Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood reunite to host “Country Music’s Biggest Night™” for a third time in 2010. “The 44th Annual CMA Awards” airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 10 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Carrie and Brad have done a tremendous job hosting and we are very happy to have them back again this year,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “They have developed a natural rhythm and have a great rapport with the audience – both in the house and our fans watching at home. They each have a great sense of humor and timing, which are two essential ingredients for hosting a live awards broadcast.”

“The CMAs are different from any other awards night,” said Brad. “You’re looking at a roomful of people who love each other. And any new viewer will be pleasantly surprised at what they relate to on the Awards and what they like that they had no idea they would like. For that reason alone, this is the most important night of the year for Country Music.”

“It’s all about Country Music,” said Underwood. “We all live here. This is our community. The CMA Awards are in Nashville, the home of Country Music. It’s great to come here and celebrate that every year.”

Paisley has won 13 CMA Awards since receiving the Horizon Award (now the New Artist Award) in 2000, including Male Vocalist (2007, 2008, 2009) and Album (2006 for Time Well Wasted). He also won Musical Event three times, first in 2004 with Alison Krauss for “Whiskey Lullaby,” second in 2006 for “When I Get Where I’m Going” with Dolly Parton, and a third in 2009 for “Start a Band” with Keith Urban; Vocal Event in 2001 for “Too Country” with Bill Anderson, George Jones and Buck Owens; and Music Video of the Year three times, first in 2002 for “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song);” second in 2004 for “Whiskey Lullaby” (again with Krauss), and third in 2007 for “Online.” He is No. 5 on the list of top CMA Award winners of all time.

Paisley is a consummate artist: a singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer. He has garnered three Grammy Awards and has released eight critically acclaimed studio albums, with sales of more than 11 million units. His most recent album, American Saturday Night, was ranked as Time magazine’s 2009 No. 1 album of the year in any genre of music. Paisley’s most recent No. 1 single, “Water,” was his 17th chart topper – the last 13 consecutive. Paisley’s innovative and entertaining “H2O World Tour” consistently sells out and will continue through November. His next album, Hits Alive, will include original studio tracks as well as live tracks from his concerts and will be released Nov. 2.

Underwood has received five CMA Awards in her career, including three consecutive wins as Female Vocalist (2006-2008), as well as Single of the Year (2007 for “Before He Cheats”) and the Horizon Award (2006). Underwood, who has also won five Grammy Awards, adds hosting the CMA Awards to a whirlwind year which includes headlining over 100 concerts throughout the U.S. and Canada on her critically acclaimed “Play On Tour.”

Carrie Underwood has amassed more than 12 million in U.S. album sales since her debut CD in 2005. She’s consistently broken new ground by becoming the first American Idol winner to ever achieve 13 No. 1 hits and the first Country Music artist ever to achieve 10 No. 1 singles just on the strength of their first two albums. Her latest single, “Undo It,” is the third consecutive chart-topping smash from her Platinum-certified Play On album. The song is one of seven tracks co-written by Underwood for Play On, and it becomes the sixth No. 1 of her career that she has co-written.

The Nominees for this years awards are:

New Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland

Single of the Year
“A Little More Country Than That” – Easton Corbin
“Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
“Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
“The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
“White Liar” – Miranda Lambert

Song of The Year
“A Little More Country Than That”
“Need You Now”
“The House That Built Me”
“Toes”
“White Liar”

Music Video of the Year
“Hillbilly Bone”
“Need you Now”
“The House That Built Me”
“Water”
“White Liar”

Musician of the Year
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dan Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Mac Mcanally – Guitar
Randy Scruggs – Guitar

Country music’s most famous show is coming home.

Grand Ole Opry officials today announced that the show, displaced from its permanent home due to May’s historic Nashville flood, will return to the Grand Ole Opry House with a star-packed show Tues., Sept. 28. Among the artists scheduled for the show are Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels Band, Diamond Rio, Jimmy Dickens, Del McCoury Band, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Mel Tillis, and Josh Turner. The show will air live on GAC: Great American Country. Special events and artist appearances will follow throughout October in celebration of both the show’s return and its 85^th Birthday.

The announcement came just before the Opry House’s signature element, a six-foot circle of oak wood taken from the historic Ryman Auditorium when the show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974, was returned this morning to its home center stage at the Opry House.  The circle, along with the full Opry stage, had been covered by 46 inches of water during May’s flood. Rescued immediately after waters receded from the Opry House, the circle has been painstakingly refurbished. The country music treasure was placed in its rightful spot with assistance from Dickens and Paisley. The two Opry members then took to the circle behind an Opry microphone stand for an acoustic performance of the country classic “Will the Circle be Unbroken.”

“It is the best feeling in the world to see our beloved circle back home,” said Grand Ole Opry Group President Steve Buchanan. “We can not wait for the curtain to go up as we launch a new chapter in the Opry’s history on September 28, just in time to celebrate our 85^th birthday.  There is no doubt the next two months are going to be some of the most memorable and emotional ever for our performers and fans.”

