Join in the first annual You’ve been Sentenced!—Country Music Edition during Country Music’s biggest week.

Celebrities will be seated to play the award-winning game on Thursday, June 7, from 2:00-4:30PM at the Hard Rock Café in the heart of the activities in downtown Nashville. The tournament brings together some of country music’s brightest stars who will play the word game to benefit the children’s charities Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the literacy organization Success Won’t Wait.

The outing offers the unique opportunity for country music fans to sit down beside their favorite celebrities and play the You’ve been Sentenced! card game or simply enjoy the action. Artists confirmed to date include: Jeff Bates, Ty Brown, Burns & Poe, Jason Michael Carroll, Buddy Jewell, Matt Kennon, Danni Leigh, LoCash Cowboys, Justin McBride, Jaclyn North, Julie Roberts, Doug Stone, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills and more. The game play will be followed by acoustic performances.

“We’ve always known that the country music industry has tremendous heart,” said McNeill Designs CEO, Don McNeill. “The interest and support shared by the community as a whole for this charity event has been overwhelming and it’s even more moving in consideration of the number of appearances, concerts and events these artists are juggling as part of their hectic CMA Fest schedules.”

Created to go above and beyond family fun, You’ve been Sentenced! has become an educational tool that is garnering rave reviews in homes, classrooms and educational facilities around the world and is now staged to reach a brand new audience. McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds, the game manufacturer, will officially introduce the You’ve been Sentenced! Country Music Edition to entertain the country music fan at the June 7 gathering. The anticipated retail delivery date for the country music version is August 2012—just in time for Christmas retail delivery.

Ticket Information:
Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door the day of the event.
VIP seating is limited; first come, first serve.
• $10 general admission
• $25 VIP admission
• $100 buy-in, which allows the fan to be seated at a table with various artists to play the game.

Advance Tickets may be purchased via credit card. Call 866.520.2555.

CMTT wants you to be a Tattle Tale! We want to hear what you have to say about country music and your favorite artists. Email Jessica at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com. Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Music continues to be the main attraction at the 2012 CMA Music Festival with a variety of artists from up-and-comers to legendary hitmakers performing on the new BIC Soleil Bella Beach Stage as well as the very popular Bud Light Stage at the Bridgestone Plaza where fans can enjoy 40 hours of concerts for free.

“Live music is a hallmark of CMA Music Festival and we are excited to be able to add a new stage and even more performances this year,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer.

The BIC Soleil Bella Beach Stage is a new addition to the Festival in 2012 with concerts and fun-in-the-sun activities starting at 11:00 AM/CT each day during the Festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10.

The Bud Light Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza, at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, is always a fan favorite and a great place to check out some of Country’s hottest acts. Packed with music fans in 2011, the stage is bigger and better in 2012 with a diverse lineup of performers and the addition of the world-famous Clydesdale horses nearby.
Artists currently scheduled to perform at the Bud Light Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza include:

Thursday, June 7
11:00 AM – 11:25 AM Jeff Bates
11:45 AM – 12:10 PM Greg Bates
12:30 PM – 12:55 PM Julie Roberts
1:15 PM – 1:40 PM Tyler Farr
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM “Classic Country Show” featuring Moe Bandy, T. Graham Brown, Janie Fricke, and Gene Watson, hosted by Moore & Moore.
3:20 PM – 3:45 PM Trent Tomlinson
4:05 PM – 4:30 PM Miss Willie Brown
4:50 PM – 5:15 PM Cledus T. Judd
 Friday, June 8
11:00 AM – 11:25 AM Eric Paslay
11:45 AM – 12:10 PM Rose Falcon
12:30 PM – 12:55 PM Katie Armiger
1:15 PM – 1:40 PM Exile
2:00 PM – 2:25 PM The McClymonts
2:45 PM – 3:10 PM Frankie Ballard
3:30 PM – 3:55 PM Big Smo
4:15 PM – 4:40 PM Drake White
5:00 PM – 5:25 PM Blackberry Smoke
 Saturday, June 9
11:00 AM – 11:25 AM Josh Gracin
11:45 AM – 12:10 PM Trailer Choir
12:30 PM – 12:55 PM Sonia Leigh
1:15 PM – 1:40 PM Randy Montana
2:45 PM – 3:10 PM The Cleverly’s
3:30 PM – 3:55 PM Canaan Smith
4:15 PM – 4:40 PM Jaida Dreyer
5:00 PM – 5:25 PM Bucky Covington
 Sunday, June 10
11:00 AM – 11:25 AM Mark Wills
11:45 AM – 12:10 PM Jon Pardi
12:30 PM – 12:55 PM Jason Michael Carroll
1:15 PM – 1:40 PM Mandy Barnett
2:00 PM – 2:25 PM Joanna Smith
2:45 PM – 3:10 PM Charlie Worsham
3:30 PM – 3:55 PM Kentucky Headhunters
4:15 PM – 4:40 PM Robin Meade
5:00 PM – 5:25 PM Andy Gibson

