Marty Stuart & Connie Smith Museum Shows

If you are new to country music, you may not have heard of Marty Stuart or Connie Smith, but both musicians are more than worthy of a brief introduction. Marty Stuart, born in Philadelphia Mississippi on September 30th, 1958, was just thirteen years old when he began to pick at the mandolin. His impressive skills were immediately recognized by Lester Flatt and his bluegrass band. After Flatts passed away, in 1979, Stuart went on to play with legendary guitarist Doc Watson.

But the work that he is, perhaps, best known for is his six year spell with none other than Johnny Cash. Joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1992, Stuart went on to sing his heart out, but he also happens to have other talents. Stuart is well known for his renowned photography skills, and he has taken many great photographs of iconic country performers. In addition to singing and photography, Stuart has a passion for collecting country-related artifacts. In 1997, Stuart married fellow Opry star Connie Smith.

Connie Smith’s 1964 chart topper “Once a Day” spent eight weeks at number one on Billboard’s Country music charts – the longest of any female country star to date. Although her past music career has been filled with extreme highs and lonesome lows, Smith remains one of country music’s top female vocalists.

Husband and wife team, Smith and Stuart, will perform at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville along with songwriters Dallas Frazier, Randy Sharp, and Travis Meadows. If you are interested in watching these country icons perform, the shows will be held monthly on August 21st, September 18th, and October 16th, and is billed as “Twangin’ Tuesdays.” Additionally, the museum will showcase some of Stuart’s great country and photography collection, so these tickets are well worth it.

Screaming Eagles Welcome Paisley

Brad Paisley has made a little detour on his Bonfires & Amplifiers tour. Paisley’s entourage found themselves heading to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for a recent concert that honored soldiers and family of the 101st Airborne Division. Paisley called this concert “the most important concert I will play all year” because most of these men and women will be sent to Iraq before the month is through.

The concert drew a whopping 35,000 people and also featured music from Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift. Paisley expressed his respect for the men and women by stating “we wanted to bring a little party to you before your next deployment.” Needless to say, the 101st thoroughly enjoyed the special tour stop, and the tree country starts played all night long to a roaring crowd.

The 101st Airborne Division is also known as the “Screaming Eagles,” and is an elite airborne division of the United States Army. Their main mission is air assault operations, and they will play an integral part in the Iraq war. The air division has also been a crucial aspect of the past Vietnam War when they were formally marked as an “airmobile division.” Most of the graduates that Paisley played for are graduates of the U.S. Army Air Assault School and proud wear the “Air Assault Badge,” which designates their status. Back in the day of President Eisenhower, the 101st was a parachuting division, but today they only keep the “airborne” title as a sign of respect for their origins. It can be easily said that without this division, wars would be a much different sort of game.

Faith Hill Causes Stir

Faith Hill is a sweet, charming, country gal – until a fan accosts her husband’s private parts. At a concert in Lafayette, Louisiana, a highly intoxicated female fan reached over and grabbed Tim McGraw’s genitals. Faith wasn’t having any of this disrespectful behavior, so she snatched the microphone and told the woman “Somebody needs to teach you some class, my friend.” Faith went on to lecture the fan about ethics, morals, and respect. Video of Faith’s speech was spread all over the internet, and surprisingly, some fans have been repulsed by Faith’s actions.

Being a celebrity means constantly being chased by the media, and sometimes being photographed in less than perfect conditions, but no person should have to be subject to this type of harassment. Tim McGraw was also the target over another overzealous fan who decided to steal his wedding ring off of his finger. McGraw stopped the show to demand his ring back, but the fan had already passed the ring back into the audience. McGraw stepped off of the stage in order to find his ring, and at this point was accosted by the other aggressive fan.

McGraw and Hill, along with many other musicians, have recently been playing to fans in a more intimate setting. This type of stage is erected in order to bring the musicians closet to the fans than ever before, but maybe they are just a tad too close. For now, Faith has said her piece, and Tim has managed to recover his wedding ring, but are fans starting to become just a little too comfortable towards their favorite stars?

Lucinda Williams to Play Retrospective

Lucinda Williams will be treating fans to a unique career retrospective during upcoming five-night stints in Los Angeles and New York City. During each concert, Williams will perform a different one of her albums in its entirety. She will then return for a second set featuring material from her current release, "West."

