20/02/08 - News: Jasmine Rae To Record In March. New Telstra Road To Tamworth winner Jasmine Rae will record her debut single locally in March before releasing it mid year and heading to the CMA Festival in Nashville. It's expected she'll release one of the originals she performed at the finals in Tamworth recently. She'll then complete the album in June while in Nashville. Jasmine has a very guitar driven sound – with even a hint of R&B and it's going to be exciting to hear the finished product. There are plenty of other new and established artists working on new stuff. Shea Fisher and Steve Forde will also be recording in the US mid-year. While The Sunny Cowgirls and Melinder Schneider are amongst the other major acts expected to release new albums around Gympie time. Chasing Bailey (formerly The Baileys) will also have a debut single out around April this year.

28/11/07 - News: CMC To Rock Thredbo Next March. CMC have announced the beginning of a brand new country/roots festival in Tredbo on the weekend of March 14/15 2008. Branded “CMC Rocks The Snowys”, it will feature leading international stars Gary Allan, Sugarland, and US teen sensation Taylor Swift along local stars John Butler Trio, Steve Forde, Catherine Britt, Adam Harvey, The McClymonts, Shea Fisher and Morgan Evans. It's without question one of the most impressive and fresh country-based festival line-ups for a very long time and tickets go on sale in December.

28/11/07 - News: Gary Allan Returning To Australia in 2008. Californian singer/songwriter Gary Allan is heading back to Australia in March 2008 for his fourth Australian Tour. Currently touring America with Keith Urban in the US, Allan has just released his eighth album Living Hard , which is riding high on the US charts. He's heading out on the road with Steve Forde and Morgan Evans, plus Canada's Blues & Roots Artist of the Year Corb Lund. Allan will also appear at the inaugural CMC Rocks The Snowys event at Tredbo in mid-march.

23/11/07 - News: Jonahs Road Win Musicoz Award. Jonah's Road was awarded Best Country Artist in the 2007 Musicoz Awards, held at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Thursday night.  Billed as the 'unsigned ARIAs' by Australia's streeetpress, Musicoz has gone from strength to strength since its inception 7 years ago.  It is now regarded by many as the premier event for independent artists, covering 17 genres and attracting over 5,000 entries in 2007 from around Australia. The accolade was for the title track and hit single from the new album, Counting Down The Days. The video clip reached #2 on the CMC Top 30 Countdown.

22/11/07 - News: Kernaghan Named Queensland Australian Of The Year. Lee Kernaghan, has been named the 2008 Queensland Australian of the Year. This prestigious title was presented by premier Anna Bligh at the Gala presentation held at Customs House, Brisbane earlier this week. Lee will now become a contender for the Australian of the Year award, to be announced in Canberra on January 25th. To many people Lee represents the very essence of the spirit and values of contemporary rural Australia. His 'Pass the Hat Around Australia' tours have raised more than a million dollars for communities in need. Lee's recent 'Spirit of the Bush' Concerts around Australia were designed to raise the spirits of rural communities deeply affected by drought.

18/11/07 - Video: Behind The Scenes With Steve Forde. Take a look at my interview with Steve Forde at the shooting of his music video for the new single 'Summer's Little Angel'. See It Here!

18/11/07 - News: Listen To Catherine Britt's New Single. She's back in Australia to shoot a video and release a new album and you can now hear Catherine Britt's new single 'Little WIldflower' (well most of it!) on her Myspace page.

11/11/07 - News: Butler And Urban Get Top #15 ARIA Debut. John Butler and Keith Urban's sensational performance of "Funky Tonight" has debuted on the ARIA singles chart at #11. The track can only be purchased on Itunes and proceeds are going to Close The Gap, an organization for indigenous Australians. Keith Urban will appear at the 19th annual International East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival at Byron Bay (NSW) in March. Keith was among the first group of performers announced last week. The Festival will take place March 20-24 (the Easter long weekend) at a new location, Belongil Fields.

08/11/07 - News: CMA Awards Results Are Through! Country Music's Grammy's, the 41 st CMA Awards were held last Thursday in Nashville with new and established stars sharing the awards. Carrie Underwood, Braid Paisley and George Strait all took out two awards. Strait won two awards - Album of the Year with It Comes Natural and Song of the Year for Give It Away. Carrie Underwood once again won the Female Vocalist of the Year award with Kenny Chesney taking out Entertainer of the Year as he did twelve months ago. Underwood also won Single of the Year for her Platinum selling single, Before He Cheats. Her new album, Carnival Ride is in stores now. Up and comer Taylor Swift won the Horizon Award and her debut self-titled album is set for release locally in early 2008. Sugarland won the award for Vocal Duo of the Year. It was the first time Brooks & Dunn hadn't won the award for eleven years. While Billboard chart toppers Rascal Flatts again won Vocal Group of the Year. Paisley took out the Male Vocalist of the Year award for the first time while also taking out Video of the year for his song Online. Paisley was joined on stage by Swift and Kelly Pickler during a performance of that song. Keith Urban had three nominations but didn't come away with any awards this time, following his ARIA win a week ago. However but stole most of the attention on the Red Carpet with wife Nicole Kidman. The awards were broadcast live on NBC across America and will air locally on CMC on November 13.

CMA Awards Winners 2007
Entertainer of the Year: Kenny Chesney
Male Vocalist of the Year: Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist of the Year: Carrie Underwood
Horizon Award: Taylor Swift
Album of the Year: It Just Comes Natural – George Strait
Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland
Vocal Group of the Year: Rascal Flatts
Song of the Year: Give It Away – George Strait
Single of the Year: Before He Cheats – Carrie Underwood
Video of the Year: Online – Brad Paisley
Musical Event: Find Out Who Your Friends Are - Tracy Lawrence featuring Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney

08/11/07 - News: Garth Brooks Ultimate Hits Collection On Sale Shortly. November 2007 marks the release of Garth Brooks' newest project, The Ultimate Hits. The Ultimate Hits is just that—a collection of Garth's career blockbusters. The three-disc set is a combination of two CD's and one DVD. The CD's and the music boast of his familiar and popular ballads, such as “The Dance,” “To Make You Feel My Love” and “The Thunder Rolls,” as well as his new single, “More Than A Memory,” which tells of heartache and pain in a way only Garth can convey. With the release of this new single and its phenomenal radio success, Garth has become the first artist in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart, making him the highest Country debut leader of all time. The Hits also contains the upbeat classics, “Friends In Low Places” and “Ain't Goin' Down,” along with the new favorite “Workin' For A Livin'” with Huey Lewis. Other new cuts include the carousing song “Midnight Sun” and the moving and beautifully-performed bonus track “Leave A Light On.” The DVD completes the package with 33 music videos, most of which have never been seen before.

02/11/07 - News: Kernaghan, Brand & Forde Announced As CMAA Awards Performers. Adam Brand, Steve Forde and Lee Kernaghan are the first artists announced as performers on the 2008 CMAA Country Music Awards. The Awards , presented by Jayco, will be staged on January 26, Australia Day, during the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre. Kernaghan and Forde are sitting at #1 and #2 respectively this week on the ARIA Australian Country Artists chart with their new albums "Spirit Of The Bush" and "Steve Forde". Brand has a new album due in early 2008. Organizers have also announced that Network 10 television personality Georgie Parker has been confirmed as host for the Awards.

30/10/07 - News: Morgan Evans To Support Shannon Noll. After touring extensively with Adam Harvey throughout the year, Morgan Evans has been confirmed to open for Shannon Noll on his upcoming Exclusive Tour. Evans created a major buzz on his trip to the USA in June and was added to a the line-up of the CMA Music Festival's final concert at LP Field in June, where he performed in front of 50,000 music fans. His debut single Big Skies, released in November, is currently #1 on the CMC Top 30.

30/10/07 - News: Adam Harvey To Lead 2008 CMA Festival Supporters Tour. Adam Harvey will host a special country music lovers package to the 2008 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. The tour leaves Australia on 28 May and visits Los Angeles for three days with a visit to Disneyland and Universal Studios. Then off to Memphis to experience the wonder of Graceland, Beale Street and the Blues. Our next stop is star-packed Nashville for what they call "Country Music ' s Biggest Party". Travellers will spend seven days with non stop country music concerts , the company of Adam Harvey, the excitement of sighting or meeting your favorite country music artist , staying in luxurious hotels close to all the action and much, much more. To grab your place on this exciting tour and call Mary at Anywhere Travel on 1300 130 464 or email maryo@anywheretravel.com.au.

