Quick Notes

Quick Notes: Tidbits On Your Favorite Country Stars!

Who Tweeted?
"Maybe it's time for a nude pic, so peeps can see how I look nowhere near what these stupid pics are trying to make me look like."
And the Tweet belongs to . . . LEANN RIMES . . . who posted it on Tuesday. LeAnn got caught up in all the web chatter about how she's been looking too thin in recent photos.
By the way, LeAnn didn't leave it at one Tweet. Later she added, quote, "If people only saw how much I ate. I am completely healthy!" And then she dared us to see for ourselves. She said, quote, "It's a photo . . . see me IN PERSON!"

Too Thin?  You be the judge....



Did you ever wonder who that is singing background vocals on Jerrod Nieman's "What Do You Want From Me"?
Meet Rachel Bradshaw!  Click here




Artists as huge as TIM MCGRAW are constantly get hit up by charities. So when they DO decide to help someone out, you know it's something special. This certainly is.
Tim heard about a soldier named Jared LaDuke, who was ambushed in an insurgent attack two years ago in Iraq. It was brutal. His troop commander died, and Jared lost four inches of tibia and fibula in his left leg.

Jared toughed out several surgeries and painful rehab . . . and spent a long recovery in an Operation Homefront Village. And then a couple of weeks ago he and his wife and their 2-year-old son were finally ready to move into their own apartment.

I'll let Jared LaDuke take it from here. He explains, quote, "When we walked in, the whole apartment is fully furnished with brand new stuff. I was in shock. Then Tim McGraw walks in a few minutes later. Like as if a furnished apartment ain't enough?

It was so surreal. My wife was totally tearing up. Tim said, 'I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd stop by. I was just wondering if I could use y'all's bathroom.'"

Tim hung with the LaDukes for a while and then walked their two-year-old son into his new bedroom, which was full of his favorite Thomas the Tank Engine toys.
LaDuke says he still doesn't know exactly why he was chosen . . . but he's sure happy he was. He said, quote, "I don't think I'll ever be able to be thankful enough."





I guess it's Brad Paisley week.  Check out an amazing collaboration Iand Brad's next single)
 

 

Brad Paisley fans...get ready to love him more!


Allie Greene was a big fan of Brad Paisley even though she never met him.
Allie passed away on March 1st after a 2 year battle with cancer and her wish was to have a big “cancer-free” party with friends, family and ….Brad.

Brian, her husband knew it was going to take a lot to carry out her wish. While he never really expected a response, he and friends made a video asking Brad to perform and put it up on Facebook and Twitter.
Not long after Brian received a phone call. Brad Paisley was asking if he could come and sing at the party!

See it here:


 

Miranda's looking good on the cover of Redbook!
Get a preview of the article here





Country Music's Best Opening Lyrics

You know the old saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Well that's just as true in music as it is in life! Very few songs really grab the listener from line one, so we commend those that do with this countdown of the best opening lyrics in the history of country music.


20
"Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor"
'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
This Grammy-winning smash brings unlikely justification to the 'booty call,' as Lady A have crafted lyrics that make a drunken phone call to an ex seem perfectly reasonable ... and irresistible.

19
"Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin' for a train / Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans"
'Me and Bobby McGee,' Kris Kristofferson
Roger Miller and Kris himself recorded this, but it was the famed songwriter's girlfriend, Janis Joplin, who made it a No. 1 classic. The opening lyrics set a downtrodden stage, but the song actually takes a happy turn ... and then bookends itself with heartache.

18
"I can make anybody pretty / I can make you believe any lie"
'Alcohol,' Brad Paisley
This 2005 hit from Brad's 'Time Well Wasted' CD promises not only to make someone more attractive, but also to "cause a few break-ups" and "help white people dance." A self-proclaimed tee-totaler in real life, if Brad is caught with a lampshade on his head, he only has himself to blame.


17
"Stuck at a red light outside an adult bookstore / He said, 'Daddy, what are all those xxx's for?'"
'What Do You Say,' Reba McEntire
Reba details a few parental nightmares, including explaining pornography and underage drinking to young children, making this song somewhat of a self-help guide for speechless moms and dads.

