Blake Shelton Joins NBC in Organizing Oklahoma Tornado Benefit Concert
Filed under: Country News
At the end of Tuesday nights episode of 'The Voice,' Blake Shelton revealed that he's working with NBC to organize a benefit concert for the victims of Monday's (May 20) deadly tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. The singer -- who calls the state home -- couldn't offer many details, but said it would be televised and happen soon.
"We'll know more about it in the next 24 hours," Shelton told Billboard. "I'm hoping it will raise a lot of money. Obviously it will be televised and will happen really quickly." The 'Boys 'Round Here' singer grew up in Ada, Okla., 75 miles from Moore.Blake Shelton Will Return for Season 5 of 'The Voice'
Filed under: Country News
Blake Shelton will be there when the fifth season of NBC's hit reality singing show 'The Voice' returns this fall. The country singer is one of only two judges to be a part of all five seasons of the show. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 will also return for a fifth season, as well.
Joining the two men will be fan-favorite originals Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera. NBC announced that both will return to their chairs after taking Season 4 off. Usher and Shakira have filled in this season, and Shelton had previously hinted he was thinking of taking a season off. Usher and Shakira will return for Season 6 in early 2014, although it's not clear who they'll replace.Carrie Underwood 'Goats' Hunter Hayes With Blown Away Tour Prank
Filed under: Tour Spotlight
It's back. The goat that became famous during a remix of Taylor Swift's 'I Knew You Were Trouble' has resurfaced, this time sabotaging a Hunter Hayes song as he sang it live. And Carrie Underwood was the mastermind behind it all -- the superstar pranked her Blown Away Tour opener during his set in Alberta, Canada on Saturday (May 18).
Hayes was performing when video of the goat appeared on the screens at each side of the stage. Two goats were shown, with the other being the same one featured with Swift's song earlier this year.Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Keith Urban + More Added as CMT Music Awards Performers
Filed under: Country News
The 2013 CMT Music Awards will feature performances from Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban and more. Seven new artists were announced on Tuesday, one week after Taylor Swift, Hunter Hayes and Pistol Annies were named on the initial list of artists to perform during the June 5 broadcast from Nashville.
Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line and Lady Antebellum will also play, as will Little Big Town and Luke Bryan. CMT made the announcement yesterday, adding the biggest names in country music to a show that unofficially begins the CMA Music Festival.Chely Wright Delivers Twin Boys
Filed under: Country News
They're over a month early, but Chely Wright's twins are "thriving" after being delivered on Saturday (May 18) in New York City. Wright and wife Lauren Blitzer weren't expecting until July, but had previously said it was likely the singer would give birth early, as is often the case with twins.
George Strait Becomes First Artist With 60 No. 1 Hits
Filed under: Charts
Mission complete! George Strait's 60 for 60 campaign was a success, with the singer's latest single 'Give It All We Got Tonight' hitting the top of the charts the same week as his 61st birthday. He becomes the first artist in any genre of music to place 60 songs at the top of the charts.
'Give It All We Got Tonight' is Strait's first single from his new 'Love Is Everything' album, released last Tuesday (May 14). It reached the top of the Mediabase charts as the most played song on country radio. The legend received considerable attention from fans and fellow artists during his lengthy 60 for 60 campaign.Hank Williams Jr. Announces Old School, New Rules Tour
Filed under: Country News
Hank Williams Jr. has revealed his summer touring schedule. The country legend will play 18 dates between June and September this year, beginning with a June 8 show in Morton, Minn. The Old School, New Rules Tour is named after his latest album.
'Old School, New Rules' was released in 2012 and features duets with Brad Paisley and Merle Haggard. Williams and Haggard sing the classic 'I Think I'll Just Sit Here and Drink.' The album was the first from Williams Jr.'s new label, Bocephus Records. 'That Ain't Good' was the first single and his first single overall since 'Red, White and Pink Slip Blues' in 2009, but the song failed to chart.Jennifer Nettles Preparing Solo Album
Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland has announced that she's recording a new solo album, and hopes to have it out this fall. The singer shares she's working with famed producer Rick Rubin on the project -- her first since giving birth to her son Magnus last December.
Nettles took to Twitter to make the announcement, linking to a profile of the album in Rolling Stone. She says the project will be more intimate and emotional than anything she's done with partner Kristian Bush in Sugarland. Some of the songs she wrote on her own, while others she worked on with songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Butch Walker.Kellie Pickler Named 'Dancing With the Stars' Champion
Filed under: Country News
Kellie Pickler was the last to know she'd won Season 16 of 'Dancing With the Stars.' Host Tom Bergeron announced her as the winner, and partner Derek Hough began to celebrate with the live audience. Pickler didn't hear him, however. After a few brief moments of confusion she was brought in on the secret and began an emotional celebration.
The country singer may have wrapped up the competition on Monday night with a beautiful freestyle dance. Fans picked the routine for Tuesday's encore dance, so Hough and Pickler had a chance to perform the vulnerable and extremely difficult choreography one more time.Kenny Chesney Joins Music and Memory Program to Help Alzheimer's Patients
Filed under: Country News
Kenny Chesney has joined a campaign to supply people suffering from Alzheimer's with portable music players in an effort to tap deep memories and make life more enjoyable. Music and Memory is a non-profit that's working to collect iPods and other digital music players and to distribute them to seniors with dementia.
Kree Harrison Named 'American Idol' Runner-Up
Kree Harrison took finishing second to Candice Glover on 'American Idol' as graciously as possible on Thursday night (May 16). The country singer from Texas was the first to smile and hug 23-year-old Glover as she broke into tears. "This is not he end of the road," Harrison said afterward, speaking about her career.
"I'm so proud of her and I am proud of myself for getting this far and I couldn't believe I was standing there with her at the finale," Harrison told Hollywood Life.
