COUNTRY June 11, 2014
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• 1949: HANK WILLIAMS debuted on the Grand Ole Opry.
• 1958: ERNEST TUBB recorded the song Half A Heart.
• 1988: PATTY LOVELESS joined the Grand Ole Opry.
• 1993: PATTY LOVELESS topped the country chart with Blame It On Your Heart.
• 1996: GARTH BROOKS set a record when he signed autographs for 23 straight hours at Fan Fair.
• 2004: FAITH HILL made her acting debut playing the role of Sara Sunderson in the film The Stepford Wives. The film also starred Nicole Kidman and Bette Midler.
• 2004: DOLLY PARTON’s I Will Always Love You was named the number one love song on CMT’s List of the 100 Greatest Love Songs.
• 2008: BRAD PAISLEY launched his Paisley Party Tour in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with opening acts JEWEL, CHUCK WICKS and JULIANNE HOUGH. Aside from playing 42 cities and being one of the top grossing tours in country, the tour also launched the romance of Chuck and Julianne, who would go on to compete as a couple on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars.
• 2011: KENNY CHESNEY, THE ZAC BROWN BAND, BILLY CURRINGTON and Uncle Kracker performed the first concert at the renovated Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
BRUCE ROBISON is 48
SMILIN’ JAY MCDOWELL (BR549) is 45
The 2014 CMA Music Festival was once again a success with 80,000 tickets sold per day, matching last year’s numbers. The 2014 event was a sellout 15 weeks in advance.
DARIUS RUCKER’s 5th Annual Darius & Friends concert and golf tournament raised a combined $122,490 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The two events were held June 2-3 in Nashville. The concert included appearances by CLINT BLACK, KENNY ROGERS, ELI YOUNG BAND, CASSADEE POPE and THOMPSON SQUARE just to name a few.
LUKE BRYAN’s latest album, Crash My Party, has been certified double platinum for shipments of 2 million copies. The set has produced two double platinum singles — the title track and That’s My Kind of Night, as well as two platinum tunes — his latest, Play It Again, and Drink A Beer.
CHRIS YOUNG’s condition is improving after surgery to repair tendon damage in his left hand. He will return to performing this weekend, but in a sling.
BRANTLEY GILBERT’s 2011 album, Halfway To Heaven, has been certified platinum for shipments of 1 million copies. In addition Brantley’s latest, Bottoms Up, is his first digital platinum single.
JERROD NIEMANN will headline Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on September 12.
Nashville Outlaws: A Country Tribute To Motley Crue has been delayed by over a month. The project, originally set for a July 8 release, will now hit stores August 19. Contributing artists include FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, RASCAL FLATTS, LEANN RIMES and CASSADEE POPE with their interpretations of tunes made popular by the rock band.
LEE BRICE admits the title of his latest, I Don’t Dance, is true to life, but says he does make one exception — for his wife, Sara. Lee says Sara is a great dancer and loves doing it, so when she asks he does his best on the dance floor.