Hot on the heels of her two Grammy nominations and a successful network television holiday special, Carrie Underwood has just announced a 45-date North American tour to support her third album, Play On.

The tour will launch on March 11 in Reading, PA and will conclude on May 30 in Spokane, WA. She will venture into Canada in late March for a couple of dates before returning to the states. Craig Morgan is scheduled to open up for Carrie, as will Sons of Sylvia, a trio of brothers previously known as the Clark Brothers. Adam, Ashley and Austin Clark are featured with Carrie in the song "What Can I Say" from Play On. They also performed the song with Carrie on Carrie Underwood: An All Star Holiday Special.

Carrie's last major tour was in 2008 in support of her album Carnival Ride. She performed 137 shows for over a million fans.

"I cannot wait to perform new music and see familiar faces across the U.S. and Canada!" she said.

Carrie Underwood Tour Dates

• March 11: Reading, PA
• March 12: Albany, NY
• March 13: Providence, RI
• March 15: Portland, ME
• March 16: Bridgeport, CT
• March 19: Atlantic City, NJ
• March 20: Mashantucket, CT
• March 21: Worcester, MA
• March 23: Hamilton, Ontario
• March 24: Kanata, Ontario
• March 26: Trenton, NJ
• March 27: Amherst, MA
• March 29: Wilkes Barre, PA
• March 31: Rochester, NY

• April 1: Pittsburgh, PA
• April 3: Pikeville, KY
• April 6: Columbus, OH
• April 7: Peoria, IL
• April 9: Indianapolis, IN
• April 10: Rockford, IL
• April 12: Fort Wayne, IN
• April 13: Saginaw, MI
• April 14: Lansing, MI
• April 23: Grand Rapids, MI
• April 24: Toledo, OH
• April 25: Cincinnati, OH
• April 27: Richmond, VA
• April 28: Charleston, WV
• April 30: Fayetteville, NC

• May 1: Columbia, SC
• May 2: Augusta, GA
• May 4: Tallahassee, FL
• May 5: Pensacola, FL
• May 7: New Orleans, LA
• May 8: Lafayette, LA
• May 10: Beaumont, TX
• May 12: Austin, TX
• May 13: Corpus Christi, TX
• May 15: Tucson, AZ
• May 18: Fresno, CA
• May 20: Sacramento, CA
• May 21: Reno, NV
• May 22: Las Vegas, NV
• May 29: Everett, WA
• May 30: Spokane, WA

Photo © Arista Nashville

Wow! Two weeks ago I wrote about the backlash a lot of folks felt about Taylor Swift running away with the Country Music Association awards show. I pondered about the meaning and definition of country music and about the blurring of the lines between country, pop and rock. I also reminded everyone that this debate is not a new one and that it's been going on in country music for many decades.

Well, the people have spoken, and the topic has really touched a nerve! So for the sake of more discussion, I decided to print portions of a number of your responses. I've edited these down to what I believe are the meat-and-potatoes of the argument.

Belle Zora: Country critics once bemoaned the influence the singing cowboys of early movies had on pure country music, but Johnny Cash , Marty Robbins, and Merle Haggard all cited Gene Autry as an early influence. Rather than bemoan evolution, it is more fun to simply observe it.

Sandra: Country music is a very broad topic encompassing a wide variety of musical interpretation. To me, any music that has strayed away from traditional county is mislabeled as country. There are only a handful of true traditionalists left, artists like Ray Price, Merle Haggard and George Jones .

Steve: Country music changes daily, but it always remains, as Willie Nelson said, a place where "people tell their life stories."

Feathers: Country is a state of mind, first of all, and it's also a certain musical formulation, ways chords are combined, etc. As to state of mind, Taylor Swift's lyrics are quite country. She writes from the heart, tells a story, makes it real and you believe her when she sings it. Conversely, Carrie Underwood is one of the best singers out there, but I don't believe a word she sings because her songs are so inauthentic, overproduced and beyond her personality. Country music is a mindset, not a certain specific set of instruments, and no single geographic region or stereotyped group of individuals has a monopoly on it.

Charlie Frederick: Country music reflects life's overall umbrella of situations. A good country song is a three minute movie about real life. A great country music artist is one who has been there and done that. Sorry, but to Brad Paisley , Keith Urban , Dierks Bentley and a whole lot of today's artists: unless you've lived it, you really cannot understand it.

