Vince Gill and Amy Grant have been named Tennesseans of the Year by The Tennessean.

In choosing the couple for the annual award, The Tennessean editorial board notes, “Amy Grant and Vince Gill not only make a meaningful impact on the global stage through their music, but their philanthropy also helps people throughout Tennessee.”

“Their years of charity work reached a crescendo in 2011, from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and American Red Cross to the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee and many, many more causes.

Vince is especially known in Nashville for his philanthropic efforts for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

At the awards banquet in Nashville, the couple were presented with a quilt representing their good deeds from 60 non-profit organizations.  But Vince was visibly moved before the ceremony ever took place.

“At the beginning, Vince walked out and he was already crying after going through the well-wishers in the lobby,” foundation president Ellen Lehman said.

You can read more here.

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Trading in his reindeer for a shiny Macy’s tour bus, Santa Claus came to the Nashville in style! Visiting children of all ages, Santa welcomed one-and-all to join in the festivities, as he reminds everyone about the magic of the Christmas season and shares a few magical moments with his jolly elves.

Santa concluded his cross-country tour with an afternoon stop at the the historic Ryman where, together with Amy Grant and Vince Gill, he met with the children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. That evening, Santa shared his joy and Christmas cheer with the community at Macy’s at Green Hills.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com

Don’t forget to catch the reairing of CMT Country Christmas this Satruday, December 17th at 9/8c on ABC.

“Viewers now have a second opportunity to experience the music, memories, and stories of the season with some of our format’s biggest stars and their families,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore. “Fans have been calling since the original airing asking for more, and we are glad to give them a second helping.”

Artists who perform in the special and share their favorite holiday traditions include Lauren Alaina, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer with special guest Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and Vince Gill with Miss Piggy.

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

Country Music’s biggest stars share their family traditions and treasured holiday memories on “CMA Country Christmas,” which airs Thursday, Dec. 1 (9:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Hosted for the second year by Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, the special includes performances from “American Idol” runner up Lauren Alaina, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer with special guest Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and Vince Gill in a special performance with Miss Piggy.

A highlight of the special is the intimate fireside chats where the artists and their families share their personal traditions from favorite recipes, to least favorite gifts.

Photo credit: Katherine Bomboy-Thornton.

Lauren Alaina and her mother Kristy Suddeth chatted on the couch while Alaina talked about how the family home is decorated. “We go all out,” she said. “We’re serious about our Christmas decorations. When they don’t work, we are mad.” Alaina also talked about snooping for Christmas gifts before Christmas Day.

Vince Gill and wife Amy Grant talked about their favorite Christmas memories. Gill told a story about his sister mastering the art of opening Christmas gifts before Christmas Day – and re-sealing them. “She was good at acting surprised at what she got,” remarked Gill.

Grant told a story about her mother buying her gerbils one Christmas, only to have them found by the family cat before the big reveal. “We’re sitting around, all fuzzy feeling, then all of a sudden, I’m going, ‘What is that crunching sound under the tree?’ It was my big present – the gerbils.”

Faith Hill talked about the big box of peanuts she and her two older brothers received from their mother and father one Christmas. They had to dig through to find money. “I got so upset because she didn’t put any money in my box. I thought, “She gypped me!’” Faith also said her husband, Country star Tim McGraw, dressed up as Santa Claus one Christmas for a benefit show. “It was actually really good,” Hill said. She said the family tradition is to read The Night Before Christmas, to bake, and make reindeer food.

Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town recalled how his siblings would all pile up on mattresses and blankets on the floor in the family’s “little bitty house.” “That is harmony. That is family. That is what Christmas is all about,” Westbrook said.

Martina McBride and her three daughters (Ava 6, Emma 13, and Delaney 16) chatted about their favorite Christmas recipe. “We have a weird salad we make,” McBride said, listing the ingredients as a jar of pimento cheese, a can of pineapple, half a bag of marshmallows, and a carton of Cool Whip, mixed together. “It’s so good!”

Kellie Pickler talked about one of her favorite holidays when she visited American troops in Iraq as part of a USO tour. She said the experience was “life-changing,” visiting with men and women who couldn’t be with their husbands, wives, and children on Christmas. “There are so many things we take for granted,” Pickler said. “We don’t realize it until it’s not there anymore – until that luxury, that freedom, is not there.”

Photo credit: Katherine Bomboy-Thornton.

Jay DeMarcus, of Rascal Flatts, sat with his wife Allison, and infant daughter Madeline (born Dec. 17, 2010), and talked about the new traditions being started in the DeMarcus home this year. “The greatest gift we got this year was this little, beautiful angel right here,” said DeMarcus, smiling and laughing along with his wife, while his daughter tugged on his shirt. “This is her first interview. As you can tell, she’s doing really well at it.”

Joe Don Rooney, of Rascal Flatts, talked about special holiday traditions at his home. “We kind of have a tradition now we’re starting. We kind of all have pajamas we wear – all matching.”

Rooney’s wife, Tiffany Fallon added, “Daddy only wears his for, like, 10 or 15 minutes.”

Rooney deadpanned, “When you’re dressed like a candy cane, and you’re a guy, it’s a little uncomfortable.”

