The Nashville Minute

Lady A's Valentine's Day Gift Idea & Country Stars On TV

2012-01-14T15:25:00.000-05:00

Faith Hill performed her new song "Come Home" at the People's Choice Awards on Wednesday night. If you missed it, click here to watch her amazing performance. Taylor Swift took home the Favorite Country Artist award.

Set the DVR if you can't be home to watch some of your favorite country stars on the tube in the next two weeks. Chris Young will make his first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, January 17th. He will perform his current single “You.” David Nail will perform on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Thursday, January 19th at 11:35p. He will perform his number one song “Let It Rain.” Hunter Hayes will make his Good Morning America debut on Tuesday January 24th performing his single "Storm Warning.”

And baby makes four..Jo Dee Messina and her husband welcomed their second son, Jonah Christopher, to the family on Wednesday, January 11th. Jonah weighed in at six-pounds, 13-ounces. He joins three-year-old brother Noah in the family.

Valentine's Day is a month away so this is perfect timing..Lady Antebellum are offering a special edition of their hit single "Just a Kiss" set in chocolate. For $18 you can order an edible milk chocolate CD embossed with the song title and the Lady A logo. Check out LadyAntebellum.com for details.

Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift are among Next Movie's nine hottest Nashville movie stars. According to their website, these three -- along with Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson -- have done the best job of transferring their talent from the stage to the screen.

And finally,

Blake Shelton is on the cover of Redbook magazine’s “HOT HUSBANDS” special, which comes out this Tuesday, January 17th. During the interview, Blake describes his relationship secrets with fellow country star Miranda Lambert. He also discusses the upcoming season of NBC’s “THE VOICE,” which premieres after the Super Bowel on February 5th. Blake and Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott are among Cosmopolitan's 2012 Fun Fearless Awards recipients. The list recognizes celebrities for their career achievements and for taking bold risks in their professional and personal lives.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly
On-Air Personality
94.9 WQMX, Akron OH
george@wqmx.com

A Lady A Gets Married & Taylor Lands A Movie Role

2012-01-08T21:14:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott. She and Chris Tyrell exchanged I Do's on Saturday (January 7) before sunset in upstate New York. They posted a short video to share the good news. Check it out on Lady A's website http://www.ladyantebellum.com/.

Faith Hill will perform during the People's Choice Awards on January 11th. Watch it on CBS.

Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, and Willie Nelson are among the stars who recording sessions with Tony Bennett for his Duets Two album were captured for a PBS Special. Carrie teams up with Tony to sing "It Had to Be You", Faith does "The Way You Look Tonight" and Willie duets with Tony on "On the Sunny Side of the Street." The special airs on January 27th on PBS.

Get ready for new country music from some of your favorite country stars...

Tim McGraw gets it going on January 17th with the release of his Emotional Traffic album
On January 24th, Kellie Pickler's 100 Proof and Glen Campbell's Live in Japan hit store shelves
Dierks Bentley's Home will be out on February 7th
Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson, Faith Hill and Brad Paisley are working on new music that will come out later in the year.

Taylor Swift has won the role of Eponine in the movie version of Les Miserables. Production is set to start in March and the film will hit the big screen in early December.

And finally,

Mirand Lambert, Jewel, Lionel Richie and Kelly Clarkson will be advising contestants on the upcoming season of The Voice. Season two premieres February 5th right after the Super Bowl on NBC.

And That is The Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly
On-Air Personality
94.9 WQMX - Akron, OH
email: george@wqmx.com

The Best of Country in 2011

2011-12-27T14:08:00.006-05:00

Here we are... the end of 2011. Me and my staff (aka me) searched for the Best of in Country Music for the year and below is what I found. No denying country music is the "it" thing right now and will be for years to come. It is great to be working in country radio.. I am a fan of country music and have been for 12+ years.. it just keeps getting better and the artists are "real" people, like you and me. I've met several of them (from rising stars to one's that have been around a while) during my 10 years at WQMX and honestly, I like them all. Thank you for being a fan of country music & radio and for reading my Nashville Minute Blog. Have a great 2012.

