65,000+ Attend; "Today, The Healing Begins"

Garth Brooks made the statement which says it all for the star-studded benefit with all funds going to United Way.

Ronnie Dunn closes his set on Saturday, July 6, 2013 at The Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert at the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. with "Peace, Love and Country Music." Over 65,000 concertgoers were in attendance with many waving American flags while Dunn proudly displayed the Oklahoma state flag.

Donations are being accepted online via the United Way homepage at www.unitedwayokc.org or by texting REBUILD to 52000 which will give an automatic $10 donation to the United Way of Central Oklahoma's May Tornado Relief Fund.

Twitter: #TKOKrelief

The Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert is now less than one week away!

Tickets have completely sold out, with net proceeds (minus only credit card merchant fees and OK sales tax) benefiting The United Way of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund.

Country Aircheck:  "I got old memories of that place," Toby Keith says regarding the University of Oklahoma's Stadium. "I was raised inside of 10 miles of that stadium, I sold Cokes in that stadium when I was 13." The Norman, OK venue plays host to Toby's Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert July 6, and he says his former workplace reached out with open arms to make itself available for the star-studded event. "I made a few phone calls, got Garth Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, Sammy Hagar, Willie Nelson, Mel Tillis, John Anderson, and we just added Carrie Underwood." Carrie plays the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville the same night and plans to join the Oklahoma proceedings via satellite. "She wanted to participate, and we’ve got some other guests that are gonna work between the sets that are going to surprise people."

If you were unable to get tickets and would like to do something to help with the rebuilding of Moore, and the surrounding communities affected by the tornadoes in May, you can still help!  Verizon Wireless is offering a text-to-donate capability before, during and after the benefit concert.   Customers of any wireless carrier may donate by texting the keyword REBUILD to 52000, which will give an automatic $ 10 donation to the United Way of Central Oklahoma's May Tornadoes Relief Fund. Verizon Wireless customers will be limited to five text donations. Donations are also being accepted online via the United Way home page at www.unitedwayokc.org. To give by credit card, call 405-523-3598, 405-523-3597, or the United Way of Central Oklahoma's main number: 405-236-8441. Checks may be mailed to the United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 837, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 with notation for May Tornadoes Relief.

Thank you for your support of the great people of Oklahoma!

Toby Keith's Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert Tickets On Sale Today

Tickets go on sale TODAY - Friday June 21 at 10am sharp via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000, or visiting Homeland store locations.  ALL seats are $25 (all taxes and fees included), all seats reserved - eight-ticket purchase limit.

click this LINK to purchase

Toby Keith, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, Ronnie Dunn, Sammy Hagar, Mel Tillis, & John Anderson for just $25?! AND for a good cause? okay!

WHAT:  Toby Keith's Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert
SHOW:  JULY 6th
WHERE:  OU Stadium – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK
DOORS:  1:30p
SHOWTIME:  3p
They're a whopping $25 a piece

Farm Aid Comes To Saratoga Springs September 21

Each year, Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews headline a Farm Aid concert to bring together a wide variety of musicians, farmers and fans for one mission: keeping family farmers on their land.

Farm Aid is the longest running benefit concert series in America, raising more than $43 million to help family farmers thrive all over the country while inspiring millions of people to learn about the Good Food movement.

Toby Keith Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood & Ronnie Dunn Unite For Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert

The Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium/Norman event is Saturday, July 6 and the star-studded lineup of performers, now being assembled, will include Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, and Ronnie Dunn.

Proceeds will benefit The United Way Of Central Oklahoma May Tornado Relief Fund. Updates on the event and lineup will be posted at www.tobykeith.com.

For Keith, this event and the May storms that led to it are deeply personal. "I grew up in Moore, I live in Norman and I've got lots of family and friends who were directly affected," he says. "I know these folks and they're resilient, but we're going to keep helping them any way we can. I'm proud to get together with some others from around here who are just as committed as I am to supporting these communities."