Williams will be performing the albums in reverse chronological order, opening the five-night series of concerts on each coast with 2003's "World Without Tears." The second night will have 2001's "Essence," followed by 1998's "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" on the third night, 1990's "Sweet Old World" on the fourth night, and lastly her 1988 self-titled album on the fifth and final night.

All the Los Angeles shows will be performed at the El Rey Theater, with concerts September 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. Williams, who sold out the Radio City Music Hall in March, will return to New York City for an encore, playing Irving Plaza September 29 and 30 before moving to Manhattan's Town Hall for the final three shows October 2, 3, and 4. Williams will, of course, be joined by her band, which features guitarist Doug Pettibone, bassist David Sutton, and drummer Butch Norton.

"West," Williams' eighth album, was released earlier this year to overwhelming critical acclaim, receiving an "A" from Entertainment Weekly and garnering four stars from People magazine and Rolling Stone. It's her first release since her 2005 live album, "Live @ the Fillmore," and her first studio release since 2003's "World Without Tears."

Kris Kristofferson

Who says you can’t have it all? Kris Kristofferson started off his career not as a songwriter, but as scholar. This Rhodes Scholar had a gift in his heart that he simply couldn’t ignore. So, he took to the road, gave up his studies, and traveled to Nashville where he met the great Johnny Cash. Cash can be credited with giving Kristofferson his big break when Cash decided to use one of Kris’ songs “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” which won the CMA song of the year in 1970.

Kristofferson was always searching to create that one song that hadn’t yet been heard, and he found it with his smash hit “Me and Bobby McGee,” which was made infamous by both Roger Miller and Janis Joplin. But simply creating award winning, top of the charts hits was not good enough for this curious intellect. Kristofferson chose to pursue a movie career in 1971 with his debut in Cisco Pike, which also starred film icon Gene Hackman. Kristofferson’s public adored his on screen presence and he went on to star in nearly two films per year, most of them great successes. Kristofferson’s movie career is still going strong, and he has recently been asked to perform the duty of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Artist in Residence. Kristofferson will join other greats that chose to accept this title such as Cowboy Jack Clement, and Earl Scruggs (to name a few). If you are one of the many Kristofferson fans, this great musician and actor can be seen on August 14th & 15th, 2007, at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Ford Theatre. Tickets are already available and can be purchased for $40.00.

Lucinda Williams & Charlie Louvin

Charlie Louvin (The Louvin Brothers) will join Lucinda Williams on her next tour beginning July 14th in Kansas City. The tour will last throughout thirteen cities finally ending in Council Bluffs Iowa on August 1st. Why would this Louisiana country star invite a nearly eighty year old legend to tour with her? Because Charlie Louvin is as close as you can get to a living icon.

If you talk to any country fan that lived during the 1940s – 1950s, you are likely to hear the story of Charlie and Ira Loudermilk – only you are more likely to hear of their stage name “The Louvin Brothers.” These two brothers were born in the Appalachian Mountains in Alabama, and they had country music in their soul from the time there were kids. Beginning, as most country stars do, in their church choir the Louvin Boys were an instant hit with friends, family, and the community in general. Not surprisingly, the community wasn’t just trying to flatter the brotherly duo when they were booked for gig after gig, this pair had unmatched talent. But this duo’s career didn’t launch right away. After serving his country, Charlie Louvin returned home to join his brother and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where they produced one album for Apollo Records. Eventually, the brothers tried their luck at Decca Records, but their single didn’t prove to be successful. Never giving up, they signed with MGM records, and then with Capitol Records where they recorded the Gospel album “The Family Who Prays.” Unfortunately, Charlie was sent back to the war, but once again returned home unscathed. The brothers continued to record throughout the early 60s, when Ira became a depressed alcoholic and no amount of singing could stop the two from constant bickering. Each brother went their separate ways and began creating solo albums.

Ira died in a car crash in 1965, much to the dismay of his brother Charlie. But Charlie moved on and kept recording his own music well into the sixties and through early nineties. Lucinda Williams made a wise decision when she decided to bring Charlie Louvin back into the music scene starting with her concert series. Fans are sure to remember the soothing tones of the Louvin Brothers, and they are sure to flock to Williams’ concerts to hear the living legend and the famous country girl sing together for the first time ever.