The Best of Country in 2011

The National League of Junior Cotillions ranked Taylor Swift No. 5 on the "10 Best-Mannered People of 2011." The list recognizes Taylor for inspiring young people through music and manners.

Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas, Eric Church's Chief, Terri Clark's Roots & Wings and The Dirt Drifters' This Is My Blood are among the AllMusic staff's 22 "Favorite Country Albums Of 2011." Check out the full list by clicking here.

iTunes selected Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party as its Country Album of the Year, Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" the Country Song of the Year, and Eric Church as its Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Ashton Shepherd's Where Country Grows, The Civil Wars' Barton Hollow and Eric Church's Chief are among NPR's staff-compiled " 50 Favorite Albums Of 2011."

Miranda Lambert's Four the Record, Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels and Eric Church's Chief have each earned a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 albums of 2011. The magazine calls Miranda's Four the Record "her most easeful and assured record yet" and says that the Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels is "an album for our Great Recession -- songs about trailer parks, mounting debt and ne'er-do-well men who make hard times harder." Rolling Stone calls Eric "a country singer a rock fan could love -- saluting Jesus and Springsteen, mixing up backwoods twang with power chords and Stones riffs."

Lady Antebellum's Own The Night tops Amazon's "Best Country Albums of 2011" list. The rest of the top five in descending order are Scotty McCreery's Clear As Day, Toby Keith's Clancy's Tavern, Martina McBride's Eleven and Luke Bryan's Tailgates & Tanlines. Lady Antebellum's "Just A Kiss" also topped the online store's "Best Country Songs of 2011."

Billboard has also released its list of the Top 10 Country Singles for 2011. Here they are in alphabetical order:

· "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" - Thompson Square

· "Baggage Claim" - Miranda Lambert

· "Cost of Livin'" - Ronnie Dunn

· "From a Table Away" - Sunny Sweeney

· "Home" - Dierks Bentley

· "Honey Bee" - Blake Shelton

· "Red Solo Cup" - Toby Keith

· "Remind Me" - Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood

· "Teenage Daughters" - Martina McBride

· "You and Tequila" - Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter

· Honorable Mention: "The Gospel According to Jones" - Eric Lee Bedingfield

Country Music is well represented on the Associated Press' all-genre Album of the Year list. Miranda Lambert's girl group, Pistol Annies, check in at number-seven with Hell on Heels, and Lady Antebellum's Own the Night takes the number-nine position. The Civil Wars land at number-two with Barton Hollow.

And Finally,RollingStone has named Nashville the BestMusic Scene for 2011. The magazine recognizes hot spots in Music City fromvenues like Robert's honky-tonk and the legendary Ryman Auditorium, to barslike retro speakeasy Patterson House. They also shine a spotlight on locallyowned restaurants, record stores and clothiers.

And that is the Best of Country in 2011.

Keep it Real and Keep it Country.

George McFly 94.9 WQMX Weekend On-Air Personalitygeorge@wqmx.com

Carrie Underwood Tops List & The Country Grammy Nominees

2011-12-10T08:53:00.000-05:00

Right on the money.... Carrie Underwood has been named country's most beautiful woman for 2011, according to a poll in Country Weekly magazine. Also making the list are Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire and Shania Twain.

Miranda Lambert's Four the Record, Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels and Eric Church's Chief have each earned a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 albums of 2011. The magazine calls Miranda's Four the Record "her most easeful and assured record yet" and says that the Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels is "an album for our Great Recession -- songs about trailer parks, mounting debt and ne'er-do-well men who make hard times harder." Rolling Stone calls Eric "a country singer a rock fan could love -- saluting Jesus and Springsteen, mixing up backwoods twang with power chords and Stones riffs.

Ronnie Dunn shares a new video on his website taking fans behind his song "Cost of Living." In it he lets fans share their stories of facing the unemployment crisis and then shares his own family's struggle when his father lost his job -- Ronnie was nine at the time.

Fox News is reporting that Taylor Swift is in the running to play Eponine in the movie version of the Broadway show Les Miserables. Taylor is going up against Glee's Lea Michele, Scarlett Johansson and Evan Rachel Wood. Good luck Taylor.