“It is as it should be,” said Paisley. “That circle means the world to all of us who love country music. I’ve always said that the circle still contains the dust from Hank Williams’ cowboy boots. Well now it contains that dust, but also the heart and soul of this town and all the people who have worked to rise above this spring’s floods. I know I speak for all my fellow Opry members when I say, ‘we are so excited to come home!’”

The Opry has not missed a single show since the flood, broadcasting from several Nashville venues including former Opry homes the Ryman Auditorium and the War Memorial Auditorium.

In addition to its Sept. 28 return to the Opry House, plans were announced for the celebration to continue with October shows and special events surrounding the show’s 85^th Birthday. Among the highlights:

–Spirit of Nashville Day Oct. 2:
The Opry will celebrate Nashville’s spirit and resilience since the flood by inviting its hometown to get an up-close look at the newly renovated Opry House during a full day of free tours five months to the day following the flood. There will be much to see, including a new artist entrance area, 18 uniquely-themed dressing rooms, and more, including the famed circle of wood center stage. The Nashville celebration will spill into the Opry Plaza  with free music throughout the day, including a performance by hit-making new group The Band Perry.

–85th Birthday Bash Oct. 8 and 9:
Three weekend shows, backstage tours, an afternoon salute to country comedy show featuring Mike Snider with T. Bubba Bechtol, and all-day fun in the Opry Plaza including a free Opry Plaza Party.

–Opry Goes Pink Oct. 15:
Country Music’s legendary duo, The Judds, will take the stage to “flip the switch,” turning the Opry’s signature barn backdrop pink in support of breast cancer awareness month.  The 2nd Annual “Opry Goes Pink” event benefits Women Rock For The Cure^TM and the Greater Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.   Fans are encouraged to mention the code OPRYPINK when purchasing their tickets, as $5 from the sale of each ticket will be donated to these non-profit organizations that have joined the fight against breast cancer.

–Be Our Guest:
The Opry has for years welcomed famous fans from all walks of life to its stage, including every U.S. President from Richard Nixon through George W. Bush.  In celebration of the Opry’s 85^th, celebrities will appear as guest announcers while the show will also launch an “I’m With The Band” series, featuring personalities from outside the country world who have an interest in music to sit in with the Opry band for a song on country music’s most revered stage. Among those scheduled to visit are Oscar-winner Kevin Costner and actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

More information about artist line-ups and special events will be updated as it becomes available at opry.com. The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®.

About the Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn.  Celebrating 85 years of entertainment, the Opry can be heard on 650 WSM-AM, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, and opry.com. The syndicated weekly program, America’s Opry Weekend, airs on country radio stations across America and on the Armed Forces Radio Network. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that also owns and operates Gaylord Hotels.  For more information, visit opry.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com

Multi-platinum country star Trace Adkins is back to dominating the music charts as his new album, Cowboy’s Back In Town, enters the Billboard Country Album Chart this week at No. 1 and lands at No. 5 on the Top 200.

While Cowboy’s Back In Town is the first project with the newly merged label, Show Dog – Universal Music, it is his 11th album release overall, including eight studio albums and two Greatest Hits collections. The new disc marks Adkins’ fourth album to make its debut in the chart-topping position. To date, he has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.

Adkins and label mate Toby Keith have been performing to packed houses across the country this summer on the “American Ride Tour” which continues through September 25.

We are proud to announce that we have two autographed CD’s to give away to our readers.  Please enter below for your chance to win.

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In coming weeks, look for Adkins on the late night talk show circuit, with appearances on the the O’Reilly Factor (8/25), Tonight Show with Jay Leno (9/14), Jimmy Kimmel Live (9/15), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (10/5), Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (10/12) and Chelsea Lately (10/19).

For those of you that have picked up Trace’s new album “Cowboy’s Back In Town” (standard & deluxe editions) then Trace left you a special surprise! Scan a special QR code on the back of your CD with your phone and recieve a special thank you ringtone from Trace! Need a app to scan the QR code? Click here Click below for help on finding the QR code on the back of Trace’s new CD!

Sweepstakes Rules: No Purchase necessary to enter or win a prize. The Trace Adkins Autographed CD Sweepstakes ends on September 10, 2010. The winners will be announced on September 11, 2010 on Countryfannetwork.com and will be notified by email. There are a total of 2 CD’s to be given away. This sweepstakes is open to all legal residents of the continental United States including alaska and hawaii. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older at time of entry. By clicking “Submit” you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules and the Countryfannetwork.com privacy policy

The Zac Brown Band played the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA this past Saturday and Steve and I and our wives had a chance to catch the show.  The night started out at 5:00 with an Eat and Greet with the Zac Brown Band.  The Band gives a selected few of their fans a chance to eat some great food and hang with the band for about an hour before their show.  If you have not had a chance to do this I highly recommend doing it.