30/10/07 - News: Keith Urban Wins ARIA Award. Keith Urban was honored at the 21st Annual ARIA Awards ceremony by being presented with the Best Country Album award for the platinum selling "Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing". Keith dedicated his win to his wife, Nicole Kidman, who joined him on the red carpet in Sydney. Keith later joined the John Butler Trio onstage to perform their hit Funky Tonight. The performance was considered the highlight of the night. They received a standing ovation and the buzz around the country and the industry is amazing. Keith takes his Love, Pain & the whole crazy World Tour into 2008 and has just confirmed a show in Sydney on WEDNESDAY, 26 MARCH 2008 at the HORDERN PAVILION.

28/10/07 - News: Steve Forde And Shea Fisher To Now Perform At Blazers. Due to the recent outbreak of equine influenza in eastern parts of the country the Rodeo Event scheduled for the 2008 Tamworth Country Music Festival in January has been cancelled. Steve Forde will therefore now perform a special One Night Only show at West Tamworth Leagues Club on Sunday 27th January. Steve will be joined by Special Guest Shea Fisher. For more information please contact West's on (02) 6765 7588.

19/10/07 - News: Keith Urban 's Greatest Hits Album To Be Released Nov 17. A collection of Keith Urban's biggest hits so far is set to hit retail shelves very shortly. Fans can expect a CD/DVD package including two brand new songs to be included in the mix. The package is set for release on November 17 in Australia. Urban is rumored to be appearing as a performer at next week's ARIA Awards however no announcement has been made as yet.

19/10/07 - News: McClymonts Debut Album Not Far Away. November 10 is the official release for the album titled "Chaos & Bright Lights". It features the new tracks "Save Yourself" and "My Life Again" which are at radio now. The album has been produced by the US based Adam Anders. You can see our interview with The McClymonts at last year's Deni Ute Muster here.

12/10/07- News: Brooks & Dunn To Tour Australia in 2008 (Press Release). Brooks & Dunn are the biggest duo in American Music History! Even bigger than Simon & Garfunkel and the Everly Bros , these US superstars have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, had 23 Number 1 Hit Singles and boast one of the biggest rock and roll shows touring America today. Now, Chugg Entertainment & Rob Potts Entertainment Edge are thrilled to announce Brooks & Dunn are finally coming to Australia for the very first time! Brooks & Dunn, the most awarded act in Country Music, will be performing these exclusive concerts, kicking off their Australian tour at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Friday 29th February. Melbourne 's Rod Laver Arena will follow on Wednesday 5th March; finishing up at Sydney 's Acer Arena on Monday 10th March. The brand new Brooks & Dunn album through Sony BMG, "Cowboy Town", has also just been released worldwide. Whether you're a fan of classic Brooks & Dunn or their newer material, no-one will be disappointed when they listen to these twelve fantastic new tracks. Produced by the duo and famed Music Producer, Tony Brown , Cowboy Town marks a new era in the careers of Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks . Their first single,"Proud of the House We've Built" , has already soared to the top of the airplay charts in both Australia & the US . Billboard cheered, “Brooks & Dunn persistently deliver well-written songs that speak to the heart of the human experience! There's a bunch of great, fun songs on this album, all about you!” This is a rare, must-see, concert opportunity for anyone who loves great songwriting, singing and spectacular live entertainment at its very best. Be quick to secure your tickets - on sale 9am, Tuesday 23rd October.

10/10/07 - News: Catherine Britt To Release New Album. Catherine Britt is returning to Australia shortly and will release a new album titled "Little Wildflower" on January 12, 2008 through ABC Music/Warner Music Australia. A single of the same name will be released in the next month. The album was produced in the US by grammy nominated producer Brett Beavers.

5/09/07 - News: Tamara Stewart Returns To Country. Tamara Stewart is returning to country music with a new independently released album. Her new single "Drive" is going to radio this month and a new album will be released in early 2007. “I have never been happier and more determined,” says Stewart. “This album has been a long time coming". We look forward to hearing the new music!

29/08/07 - News: The Wreckers To Split. Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp will pursue solo projects following their tour as The Wreckers with Keith Urban in the US. "When it came to writing that album [the next one], they felt inspired to do solo projects next," Stuart Dill of Three Ring Projects, Nashville-based co-manager for The Wreckers, told media. "It's not a lack of success for a new act. It's purely a creative decision," he said. While initially planning to visit Australia as a duo sometime in 2007, this is most certainly not going to happen now, but who knows whether one of both of the girls may visit at some point as solo artists in the future. Lets hope they do anyway! Both artists intend to release country albums with Warner Music.

22/08/07 - News: New Album For Brooks & Dunn. Brooks And Dunn will release a new album in October titled "Cowboy Town". It will feature their new single "Proud Of The House We Built".

05/08/07 - News: Carrie Underwood To Release New Album. Carrie Underwood's new album is set for release in late October through Sony BMG. The title is still to be determined for the project and recording sessions are still underway with producer Mark Bright, who produced seven tracks on Underwood's 2005 debut album Some Hearts. The new album is expected to showcase more of Underwood's songwriting. Released after she won the American Idol competition, Some Hearts has sold almost six million copies. It has sold almost 1,095,000 copies since January to remain the best-selling country album so far in 2007 in the US. The first single from the new album is a powerful ballad titled "So Small".

05/08/07 - News: Kelly Clarkson Goes Country. Universal Music have now serviced the Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson duet "Because Of You" to country radio. The track has proven to be a huge hit in the US and is closing in on a top #10 R&R and Billboard Country chart positioning. They performed the track at the recent CMA Festival and also recorded a “CMT Crossroads” TV special together. The duet is the first single from Reba’s Duets album which is released locally on September 15 through Universal Music. CMC have also added the video this week. Clarkson, who recently changed management and is now looked after by Reba’s husband indicated recently indicated at on cmt.com that she will record a country album of her own – possibly following her new release.

27/07/07 - News: ABC Music Sign Steve Forde (Press Release). ABC Music are delighted to formally announce their biggest new signing of 2007, that of leading local artist, Steve Forde. The announcement follows Forde's success with the single, Spirit Of The Bush , with Lee Kernaghan and Adam Brand which topped the ARIA Australian Singles Chart on July 9. "When Steve started out, everyone in the business shut the door on him, so he went out and created a career on his own. He financed his own albums, wrote his songs and even started building his own stages to perform on - stages which other leading acts now also use," said Robert Patterson, Head of ABC Music. "He's gone on to become one of Australia's leading live acts and is the most recognised personality on the Country Music Channel. He's also helped establish a number of festivals and has been acknowledged for introducing a younger demographic of fans to country music. Most importantly though, the new music on this new self-titled release is of the highest quality and we look forward to working with Steve as he takes the next step in his recording career," said Patterson. Forde teamed up with leading US producer Richard Landis for this latest album project. Landis' track record is very impressive having produced high selling albums with the likes of superstars Vince Gill, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbitt and Ronnie Milsap - just to name a few. ABC Music's distributor Warner Music Australia is also very excited about the upcoming project. "Steve Forde is a unique artist, one we believe has a huge future in this business. He has built a fan-base and touring business rarely seen in any genre of music in this country. Warner Music is committed to working with our partners at ABC Music to launch Steve in a major way this September," said Ed St John, President & CEO Warner Music Australia. Originally from, and still based in, Grenfell in the central west of New South Wales, Steve Forde is a farmer, a musician, a songwriter, an entrepreneur, a husband and recently, father. He's truly a great Australian. "I'm really looking forward to working with ABC and Warner Music. They're a very professional team of people and I'm very excited about what the future holds," said Forde. The first single from the new album, titled "Metropolis" , hits radio stations on August 11. His self-titled album will be released on September 22 through ABC Music/ Warner Music Australia.