And finally,

Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift lead the country pack for the Grammy Awards. The Band

Perry is the only country entry in the all-genre Best New Artist category. The awards will be given

out on February 12, 2012. Watch it on CBS. The nominees are:

Best Country Solo Performance
Jason Aldean- Dirt Road Anthem

Martina McBride - I'm Gonna Love You Through It

Blake Shelton - Honey Bee

Taylor Swift - Mean

Carrie Underwood - Mama's Song

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson - Don't You Wanna Stay

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter - You and Tequila

The Civil Wars -- Barton Hollow

Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not

Best Country Song (songwriter's award)
Thompson Square- Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not

Blake Shelton - God Gave Me You

Trace Adkins - Just Fishin'

Taylor Swift - Mean

Vince Gill - Threaten Me With Heaven

Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter - You and Tequila

Best Country Album
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Eric Church - Chief
Lady Antebellum - Own the Night
Blake Shelton - Red River Blue
George Strait - Here For a Good Time
Taylor Swift - Speak Now

Best New Artist (All-Genre)
The Band Perry

Bon Iver

J. Cole

Nicki Minaj

Skrillex

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly

On-Air Personality

94.9 WQMX - Akron, OH

george@wqmx.com

Giving Thanks for Country Music!

2011-11-24T06:59:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to singer-songwriter Brantley Gilbert on his number one song Country Must Be Country Wide. This is the highest-charting debut single for a new artist in 2011, and is his third number one single this year. Brantley wrote Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party and Dirt Road Anthem, which both went number one.

Taylor Swift added three more awrds to her trophy case...at the recent American Music Awards (held on 11/20) she picked up the all-genre Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist and Country Album of the Year for Speak Now. She is the first artist in the 39 years of the show to win the all-genre honors twice. Lady Antebellum took the prize in the Country Band/Duo or Group category and Blake Shelton won for Country Male Artist.

It's a girl! Justin Moore and wife Kate welcomed their second daughter into the world on November 21st. Kennedy Faye Moore joins sister Ella Kole. In other Justin news, he will appear on CBS’ LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON this coming Monday, November 28th. He will perform his current single Bait A Hook.

The JaneDear Girls will perform Shotgun Girl on the November 28th episode of the CW show, Hart of Dixie.

Alabama will receive the Greatest Hits award at the upcoming American Country Awards, in honor of the 43 number-one singles in their three-decade career. The American Country Awards will air live from Las Vegas on December 5th on FOX.

And finally,

The nominees for the People's Choice Awards are in... leading the country pack is Taylor Swift. She's up for Favorite Country Artist, as well as Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Tour Headliner. Also nominated for Favorite Country Artist are Blake Shelton (also nominated up for Favorite Male Artist), Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts. Lady A's Own the Night is also up for Favorite Album of the Year. You can vote for your country favorites by logging into PeoplesChoice.com or Facebook.com/PeoplesChoice, The People's Choice Awards air live from L.A. on January 11th on CBS.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly
On-Air Personality, 94.9 WQMX
email: george@wqmx.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcflyontheradio
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mcflywqmx

Brothers of the Sun Tour & Country's "Cool People"

2011-11-16T23:03:00.006-05:00

BIG NEWS: Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw have teamed for the 2012 Brothers Of The Sun Tour, which will play 19 stadiums on weekend dates beginning June 2nd in Tampa, FL. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jake Owen are special guests. Click here for more info.

Fans of country newcomer (and American Idol runner up) Lauren Alaina already know this but for those that don't, Laurne will participate in Graceland's annual holiday lighting this Friday, November 18th in Memphis. Elvis.com will webcast the event at 6pm.

Don't miss the 60 Minutes profile of Taylor Swif this Sunday, November 20th on CBS.

