Keith, Adkins Ready “American Ride” Tour

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Toby Keith’s 2009 America’s Toughest tour was a big success on all fronts, leaving special guest Trace Adkins so impressed he has signed on for another hitch. Keith, with Adkins, will kick-off the American Ride tour June 19 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. Thirty-nine dates are already on the books through late September. Longtime Keith tour sponsor Ford F-Series is back again as well.

Universal Records South recently merged with Keith’s record label Show Dog to create Show Dog-Universal Music. The label’s first new signing was Adkins, who cited his experience on the America’s Toughest tour as the inspiration behind his decision to join the label. A new single and album is being planned and will be announced soon.

In other Keith news, “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song),” the second single from his American Ride album, recently hit No. 1 on the Music Row chart. It joins the album title track on Keith’s long list of chart toppers and is his 28th career No. 1.

American Ride Tour dates (subject to change):
June 19 – Holmdel, NJ
June 20 – Cleveland, OH
July 10 – Raleigh, NC
July 11 – Charlotte, NC
July 15 – Sioux Falls, SD
July 16 – Minneapolis, MN
July 17 – St. Louis, MO
July 18 – Des Moines, IA
July 22 – Boise, ID
July 23 – Portland, OR
July 24 – Seattle, WA
July 25 – Vancouver, BC
July 29 – Sacramento, CA
Aug. 1 – Fresno, CA
Aug. 6 – Mountain View, CA
Aug. 7 – San Diego, CA
Aug. 8 – Phoenix, AZ
Aug. 12 – Albuquerque, NM
Aug. 13 – Denver, CO
Aug. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT
Aug. 20 – Scranton, PA
Aug. 21 – Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 22 – Pittsburgh, PA
Aug. 26 – Moline, IL
Aug. 27- Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 28 – Indianapolis, IN
Aug. 29 – Detroit, MI
Sept. 2 – Atlanta, GA
Sept. 3 – Tampa, FL
Sept. 4 – West Palm Beach, FL
Sept. 9 – Toronto, Ontario
Sept. 10 – Darien Lake, NY
Sept. 11 – Washington, DC
Sept. 16 – Kansas City, MO
Sept. 17 – Omaha, NE
Sept. 18 – Chicago, IL
Sept. 23 – Albany, NY
Sept. 24 – Hartford, CT
Sept. 25 – Boston, MA

Chicks With Hits Plugging For The Cause

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Songplugger’s collective Chicks with Hits is raising money for some very worthy causes by doing what they do best — pitching songs. On Tuesday, February 23 at BMI The Chicks will be pitching songs every 15 minutes to producers, artists and labels.

Confirmed participants include artist Heidi Newfield, Big Machine’s Allison Jones; Capitol Nashville’s Autumn House, who will be bringing new EMI artist Troy Olsen; Carole Ann Mobley from Warner Bros.; and producers Frank Liddell, Michael Knox, Blake Chancey and Doug Johnson. All will be coming to hear songs and participate in the fundraiser. If they pass on a song, they will donate ten dollars. When they put a song on hold, the Chicks with Hits will donate $10.

The unique event will raise money for Breast Cancer, MS and Miller Harris Asthma Camp. Sign up for your slot today by calling Ree Guyer at 830-7297 or by emailing ReeGB@aol.com

CMT One Country Supports First Lady’s “Let’s Move”

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CMT One Country is providing media support for First Lady Michelle Obama’s just announced “Let’s Move” campaign to encourage communities, families and kids to lead healthier, more active lives. 

CMT has enlisted the support of Capitol Nashville artist Darius Rucker for targeted public service announcements to encourage the CMT audience to get active and eat healthy.

CMT One Country’s commitment to “Let’s Move” will continue throughout 2010 by highlighting the work of non-profit partner Feeding America for their work in the Backpack Program and Kids Cafe Program. The initiative will receive on-air support from CMT Tom 20 Countdown and CMT Insider.

You can learn more about the campaign here.

Genovese and Brooks To Schools Hall of Fame

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The Nashville Public Schools Hall of Fame is gettting ready to induct six new members, including former CMA CEO Tammy Genovese and country star/CMA board member Kix Brooks. Genovese and Brooks were “instrumental” in the generous donations to the Nashville Alliance for Public Education through the CMA’s “Keep The Music Playing” program. The pair will receive the 2010 Distinguished Service Awards.

To date, the CMA donations, generated through the CMA Music Festival, have provided over $2,245,000 for new musical instruments replacing instruments for the first time in 20 years, supporting more than 41 Metro public schools.

Also being honored, with 2010 Distinguished Alumni Awards are Keith B. Churchwell, M.D., nationally renowned cardiologist, McGavock High School, 1979; Richard H. Fulton, former Congressman and Nashville Mayor, East High School, 1945; R. Milton Johnson, Executive Vice President/CFO of HCA, Stratford High School, 1974; and Walter G. Knestrick, founder of Knestrick Construction, Hillsboro High School, 1955.
The event will take place Tuesday, March 2 at 6 PM at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center. To included in the printed program, attendees must RSVP by February 11. For ticket information click here or call the Alliance at 615-783-2810.

Tanya Tucker Joins RuPaul’s “Drag Race”

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Fresh off the release of My Turn, her recent release, and a slew of media appearances including Larry King Live, GAC, CMT and NPR’s Weekend Edition, Tanya Tucker will appear as a guest judge on the Monday, February 15 episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The show will air at 8 PM CT on the Logo network and the following Tuesday at 8 PM CT on VH1. Tucker will sit alongside RuPaul, fashion journalist Merle Ginsberg, designer Santino Rice and actress Kathy Najimy for a special show that finds the contestants discovering their “country” characters.

