The Midas touch continues for Taylor Swift as she has just been named the entertainer of the year by The Associated Press. Chosen by a survey of newspaper editors and broadcast producers, Taylor follows last year's winner, 30 Rock star and creator, Tina Fey, and 2007 winner, Stephen Colbert.

Taylor has been everywhere in 2009, and there is no denying that no other star has had the kind of year she has. From winning most of the major trophies at the Country Music Association awards last month to picking up eight Grammy nominations, 2009 has definitely been her year. She's hosted Saturday Night Live. She's enjoyed a massively successful and sold-out 52-date tour. At one point during 2009 she even had eight songs on the charts simultaneously, which very well might be a record. I'm looking into that one, and a hunch tells me you might have to go all the way back to the Beatles to find anyone who's duplicated that feat.

Taylor will have to wait until the Grammy awards on January 31 to learn if she's going to need a bigger trophy case. Smart money says she'd better call a carpenter. Her current album, Fearless, has already gone quintuple platinum (5 million units sold), and it's still No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 and the No. 1 on the country chart.

Photo © Big Machine

The rumors of Carrie Underwood's possible engagement to a National Hockey League star started circulating a few weeks ago on one of Carrie's bigger fan websites. Fans were sure they had spotted Mike Fisher, a gritty, hard-nosed center for the Ottawa Senators, shopping for an engagement ring.

Well, the rumors are true, and the happy couple are now officially engaged. Carrie's Nashville-based publicist, Jessie Schmidt, confirmed that Carrie and Mike are engaged and are very happy. She went on to say that no date has been set for the wedding.

Fisher is an alternate-captain for the Senators and a former Selke Trophy nominee, which is awarded to the best defensive-forward in the N.H.L. He first met Carrie in Ottawa in 2008 when he was backstage at her concert. Word has it that he proposed to Carrie at his home in front of family and friends.

Carrie is currently preparing for her upcoming major North American tour in support of her new album, Play On. The 45-date tour launches on March 11 in Reading, PA and will conclude in Spokane, WA on May 30.

Photo © Arista Nashville

Every once in a blue moon I come across an artist or band who have been around for a while yet are criminally flying too low under the radar. Nashville-based Brother Henry is one of those groups. Fronted by twin brothers, Ned and David Henry, Brother Henry is one of those rare groups where the moment you hear them for the first time, you do a bit of a double-take and say, "Who is that?" I've had the good pleasure of seeing them perform a number of times over the past couple of years, and they never fail to put on an amazing show. The vocal chemistry between Ned and David is remarkable - think the Everly Brothers sprinkled with a dash of Simon and Garfunkel.

Over the years, Brother Henry has either performed shows with or loaned their considerable musical talents to some of the biggest names in country, rock, pop and Americana, including Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Steve Earle, Ben Folds, the Indigo Girls, R.E.M. and many others.

Brother Henry have just released their fifth studio album, a wonderful gospel CD titled God Is Alive. Even if you're not really into gospel music, this CD is worth listening to. It doesn't sound like any gospel album I've ever heard, and it's extremely refreshing. Ned and David's harmonies are simply a wonder, and the messages in the songs, though definitely spiritual, are subtle and far from pulpit-rattling. It's just a matter of time before a major label picks these guys up.

Brother Henry is performing over the next three days with Jars of Clay in Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. If you're in the vicinity, check them out. I promise you'll become a convert in no time.

Upcoming Brother Henry Shows:

• December 17 - UCF Arena - Orlando, FL
• December 18 - Grace Centre - Mills River, NC
• December 19 - Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church - Peachtree City, GA

Photo © Brother Henry

One of the truly great things about working in the music business here in Nashville is the opportunity to meet some of the stars who make the music that we all love so much. It's even more pleasurable when you learn that a lot of these stars are really just normal folks like the rest of us. Steve Wariner is one of those guys.

Steve recently received a Grammy nomination for his song, "Producer's Medley," from his wonderful new album, Steve Wariner, c.g.p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins. Back before Steve made it as a solo artist, he toured with Chet. Steve was very young back then, and he actually played bass for Chet and not guitar.

Speaking to CMT.com about the song "Producer's Medley," Steve said, "When I toured with Chet, he would talk to the audience and say, 'You know, folks, I'd get lucky every now and then. I'd be with some great artists in the studio, and some great songs would come across my desk.' He never would add, 'And I'm a great producer.' But he'd say, 'Every once in a while, we made some hits. And here's some of those songs."

Among the songs covered on "Producer's Medley" are "Welcome to My World" by Jim Reeves, "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis, "When You're Hot, You're Hot" by Jerry Reed and "The Three Bells," by The Browns. I write and produce a couple of nationally syndicated radio shows hosted by Jim Ed Brown of The Browns, and I recently had the good fortune of meeting Steve when he came into the studio to discuss his tribute album to Chet. A nicer and more humble "star" you will not meet.

Here's a wonderful link to Steve Wariner performing "Producer's Medley" live in concert.

Hot on the heels of his Grammy nomination, BMI just recognized Steve for his songwriting accomplishments. He picked up his 15th BMI Million-Air award, which signifies that songs written or co-written by Steve have enjoyed more than 15 million spins on the radio. Among his biggest songs are his own 1998 hit "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" (2 million spins), Keith Urban's 2001 hit "Where the Blacktop Ends" (2 million spins) and Clint Black's 1998 No. 1 hit "Nothin' but the Taillights" (3 million spins).

Photo © Selectone