Country News

Carrie Underwood :The Blown Away Tour Exhibit
Carrie Underwood fans will want to make plans to head to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum soon to relive her Blown Away tour.
A special exhibit featuring 12 vignettes from Carrie's latest live show will run June 5 through November 10 of this year only at the museum.
The exhibit will include custom outfits Carrie wore onstage and customized microphones made for and used by Carrie on the tour, as well as costumes and instruments from her band members.
Those items will be shipped directly to the Country Music Hall of Fame once Carrie wraps up the Blown Away tour May 23.

Miranda Lambert "Fastest Girl In Town" Music Video Nomination
Miranda Lambert picked up an MTV O Music Awards nomination for her "Fastest Girl in Town" video in the Best Interactive Music Video category.
This particular awards ceremony celebrates the intersection of music and technology. As you may recall, Miranda released a special version of that clip that allowed fans to view multiple angles during her car chase scene with co-star Danica Patrick of NASCAR fame.
That version also allowed fans to unlock bonus content and even win items featured in the video.
The O Music Awards winners will be announced on June 19, and fans can vote for the winners at OMusicAwards.com.

John Fogerty plans media blitz
John Fogerty will make multiple TV appearances this month in advance of the May 28 release of "Wrote a Song For Everyone" (Vanguard Records).
The disc is a collection of 12 classics and deep tracks (Creedence Clearwater Revival and solo material) from his career plus two brand new solo songs.
Fogerty is set for two consecutive nights on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on May 21-22 with Dawes, the band with whom he recorded Someday Never Comes for the disc.
Fogerty will be featured May 18 at 9 p.m. on HBO for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame HBO induction special performing I Love L.A. with new inductee Randy Newman as well as Tom Petty and Jackson Browne. Fogerty also joins the show's grand finale, with inductees Rush and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, as well as inductee Chuck D., Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Gary Clark Jr., and more.
Fogerty will perform his classic Born On The Bayou on May 19 on the ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night Special
(CBS, 9 p.m. eastern/Pacific) with McGraw, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.

The Billboard Music Awards show airs Sunday on ABC.
Taylor Swift has 6 nominations
Jason Aldean nominated for Top Male Artist

Country News

Hunter Hayes New Album "(Encore)" Due June 18th
Hunter Hayes played every instrument and sang every lead and backing vocal on his self-titled debut album. Now that he's proven he can pull off that feat, Hunter invited a few special guests into the studio for the (Encore) deluxe edition of his debut album. The re-release features eight new songs, including his latest single, "I Want Crazy." Speaking of the recording process for those new songs, Hunter says, "I went in with musicians that I really wanted to work with that I'd seen on other records, and I've got a couple of guests like Jason Mraz came in and Ashley Monroe came in and sang some tracks and all. I'm just finally getting to do some collaborations." Fans can now pre-order (Encore) at iTunes or at HunterHayes.com. The project comes out June 18.

Billboard Music Awards
Shania Twain, Jennifer Nettles, Florida Georgia Line and Nashville's Hayden Panettiere have signed on to present trophies at this Sunday's Billboard Music Awards. The show airs live from Las Vegas, and Taylor Swift, The Band Perry and Kacey Musgraves are among the stars set to perform. Celine Dion, Kid Rock and Cee Lo Green have also been confirmed to present trophies on the broadcast. Prince, Christina Aguilera, Taylor Swift's tour mate Ed Sheeran and American Idol judge Nicki Minaj are set to perform too. The Billboard Music Awards air live Sunday night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Lady Antebellum "Golden"
Lady Antebellum's new album, Golden, sold more than 167,000 copies in its first week to debut at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 Albums chart. This is the third consecutive time Lady A has pulled off that feat. The group's Hillary Scott says, "We’re really proud of this album and thankful for all the fans and to country radio for supporting both ‘Downtown’ and now 'Goodbye Town’ this week!"

Taylor Swift Trespasser Arrested
Taylor Swift had a trespasser who was arrested after swimming up to her new Rhode Island beach house. An unidentified man from Chicago was taken to jail yesterday morning after he was spotted by the police on the beach at around 2 a.m., and admitted he was swimming to Swift’s house, all in an effort to meet her. The 22-year-old man was booked for trespassing, reports TMZ, and is still being held in custody. Apparently, the obsessed fan had swam in the cold waters for two hours, and done a loop after he spotted Swift’s security team.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) Tim McGraw performs

Country News

Luke Bryan To Release Fourth Studio Album
Luke Bryan's fourth studio album is due out August 13, featuring his latest single, "Crash My Party."
The as-yet -untitled album is the follow up to Luke's most successful album yet, tailgates & tanlines.
That project has been certified double platinum for sales of two million copies.