27/07/07 - News: Compass Bros Sign Rob Black (Press Release). Compass Bros Records is pleased to announce the signing of Queensland based singer and guitar player Rob Black. Rob, who is known to country fans as the guitar player in The Kelly Gang, was a finalist in this year's Toyota Star Maker and caught the attention of Compass Bros MD Graham Thompson. “It was a tough field in this year's Star Maker and Rob didn't win but he really impressed me” says Thompson. “He presents as a knockabout kind of guy, sings well, plays great guitar and has a powerful stage presence. He covers similar territory to Brad Paisley who is probably my favourite country artist. He's upbeat and entertaining with real musical integrity.” Rob has started recording his debut album, with Thompson producing. The first single "Regular Guy" will be released to radio on August 13, 2007 and the album will be released at Tamworth next January.

4/07/07 - News: Travis Collins Returns To Airwaves With New Hit Song. Travis Collins’ first single from his upcoming album No Boundaries hit’s media shortly. It’s titled Yeah She Does and was written by superstar Keith Urban and Hugh Murray. The video clip for Yeah She Does was produced by Golden Guitar winning producer Glenn Wilson. It features Jamie Wright, who was selected by Paris Hilton to be “Miss Bondi Blonde” on New Years Day. Expect to see the clip on CMC at the end of this month. Collin’s is currently touring in the UK following a stint in Nashville where he performed at the CMA Festival and will launch his album on the main stage on Friday August 25. No Boundaries hits retail on August 18.

4/07/07 - News: Kirsty Lee Akers Set To Hit Retail Shelves. Former Telstra Road To Tamworth Songwriting Award winner and 2007 Starmaker winner Kirsty Lee Akers will release her debut album on August 4 though Compass Bros/Sony BMG. The album is titled "Little Things" and the saucy first single of the same name is now at radio. A video for the clip was shot recently and hits CMC very shortly. She has also just been added to the bill for the Gympie Muster, on the last weekend of August. As the Starmaker winner she’ll also receive plenty of support from Rural Press publications and will figure heavily in activities next January at the Tamworth festival.

28/05/07 - News: Keith Urban Declines Qantas Offer To Start Drinking Again! Qantas Airlines has issued a brief statement after one of its stewards offered Keith Urban a bottle of wine during a weekend flight during his recent Australian tour. One of Urban's assistants responded to the steward's offer by noting that the singer-songwriter "doesn't drink." Later during his concert in Adelaide, Urban reportedly told the crowd, "I knew I was back in South Australia when the host came up to me, smiled, gave me a bottle of red and said, 'Welcome to Adelaide, Mr. Urban.'" In a written statement, a Qantas spokesman said the steward "genuinely did not realize who the passenger was." How amusing!

28/5/07 - News: Country Gets A New Shock. Shock Records last week announced the launch of it’s new division, Shock Country. The announcement signals a major push and refocus from Shock into the Australian Country Music Industry. In addition to Shock’s International roster, which includes the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle, The Greencards, Gillian Welch, Linda Ronstadt and George Jones, Shock is now looking to expand its local country artist roster which already includes the likes of Felicity Urquhart, Tania Kernaghan, Travis Sinclair and Paul Costa. Shock has announced the addition of four new acts to the Australian roster. They are Corrina Steel, Mike Brady, Jayne Denham and Markus Meier. All these artists will release new albums this year.  
Shock Music’s Dave Laing said, “Australia's country music heritage goes back almost as far as that of the US - early Australian artists like Tex Morton and Buddy Williams were directly influenced by the music's originators like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, while the bush ballad influence is uniquely Australian and goes back to Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson. This is a vital, legitimate music. Young country singers like Markus Meier and Jayne Denham are an authentic voice of rural Australian youth. There is an increasing interest in roots music in both the mainstream and alternative music scenes, and we're looking forward to working on all fronts." 

21/05/07 - News: Reba To Release New Duets Album. Reba McEntire's new CD, Reba Duets, is set for release in mid September through Universal Music. The eleven-track project, her first album of collaborations, features duets with the cream of country’s best US talent as well as some major pop acts including Kenny Chesney, Kelly Clarkson, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Faith Hill, Carole King, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Justin Timberlake and Trisha Yearwood. The first single, a duet with Clarkson of Because of You, is expected to hit country radio shortly. McEntire and Clarkson recently taped an episode of CMT Crossroads, the popular series in the US, which matches a popular mainstream act with a country superstar. Bon Jovi and Sugarland did the same show together in 2005. In an interview with CMT Insider program in the US, Justin Timberlake talked about working with McEntire on the song, "I've always loved Reba. She is the voice of a generation. She is an icon." Sounds like a terrific project!

21/05/07 - News: ABC Music To Release Telstra Road To Tamworth Winners Album. ABC Music has announced that from 2008, it will record an album with the Telstra Road To Tamworth competition winner. The deal will include recording sessions in the US with a leading Nashville producer. "The Road to Tamworth competition continues to grow each year and is fast becoming the most significant and prestigious platform for emerging country music talent in Australia. The competition has already helped launch the careers of several young stars. As Australia's premiere country music label we are thrilled to be involved as the record label partner and look forward to working with the exciting new talent the competition unearths," said Robert Patterson, Head of ABC Music. The 2008 Telstra Road to Tamworth will kick off on Saturday, June 30 from 12pm at the Hunter Valley Gardens Oval, Broke Road, Hunter Valley NSW. The winner of the 2008 competition will be determined at the competition finals during next January’s Tamworth Country Music Festival. This competition will see 20 heats held across the nation this year, five of which will be large scale outdoor concerts with an all-star line up of Australia’s best country music artists, including Adam Harvey and Steve Forde.

The next Telstra Road to Tamworth winner will receive:
*An album with ABC Music and distributed by Warner Music Australia
*The opportunity to record with a leading Nashville producer
*A return economy airfare to Nashville, USA with living and accommodation expenses
*A performance on the River Stage at CMA Music Festival in Nashville
*A performance at the Global Artist Showcase at CMA Music Festival in Nashville
*Publicity of their visit and performances in Nashville by leading PR company AristoMedia
*Two Passes to CMA Music Festival 2008 in Nashville
*One year’s Sterling Membership to CMA America
*The opportunity to film a video clip
*Twelve months exclusive management and agency representation plus 12 paid professional live performances through leading Live Entertainment company, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge
*A Maton EM325C acoustic guitar, including case, fitted with AP5 professional pre-amp;
*A professional photo shoot with stylist

For more information on heat locations and entry details, you can visit the TRTT Website.

18/05/07- News: ACM Winners Announced. There weren’t too many surprises at last week’s Academy Of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas with all the favourites taking out the major awards. Carrie Underwood took out the awards for Top Female Vocalist, Album of the Year for Some Hearts and Video of the Year for Before He Cheats. Brad Paisley took out the award for Top Male Vocalist, the award Keith Urban had taken out two years previously. Brooks & Dunn once again took out the award Top Vocal Duo and Rascal Flatts won the Top Vocal Group Award. Miranda Lambert, whose new album Crazy Ex-girlfriend sold 52,000 units in it’s first week of release in the US, won her first ACM award for Top New Female Artist. Again, Kenny Chesney took out the final award of the evening – Entertainer of the Year.

25/04/07 - News: Ryan Adams To Release New Album. Ryan Adams is set to release a new album, "Easy Tiger", at the end of June through Lost Highway/Universal Music. This is his first release since releasing three albums in 2005 and his ninth solo album overall. Adams recently produced Willie Nelson's 2006 album, Songbird, and wrote When the Stars Go Blue, a hit for Tim McGraw which also originally appeared on his much heralded album, Gold.

25/04/07 - News: Beccy Cole To Release New Live Album. Following on from her three Golden Guitars at the beginning of this year, Beccy Cole will release a new live album in the second half of 2007 through ABC Music/Warner Music Australia. The album will feature a bunch of favourites from her live shows as well as a couple of new surprises. The album will be recorded in May during shows on the Central Coast of NSW. Cole is currently touring with Sara Storer and Gina Jeffries on their Songbirds tour across Australia.

