CMT Blog: Recent Posts

Red, white, blue and a little steel guitar is all it takes to make you proud to be an American, and this list of the top 10 patriotic songs include some real sparklers.
 

Golf courses across America are preparing for the new tour dates announced by Vince Gill, which really pick up speed in mid-August.

The designers on HGTV’s Design Star find a real fine place to start with a new celebrity client: Sara Evans. Watch this Sunday (7/6) at 8pm CT.

Gretchen Wilson’s new single, “Work Hard, Play Harder,” will be featured in a marketing effort for the TNT series, Saving Grace.

It’s hard to one-up Cyndi Lauper, but Miley Cyrus seems to have nailed it on this sample of her upcoming cover of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

The results of a recent In Touch Weekly poll are in, and Jessica Simpson’s simpsons are the best pair in Hollywood.

Dear Jessica Simpson,

Welcome to Nashville. And now that you’re here, let me share some advice that I once received as a young reporter — everybody that you pass on the way up will be there to greet you on the way down. In other words, be nice to every person you meet in the country music business. And that includes Carrie Underwood. Why would you wear that “Real Girls Eat Meat” t-shirt when you know full-well that your boyfriend Tony Romo used to date the famous vegetarian?

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When the nation celebrates its birthday on Friday, Nashville will be one of many cities across America shooting off fireworks, with Phil Vassar and the Lost Trailers taking part in a celebration expected to draw 100,000 people to Riverfront Park.

Another anniversary is coming up on Sunday that has its own impact on Music City and its creative community. Bob Mulloy was born 75 years ago in Nashville. The name won’t mean much to a lot of readers, but he’s had a huge impact on who works on Music Row and who records there. Bob created a Music Business program at then-tiny Belmont College in 1972. The school is located near the end of 16th Avenue, literally 1.1 miles from the first recording studio on the Row, where Marty Robbins cut “El Paso” and Johnny Cash did “Ring Of Fire.”

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Now that I have this gig writing my insightful musings (okay, incessant ramblings) on everything country, everyone assumes this is a dream job for me. And I’ll be the first one to admit, blogging’s nice work if you can get it. But this is hardly my dream job. That job would require a windbreaker, clipboard and walkie-talkie. I don’t know what those people do at concerts, but they’re the ones constantly disappearing backstage. Looking all serious, like they’re Secret Service, when really somebody just needs to run out and get Grey Goose for Toby Keith’s band. Apparently, a windbreaker is the new all-access pass. It could be 103 outside, and that windbreaker still looks breezy and comfortable to me.

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Greta Gaines pushes musical boundaries with her new Southern-rock-influenced album, Whiskey Thoughts, which comes out later this month. But then, boundaries don’t mean much to a woman who’s also been a correspondent for ESPN, a ski racer, a fly fisherwoman and a champion snowboarder.

“When I was a kid in New Hampshire, my father discovered skiing and thought it was the greatest thing ever, so he made us all become ski racers,” says Gaines, who now lives in Nashville. “And I was fly-fishing with my grandfather when I was just a baby girl. Because I was the only girl, it was my way of getting undivided attention from my father and grandfather.

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Get to know Kenny Chesney and his roots with the latest MasterCard contest. Winners will see a show, meet Chesney and then retrace his road to fame. Maybe you’ll paint your name on a water tank and miscount all the beers you drank, too.

Entertainment Weekly and a slew of their readers comment on the unlikely yet unbelievably cool pairings of the CMT Crossroads series.

Mark your calendars and cross your fingers you score a good spot: Bon Jovi’s holding a free concert in Central Park on July 12.

Hold the M-80s. Even with her sparkling personality, Miley Cyrus has been known to cower during fireworks displays.

Sounds like Pamela Anderson needs a cheeseburger. Her angry, foul criticism of Jessica Simpson’s Real Girls Eat Meat shirt proves that she’s just another hungry vegetarian.

Earlier this week, I had one of those elusive days that music journalists dream about - listening to three upcoming albums and liking them all. The first is the deluxe edition of Sugarland’s Love on the Inside, which I popped into my CD player on my way to work. Seriously, I cannot stop listening to “Life in a Northern Town,” which is a live track at the end, along with a cover of Matt Nathanson’s “Come On Get Higher.” Read more…

Last weekend we had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some of the best in Bluegrass and Acoustic music at the ROMP or River of Music Party in Owensboro, KY. Cadillac Sky, Cherryholmes, G2, Dailey & Vincent and Crooked Still all played sets during the day. It’s not every weekend that every band can be considered your friends, but this was one of those rare occasions. Read more…

“Eat it up, wear it out. Make it do, do without.” This eco-friendly motto is actually an old New England adage, and it’s a source of inspiration for artist Michael Wells’ graphic design company, Cattle Headquarters, which offers hand-printed t-shirts, flour-sack towels, pillowcases and other items featuring retro-cool Western-inspired images.

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In less than 24 hours, Sugarland will make a big announcement. All I wanna do-oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo is check their Web site at 1 p.m. CT tomorrow.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert are the proud parents of Hank, yet another stray dog. Their new baby is getting along just fine with dogs Jessi and Waylon.

One week he’s his own security guard. The next week he’s strolling casually through L.A. with his family. How many sides are there to Tim McGraw?

August 4 is going to be a boot scootin’ day for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That’s when Brooks & Dunn will get their much-deserved star.

In a radio interview, John Rich dishes on Nashville Star contestants, host Billy Ray Cyrus and giving the fans music worth buying in tough times.