Justin Moore Resolves To Support St. Jude's In '12

One thing he has always wanted to do since he started his music career is organize a hometown event to raise money for charity, and it looks like 2012 may be the year he’ll get it started.

“I kinda wanted to wait until I had what I thought was a legitimate platform instead of just going down there and raising a few hundred dollars, which every little bit counts. And more than likely it would be for St. Jude.” Now that he’s had some success (the photo is from his "Bait A Hook" video) and could attract more attention to an event and raise more money he says, “We've been trying to find a date for it.” Plus he’s already started enlisting friends. Justin boasts, “Darius [Rucker] owes me a bet. We bet on the South Carolina/Arkansas game last year, so he lost it so he's gotta come do a charity event for free for me. F-R-E-E, free. We just gotta find a date.”

As a father of two healthy little girls Justin will likely choose St. Jude as the beneficiary of his event because he says, “I've got a soft place in my heart for that place and those kids. I mean I've been able to go down and visit those kids and see that. And if that don't touch your life and change you then you've got something wrong with you.”

Eli Young Band's Coolest 2011 Moments

This was the year they scored their first #1 song with “Crazy Girl.”

Bass player Jon Jones says as Texas natives, “One of the coolest experiences for me, I think for all of us on stage is doing the Houston Rodeo for sixty thousand people … it’s an incredibly tough figure to wrap your head around, how many people that really is there to see you … of just the energy of that stage and the four of us. There was such a big milestone for us.”

There was one down side to the experience. “Unfortunately your adrenaline’s going so fast and it’s hard to take it all in,” explains Jon. “It’s just over before you know it. Before you almost realize what you’re doing.” Mike Eli says the same thing happened during another of their coolest moments, when they played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

“We played three songs and I think we started that first note then all of a sudden, you know, it was over. And that was an incredible feeling to play that stage for the first time.”

The band is gearing up to release their follow-up single to “Crazy Girl”, the song “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” from their album Life At Best officially impacts radio on January 23rd.

Reba Heads Overseas In 2012

Next year will find McEntire headlining the four-day International Festival of Country Music.

She’s excited for the opportunity because she says, “It's been a decade since we've been out of the United States and Canada, out of North America.”

Reba last played Europe in 1999 and she says she decided to go back now because, “They asked me to. The promoter put it together, said 'are you willing to come over?' and I said absolutely! And we wish we could do more than four shows over there. We'd love to do more.” This trip she will help kick off the festival at Wembley Arena on Sunday, February 26, 2012. Then she will travel with the Festival and the other performers including Ricky Skaggs, Little Big Town and Lonestar to Belfast (2/29), Zurich (3/2) and into Germany (3/4).

Country TV Appearances:

Dec. 23rd Tavis Smiley
Alison Krauss

Dec. 23rd Rachel Ray Show
Clay Walker

Dec. 27th Jimmy Kimmel Live
Lady Antebellum (Re-run)

Dec. 31st Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve (ABC)
Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, The Band Perry

Dec. 31st American Country New Year's Eve Live (Fox)
Joe Nichols, Lauren Alaina, Rodney Atkins, Toby Keith, Eli Young Band

Dec. 31st New Year's Eve with Carson Daly (NBC)
Blake Shelton

from GoNCC.com

The Band Perry And Taylor Swift On TV New Years Eve

TBP will be there live and Swift reportedly will be featured on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest as a highlight replay from 2009's rewind which was Seacrest's first year to take the mic from Clark, an ABC special airing Wednesday (Dec. 31).

The activities begin at 10 p.m. ET with Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest, featuring performances live from Times Square, and continue with two parts of the usual New Year's Rockin' Eve airing at 11:35 p.m. and 1:05 a.m. ET.

Meanwhile, two-time Dancing With The Stars champion Julianne Hough will be in Atlanta to headline the music at the 20th annual New Year's Eve Peach Drop. Taking place at Underground Atlanta, the event will be co-hosted by country artist Rissi Palmer and seen on syndicated TV in more than 40 markets. Also in Atlanta, Jason Michael Carroll will be performing at Cowboys Concert Hall.

