Rosanne Cash Recovering After Brain Surgery

(www.spinner.com)

Rosanne Cash is on the road to recovery after undergoing brain surgery last week. The country songstress and eldest daughter of Johnny Cash was suffering from an undisclosed, but reportedly rare condition. She's expected to make a full recovery.

A posting on Cash's official website reads, "Rosanne is back home recovering comfortably from her surgery. She extends thanks and appreciation for all the love, good wishes, prayers and kindness."

Cash will soon resume work on a new album for Manhattan Records, a follow-up to her Grammy-nominated 'Black Cadillac' CD.

Darryl Worley Weds

(www.gactv.com)

 

Darryl Worley and his girlfriend, Kimberly Perkins, were married in a ceremony in Columbia, Tenn., on Sunday, countryhound.com reports.

Guests included family and a few close friends, including Darryl's band and road crew. The ceremony was conducted by Darryl's father and his co-manager, Rendy Lovelady. Darryl's brother, Tom, served as best man.

Darryl and his first wife, Beverly, were divorced in 2006.

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Keith Urban Loves George Strait's "Cowgirls"

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Keith Urban says one tune he is "really, really loving right now" is George Strait's "How 'Bout them Cowgirls," which is a big Top 5 hit already.

Keith tells MSN Music that when he recently bought Strait's CD, It Just Comes Natural, he played that song eight times in a row. "It pulls me right back into all the reasons I got into country music," he says. "It just sounds like a classic song."

Keith says he also sees a lot of his wife, Nicole Kidman, in the song, which is one reason it appeals to him so much. "All the traits he's singing about fit her to a T. Really just everything about it — that essence of strength. It's just beautiful."

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Sara Evans Sings at National Christmas Tree Lighting

(www.cmt.com)

Sara Evans will join President George W. Bush at the 84th annual lighting of the national Christmas tree on Thursday (Dec. 6) in Washington, D.C. During the ceremony, Evans will perform "Silent Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain," accompanied by the United States Air Force Band and the St. Albans and National Cathedral Schools Choir.

Grammy Nominations Announced

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

December 6, 2007 — GRAMMY nominations were announced this morning, and several country stars found themselves on the ballot. Vince Gill was nominated in the all-genre Album of the Year category for These Days; Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" was nominated for Song of the Year; and Taylor Swift received a nomination for Artist of the Year.

The 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on February 10, 2008, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Nominations in country music are as follows:

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

"Simple Love"
Alison Krauss
Track from: A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection
[Rounder]

"Famous In A Small Town"
Miranda Lambert
Track from: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
[Columbia Nashville]

"Nothin' Better To Do"
LeAnn Rimes
[Curb Records]

"Before He Cheats"
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Some Hearts
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville]

"Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love"
Trisha Yearwood
[Big Machine Records]

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[VIDEO] Vince Gill & Chet Atkins - Christmas Songs

If you are unable to view this video in e-mail, go to http://countryinsider.blogspot.com

Taylor Swift Enjoys Record Week

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More than a year after the release of her debut, Taylor Swift just enjoyed her best sales week ever.

Taylor's self-titled CD sold 88,342 units this past week, a 36 percent increase from last week, and her biggest sales week since its release in October 2006. In the three weeks since she performed at the Country Music Association awards and won the Horizon Award, Taylor scanned 220,823 albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Taylor's current single, "Our Song," is first on the Country Digital sales chart and sixth on Billboard's Country Singles chart and is her fastest moving single to date. Her single "Teardrops on My Guitar," which reached No. 2 on the country charts earlier this year, is currently in the Top 25 on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 chart. Her rendition of "Last Christmas," from her Christmas EP Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection", is now first on Mediabase's Top 25 Current Most-Played Christmas Songs.

Taylor will join Akon, Quincy Jones and Linkin Park tomorrow morning to announce the nominations for the "50th Annual Grammy Awards." The Grammys will air live on CBS from Los Angeles on February 10, 2008.

ACM Awards Move to Sunday Night

(www.cmt.com)

The Academy of Country Music Awards will take place on May 18, the first time the show has been held on a Sunday night. The ceremony will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on CBS. In addition, the ACM will sponsor live country music concerts on Fremont Street, a celebrity motorcycle event and a post-awards concert.

Natalie Maines Speaks Out on Murder Case

(www.cmt.com)

Natalie Maines has written a letter on the Dixie Chicks' Web site encouraging donations for legal fees to free the West Memphis Three, whom she believes were wrongly accused of murdering three children in 1993. Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin were teenagers when convicted in 1994 for the deaths of three 8-year-olds in West Memphis, Ark. Maines said she recently watched two HBO documentaries about the case, researched the story online and corresponded with the wife of one of the accused murderers. In the letter, Maines writes, "The evidence is so strong that at the very least the judge will grant a new trial, but hopefully he will overturn the verdict and these guys will finally be sent home to their lives and families. I know that this is a hard thing to just take my word on, so please look at the case and the evidence for yourself. I am confident that you will see the DNA evidence is irrefutable and that these three men did not get the kind of trial that is promised to us -- as Americans."

Garth Brooks Sells 85,000 Tickets in L.A.

(www.cmt.com)

Garth Brooks sold more than 85,000 tickets in 59 minutes for five upcoming concerts in Los Angeles. Although he was previously scheduled for only one concert, Brooks will now perform two shows on Jan. 25 (6 p.m. and 10 p.m.) and three shows on Jan. 26 (1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.) at the Staples Center. All proceeds from the concert will benefit recent fire victims and firefighters in California. "It's a beautiful thing when everyone pulls together," Brooks said. "California just raised a ton of money for their own. I'm so proud to be part of this."

Natalie Maines Speaks Out on Murder Case

(www.cmt.com)

Natalie Maines has written a letter on the Dixie Chicks' Web site encouraging donations for legal fees to free the West Memphis Three, whom she believes were wrongly accused of murdering three children in 1993. Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin were teenagers when convicted in 1994 for the deaths of three 8-year-olds in West Memphis, Ark. Maines said she recently watched two HBO documentaries about the case, researched the story online and corresponded with the wife of one of the accused murderers. In the letter, Maines writes, "The evidence is so strong that at the very least the judge will grant a new trial, but hopefully he will overturn the verdict and these guys will finally be sent home to their lives and families. I know that this is a hard thing to just take my word on, so please look at the case and the evidence for yourself. I am confident that you will see the DNA evidence is irrefutable and that these three men did not get the kind of trial that is promised to us -- as Americans."