16
"Well, I woke up Sunday morning / With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt"
'Sunday Morning Coming Down,' Johnny Cash
Who hasn't had those painful mornings that follow a night of indulgence? Johnny's version of this Kris Kristofferson classic makes Mondays look more attractive than sad Sundays.

15
"Becky was a beauty from south Alabama / Her daddy had a heart like a nine-pound hammer"
'What Was I Thinkin',' Dierks Bentley
This song starts with a visual fit for a movie screen. Dierks knows "there'll be hell to pay" for taking out the girl in the "little white tank top," but chooses romance over repercussions -- which includes some bullets to his taillights.

14
"I'd gladly walk across a desert with no shoes upon my feet"
'Love Can Build a Bridge,' The Judds
This emotionally-charged ballad was written as a goodbye love letter to the Judds' fans, before they the pair were forced to call it quits upon Naomi's diagnosis of hepatitis. Right from the first line, the duo show selfless love that knows no limits.

13
"He had plastic bags wrapped 'round his shoes / He was covered with the evening news"
'Almost Home,' Craig Morgan
This BMI Song of the Year winner tells an emotionally captivating story of a homeless man whose daydreams of warm childhood memories help him brave frigid temperatures.

12
"A candy-colored clown they call the Sandman / Tiptoes to my room every night"
'In Dreams,' Roy Orbison
The late country-rock icon cleverly starts this sad love song off like a lullaby. Finding his lost love only by falling asleep and seeing her in his dreams, waking up is just as solemn as breaking up.


11
"I said, 'Grandpa, what's this picture here / It's all black and white and ain't real clear'"
'In Color,' Jamey Johnson
Released in 2008, Jamey's award-winning single takes us back to the Great Depression with vivid imagery that bring shades of gray to living color. For four minutes, we travel along with Jamey to a few generations past.

10
"Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I should have"
'Always on My Mind,' Willie Nelson
Actions may speak louder than words, but these lyrics -- also recorded by Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley -- grovel just beautifully enough to make a neglected lover swoon. Apology accepted.

9
"Well I'm an eight ball shooting, double-fisted drinking son of a gun"
'Here for the Party,' Gretchen Wilson
These opening lyrics come at you like a slap in the face. I'm Gretchen Wilson, and I'm here to party just as hard as the boys. Deal with it.

8
"She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette"
'Whiskey Lullaby,' Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss
The emotion of this stunning 2004 song starts out with a bang, as listeners smell the smoke of a lover's regret. As the haunting lyrics progress, both the cheater and the scorned are sent to an early grave after too many swigs from the whiskey bottle.


7
"Hello, walls / How'd things go for you today?"
'Hello Walls,' Faron Young
A depressing story about a jilted lover who commiserates with the walls in his house, the tune was not only a success for Faron, but also for a then-twenty-something new writer, Willie Nelson, who counts this as one of his first hits.

6
"Tumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen / Pour myself a cup of ambition"
'9 to 5,' Dolly Parton
Dolly wrote this as the theme song for the 1980 movie, '9 to 5,' but it's also pretty much the theme of every working man and woman's life. Why someone hasn't started a coffee company called 'Ambition' is beyond us.

5
"He said, 'I'll love you 'til I die'"
'He Stopped Loving Her Today,' George Jones
The Possum released this poignant ballad in 1980, and made it one of the biggest songs in his 50-plus year career. A tragic tale of a brokenhearted man who carries his pining love to the grave, it tops several lists of the greatest country songs of all time.

4
"I hear the train a comin' / It's rollin' 'round the bend / And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when"
'Folsom Prison Blues,' Johnny Cash
He may have "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die," but we still somehow feel bad for the guy.

3
"Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots"
'Friends in Low Places,' Garth Brooks
When he's performing this live in concert, you can barely hear Garth. The volume of the audience singing along from word-one is simply too loud. The superstar's 'roots' are planted at the start of one of the most beloved country songs of all time.

2
"I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin / I wouldn't let my dear Savior in"
'I Saw the Light,' Hank Williams
Waxing poetic on his internal struggles, Hank Sr. was only 25 years old when he figuratively 'saw the light.' His untimely death four years later, allegedly due to substance abuse, never allowed the early star to fully appreciate the success of this classic.