Wynonna And Santa Team Up

Wynonna serenaded the Make-A-Wish Foundation children & families at the Belle Meade Plantation Home this morning for a Christmas event with the Macy's Santa.

Feel free to add the link to your social sites and/or web sites.

Christmas At Belmont University

An amazing resource for the Nashville music community is Belmont's music school.

So, of course, when they invite musical guests to come for a Christmas concert, it's a rhythmic, lyrical, tuneful group hug.

Click to watch and listen!

(It take awhile, but it will make you wish you were there, with Ben Rector and Matt Wertz.)

The Sound Of A Million Dreams

When David Nail released this album he was looking to make good on the Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance Male earned by his debut’s “Turning Home” and the Academy of Country Music Single of the Year nomination for “Red Light.”

What he reaped is a list of critical accolades – form the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post and the Associated Press – that recognizes his artistic growth and commitment to making music that matters. His “Let It Rain” sits at #4 with a bullet on the country singles chart and has been named one of Amazon.com’s Top 10 Country Songs of 2011 and The Sound of Million Dreams made it’s way onto AOL’s Top 11 Country Albums of 2011, but MTV’s Hive has called Nail’s sophomore release “Overlooked Albums of 2011” in their annual Best of 2011.

“I don’t know why they wouldn’t like it,” says the Kennett, Missourian, “because I think it’s honest music – and whether you’re into Jay Z or Nine Inch Nails, the intensity of the truth comes through. MTV picked my record and Darrell Scott’s record, who was out on tour as part of Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, so I guess they were looking for something that felt real.”

Reviews: “Listen, and let your dreams run wild,” encouraged USA Today, while The Los Angeles Times offered, “songs that chip away at regret, missteps and other human failings, grist for the richest life lessons… Nail seems eager to take on real life” and Entertainment Weekly opined, “a voice that’s even easier listening than Keith Urban’s…” Also, Billboard weighed in with “Stunning. A masterful storyteller, Nail is at his best when he slows down and releases that Mississippi River-drenched voice” and The Washington Post raved, “Nail’s robust tenor might be the most limber and soulful this side of Ronnie Dunn.”

Meet 10 Week Old Boone McCoy Church

Country star Eric Church and wife Katherine welcomed a new baby boy on Oct. 3, and now, at 10-weeks-old, their son meets the world for the first time looking up from the casing of his daddy’s 6-string guitar. Born at 7 lbs. and 11 oz., Boone is a very healthy and happy boy, and according to Eric, is the most amazing gift he’s ever received.

“Everybody always tells you what an awesome and unique experience being a parent is,” says Eric. “But words can never do the feeling justice. The way our life changed in that 24-hour period alone after he was born – just by putting a little boy in the house – was awesome.”

He adds, “It will be interesting to see how this new chapter in our life manifests itself musically. I’ve always made music that was representative of real life. Life doesn’t get more real than having a newborn at home.”

Church plans to celebrate his son’s first Christmas at home with his wife and family. His headlining tour, The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour, will commence in 2012 in Fort Smith, AR on January 19..

Aaron Tippin Returns From His 10th Trip Overseas

Aaron Tippin is back home in Tennessee for Christmas after spending Thanksgiving in Afghanistan, as part of a 10-day tour there.

He traveled with Stars for Stripes, a nonprofit organization.

"Once again, our guys and gals have demonstrated that they are the best and most professional warriors on the face of the planet!"

After his performance at Forward Operating Base Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, Tippin performed push-ups as members of the 2nd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, applied the honorary spurs to his boots. A tradition within the Army Cavalry, spurs are given to soldiers within the unit who have been to combat. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Corey Sparks.)

Did you know that it all started 21 years ago with Bob Hope? Aaron is the 1st country entertainer to travel with Bob Hope to the Persian Gulf to entertain our troops back in 1991. Tippin performed his famous song, “You’ve Got to Stand for Something.”

Martina McBride hosts and performs on the 13th annual "A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS"

The entertainment special will be broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 21 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. It will include performances by McBride, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige and other luminaries.

