During the taping at the Loveless Barn.

Nashville stars teamed for a special performance at the Loveless Barn recently. The show celebrating the music of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House On The Prairie books featured Randy Travis, Rodney Atkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ashton Shepherd, The Roys, Natalie Grant and NBC’s The Sing-Off champions Committed. The event was taped for a PBS special titled Pa’s Fiddle: America’s Music with Randy Scruggs serving as musical director. An all-star string band was made up of Matt Combs, Dennis Crouch, Chad Cromwell, Hoot Hester and Shad Cobb.

Pa’s Fiddle: America’s Music will be broadcast during the 2012 June pledge-drive season on PBS stations throughout the nation. An accompanying CD featuring songs mentioned in the Little House books will be released at the same time. Pa’s Fiddle: American Fiddler includes “Buffalo Gals,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Polly Put the Kettle On,” “Life Let Us Cherish,” “All the Blue Bonnets,” and more. Scheduled for retail release June 5, it is available now at www.laura-ingalls-wilder.com, and features acoustic masters Bryan Sutton, Matt Flinner, Matt Combs, David Grier, Jeff Taylor, and Dennis Crouch.

The project is the brainchild of Dr. Dale Cockrell, director of MTSU’s Center for Popular Music. “I’ve been working on the Pa’s Fiddle project for about 12 years now,” he explains, “and sometimes it’s felt like we’ve been pushing that boulder up that hill every day. Now we’re finally at the top and get to share this music with everyone.”

To create the project Cockrell teamed with actor Dean Butler, who played Wilder’s husband Almanzo in the Little House TV series.

“It’s terribly exciting to see this all finally happening,” said Cockrell, who also is a professor emeritus of musicology at Vanderbilt University. “But as exciting as it’s been for me, it’s even more exciting to see these excellent musicians get so excited about playing this music. They don’t get the opportunity to do that very much, and to see them almost melting in the studio in the presence of this great music is a wonderful opportunity.”

MTSU students also taped a documentary on the inspiration, creation and execution of the special. The students’ documentary, Inside Pa’s Fiddle, will accompany the PBS special in a DVD package. The student crew from the Department of Electronic Media Communication was led by Professor Tom Neff, founder and former CEO of The Documentary Channel and an award-winning producer and director.

Paul McCartney will be honored as MusiCares' 2012 Person of the Year

The Grammy Foundation will host “One Night Only: A Celebration of the Live Music Experience” at the 14th Annual Grammy Foundation Music Preservation Project on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. The event takes place at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills and features historical footage from preservation archives as well as live performances from Robert Cray, Jonny Lang, Mavis Staples, Dave Koz, Ledisi, the Colburn Orchestra, A Fine Frenzy, Trombone Shorty, Tyrese and more artists to be announced. Television personality Sharon Osborne will host, and songwriter Darrell Brown will serve as the evening’s musical director. Tickets are $25.

On Feb. 10, the Recording Academy’s MusiCares arm will honor Paul McCartney as the 2012 Person of the Year at a sold-out tribute at the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall. McCartney will perform at the gala, as well as artists yet to be announced. Guests include Recording Academy President Neil Portnow, MusiCares Foundation Board Chair Scott Pascucci, and MusiCares Board Chair Emeritus Paul Caine. Tribute co-chairs are John Eastman, Bob Iger, Sir George Martin and Lorne Michaels. Proceeds from the event will benefit MusiCares’ emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery programs.

These events are part of a busy Grammy Week leading into the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The awards telecast will be shown live on CBS starting at 7 PM/CT.

Entertainer unions the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have reached a merger agreement reports the LA Times. AFTRA, which represents actors, broadcasters, disc jockeys, singers and dancers, maintains a Nashville office.

Leaders of the organizations have come to a deal following nine days holed up at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. The negotiation process began two years ago, according to the article.

The organizations’ boards are expected to endorse the merger which would then go to member vote. Approval would be needed by at least 60% of those vote.

Combining the outfits would give them more leverage in contract negotiations with members’ employers and end feuding between the two groups.

AFTRA has about 70,000 members, and SAG represents about 125,000 actors, with at least 40,000 who are members of both unions.

Apple is partnering with Target to open mini-shops within select stores of the retail giant. According to the big-box chain, 25 stores will be home to these Apple outlets. If the venture is successful, the number could grow.

Target has long sold Apple iOS devices which includes iPods and iPads, but hasn’t offered Apple’s line of computers. It’s a keen way to give consumers who may not have had access to learn about or test-drive Apple computers the chance to do so, especially in smaller markets that can’t support a stand-alone store.

Similarly, Best Buy has hosted mini Apple stores inside its chain since 2007. After debuting with a small number of host stores, the partnership has expanded to include Apple shops inside about 700 locations, according to AllThingsD.

The move is part of Target’s larger strategy to bring in exclusive product lines via partnerships, such as the clothing and housewares designers who already offer merchandise there. Additionally, The Shops at Target will be an online storefront for short-term offerings by smaller, independent specialty boutiques.