The food prepared by Chef Rusty Hamlin is always phenomenal and cooked right there on site.  Chef Rusty no run of the mill cook,  hails from  Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He  earned an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts, as well as Gourmet Chef and Nutrition degrees from the Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana. This evenings feast prepared by Chef Rusty included  Zac’ signature recipe Pocket Knife Coleslaw, Cheddar Smashed Potatoes, Lobster Potato Salad, the best green beans I have tasted that included slices of Red and Yellow peppers and Beef and Pork tenderloin with sauces and rubs that Zac created. We also got to try Jimmy Buffet’s new Land Shark Lager from his margaritaville Brewing Company.  The guys from the band walk around from table to table and chatting with the fans while everyone enjoys their meal. The one thing I noticed is how polite these guys are, they waited for everyone else to get their food before they went up to get theirs. I had a chance to sit down with Chef Rusty Hamlin and we talked about how crazy his day was in regards to getting things ready for the evenings meal.  He left for the boston produce market around 10:00 am to get the supplies for dinner and did not get back until 2:30pm. Chef Rusty likes to shop at the local markets of where the band is performing, he likes to use locally grown produce and prefers to help in his own little way the local economy. For instance in Boston he found this tiny little cheese shop hidden in the market, where he picked up the aged cheeses for tonight’s mashed potatoes. Then they ran out of propane and had to scurry around for some more propane, it’s actually a miracle the meal was ready in time.  Chef Rusty is currently working on a cookbook and I am eagerly waiting for it’s publication and will let you folks know as soon as I hear of it’s release.  Around 6:20 Zac Brown and the guys announced they were going to get ready for the show and bid us all a great night and a great night it was.  This post was going to included the review of the Zac Brown Band concert but I thought it was getting kind of long. After all the Eat and Greet does deserve it’s own post you can check out the review of the concert here at Zac Brown Band Concert Review.

With the fastest-climbing hit of their career, “Little White Church,” racing up the country singles chart, Little Big Town’s fourth studio album “THE REASON WHY” will hit shelves on August 24, 2010 on Capitol Records Nashville. The platinum-selling band, which consists of Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook, co-produced the album alongside Wayne Kirkpatrick and co-wrote eight of the 12 tracks. In celebration of the highly anticipated release, Little Big Town is scheduled to perform on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wed., August 25 and on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends the #1 cable news morning program’s “All American Concert Series” on Fri., August 27 with both performances airing during the 8 a.m. EST hour.

“We wanted to change things up and make sure this record was fresh while still containing the elements that are inherently Little Big Town,” says Kimberly, “and in doing so, we pushed ourselves harder than we ever have.” Karen adds, “There’s a maturity and a history to the band that can’t help but come through on this record, and we’re really pleased with the direction and journey this album takes the listener on conceptually.”

Little Big Town’s musicality and bond as a band has matured over nearly 12 years together. With combined accolades totaling over 15 recognized nominations from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and Grammy’s, there is no surprise at the reason behind their continual success.

THE REASON WHY’s debut single “Little White Church” was penned by Little Big Town and Wayne Kirkpatrick and has already marked the group’s return to the top of the country radio charts. Other highlights on the album include “Why, Oh Why,” which was co-written with Jonathan Singleton and Chris Stapleton, and the title track, which is a pure testament to their infectious harmonies and signature trade-off vocal styling. “Kiss Goodbye”–written by Gordie Sampson, Hillary Lindsey, and Steve McEwan–allows Little Big Town to venture into uncharted territory as a band, and in “All Over Again” is a passionate tune the band co-wrote with Wayne about their own relationship tribulations and triumphs. However, it is the final track that truly represents the band’s mantra about hope and perseverance, “Lean Into It,” which they also composed with Wayne.

THE REASON WHY Track List:
1. The Reason Why
2. Runaway Train
3. Kiss Goodbye
4. Shut Up Train
5. Why, Oh Why
6. Little White Church
7. You Can’t Have Everything
8. All The Way Down
9. All Over Again
10. Rain On A Tin Roof
11. Life Rolls On
12. Lean Into It

With no shortage of hits in their live shows (“Bring It On Home,” “Boondocks,” “Good As Gone,” “A Little More You,” as well as several songs from THE REASON WHY, including “Little White Church”), Little Big Town are pleased to rejoin Sugarland on the road with the recent commencement of “The Incredible Machine Tour.”

Be sure to visit www.littlebigtown.com to hear their latest single, “Little White Church,” from the forthcoming album, THE REASON WHY, and for additional appearances surrounding their release. In addition, viewers can also visit both abcnews.go.com/GMA and foxandfriends.com, which will feature post-performance coverage of Little Big Town’s appearances, including exclusive performances not included on the televised portion.