Alan Jackson & Gretchen Wilson

What do you get when you cross a blues loving southern boy with a tough skinned beauty? Why, the combo of Alan Jackson and Gretchen Wilson, of course. Brought up in Pocahontas, Illinois, Wilson knew the meaning of “tough as nails” before she was eight. Her mother, abandoned by her father when she was pregnant with Gretchen, worked her finger to the bone trying to put a roof over Gretchen’s head. But that roof often resulted in trailers that Gretchen’s mother couldn’t afford. So Gretchen did what any tenacious child would do, she started working at a rowdy country bar alongside her mother in order to contribute to the family income. Always with one finger on the trigger of a shotgun that was hidden behind the bar, Gretchen grew up bartending and taking greasy food orders in order to pay her rent. This tough girl was so caught up in defending herself, that she ignored country icon John Rich (Big & Rich) when he came into the bar asking for her number. When she finally allowed Rich to contact her, Wilson found herself in the middle of Sony Music, Nashville. Finally, Gretchen could stop warding off drunks and pursue her true love – music.

In great contrast to Wilson’s life, Alan Jackson grew up in Newman, Georgia, to hard working blue-collar parents with strong Christian morals. Jackson always had a roof over his head, but like any musician, he had a tough time getting started. In fact, it was his wife, Denise, who got Jackson his first record deal when she insisted on giving his CD to Glen Campbell while working at the Nashville airport. Once Jackson was signed to Campbell’s music company, the rest was history. Fans immediately fell in love with Jackson’s innate talent and he has been a legend ever since.

This powerful combo decided to give something back to the community when they represented the country music community by playing at the Kaneohe Bayfest in Hawaii as part of a tribute to America’s troops. The concert was a smashing success and both Wilson and Jackson enjoyed singing to the men that protect them under the Hawaiian sun. Wilson will continue touring throughout the month of October, but Jackson has decided to take the summer off and relax pool side with his family until August when he teams up with another legendary duo, Brooks and Dunn.

Kenny Chesney Heads Up Concert in Seattle

Kenny Chesney was set to play the biggest concert of the year in Seattle at Quest Field on Saturday. The “hillbilly rock star” will be backed by his rowdy bar band.

Chesney also played Quest Field last summer thrilling country music fans throughout the northwest. The show will last all day and will also feature Brooks & Dunn, one of the biggest names in country music. Also on the bill is Sara Evans, Pat Green, and Sugarland.

Evans will feature her new single “As If.” Evans has had a very successful career with many hits, and has been one of the most played country music singers on radio over the past several years. Pat Green will play his hit single “Feels Just Like it Should.” His brand of “Texas Country” has always had a cult following, especially in Texas, but has only recently hit it big on the national scene. Sugarland will play songs from their Top 10 album, “Enjoy the Ride.”

Chesney’s style is the old-fashioned honkey-tonk type. Women love him due to his tight jeans and romantic love songs, while men appreciate his songs about friends, cars, and girls. His music includes banjo, guitar, and mandolin, yet also has a modern sound with a show that seems more rock than country.

His shows are filled with pyrotechnics and fancy video screens, and he doesn’t write his own songs. They are hoping that the show goes better than last year’s, which was plagued by sound problems among other things.

Hill and McGraw Duet in Concert

In a genre known for it’s down home grit and rough and tumble tunes, country music couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw comes in at the other end of the spectrum. They are all about conventional, although slick and flashy, performances, as they showed at their concert in Boston this week.

While the concert lacked some of the raw and gritty energy that people come to expect in a country music concert, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great experience, just different. The concert had great production and included a video sequence that had highlights of some of their best moments. The type of thing that might make you gag if you aren’t a fan, but if you are a fan than you’d love it.

The two country crooners switched back and forth between duets, their own songs, and covers seamlessly. They two performers have great chemistry on stage and the duets were some of the main high points of the evening. After opening with a duet, things went seamlessly into Hill’s set which included all her hits and even a couple of covers.

This followed a couple more joint performances and then McGraw’s set, which included fine backup by his band and of course the great production. His voice seemed thin in spots but he certainly knows how to perform, and he made ample use of the stages catwalks to get close to the fans. While Hill’s hits seem to be more pop than country, McGraw’s set was much more pure country than that of his lovely wife.

Taylor Made to Play Showcase, Release New Album

There are important times ahead for West Virginia country band Taylor Made. The band is set to release a new album, their third, in late July. They are also playing a showcase performance on July 12 in hopes of landing a recording contract with Universal South Records.