The Band Perry is the only country act on the 2011 American Music Awards performers list. The AMAs air live this Sunday, November 20th at 8pm ET on ABC. Taylor Swift and The Band Perry are the country artists with the most nominations. The complete list of country nominees is provided below:

POP OR ROCK
Artist of the Year
Adele
Lady Gaga
Lil' Wayne
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift

New Artist of the Year (fan votes to determine final nominees)
Foster the People
Hot Chelle Rae
The Band Perry
Thompson Square
Marsha Ambrosius
Miquel
LMFAO
Wiz Khalifa

COUNTRY

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
The Band Perry - The Band Perry
Taylor Swift - Speak Now

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift

The Marshall Tucker Band will release their legendary Greatest Hits package on vinyl for a second time. The new package will include previously unreleased material, making it a 17-track double album. The Marshall Tucker Band Greatest Hits comes out November 22nd.

The Hip-Pop website GlobalGrind.com has announced its list of the 10 Coolest People in Country Music. Taylor Swift makes the list due to her live crossover collaborations. Tim McGraw also gets cool points for being a triple threat -- singer, actor and husband to Faith Hill, who's on the list, too. Other country cool people are Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Carrie Underwood.

Since I mentioned Faith Hill above, I must share more about Faith here. She is the only country artist on the bill of NBC’s Christmas In Rockefeller Center. The November 30th special will feature the 79th annual lighting of a Norway spruce; this year's tree is 74 feet tall and weighs 10 tons.

And finally,

If you are a fan of Cross Canadian Ragweed, then get to the store now to pick up their five-CD/live DVD set Box Of Weed. The collection includes their self-titled album, Soul Gravy, Garage, Mission California and Happiness And All The Other Things, as well as the live DVD Back To Tulsa: Live And Loud At Cain’s Ballroom.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real and Keep it Country!

George McFly
comments: george@wqmx.com

McFly's 45th Annual CMA Awards Recap

2011-11-10T11:56:00.000-05:00

The CMA Awards show was held last night (11/9) in country’s hometown, Nashville. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood were the hosts again (and suspect they will be for a long time) and did not disappoint. Witty humor, parody songs and friendly jabs on Hank Williams Jr, Kim Kardashian divorce, the Oscars (Eddie Murphy pulling out and Brad offering to take his place)... oh, there was Miss Piggy and the Tim McGraw / Faith Hill dolls that filled the venue with many laughs. Brad and Carrie also performed their duet “Remind Me.”

Highlights….

Carrie Underwood had 11 wardrobe changes during the 3-hour telecast.

Blake Shelton and Kenny Loggins kicked of the performance part of the night with “Footloose.”

Faith Hill made a return to the CMA Awards stage for the first time in 5 years. Faith sang her new song “Come Home” from her next album, which will come out in early 2012.

Lionel Richie made his country debut by teaming up with Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town and Darius Rucker.

Other non-country singers took part in country’s biggest night.. Natasha Bedingfield w/ Rascal Flatts (Easy), Matt Nathanson with Sugarland (Run) and Grace Potter with Kenny Chesney (You and Tequila). I’d like to hear more “country” type songs from Natasha and Grace.. they are very talented.

There was a great tribute to a country legend, Glen Campbell, by Keith Urban, Vince Gill and Brad Paisley. Glen even came up on stage and received a standing ovation.

Another standing ovation was given to a “casually dressed” Taylor Swift. Taylor’s on stage props included a comfy couch, a lamp and a guitar. It’s all she needed to sing her new song “Ours.”

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert took home their respective vocalist of the year award. During Miranda’s acceptance speech she said "it's gonna be a good night tonight baby!"

The Band Perry stole the show with their performance of “All Your Life” and by winning three awards.

And the winners are….

Entertainer of the Year
Taylor Swift

Male Vocalist of the Year
Blake Shelton

Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert

Album of the Year
My Kinda Party - Jason Aldean

Musical Event of the Year
"Don't You Wanna Stay" - Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

New Artist of the Year
The Band Perry

Music Video of the Year
"You and Tequila" - Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Single of the Year
"If I Die Young" - The Band Perry

Song of the Year (songwriters award)
"If I Die Young" - Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry)

Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum

Vocal Duo of the Year
Sugarland

Musician of the Year
Mac McAnally (guitar)

Post your comments on the show..

