Country Music

Last night, Kellie Pickler and partner Derek Hough performed their final dance together. After performing their Instant Jive, the duo were named King and Queen of the dance floor, taking home the mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars.”  Way to make country music proud Kellie! Kellie is an amazing dancer, but I personally [...]

If you haven’t heard of Slaid Cleaves yet, you will be hearing lots from him soon. As an artist with a mission Slaid has turned the release of his latest single, “Still Fighting the War” into a fundraiser benefiting a cause near and dear to his heart,  Operation Homefront, which provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. The title of the single truly represents not only the lyrics in the song but also the tone of the record. Cleaves is as passionate about his music as he is about doing whatever he can to help those who give so much for our freedoms. I had the chance to speak with Slaid about his new album, the message behind his songs, and the audience his music has touched. CMP: When did you first get your start in music? SC: Music has always been apart of my life. I started playing in a garage band in High School and now I’ve been at this for almost 20 years. CMP: How is what your doing now different from past music you’ve released? SC: I’ve always tried to connect my music to something, but I’ve just put so much more behind the lyrics in this album. This single now, “Still Fighting the War,” has so much emotion behind it and really addresses the plight of those returning from war and struggling to readjust to society. CMP: This single is also benefiting a major cause connected with the Military and their families, can you tell us some more about that? SC: Yes, all proceeds from each purchase of the single go directly to a cause called Operation Homefront. When I first started putting together this record I really wanted to give something back to what influenced it and this is just such a great cause, and really helps families and service members with whatever they need. CMP: How has the response been from the service men and women that this single/album is really geared towards? SC: You know in this career there really is no handbook and I’ve learned to be critical on myself and the music I’m putting out there, but to have a US Soldier come up to you and say how much they connected with your song, it makes everything worth it. Only 10% of the country is made up of Military and my hope is that this album will really reach them, and also reach the many others who are not directly affected, but need to know what is going on. CMP: Who has been your biggest supporter throughout your career? SC: That would definitely be my wife. For 19 years she has done everything from booking shows, to paying the band, to selling T –shirts, and I really don’t know what I’d do without her. We both have a lot riding on this new album and we really want it to do well. CMP: What’s coming up for you with the release of your album? Are you touring? SC: Lots of interviews and radio debuts preparing for the tour. I’ll be touring throughout Texas, then up through the East Coast and Southwest until we head across the pond to do some international dates. Slaid Cleaves Tour He may be more folk than country but an artist like Slaid Cleaves is one in a million. His music is inspiring, his sound is unique, and his album will undoubtedly be a hit. To buy Slaid’s new album and/or download his single “Still Fighting the War” and donate to Operation Homefront today please visit: Album / Single Download

Kenny Chesney photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville. Kenny Chesney has teamed up with Music and Memory, a non-profit organization that brings personalized music players to seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Music has been found to be therapeutic for those suffering from the disease, leading to improved social engagement and quality of life. GAC is the official media sponsor of Kenny’s No Shoes Nation Tour. Check out photos, videos and more from the tour in our No Shoes Nation Tour section! As part of his partnership, Kenny recorded a PSA for the organization. Watch the PSA below to learn more about Music and Memory as well as how to help. Click here to view the embedded video. Read our review of Kenny Chesney’s Life On A Rock >> To see Music and Memory in action, watch this powerful video: Click here to view the embedded video. ShareThis

RCA Records Nashville vocalist and entertainer Chris Young is known for putting his fans first, and so it should come as no surprise that he is inviting them to help announce news of his upcoming fourth album. “I’ve got the best fans in the world and the cheering crowds give me all this great energy [...]

Consider this a PSA. Our brother in arms, Ghost Capital, is back online with a super fresh new look. I’ll let you mosey around on your own, only to point out that the front page is presently highlighting a myriad of goods including a vinyl rip of Exuma’s 1970 sophomore joint, Exuma II. ‘Righteous Afro-Bahamian [...]

