Shelly's Country Music Blog

Who do you think the Top 10 Hottest guys in country music are? Joe Nichols made the list. Find out who else made the cut, view eye candy of each guy, and read my reasons for choosing them.

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The 2008 ACM Awards will be held on May 18, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV at the MGM Grand Hotel. Here are my thoughts on who I think will win in each category.

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See which songs are topping the charts, and which song I think will be No. 1 for the following week. All chart rankings are based on the song's or album's position on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart or Billboard Country Albums Chart for May 17, 2008.

Aaron Tippin is the latest artist to release an album on the Cracker Barrel label. Read Jack's review of Aaron's new release, He Believed.

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Find out what singles will be coming out on country radio this week. Read Jennifer's thoughts about the new music, including songs from Craig Morgan, Steve Holy, Chris Young, Donnie Vondra, and Fisher Stevenson. Plus, most of the songs have audio clips.

These are the 10 hottest Country songs of the week as determined by your AboutCountry Guide. This chart is compiled consulting data from various music industry charts and sources. It is intended to indicate the hottest rising country hits.

Country Legend Eddy Arnold passed away in Nashville on May 8th. He was 89 years old. Read Scott's short obituary on him.

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The most recent stars to be added to the ACM Awards show include Toby Keith, Kellie Pickler and LeAnn Rimes. Plus, Kenny Chesney and George Strait will perform their "Shiftwork" duet for the first time live.

You can look forward to seeing Garth Brooks, as he accepts the first ever Crystal Milestone award. This award was originally acknowledged during a presentation in Hollywood last fall celebrating the Record Industry Association of America's (RIAA) special recognition of Brooks' 123 million in unit sales. As the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million sales mark, Brooks has been certified the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. His most recent release, The Ultimate Hits, has been certified 5 times platinum. Garth will also perform a medley of his hits on the show.

Other artists that were previously announced as performing on the show include: Trace Adkins, Rodney Atkins, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Sugarland Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.

Special appearances will be in store from: Criss Angel, Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn, Kaley Cuoco, Sara Evans, Jewel, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Brad Mates of Emerson Drive, Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw, Randy Owen, John Rich, Carrie Underwood, Clay Walker and Trisha Yearwood.

Related Links:

• 2008 ACM Nominees
• Vote for your Favorite ACM Nominees
• ACM 2008 Trivia

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We've compiled a list of songs that chart in the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot Country Singles charts throughout 2008. They are listed in alphabetical order by song title, along with the lyrics for the song.

This week's country music birthdays (even those no longer with us) include:

May 12 - Joe Maphis (1921) "Otis Wilson Maphis" (died 1986)
May 12 - Kix Brooks (Brooks & Dunn) (1955) "Leon Eric Brooks III">
May 12 - Eddie Kilgallon (Ricochet) (1965)
May 13 - Jack Anglin (1916) (died 3/8/63)
May 13 - Lari White (1965)
May 15 - Eddy Arnold (1918) "Richard Edward Arnold" (died 05/08/08)
May 15 - K.T. Oslin (1941) "Kay Toinette Oslin"
May 16 - Rick Trevino (1971) "Ricardo Trevino"
May 18 - Joe Bonsall (Oak Ridge Boys) (1948)
May 18 - George Strait (1952)

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