16/04/07 - News: Compass Bros Sign Peter Denahy (Press Release). Compass Brothers Records is proud to announce the signing of popular Australian singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist Peter Denahy. Denahy first came to prominence in 1998 playing fiddle, guitar and accordion in Slim Dusty's Travelling Country Band. A regular solo spot on Slim's show allowed him the chance to showcase the lighter side of his broad talent and led to the release of the Petrol Head Fly album in 2000. To expand on his popularity as a writer and performer of what he describes as his ‘silly songs' Pete released an eponymous album in 2005 that showed  his more serious side and included a version of The Bloke Who Serves The Beer a song that Pete originally wrote for Slim Dusty's 100th album. Pete continues to appear as a band member and opening artist for Anne Kirkpatrick, Troy Cassar-Daley and Sara Storer and recently wrote Coober Pedy for The Sunny Cowgirls latest album Long Five Days. Compass Brothers Records will re-release Pete's self titled album with the entire Petrol Head Fly album as bonus tracks on April 14th.

11/04/07 - News: ABC Music Sign Shea Fisher. I’m thrilled to announce that ABC Music have signed 19 year old local recording artist Shea Fisher. Shea has a fantastic story. Originally from Portland in Victoria, she is the daughter of Australian bull riding and bareback riding champion Eddie Fisher and barrel racing champion Joanne Fisher and she has gone on to become a rodeo champion herself. Shea learnt to ride and compete in rodeos at the age of three where she entered her first barrel race and has gone on to win several national championships, competing against men and women. Shea has been singing and performing since her early teens and won her first major talent quest at the 2003 Mud Bulls and Music Festival. In 2004 she was accepted into Camerata, the country music college in Tamworth where she learnt a lot about the art of performing and country music. At the 2006 Tamworth Festival she performed several shows with her band, including a performance at the Australian Bushman’s Campdraft & Rodeo Association (ABCRA) National Finals Rodeo. Shea supported Steve Forde & The Flange on the National 2006 Rowdy & Loud Tour while managing to fly to America to record her debut album in Nashville Tennessee. She also performed for the first time at the Deni Ute Muster before returning to the ABCRA National Finals Rodeo stage in Tamworth in early 2007. At the age of just 19, Shea has now signed a record deal with ABC Music and will release her debut album on July 14, 2007. It’s titled Everyday Girl. She is most definitely a star in the making and brings a really fresh and exciting approach to country music. She’s a country girl at heart with a great story but like other young woman from the country these days, she’s very aware of what’s going on around the world and you can see this in the way she conducts herself. Shea will be a great role model for her young fans and she’s a dynamic performer who just keeps getting better and better. Her debut album "Everyday Girl" will be released on July 14, 2007 through ABC Music/Warner Music Australia.

06/04/07 - News: Brooks & Dunn And Kellie Pickler Added to CMA Festival Lineup. If you' r e like me and heading to the CMA Festival in Nashville again this year you'll be pleased to hear that Brooks & Dunn, Jo Dee Messina, Kellie Pickler (pictured left) and Taylor Swift are among the latest artist additions to the CMA Music Festival performance roster. “Brooks & Dunn are not only amazing entertainers but incredible ambassadors for Country Music,” said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese about the duo who has hosted the highly rated CMA Awards for the past three years. “We are excited to welcome them back to CMA Music Festival this year. “It is always great when fan favorites like Jo Dee and Taylor perform at CMA Music Festival,” continued Genovese. “We are also thrilled to welcome Kellie to her first CMA Music Festival performance.” Brooks & Dunn, Messina, Pickler and Swift join a list of performers already announced including Trace Adkins, Catherine Britt, Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Billy Currington, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson, The Wreckers and many more. For a full list of artists scheduled to appear at the 2007 CMA Music Festival, visit CMAfest.com .

4/04/07 - News: Vern Gosdin in Australia. Legendary country singer/songwriter, Vern Gosdin, is currently in Australia to record a duet with Queensland based country artist, Kimber Sparks. The pair will record a new version of Gosdin's 1982 classic, Today My World Slipped Away , which was also #1 hit for George Strait - hitting #1 for three weeks in 1998 in the US country charts. It will be produced by the highly talented Brendan Radford. Besides being a top selling artist in his own right, Gosdin, is one of the most respected songwriters in country music - having his songs recorded by artists such as George Jones, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Tanya Tucker, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Janie Fricke and Adam Harvey. Gosdin has a whole stack of awards gracing his mantle including CMA and Billboard Awards as well as inductions into the Music Publishers Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. He won the 1988 CMA Song of The Year Award for Chiseled In Stone, which was co-written with Max D. Barnes. The Vern Gosdin & Kimber Sparks duet , Today My World Slipped Away , will be released over the coming months in both Australia and the US.

30/03/07 - News: ABC Music To Release The Wilkinsons New Album, "Home" (Press Release). ABC Music are thrilled to announce that they will release the new album from award winning Canadian group The Wilkinsons on May 5, 2007. It's titled "Home". The release coincides with the Australian debut of their television show, "The Wilkinsons" on the Country Music Channel (CMC) in April, 2007. From the 1998 North American release of their first album, Nothing But Love, which launched them to success with the single "26 Cents," through to this new release, The Wilkinsons have established themselves as one of the premiere artists in Canadian music. They have had #1 songs on country radio both in Canada and the U.S, as well as #1 videos on CMT and GAC. The trio received nominations for the CMA's Horizon Award and Vocal Group of the Year in 2000, as well as a nomination for Single of the Year from The Academy of Country Music Awards. They have twice been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group and have a Juno win and four nominations under their collective belts. With the debut of their television show, "The Wilkinsons" in 2006 in Canada , the band showed that their talent goes far beyond their music. The series, which is a hybrid of comedy, reality and improv, features the rest of The Wilkinsons family – mother Chris and youngest daughter Kiaya – and proved so popular that CMT Canada renewed it for a second season. The show premieres on CMC in Australia in April and will screen throughout 2007.Upon announcing the release, ABC Music's Tim Holland (Manager, Country Music Label) said, "We are thrilled to be releasing Home. The Wilkinsons have been an incredibly successful act in Canada and continue to record great music. With CMC screening their hilarious television series this year, we know that there will be a lot of interest in the group and the quality of the album should ensure that many music fans will want to buy it, so we are glad to be giving them this opportunity." The Wilkinsons " Home " will be released on May 5, 2007 through ABC Music/Warner Music Australia .

27/03/07 - News: A Pub With No Beer Hits The Half Century (Press Release). Sunday April 1st marks 50 years to the day, since the recording of Australia’s first ever hit single A Pub With No Beer. This iconic song recorded by Slim Dusty and written by Gordon Parsons, was not only the first ever #1 hit record by an Australian artist, but also Australia’s first ever international hit (selling over 250 000 copies). A Pub With No Beer would dominate Slim’s life and career for decades, touching Australians everywhere. As journalist Daniel Lewis described the day of Slim’s funeral, “It was the day an unassuming country musician officially joined Lawson and Paterson in the realm of myth and legend and proved again that overwhelmingly urban and coastal people still look to the bush for their cultural compass.” To celebrate the historic recording’s 50th Anniversary, EMI Australia this week released the 3 CD, 60 song set PUBS, TRUCKS AND PLAINS. The set not only commemorates A Pub With No Beer, but also Slim’s many beer-related songs recorded during an amazing career spanning 60 years, and resulting in 7 million recording sales.

27/03/07 - News: Get Ready For A Crazy Ex-girlfriend! Miranda Lambert's first Australian release, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is building momentum ahead of the album's April 28 release through Sony BMG. Miranda's people have been quick to establish the title song as a brand in it's own right with a Crazy Ex Girlfriend website and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend myspace site set up along with and a range of cool new merchandise, in addition to Miranda's own website and myspace page. Miranda's performance of the title track was the highlight of the CMA Awards last November in my opinion and word on the street is that the material on this album is very strong across all the tracks. Go to www.crazyexgirlfriendmusic.com to check out all the action for yourself. You can also hear new tracks from the upcoming album on this site including the album's first single, Famous In A Small Town as well as the sensational title track.

27/03/07 - News: James Blundell To Launch New Album This Week. James Blundell will launch his new album, Ring Around The Moon this Thursday night at The Vanguard in Sydney. The album hits retail on March 31 through Compass Bros Records. It's Blundell's first release with Compass and his first with Graham Thompson as producer. The first single from the album took just two weeks to hit the top 10 of the TMN Country Hot 30 and is now in the CMC Top 30 Countdown top ten as well. Dianna Corcoran and Karl Broadie will also perform at the launch. Tickets are available at the venue and the night commences at 7:30pm.

