As we all know, Nashville is not only a hotbed of exceptional music—country music and countless other genres—but is also a hugely supportive community which appreciates service and tips its hat when someone does good. And so it is that Garth Brooks, label president Jim Foglesong, and producer Allen Reynolds will receive the Dale Franklin Award from Leadership Music on Aug. 23 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville.

Leadership Music, according to their website, is a non-profit organization which "promotes teamwork, camaraderie and dialogue among industry leaders; expanding the talent pool of leadership in the community; and exposing class participants to varying points of view and philosophies." The group was founded by Dale Franklin in 1989 and the award was named in her honor in 2004.

The ceremony honoring Brooks, Foglesong, and Reynolds will include performances by some of country music's finest, including Martina McBride, Kathy Mattea, Hal Ketchum, and several others. For more information, check out the Leadership Music Web site.

photo courtesy Capitol Nashville

It's been three years since Rosanne Cash's critically acclaimed Black Cadillac album dropped. That disc saw Cash singing about the death of her father Johnny Cash (as well as that of her mother Viviane and stepmother June Carter Cash) and she'll follow it with The List, which sees her paying further tribute to her country legend dad.

She reportedly explains the new disc saying that, when she was 18 years old, her father gave her a list of the 100 essential country classics she needed to know in order to appreciate country music. The List will present a dozen tunes from that list, including covers of songs by Jimmie Rodgers, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and of course the Carter Family. It also sees Cash collaborating with the likes of Elvis Costello and Rufus Wainwright, to name a few.

Sounds like a darn good album worth waiting for to me. The List will release online and in stores October 6, 2009, on Manhattan Records.

According to a note posted on her Web site, Carrie Underwood is in the studio reportedly putting finishing touches on her third album, the title of which has not yet been announced, will be available online and in stores on November 3, 2009. According to a blurb on CMT.com, the disc will also see a single released to radio later this summer.

Underwood has, of course, released two albums since winning American Idol in 2005. With more 10 million albums sold to date, she is one of the most successful artists to hail from the show. What do you expect from this new disc?

photo courtesy Sony BMG

Tim McGraw's Southern Voice album may be dropping a year later than he had originally planned, but that's better than not dropping at all. You may recall McGraw had planned on releasing an album of new material in autumn of '08, but his label opted instead to release his third Greatest Hits collection. No doubt Voice will be worth the wait from the much-adored singer. According to Country Weekly, he'll follow the album's release with a an extensive tour.

The album doesn't have a solid release date yet, but a release date is available for McGraw's film with Sandra Bullock. The Blind Side will hit theaters Nov. 20. Meanwhile, fans can get a leg up on the disc's release as its first single - "It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You" - has already released (watch video).

photo courtesy Curb Records

CMT is running an interview they recently did with the inimitable Tanya Tucker about her new album My Turn. The disc, which drops today on Saguaro Road Records, sees the remarkable singer paying tribute to some of classic country music's greatest hits. She duets with Jim Lauderdale on Buck Owens' classic "Love's Gonna Live Here" and delivers terrific renditions of tunes like "After the Fire Is Gone" (originally Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty) and "Big Big Love." (She told CMT that the latter was not a song she ever would have thought to include on this collection, but it turned out to be one of her favorites on the disc.)

Tucker's father was a great fan of country music and would frequently convince touring country singers to let little Tanya hop onstage for a tune. She says she originally thought of naming the disc The Songs My Dad Wanted Me To Sing. All respect to Ms. Tucker, My Turn is a much better title. As I mentioned above, the disc is available everywhere starting today. The CMT interview is available on their Web site.

image © Saguaro Road Records

Grammy-winning producer and Columbia Records Vice President Rick Rubin is kind of the King Midas of the mainstream music industry. Having produced groundbreaking albums for some of country music's biggest envelope-pushing stars—from Johnny Cash to the Dixie Chicks—Rubin's stamp on an artist's work can be lasting and career-changing. So, it's incredibly notable that he'll be heading into the studio with rockstar-cum-country singer Kid Rock, who just won a CMT Award for his video "All Summer Long."

According to CMT, Rock has been rehearsing for the album during his current US tour, and has acquired around 20 songs to record for the disc. He told Billboard that "we won't release anything until we both agree that every song on it is great."

Rock's current tour around the U.S. kicks off tonight in West Palm Beach, Fla., and will take him around the eastern half of the country, wrapping in Essex Junction, Vt., on September 6. For a full list of tour dates and other news, visit Kid Rock's Web site.

photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Someone in Hollywood thought it would be a stellar idea to remake Footloose, and they've cast Julianne Hough as Ariel Moore. According to Variety, Hough's part in the film is contingent on whether the filming schedule can jive with her music star schedule. Regardless, the new Footloose (directed by Kenny Ortega) is scheduled to release next June. (Apparently Hough also had a bit part in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone back in 2001.)

In other, somewhat vaguely related news, I mentioned the other day that Sugarland would be releasing a live CD/DVD set to Walmart in August. What I neglected to mention was that the duo would also be hosting a one-hour television special on ABC on Aug. 3 (the day before the disc drops) to present highlights from the Kentucky concert featured on the DVD.

photo courtesy Mercury Nashville

• CMT is reporting that the Zac Brown Band has canceled four dates they had scheduled in western Canada. Although they released no explanation as to why, a note on the band's Web site indicates they'll be rescheduling those shows at some point in the future. They just played a set at Telluride which, by all accounts, was one of the weekend's highlights. Hopefully the boys are all feeling well and it's just a visa issue, or something.
• In other, completely unrelated news, several upcoming releases have been announced this week. Sugarland has a new live CD/DVD set (recorded in Lexington, KY) releasing to Wal-Mart this August 4, while Uncle Kracker's new disc Happy Hour will hit stores Sep. 15.
• Speaking of new releases, Rounder Books has a biography of the legendary Jimmie Rodgers hitting stands in July (no exact date was specified in the press release), titled Waiting for a Train: Jimmie Rodgers's America. Rodgers has been called the Father of Country Music and his extremely influential blue yodel has been studied and analyzed ad nauseum. According to the press release, "This book grows from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Music Masters series, which honored Rodgers in a week of events focused on his life and legacy." The biography features contributions from a number of artists and critics, including Dave Alvin, Bob Dylan, Marty Stuart, Tom Russell, Rodney Crowell, and many more.

photo © Republic Records

First of all, in case you've been living in a hole for the past 48 hours, here's Taylor Swift and T-Pain's much-talked-about video. They debuted the cut, which has money lines like "What, what, I knit sweaters, yo!" at Monday's CMT Awards Show, where Swift's "Love Story" scored the coveted Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year trophies. Brad Paisely won Male Video of the Year, while Rascal Flatts and Sugarland won for Group and Duo of the Year, respectively.

If you didn't manage to catch the show live, you can watch the awards show, red carpet clips, or see a list of all the winners at the CMT Music Awards Web site.

photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

George Strait emerged in the early 1980s with a traditional sound that he's stood by throughout the years. His sound draws from both western swing and honky tonk styles, and his music has been an influence in many of today's rising stars. After more than twenty years, Strait can still top the charts, and artists are always honored to be chosen to tour with him. While he doesn't tour excessively, the shows that he does play almost always sell out. I've compiled the top 10 albums every George Strait fan should have.

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