Hosts for the Bud Light Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza include singer Cody Clark, McVay Media’s Charlie Cook, WGSQ Radio’s Philip Gibbons, KKWF Radio’s Deanna Lee, WYRK Radio’s Clay Moden, “Music City 411” host Shane Tallant, and “Tennessee Mornings” host Kelly Sutton. Artists and time are subject to change.

New to this year’s CMA Music Festival is the BIC Soleil Bella Beach Stage. Located in Walk of Fame Park, this stage will offer a variety of artists entertaining fans in a beach-like setting. Artists currently scheduled to perform at the BIC Soleil Bella Beach Stage include:

Thursday, June 7
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM Mockingbird Sun
11:35 AM – 11:55 AM HER & Kings County
12:10 PM – 12:30 PM Lindsay Lawler
12:45 PM – 1:05 PM Tim Dugger
1:20 PM – 1:40 PM Blackjack Billy
1:55 PM – 2:15 PM Jason Cassidy
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM Bush Hawg
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Sunny Sweeney
 Friday, June 8
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM Kristy Lee Cook
11:35 AM – 11:55 AM Matt Gary
12:10 PM – 12:30 PM Lighter Ray
12:45 PM – 1:05 PM Rachel Holder
1:20 PM – 1:40 PM Aaron Parker
1:55 PM – 2:15 PM Michael Ray
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM Morgan Frazier
3:05 PM – 3:25 PM Parmalee
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Rachel Farley
4:15 PM – 4:35 PM Drew Smith
 Saturday, June 9
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM Lacey Brown
11:35 AM – 11:55 AM Russell Dickerson
12:10 PM – 12:30 PM Lyndsey Highlander
12:45 PM – 1:05 PM Maggie Rose
1:20 PM – 1:40 PM Levi Lowrey
1:55 PM – 2:15 PM Donny Falgatter
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM The Henningsens
3:05 PM – 3:25 PM Chris Janson
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Dean Alexander
4:15 PM – 4:35 PM Connor Christian & Southern Gothic
 Sunday, June 10
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM Brother Trouble
11:35 AM – 11:55 AM The Stickers
12:10 PM – 12:30 PM Craig Morrison
12:45 PM – 1:05 PM Marlee Scott
1:20 PM – 1:40 PM Frank Ortega
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM Brazilbilly
3:05 PM – 3:25 PM Stephanie Quayle
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Mustang Sally Band
4:15 PM – 4:35 PM Eric Lee Beddingfield

CMA Music Festival is the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience – a celebration of America’s music that takes over downtown Nashville with non-stop concerts on multiple stages with a vast and varied roster of artists. CMA Music Festival is a four-time winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010).

CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of CMA. Chevrolet™ is the Official Ride of Country Music. BIC is an Official Partner of the 2012 CMA Music Festival. Connect with CMA online at CMAfest.com, Facebook.com/CMA and Twitter.com/CountryMusic.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

For a great gift with no worries ‘if’ it will get there on time, ‘if’ it’s personal enough, or ‘if’ it’s something they can use, choose a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® digital gift card. With these electronic versions of Cracker Barrel’s traditional plastic gift cards, you can add a personal message and photo, schedule delivery right down to the day and time, and even share it socially on Facebook. And now you can add an image of the Oak Ridge Boys, Wynonna Judd, or Jason Michael Carroll Cracker Barrel CD cover for the music lovers on your list.