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real and Keep it Country!

George McFly
Email: george@wqmx.com

New Country Albums & CMA Awards

2011-11-05T15:07:00.001-04:00

Album Stuff

Toby Keith's Clancy's Tavern is the nation's top-selling country album. Scott McCreery's Clear as Day falls to number-two after a three week run at number-one. Lady Antebellum's Own the Night is at number-three. Vince Gill’s Guitar Slinger and Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party round out the Top 5.

Rascal Flatts will release their first live album on November 8^th titled The Best of Rascal Flatts Live.

Josh Gracin’s new album, Redemption, also comes out on November 8^th.

David Nail has a new album coming out too. Look for The Sound of Million Dreams in stores on November 15^th.

Miranda Said What?
Miranda Lambert is both sympathetic and realistic about Kim Kardashian's divorce news. She tells CMT.com, "I just kind of feel sorry for her in a way. In another way, I don't, because you get what you asked for. Living that kind of a lifestyle, you know that you're gonna have backlash. I think that it's stressful enough to get married for regular people, like Blake and I, and I can't imagine all that pressure on her."

With the CMA Awards coming up next week, Miranda Lambert needs to think about where she and husband Blake Shelton can display any awards they win. That's because they've combined their winnings into one trophy case, and there's not much room left. She jokes with Us Weekly, "I was like, 'Look, Blake, we're awesome! We have all these awards!'" Miranda is nominated for Female Vocalist and Vocal Event, and Blake is up for Entertainer, Single, Album and Video.

Marriage certainly agrees with Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton after five months. The new bride tells Us Weekly, "We learned to grow up and settle down... We still have a blast, but in a different way. I mean, we lie there watching the Weather Channel."

CMA Scoop - LIVE from Nashville on Wednesday, November 9th on ABC; starts at 8pm

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the CMA Awards show. They’ll also perform their duet “Remind Me.”

Blake Shelton and Kenny Loggins have the honors of being the first performers. They’ll sing "Footloose," which Kenny originally sang and Blake re-made for the movie remake.

Other performers include Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, the Zac Brown Band, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift.

Faith Hill will perform at the awards show for the first time in five years. She will debut the first single “Come Home” from her next album, which will come out in early 2012.

Thompson Square will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! immediately following the awards show on ABC.

Here are the nominees for the 45th Annual CMA Awards:

Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist of the Year
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Album of the Year
All About Tonight - Blake Shelton
My Kinda Party - Jason Aldean
Speak Now - Taylor Swift
This Is Country Music - Brad Paisley
You Get What You Give - Zac Brown Band

Musical Event of the Year
As She's Walking Away - Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert
Don't You Wanna Stay - Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
Old Alabama - Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
You and Tequila - Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

New Artist of the Year
The Band Perry
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Thompson Square
Chris Young

Music Video of the Year
Honey Bee - Blake Shelton
If I Die Young - The Band Perry
Mean - Taylor Swift
Old Alabama - Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
You and Tequila - Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Single of the Year
A Little Bit Stronger - Sara Evans
Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band
Honey Bee - Blake Shelton
If I Die Young - The Band Perry
Don't Want to Stay - Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

Song of the Year (songwriters award)
Dirt Road Anthem - Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford (Jason Aldean)
If I Die Young - Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry)
Mean - Taylor Swift
You and Tequila - Matraca Berg and Tina Carter (Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter)
Colder Weather - Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrett, Levi Lowrey and Coy Bowles (Zac Brown Band)

Vocal Group of the Year
The Band Perry
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo of the Year
The Civil Wars
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland
Steel Magnolia
Thompson Square

Musician of the Year
Sam Bush - mandolin
Jerry Douglas - dobro
Paul Franklin - steel guitar
Dann Huff - guitar
Mac McAnally - guitar

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real and Keep it Country!

George McFly
comments: george@wqmx.com

Country Star Birthdays & Taylor Swift Pop-Up Video

2011-10-29T14:41:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Brad Paisley and Charlie Daniels. Both celebrated birthday's on Friday. Brad turned 38 and Charlie blew out 75 candles.

