GAC

Sept. 5, 2008 — J.C. Andersen wears his father’s dog tags for a bit of good luck, and he’s hoping they pay off in the talent competition The Next GAC Star. J.C. is one of six finalists who performed on this week’s semi-finals en route to next Wednesday’s big crowning moment.

Sept. 5, 2008 — Three composers with a heavy influence on country music — Matraca Berg, John Hiatt and Tom Shapiro — will take their place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during a ceremony Oct. 26.

Sept. 5, 2008 — George Strait "still feels 25 most of the time," according to the first line of his hit "Troubadour," but his music is getting even younger with the release of a new sleep-inducing project for crib-aged kids.

Sept. 5, 2008 — The most successful duo in country music history gave producers a unique amount of access for a one-of-a-kind special this summer, and Brooks & Dunn: Cowboy Town returns to GAC in an encore presentation this weekend.

Sept. 5, 2008 — Clint Black appeared this spring on a TV show that was an absolute ratings disaster, yet it might have given him a new career.

Sept. 5, 2008 — The Grand Ole Opry will have plenty of new blood coursing through its veins this weekend. Jessica Simpson, about to release her first country album, makes her debut on the legendary show on Saturday while the Canadian band the Road Hammers stops by for the first time on Friday.

Sept. 5, 2008 — More than $6 million is being doled out to charities in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, thanks in part to the run of concerts Garth Brooks gave last January to help out people who were affected by a series of devastating wildfires.

Sept. 5, 2008 — Two of country music’s most promising newcomers will share space on this week’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, as Luke Bryan and Emily West step in as guest hosts.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Three months into a potentially rewarding competition, Lane Turner is aiming to be the winner on The Next GAC Star. One of six finalists who showed their stuff on Wednesday’s semi-final telecast, Lane figures his West Texas heritage gives him a unique position among the remaining contestants.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Is LeAnn Rimes is becoming the face of psoriasis? Sort of. She’s part of a national campaign, Stop Hiding From Psoriasis, that began yesterday with a goal of curtailing the stigma that’s attached to the skin disease.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Plenty of people head to Las Vegas hoping to become winners at the slot machines and the black-jack tables, but Jimmy Wayne became one simply by answering his phone. Jimmy was in Vegas on Sunday to play "Do You Believe Me Now" during the Jerry Lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy, and while he was preparing, he got word that the song had gone to No. 1 on the national country charts.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Kid Rock has a reputation as a do-it-my-own-way, rebel spirit, but there are still times that he looks for approval from others — particularly from musicians he admires. That’s how things went when he and Uncle Kracker wrote "All Summer Long" using a sample of a couple of classic-rock hits: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon’s "Werewolves Of London." He thought he had a winner, but he knew he needed to run it by the Skynyrd guys first.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Much of the media coverage over the death of Jerry Reed focused on his acting roles — particularly his performance alongside Burt Reynolds in Smokey & The Bandit — but Jerry’s passing this week after a battle with emphysema is felt most by fellow guitar players. "If you didn't learn some Jerry Reed, your playing suffered," Brad Paisley told <em>The Tennessean</em>.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Trace Adkins may not be as talked-about as John McCain at this week’s Republican National Convention, but he’s definitely getting some attention. Trace has been tapped to perform the national anthem Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where McCain will officially accept the GOP’s nomination for president.

Sept. 4, 2008 — Taylor Swift is a big deal in the U.S., but now she’s making waves on the other side of the Atlantic as well. Taylor was set to make her European concert debut last night with a performance at King’s College in London in what continues to be a whirlwind experience.

Sept. 4, 2008 — <em>NOW That’s What I Call Country</em> packages 20 hits by a variety of artists in one collection, so it’s no surprise that the CD is the top-selling country album in its first week out. According to <em>Country Aircheck</em>, the disc — featuring music by Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Sara Evans and Lady Antebellum, among others — moved more than 50,000 copies.

Sept. 3, 2008 — Three well-established bands with a backlog of hits — Little Texas, BlackHawk and Restless Heart — have worked the road as a team this year on the Triple Threat Tour, and when the cast hits Spokane, Wash., on Sept. 21, the concert will serve as a benefit in honor of one of BlackHawk’s founders.

Sept. 3, 2008 — Taylor Swift’s forlorn little song about a love gone wrong, "Teardrops On My Guitar," took her into territory she never expected. It was one thing to get a Country Music Association award last year, and another to pick up a trophy from the Academy of Country Music in May, but after the song’s foray into the pop charts, her nomination for Best New Artist at this Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards stunned her.

Sept. 3, 2008 — After three months of competition online, only six finalists remain from more than 1,000 entries in the contest to find The Next GAC Star. The winner will be chosen through two on-air specials — tonight and next Wednesday, Sept. 10 — and One Night Rodeo, the only group remaining, has its fingers crossed that it will come up victorious.

Sept. 3, 2008 — LeAnn Rimes was a mere 13 years of age when she launched "Blue" in 1996, and with her 26th birthday last week, she’s now spent half her life growing up in the public eye. In fact, LeAnn’s grown up enough that she and husband Dean Sheremet are considering becoming parents themselves.