Countryfan: Country music has evolved and is probably a little more pop than some people would like, but it is a broad enough label. One can listen to many types of country music. Reject what you don't like and listen to some. It's a wide enough label to make everybody happy!

SwedishMattias: To me, country music is a genre that has a specific sound with instruments like steel guitar, fiddle, and banjo, the root instruments of country. No matter what you call "real country," it has nothing to do with music from the recent CMA awards show. That was nothing but rock-pop music.

John Stannard: Is it or is it not Country? The answer is really very simple. If it sounds like country to you, then it is country for you.

This is obviously an important debate that sparks a lot of passion in country music fans. Please chime in below and give us your two cents!

The rumor mill has been swirling about just why Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn decided to call it a day on the most successful country music duo of all time. But by all accounts, their impending split really does appear to be amicable.

According to both, it's just the right time, and neither is interested in going through the motions when they both feel that their better days as a duo are probably behind them. They have no interest in becoming a nostalgic touring act though they could easily do it, and quite successfully, for many years to come. They are also ready to pursue personal endeavors both inside and outside of music.

Rumors about Brooks and Dunn's demise have dogged the pair for years, partly because of their well-known personality differences. Brooks is easily the more fiery and outgoing of the pair, while Dunn tends to be more shy, preferring to keep things closer to the vest. Their manager, Clarence Spalding, recently likened them to brothers who don't always see eye to eye but can come together when needed to get the job done.

It was Dunn who actually called Brooks one day to tell him that he felt like the duo had run its course, and Brooks agreed with him on the spot. Conversely, it was Brooks who had to do a little convincing of Dunn to load up the semi-trucks one more time for a big blowout farewell tour. Dunn finally came around, and both agree that it's the right thing to do for their millions of loyal fans.

The Brooks and Dunn Last Rodeo tour will visit 47 cities beginning April 23 in Sacramento and ending August 8 in Chicago. Let me tell you from personal experience that Brooks and Dunn put on a tremendous show. It's always a spectacle and very entertaining. Look for Jason Aldean to open up for the first leg of the tour. Gary Allan is scheduled to take over sometime in mid-June.

Photo © Arista Nashville

The Taylor Swift Express just keeps steaming right along. The Grammy nominations are in, and Taylor racked up eight, including nominations in the "Big Three" categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Taylor's unwitting partner in the Kanye West-MTV Awards fiasco, Beyonce, led the way with 10 nominations. She'll go head to head against Taylor in the Big Three, as will freaky enigmatic pop-sensation, Lady Gaga.

Of her eight nominations, Taylor said, "To be recognized by the Grammys is the ultimate honor. The last couple of months have been a nonstop dream come true."

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles said that Swift's remarkable success is a great thing because "she's brought a lot of young people into country music." This may be true, but judging from a number of comments from my recent blog on the blurring of the lines in country music , more than a few folks don't believe that Taylor's success is actually converting new fans to country. Time will tell.

I did see a couple of pleasant surprises in the Grammy nomination list. Kudos to Lee Ann Womack for her nomination in the category of Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song "Solitary Thinkin'." It's a wonderful song, and it would sure be nice if country radio gave it more of a chance. The same goes for Jamey Johnson and his well deserved nomination in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category for his song "High Cost of Living."

CBS will televise the 52nd Grammy Awards from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 8-11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

And for those thinking about (or hoping for) any more drama between Kanye, Taylor and Beyonce, Kanye has been nominated for three awards, so chances are excellent he'll be in the house.

Can you say "steel-cage match?"

Photo © Big Machine

I always enjoy hearing about country stars who do well overseas, especially in non-English speaking countries. I was surprised to learn that Toby Keith, as huge as he is in the U.S., had never done a proper European tour until very recently. Of course, his USO touring schedule is legendary, and he's been to the Middle East and Africa many times, but the jury was still out on what kind of a reception he'd receive on a real European tour.

Well, the verdict is in, and by all accounts, Toby blew the roof off of all venues he played on his recent two-week sold out tour. All nine shows in six different countries were completely sold out before Toby ever set foot in Glasgow, Scotland for his first gig.

"The accents are a little different and the food sure isn't what you get in Oklahoma," Toby said shortly after playing his last concert in Oslo, Norway. "But they say music's a universal language, and the folks we saw sure seemed to be having a good time. And so did we."