“The Oak Ridge Boys are having lots of fun with Cracker Barrel’s digital gift cards,” said Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys. “We go to crackerbarrel.com/store/gift-cards/ and order a digital gift card. This is where the fun begins. We then add a personal photo, or select the image of our CD cover, add a message, decide how much we want the card to be worth from $10.00 to $500.00, pick a delivery date, and we’re done. Our friends get the gift of the kind of good country cookin’ that we like to eat when we visit at Cracker Barrel or they can pick out something for themselves from Cracker Barrel’s store. And when they see a picture of our CD on the gift card, it’s a gentle reminder to listen to our music or to buy our CD, It’s Only Natural, which Cracker Barrel recently released through their exclusive music program for one of their friends. I love the way this works!”

Cracker Barrel’s digital gift cards with exclusive music program CD images also include Wynonna Judd and Jason Michael Carroll. Wynonna’s Love Heals CD debuted at #7 on the Billboard Magazine Top Country Albums chart in May 2010. Jason Michael Carroll’s Numbers CD was released in July 2011 with a compilation of songs about everyday life experiences, including “Alyssa Lies,” which reached #5 on the Billboard Country Chart from Carroll’s 2007 album.

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

Jason Michael Carroll’s new album “Numbers” is on the Cracker Barrel list along with the other great country artists Cracker Barrel is currently carrying in the music world. This is technically his third album, the first being “Waitin’ in the Country” and the second being “Growing Up Is Getting Old”. He also recorded some long-treasured favorites for Christmas titled “Christmas on the Farm”. The son of a preacher, Jason was raised in a strict family home in Youngsville, North Carolina. His father was a very conservative minister and secular music was not allowed in his home as it was viewed as sinful. Luckily his mother encouraged his singing career and Jason is now deeply embedded in the world of country music.

His first single was “Alyssa Lies” followed by “Livin’ Our Love Song”, “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead” and “Where I’m From.” I was lucky enough to be in the audience at Titan Field in 2009 during CMA Fest and heard Jason on the side stage singing “Where I’m From” and it was evident that he already had a large following and the ladies were indeed happy to see Jason! Who wouldn’t love listening to that lovely southern drawl and watchin’ that wonderful Daddy of four sing? Songwriter, singer and family man – Jason wrapped up in a nutshell!

This new album is genuinely Jason – filled with storied songs of love, fun – there’s even a “Can I Get an Amen” song included which is a song about balance – right and wrong – expecting help from above and doing it yourself. He believes in women’s rights but also loves to see a short, tight skirt and has a few “amen’s” about the government as well. It’s a fun and thought-provoking song that Jason does in his own special way with a great upbeat tempo.

“Numbers” is the new single from the same titled album and is a great play on all numbers in our life – some mean something and some mean absolutely nothing! It’s a cute song doing 72 in a 65 on I-24 in a 4-wheel drive and got a 10:00 o’clock on 18^th Avenue! There’s a 30 percent chance of rain all week —- 18 wheelers – radio station call numbers – it’s just a fun and upbeat song about numbers!! It’s a single that belongs on the charts – great melody and some really good guitar backing him up.

“Numbers” promises to deliver some great new country music to Jason’s loyal fans and listeners via Cracker Barrel and iTunes. The other songs that round out this CD are This is For the Lonely, Ray of Hope, Meet Me in the Barn, Hell or Hallelujah, My Favorite, Don’t Know Why I Don’t, Let Me, Stray, Last Word and Alyssa Lies. You can follow Jason on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter and on his own site at http://www.jasonmichaelcarroll.com

Calamity Annie, CMTT Music Contributor
CalamityAnnie1 on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter

Former Cracker Barrel Old Country Store server Jason Michael Carroll brings his new CD Numbers to the table as the first artist ever signed by the company’s exclusive music program who once worked in one of its restaurants. Carroll, who started singing in public while working as a server at the Cracker Barrel located in Henderson, N.C., has joined the ranks of the stars in the company’s exclusive music program.

The CD Numbers is a compilation of songs about everyday life experiences, including “Alyssa Lies,” which reached #5 on the Billboard Country Chart from Carroll’s 2007 album, and the title song “Numbers,” written by Patrick Davis and Rodney Clawson. “Most numbers mean absolutely nothing,” says Carroll, “but some of them, like the date you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, mean everything.” Cracker Barrel and Carroll collaborated with the Quarterback Records radio team, GrassRoots and country radio nationwide to debut the song as a single this past April. The Numbers CD debuts today exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations and online at crackerbarrel.com.

