Inside Music Row

We are so glad you’ve joined us for another Inside Music Row!  We’ve got plenty of news for you this week, so let’s get started!  When Miranda Lambert released her “Platinum” album just before CMA Music Fest, she felt like she put her best music forward and kept the creative process fresh.  That hard work in the studio has paid off, as “Platinum” took the top spot on the all-genre Billboard 200.  She also became the very first country artist in the history of Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart to have each of her first five albums debut at number one.  Each of her first four have now been certified platinum, so it shouldn’t be too long before “Platinum” is certified platinum, as well.

Kellie Pickler is riding the resurgence of vinyl’s popularity with a re-release of her latest album “The Woman I Am.”  The new limited-edition vinyl version of the project features exclusive cover art, which is different from the C-D version.  Orders placed from Kellie Pickler dot com just started shipping, so make sure to get yours before they’re gone!

Kimberly Perry has had a whirlwind of a month!  Between fan club parties and CMA Music Fest, she still found time to tie the knot.  She and her new husband pro baseball player J-P Arencibia were wed in Greenville, Tennessee right after CMA Music Fest between gigs and games. 

The second annual “Taste of Country” music festival proves there is a huge market for country music in the state of New York.  More than 40-thousand fans crowded the Hunter Mountain Resort to hear the likes of Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, and more.  Next year could be even bigger, as Tim McGraw was just announced as the headliner for 20-15.  For ticket info…check out Taste of Country Festival dot com.

Craig Morgan is treating many of America’s troops stationed overseas to a little bit of Tennessee.  Craig has teamed up with MoonPie to send over special packages of the Chocolate Double-Decker Moonpies with his likeness all over it.  He took a few with him to Afghanistan on his eleventh overseas tour for the troops, but fans can get in on the action helping to send up to 50-thousand marshmallow sandwich treats to our service members by visiting Moonpie dot com slash Craig Morgan.

Now it's time to go “Inside The Song.”  Rachele Lynae’s new self-titled debut album is full of great tracks like the lead single “Touch The Stars.”  We caught up with her to hear all about the Alaskan inspiration for that song.

With this week’s Independence Day holiday, we have plenty to celebrate here in America.  There are tons of artists out on the road, putting on incredible shows all over the world.  Let’s take a quick look at who’s going where and when.

It’s time for us to take a quick little break, but there is still a lot more music up ahead.  We do have a special album up for grabs this week from Mickey Gilley.  You’ll hear more from the original Urban Cowboy up ahead, but you may want to go ahead and enter this week’s drawing right now.  Head on over to Inside Music Row dot com to get signed up.  Don’t forget to check out Zuus dot com for all the best music videos.  Celebrate the holiday with some great music, plus you can download the free app to take us with you on the go.  Now for that break, but make sure to come on back right after this.  We’ll celebrate a new number one hit, when we return.

The highlight of C-M-A Music Fest is usually the set of shows each night at L-P Field.  Almost every single major artist in country music performs, plus a few special guests.  We headed backstage during the nightly shows to see why the artists enjoy C-M-A Music Fest so much.  Check it out.

The City of Hope puts on the annual C-M-A Fest softball game, which matches up celebrity artists and guests on the Opry team against their counterparts on the i-Heart radio side.  This game is always a blast, even when the competitive juices really get flowing.  We headed out to Nashville’s Greer Stadium for the annual classic.  Here’s Kelly with more.

After the floods that devastated downtown Nashville in May 20-10, Rodney Atkins knew he had to do something to help his community recover.  In 20-11, he launched his first “Music City Gives Back” show to continue the healing process.  Now celebrating four years, the show has grown to include other top notch talent, this year donating funds to the W-O Smith School of Music, which gives lessons to children that might not otherwise have access to music.  We had a chance to hook up with Rodney to talk about this year’s special show.  Here’s Jennifer with more.