"Once we got the news that the tornado had hit Toby's hometown, Miss Yearwood and I told Toby we were at his service for whatever he chose to do," Brooks says. "I am amazed at the human spirit the tornado victims have shown. I am humbled by the giving of the volunteers. It is an honor to get to be a part of this healing process." 

Doors open at 1:30pm, show time is 3pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 21 at 10am; all seats are $ 25,  all inclusive, all seats reserved - eight-ticket purchase limit.

Zac Brown Band's "Ultimate Sensory Experience" Features Willie Nelson, Eli Young Band, Kacey Musgraves, John Fogerty And More

Presented by LandShark Lager, Zac Brown Band's Southern Ground Music & Food Festival in Nashville will take place at The Lawn at Riverfront Park on Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28. Tickets now on-sale here!

This year's Nashville festival lineup features Willie Nelson & Family, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Eli Young Band, Kacey Musgraves, The Head and the Heart and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (and more).

Continuing the festival's annual tradition, ZBB's Super Sets will close both nights with special sit-in performances by John Fogerty, Jason Mraz (and EVEN more)!

Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Rosanne Cash, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Tim McGraw, Montgomery Gentry, Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr. "ALL For The Hall"

2005 CMA Entertainer of the Year and four-time Grammy Award winner Keith Urban and Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill will return to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on April 16 for a concert benefiting the Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum.

The show, themed “Rebels and Renegades, The Outlaws are IN” will feature an all-star line-up.

Reserved seating tickets are priced at $35 and $50 and will go on sale to Museum members on next Tuesday, February 26 at 10:00 a.m. CST.

Country Music On New Years Eve

CMT's Edward Morris checked the venues and tour schedules:

Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve telecast on ABC hosted by Ryan Seacrest (Dec. 31) with Swift performing in New York's Times Square, while Aldean will be performing in Los Angeles. 

Willie Nelson is set to do an Austin City Limits show that evening at Austin's Moody Theater that will be broadcast live on Sirius XM satellite radio.

The Zac Brown Band is at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Little Big Town heats things up at Wild Bill's in Duluth, Ga.

Florida Georgia Line headlines an already-sold-out show at Boondocks in Springfield, Ill.

Gary Allan carries country music's flag into the House of Blues in Las Vegas.

The Eli Young Band plays Choctaw Casino in Grant, Okla.

Meanwhile, the supergroup Alabama just announced a "Festival at Sea" celebration cruise for next October to commemorate their 40 years together.

Kenny Chesney Back To Farm Aid Again

September 22 at Hersheypark Stadium:  see Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Kenny and more.

"Kenny Chesney is a loyal, repeat Farm Aid artist and we're thrilled to announce he'll be back on the Farm Aid stage this year!"

Country Revs Up For The Fourth

Billboard Magazine notes that Independence Day is a holiday for much of America, but not everyone. "Among the folks who still have to work: newspaper carriers, convenience-store clerks and a bunch of country artists.  Given the all-American image country acts are so careful to cultivate, working the Fourth is a no-brainer, and the genre will be in full force around the nation when festivities gear up on July 4. Here’s a partial rundown of country’s red, white and blue plans:"

• Brad Paisley appears at a USO concert on the White House lawn. The show will be streamed live here.
• The Mavericks, Craig Morgan and Sarah Darling perform with the Nashville Symphony at Music City’s Riverfront Park.
• Kenny Chesney makes his third appearance on the annual NBC special “Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular.” He also participated in 2003 and in 2008.
• Josh Turner performs from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the annual PBS broadcast of “A Capitol Fourth,” with host Tom Bergeron and guests Phillip Phillips, Matthew Broderick and Kool & the Gang.
• Kix Brooks and Shawna Russell play the Summer OilPatch Festival in Drumright, Okla.
• Willie Nelson hosts his traditional Fourth of July Picnic at Billy Bob’sin Fort Worth, Texas, with Jamey Johnson, Ray Price and Billy Joe Shaver.
• Gretchen Wilson plays FreedomFest at Fort Polk in Louisiana, where the activities include an appearance by 38 Special and a 50-gun salute to America.
• Randy Travis hosts a SiriusXM special, “Red, White and Randy 4th.”