Faith Hill will perform on the 45th Annual CMA Awards November 9th on ABC. What song will she sing? We didn't know until pop group One Republic spilled the beans on their Twitter page. Faith will cover the group's song "Come Home."

Carrie Underwood tops the list of Hottest Celebrity Blondes for 2011 according to NYBlondes.com. Taylor Swift's made the list number-15 ranking and Faith Hill landed at number-21.

For those familiar with VH-1's Pop-up Video, the next time you watch look for Taylor Swift. Taylor's "Our Song" got the pop-up video treatment. If you don't want to wait to see it, click here.

More news on Taylor, she voices the part of Audrey in the animated movie The Lorax, which will be in theaters on March 2nd. The cast also includes Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms and Betty White.

The set list for the new Country Dance Two video game has been released, and among its boot-scootin' hits are Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee," Dierks Bentley's "Sideways," Josh Thompson's "Won't Be Lonely Long" Luke Bryan's "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" and Keith Urban's "Better Life." The game will be in stores November 1st.

And finally,

Their back together and set to tour and release a new album. Lonestar will celebrate their 20th anniversary with the return of lead singer Richie McDonald and with a new album and world tour in 2012. He says, "We've all tried other avenues, and the fact remains that some things were just meant to be." The band's Keech Rainwater adds, "I think fans ultimately wondered if this was ever going to happen again, and it always seemed like the original Lonestar as a whole was better than the sum of its parts." There's no word on a release date for the album, but we know for sure that the tour will hit England, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany early next year.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly
On-Air Personality 94.9 WQMX
Email: george@wqmx.com

Rascal Flatts LIVE Album & Billboard's "Country" Woman of The Year

2011-10-22T09:28:00.007-04:00

It's been a while since we've heard from Neal McCoy but soon you'll get to purchase two new albums. He is set to release one in the fall--Music of Your Life, is a collection of his biggest hits and American standards and one in the winter--Twelve, produced by his friends Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton.

Rascal Flatts will release their first live album on November 8th. The album, The Best of Rascal Flatts Live, will feature 10 songs recorded in various venues throughout their tour.

Craig Morgan will release a five-song EP, This Ole Boy, digitally on November 1st with the full album coming out early next year.

Taylor Swift has been named Billboard's Woman of the Year and will pick up the honor at the Billboard Women in Music conference in New York on December 2nd. The magazine says the event "celebrates the most powerful and talented women in the music business," and Taylor has been selected not only for her recording and touring success, but also for her songwriting and philanthropic efforts.

With just a few months left in 2011, never too early to start making plans for 2012 and that's exactly what Taylor Swift is doing. In addition to working on a new album and tour, she tells MTV that she has "some surprise projects that may or may not happen and possibly some acting." Taylor's Speak Now tour continues through the first of the year, and her new perfume, Wonderstruck, is available now.

And finally,

Social networking site Splashlife has named Chris Young and Hunter Hayes to their list of 30 Under 30 Musicians to Know. Chris tells the website that his proudest moments in his career so far are "my first gold record, my first Grammy nomination and four straight number-ones." Hunter offers this advice to aspiring entertainers: "Be who you are and forget the expectations of anyone else."

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real and Keep it Country!

George McFly
94.9 WQMX On-Air Personality
comments: george@wqmx.com

Reba's New TV Show & Brad Paisley's Book

2011-09-18T20:20:00.000-04:00

Reba McEntire is making a return to our TV. She has a pilot for an ABC sitcom called Malibu Country. The show is about a singer who divorces her rock star husband after he cheats on her and leaves her almost broke. No word on when the pilot will air.

Lady Antebellum is taking on a tour of their homes in the new issue of People Country. Hillary Scott shows off the bungalow she and fiance Chris Tyrell renovated and decorated with "flea market finds and T.J. Maxx deals." Charles Kelley and his wife Cassie welcome you to their Colonial style home, and Dave Haywood opens the doors to his bachelor pad which is an urban loft in downtown Nashville.

Brad Paisley will publish his first major book, Diary of a Player, on November 1st. The book is about the people who helped shape Brad into the artist he has become.

