Darius Rucker's Star-Studded CD

By now you've heard that Hootie and the Blowfish front man, Darius Rucker, released his first country album this week...but have you heard that there's some serious star power on the album? Darius enlisted the help of country giants Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and Brad Paisley for his first country project! Darius told The Memphis Commercial Appeal "Having Alison Krauss, Vince Gill and Brad Paisley on your record adds credibility for sure. All the performers were so great, and so great at what they do. These people are at the top of their genre, and for them to take their time and come down to sing and play was awesome...Everybody delivers when they show up. Listening to Brad Paisley play guitar on my song was a day I'll never forget."

Darius is staying busy during the release week of his CD...he will once again take the stage of the Grand Ole Opry this weekend as he performs there on Saturday night. You can catch the performance live on GAC...check your local listings for that.

Darius seems so genuine, humble and excited about his future in country music...we think he's one crossover that's here to stay!

Chuck Wicks Thanks Brad Paisley...For The Food!

What's Chuck Wicks' favorite part of being on Brad Paisley's "The Paisley Party Tour"...THE FOOD! Chuck says "The best thing about touring and being out on tour with Brad Paisley is the catering out there is just amazing. So I'm not lacking in the food department at all, which helps me get by, as well."

And while Chuck was kidding about the catering being the BEST part of the tour, it's an aspect that Brad is pretty excited about himself! Brad recalls "We now have our own catering, which is a big deal because, boy, was it...it was not edible for a long time because we were just...it was pot luck per city. It was like, you know, you'd go into a building, and the civic arena would have its own caterer, and all of them think...they all thought they were original with chicken and ravioli. It's like, every day, geez, how much more can we eat of that? And bad chicken and ravioli...it wasn't even good!"

Well the next time we're at a Brad Paisley show, we know where we're going for dinner!

Billboard Chart Update!

Much of the same songs compose the top 10 this week, but there has been some strong movement in the top 25. Here are some exciting highlights of this week's Billboard Country Chart...

- As we already told you, Brad Paisley has captured his 8th No. 1 in a row with "Waitin' On A Woman."

- After 21 weeks on the chart, Darius Rucker is still climbing steady, going from No. 5 to No. 3 this week with "Don't Think I Don't Think About It."

- Kenny Chesney breaks into the top 5 with "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven" which moves from No. 6 to No. 5 in only it's 6th week on the chart.

- Luke Bryan is still climbing with "Country Man" after 27 weeks on the chart...he moves from No. 16 to No. 14 this week.

- Tim McGraw made a big jump this week from No. 20 to No. 15 with his current release "Let It Go."

- "Roll With Me" makes a huge leap this week for Montgomery Gentry...it lands at No. 19 from No. 26 last week.

- Bucky Covington finds himself in the top 20 this week where "I'll Walk" moved up from No. 21 to No. 20.

- Country newcomer Crystal Shawanda moved up to the No. 21 spot from No. 25 this week.

8 In A Row For Brad Paisley!

Brad Paisley takes over the No. 1 spot this week on the Billboard country singles chart with his current release, "Waitin' On A Woman." This is Brad's 8th single in a row to claim the No. 1 spot and in appreciation, Brad sent out this message to country radio yesterday...
Keep your ears open for more Brad music...he just released his next single to radio which happens to be a duet with Keith Urban called "Start A Band." Wow, can you imagine these two jamming out on the guitar together?!...awesome!

WE LOVE IT!!!

We're pretty sure that we have to have this! Next month Sony Computer Entertainment America is releasing a new game for PS2 called SingStar Country! You get to sing along to music videos from your favorite artists including Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley and more! How cool is that?! There is also a radio promotion being held by Sony Computer Entertainment America and Sony/BMG Nashville that encourages listeners to sing their way to the CMA awards. If you think you're good enough, you can attend a SingStar competition in your area with the grand prize winner getting a trip to the awards show in November!

Brad Paisley Concert Update

A couple of weeks ago we told you that Brad Paisley has added a 2nd leg to his current "Paisley Party Tour"...well now we know more details! Brad sent out an e-mail to his fan club members releasing the dates and supporting acts for those shows. The current schedule has dates starting in mid-January and running through March 1st, with Dierks Bentley joining Brad on all of those dates. Country newcomers Darius Rucker and Crystal Shawanda will split the opening act duties, with Darius tackling the January dates and Crystal taking over in February. Here's a list of the dates and locations...

