Love the song. Love the video! I SO hope this wins Video of the Year. (Not that the others aren’t outstanding, too – but come on, how can you not vote for this little guy?!?!)
From the category archives:
Country Music
The Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for the April 18th ceremony. My much, much, much, much beloved Lady Antebellum is up for seven awards – the most of any nominees, thank you so very much. Lady Antebellum was followed by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood who have 6 nominations each. Taylor Swift is up for 5. I’m not sure how the Zac Brown band can’t be up for at least as many but they may just fall into the same area Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins always have – the fans love them to distraction and back, but the ACMAs aren’t entirely sure what to make of them. I’d walk across glass then go back and eat every piece to see any of them perform.
The entire list of nominees is below – I’ve colored my favorites red because… well, I can. I have a few ties that I just couldn’t decide between. Let me know in the comments who your favorites are.
The List of ACMA Nominees
Entertainer of the Year:
• Kenny Chesney • Toby Keith • Brad Paisley • George Strait • Taylor Swift • Carrie Underwood • Keith Urban • Zac Brown Band
Top Male Vocalist:
• Kenny Chesney • Brad Paisley • Darius Rucker • George Strait • Keith Urban
Top Female Vocalist:
• Miranda Lambert • Reba McEntire • Taylor Swift • Carrie Underwood • Lee Ann Womack
Top Vocal Group:
• Lady Antebellum • Little Big Town • Randy Rogers Band • Rascal Flatts • Zac Brown Band
Top Vocal Duo:
• Brooks & Dunn • Joey + Rory • Montgomery Gentry • Steel Magnolia • Sugarland
Top New Solo Vocalist:
• Luke Bryan • Jamey Johnson • Chris Young (nothing but love for Jamey too, though!)
Top New Vocal Duo:
• Bomshel • Joey + Rory • Steel Magnolia
Top new Vocal Group:
• Eli Young Band • Gloriana • The Lost Trailers
Album of the Year:
• American Saturday Night – Brad Paisley • Lady Antebellum – Lady Antebellum • Play On – Carrie Underwood • Revolution – Miranda Lambert • The Foundation – Zac Brown Band
Single Record:
• Need You Now – Lady Antebellum • People Are Crazy – Billy Currington • Red Light – David Nail • Toes – Zac Brown Band • White Liar – Miranda Lambert
Song:
• Cowboy Casanova – Carrie Underwood • Need You Now – Lady Antebellum • People Are Crazy – Billy Currington • White Liar – Miranda Lambert • You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
Video:
• Boots On – Randy Houser • Need You Now – Lady Antebellum • Welcome To The Future – Brad Paisley • White Liar – Miranda Lambert • You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
Vocal Event:
• Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins • Honky Tonk Stomp – Brooks & Dunn featuring Billy Gibbons • I Told You So – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis • I’m Alive – Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews • Seeing Stars – Jack Ingram featuring Patty Griffin
I seriously try to keep things positive – I have an inner Mary Poppins, you know. But, I have to just ask – how in the world did You Belong with Me find itself in the nominations? It’s not Taylor’s best and it certainly isn’t Country Music’s best. Oh, well, I don’t want to end on a negative note, so I’ll just say how proud I am of the ACMAs for recognizing Lady Antebellum, The Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, and Hillbilly Bone.
I also want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to Joey + Rory! As much as I love Montgomery Gentry, I wouldn’t be upset at all if they won the category. Of course… come on…. we all know who will. Not only do the ACMAs love, love, love Brooks & Dunn, they’re more likely than ever to give them the award since they announced that they’re breaking up.
Congrats to all of the nominees – just about all of them are very well-deserved. A few categories (like to new solo vocalist for example) could, literally, go any way. It’s been an outstanding year in Country Music!
BMI Honored Miranda Lambert for her First #1 single with a 1940’s style bash. A few hundred people helped her celebrate at The Cellar on February 26, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee.
My only thought is this, how could this be Miranda Lambert’s first number one single? The girl has been putting out incredible songs for some time now. Wow. Congratulations for an honor that, in all honesty, should have come much sooner. Miranda Lambert is one of the biggest stars in Country Music right now – with a voice as good as anyone on the radio.
Enjoy these pictures of Miranda Lambert from the event. You’ll recognize her boyfriend and fellow country music superstar (Love Hillbilly Bo-bo-bo-bo-bo Bone!) Blake Shelton. You’ll also probably recognize Kellie Pickler. I say probably because when I first saw the pictures of Kellie, I couldn’t figure out if it was Kellie Pickler or a very thin Kelly Osborne.
There’s a little controversy surrounding Taylor Swift’s wins at that Grammy’s. There’s a little controversy surrounding Taylor Swift’s performance at the Grammy’s. There’s a little controversy surrounding the fact that there’s a little controversy.
Are there better, pure, natural singers out there? Sure. Taylor doesn’t quite own the range or perfection that the vocal gods saved for…. say, Martina McBride, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill or Carrie Underwood. However, lets give the young lady her dues: She writes just about all of her own material (and is a wonderful songwriter, especially considering the fact that she has only 19 years of experience to draw upon), she sings from the heart, there is nothing at all fake about her, and she has a wonderful girl-next-door quality that I hope and pray she never loses.