Sugarland’s Kristian Bush recalled how as children, he and his brother slept as close to the Christmas tree as they could on Christmas Eve. “Santa left everything outside,” Bush said.

Nettles talked about the year she and her roommate decided to make candles for Christmas, but narrowly escaped disaster. “It’s quite dangerous actually,” Nettles said. “A lot went into those gifts, and I hope people still have those candles because we almost burned down the whole complex.”

A native Australian, Keith Urban explained how Christmas was always sunny and warm, which is much different from the wintry holiday he now celebrates in the United States. “My memories of Christmas growing up in the Southern hemisphere – it’s the middle of summer down there,” Urban said. “Christmas was always about going to the beach. And my fondest Christmas memory is about getting in the station wagon with my mom, dad, my brother, and me, and going to the beach for the day.”

Urban also talked about the best present he ever received. “Two Christmases ago, my lovely wife [Nicole Kidman] surprised the heck out of me with Waylon Jennings’ Telecaster that was being auctioned off at the beginning of December. Hands down – it’s the best gift I’ve ever had.”

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

Like last year, we’ll get two chances to watch the “CMA Country Christmas” special. ABC already announced that the music special will air Thursday, December 1. Now the network says it will be repeated Saturday, December 17.

The special was taped yesterday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with Jennifer Nettles as host for the second year. The list of this year’s performers includes Lauren Alaina, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer, Sugarland and Keith Urban. And since the Muppets are a Disney property, which also owns ABC, Vince Gill has the honor of doing a special performance with Miss Piggy.

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

When the holiday season comes around, music superstars Amy Grant and Vince Gill will embark on their sixth Christmas tour. The Twelve Days Of Christmas – Amy Grant & Vince Gill kicks off December 7th in Baltimore, MD and wraps with 2 shows in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium.

“Christmas audiences are special,” explains Grant. “They tend to involve the whole family, and their emotions are a wonderful mix of anticipation and reverence. It’s a thrilling experience for both of us.” “These holiday tours have become our favorites,” Gill agrees.

In their two hour program, the Grammy-winning husband-and-wife team will present cherished standards and as well as newer seasonal fare.

Complete list of dates:
December 7 Baltimore, MD Lyric Opera House
December 8 Norfolk, VA Constant Convocation Center
December 9 Richmond, VA Richmond Landmark Theater
December 10 Augusta, GA Bell Auditorium
December 11 Savannah, GA Johnny Mercer Theater
December 12 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center
December 15 Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
December 16 Evansville, IN The Centre
December 17 Muncie, IN Emens Auditorium – Ball State
December 19 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
December 20-21 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com

Award-winning Nashville singer/songwriter/producer Regie Hamm has a dream. A dream of a world where special needs children and the families that love them have an “Angel Center” in Middle Tennessee where comprehensive therapy, diagnosis, and support is available for those children most profoundly challenged with mental disabilities.

To help turn that dream into reality, on Thursday, October 20th, a stellar list of Regie Hamm’s celebrity friends will join forces for Nashville’s 4th Annual Bella Bash.

Artists set to perform include multi-platinum artist Grammy and Dove Award winner Amy Grant, Grammy Award winning Christian recording artist Bob Carlisle (“Butterfly Kisses”) multi-Dove Award winning top southern gospel group, The Martins, and legendary nationally-known comedian Gary Mule Deer. Tim Akers & The Smoking Section will perform live and provide back-up for the evening’s event being held at the Loveless Barn on Highway 100.

Celebrity red carpet is scheduled for 6:30 P.M with doors at 7:00 P.M.

The story behind the “Bella Bash” is a very personal one. In 2003, Regie Hamm and his wife Yolanda flew to China to adopt their first child, Isabella Xin Meng Hamm. Unknown to them at the time, baby “Bella” suffered from a rare genetic disorder, Angelman Syndrome–a neuro-genetic disorder that occurs in approximately 1 in 15,000 live births and is often mis-diagnosed as cerebral palsy or autism. Characteristics of AS include: developmental delays, lack of speech, seizures, and walking and balance disorders. “Angels” are missing a tiny piece of maternal chromosome that renders them in need of constant care throughout life.

In honor of Bella, the “Bella Bash” was established in 2008 as a evening of music dedicated to raising much needed funds and awareness of Angelman Syndrome and the myriad of rare mental disorders still in the shadows and often mis-diagnosed.

Proceeds of this year’s “Bella Bash” will be earmarked specifically towards the production and distribution of an Angelman Syndrome educational DVD targeted to reach every pediatrician’s office in the U.S.

Notes Hamm: “I meet Angelman families all over the country whose story is similar to that of our family’s. We went through several years without a definitive diagnosis for Bella. The goal of the foundation and my work personally through the “Bella Bash” is to raise funds that will allow us to increase awareness and help the quality of life for these amazing families and their children.”

Tickets are on sale now with general admission scaled at $50.00 in advance. VIP ticket packages with a fully loaded celebrity gift bag are $75.00.

Tickets can be ordered online now through October 19th at www.bellabash.org. The event is expected to be a repeat of last year’s sell-out, so early ticketing is encouraged.

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com