Glover struggled with her words during her emotional celebration with friends, fellow Season 12 contestants and family. "Three years," she said, sobbing and referring to her three separate tryouts for the reality television show.Lisa Matassa Working to Put 'Long Island Country' on the Map
Filed under: Country News
Lisa Matassa says it's alright to call her a country newcomer, even though she's been entertaining for over 20 years. The singer began her career with two dance hits before turning to the music she grew up loving. Her new EP, 'Somebody's Baby,' is a mix of all her influences -- a style she's coined as "Long Island country."
Matassa tells Taste of Country that her style is a special blend of rock and modern country music. She spent the first part of her childhood on Long Island and returned as a teenager after a decade in Florida. "There was all open fields and farmland and horse farms and there weren't big shopping malls and stuff like that that you have now," she says of those in-between years, a time that she truly fell in love with southern rock, country music and the country lifestyle.Randy Travis Suing to Prevent Release of Naked Arrest Video
Randy Travis is seeking $100,000 and a judgement that all information pertaining to his arrest on August 7, 2012 not be released to the public from Public Information Act requests. That information includes the arrest transcript and the police video shot while the naked singer was taken into custody.
In January, Travis pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and received two years probation, a $2,000 fine and a 180-day suspended jail sentence. The judge agreed that the dash camera arrest video and transcript should not be released to the public.Taylor Swift Admired George Jones' Passion for Performing
It's been three weeks, but Nashville is still grieving the loss of George Jones. Taylor Swift recently opened up about what she'll remember about the country legend. While the two stars seem worlds apart sonically, they share a common bond.
"George Jones never stopped wanting to be onstage," Swift tells Billboard. "He played live shows until the day he died, and that passion for performing is something I look up to."
The Possum died on April 26 after a week-long hospitalization. He was remembered during an emotional ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry on May 2. Country stars like Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson took the stage to tell stories of the 81-year-old and to play his music.Taylor Swift Dominates at 2013 Billboard Music Awards
Filed under: Country News
Taylor Swift stole the show at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, winning eight awards and delivering one of the more creative and eye-catching performances of the night. The singer sang '22' surrounded by a rotating cast of dozens of backup dancers before accepting honors for Top Artist, Top Album and more.
Swift was nominated for 11 awards in all, but lost to Maroon 5, Justin Bieber and Psy in the Top 100 Artist, Top Social Artist and Top Streaming Song categories, respectively. While Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood were also nominated for awards, only Swift brought a trophy back to Nashville. She swept the country categories, including Top Country Artist, Top Country Album ('Red') and Top Country Song ('We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together').Tim McGraw Stops Atlanta Show to Help Ailing Fan
Sunday night's stop on the Two Lanes of Freedom Tour was moving forward as usual when Tim McGraw spotted a fan in the first few rows who was struggling. Paula Whitten says she sat down after feeling faint, but collapsed when she stood back up.
That's when McGraw snapped into action. According to Whitten, he hopped off stage and handed her water. "He actually gave me a hot water at first," she told KICKS 101.5 in Atlanta. The singer then found some cold water and stayed with her. "He was talking to me and talking to the medics to try to get me up," she says.Tim McGraw's 'Superstar Summer Night' Special to Air May 19
Tim McGraw and a dozen or so other artists from country, rock and hip-hop came together in Las Vegas one night after the 2013 ACM Awards to film the 'ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Summer Night' television special. The footage will finally air this Sunday (May 19) on CBS, with performances from Taylor Swift, Ne-Yo and John Fogerty said to be the highlights.
Swift and Keith Urban join McGraw to deliver his current single, 'Highway Don't Care,' which features the pop-country starlet on supporting vocals and Urban on guitar. Ne-Yo is one of many artists to perform his own music with McGraw -- the two sing a ballad called 'She Is.' Rapper Pitbull joins the country superstar to sing 'Felt Good on My Lips.'Toby Keith Returns to Help Family, Friends in Moore, Oklahoma
Filed under: Country News
Toby Keith had just flown from Oklahoma to Nashville when Monday's tornado hit, killing 24 in his hometown of Moore. The singer returned to find the streets and businesses he'd known and frequented since he was a kid in tatters, and neighbors beginning the recovery process.
"As bad as it looks right now," Keith told 'TODAY' host Matt Lauer, "these people - they are so prepared for it ... they'll bounce back. Homes will start going up quick and they'll prepare for the next one." He explained how he grew up four blocks away from the worst of it and used to run to a grocery store -- now destroyed -- to buy baseball cards.Toby Keith Says His Hometown of Moore, Oklahoma 'Will Perservere' After Deadly Tornado
Filed under: Country News
The F4 tornado that cut a path through Moore, Oklahoma on Monday has left at least 24 dead and many more injured. Families, including the family of country's own Toby Keith, are spending the days following coming to terms with the tragedy and the debris left behind. The singer revealed that his sister's house was among those damaged by the storm.
During an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Keith said the storm passed less than a mile from his mother's house. Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven students died and more are missing, was just blocks from where he grew up. The damage and death toll would have been worse, he said, had it not been for the work of local meteorologists and media preparing residents for the storm.Trace Adkins Named Winner of 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice'
Filed under: TV
Trace Adkins didn't show much emotion upon being named the winner of 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice,' but there's little doubt that those representing the American Red Cross were celebrating. By besting magician Penn Jillette, Adkins earned another $250,000 for the charity, bringing his total raised to over $1.5 million.
Sunday night's two-hour finale recapped the final ice cream challenge and included cameos by country stars like Billy Ray Cyrus and Thompson Square, 'American Idol' singer Taylor Hicks and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow presented a $300,000 donation to Adkins' team, accounting for more than half the money he raised on that night.