27/03/07 - News: Bon Jovi To Premiere New Single At Country Awards Show. Bon Jovi's stride into country music is starting to heat up. They have been added to the list of performers at the 2007 CMT Music Awards taking place on April 16 in Nashville. Their new single, (You Want To) Make a Memory, will make it's television debut during the nationally broadcast live telecast. The song is also now at radio in Australia - having been rush released last week. The band's new album, Lost Highway, will be released by Universal Music in June. Keith Urban will also be featured in the telecast with a special performance from the UK. Previously announced performers include Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Tim McGraw. Unfortunately, there are no plans to broadcast the show locally at this stage.

13/03/07 - News: Urban Nominated For Third Straight ACM Top Male Vocalist Award. Keith Urban has once again been nominated for the Top Male Vocalist at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards in the US. The Grammy winner won the award in both 2005 and 2006 and will go up against Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Toby Keith and Brad Paisley for the coveted award. The awards are being held on May 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Keith wont be at the show, but will instead be in Sydney performing at the Acer Arena as part of his Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Tour! His video, Once In A Lifetime is also up for a CMT Video Awards nomination. Those awards take place on April 12 in Nashville. Punters can vote online for Keith at www.cmt.com. Keith is in Australia next week promoting his latest album, Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing and will perform an industry showcase at The Metro next Wednesday night.

13/03/07 - News: Country Queens Come Together For Concert Series. Gina Jeffreys, Beccy Cole and Sara Storer have announced dates for what will be one of the most popular country tours of 2007. The "Songbirds" tour is the brainchild of the three girls themselves. All three have been friends for years and have regularly appeared as guests on each others live shows and recordings, so they reckon it's a natural step for them to put this concept together.  Between them the three woman they have 24 Golden Guitar Awards along with a haul of ARIAs, CMAA Entertainer of the Year prizes, APRA awards  along with Gold and Platinum sales awards. Audiences can not only expect to hear the hit songs from three of the most beautiful individual voices on any stage, any where, but will also be treated to some very special "trio" performances of songs chosen by the girls from their own album collections. Will they become female country's version of the three tenors? Only time will tell I guess. Jeffreys has just released her new album, Walks Of Life, while Cole's Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)", swept all before it to take out three Golden Guitars in January. And Storer will release her highly anticipated fourth album in the second half of 2007.

13/03/07 - News: Vassar Changes Record Labels. US country star Phil Vassar has signed a new recording deal with Universal South Records after his previous label, Arista Nashville (Sony BMG Nashville) agreed to release him from his contract. Vassar released a Greatest Hits album for Arista in 2006, which included the #1 US country hit, Last Day of My Life. Vassar said, "I think that as artists change and grow musically, it's important to shake things up on the business side, too. And a career mile marker like the Hits disc just makes the timing feel right to make a fresh start." A new album is expected later this year. Lonestar are also no longer with Sony BMG. Mountains, the band's latest CD, was released October last year but sales have been disappointing. However, with the likes of Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Kellie Pickler, Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn and Gretchen Wilson all firing right now, it is most certainly onward and upwards for the label in 2007.

11/03/07 - News: Spirit Of The Bush Concert Sold Out (Press Release). Communities across western Victoria have snapped-up all 20,000 free entry wristbands for the Spirit of the Bush Drought Concert on 17 March, Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, announced last week. At the Wimmera Machinery Field Days, Mr Helper said the free concert would provide a muchneeded break for farming communities in the region who continued to face difficult challenges due to prolonged drought. “This will be the biggest free concert ever staged in the Wimmera,” Mr Helper said. “The Spirit of the Bush is a perfect opportunity from people to get together, take a break and listen to some great music.” The Department of Primary Industries worked closely with event organisers to find a suitable venue that would allow as many people as possible to attend the concert. The concert is at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days site at Longerenong College. An audience limit of 20,000 people has been set to ensure the concert can go ahead safely. Mr Helper urged anyone with wristbands that wouldn’t be able to attend the concert to make them available for people who’d missed out. “If you have wristbands and can’t attend you can return them to a wristband collection point so we can help as many people as possible can come to this concert,” he said. “It will be a fantastic event and we want to make sure no wristbands go to waste.” Lee Kernaghan will lead an impressive line-up of national and international stars including Gina Jeffreys, Neil Murray, Tania Kernaghan, The McCyrmonts, Leo Sayer, Diesel and Steve Forde and the Flange. Mr Helper emphasised that the Spirit of the Bush was not a fundraising event. “This concert is being put on out of respect for our hardworking communities to show that the rest of Victoria is thinking about them and supporting them,” Mr Helper said. “The Bracks Government is acutely aware of the personal impact this drought is having on farming families and will continue to work with agencies to provide ongoing assistance.” Mr Helper said a range of services were available to help drought-affected communities. People wanting information about these services should call the Drought Information Line on 136 186 or by visit www.vic.gov.au/drought.

03/03/07 - News: Catherine Britt To Tour With Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson This US Summer. Catherine Britt received a massive career boost last week when it was announced that she'll be supporting the massive Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson tour in the US this summer (US season). The tour starts in May and will ensure Britt gets to play in front of hundreds of thousands of people over the tours duration. She is currently completing her first internationally released album which is expected to released later this year in the US through Sony BMG Nashville and locally through ABC Music. Britt is also one of the faces of a Garnier Hair Product campaign in the US and was recently featured in Country Weekly magazine in the US which has over two million readers. Britt's current single, I'm Gone, from her album, Too Far Gone is at local radio now.

03/03/07 News: Adam Harvey Wins CMA Global Artist Award. New Sony BMG local signing Adam Harvey has been awarded the 2007 CMA Global Country Artist Award and will travel to Nashville to accept the award and to perform during the 2007 CMA Music Festival in June. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by an artist who has both furthered Country Music's popularity and brought attention to the format in their foreign-based territory. Adam will accept his trophy on June 9, during the 2007 CMA Music Festival when he performs on the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages at Riverfront Park. 2007 Telstra Road To Tamworth winner Morgan Evans and Catherine Britt will also perform at the festival, as now will The McClymonts if my spies are accurate! Keith Urban is also expected to be a late inclusion to the stadium night-time line-up. “The Country Music Association is committed to promoting Country Music around the globe and one way we do that is to encourage the development of Country Music artists from other nations,” said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese upon announcing the win . “We are excited to shine a spotlight on international Country artists at events around CMA Music Festival.” Adam has enjoyed a career with many defining moments, including achieving Gold status for three albums: Workin' Overtime, Cowboy Dreams and Can't Settle For Less while at the ABC Music label. Adam has toured the world extensively including performances at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville in 2001 and 2004; two successful Canadian tours in 2004 and 2005; an invitation to perform in China in 2005 as the representative for Australian Country Music and the Tamworth City Council and a tour of Ireland in 2006. This makes him a very worth recipiant of this award. He served as the tour host and media front man for the CMA Australian Advisory Group's travel initiative to the 2006 CMA Music Festival, and was appointed the Ambassador for the Telstra Road to Tamworth for 2006 and 2007. Previous recipients of trhe award are Jason McCoy of Canada (2006); Paul Brandt of Canada (2005); Australians Kasey Chambers and, posthumously, Slim Dusty (2004); and Lee Kernaghan (2003).

26/02/07 - News: Jewel and Bon Jovi Set To Release Country Albums. CMT in the US are reporting that Jewel and Bon Jovi are set to release country albums. Jewel recently admitted to popular US music journalist Marilyn Beck that was she was gearing up for her first country release. Now the co-host of the Nashville Star program (a country version of Idol) she claims she’s been writing country songs since she was 16. While Bon Jovi, who had a #1 country hit in the US with Sugarland are rumoured to be working with Keith Urban’s producer Dan Huff on a new album. Stay tuned for more details as they become more concrete.

26/02/07 - News: Country Goes To Dreamworld. A new country music festival will take place at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast on June 23. Titled, Stampede, the five hour event will provide ticket buyers with entry to Dreamworld, unlimited use of the rides including The Claw, Tower of Terror, Giant Drop and Cyclone, drinks and access to three arenas. Lee Kernaghan will headline the event along with Troy Cassar-Daley and Sara Storer. Other artists confirmed on the bill include The McClymonts, The Wolverines and Felicity Urquhart. 2006 Telstra Road To Tamworth Songwriting Prize winner and 2007 Starmaker winner Kirsty Lee Akers is also a featured performer in the Trail Blazing Arena. The event is being promoted by Empire Events and you can find out more about it at www.stampedefestival.com.au.