1
"The only two things in life that make it worth livin' / Is guitars that tune good and firm feelin' women"
'Luckenbach, Texas,' Waylon Jennings
This 1977 song about going "back to the basics" evokes the urge to trade in our modern-day gadgets and travel with "Waylon and Willie and the boys" to this tiny Texas town.

(The Boot)


Do you have any video of our World Record Line Dances in Groton from years ago?
The GE line dance commercial featuring Alan Jackson's "Good Time" now comes with a contest. Fans are encouraged to upload their own line dance videos to YouTube., with voting narrowing the field to 12 before GE selects a winner. The grand prize is a $10,000 home appliance makeover with eco-friendly GE products. The company is also donating 20 years of drinking water to people in developing nations through Charity: Water as part of the promotion.

Click here to submit an entry.

Here's a photo from that amazing day:

Lady Antebellum celebrated their Grammy wins with Ellen.  See footage here

 

Tim Mcgraw traced his family tree on NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are".  
Check out some footage here



 MIRANDA LAMBERT TAKES THE LEAD WITH ACM NOMINATIONS
Miranda Lambert's leading the way as the top nominee for this year's Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The singer is up for seven awards -- including Entertainer of the Year -- heading into the upcoming event. She's facing Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban for the ACM's highest honor. Other top contenders include Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band, who are up for five nominations each, while Zac Brown personally is up for four additional individual awards. Other multiple nominees include The Band Perry and Taylor Swift, both with four nominations, and Lady Antebellum and Lee Brice with three nods each. Miranda and Ronnie Dunn announced the ACM nominees Tuesday at a press conference in Nashville. Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton will co-host the event. The 46th annual ACM Awards will take place in Las Vegas on April 3rd, airing live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
• Voting continues at VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM for Top New Solo Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group. The winner in those categories will be announced in March, and will move on to compete for Top New Artist. Fans will pick that winner as well in a second round of online voting.

Nominees for the 46th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Toby Keith
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

TOP MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban
TOP FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack

TOP VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
the JaneDear girls
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland

TOP VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Randy Rogers Band
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

TOP NEW SOLO VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (Previously Announced)
Eric Church
Easton Corbin
Randy Houser

TOP NEW VOCAL DUO or GROUP OF THE YEAR (Previously Announced)
the JaneDear girls
Steel Magnolia
The Band Perry

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Hemingway's Whiskey -- Kenny Chesney (BNA)
Need You Now -- Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)
The Guitar Song -- Jamey Johnson (Mercury)
Speak Now -- Taylor Swift (Big Machine Records)
Up On The Ridge -- Dierks Bentley (Capitol Records Nashville)
You Get What You Give -- Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Roar / Bigger Picture / Atlantic)

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR
A Little More Country Than That -- Easton Corbin (Mercury)
As She's Walking Away -- Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson (Southern Ground / Roar / Bigger Picture / Atlantic)
If I Die Young -- The Band Perry (Republic Nashville)
Love Like Crazy -- Lee Brice (Curb Records)
The Boys Of Fall -- Kenny Chesney (BNA)
The House That Built Me -- Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville)

SONG OF THE YEAR
A Little More Country Than That -- Easton Corbin
As She's Walking Away -- Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson
If I Die Young -- The Band Perry
Love Like Crazy -- Lee Brice
The House That Built Me -- Miranda Lambert

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Hillbilly Bone -- Blake Shelton Featuring Trace Adkins
Only Prettier -- Miranda Lambert
Stuck Like Glue -- Sugarland
The Boys Of Fall -- Kenny Chesney
The House That Built Me -- Miranda Lambert

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
As She's Walking Away -- Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson
Blue Sky -- Emily West Featuring Keith Urban
Coal Miner's Daughter -- Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert
Cold Beer -- Colt Ford Featuring Jamey Johnson
Good To Be Me -- Uncle Kracker Featuring Kid Rock
 

 The World Dances To Alan Jackson:
 

Anyone for Shania Wedding Photos?




Nice!
See more at her website.  Click Here

It's time to play, 'Whose Tweet is This?' We'll give you the Tweet, you tell us who wrote it on their Twitter page.

"100 yrs ago my great grandma traded a cow for this. 1st guitar in our family. Ran across it today. Happy new year."

nd the Tweet belongs to . . . BRAD PAISLEY.