Filed under: Country News The 2013 CMT Music Awards will feature performances from Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban and more. Seven new artists were announced on Tuesday, one week after Taylor Swift, Hunter Hayes and Pistol Annies were named on the initial list of artists to perform during the June 5 broadcast from Nashville. Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line and Lady Antebellum will also play, as will Little Big Town and Luke Bryan. CMT made the announcement yesterday, adding the biggest names in country music to a show that unofficially begins the CMA Music Festival.

Filed under: Country News Kellie Pickler was the last to know she'd won Season 16 of 'Dancing With the Stars.' Host Tom Bergeron announced her as the winner, and partner Derek Hough began to celebrate with the live audience. Pickler didn't hear him, however. After a few brief moments of confusion she was brought in on the secret and began an emotional celebration. The country singer may have wrapped up the competition on Monday night with a beautiful freestyle dance. Fans picked the routine for Tuesday's encore dance, so Hough and Pickler had a chance to perform the vulnerable and extremely difficult choreography one more time.

After a season filled with shimmies, hip thrusts and toe taps, ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars” crowned Kellie Pickler the winner of Season 16. The “Someone Somewhere Tonight” singer is bringing the mirror ball trophy to Music City! Pickler topped the leader board for most of the competition and made sure she brought her A-game for the finale. After three incredible dances during the finale show Monday night, Kellie and her partner, Derek Hough, ended with a score of 64 out of 65 possible points. On Tuesday (5/21), the two-hour results show highlighted every star and dance from throughout the season. Wynonna returned to the ballroom to dance with partner Tony Dovolani once again. The super star also performed the song, “I Want To Know What Love Is.” The finale also included worldwide sensations Psy and Pitbull, as well as “American Idol” finalist Jessica Sanchez. After Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman was eliminated earlier in the evening, the final three couples took an hour to prepare an instant dance while the rest of the results show continued to review the highlights of season 16. For the instant dance, Pickler and Hough prepared a jive that scored a perfect score. For his final judges comments, Bruno Tonioli said “It’s like watching the incredible siblings. I have to be honest, you remind me of Julianne Hough and that really is a compliment. That jive… the accuracy, the precision, the technique, the way you play with each other. I’m telling you, weird and unbelievably wonderful!” Carrie Ann Inaba was equally as excited about the dance, adding “What a perfect ending to what a wonderful journey, truly. You guys are like the wonder twins. Every time you dance, you light up this house like a bright ray of sunshine. I love watching you. Congratulations!” Head judge Len Goodman made sure to chime in. He told Kellie “You’re always clean. You’re always precise. You’re sharp. Your dancing is always polished. I’m telling you, Kellie, you’re the bees knees… You’re awesome, I’m telling you!” After the instant dances were completed, pro-football player Jacoby Jones was eliminated after the additional judges scores were added to the fan votes and previous nights scores. In the last several minutes of the show, hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet announced that Pickler and Hough were the season 16 champions. Check out the videos of the finale dances below: Finale opening number with all of the stars Kellie Pickler, Zendaya and Aly Raisman dance with female pros Wynonna performs “I Want To Know What Love Is” Kellie Pickler’s instant dance Kellie Pickler crowned winner of season 16  Congratulations to Kellie and Derek! The post Kellie Pickler Crowned ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 16 Winner appeared first on Country Music Is Love.

  Angie Johnson’s new song “Sing For You” is taken from stories soldiers told her about their time overseas and she wanted to hear more.   “‘Sing for You’ is the most dear song on the EP to me.  I wrote it with Catt Gravitt and my producer Josh Leo.  I had gotten pitched a [...]

  With the devastating images coming from those deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma, Trace Adkins wants to remind everyone about the Red Cross relief effort already under way in the affected areas.  During his Tuesday appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael, Trace said, “I’ve got a lot of friends in Oklahoma and yeah, there are Red Cross volunteers [...]