21/02/07 - News: First Round Of CMA Festival Performers Announced. Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Sugarland, Catherine Britt and The Wreckers are amongst the first list of head liners announced to perform at the 2007 CMA Festival in Nashville. Other Australian performers during festival week will include Travis Collins and Telstra Road To Tamworth winner Morgan Evans who will perform at the Global Artist Party and as well as recent CMAA Award winner Beccy Cole. Reba McEntire will also perform at the event for the first time in eleven years. Last year 161,000 people attended the festival, which will run from June 7-10 this year in Downtown Nashville.

14/02/07 - News: Rajon Sign Matt Scullion. Rajon Music have announced the signed rising Country Music artist Matt Scullion, the first artist signing of this kind for the independent music company. Scullion was nominated in the best Vocal Collaboration category with Lawrie Minson at the CMAA Golden Guitar Awards for their single Hard Earned Money and was a finalist in the 2007 Tiara Awards (Tamworth Independent Artists Recognition Awards), having been nominated for the Michael Cowdroy Songwriting Award. 2006 was a good year for Matt with his single Hard Earned Money reaching #13 on the CMC Chart. His second single, Giddy Up is now also moving up the CMC and TMN Country Hot 30. Rajon announced at the recent Tamworth festival that they are now dedicated to building a strong Australian Country Music roster and is looking to announce further significant signings in the near future. Ken Outch, Chief Executive officer of Destra Entertainment, parent company of Rajon said, “Matt Scullion is a perfect fit for Rajon and where we are looking to take to Country Music. We are extremely proud to have signed him and are looking forward to 2007 and the endless opportunities that have now been presented as a result of this partnership.”

14/02/07 - News: Eaglesmith To Tour Australia. Canadian country music legend, Fred Eaglesmith will return to Australia at the end of March for a headline tour as well as an appearance at the East Coast Blues N Roots Festival in Byron Bay. Eaglesmith won a Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album last year, is a winner of the Canadian Independent Music Award and has had artists such as The Cowboy Junkies, Kasey Chambers, Chris Knight and Dar Williams cover tracks off his sixteen album releases. Eaglesmith will be joined on his Australian tour with his band which will consist of Willie P. Bennett (mandolin, guitar, vocal), Kori Heppner (drums), and Luke Stackhouse (upright bass), as well as local guitarist Bill Chambers. Most notably, Eaglesmith will perform at The Vanguard in Sydney on April 3 & 4 before heading to Byron Bay for the festival.

27/01/07 - News: Winners announced in 2007 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia (Press Release). Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole and The McClymonts have shared the honours at the 35th CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, presented by Jayco, held in the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre tonight. Before a sell-out crowd, Kernaghan took away four and Cole accepted three “Golden Guitars” each with The McClymonts picking up two. Lee Kernaghan took out Album of the Year and Male Artist of the Year for his album, The New Bush , and won the coveted Heritage Song of the Year for Close As A Whisper (The Gift). Lee also took out the Award for Top Selling Album of the Year bringing his total to 24 Country Music Awards of Australia throughout his career.  Her song in response to a letter from a fan, Poster Girl (Wrong Side Of The World) , won Beccy Cole three Awards - the prestigious APRA Song of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Single of the Year, taking her total number of Golden Guitar trophies to seven ... Read More

17/01/07 - News: Keith Urban To Tour Australia in May. Keith Urban has completed his stint in a California rehabilitation centre and will kick off an international tour in April with a series of club performances in the United Kingdom and Germany. His publicist, Paul Freundlich, confirmed the news last Tuesday (January 16). Urban's tour - billed as the Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing World Tour - will then take him to arenas in Australia in May before he heads to US and Canadian arenas in June. Urban will perform a February 8 concert in Chicago to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The Chicago appearance makes up for a November 11 show that was cancelled after Urban voluntarily sought treatment for his alcohol abuse in October. Stay tuned for the local tour dates.

16/01/07 - News: Mauboy Returns To Tamworth. Australian Idol runner-up and new Sony BMG signing Jessica Mauboy returns to Tamworth this week to perform at the Telstra Road To Tamworth Finals. Mauboy was the inaugural winner back in 2004, long before her achievements on Idol and she'll perform at both the finals on Monday January 22 and Grand Final the following night at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre. Last year's TRTT winner Nick Kingswell and Adam Harvey will also be guest performers during the final series.

10/01/07: News: Toohey's New Presents The inaugural Country Music Challenge - Battle of the Bands Longyard Hotel Monday, 22nd January at 8pm (Press Release). Due to demand from bands for such an event bands are invited to showcase themselves in this exciting inaugural bands competition with Toohey's New as the Major Sponsor. Toohey's New in association with the Longyard Hotel's Mr. Paul Wynn are highly enthused about the Country Music Challenge: Battle of the Bands being staged at the Longyard for the first time. With $3,500-00 cash and prizes up for grabs bands are urged to get their entries in quick, as spots are limited. This is a one night only extended showcase intended to highlight and expose your talent. A great opportunity for starter bands to get noticed and share the stage with a guest celebrity band. Associate sponsors Enrec Studios and Australian Audio Supplies have provided fantastic prizes. For the winner, an Enrec Demo Recording Package and for the runner up, a Tapco Processor courtesy of Australian Audio Supplies. Both bands receive Website Enhancement Profiles courtesy of Musician's Headquarters and Guitar Heroes, on both sites for twelve months. Also in the package is a Country Music Bulletin Artist Update Printernet Package for both bands. Entry for bands is $20, with the opportunity to win this great mix of cash and prizes, as well as profiling your band. The Country Music Challenge is open to main-stream country, country/rock and cross genre country bands. To enter, come to reception at the Musician's Headquarters Peel St. (opposite the Central Hotel) during the festival. Country Music Challenge: Battle of the Bands is co-ordinated by Musicforce. Supporters include: Country Music Bulletin Times, Festival Guide, Aust' Guitar Magazine, CRN Satellite, Music Headquarters and Guitar Heroes. Country Music Challenge is a ticketed event with tickets available at the venue for just $12.

08/01/07 - News: The Baileys To Perfrom Catherine Britt Track At The Golden Guitars. The CMAA will today announce that emerging band The Baileys will perform Catherine Britt's Swingin' Door at the CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia on January 27. Britt personally requested them to perform the track as she's unable to attend the awards this year. Britt is nominated for 3 awards including Album of the Year for Too Far Gone.

05/01/07 - News: Frist Performers Annoucned for CMAA Awards. Major award finalists Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole, Melinda Schneider, Adam Brand and Felicity Urquhart, Travis Collins and The McClymonts are among the first performers to be announced for the 35th CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, presented by Jayco, to be held at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre on Saturday, January 27, 2007. The Country Music Association of Australia is also pleased to announce that world renowned, Australian, guitar manufacturer, Maton, have come on board as naming rights sponsor for the New Talent Award for the next two years.

11/12/06 - News: Country Stars Shine Brightest In the City (Press Release). The 8th Perth City Muster on Saturday 24th February at Claremont Showgrounds is the biggest one-day country spectacular in the city featuring 8 hours of premier acts in full length concert sets, bumper displays of bull barred beasts, awesome whip cracking feats and competitions for all. C ity Muster Concert gates open at 3pm and you'll be country rockin' to high energy hits, tender heartbreakers and new material from a sensational all star, Golden Guitar line-up in the Arena until 11pm. Artist of the Decade Lee Kernaghan, dynamo Adam Brand, CMAA Entertainer of the Year Troy Cassar-Daley, Poster Girl Beccy Cole, sisters The McClymonts and local band Magnificent Seven bring a galaxy of accolades to the Arena stage and will be introduced by MC Brendon T Moylan ... Read More about the event at www.citymuster.com.au

10/12/06 - Editorial: Steve Forde's CMAA Country Music Awards Snub. With no disrespect intended to CMAA Country Music Awards nominee Michael O'Rourke, how the hell did he get nominated in the Male Artist Of The Year category ahead of Steve Forde who was once again nominationless? Forde has become one of country music's biggest draw cards and most importantly, he is drawing an ever increasing fan base of people under 30. This is really healthy when you think about country music's long term future and it's a real shame that the voters of the CMAA Awards have chosen to ignore this. His latest album Rowdy also features the CMC #1 hit, No Wrong. Steve doesn't sing country music the traditional way but the market is embracing the guy and he's bringing new fans to the music. Let's hope that one day the Tamworth faithful acknowledge this as a really positive thing!