Hosted by drag icon RuPaul, the competition series is in its second season where drag queens run through fashion and talent challenges in front of a panel of judges in the hopes of becoming “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”

Listening Room To Host MusiCares Benefit

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MusiCares, established by NARAS in 1989 to help musicians in need, will hold a benefit show on Tuesday, March 9 at the Listening Room in Nashville’s Cummins Station. The show will run from 6 PM to 10 PM with an admission charge of $10.

The event will present a lineup of four one-hour songwriter rounds, with currently confirmed songwriters including Wynn Varble, Ashley Gorley, Billy Dean, Benita Hill, Chas Sandford, Lisa Carver and the Nashville Songbirds (Kirsti Manna, Bridgette Tatum, Julie Forester and Lorna Flowers). Additional  artists are still to be confirmed.

The evening will also include a silent auction and raffle prizes. Anyone wishing to donate auction items (signed T-shirts, jackets, ball caps, CDs, lyrics, guitars, etc) should email Lorna Flowers at lornaflowers@comcast.net or Kirsti Manna at kirstimannasongs@comcast.net.

Musicians Hall of Fame For Free

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(L toR) Harold Bradley; Grady Martin’s son, Joshua; Reggie Young; Gene Chrisman; Al Delory; Bobby Wood; Ray Edenton; Pete Drake’s wife, Rose; Jerry Kennedy,;Buddy Harmon’s daughter and son , Summer and Mark; Luther Perkins’ wife, Marjie Beaver; Hargus (Pig) Robbins; D. J. Fontana; Floyd Cramer’s wife, Mary and grandson, Jason Coleman; Boots Randolph’s assistant of 40 years, Linda Tunks; and Bob Moore. (Photo: Alan Mayor)

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The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is invited the public and the media to attend a “press conference/trophy ceremony”  (2/11) to present the 2007 Inductee class with long-awaited trophies that were not available the year of their induction. Legendary inductee groups confirmed to join the festivities are The Nashville “A” Team, The Memphis Boys, The Blue Moon Boys and The Tennessee Two, with more expected.

The museum is offering free admission through Saturday (2/13), the last day the museum will be open in its current location at 301 6t Ave. South, as it is being torn down to make way for the new Music City Center.

Underwood Crawls To Sesame Street

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She’s all over the airwaves, in heavy video rotation, she sang the National Anthem at the Superbowl, and now Carrie Underwood has wormed her way onto the popular children’s program, Sesame Street. As the voice of a cute little creepy crawly character by the name of Carrie Underworm, The singer made her Sesame Street debut today (2/11), singing a catchy little ditty called “Worm Anthem.” And yes, Carrie Underworm is a blond.

If you missed her debut, subsequent appearances are planned for March 17, April 8 and April 26. Check out Underworm/wood singing the “Worm Anthem” to to NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon.

AT&T Olympics CD Goes Country

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Sugarland, Rascal Flatts and Gloriana will join a multi-genre array of artists including 3 Doors Down, Train, The All-American Rejects, Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, Mariah Carey, Green River Ordinance, Hoobastank and Puddle Of Mudd on the exclusive AT&T Team USA Soundtrack for athletes as they pursue their dream of competing in the Olympic Games.

The previously unreleased songs will be available exclusively via the iTunes Store, and via AT&T wireless devices, tones will available starting tomorrow (2/12).

To commemorate the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, AT&T is joining with recording artists to create the special project, which will debut on the Olympics’ opening day and will offer inspirational songs for Team USA, sports and music fans across the country. In addition, Gloriana, Rascal Flatts, Mariah Carey, and 3 Doors Down have created exclusive music videos that will appear during broadcasts of the Olympic Games on NBC and will be available via TV, PC and wireless device through AT&T U-verse, AT&T Fan Zone and wirelessly through AT&T Mobile Video. All proceeds from the purchase of songs, participating ringtones and answer tones from February 12, 2010 through March 1, 2010 will be donated to Team USA.

Additional information about AT&T’s sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Team is available here.

Jones Collection Revives “Musicor” Years

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Country legend George Jones has released a lot of music over the course of his six-decade career. But hardcore Possum fans will heartily welcome the February 23 release of George Jones: The Great Lost Hits. The 2-CD collection, released by Time Life, compiles rare and largely out-of-print recordings that were originally released on the Musicor label between 1965 and 1972. On the same date, a special 12-track, single-CD version of the record will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart, with a digital version available from Walmart.com.

Longtime Jones fans point to this era of his career as his best, and the 34 songs culled from the over 250 recordings Jones made for Musicor were carefully selected to reflect this. The tracks included on The Great Lost Hits are a mix of songs that have become classics and rarities that few have heard in many years.

The Great Lost Hits includes Jones classics “A Good Year for the Roses,” “Walk through This World With Me,” “I’ll Share My World With You,” “Love Bug,” and “When the Grass Grows Over Me.” The original version of “Beneath Still Waters,” which later became a No. 1 country hit for Emmylou Harris, and “Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven,” later recorded by Elvis Costello and The Flying Burrito Brothers, are other standouts. Also included is the original version of “Where Grass Won’t Grow” a song Jones later recorded with Trisha Yearwood, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.  

Fans can also hear Tammy Wynette anonymously singing harmony on “Never Grow Cold” soon after they began their relationship. It was actually Jones’ marriage to Wynette that prompted his departure from Musicor for her label, Epic.

Jones is the #2 best-charting country artist of all time, with 143 Top 40 hits to his name, and two Grammy Awards. He is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and holds a National Medal of Arts. At 78, he continues as an active country superstar, headlining dozens of concerts each year.