The latest from Jimmy Carter in Nashville

JUST IN:  Taylor Swift  took home four trophies at tonight’s  52 nd  Annual GRAMMY Awards , as broadcast LIVE on  CBS .  Taylor won the all-genre Album of the Year (for FEARLESS), Country Album of the Year (for FEARLESS), Best Country Song (for “White Horse”) and Best Female Country Vocal Performance (also for “White Horse”), sweeping the Country categories in which she was nominated and winning the night’s biggest award.  Taylor departs for the land down under following tonight’s show, where she kicks off her sold-out  FEARLESS 2010 Tour  in Brisbane, Australia on February 4 th .  Check out all the highlights from Taylor’s GRAMMY night at  www.grammy.com .

Miranda Lambert  had another first in her music career over the weekend — she reached number one! “White Liar,” the second single off of Miranda’s album,  Revolution , is officially a country radio chart-topper! Miranda was very excited about getting the news, because not only is she the singer of “White Liar” but she co-wrote the song as well. Miranda was blown away and “wanted to say huge thank you and tell you how grateful I am to my fans and my friends at country radio for giving me my very first, not only my very first top five, but my first number one. It’s an amazing feeling.” Miranda, who’s on tour with  Brad Paisley  right now, changed up the set list for her concert last night after getting the news about “White Liar” so she could ”be able to end with…our first time to ever end with a number-one song.”   I just wanted to say huge thank you and tell you how grateful I am to my fans and my friends at country radio for giving me...

Huge congratulations to  The Lost Trailers  and  Chris Young , who both scored ACM Award nominations earlier this week! The Lost Trailers are vying for Top New Vocal Group, while Chris is up for Top New Solo Vocalist. Fans will have a chance to have their say on who wins when online voting kicks-off February 26th at VoteACM.com. The Grand Rapids Press  ran a report this past weekend about a neighborhood pastry palace known as  Marge’s Donut Den …turns out that  Brad Paisley ’s tour was headed into town, and a member of Brad’s production team had sent an advance order, only to have the folks at Marge’s go above and beyond the call of dough-ty. They surprised their celebrity client with guitar-shaped glazed doughnuts, adorned with chocolate and white-frosting strings. Brad even Tweeted a photo of the way-cool pastries with the simple caption, “The spoils of fame.” Head over to bradpaisley.com for all the latest on Brad, and you can follow the...

WYNONNA, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, LEE GREENWOOD, and RESTLESS HEART JOIN MICHAEL W. SMITH AND A COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS TO RECORD “COME TOGETHER NOW” TO BENEFIT HAITI RELIEF EFFORTS A Children’s Choir of More than 250 Elementary School Students – Including 14 from Haiti - Joined Artists Wynonna, Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mandisa, Matt Maher, Lee Greenwood, Phil Stacey, TobyMac, Travis Cottrell, Darwin Hobbs, Restless Heart, Point of Grace, Brandon Heath, Margaret Becker, Michael Tait, Kevin Max, The Newsboys, Ashley Cleveland, The Katinas, Kirk Sullivan, Meredith Andrews, Matthew West, Francesca Battistelli, Everlife and More  At Belmont  University’s Ocean Way Studios , multi-platinum, GRAMMY and Dove Award winning artist, gathered a who’s-who list from the music community to record “Come Together Now.”  The song, penned by Smith, David Mullen and Cindy Morgan – and produced by Bryan Lenox – was written to remind people of the need to help th...