Willie And Pot Continues

Willie Nelson's Texas pot case still isn't resolved. 

Hudspeth County Judge Becky Dean Walker has once again rejected a plea deal prosecutor Kit Bramblett hammered out for Willie. 

Bramblett recently arrived at an agreement with Willie's lawyer, Joe Turner, to have the charge reduced from possession of marijuana to possession of marijuana paraphernalia. The arrangement involved Willie entering a "no contest" plea and paying a 500-dollar fine and court costs. Turner says it's usually "a done deal" after mailing in the paperwork, which he did last month. And the judge signed off on it -- but scratched out her signature after taking a closer look at the document. 

Dean Walker says she felt the penalty wasn't severe enough. She explains that it's her belief an average citizen -- under the same circumstances -- would be facing much harsher consequences. The judge has been adamant throughout the case that Nelson wouldn't receive any preferential treatment. 

Bramblett previously offered to let Willie resolve the case by appearing in court and singing his 1975 hit "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," as well as paying a fine and court costs. Dean Walker rejected that idea as well. 

Nelson's case stems from an arrest last fall, when agents searched his tour bus at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas and reportedly found several ounces of marijuana.

Source: Westwood One

Willie's Got The Fourth Down

Willie Nelson is bringing his popular Fourth of July picnic back to the Fort Worth Stockyards this year to wrap-up to the Country Throwdown Tour.


The Stockyards hosted the picnic from 2004-2006, and this year the festivities will break new ground as they will take place inside and outside of famed nightclub Billy Bob's Texas.


The final stop of the Throwdown tour will feature performances by Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, and Craig Campbell. The picnic will also feature performances by traditional guests including Ray Price and David Allan Coe.


Willie has also teamed up with Wynton Marsalis on a new Ray Charles tribute album, 'Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles.'


It's the second time the two have collaborated on disc. In 2007, they teamed up for a special jazz album recorded live at Lincoln Center. This time, they brought Norah Jones, and she sings on such familiar Ray Charles classics as 'Come Rain or Come Shine' and 'You Don't Know Me.'


All three team up for rousing versions of 'What I'd Say' and 'Hit The Road, Jack' on the new collection.

Willie Celebrates The 4th--Like Willie

Willie Nelson is bringing his popular Fourth of July picnic back to the Fort Worth Stockyards this year to wrap-up to the Country Throwdown Tour.


The Stockyards hosted the picnic from 2004-2006, and this year the festivities will break new ground as they will take place inside and outside of famed nightclub Billy Bob's Texas.


The final stop of the Throwdown tour will feature performances by Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, and Craig Campbell. The picnic will also feature performances by traditional guests including Ray Price and David Allan Coe.


Willie has also teamed up with Wynton Marsalis on a new Ray Charles tribute album, Genius: The Ultimate Collection


It's the second time the two have collaborated on disc. In 2007, they teamed up for a special jazz album . Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC  This time, they brought Norah Jones, and she sings on such familiar Ray Charles classics as 'Come Rain or Come Shine' and 'You Don't Know Me.'


All three team up for rousing versions of 'What I'd Say' and 'Hit The Road, Jack' on the new collection.

Currington Has A Secret Guitar

Billy Currington has written most of his songs on a classical, acoustic guitar he got in Nashville. As you can imagine, Billy's had some great times and late nights writing songs with some of Nashville's top songwriters. It leads you to wonder what that guitar might say if it could talk. Billy says with a laugh, "Oh, it couldn't tell you. It's got a lot of secrets."


Billy's guitar doesn't have a name, it does have something in common with Willie Nelson's iconic guitar, "Trigger," which has a big hole in it from being played so much. Billy's guitar is doing the same thing. He says, "It's starting to wear that hole in it, I guess from many years of your fingernails are hitting that one spot. So, it's becoming my Willie guitar."


Billy continues playing for fans opening for Kenny Chesney on his North American Tour.