The National Council for the Traditional Arts, along with Mayor Karl Dean and Compass Records Group, announced today (3/10) that Nashville has been selected as the host city for the National Folk Festival in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The National Folk Festival is the oldest and longest-running multi-ethnic traditional arts festival in the nation. The Festival will be presented in downtown Nashville for three consecutive years, with the final year in Nashville marking the Festival’s 75th anniversary. Nashville won this honor in a competitive process involving 40 cities across the nation.

“No city in the United States can match the raw talent, creativity, and long history of making music like we have here in Nashville,” says Mayor Dean. “You combine that with our growing international diversity and growing recognition and appreciation for the arts, and you have a city that is well primed to host the National Folk Festival and to create an event of a caliber worthy of serving as the celebration of its 75th anniversary.”

The festival is expected to draw upwards of 80,000 attendees in its first year, increasing to over 150,000 by year three and is expected to have an estimated $10-15 million in economic impact per year. The Festival’s stay is also intended to lay the groundwork for a new annual festival that will continue in Nashville after the National Folk Festival moves on in 2014.

Nashville’s National Folk Festival will be operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and will be produced in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, and the Compass Records Group. A fundraising effort to support the festival is underway and both corporate and private sponsorship are being sought. For more details, contact Compass Records at 615-320-7672.

Gathered at ASCAP to announce Nashville as the new home of the National Folk Festival are (l-r) ASCAP's Dan Keen, Compass Records' Alison Brown, Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, ASCAP's Marc Driskill, Compass Records' Garry West and National Council for the Traditional Arts' Julia Olin.

One new track per week from Alan Jackson’s upcoming 18th album will be available for purchase exclusively on iTunes starting today (3/9) and leading up to the March 30 release of Freight Train.

First up on the iTunes Countdown is “Hard Hat and a Hammer.” Each track downloaded ahead of March 30 will count toward the purchase of the full album through iTunes’ Complete My Album feature. The subsequent tracks are “Every Now and Then” (available March 16) and “Where I Belong” (available March 23).

For each new track every week, fans will be able to visit Billboard.com for a 48-hour exclusive preview of the song immediately prior to its Tuesday release on iTunes, with each posting remaining on Billboard.com for a week from its debut.

“It’s Just That Way,” the first hit single from Freight Train, is currently available as a digital single through the iTunes Store.

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Capitol Records Nashville band Lady Antebellum has invited rising UMG Nashville artists Josh Kelley and Randy Montana to open their sold-out concerts at the Ryman Auditorium on March 10 and 11. Kelley is brother to Lady A’s Charles Kelley. Josh Kelley and Nashville native Montana, son of Billy Montana, will perform short acoustic sets prior to Lady A’s headlining debut on the Ryman’s historic stage.

Dolly Parton will celebrate the official grand opening/ribbon-cutting ceremony for her first retail store, Trinkets & Treasures, on Friday, March 12. The 1000 sq. ft. space at 126 2nd Ave. N. in downtown Nashville is designed to reflect Dolly’s classic song “Coat of Many Colors,” with a mix of pink, yellow, red, blue, green and purple.

Fans on hand at the ribbon cutting can win a meet and greet with the superstar through raffles, a “Dress Like Dolly” look-alike competition, and a contest for fans dressed in the most “Dolly gear.”

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A new Tammy Wynette biography hit bookstore shelves last week. For the project, writer Jimmy McDonough interviewed numerous friends and family members of the late songstress, including George Jones and producer Billy Sherrill. Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen (Viking) has earned praise from the New York Times.

Wynette died in 1998, leaving a legacy of work, including 17 No. 1 hits such as “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” “Take Me to Your World,” and “Stand by Your Man.”

McDonough appears tonight (3/9) at Nashville’s Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 7 pm.

Dierks Bentley today (3/8) revealed details about his upcoming album, which has him delving deep into bluegrass and roots music. Up On The Ridge will be released this summer and features Bentley working with some of the finest acoustic musicians in the world.

For the album he joined with longtime collaborators the Del McCoury Band as well as new musical partners Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. The disc also features vocal and instrumental contributions from Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Tim O’Brien, Sam Bush, and many others.

“It’s my version of bluegrass music,” offers Bentley, who says the genre is his first love. “It’s not just banjos cranked up to eleven. It throws out a big net.” For the album he worked with award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Randall and respected recording engineer Gary Paczosa. Some songs from the project are from Bentley’s proven pen, and others come from what might be unexpected sources, like Bob Dylan.