Martina grew up in Kansas with her three siblings, Martina, Steve and Gina, and she remembers one tradition that happened every morning in their household on Christmas morning. “When we were growing up, one of our traditions was, well, it’s really Santa Claus’s tradition, but Santa Claus would cover the presents with a blanket. A white blanket. So when we’d come down on Christmas morning or come in on Christmas morning, we couldn’t just see it immediately. And so we had to wait for my dad to do the big reveal of all the presents that Santa brought.”

Nowadays Martina enjoys her own family traditions and celebrating the holidays with her husband John and their three daughters, Delaney, who will be 17 on December 22nd, Emma who is 13 and 6-year-old Ava.

CMT celebrates Taylor Swift as one of the video channel's Artists of the Year (video)

Watch The All American Rejects medley of Taylor Swift‘s hit "Mean" and also their own "Gives You Hell" by clicking here. Sorry, guys, but we still like Taylor's original version a lot better. However, her melodies and lyrics do hold up well, regardless of genre.

Capitol/Nashville Is Country Aircheck's Label Of The Year

The honor is their third year's in a row, driven by the radio airplay success of Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker and other newcomers who are connecting with listeners. Here's the musical Christmas card (click to see and hear it) from President/CEO Mike Dungan, SVP/Promotion Steve Hodges and their teams to the entire industry. It's a clue to their smarts and success that they use Little Big Town to deliver the greeting instead of one of their superstars.

Bironas Gets Kicks From Country Star Friends' Video Tricks

Rob Bironas says he's astonished by the amount of support generated by his friends during the final hours of his NFL 2012 Pro-Bowl campaign. Thousands have already cast their vote to secure the Tennessee Titans placekicker a coveted spot on the starting lineup of the AFC’s special teams for the January 29th battle in Honolulu, Hawaii. Less than a day remains for the official NFL Pro-Bowl balloting, so Rob’s friends and fans are passionate about sending him off to Honolulu next month.

So many have sent in viral video support that he has created two separate video vignettes for his official website.

“I am overwhelmed by the support of so many good friends I've met while playing for the Tennessee Titans,” said Bironas. “Who would have thought something as simple as a video would create such a buzz?! Thanks for your support.”

In the first episode, Joe Don Rooney (of Rascal Flatts), Dierks Bentley, Chad Warrix, Storme Warren (SiriusXM’s ‘The Highway’ / GAC’s ‘Headline Country’), Troy Gentry (of Montgomery Gentry), Craig Morgan, Phil Vassar, Lee Roy (of The Roys), Charlie Daniels and Kid Rock pay tribute.

Round two, which premiered yesterday, features fun bits from Carrie Underwood, ALL the Flatts gang, including Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox (and Joe Don Rooney), Chad Warrix (an encore performance), Tracy Lawrence, Nashville Predators’ right wing dangler Jordin Tootoo, TN Titan quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Eric Church, Keith Anderson and Colt Ford.

To cast YOUR vote for Rob and other favorite Pro-Bowl nominees, visit the Official 2012 NFL Pro Bowl ballot page at www.nfl.com/probowl.

Something New For Baby Zac Brown Band Fans

You know you want it: a ZBB "warm milk on a Friday night" onesie.

Heck that $25 price tag has been burning a hole in your diaper anyway..

260% Online increase in Lee Brice Fans Following Video Release

Singer-songwriter, Lee Brice’s new video for “A Woman Like You,” the first single from his sophomore album due out next spring, has generated quite a buzz online. Upon the video’s release November 21, Brice fans on various social media platforms increased over 260%. While “A Woman Like You” heats up, he will begin the New Year with a heavy tour schedule including media visits in California and New York in January and February.

In 2011, when he wasn’t in the studio recording, Brice was busy touring. He criss-crossed the country joining such tours as Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour 2011, CMT On Tour with Luke Bryan, and The Higher Education Tour with Jerrod Niemann. He kicks off the New Year with a string of shows up and down the West Coast.