker as special guests.

Gearing up for the winter leg of the tour, Paisley has renamed the run the H2O Frozen Over Tour. It kicks off in the frozen tundra of Green Bay, WI on January 20. Rucker will continue as special guest and Jerrod Niemann will join the outing. The show stops February 26 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

The H2O Tour began at the end of May and in less than five months has played to over 750,000 fans, including 70,000 at AquaPalooza, and 51,000 at Gillette Stadium.

Paisley at the Gulf Coast benefit. Photo: Josh Rhinehart / Music Allies

(L-R) Blake Shelton, Mark Niederhauser (WMN), Rob Beckham (William Morris Endeavor), Peter Strickland (WMN). Backstage at the famous Ogden Theatre

Blake Shelton’s first-ever headlining tour made the first stop at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colorado yesterday (10/13). The All About Tonight Tour will continue through October along the West Coast.

“To go out and know that the crowd is there for you – every night,” Shelton says, “that is one heck of a feeling. The best part, I get to see my fans in cities I haven’t performed in for a while.”

Already this year, Shelton has been nominated for four CMA Awards, received an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry, and made another career-first with the announcement of his Greatest Hits album, LOADED: The Best of Blake Shelton, available November 9.

Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a special tribute show at the Ryman Auditorium on Nov. 7. Named for its original owner Hattie Louise “Tootsie” Bess, the Broadway honky tonk with access across the alley from the Ryman, has a colorful history as a popular hangout where Opry performers could jam between shows and catch a beer or two.

The Ryman tribute will include performances by Randy Houser, Terri Clark, Mel Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, The Grascals, Ronnie McDowell and newcomer Joanna Smith, with a special presentation by Grand Ole Opry legend, Little Jimmy Dickens. Tillis and Clark will co-host the evening with Kris Kristofferson, who is also scheduled to perform.

“Like Kris, all these artists have a history with Tootsie’s,” commented Steve Smith, Toosie’s current owner. “Spanning the decades, each has stories and special memories to share,” Smith added, “and their music is a part of Tootsie’s history. It’s going to be a memorable night.” For more information and tickets contact ticketmaster or www.tootsies.net.

Brad Paisley, known for pulling pranks on his opening acts, throws biscuits at Easton Corbin onstage.

Brad Paisley is busy selling out shows on his H2O World Tour, and soon fans will be able to take home a piece of the action. Paisley is the latest artist planning a fourth quarter release of a greatest hits packages, which will include tracks from the studio, as well as live songs from his tour. The two-disc set, Hits Alive, is due from Arista Nashville on Nov. 2.

Paisley’s successful H2O World Tour presented by Chevy just wrapped a Canadian run of four sold-out shows and topped it off in Grand Forks, ND over the weekend with another sold-out night. The popular “Water World Stage” with Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia and Josh Thompson finished its run on the tour a couple of weeks ago, but not before each act was pranked by Paisley and crew. Take a look at the video below.

Darius Rucker and Justin Moore will continue with the tour as special guests. Dates are scheduled through Nov. 20, including this weekend’s Concert For The Coast in Gulf Shores, Ala. to bring economic relief to the region. Chevy is title sponsor for the tour with Skinny Water continuing as support sponsor.