After opening in Glasgow, Toby and his band moved on to London to play the famed Hammersmith Apollo. Next up was Dublin's Olympia Theater, then on to Denmark, Sweden and Finland before finishing up in Norway.

Country music has always had a surprisingly strong fan base overseas. The great Jim Reeves was one of country's earliest world-wide pioneers. Johnny Cash had a huge international following, as did the Gentle Giant, Don Williams, who was legendary in places like Brazil and Zimbabwe.

Quick question for you: Who was the first major country artist you ever saw in concert. My first big country show was Merle Haggard back in 1981 in Dallas. Feel free to share your story in the comment section below.

Photo © Getty Images - Frank Micelotta

I just returned from seeing the new Sandra Bullock movie, The Blind Side, co-starring Tim McGraw, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie is very much Bullock's film, and she is excellent - even Oscar-worthy according to some early pundits - but McGraw's portrayal has gained some very positive feedback, too. The LA Times reported that McGraw displayed "an easygoing charm," while Variety wrote that McGraw "again evidences quietly impressive thespian ability."

This got me to thinking about how country stars seem to be relatively successful at crossing-over into films and television. McGraw is currently carving out a nice career in Hollywood. Dwight Yoakam has appeared in numerous films to date and almost always to very positive reviews. His frightening portrayal of the evil Doyle Hargraves in the Billy Bob Thornton flick, Sling Blade, is quintessential creepy, and it really established him as an actor to be taken seriously. Dolly Parton has enjoyed success in a slew of big-budget films, including Steel Magnolias, Straight Talk, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and, of course, 9 to 5. Willie Nelson has appeared in over thirty films, including his first film, 1979's The Electric Horseman, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Dukes of Hazzard and Beer For My Horses, co-starring Toby Keith.

Of course, country music has a rich history in Hollywood. Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were household names even to non-country music fans back in the '30s, '40s and '50s. Marty Robbins, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Don Williams and Faron Young all appeared in numerous major motion pictures. The list is long. I loved Reba McEntire's hilarious portrayal of an armed-to-the-teeth, NRA-loving monster killer in Tremors. Then she had her own televisions series. And what about Billy Ray Cyrus, who's had a couple of different television shows, including the mega-successful "Hannah Montana?"

Do you have a favorite film starring a country music star or a favorite movie or television role portrayed by a country singer? Let us know in the comments section down below!

Photo © Getty Images - Jim Spellman

The fallout from last week's CMA awards is very heated here in Music City, and people are taking sides! The debate really centers on the landside victory for Taylor Swift and her four major awards, including the big kahuna, Entertainer of the Year. My last blog post received a number of very heated comments, with the vast majority falling squarely in the "Taylor Swift isn't country!" camp.

So I ask you: Just what the heck is country music anyway?

There has been debate for many years about the blurring of the lines between country, pop and rock-and-roll. In the more modern country era, many point to Shania Twain's meteoric rise to superstardom as a moment when country music lost its identity (I say "a" moment instead of "the" moment because throughout the history of country music, there have been a number of "moments" where some believe country lost its identity. More on that in a bit.)

So, should we blame Shania? Virtually all of her music crossed-over onto the pop charts regularly. Perhaps more of the blame should be shouldered by her husband at the time, Mutt Lange, who was also her producer and co-songwriter. Mutt came to country music through Shania, but his credentials were pure rock-and-roll. He produced some of the biggest names in the business, including AC/DC, Foreigner, The Cars, Bryan Adams and Def Leppard, who apparently are the new darlings of country thanks to Tim McGraw appearing on their latest album, as well as their highly-watched CMT Crossroads special with Taylor Swift.

Fast-forward to today, however, and Taylor Swift's cross-over appeal easily trumps Shania's. Every one of Taylor's eight country singles has crossed-over very high onto the pop charts. Her cross-over appeal is unmatched in the modern era.

So the debate rages on. Just what is country? Is Rascal Flatts country? What about Keith Urban or Faith Hill? And just who determines what the definition of country music is anyway?

Back when country legends like Eddy Arnold and Ray Price traded their blue jeans for tuxedos and started crooning like Frank Sinatra, people cried "foul!" To combat the smooth orchestrations of this new Nashville Sound, along came the hard-driving Bakersfield Sound with its loud drums and twin Fender Telecaster assault on the ears. People cried "foul!" then, too, saying it was too rock-and-roll to be country. And that was over 40 years ago!

