10. Am I the only one that cannot wait for the new @TheBandPerry CD? “Day 2 in the studio. rp”

9. I take it that @LauraBellBundy isn’t a morning person “Old people gotta A LOT of energy in the morning! They are CACKLING like school girls on this plane to… Wait 4 it… FLORIDA.”

8. Here is another invention worth a million bucks – @SarahBuxton has the cure to crack “Invention: The Crack Flap. Comes up over the back of your pants & covers the inevitable plumbers crack caused by today’s low rise pants.”

7. @BrettEldredge crack me up! “Grey Poupon had a baby and named it Groupon #FancyMustardCoupons”

6. Maybe we should find a different form of transportation for country artists.  This week had yet another bus fire. @ThompsonSquare tweeted “WAKING UP ENGULFED IN SMOME TO A BUS FIRE IN OUR BACK LOUNGE!!!! Not a good morning”

5. Who makes up these rumors? @Reba is as alive as ever! “The rumors of my Austrian death are greatly exaggerated!

4. Obviously @MartinaMcBride isn’t a Starbucks regular. “Starbucks person: What size? Me: Um..regular? I mean, is there a CLASS for this??? How do you learn it? #woefullynotwithit”

3. @BradPaisley was on a roll last week with his #belatedpopsongcorrections. Head over to his twitter to read ‘em all “Birds don’t actually fly over most rainbows. And I can’t fly at all.Therefore I can’t fly over the rainbow. Duh. #belatedpopsongcorrections”

2. There is a reason @ChrisYoungMusic is on the “On Fire” Tour right now “Its official guys! You is my fifth straight billboard number one single!!! Thank you! #stoked”

1. Wait!? There’s a football game today? @Miranda_Lambert tweeted this pic. “Super Bowl!!!!”

Don’t forget to follow Country Music Tattle Tale (@CMTT) on Twitter

If you have any Tweet of the Week suggestions let me know!

Scotty B. – cmttreviewer@yahoo.com

Twitter @stupidkid2150

The CMA Foundation is donating $1.4 million to benefit music education programs for Nashville’s 78,000 public school students from 2011 CMA Music Festival through the “Keep the Music Playing” campaign.

This announcement raises CMA’s Keep the Music Playing support of music education in public schools from $4.7 million to more than $6.1 million. This money has been used to build music labs and purchase more than 4,000 instruments, and much needed supplies for 80 Metro Nashville Public Schools through a partnership with the Nashville Public Education Foundation (formerly known as the Nashville Alliance for Public Education).

The $1.4 million donation includes $200,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s “Words & Music” program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting. CMA established a $1 million endowment gift for the program in 2007 with a $200,000 annual gift.

In 2006, the CMA Artist Relations Committee established the Keep the Music Playing program to give back to the community on behalf of the hundreds of Country artists who perform and make appearances at CMA Music Festival for free.

The announcement of the 2011 CMA Music Festival donation was made at a reception prior to the Third CMA Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Tuesday night. The All Stars Concert honors the best elementary, middle, and high school performance groups selected from 133 Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Chris Young hosted the concert and was on hand for the donation announcement, which was attended by MNPS band directors and music teachers, as well as representatives from the CMA Foundation, CMA Board of Directors, Music City Music Council, and Nashville Public Education Foundation.

A Middle-Tennessee native, Young understands the importance of music education in Music City and has supported the cause by appearing at the CMA Music Festival for the past eight years.

“Music has had such a profound influence in every aspect of my life,” declares Young. “I cannot stress how important it is for young people to continue to have the ability to participate in music programs. I’m proud I’ve had the opportunity to take part in this Keep The Music Playing event.”

Special guest Suzy Bogguss has made music education a personal mission with her latest project, American Folk Songbook. The CD and companion songbook were created to help educate a new generation of fans about the classic American folk tradition. Bogguss performed two songs from the book with students from Glengarry Elementary School.

“The kids and I had a blast working these songs up,” said Bogguss. “They showed me their wonderful instruments they received from the CMA Music Festival with great pride, and they played and sang their little hearts out!”

“Putting instruments in the hands of children is one of the most important initiatives undertaken by CMA on behalf of our artists,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Supporting music education is an investment in the future of our city and our industry. It is an honor to nurture these young performers and provide them with the resources and opportunities they need and deserve.”

To advance that goal, CMA created the nonprofit (501C3) CMA Foundation in 2011. The Foundation, chaired by Kitty Moon Emery, exists to provide financial support to worthwhile causes that are important to CMA and the Country Music community. The group places special emphasis on serving the needs of CMA’s core constituents and nonprofit organizations with initiatives that preserve the legacy of the format, support music education, and respond to other needs identified by CMA.