Kix Brooks shaved off said masterpiece mustache for his role in the upcoming movie, "Thriftstore Cowboy".

Kix plays a "bad guy" named Wade Locklin in the film, which is currently in production.

Kix posted a video of him trimming his bushy 'stache down to nothing and then shaving it off for the film. Here it is . . .

Click Here

 

KEITH URBAN worked out a deal with Hulu.com for them to do an "insider's look" of him recording his latest album, "Get Closer. The video is free, and it's worth checking out for all the usual reasons. But there's one part that totally blew me away.

It just so happened that Keith started recording the album on the same day that the Nashville floods submerged a good part of the city . . . as well as most of Keith's musical equipment.

--The video shows him literally hanging his guitars out to dry. It's heartbreaking to hear him talk about a 1952 Les Paul guitar that was completely ruined.

Warm Up The DVR! Country Stars Taped ABC Christmas Special

All of country’s big stars were together in Nashville Nov. 10 for the Country Music Association Awards, so why not add one more big ol’ TV special while they’re together, right? They taped“CMA Country Christmas” for ABC, which also hosts the CMA’s awards show and CMA Music Festival special.

Jennifer Nettles will host...

Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Darius Rucker, LeAnn Rimes, Sheryl Crow and Little Big Town will be part of the yuletide taping.  The CMA says some of the stars’ family members will join them. Expect songs and stories from the holiday season.  That special will air at 9:30 p.m. ET Nov. 29.

Lady Antebellum celebrate Halloween as Brooks & Dunn and Reba. Take a look:



Trailer Hood: Sony Pictures has launched the official website for the Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow film Country Strong, which opens Jan. 7, 2011. Register for updates and watch the trailer here:



Did you get a good look at Ronnie Dunn's new tattoo at the concert in Darien Lake?
We've got you covered:


Here's the story behind it:


2010 CMA Nominations: The first set of nominees for the 44th Annual CMA Awards were announced Tuesday, August 31 by Justin Moore and Chris Young at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. The balance of the nominations were announced on ABC-TV's Good Morning America on Wednesday September 1st by Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley. The winners will be revealed during the CMA Awards telecast airing on ABC-TV Wednesday, Nov. 10 8-11pm ET.

Entertainer of the Year:

• Lady Antebellum
• Miranda Lambert
• Brad Paisley
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band

Female Vocalist of the Year:

• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist of the Year:
• Dierks Bentley
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

Album of the Year:
• "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
• "Play On" by Carrie Underwood
• "Revolution" by Miranda Lambert
• "Twang" by George Strait
• "Up On the Ridge" by Dierks Bentley

Video
• "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton f/Trace Adkins
• "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
• "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• "Water," Brad Paisley
• "White Liar," Miranda Lambert

Single
• "A Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin
• "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton f/Trace Adkins
• "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
• "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• "White Liar," Miranda Lambert

Song
• "A Little More Country Than That,"Easton Corbin
• "Need You Now,"Lady Antebellum
• "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• "Toes," Zac Brown Band
• "White Liar," Miranda Lambert

Musician
• Paul Franklin
• Dann Huff
• Brent Mason
• Mac McAnally
• Randy Scruggs

New Artist
• Luke Bryan
• Easton Corbin
• Jerrod Niemann
• Chris Young
• Zac Brown Band

Group
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• The Band Perry
• Zac Brown Band

Duo
• Brooks & Dunn
• Joey+Rory
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland

CHARITY MOTORCYCLE THEFT -
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (AP) - If you see a pink Harley-Davidson on the road covered with autographs of country stars, you might be looking at a stolen bike. And, the Lexington, Kentucky Susan G. Komen people would like it back. It's supposed to be auctioned off at a breast cancer fundraiser in October. The 2010 Harley-Davidson Sportster was inside a locked trailer, which was secured with chains in the Komen parking lot. But, people who work for the charity noticed the trailer was missing when they got to work on Monday. The Lexington Herald-Leader says the cycle had been signed by several country stars, including Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and Dolly Parton. On the Komen website, there's a photo of Kellie Pickler and Carrie Underwood posing on the bike. They also signed.

Brad Paisley fans...be on the lookout for his double greatest hits CD package!
It should hit stores November 2nd with one disc of hit singles and the other is hit singles only LIVE!

