Inside Music Row

LeAnn Rimes recently released her most personal album ever.  LeAnn refers to "Spitfire" as an "intimate conversation between her and whoever's listening."  The album features several special guests including Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 and Jeff Beck, along with Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski.  "Borrowed" was the lead single off the album, which covers material that was very difficult for her to write.  Kelly Lynn caught up with LeAnn to talk about the new project, which hit stores last month.  

We kick off another Inside Music Row with the mention of Carrie Underwood as she is releasing a live concert DVD from her sold-out "Blown Away Tour."  The disc includes almost two hours of performances and a few exclusive bonus features from behind the scenes.  Up next is "Duck Dynasty's" the Robertson family - they announced during the CMA Music Festival that they will spread their wings this holday season into the music business with the release of "Duck The Halls:  A Robertson Family Christmas."  Up next we mention the Johnny Cash postage stamp - look for the stamp available for a limited time through the U.S. Postal Service.  Little Big Town is also in the news as they took the stage recently at a farm in Franklin, Tennessee to raise money for Blood:  Water Mission, a local non-profit fighting against the HIV AIDS and water crises in Africa.  Katie Armiger is up next as she recently donated her infamous black dress to the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas.  She wore the black dress on the historic Opry stage the night her "Better In A Black Dress" video went number one on GAC's Top 20 Countdown.  Finally, we go Inside the Song with Jimmy Yeary to hear about a song he co-wrote for the Rascal Flatts called "Why Wait."

The CMT Music Awards are an unofficial kickoff to the CMA Music Festival.  Held each year at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, you can always expect the hottest artists in country music to show up, along with a few surprise guests.  Kelly Lynn hit up the purple carpet leading up to the big event to talk to the artists about the unforgettable evening.

One of the highlights of CMA Music Festival has to be the incredible set of shows at LP Field.  Throughout the four nights of the festival, just about anyone on the charts today performed at the sold-out event.  We went backstage to talk with a few of the artists about the CMA Music Festival and what it means to give back to their fans.

The Reunion of Professional Entertainers organization opened the CMA Music Festival with an incredible sold out show and a lineup of traditional country artists, including Hall of Famers, Grad Ole Opry members, and independent artists.  Mel Tillis headlined the show with The Statesiders, his nine-piece band.  Kelly Lynn headed out to the Nashville Palace to check out this breakfast with the stars.

The Tug McGraw Foundation featured a star-studded lineup for its second annual "Celebrity Sporting Clay Pro-Am."  The event at the Nashville Gun Club raised about 50-thousand dollars, which will help imporve the lives of military service members who have been affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.  Kelly Lynn headed out to the club to see why many of these artists are involved.  

We kick off a very special Inside Music Row at the Ryman Auditorium with Darius Rucker as he helps benefit Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital.  The fourth annual "Darius and Friends" concert lineup incleded Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Justin Moore, and many more coming together for a great cause.

Susan Ashton was at the top of her game with number one singles, Dove Awards, and Grammy nominations in the Contemporary Country Music scene a few years ago.  After persevering through several heartbreaking personal issues, she knows she belongs back in music once again.  She's recently released her new EP "Thief" on Be Music Entertainment, and we had a chance to talk to her about the new project.  Here' Kelly with more.

Justin Moore has had a lot of success since joining the Valory Music Group as one of its initial artists in 2007.  In those six years, Justin has seen incredible growth as an artist,which is evident in his latest music video for "Point At You."  We had a chance to check in behind-the-scenes on the set of that video to see what this song is all about.

Lee Brice has been on a roll lately.  His second album "Hard To Love" was released just over a year ago, and has given Lee his first three number ones as an artist.  He hit the top of the charts first with "Woman Like You," then "Hard To Love," and now with "I Drive Your Truck."  We had a chance to catch up with Lee and co-writers Jimmy Yeary, Connie Harrington, and Jessi Alexander at a party to celebrate that new number one hit at the Country Music Association.