So I ask you: Just what in the world is country music anyway? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Photo © Mercury Nashville

Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, Julianne Hough and a host of other Nashville celebrities worked the red carpet for Tim's upcoming movie with Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side (release date: Friday, November 20, 2009). Based on Michael Lewis' 2006 best-selling book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, the film details the true-story of Michael Oher, a large, homeless and under-educated African-American kid who is taken in and adopted by a rich white couple, portrayed by McGraw and Bullock. Early reviews have been excellent for Tim, and there's even some serious Oscar buzz for Sandra's performance.

Oher eventually became an All-American offensive tackle for the University of Mississippi football team, and the fairytale became complete when he was taken in the first round of the 2009 N.F.L. draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Of the movie and Tim's performance, his wife, Faith Hill, said, "It's a great film, and he does a great job."

Other celebs on the red carpet included Randy Travis, Barbara Mandrell, Kix Brooks, Rodney Atkins and Wynonna.

Tim's movie career continues to move along nicely, but he made no bones about his preference for music over film-making. "I love being onstage," he said. "I think every kid grows up wanting to be onstage, slinging your hair around and sweating and playing music. It doesn't get any better than that."

Photo © Curb

Wow! Some people saw it coming, while others, including myself, predicted that Music City's political machine might make Taylor Swift pay a few more dues before giving her the big tamale, the CMA for Entertainer of the Year. How wrong I was! But I was happy for her, and there's simply no denying that based on sales, radio airplay, concert sell-outs, television appearances, you name it, she's definitely at the top of the heap in country music.

Taylor's big night started early when she took home the coveted Album of the Year award, which Nashville insiders really hold in high esteem as the one award given for true artistic integrity. When Taylor won that trophy, I had an inkling that she was in for a landslide victory. Oh, and how great was it when Little Jimmy Dickens crashed the stage ala Kanye West and dissed Brad Paisley on his way to fawning all over Taylor! Classic.

At age 19, Taylor became the youngest person ever named the CMA Entertainer of the Year. "In this moment, everything I have ever wanted just happened to me," a stunned Taylor told the crowd. She then invited her band onto the stage and recognized each of them by name, which was a nice touch.

The other big surprise of the evening was Lady Antebellum taking home a couple of major awards, including Single of the Year and an upset victory in the Vocal Group of the Year category, a trophy that was in danger of being re-named the Rascal Flatts Award after their six consecutive victories before last night.

Beyond the hilarious Little Jimmy Dickens poke at Kanye West, my personal favorite moments included the Zac Brown Band's performance of Charlie Daniels' classic song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," as well as Jamey Johnson's acceptance speech where he meekly admitted that he "didn't think they even let people like me into places like this." Another performance I really enjoyed was Lady Antebellum singing "Need You Now" with snow falling from the rafters of the Nashville's Sommet Center.

I'd love to hear what your personal highlights were for the show, as well as how you thought Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood did as co-hosts.

Photo © Big Machine Records

Taylor Swift, Kris Kristofferson, Brooks and Dunn and others were honored last night at the 57th annual BMI Country Awards. The invitation-only black-tie event was attended by a who's who list of Music City swells and industry big-shots.

Swift received top honors for her wildly-successful single, "Love Story," which was named BMI's Song of the Year. To date, "Love Story" has racked up just about every major award and achievement possible, including being the year's best-selling country song and the most-downloaded country single in history. We'll know in a few hours whether she takes home Best Video honors at tonight's CMA awards show. Swift is also up for the Female Vocalist of the Year award, Album of the Year, and the big kahuna, Entertainer of the Year. No word yet on Kanye West's where-a-bouts.

In addition to honoring the songwriters, producers and publishers behind the top 50 songs of 2009, Brooks and Dunn, who have won more Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards than any other act, took home the BMI President's Award for their influence on country music.

The evening's shining moment, however, went to Kristofferson, who was named a BMI icon. Willie Nelson, Patty Griffin and Vince Gill all took turns performing Kristofferson songs, who later admitted telling Willie before the show that he wasn't looking forward to all the commotion in his honor. Willie fired back that the joy in watching Kris squirm at all the attention was all the motivation he needed to attend the event.

What's your favorite Kristofferson song? Mine's always been "Sunday Morning Coming Down." Feel free to write in your favorite down below.

Photo © Big Machine Records