We are so glad you’re here for another Inside Music Row!  We have an amazing show in store for you today.  This is our annual C-M-A Music Fest episode!  We covered lots of cool acts in and around town during one of the craziest weeks in country music, and we’ve got it all right here just for you.  We’ll kick things off with Darius Rucker.  He hosted his fifth annual “Darius and Friends” show at the Wildhorse Saloon.  This is an extremely popular event that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  We headed backstage at the Wildhorse to check in with Darius and a few of his friends.

In 2008, at home in New Jersey, Sherry Lynn was invited to open a show for one of her musical heroes.  Since that time, she's been hard at work pursuing a career in country music, which is now paying off.  Last year, she debuted at the Grand Ole Opry singing her duet "A Beautiful Life" with Crystal Gayle, and now she's celebrating the success of her most recent track "Girls Will Be Girls" off her latest album.  Kelly caught up with Sherry Lynn during a visit to Nashville to learn all about her new music.

Cole Swindell has come a long way since he started out selling t-shirts and other merch for Luke Bryan on tour.  With a musical style that fits in with Luke’s audience, and Luke’s unwavering support, Cole has managed not just a label deal and album, but his very first number one hit.  We headed over to BMI to celebrate that chart-topping hit with Cole and his co-writer Shane Minor.  Here’s Kelly with more.

Hey everybody!  I'm Kelly Sutton!  We are so glad you’ve joined us for another Inside Music Row!  We’ve got plenty of entertainment news for you this week, so let’s get started!  In looking back at Billboard’s list of Top Live Acts of the past 25 years, it seems there is only one country artist in the Top Ten.  Up there with acts like the Rolling Stones, U-2 and Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Chesney ranked number nine, in spite of taking two of the last five years off the road.  Since becoming a full-fledged headliner in 2002, Kenny has sold close to 13 million tickets.  Even though he’s not touring this year, he just can’t wait to hit the road again.

Country rocker Aaron Lewis is gearing up for his fourth annual “It Takes A Community Foundation” benefit concert next week.  Aaron and his wife founded the organization to work with local leaders to strengthen, engage and enrich their communities.  Look for a rare acoustic performance from Staind to complete the night in Florence, Massachusetts June 27th.  For more info, check out the foundation’s website.  (Graphic ITACF.org)

Kenny Rogers has been instrumental in changing the lives of kids across America through the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center in Sikeston, Missouri.  Kenny doesn’t just lend his name to the organization, but fights for funding for the center and lends a hand with benefit shows to raise money.  He’s been supporting the center now for almost forty years, and for him…the chance to help over 450 special needs children each month is something that will never get old.

Bad Company has more to celebrate this summer than just another tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd.  They are reissuing their first two classic albums on vinyl beginning July first.  Both “Bad Company” and “Straight Shooter” will contain all the original packaging.  Many of the tracks from these two albums have become staples of classic rock radio stations around the world.  Check out the tour through the month of July, but keep up with them online at Bad Company dot com.

Zac Brown Band’s “Southern Ground Music and Food Festival” will return to Charleston, South Carolina this fall for their fourth annual celebration.  Look for Ashley Monroe, Blues Traveler and more to join in the fun October 11th and 12th. 

Now it's time to go “Inside The Song.”  Songwriters are always keeping an ear open for potential hits, no matter the time nor the place.  John Oates was on a working vacation when he came across the inspiration for “Six Men,” which is featured on his latest “Good Road To Follow” project.

Gene Watson has been making music professionally for over fifty years, and in that time, he’s achieved major success, even being inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.  His signature song “Farewell Party” was released in the late 1970s, which is the namesake for his Farewell Party Band.  Gene knows that not much classic country gets played on the radio anymore, but there is still a large fan base hungry for traditional country music.  His latest album “My Heroes Have Always Been Country” hits stores this week, and Kelly Lynn had a chance to sit down with him to talk about this new project.

John Rich and Big Kenny Alphin have been tapped by E-S-P-N for the weekly Game Day openings for the upcoming football season.  While it’s just June, it’s a little hard to think about kicking off another season.  For the network, though, it’s always a challenge to keep things fresh.  We caught up with Big and Rich on the set between takes to talk about taking their music to the fans in a different way.