LON HANGS BACKSTAGE AT KENNY'S FIRST STADIUM SHOW
Kenny Chesney began his series of 14 stadium shows in Columbia SC, and CCUSA host Lon Helton was on hand to witness the excitement. Over 44,000 fans packed the University of South Carolina stadium. Kenny injured his right foot during his entrance, and performed the entire 2-hour show in pain. Fortunately, no broken bones. Lon was first to report the story from the scene. Watch the accident happen HERE
ALAN JACKSON CELEBRATES "SMALL TOWN" #1
It's rare that Alan Jackson attends a Nashville party. But this one was different. It was to honor Jackson as sole writer for his #1 hit, "Small Town Southern Man." Jackson told the crowd that nothing will replace the feeling of his very first #1, "Here in the Real World." But he is gratified to still have chart toppers at this point in his career.
TAYLOR, TRACE, & KELLIE WIN AT CMT AWARDS
It may have been a changing of the guard on many levels, as Taylor Swift won the top honor at the fan-voted CMT Music Awards. The 18-year old won Female Video of the Year and the overall Best Video of the Year for her #1 hit "Our Song." Trace Adkins won Best Male for "I Got My Game On." It was Adkins' first awards of any sort in ten years. Other winners included Kellie Pickler, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, and LeAnn Rimes.
BRAD PAISLEY CELEBRATES A PERFECT "10"
The theme of the night was "10." The affair was held at a restaurant called Radius 10, it was the 10th day of April, and the guest of honor had sold 10 million records, had 10 #1 singles, and was in the 10th year of his career. Brad Paisley was honored by friends and family, including his father, who recalled driving the young guitar player to gigs back in West Virginia. Prior to the party, Brad told reporters his upcoming instrumental album will feature an incredible duet with the late legend Buck Owens.
TRACE ADKINS WINS, BUT ISN'T THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE
In the dramatic 2-hour finale of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump didn't say his famous words, "You're Fired." He spent more than an hour discussing contestants Trace Adkins and Piers Morgan. He complimented Trace on his demeanor. But in the end, Piers Morgan raised more money, so Trump looked at Morgan and said, "You're the Celebrity Apprentice."
GARTH BROOKS MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE
It was billed as An Evening with Trisha Yearwood: An informal performance for a few hundred country radio programmers in Nashville. After performing a number of songs from her new CD, as well as hits from the past, Trisha introduced Garth, who had been hidden from view. It appeared to be unplanned, because the two first discussed what they'd perform, and then Trisha sang "Walkaway Joe," with Garth singing harmonies. Then she asked Garth to sing one by himself. After some thought, he did an amazing acoustic performance of "The Dance." It was a rare opportunity to see the superstar couple perform songs in a very intimate setting.
KENNY CHESNEY LEADS ACM NOMINATIONS
The nominations for the 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards have been announced, and Kenny Chesney picked up eleven, including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist. A new name in the mix this year is Rodney Atkins, who has six nominations, including Top Male Vocalist and Album of the Year. The ACM Awards will be presented on Sunday May 18th in Las Vegas. Reba McEntire will return as host. For a complete list of nominations, click HERE.
KEITH URBAN & NICOLE KIDMAN AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS
 CARRIE, KEITH, BRAD, VINCE WIN GRAMMY AWARDS
Best Female Vocal: Carrie Underwood "Before He Cheats"
Best Male Vocal: Keith Urban "Stupid Boy"
Best Country Album: Vince Gill "These Days"
Best Duo or Group: Eagles "How Long"
Best Country Song: "Before He Cheats"
Best Collaboration: Willie Nelson & Ray Price
Best Instrumental: Brad Paisley "Throttleneck"
JOE NICHOLS CREDITS WIFE FOR HIS RECOVERY
Last September Joe Nichols married Heather Singleton. One month later, he checked into a rehab center. In an exclusive interview with Westwood One, Joe says those two things were related. "A good woman will hold you accountable, and that's what my wife did for me. In no way was I going to tarnish our marriage by dragging this on. So we nipped it in the bud immediately, and started off on the right foot. We cleaned out all the garbage up front, so we can start out with a healthy relationship." Joe says he's heard from many other artists since his release, including Keith Urban, who went through a similar experience over a year ago.
KENNY CHESNEY SURPRISES GEORGE STRAIT FANS
Fans at the George Strait show in Birmingham got an unexpected bonus when Kenny Chesney joined Strait on stage for the Strait classic "Amarillo By Morning." However they didn't do their current duet, "Shiftwork."
KENNY CHESNEY TO PLAY 14 STADIUMS IN 2008
What do you do when you play for over a million fans six years in a row? Answer: You try for 7. One way to do it is play in 14 football stadiums. That's when Kenny Chesney is doing. In addition to a sold-out show in Boston's Gillette Stadium, Kenny will go to Columbia SC , Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Nashville, Chicago, and Indianapolis. Plus, he expects to play a number of amphitheaters through the summer.
TAYLOR SWIFT MEETS DALE JUNIOR
The place was Nashville's 3rd annual Sound & Speed event. Country stars are paired with racing stars in autograph booths. Taylor Swift was brought together with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Afterwards, Junior told us he got an autographed picture for his niece. The event raised funds for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Gang.
CONFIRMED: KEITH & NICOLE EXPECTING A BABY!
Nicole Kidman's publicist has now confirmed that the actress and husband Keith Urban are expecting a baby.