The album, dubbed “Perfect Fit,” is described by Taylor Made as being very diverse, and is a great title to describe the band, who is a three sibling team consisting of Brian and Greg Duckworth and their sister Wendy Williams.

The band is known for their ability to harmonize and they all share lead singing on different songs. The band is hoping for the recording deal, which would create a huge change in their lives. They all live in West Virginia and are parents, and a recording contract means they will likely have to leave the state and spend a lot of time on the road.

At the showcase concert on July 12 will be executives from Universal South Records, and a great performance could lead to a record deal. The concert will be at Billy Joe’s in Beckley, West Virginia, a venue they have played many times as their fan base has grown.

And what if no deal is offered after the concert? Well, that’s not so bad according to Taylor Made. The band, deal or no deal, says that they will continue to focus on the music as the rest is out of their control. Regardless of whether or not they land a record deal, the future appears bright for Taylor Made.

Country Music Meets Fashion - For A Good Cause!

Country music is about to team up with the fashion world, as Wrangler presents the "Country Weekly" Fashion Show in Nashville on June 6th. Clay Walker will be the host for the event, which will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe at 9 p.m.

The event is being held to benefit Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization dedicated to "delivering the healing power of music" to hospital patients unable to leave their rooms.

The show promises to be a unique affair. There are only 250 tickets available to the public, which can be purchased online for $50 at the Musicians On Call website, but a few lucky 95.5 The Wolf listeners have the chance to win tickets by calling in.

Notable names participating in the event include Neal McCoy, Lonestar, Carolyn Dawn, Darryl Worley, and many others. They and other country artists will be modeling fashions from Wrangler, the Nashville boutique Flavour, and items from Tiffany & Co.

If you're in the Nashville area or are able to get there for the event, tickets are still available. Of course, if you can't make it, you can still donate to Musicians On Call via their website.

The CMA Music Festival

The annual CMA Music Festival is coming up and Great American Country is helping fans get into the mood for the event. The annual FanTastic Week, seven days of special programming designed to appeal to a wide variety of music lovers, starts on June 5 at 9 p.m. EST, with a unique Tuesday evening live concert featuring Carrie Underwood, Rodney Atkins and Sugarland on a special edition of GAC's Grand Ole Opry Live.

CMA Music Festival, which runs June 7-10 in Nashville, annually draws more than 160,000 fans to the Music City to mix and mingle with their favorite artists. For those fans who can’t make the trip, the GAC promises to make this week’s programming special, with the fans' interests firmly in mind.

GAC will again sponsor two CMA Celebrity Close Up specials, hosted by GAC's own Lorianne Crook. Featured artists will include Trace Adkins, Terri Clark, Josh Turner, Neal McCoy and Charley Pride. These intimate interviews, recorded on the stage of the legendary Ryman Auditorium, will air in July on GAC. Also, GAC crews will cover music festival events all week, including daily concerts at Nashville's Riverfront Park, where GAC's Suzanne Alexander will anchor special coverage for the primetime program GAC Nights.

So fear not if you cant make it to Nashville to hear all the music and see all your favorite stars, the show will be as far away as your television.

The Hank Williams Festival

This year's Hank Williams Festival in Georgiana, Alabama, set to be held June 1-2 at the Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum, features a mix of classic country music singers. The headliners of the 28th annual "Salute to a Legend" are Mark Chesnutt, Gene Watson, Jett Williams, Tresa Street, David Church and Brad Magness.

Mark Chesnutt says he will sing every Hank Williams song he knows for the folks in Georgiana, showing his appreciation for the country legend, of whom even Chesnutt’s father was a fan. Chesnutt himself is no small part of the weave of country music, with 14 Number 1 hits, 23 Top 10 singles, four platinum records and five gold records.

Jett Williams, the legendary singer's daughter, will also be at the festival. This marks her 16th festival appearance, making the festival feel even more like one big happy family. It has been likened by many to an old time country fair with musical events happening left and right.

So whether you are a complete die-hard fan of Hank Williams and can sing all his songs word for word, or just a fan of great country music, this weekend event will be fun for all. The event starts Friday June 1, and gates open at 3 p.m. Tickets are available by mail, phone, and online, so you'd better get your ticket fast!