American Idol hopeful Scotty McCreery got the surprise of a lifetime when he performed in his hometown of Garner, NC on Saturday (5/14).
As he was starting into Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” which has become one of his signature songs from the season, Turner himself appeared onstage and shocked the young singer. The two performed Turner’s “Your Man” and “Long Black Train” together.
“I think he was surprised,” laughs Turner. “He didn’t see me until we were almost face-to-face. I think I almost gave him a heart attack.”
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In other Idol news, recently ousted James Durbin returned to his hometown of Santa Cruz, CA for a special celebration that included a procession with the Santa Cruz High School marching band and a performance with his friends The White Album Ensemble. Traditionally only the final three Idol contestants get to make the trips home, but the show reportedly made an exception in Durbin’s case.
 

The lead track from Lady Antebellum’s upcoming new album has just gone into the record books.
“Just A Kiss” debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the highest debut by a country group in the chart’s 52-year history. The single also sold over 211,000 downloads in its first week earning it the top position on the iTunes country singles chart.
Driving the excitement was the song’s unprecedented radio acceptance making the track the trio’s highest charting radio single debut to date and fastest gainer, earning Top 20 status in only two weeks.
Lady A’s appearance on American Idol set in motion a wave of fan discussion along social networks reflected in all the above sales and airplay statistics. And it has been announced recently that they will appear on the 2011 Billboard Music Awards which air live from Las Vegas on May 22.
The new album, scheduled for release later this year, follow’s Lady A’s Need You Now, which has sold over 5 million units worldwide.
 

Laura Heatherly, Executive Director of the T.J. Martell Foundation Southern Region, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the nationwide organization. Heatherly, who has been with the Martell Foundation for over seven years, has a background that includes twenty-five years of experience in non-profit fundraising.
“We are very fortunate to have someone from within our ranks who is qualified for this position,” explained Founder and Chairman Tony Martell. “Laura has done a phenomenal job for us in Nashville and other parts of the south. I am sure she will do an equally fine job on a national level. Laura will take the place of Peter Quinn, who will be retiring early next year. Peter did an outstanding job as CEO of the Foundation, and we’re going to miss him.”
Prior to the non-profit sector, Heatherly followed a sports marketing path with companies such as Texas Rangers Baseball, the Harlem Globetrotters and the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. “I am honored to have this wonderful opportunity with such a fine organization that focuses on the mission of funding innovative research for leukemia, cancer and AIDS,” said Heatherly. “My immediate focus is to cultivate new relationships with corporate America and create new out-of-the-box ideas that will combine the music, medical and business communities with our fundraising initiatives.”
The T. J. Martell Foundation is the music industry’s largest foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding cures for leukemia, cancer and AIDS. The Foundation funds eleven top research hospitals in the United States and has raised more than $250 million since its inception in 1975.
The Foundation currently has offices in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, and raises funds through special events, private and corporate contributions. Laura Heatherly can be reached at (615) 256-2002 or email Lheatherly@tjmartellfoundation.org.
www.tjmartellfoundation.org