Miranda Lambert will release two versions of her new album, Four the Record, on November 1st. The regular version with just songs and a limited-edition deluxe edition that include a bonus tune and a DVD with Miranda talking about each song on the album.

Finally,

He is the KING of the country album chart this week! George Strait's new album, Here for a Good Time, is the nation's number-one country album. Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party lands at number-two, Jake Owen's Barefoot Blue Jean Night is number-three. Luke Bryan's Tailgates and Tanlines and Eric Church's Chief round out the Top 5.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real and Keep it Country!

George McFly

94.9 WQMX On-Air Personality

george@wqmx.com

CMA Nominees & Country Star TV Appearances

2011-09-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

Nominees for the Country Music Association Awards have been announced. Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift got five nominations each, including one each for the Entertainer of the Year award. The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band each picked up four nominations.Kenny Chesney grabbed three. Miranda Lambert has two nominations, including Female Vocalist of the Year and Carrie Underwood was also nominated for the same award. Sara Evans picked up two nominations -- Female Vocalist and Single of the Year for a "A Little Bit Stronger." The 45th annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will air live from Nashville on ABC on November 9th.

Chris Young will be performing live CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson this Monday, September 12th. The show kicks off at 12:35am.

Lady Antebellum's new album, Own The Night, comes out on Tuesday, September 13th. They'll be hitting the early morning and late night show circuit.. first stop, Tuesday, September 13th, on NBC’s TODAY show, followed by an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on FRIDAY, September 16th. The group will also be featured on CBS' Sunday Morning show on Sunday, September 25th.

Ashton Shepherd announced the birth of her baby girl, Raden Delilah, on Twitter on Friday, 9/9. She writes, "Hey fans, friends and family. Baby Raden is here! I'm hurting pretty bad, but I'm so happy. She is beautiful. God is truly great."

Carrie Underwood says her fabulous, shapely legs are mostly a result of genetics -- and exercise. She tells Us Weekly, "I do lunges, I do squats, I run. I generally try to take an all-around approach to good health." Carrie also spills the beans about her celebrity fashion crush saying "Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorites because she just seems so normal. She's my fashion icon."

And finally,

Along with Lady Antebellum's new album, Own the Night, coming out this Tuesday, September 13th.. look for Brantley Gilbert's Halfway to Heaven: Deluxe and Steve Holy's Love Don't Run.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly

email: george@wqmx.com

Lady Antebellum's Backstory & Taylor Swift's YouTube Interview

2011-09-05T07:57:00.000-04:00

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will tour together in Australia next year. It will be the first time they've toured together outside of North America, and it will be Faith's first visit Down Under. During the shows, they'll be performing separately and together. The tour will kick off on March 14th in Perth and continue on to Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. Both Tim and Faith are working on new albums.

Taylor Swift answered questions from fans on YouTube recently. She talked about everything from writing songs about guys who do her wrong, to the funny costumes people wear at her shows to get her attention. Click here to watch the full YouTube interview.

Get ready for the NFL season... it kicks off this week in Green Bay and there is a country connection.Lady Antebellum will be a part of the kick off festivities at Lambeau Field on Thursday, September 8th. You can watch their (& others) performance on NBC at 7:30pm before the Packers take on the New Orleans Saints.

More Lady A news... Lady Antebellum will be featured on GAC-TV’s special Backstory: LADY ANTEBELLUM, which airs Sunday, September 11th at 8pm. The episode will share how the group was founded, and their rise to stardom. It will also share never before seen childhood photos and performance videos as well as conversations with each member’s families.

And finally,

GAC-TV is rolling out a new show called Day Jobs in which stars go back to work at their place of employment before they were famous. The show follows stars like Trace Adkins, who spends three-days on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico; Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town makes a return to a restaurant as a waitress, and David Nail goes back to work at Dairy Queen, a job he got fired from sampling too much of the goods. The show premieres on September 8th.

And that is the Nashville Minute.

Keep it Real & Keep it Country!

George McFly

On-Air Personality

94.9 WQMX -- Akron, OH

george@wqmx.com