“Nashville is blessed with a lot of people and organizations that put resources toward our public schools and improving education in our city, but I can think of no other organization that takes dollars and uses them to put resources directly in the hands of our students on the scale that the CMA does every year,” said Mayor Dean. “It is truly an amazing gift. CMA’s support for music education in Nashville, along with our Music Makes Us initiative, is helping us achieve our ultimate goal in Music City, and that’s to provide all of our students with the opportunity to succeed.”

Mayor Dean last year launched Music Makes Us, an overhaul of the Metro Nashville Public Schools’ music program to include a new contemporary curriculum that better reflects today’s diverse musical landscape.

It was announced in November, that Chevrolet – the Official Ride of Country Music – would be joining forces with CMA to shine a spotlight on music education by partnering on the Keep the Music Playing initiative.

To kick off their two-year commitment Chevrolet donated a 2012 Camaro convertible, which is currently being auctioned on CMA’s website, CMAworld.com, to benefit Keep the Music Playing. The hood of the Camaro was signed by all of the celebrities walking the Red Carpet at the 2011 CMA Awards. Awards co-host Brad Paisley was the first to sign the hood live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and the partnership announcement was included in the Awards broadcast with Paisley performing with two students from Nashville School of the Arts – Mignon Grabois and Charley Woods.

“Chevrolet, the official ride of Country Music, is proud to support tomorrow’s Country Music stars through the Keep the Music Playing program,” said Caruso, manager, Chevrolet promotions. “Chevrolet’s 100 years of history have long been celebrated in song. Combining our support for Country Music and education was an easy decision.”

Grabois and Woods, who dazzled television viewers with their rendition of “If I Die Young” on the CMA Awards, had an encore of sorts performing Tuesday night with Young during the concert. The trio performed Young’s current No. 1 hit “You.”

“This journey has been such an exciting experience,” said Woods. “Both Mignon and I are infinitely blessed to have had all these incredible opportunities to sing out for such a grand cause so close to our hearts. Music has always played an essential part in our lives, constantly feeding our desire to learn and nourishing our spirit. We only hope to spread our joy as we continue to play it forward and Keep the Music Playing forever.”

Studies show students who participate in the arts are more likely to graduate. Metro’s performing arts students have a 96 percent graduation rate compared to 76 percent for the general population. The music programs keep the students engaged in high school, but the musical training also provides access to potential college scholarships so these students can further their education and earn degrees.

“The Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert puts on display the many musical talents of Metro Nashville Public School students and it is direct proof of how young musicians can reach their potential when provided with the necessary resources,” Moore said.

All Stars are selected by Metro Nashville Public Schools Coordinator of Performing Arts Carol Crittenden and include Bellevue Middle School Band; Glengarry Elementary Orff Ensemble and Singers; Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet Theater and Orchestra Departments; McGavock High School Wind Ensemble; and the Nashville School of the Arts Pop Ensemble.

“The musical groups that are represented at ‘Keep the Music Playing’ concert are performing at exceptional levels because of great teachers, wonderful students and the instruments donated by CMA,” Crittenden said. “Without the instrument donations, the quantity and quality of these programs would be diminished. The CMA partnership has given us the ability to positively impact the lives of more students than ever before.”

2012 CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10. Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, and Zac Brown Band have already been announced as performers, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets are available now, call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378); visit www.CMAfest.com; or visit Ticketmaster.com to buy online or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket prices start at $115 for Upper Level General Admission.

For the latest information about tickets and artists appearing at 2012 CMA Music Festival, and more, visit www.CMAfest.com. Sign up for CMA Exclusive, the official eNewsletter of Country Music, where fans get connected to Country and receive exciting updates about your favorite artists, contests, free stuff, and more.

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

Even after 15 years, the ever-popular NOW records are still going strong, despite a decline in record sales after the emergence of iTunes. The famed NOW franchise is back with a new release, NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads, featuring 18 monster ballads from hit-makers such as Chris Young and Kenny Chesney to Shania Twain and George Strait.

This is definitely a modern-day collection of country ballads, so if you’re expecting to find “He Stopped Loving Her Today” or “The Dance” on this record, you might be disappointed. Instead, you’ll find Sara Evans’ rendition of Edwin McCain’s “I Could Not Ask For More,” Martina McBride’s latest tear-jerker, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” Dierks Bentley’s risque “Come a Little Closer,” and Carrie Underwood’s take on the famous Randy Travis classic, “I Told You So.”

This album is definitely aimed towards a younger audience with songs from crossover artists like Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, and Lady Antebellum, all of whom have had just as much success on pop radio as they have in the country genre. The record also features former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker’s debut single as a country artist, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” which I still say is his strongest single to date.

If you’re not high-tech with all the latest MP3s and gadgets, this would be a great record to buy if you want some of the greatest country ballads released in the last 10 years or so. Or, you could just turn on your radio – I hear these songs multiple times a day, so it’s nothing new or out of the ordinary. But, like I said, it’s a good record to have on hand in the car if you want some good country slow songs. The NOW records are available wherever records are sold, including online via iTunes and Amazon.

Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads from CMTT.  CLICK HERE to enter.  Hurry!  Contest ends Thursday , February 2nd.

Kristi Olson
CMTT Music Contributor

CLICK READ MORE to see the full track listing of NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads.

1.  Taylor Swift                                    Forever And Always (Piano Version)
2.  Keith Urban                                    Tonight I Wanna Cry
3.  Rascal Flatts                                  What Hurts The Most
4.  The Band Perry                             If I Die Young
5.  Martina McBride                            I’m Gonna Love You Through It
6.  Luke Bryan                                                Do I
7.  Jake Owen                                                Don’t Think I Can’t Love You
8.  Lady Antebellum                            American Honey
9.  Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson         Don’t You Wanna Stay
10.  Shania Twain                               Forever & For Always
11.  Carrie Underwood                       I Told You So
12.  Sara Evans                                  I Could Not Ask For More
13.  Kenny Chesney                           Better As A Memory
14.  Dierks Bentley                             Come A Little Closer
15.  Chris Young                                 The Man I Want To Be
16.  Darius Rucker                              Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It
17.  George Strait                               I Saw God Today
18.  Alan Jackson                               Remember When

On the heels of landing two nominations for the 47th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in the categories of Male Vocalist of the Year and Single Record of the Year for his mega-hit “Tomorrow,” Chris Young finds himself in elite company. Young joins ACM Awards co-host and The Voice star Blake Shelton as one of only two solo artists to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with their five most recent singles as “You” surges to the top this week.

“I am ecstatic,” says Chris after hearing the news. “I’ve been excited for each #1 and to have five in a row feels amazing!”

“You,” written by Young with Luke Laird, is the follow up to his #1 smash “Tomorrow” from his highly acclaimed third album NEON, which opened at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 in July of 2011. The song has racked up over 350,000 downloads.

The singer/songwriter’s four previous chart toppers include “Tomorrow,” “Gettin’ You Home,” “Voices,” and the title track to his 2009 gold certified sophomore album, The Man I Want To Be.

Young has had a busy start to the new year as he recently performed on the hugely popular syndicated daytime program, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In the coming months, Young remains on the road with labelmate Miranda Lambert for the “On Fire” tour.

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

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9. I only have one response to @BrettEldredge’s tweet – WATCH IT GROW! “I grew a beard in like 10 seconds once I got up in the mountains…somethin in the water up there!!! chi chi chi chia beard!”

8. No one experiences the joys of legroom more than touring acts like @LauraBellBundy ‘clean living!’ just got on a flight and I have the entire row too myself … Not to mention MORE LEGROOOM #heavenlyairtraun

7. Sunny Sweeney (@gettinsweenered) always has those truthful sayings that no one thinks of. Sunny’s Aphorism of the week is: “the divorce rate in my sock drawer is amazing.”

6. With ACM nominations out this week, there were plenty of thankful tweets this week. @ChrisYoungMusic had my favorite “Workout-check…shower-check…2ACM nominations-check #waitwhat

5. @LukeBryanOnline has some great things coming for all of us fans! Look for “Spring Break 4” on iTunes soon! “Great day in the studio recording Spring Break 4”

4. This week was a big week for @JayDeMarcus, see what he had to say “Alright y’all, Ali and I have baby number two on the way!! Huge surprise but we’re very excited!!”

3. A new tour started this week. @MartinaMcBride is hitting the road with George Strait “Can’t believe we start the George Strait tour tomorrow night! So freaking excited! Are you ready Lafayette???”

2. The last few weeks have been hard for @Miranda_Lambert. First Blake’s dad, now her friend “Please call your friends, especially the ones you haven’t talked to In a while or maybe are not on great terms with and tell em u love em.”

1. @DierksBentley has had the opportunity to play many types of shows. This week he was in Milwaukee playing after an Admirals game. “dude just fired a snapshot that broke the glass right in front of my face #totallyrad”

Don’t forget to follow Country Music Tattle Tale (@CMTT) on Twitter

If you have any Tweet of the Week suggestions let me know!

Scotty B.

cmttreviewer@yahoo.com
Twitter @stupidkid2150

It’s sort of musical chairs on Billboard’s musical charts this week. Last week’s number-two is now number-one on the country songs chart. It’s Luke Bryan singing “I Don’t Want This Night to End.” Last week’s number-three is now number-two. It’s “You” from Chris Young. And, last week’s number-one drops to number-three. It’s Eric Church with a “Drink in My Hand.”

“Clancy’s Tavern” from Toby Keith now is number-one on Billboard’s country albums chart. “Own the Night” from Lady Antebellum is in second. And Luke Bryan’s “Tailgates and Tanlines” is in third.

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

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