• 1/15 - Tupelo, MS ~ BancorpSouth Center


• 1/16 - Little Rock, AR ~ Alltel Arena


• 1/17 - New Orleans, LA ~ New Orleans Arena


• 1/18 - Pensacola, FL ~ Pensacola Civic Center


• 1/22 - Austin, TX ~ Frank Irwin Center


• 1/23 - Bossier City, LA ~ CenturyTel Center


• 1/24 - Tulsa, OK ~ BOK Center


• 1/25 - Lubbock, TX ~ United Spirit Arena


• 1/29 - Dayton, OH ~ Nutter Center


• 1/30 - Moline, IL ~ iWireless Center


• 1/31 - Omaha, NE ~ Qwest Center


• 2/12 - London, ONT ~ John Labatt Centre


• 2/13 - Hamilton, ONT ~ Copps Coliseum


• 2/14 - Ottawa, ONT ~ Scotiabank Place


• 2/17 - Winnipeg, MAN ~ MTS Centre


• 2/18 - Regina, SK ~ Brandt Centre


• 2/19 - Saskatoon, SK ~ Credit Union Centre


• 2/20 - Edmonton, ALB ~ Rexall Place


• 2/21 - Calgary, ONT ~ Penngrowth Saddledome


• 2/24 - Vancouver, BC ~ General Motors Place


• 2/26 - Spokane, WA ~ Spokane Arena


• 2/27 - Portland, OR ~ Rose Garden


• 2/28 - Tacoma, WA ~ Tacoma Dome


• 3/01 - Yakima, WA ~ Yakima Valley Sundome

Jewel's Bus Incident

Jewel's bus driver fell asleep at the wheel on Sunday night. Jewel and husband Ty Murray were not on the bus; passengers were shaken up, but thankfully no one was hurt. The bus ended up in a ditch between Virgina and Tennessee after the Brad Paisley show. Passengers ended up hopping on one of Brad's buses and heading home.

Scary situation, but we're glad no one was hurt! Sounds like someone needed to give her driver a cup of Joe!!

Country Stars Featured In Soundtrack

In early October, there will be a film released showcasing Reverend Billy Graham's life called Billy: The Early Years. To go along with that film, a soundtrack will be released that includes songs featuring Alan Jackson, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, and Josh Turner. Josh Turner will also make his film debut as he plays Graham's musical partner, George Beverly Shea.

The soundtrack will be released on October 7th, with the film opening just a couple of days later on October 10th.

College Colors Day 2008

Over the past few years, country music stars have partnered with College Colors Day to spread the word about showing support for your favorite college. Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley supported College Colors Day in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

This year, Toby Keith has joined in! Toby's picture appears in college bookstores everywhere this week in support of the event. This Friday, August 29th, NCAA fans all around the country will wear their colors in support of their all time favorite school.

More Concerts Coming Your Way!!

Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley have both announced extensions to their respective tours. Rascal Flatts "Bob That Head Tour," which also features Taylor Swift, will now run until November 2nd with the final show being held at Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, CT. Brad Paisley's "Paisley Party Tour" will now offer fans a second leg that begins in January and runs through March. No word on if current tourmates Jewel and Chuck Wicks will remain on the bill, but Julianne Hough will not.

Update: New Music From Brad

The other day we informed you of new music coming from Brad Paisley...well, now we have a few more details from Brad's camp! The album, Play, will be released on Election Day, November 4th, and will include guest appearances from Keith Urban, Little Jimmy Dickens (he's so cute!!), James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgensen, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert, B.B. King, and Steve Wariner. The album features two songs that hit very close to home for Brad..."Kim" and "Huckleberry Jam" were written for his wife and Son...awwww, how cute, we want someone to write a song for us!

New Music Coming From Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley will be releasing a new album soon and although it's a little left of center as far as traditional country records go, this new release won't be much of a surprise for Brad's fans. The album, Play, will be an instrumental album featuring very little vocals...Brad is also not limiting himself to country music with the new CD as he'll reportedly include some jazz and metal music too. Vince Gill and the late, Buck Owens are reported to be guests on the new CD, but that hasn't been confirmed by Brad's camp yet. They will be announcing an official release date and the special guest line-up soon according to his website.

"If I Could Write a Letter To Me"

Country artists Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Womack are two of many well known women contributing to the new book, "What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self." The book was designed to showcase what women would say to themselves if they could go back 20 years. The book was what actually inspired Brad Paisley's hit, "Letter to Me." Brad's wife, Kimberly Williams Paisley, also added her letter to the book!