RODNEY ATKINS REACTS TO HAVING THE #1 SONG OF 2007
"I can't believe it! It's unbelievable. Thank you so much to all of radio playing it so much all year long." That was the immediate reaction from Rodney Atkins when CCUSA's Lon Helton told him that "Watching You" was the #1 Song for all of 2007. "I could not believe it, knowing how this song had begun mainly as personal therapy for my wife & I. I just wrote the song for me & her." The song was Rodney's first #1 as a writer, based on his 4-year-old son Elijah, who was singing Rodney's song, "If You're Goin' Through Hell" in his pre-school. "There's nothing like being out there evry night and have the whole world sing it with you, especially when it's about your kid." Click HERE to listen to Lon's interview.
 KENNY CHESNEY CELEBRATES #1 IN SLING
Thanks to our friend Brad Schmitt, who reports that Kenny Chesney had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. In December, he arrived to a pair of #1 parties in Nashville with his arm in a sling.
CHESNEY, PAISLEY, SUGARLAND, SWIFT CMA WINNERS
There were a few surprises during the CMA Awards. The biggest was Sugarland taking the Vocal Duo award. For 14 years, it had been the domain of Brooks & Dunn. But Jennifer Nettles & Kristian Bush spent the year touring with Kenny Chesney, and are now headining their own show. Brad Paisley won his first CMA Male Vocalist award. Kenny Chesney won his 3rd Entertainer of the Year award. Other winners include Taylor Swift in the Horizon category, George Strait for Album and Song of the Year, Carrie Underwood for Single of the Year and Female Vocalist.
OPRY STAR PORTER WAGONER DIES
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 28, 2007) Grand Ole Opry legend Porter Wagoner passed away Sundy at 8:25pm at Alive Hospice in Nashville, Tenn. Wagoner, 80 years old, had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. He is survived by three children, Richard, Debra and Denise.
HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY, KEITH URBAN!
Friday October 26 is a special day for Keith Urban. It marks his 40th birthday. Here's what he had to say about reaching this milestone: "Yeah a very special birthday. I’m actually trying not to think about it. I can’t picture myself being 40, I’m like when did that happen? But at the same time, I don’t know what 40 is supposed to feel like, but I sure as heck didn’t think I was gonna feel like this. I feel like I’m 17 playing in my first band, when I’m getting on stage to play. The last 6 months have been a real transformation for me, and I guess it’s all about being spiritually clear and present and having a lot of gratitude."
VINCE GILL, MEL TILLIS ENTER HALL OF FAME
At a SRO media event in Nashville on August 7th, it was announced that Vince Gill and Mel Tillis will become the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. An obviously overcome Vince needed more than a minute to compose himself before speaking to the press. He also confessed that he shared the top secret induction information with his wife Amy Grant. But he waited until they were in bed that night. Gill and Tillis will be inducted at a special ceremony on October 28th, with highlights airing during the CMA Awards in November.
TRACY LAWRENCE CELEBRATES 1ST #1 IN TEN YEARS ON CCUSA
Lon & co-host Jason Aldean spoke with Tracy Lawrence, who has his first #1 in ten years with "Find Out Who Your Friends Are." During the conversation, Tracy mentioned that is a huge fan of Jason's music, and sees a lot of himself in Jason. Jason responded that he had been a Tracy Lawrence fan since he was he was 14 years old. After the on-air portion of the call, Tracy invited Jason to lunch. They met up at an Italian restaurant called Amerigo's. Click HERE to listen to Lon & Jason speak with Tracy Lawrence.
TAYLOR SWIFT FINALLY MEETS TIM McGRAW
Back in December, when Tim McGraw co-hosted Country Countdown USA, Taylor Swift called in to speak with him. It was the first time the two had talked. But they had never met. During the Academy of Country Music Awards, Taylor walked over to Tim as she sang her debut hit, and introduced herself to him. It was one of those incredible moments, shared with the entire country. When she called into CCUSA, she also asked Tim if she could tour with him. That wish also came true, as Taylor will open ten Soul 2 Soul shows this summer.
COUNTRY LEGEND GETS SURPRISE AT CCUSA STUDIO
One day after winning the Johnny Cash Visionary Award at the CMT Music Awards, Kris Kristofferson dropped by the Country Countdown USA studios on Nashville's Music Row. Longtime engineer Travis Turk invited Kris into the studio, where he took him back in time. "Back in 1968, a young singer/songwriter came to a Nashville studio to record some songs. He was paired with a young engineer, and they laid down four songs." Travis was that engineer, and the singer/songwriter was Kris Kristofferson. Travis then played Kris those demos, including the Cash classic, "Sunday Morning Coming Down." It had been almost 40 years since Kris had heard them, and he was thrilled. He told Travis he hopes to someday release those demos to the public.
RASCAL FLATTS HONORED ON "FLATTS TUESDAY"
 NASHVILLE - Let the good times roll as CMA and the City of Nashville celebrated the 2006 best-selling act of all genres, Rascal Flatts, at a Mardi Gras-style event today at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. "We take seriously the art of making music and try to put a lot of hard work and dedication into our albums," says Jay DeMarcus, Rascal Flatts bassist and background vocalist. "We are very thankful to our fans who have given us the best jobs in the world and are grateful to CMA, the City of Nashville and the Country Music community for making this our special day!"
FIRST: TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAKS TO TIM McGRAW
Taylor Swift, writer and performer of the Top 10 hit, "Tim McGraw," had her first-ever conversation with the namesake of her song. Tim was co-hosting the nationally syndicated CMT's Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton. When Lon reached #10 in the chart, he asked Tim what he thought the first time he heard the song. Tim replied, "It was awesome. I didn't know if I should take it as a compliment, or if I should feel old." At that point, Lon said, "Well let's find out. Taylor Swift, is it a compliment, or because he's old?" Taylor responded, "Definitely it was meant as a compliment." Judging from their first conversation, it sounds like a friendship has been born.
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