09/12/06 - News: Kernaghan And Cole Top CMAA Award Nominations. Lee Kernaghan got six and Beccy Cole five for the awards on January 27 at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre. See the full list on nominees here.

07/12/06 - News: Carrie Underwood Wins Five Billboard Music Awards. Carrie Underwood won five Billboard Music Awards on Monday night (Dec. 4) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Her trophies included country album, new country artist, female country artist, album and female Billboard 200 album artist. Kenny Chesney won country songs artist. Presenters included Big & Rich and Wynonna. Winners were determined by the artists' performance on the Billboard charts in the US. R&B artist Mary J. Blige was the night's biggest winner, taking home nine awards.

07/12/06 - News: CMC Oz Artist Of The Year. For the first time, a fan voted award known as the CMC Oz Artist Of The Year will be awarded at the 2007 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia on January 27 in Tamworth. To vote for your favourite nominated artist, visit the CMC website.

02/12/06 - News: James Blundell Signs With Compass Bros Records (Press Release). Compass Brothers Records is delighted to announce the signing of iconic Australian country artist and songwriter James Blundell. With the release of his self-titled debut album in 1989 James became the first of a new breed of Australian country artists to find a younger audience and achieve gold and platinum sales. He enjoyed crossover success and was for many years the highest selling country artist in Australia. He has written hits for Lee Kernaghan, Slim Dusty and Jimmy Little and is the recipient of nine CMAA Golden Guitar Awards and four ARIA nominations. Compass Bros Managing Director Graham Thompson is thrilled to welcome James to the boutique label that is also home to Adam Brand, Melinda Schneider, Anne Kirkpatrick, The Sunny Cowgirls, Dianna Corcoran, Brendon Walmsley and Jim Haynes. “James changed the landscape of Australian country music when he emerged in the late 80's,” recalls Graham . “He absorbed the tradition of the great story tellers of Australian country music and served it up fresh in a way that really connected with a broad audience. James is also excited about his new label. “I am delighted, and more than a little flattered to be invited on to the Compass Brothers roster," said Blundell. I believe that the label represents the perfect independent structure, in that it has a small roster, managed and promoted by an enthusiastic and proactive team, who all display a genuine enthusiasm and knowledge of the artists that they represent...coupled with the mechanics of a major distribution system. Recording begins soon, and I am thoroughly looking forward to the experience.” Compass Bros will release a new single from James in February 2007 and an album in April.

02/12/06 - News: Kellie Pickler To Feature On American Idol. The most recently completed American Idol series will air weekly in Australia on Network Ten from 6:30pm tonight. The series will feature new Sony BMG artist Kellie Pickler whose album, Small Town Girl hit shelves two weeks ago. Kellie is incredibly adorable and her album is fantastic. I wonder (track 5) and the new single, Red High Heels are the highlight tracks. It is hoped that Kellie, who is very good friends with Catherine Britt, will visit Australia early in 2007.

26/11/06 - News: Mauboy Comes 2nd in Australian Idol. 2004 Telstra Road To Tamworth winner Jessica Mauboy last night finished 2nd in the Australian Idol series. In front of a massive national television audience, Damien Leith took out the crown. Jessica will get a record deal with Sony BMG so she has a lot to look forward to. Congratulations to the promoters of the Telstra competition who played their part in Jessica's career in the lead up to this fantastic achievement. Jessica will perform at the Telstra Road To Tamworth finals on January 22 and 23.

22//11/06 - News: Peoples Choice Nominations Announced. The top 10 finalists in the independently run 2007 Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards have been released. Most prominent on the list include Anita Ree with six finalist positions, Graham Rodger with five, Cat Southern, Wildseed and the Wolverines with four each and Dale Duncan, Craig Giles, Sharnee Fenwick and Simply Bushed with three each. Around 3,000 people voted in the 10 categories of the Awards, “an excellent result,” according to organizers.Visit www.peopleschoiceawards.com.au to see the nominations.

13/11/06 - News: Keith Urban Debuts at #5. Keith Urban's new album Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing has debuted at #5 on the ARIA album sales chart and #1 on the ARIA Country Chart. The album has also been certified GOLD for shipments of over 35,000 units.

02/11/06 - News: Poster Girl Creates International Interest. Beccy Cole is starting to reap the benefits of an online presence following the release of her single Poster Girl, following on from her trip to Iraq to entertain Australian troops last Christmas. The song’s subject matter has caught the attention of website bloggers across the world (particularly in the US and Canada) who have come across the track while discussing issues relating to the ongoing war in Iraq, the Dixie Chicks and other related matters. Having read a lot of the correspondence in the last week, I’m finding that those who have listened to the track have been overwhelmingly drawn to the warmth and compassion in which Beccy has shown to our representatives overseas. Remember that the song isn’t a pro or anti war track, but instead a tribute to the people representing their countries in what she calls the “wrong side of the world”. In fact, the response has been so positive that over 65,000 views of the Youtube video for Poster Girl were registered on Cole’s official website last week. Beccy’s official MySpace page has now been launched and this will undoubtably create even more interest in the track.

01/11/06 - News: Felicity Tops Coffee Chart (Press Release). Roots music has been embraced by Australia 's coffee culture, with Felicity Urquhart's stunning new single, Big Black Cloud, achieving the #1 spot on the Sounds Like Caf e chart for October. Sounds Like Caf é was established with the specific purpose of distributing quality Australian music to cafes and coffee shops throughout selected areas of Australia . Each Sounds Like Caf é CD features some of Australia 's most highly regarded musicians and composers, new releases from up and coming artists and bonus international tracks. So if you happen to be sipping a latte, a long black, a cappuccino or a flat white at any one of the 605 coffee shops in the metropolitan area of Australia , or 598 outlets in regional Australia , there's every chance you will hear Felicity's velvet vocals streaming through that venue.“It was such a great bonus for me to go straight to the top of that chart my first time in – and totally unexpected, which makes it that much more special,” Felicity said. And it's not only the latte set raving over Big Black Cloud. In this week's Country Music Channel Countdown, the clip has risen to #7, its highest entry to date.Felicity is a finalist in Country Artist of the Year at the MusicOz Awards for The Flood, the first single from her highly acclaimed album, My Life. The MusicOz Awards winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 14 at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney .

21/10/06 - News: Urban Cancels Aussie Tour. As reported in most media outlets today, Keith Urban has cancelled this week's promotional tour in Australia meaning he wont appear at the ARIA awards on October 29 or at The Metro in Sydney this thursday night. His reasons have been well documented. We wish Keith a speedy recovery and look forward to him returning to the stage and Australia when the time is right.

17/10/06 - News: Troy Wins Major CMAA Award. Troy Cassar-Daley took out the major award at last night's CMAA Achiever Awards in Sydney, Entertainer Of The Year. Hosted by weatherman Tim Bailey, the event included performances from Beccy Cole, Felicity Urquhart and young band The Baileys. Compass Bros Records took out the Record Company of the Year gong (for Major Distribution) while ABC Music took out Music Publisher of the year for the 6th consecutive year. Urquhart also received the Independent Entertainer Of The Year award, as she did in 2005. View the full list of winners here.