You can find "What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self" in bookstores as well as Amazon.com.

Kellie & Taylor Team Up To Write

BFF's, Kellie Pickler & Taylor Swift have penned a song together that will appear on Kellie's new album, Kellie Pickler, which is set for release on September 30th. The two became fast friends back when they were on Brad Paisley's tour together last year and they've never looked back! Kellie says that the song will "most definitely" be a single for her and that makes Taylor pretty excited. Taylor tells GAC Nights: Live From Nashville "I'm really crossing my fingers that it'll be a single, cause it's the best song ever." The song is reportedly about an ex-boyfriend of Kellie's that fathered another woman's child while they were dating!! Whoa! We can't wait to hear it along with the rest of the new music from Kellie. Kellie says of the album "I personally think it is going to blow my first album, Small Town Girl, out of the water!" It looks like there's plenty of stars set to release new music this fall and we can't wait!!

Country's Newest Couple?

The Rumor Mill is churning this week...People are speculating that two of country music newest acts, Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough, are dating! Chuck and Julianne are both on Brad Paisley's "Paisley Party" tour, so could their love be stemming from that?

Rumor has it that Julianne showed up at a GAC taping for Chuck on Monday night. Someone also said that Julianne showed up at Chuck's Opry performance on July 1st! Could she have been there just showing support for a friend or is it more than that?

A few things:

1. Didn't Chuck write "Stealing Cinderella" about his girlfriend? Where is she now? Apparently they have been dating for a few years... keep in mind this is just a RUMOR....

2. IF they are dating, that is one HOT couple!!!

3. Chuck, have you seen THIS about Julianne? Not that it's a bad thing... we're just sayin'!

Need A New Truck?!

Click here to enter to win Brad Paisley's fishing truck filled with fishing gear and autographed copies of Brad's entire CD catalog! SWEET!!

Country Stars On The Tube...

Rainy weekend where you are?? If you're stuck indoors or you just feel like kicking back in front of the TV, here's where some of your favorite Country stars can be found...

• CMT Insider ~ Host Katie Cook (beautiful, love her!!) will celebrate Summer as she fills you in on how Kenny Chesney stays cool in the Summertime, she'll take you behind the scenes of Kid Rock's new video for "All Summer Long," and she'll celebrate the arrival of this Summer's most anticipated Country baby, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.
• Country Music Across America ~ As always, GAC's Storme Warren will take you behind the scenes with Country's hottest stars to find out what's new in Country Music. Storme's THE MAN...we can always count on him to bring us the latest news, music and videos straight out of Music City, USA!
• Superstar Sessions - Trace Adkins ~ If you're a big Trace fan, be sure to tune into GAC for a full hour devoted to his music videos!!
• Superstar Session - Tim McGraw ~ If Trace isn't enough hotness for you, tune into GAC for another dose of country lovin' for a full hour of Tim McGraw videos...WOO HOO!!!
• Introducing Luke Bryan ~ GAC takes you back to the roots of Georgia native, Luke Bryan. You'll get to see where Luke grew up, hear from his parents, and see how life's many twists and turns have turned Luke into one of Country Music's brightest rising stars.
• Ultimate Fans - Keith Urban ~ GAC takes you along to meet 3 of Keith Urban's biggest fans! You'll get to see how the fans spend their KU concert days and get the shock of their lives when they get to go BACKSTAGE and hang out with Keith!!
• Alison Krauss ~ GAC will engage you in a 1-hour special devoted to the musical talents and achievements of this vocal powerhouse. This special includes many guest performers including Brad Paisley and James Taylor.
• CMT & GAC will each feature their weekly top 20 Countdown!
• If you're in the need for a good laugh, CMT has plenty of funnies in store for you! Their laugh-out-loud lineup includes numerous episodes of "Mabe In America" (hy-STER-ical!!!) and "Country Fried Home Videos."
  

Be sure to check out your local listings for air times or go to the websites of CMT & GAC.

Brad Goes Green?!

We like Brad Paisley's sense of humor! Watch here as he shows how he is "going green." This video also shows clips of his new video for "Waitin' on a Woman."

If you haven't seen the new video in its entirety, "Waitin' on a Woman," check it out here at CMT.com. We LOVE this video...Andy Griffith does a wonderful job and turns the video into a very heart-warming piece. Once again, Brad has put out a great video!!