“Jason Michael Carroll’s Cracker Barrel experience has come full circle,” said Julie Craig, Marketing Manager for Cracker Barrel. “Numbers is about the connection between being at certain places at certain times in your life, and our special connection with Jason was born the day he started working in our Henderson store. He’s already made history within the Cracker Barrel family and we hope when people hear this CD, he’ll be on his way to making some music history as well.”

In addition to the 12 songs featured on the CD, fans will have an opportunity to see Jason Michael Carroll perform on the porches of some Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations this summer. Dates and times will be posted on crackerbarrel.com/music as soon as they are confirmed.

Tracks on Numbers:

1. This Is For The Lonely
2. Numbers
3. Ray Of Hope
4. Meet Me In The Barn
5. Hell Or Hallelujah
6. Can I Get An Amen
7. My Favorite
8. Don’t Know Why
9. Let Me
10. Stray
11. Last Word
12. Alyssa Lies (from the album Waitin’ in the Country, Arista Records, 2007)

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

Reflecting 40 years of CMA Music Festival, the lineup for the Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet(tm) Riverfront Stage includes a collection of past, present, and future superstar artists. The 2011 CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12, in downtown Nashville. The Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage are free and open to the public.

The Daily Concerts will kick-off on Thursday, June 9 at 10:00 AM/CDT with a high energy show from multi-Platinum recording artist Gary Allan. This is Allan’s first performance at CMA Music Festival since 2006.

Darryl Worley will close the Daily Concerts on Friday, June 10; Billy Ray Cyrus will close on Saturday, June 11; and Terri Clark will close on Sunday, June 12. Clark last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2007; Cyrus in 2008; and Worley in 2010.

“Gary Allan will provide a dynamic start to 2011 CMA Music Festival at the Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This stage is packed with great hit-makers from the ’70s through today, spotlighting all the decades of CMA Music Festival’s existence. And it’s free! We invite everyone to come and enjoy the great music on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage.”

The current daily artist lineups are revealed below in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 9: Gary Allan, Emerson Drive, Colt Ford, Jack Ingram, Sammy Kershaw, Craig Morgan, James Otto, Jake Owen, Randy Rogers Band, and Steel Magnolia.

Friday, June 10: Frankie Ballard, Bucky Covington, Brett Eldredge, Jo Dee Messina, Randy Montana, Heidi Newfield, Sawyer Brown, Phil Vassar, James Wesley, and Darryl Worley.

Saturday, June 11: Crystal Bowersox, Jason Michael Carroll, Billy Ray Cyrus, Steve Holy, Lonestar, David Nail, Corey Smith, Mel Tillis, and Chuck Wicks.

Sunday, June 12: The Bellamy Brothers, Terri Clark, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Josh Kelley, LoCash Cowboys, Jerrod Niemann, Troy Olsen, and Sunny Sweeney.

Performance order will be listed on CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival, closer to the event. Additional artists will be announced. Artists and dates subject to change.

Admittance to the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage is free, but four-day ticket holders have an exclusive 45-minute, early-entrance window before the gates open to the general public.

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

Jason Michael Carroll got his start singing in public while he worked as a server at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® location in Henderson, N.C. So it’s downright fitting that the company has chosen Numbers, his first studio album since 2009, to be the newest addition to its exclusive music program when the CD is released this summer. Cracker Barrel and Carroll are partnering with the Quarterback Records radio team, GrassRoots, and country radio nationwide to debut the album’s title song “Numbers” as a single today.

“’Numbers’is a song that got my attention the first time I heard it,” said Carroll. “It was written by Patrick Davis and Rodney Clausen and it’s about the way certain numbers, like dates and times, can represent some of life’s most significant moments. Moments like your first date, meeting the love of your life and the day your child is born. Those dates and times have real meaning in our lives. I think everyone can identify with that concept.”

“The date that Jason Michael Carroll started working for Cracker Barrel is one of those significant numbers,” said Chris Ciavarra, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Cracker Barrel. “We had no idea when he became one of our new-hire Rising Stars that his music career was about to make him a star in the music industry, too. Adding his album to our music program is like welcoming family back home.”

The single “Numbers” will be available on iTunes® April 5. The CD Numbers will be available exclusively at all Cracker Barrel locations July 25, with 12 songs on it, including “Numbers”and “Alyssa Lies” from Jason Michael Carroll’s 2007 album Waitin’ in the Country. “Alyssa Lies” topped at #5 on the Billboard Country Chart and was Carroll’s debut single and the runaway hit that put him on the map.

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