  GRAMMY ®  WINNERS  SAM MOORE AND NE-YO TO PERFORM  AT 2010 GRAMMY CELEBRATION ® DJ Mick Boogie, GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles and the Jon Batiste Band Also Scheduled to Participate   Chef to the Stars Wolfgang Puck to Cater and Along Came Mary Productions to Produce The Recording Academy ® 's Official GRAMMY Awards After-Party at the Los Angeles   Convention Center  on Jan. 31 LOS ANGELES (Jan. 28, 2010) — DJ Mick Boogie , the  Jon Batiste Band  (featuring  Eddie Barbash,   Jonathan Batiste, Philip Kuehn, Matt Marantz, and Joe Saylor) ,   soul singer and GRAMMY ®    winner  Sam  Moore , R&B sensation and three-time GRAMMY   winner  Ne-Yo ,   and  the  GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles  will perform at the 2010 GRAMMY   Celebration ® , an exclusive invitation-only event. This year ' s star-studded soiree will take guests on a festive journey through a modern twist on a circus theme an...

CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM QUEEN LATIFAH TO SING “ AMERICA  THE BEAUTIFUL” AT SUPER BOWL XLIV ON CBS CARRIE UNDERWOOD  will sing the National Anthem and  QUEEN LATIFAH  will sing “America the Beautiful” as part of Super Bowl XLIV pregame festivities at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, February 7, the NFL and CBS announced today.  The performance will be televised live on CBS Sports prior to kickoff. More than 151 million viewers in the  U.S.  watched last year’s Super Bowl, the most-watched television program in history.  The pregame show and Super Bowl XLIV will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.  Underwood  is among many great performers who have been honored with singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl including: Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Fa...

GEORGE STRAIT RESCHEDULES THIS WEEKEND’S PERFORMANCES Impending Weather Concerns Cause the Arist of the Decade to Change Knoxville and Charlottesville Dates (Nashville, TN) January 28, 2010 – George Strait has always credited  his fans for his career successes and it comes as no surprise he would also  think of them when making career decisions – especially when it comes to their safety. Strait’s shows with Reba and Special Guest Lee Ann Womack this weekend are being rescheduled due to forecasts of inclement weather of snow and ice.  Friday Night’s show in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Thompson Boling Arena has been rescheduled for April 2nd and Saturday night’s show in Charlottesville,VA at the JPJ Arena has been rescheduled for April 3rd. "Due to our concern for the safety of our fans and crew, we are rescheduling shows this weekend," says Strait. "We regret the change but it's best to take all the necessary precautions." Forecasters in Knoxville ...

MARY J. BLIGE AND ANDREA BOCELLI TO PERFORM TOGETHER LIVE IN SPECIAL FUND-RAISING SEGMENT FOR  HAITI  RELIEF ON THE 52ND ANNUAL GRAMMY ®  AWARDS Groundbreaking Performance of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" Will Be Available for Download at iTunes and All Proceeds Will Go to the American Red Cross Benefiting Ongoing Relief Efforts in  Haiti Music's Biggest Night ®   Takes Place  Live Jan. 31 Only on CBS SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 27, 2010) —  Nine-time GRAMMY ®  winner  Mary J. Blige  and world-renowned pop tenor  Andrea Bocelli  will join forces and perform live together in a special fund-raising segment for Haiti relief on the   52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards .  This once-in-a-lifetime performance (audio and video) of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" will be made available for download at iTunes.com/Target  following the telecast, and all proceeds will go ...

RASCAL FLATTS TO MARK 10 TH  ANNIVERSARY WITH TRIBUTE HONORING SONGWRITERS More than 75 members of  Nashville ’s songwriting community to be celebrated Nashville, TN…(January 27, 2010)…Having won nearly 40 major awards trophies in the first decade of their career, Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney will gather early next week to celebrate the more than seventy-five songwriters who have contributed their creative talent to the band’s 6 previously released studio albums. “It all starts with a song, we’ve believed that from day one,” said Jay DeMarcus. “We are so grateful and humbled by the fact that so many of Nashville 's finest song writers have been with us on this incredible ride. We've lent our voices to some of these songs that have, quite literally, changed people’s lives.  What an enormous blessing.  This is just our small way of saying thanks for an incredible first ten years and then, toasting to the next ten!” A ceremony will ...

