Headlines

Marty Stuart Throws 50th Birthday Bash at the Grand Ole Opry
[Sep. 19, 2008] Country music icon Marty Stuart will celebrate his 50th birthday with an hour-long bash airing nationally on GAC's OPRY LIVE on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 8:00 pm CT. Friends joining Stuart to honor the milestone year include fellow guitar slinger Keith Urban, Stuart's wife and "country queen" Connie Smith, the much buzzed-about N.C. string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and as always, his Fabulous Superlatives with other surprise guests. By Mary Hilliard Harrington, The Greenroom

ASCAP To Honor Reba McEntire At 46th Annual Country Music Awards Celebration
[Sep. 18, 2008] One of Country Music's most beloved and successful stars, Reba McEntire, will be honored with the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award during the 46th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards ceremony, set for October 13th in Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium.

Industry Leaders Announce Plans for Country Music Retirement Center
[Sep. 16, 2008] Nashville music industry leaders announced plans Tuesday (Sept. 16) for an upscale "senior living" facility for those who have made music their career. To be called the Crescendo at Westhaven and located about 30 minutes south of Nashville in Williamson County, the 180-unit compound is projected for groundbreaking in 2011 and occupancy in 2013.

Opry Member Charlie Walker Dies
[Sep. 12, 2008] Grand Ole Opry star Charlie Walker, who became a popular disc jockey in Texas as he built a career as a honky-tonk singer, has died. He was 81 and had been diagnosed recently with colon cancer.

One Night Rodeo has been voted the The Next GAC Star!
[Sep. 11, 2008] Thirteen years of hard work, dedication and persistence in the same band are three qualifications One Night Rodeo believed made them a solid threat for the Next GAC Star competition.

CMA announces final nominees for 42nd Annual CMA Awars – Kenny Chesney leas list with seven nominations
[Sep. 10, 2008] The final list of nominees for “The 42nd Annual CMA Awards” covers the broadest spectrum of the format from celebrated hit makers, to crossover innovators, with several fresh faces added to the mix. (Complete list included) By Courtesy CMA

Former music executive Merlin Littlefield dies at age 65
[Sep. 10, 2008] Merlin Littlefield, a former music industry executive who enjoyed a second successful career in state government, died of pancreatic cancer at the Alive Hospice in Nashville on Tuesday night. He was 65.

Former Gaston County resident keeps No. 1 spot on country music charts for second week
[Sep. 9, 2008] NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Former Gaston County resident Jimmy Wayne's new single, "Do You Believe Me Now," kept its No. 1 spot for the second consecutive week on both the Billboard/RR and USA Today/Mediabase country singles charts.

Kennedy Center's 2008 Honorees Announced
[Sep. 9, 2008] The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced this morning that its 2008 honorees are veteran actor Morgan Freeman, country crooner George Jones, actress and singer Barbra Streisand, choreographer Twyla Tharp, and rock legends Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who.

Jerry Reed Was One of Country Music’s Most Colorful Characters
[Sep. 4, 2008] When Jerry Reed died this week, country music lost one of its most colorful characters. Yeah, he wrote some memorable songs, made some great records and developed a guitar style that was truly his own, but his image as a redneck good ol’ boy from Georgia permeated his music and ultimately led to his success as an actor. Through the years, other country music artists have been in feature films, but how many of those movies have been as successful as his work with Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit or with Adam Sandler in The Waterboy?

Singer-actor Jerry Reed dies at the age of 71
[Sep. 4, 2008] Jerry Reed, a singer who became a good ol' boy actor in car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit," has died of complications from emphysema at 71.

Tim McGraw to host Music City Jam
[Aug. 26, 2008] Tim McGraw will host and headline the CRS 40 Music City Jam on March 4 at the Nashville Convention Center, according to a press release issued yesterday (8/25) by Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. and the Academy of Country Music.

Marty Stuart to launch country music TV show
[Aug. 26, 2008] Marty Stuart thinks there's room on TV for the style of country music he remembers from The Porter Wagoner Show,Flatt & Scruggs and, of course, Hee Haw. So Stuart decided to create his own TV show. The Marty Stuart Show will begin airing this November on Sunday nights on the RFD-TV cable network.

XM Broadcasts Country Music From Sommet Center
[Aug. 21, 2008] Walk down Lower Broadway in Nashville and you can't miss the glass cone at the Sommet Center.