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Coming soon to a radio or tv near you.. a new Alan Jackson commercial for Ford trucks, using his song "Gone Country," which has been rewritten and named, "Ford Country." You may remember his song "Mercury Blues" was rewritten and used in Ford commercials previously. The campaign kicks off on April 1st.
 Jo Dee Messina who was recently nominated for six Boston Music Awards, will perform on the Awards show, which is scheduled for April 22nd at the Orpheum Theater in Boston.
District Attorney General Ron Davis has made a decision in the George Jones accident case. He believes that there is enough questions about the accident to a grand jury to decide whether Jones was drinking when he had the accident. An interesting point is the fact that he hit the bridge at full speed, which is something other police say that drivers do after passing out behind the wheel. He didn't merely veer off the road. The jury will decide whether or not to subpoena blood-alcohol tests from Vanderbilt University Hospital. The D.A. hasn't yet decided whether he'll seek the cellular records to verify that Jones was indeed talking on the phone when he had the crash. Prosecutors will present the case to a Williamson County panel on May 10th. In other George news... WKDF in Nashville is now a country radio station, after a long history of playing rock 'n roll. They kicked off the new format with an interview with George Jones. While the DJ didn't ask the dreaded question about a possible involvement of alcohol in the crash, George volunteered, "I can't remember nothin'."
Trace Adkins wasted no time after getting the pin removed from his ankle. He headed right to work, helping a neighboor trim tree branches 30 minutes out of surgery. If you don't recall, he broke his ankle last month while trying to move his truck, which was stuck in the mud.
Garth Brooks calls it a year. Yep, unfortunately, with the spring being nearly over, Garth has decided to withdraw in order to devote more of his time to charity work. There are no regrets, and the Padres say that he did everything with style, including ending "his" season. Garth got an RBI to win the last game he played in, in Arizona. He said he wanted to end it where it began.
Trisha Yearwood made a surprise return to JAG, on the March 30th episode. There was a hint of a developing romance between her and David James Elliot's character, when she said in a 2-minute phone conversation, "Next time, call me when you don't need anything." Hmmm.....
Kenny Chesney's "How Forever Feels" is sure making him feel good lately. The single has been in the top spot on Billboard's Country Singles chart for three weeks now. Kenny is currently part of George Strait's Country Music Festival tour, which will end in June. After that, Kenny will try his hand at headlining himself, playing about 150 dates in smaller venues.
New Multi-Platinum Certifications:
Vince Gill - When Love Finds You - 4 Million Reba McEntire - Rumor Has It - 3 Million LeAnn Rimes - Blue - 6 Million George Strait - Merry Christmas, Strait To You - 2 Million George Strait - Strait Out Of The Box - 6 Million Trisha Yearwood - Songbook, A Collection - 3 Million Shania Twain - Come On Over - 9 Million New Platinum Certifications:
George Strait - Strait Country New Gold Certifications:
Diamond Rio - Unbelievable
Alabama is recording "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time On You," which was a hit for pop group, 'N Sync. Who better to sing backup with them on the song than 'N Sync themselves. Both groups are really excited to be recording with each other. 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake says, We wouldn't pass up the opportunity to work with a group like that." Alabama members laughed, saying that they are really popular with their kids now, having sung with 'N Sync. The song will be on Alabama's next album.
LeAnn Rimes has been added to the VH1 special, VH1 Divas Live, and will perform with Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, TLC and others at New York's Beacon Theatre on April 6th. The program will air on VH1 on April 13th at 9pm ET/PT. It hasn't been announced, but it's a safe bet that the performances will be recorded to be released as a compilation album. This was done with last years special.
Wade Hayes and Danni Boatwright married on April 3rd in a private ceremony. Congrats to them both!
In the six years since its invention, The Vinny, Vince Gill's Pro-Celebrity golf tournament has raised over $1.5 million for junior golf and youth programs. This is more than any other event, according to the PGA. This year the tournament will be held on August 2nd and 3rd in Nashville, and the new goal is to reach $2 million by the year 2000. Two-day tickets are the same as last year, $12.00. For information on ticket sales and outlets, call The Vinny office at 615/790-7755.
Patty Loveless had some good news last week when she found out her greatest hits album, Classics made its debut at #6 on Billboard's Top Country Albums charts. This is the highest any album Patty's done has debuted, and she's thrilled. While she won't be touring this year, she does plan to return to the studio to start production on a new album, which will come out later this year.
Sherrié Austin's album isn't due out til the second week in May, but a Liquid Audio version of her single, "Never Been Kissed" is being mailed to media and radio this Monday, and her video for the single will debut on CMT on April 28.
Joe Diffie has shed some pounds lately. Forty, to be exact. He claims to have done it by staying away from sugar, pasta and potatoes, and sticking to a stringent exercise regime. |
Your Guide,
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