Loretta Lynn Celebrates 50th Anniversary Career Milestone    Tribute Album Release Scheduled for This Fall Lynn  to Receive GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award This Weekend; Coal Miner’s Daughter  Book Reissue Coming Later This Year Nashville, TN – She is a true icon of country music and American culture, and this year, the Coal Miner’s Daughter, Loretta Lynn, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of her debut single with an all-star tribute album set for release this fall on one of the Sony Music Nashville family of labels.  The project will feature artists from various music genres.  With additional details yet to be announced, the collection coincides with multiple milestones, including the special invitation-only ceremony this weekend at which  Lynn  will be honored as a recipient of the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. Also coming in 2010 will be the reissue of  Lynn ’s 1976 bestselling autobiography,  Coal Miner’s Daughter , ...

GLORIANA RECEIVES ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD NOMINATION FOR TOP NEW VOCAL GROUP Nashville, TN  – Top selling new country group Gloriana has been nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Group of the Year. For the second year, the three newcomer categories — Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo, and Top New Vocal Group —will be opened up to interactive fan voting through VoteACM.com . The winner in each category will be announced in mid-March and will move on to compete for Top New Artist of the Year at the 45 th  Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 18 th  at 8:00pm EST on the CBS Television Network.   "It is an absolute honor to be nominated for an ACM Award," said Rachel Reinert. “We are going from just attending the ACM Awards and playing Freemont Street last year, before our CD was even released, to being nominated this year. We are a...

BRAD  PAISLEY ’S  AMERICAN SATURDAY NIGHT TOUR             Completes Weekend Run of Four Sold-Out Dates NASHVILLE ,  Tenn.    (January 26, 2010)  This past weekend continued the hot success of the  American Saturday Night Tour  with four sold-out shows,  Lexington ,  KY ,  Columbus ,  OH ,  Grand Rapids ,  MI  and  Bloomington ,  IL .  This comes after the recent information released by  Billboard naming the tour #2 in attendance of all genres in its Hot Tour tally for 2010 so far. “His tone was hard as rock, exaggerating the metal sound of classic honky-tonk guitar, fiercely swinging the beat and dazzling with complex but well-thought runs.  His range, in fact, served to add color and emotion….The blues were never far, rock ‘n’ roll constantly energized his sound, and the whole of country tradition was proudly on display.”...

  JASON ALDEAN CONTINUES TO COMMAND THE CHARTS WITH HIS LATEST NO. ONE “THE TRUTH”   2010 WIDE OPEN Tour Kicks-Off with Record Breaking Crowds NASHVILLE, TENN – Jan.  26, 2010 – Chart-topping country rocker Jason Aldean continues to dominate Billboard’s country chart with a third consecutive No. one smash “The Truth,” off his PLATINUM release WIDE OPEN.  In the past nine months, Aldean has held the top spot for an impressive seven weeks. “I know I sound like a broken record lately, but I’ve been working to have a year like we just had since I was 14 years old,” says Aldean.  “We had such a killer time on the road opening this leg of the tour and it means so much to see all of the fans singing every word of ‘The Truth’ along with us.” Aldean’s current chart-topper comes on the heels of a record breaking show in Greenville, SC at the BI –LO Center for the opening weekend of his 2010 WIDE OPEN tour.  With nearly 12,000 fans packing the house, Aldean...

Multi-Platinum Country Music Singer Neal McCoy and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Embark on Four-Country USO Tour to Europe   ARLINGTON, Va.  – Country music icon Neal McCoy recently departed on a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to the UK, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany, January 25-31, 2010.  Joining McCoy on his 14th USO tour are four of “America’s Sweethearts”- the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC).  As part of the week-long USO European trip, McCoy and the DCC will perform for troops and their families, sign autographs and pose for photographs.   The son of an Irish American father who served in the U.S. Army and a Filipino mother, McCoy is a strong supporter of the U.S. military.  Having worked with the USO for nearly a decade, he has performed for thousands of troops and their families, and delivered countless words of encouragement to service men and women stationed around the world.  Some of the countries McCoy has toured include Afghani...