Jimmy Wayne was expecting his drummer to pick him up at the airport in Nashville, but instead, the Tennessean says about 60 people were there to surprise Wayne and half of them were foster kids. They cheered and held up homemade signs when they saw Wayne near the baggage claim. Wayne was in a wheelchair because of his broken heel. He says the first thing he would do, other than laundry, would be to make a cup of coffee and look at his thermostat. He says he was inspired to do his Nashville-to-Phoenix walk when he adjusted his thermostat a little higher and flashed on the fact that homeless kids didn't have that luxury to keep them warm.

I have to give even more props to JIMMY WAYNE for completing his "Meet Me Halfway" walk for the homeless. (--He launched it on New Year's Day in Nashville . . . and logged over 1,500 miles when he reached Phoenix, Arizona.)

On Saturday, when he was just five miles away from his final destination point, he had to make a detour to a podiatrist because his foot was killing him.

Turns out he injured it while walking the steep grades out of Mesa, Arizona earlier last week . . . and by Friday the pain was excruciating.

Here's what Jimmy Tweeted on Friday, quote, "WalkD as far as I could walk 2day. LayD on the concrete; N so much pain; [the support vehicle] picked me up; I'll walk the last 5 miles N2 Phoenix in the a.m."

X-rays showed that Jimmy shattered the back of his right ankle, and it's going to take about six weeks to heal. But he had to finish his walk so the doctor fitted him up with a boot brace and some crutches . . . and off he went to the finish line.

(--Here's a look at Jimmy in his boot brace and crutches . . .)




Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles graces the cover of the Lilith Tour exclusive mini-Self magazine. The 34-page Love Your Lilith issue features content about the lineup including Nettles, Martina McBride and others. The deluxe 68-page edition including a 15-track CD, magnetic photo frame and a flower seed packet will be available at Wal-Mart stores nationwide beginning Aug. 3.


CARRIE UNDERWOOD'S WEDDING THIS WEEKEND

NICOLE KIDMAN and KEITH URBAN just bought a $10 million apartment in Manhattan.

Obviously, it's got all the amenities you can think of.  And one you probably HAVEN'T thought of:  A car elevator.  (???)

For real.  You just drive into the thing on the ground floor, and it takes you straight up to the floor your apartment is on.

(--Here are some pictures of Nicole and Keith's new apartment and car elevator . . .)

 

There's only one thing lower than stealing....stealing from a charity is about as low as it gets.

July 9, 2010 More evidence points to Carrie Underwood getting married this weekend. "The Atlanta Journal Constitution's" "The Buzz" column says the wedding party began arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia this week. While not naming their sources, the newspaper notes the tipsters aren't affiliated with the resort, which has a reputation for maintaining its guests' privacy. "Life & Style" magazine has said that the country star and her hockey player fiance Mike Fisher will be tying the knot in Georgia on Saturday. And while Underwood has said she has no idea what she'll be doing for her honeymoon, explaining that it was "Mike's project," "Life & Style" reports that Fisher has planned an eleven-day vacation during which they'll visit Tahiti and Bora Bora.

The 27-year-old Underwood and 30-year-old Fisher have been a couple since 2008. They became engaged just before Christmas last year.


 

It's the Fourth of July Weekend . . . which means it's time for GAC to dust off their 'Top 20 Patriotic Songs' list. Here they are, but they don't rank them in ANY particular order . . .
"If You're Reading This", Tim McGraw

"Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)", Toby Keith

"God Bless the USA", Lee Greenwood

"Letters from Home", John Michael Montgomery

"Some Gave All", Billy Ray Cyrus

"Bumper of My SUV", Chely Wright

"Only in America", Brooks & Dunn

"American Child", Phil Vassar

"The Fightin' Side of Me", Merle Haggard

"America", Waylon Jennings

"In America", Charlie Daniels

"Arlington", Trace Adkins

"Ragged Old Flag", Johnny Cash

"They Also Serve", John Conlee

"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", Alan Jackson

"Have You Forgotten", Darryl Worley

"In God We Still Trust", Diamond Rio

"Where the Stars and the Stripes and the Eagle Fly", Aaron Tippin

"The Eagle", Waylon Jennings

"American Soldier", Toby Keith