If you’re one of the ones who questions her dues, look at record sales. The girl is outselling everyone – how are you going to question that? Maybe, just maybe, what most of us want isn’t necessarily a perfect voice (whatever that is) or a perfect pitch (oooh, exciting). Maybe we want someone who sings the song like the song means something to them. Maybe we’re all tired of the overly-pampered, ridiculous holier-than-thou divas with their lists of demands and notebooks filled with what the world owes them. Maybe we’re totally over the trashy, good for absolutely nothing trouble makers who only amuse themselves.
Maybe we’re looking for someone who we actually like and we want to listen to.
The next time someone gets bent out of shape over Taylor Swift, I challenge them to swing around their radio dial and listen to some of the other popular artists (male and female from every genre). The bottom line is, Taylor sounds as good as any of them and better than a lot. She’s as apt to suffer jitters in live performances as anyone…. she’s 19!
Personally, I think she’s experiencing something that the Yankees, Microsoft, UK Basketball, the Lakers, and McDonald’s experience. When you’re on top, people come after you with magnifying glasses and criticism. Why not just realize that if someone’s on top, they didn’t get there by making a wish. They worked for it, they paid their dues, they have fan bases in the millions, and they earned it. Enjoy them!
Below are a few beautiful photographs of Taylor Swift from All Posters. Great pics! Talent, beauty, style… and she appears to be one of the sweetest, most down to earth entertainers as well. Who couldn’t be a fan of Taylor Swift?!?!
Love this song! In fact, I have never not loved this song. Getcha some of that… and give the song a listen.
Some things in this world you just can’t explaaiaiaiaiannnn….
When I think of the name George Jones, I think of him belting out the lyrics, “I don’t need no rocking chair!….”
With all due respect, maybe he does.
He recently lashed out at two of the freshest stars in Country music, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. He told the Associated Press, “they’ve stolen our identity.” And, he maintains, they need to give it back and move on to another genre. “They had to use something that was established already, and that’s traditional country music. So what they need to do really, I think, is find their own title, because they’re definitely not traditional country music.”
In another recent interview, he lashed out at country radio – again, it doesn’t have what he wants to hear. He said, “It’s good to know that we still do traditional country music. Alan Jackson still does it, so does George Strait. We still have it, and there’s quite a few of us that are going to hope that it comes back one of these days.”
The best I can figure is that George Jones and others like him wanted Country Music to keep on “crying in it’s beer” while, thankfully, in reality, it has gotten up off of the stool, dried its tears, and headed out for the dance floor.
If it had stayed the way he wanted, it would make about as much sense as he does these days.
Love it! Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins together… are you kidding me, it’s a can’t miss.
USA Today ran a great piece yesterday that detailed the top 10 grossing tour stars. What I love most is the fact that it’s a great, wild mix! I’ve listed them below, with an accompanying poster (when available).
1. Kenny Chesney – Total Gross: 56 million
Kenny Chesney Framed CD
Buy at AllPosters.com
2. Elton John & Billy Joel – Total Gross: 55.8 million
Elton John Wall Mural
Buy at AllPosters.com
Billy Joel, Rolling Stone no. 486, November 1986 Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
3. Jonas Brothers – Total Gross: 37.7 million
Jonas Brothers Wall Decal
Buy at AllPosters.com
4. Paul McCartney – Total Gross: 32 million
Paul McCartney Wall Mural
Buy at AllPosters.com
5. Dave Matthews Band – Total Gross: 31.1 million
Dave Matthews Band, Rolling Stone no. 864, March 2001 Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Dave Matthews Band, Rolling Stone no. 902, August 2002 Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Dave Matthews Grammys 2003 Limited Edition
Buy at AllPosters.com
6. Coldplay – Total Gross: 30 Million
Coldplay Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com
7. Idols Live – Total Gross: 23 million
American Idol Judges, Rolling Stone no. 997, April 2006 Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
8. Bruce Springsteen – Total Gross: 22 million
Bruce Springsteen, Cover Me Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
9. Fleetwood Mac – Total Gross: 21.1 million
Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stone no. 772, October 1997 Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
10. Beyonce – Total Gross: 21 million
Beyonce Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com
Billy Ray Cyrus became a household name in 1991 with one of the best songs ever, “Acy Breaky Heart.” People point to a lot of stars contributing to country becoming so mainstream and so “cool,” but I think BRC is the one who popped the cork.
He led the way for Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Jason Aldean, and so on. They’re stars in their own right, of course, but I Billy Ray Cyrus showed everyone that country music didn’t have to be riddled with pain and drinking. When he came dancing on the scene with cut out sleeves, rocking a mullet to end all mullets, he proved that country music can be just as fun and spirited as any other music.
I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for what he did for country music. Personally, it was Billy Ray Cyrus that drew me to country music. I always thought it was kind of depressing. You’d turn the radio from a channel where Madonna, Michael Jackson, John Cougar, Prince, and Janet Jackson were partying and find a country channel. Instead of enjoying life, they seemed (a lot of the time) to grieve over even being alive!
Billy Ray Cyrus brought life and fun to country music with his fantastic song, Achy Breaky Heart. As the song approaches its 20th anniversary, apparently there are a few current country stars who want to re-do the song. Billy Ray told CNN, “there are some major stars who want to re-do that song.”
He hasn’t officially agreed to let anyone else record it yet, but he says, “I’m flirting with the idea. There’s one cat in particular that if I told you who it was, it would blow your mind. But I’ve got to keep it under my hat right now.”
Dying to know who the Cat in the Hat is – or under the hat, as it were. Wouldn’t it be something if the cat was really a kitten… as in Miley Cyrus?!