Keith Urban To Debut New Single On American Idol Season Finale
Keith Urban will perform a brand-new single called "Little Bit Of Everything" on Thursday's season finale of American Idol.
After the American Idol finale, Keith will return to the studio to finish his album before hitting the road on his Light the Fuse Tour on July 18.
Look for more on Keith Urban in the May 27 issue of Country Weekly on stands May 20.

K.T. Oslin  turns 71

Country News

First Round Of Performers Announced For 2013 CMT Music Awards
Hunter Hayes, Taylor Swift, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Pistol Annies are confirmed to perform on the 2013 CMT Music Awards Wednesday, June 5.
More performers will be announced soon. Jason Aldean and actress Kristen Bell were previously announced as co-hosts of the fan-voted show.
Fans can cast their votes in multiple categories now at CMT.com.

"Golden" likely to top charts
Lady Antebellum is likely to have the top selling disc in the U.S. with "Golden," when Billboard releases preliminary chart results on Wednesday.
Lady Antebellum premiered the new music video for Goodbye Town on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and on EllenTV.com.
The video was shot in Nashville and directed by Peter Zavadil. The song is the second single off the trio's new album "Golden, released last week.
Lady A visits the west coast this week for appearances on The Voice and ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer All-Star Special on CBS Sunday, May 19.

Jennifer Nettles Deduts Baby Magnus
Singer Jennifer Nettles chose Mother's Day 2013 to debut her bundle of joy, Magnus Hamilton, to the world, tweeting a picture along with the caption, "So much love and joy on my first Mother's Day! A very Happy Mother's Day to all the Mamas! #MothersDay." Nettles, one half of country duo Sugarland, also posted the pic to her official website.

Dustin Lynch turns 28

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)   Pistol Annies perform.

Country News

No Shoes Nation Tour
Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Nation tour is named for the fans that come to see his shows year-after-year. He plans to call his followers the No Shoes Nation for the rest of his career, but Kenny didn't come upon that name easily. "I always felt it was a little cliché to name your audience, a little self-serving, but this felt natural," Kenny tells Billboard. "I'm proud we have a group of people that are that passionate. No matter what they've got on their feet, they walk through the world as if their toes are in the sand." Kenny is assembling the No Shoes Nation for a summit at Cowboys Stadium Saturday in Dallas. Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves are also on the bill.

Willie Nelson Becomes Honorary Doctor
Willie Nelson has been named an honorary doctor — of music. The 80-year-old Texan was honored Saturday by the Berklee College of Music in Boston, along with musicians Carole King and Annie Lennox. "I was going to ask them if I could write my own medication," Nelson told the Boston Globe before the ceremony. "Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to ask." Nelson has long been a staunch advocate of decriminalization of marijuana and has had his share of drug-related brushes with the law. The new "doctor" seemed to revel in his title, tweeting a picture of himself sporting his trademark long braids and wearing graduation regalia. "Dr Willie looks great," he wrote.

Dierks Bentley Opening High-Tech Whiskey Row Bar
Dierks Bentley is inviting fans to join him for a drink or two at his new Whiskey Row bar. The watering hole is set to open July 4 in Dierks' hometown of Scottsdale, AZ, and Dierks and his team designed the place as a mix between a 1920s-style saloon and an ultra-modern country music venue. Opening a bar in his hometown has been a long time dream of Dierks'. He says of his partners in the venture, "These guys have spent a lot of time and put a lot of thought into really cool details that will make it the perfect place to watch a game or listen to music or just get a few drinks with friends. I’m looking forward to helping break it in." The signature booths at Whiskey Row will feature three beer taps and even a liquor tap, allowing guests to pour their own libations. The bar also boasts a 360-degree stage and a 24-foot TV as well as iPhone and USB charging stations at the bar.

Toby Keith To receive Songwritter Icon Award
Toby Keith has been selected to receive the 2013 Songwriter Icon Award from the National Music Publishers' Association June 12 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. That award goes to a songwriter in recognition of their personal achievements and work on behalf of music publishing and creators' rights. In addition to this latest honor, Toby also holds the title of Billboard's #1 Country Songwriter of the Decade and the Nashville Songwriters Association International Songwriter/Artist of the Decade, both for the 2000s.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annies perform.

Darius Rucker, Singer, turns 45