13/10/06: News: Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing… And Keith Will Be In Australia To Talk About It. (Press Release) Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing is the fourth album from Grammy Award winner and reigning Country Music Association (CMA) Entertainer of the Year, Keith Urban, and on the eve of the album release Keith will return to Australia for a week long promotional visit prior to his performance at the ARIAs. The follow up to Be Here, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing is one of the most anticipated releases of the year and showcases Urban's consummate songwriting and vocal talents, as well as his searing guitar work. Fans will be able to hear some of the new tracks when Keith performs on Sunrise and Rove; he will also be performing at an exclusive showcase event in Sydney on October 26. The follow up to Be Here, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing is one of the most anticipated releases of the year and showcases Urban's consummate songwriting and vocal talents, as well as his searing guitar work. Fans will be able to hear some of the new tracks when Keith performs on Sunrise and Rove; he will also be performing at an exclusive showcase event in Sydney on October 26. Co-produced by Dann Huff and Urban, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing , includes “Once In A Lifetime,” (John Shanks, Keith Urban) the album's first single, which upon its release in the US last month became the highest debuting single since the inception of the Billboard Chart. Highlights of Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing include the bold, contagious rockers “Faster Car” (Urban) and “I Told You So” (Urban). Songs such as “Shine” and “Used to the Pain” exhibit Urban's ability to produce infectious melodies that patiently build to a musical climax. While brilliant songs such as “Stupid Boy,” “I Can't Stop Lovin' You” and “God Made Woman,” an anthemic tribute to women, all show Urban's ability to select and interpret songs written by others. Said Urban of Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing ; " It's just an accurate reflection of where I'm at now. I think it's the sound of being happy and extremely excited with the music that we're making.”

Track listing: 1. Once In A Lifetime 2. Shine 3. I Told You So 4. I Can't Stop Lovin' You 5. Won't Let You Down 6. Faster Car 7. Stupid Boy 8. Used To The Pain 9. Tu Compania 10. God Made Woman 11. Everybody 12. Got It Right This Time.

11/10/06 - News: Blundell Set For Tour (Press Release). Fresh from a whirlwind trip to Nashville platinum selling singer-songwriter James Blundell is once again hitting the road throughout October and November. This week, James teams up with the critically acclaimed Felicity Urquhart for five intimate diner shows in South East Queensland and Northern NSW. Felicity was recently a big winner at the Telstra Southern Stars Independent Country Music Awards picking up 3 trophies and duplicating James' 2005 success. James will be playing all his hits and crowd favourites as well as previewing material from his forthcoming album due early 2007. Both singers were nominated for Golden Guitars at this year's awards show and will be performing individually and together over the course of the night. Karl Broadie may have missed out on the best new talent trophy at this year's Golden Guitar awards but there's no denying he is one of Australia's finest new singer-songwriters. The winner of Roots/Americana category of the International Songwriting Competition, Karl is making a mark with his new video Black Crow Calling' and will join James for shows in Central Queensland in early November.

05/10/06 - News: Urquhart Dominates Indie Awards. Felicity Urquhart headed the list of winners at last week’s Telstra CountryWide Southern Stars 10th Annual Australian Independent Country Music Awards in Mildura. The Flood, the first single from Felicity’s fifth album, My Life, took out the APRA|AMCOS Independent Country Music Single of the Year, while the album won the One Stop Entertainment Independent Album of the Year award. Felicity’s awards trifecta was complete when she was announced as winner of the Independent Female Vocalist award, a trophy she also accepted in 2004. “I was thrilled to win one award at Mildura, let alone three,” Felicity said. “Being a fiercely independent artist, I’m just so delighted the judges have seen fit to recognise My Life in this way and feel that [producer] Glen Hannah really did bring out the very best in me and in the musicians who worked on the project.” Felicity will tour with James Blundell, October 11 - 15 before performing at the CMAA Achiever Awards on October 16 in Sydney. Following that gig, she’ll join Adam Brand, for a series of shows in Queensland until late November. Other award winners on the night included Paul Costa, who was awarded Independent Artist of the Year along with Lee Foster, Travis Sinclair, Dean Perrett, Victoria Baillie and Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French.

27/09/06 - News: Natalie Howard Profiled In Country Weekly (Press Release). US based Australian Natalie Howard is the latest local artist ot be featured in the world's most read country music publication, Country Weekly. The article reviews Natalie's single You Never Knew Me which was her second #1 video clip on the CMC Top 30 Countdown last year. Interviewed by Chris Neal, Natalie talks about how country music was introduced to her through her father's record collection, overcoming her shyness to sing, how she first got to Nashville through a Regional Arts Development Fund grant, her childhood idol Olivia Newton-John and how Keith Urban was her inspiration for making the move up over to Nashville. Kimber Sparks, originally from the US but now based in Australia was also featured in a recent issue.

17/09/06: News: Harvey Signs With Sony BMG. Sony BMG Music Entertainment Australia has announced the signing of six-time Golden Guitar winner Adam Harvey. Adam has three Gold albums with his former label, ABC Music - Workin' Overtime and Can't Settle For Less and Cowboy Dreams. Denis Handlin, Chairman & CEO of SBME Australia and NZ said, “The signing of Adam Harvey is very special to us at SONY BMG as he complements the extraordinary local artist roster we already have and strengthens it in the genre of country.” Handlin went on to say, “The country music genre is showing growth in our market and as a company we are totally focused on delivering a growth, both locally and internationally”. Harvey's signing extends SBME's local country roster, which also includes Bella and former Telstra Road To Tamworth winner, Aleyce Simmonds. More are expected to follow with this year's TRTT winner Nick Kingswell also due to release a single with the label shortly.   

14/09/06 - News: Keith Urban Announces New Album Title (Press Release). Keith Urban has announced the title of his forthcoming album. His fourth studio album will be called Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing and is slated for release on November 4. Keith returned to the U.S. from London this past week, where he performed at an EMI Conference. He is back in Nashville, putting the finishing touches on Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing. The U.S. Billboard history making first single Once In A Lifetime, is currently at Australian radio and will be commercially released on October 21. Keith will visit Australia in late October for a promotional visit.  ***UPDATE 17/08/06*** Keith has now been announced as one of 9 performers at this year's ARIA Awards. They will take place on October 29 in Sydney at the Acer Arena.

13/09/06 - News: ARIA Nominations Announced. Catherine Britt (Too Far Gone), Adam Brand (What A Life), Lee Kernaghan (The New Bush), Troy Cassar-Daley (Brighter Day) and Anne Kirkpatrick (Showman's Daughter) are the lucky five nominees in this year's Best Country Album category at the upcoming ARIA Awards on October 29. The nominations were announced this morning. Wolfmother, Bernard Fanning, Eskimo Joe, Rogue Traders and Augie March received the most nominations overall. The event will be televised on the Ten Network across Australia. Check out more about this years ARIA Awards here.

12/09/06 - News: Canadian Country Music Awards. The Road Hammers, George Canyon, Carolyn Dawn-Johnson and Corb Lund were amongst the winners at last night's Canadian Country Music Awards. The event will be shown on CMC later this year. Read about the event here.

11/09/06 - News: ABC To Broadcast Slim Dusty Special (Press Release). On December 12, ABC television will broadcast the historic 1987 Slim Dusty concert filmed on 35mm at the Richmond Regent Theatre. This is one of 2 complete concerts that were released on the Slim Dusty Live DVD in March. To celebrate the telecast EMI Australia have created a Special Edition 4 Disc Set combining the two DVD's and 2 live CDs. This set will be released on September 23.  The 33 track double CD recording was captured during the sell-out 2000 ‘Looking Forward Looking Back' concert tour which celebrated Slim's multi-platinum 100th release.

07/09/06 - News: The McClymonts To Appear On Getaway. The McClymonts have been invited by Channel Nine's Getaway program to appear on the show in their home town of Grafton. They'll perform at the Crown Hotel on the Terrace at 6pm on September 13th and have invited locals to join them. If your in the area, make sure you pop down to the performance. We'll keep you posted on when the show is programmed to go to air.  

06/09/06 - News: Toyota Star Maker Prize To Include Recording Contract With Compass Brothers Records (Press Release). From 2007, the Toyota Star Maker winner will now receive a recording contract as part of the prize which also includes the use of a Toyota car for 12 months, fuel card, the making of a video clip, a Maton guitar, Bose PA system and promotional exposure through Australia's monthly country music magazine Capital News and other publications in the Rural Press stable. “The contract is made possible by an exciting new association between Toyota Star Maker and Australia's leading country music label Compass Brothers Records,” says Barry Harley, General Manager of Toyota Star Maker organisers Rural Press Events. It guarantees the recording, marketing and promotion of at least one full length CD on Compass Brothers Records.” In addition to committing to the initial album release, the Compass Brothers deal will offer options to record further albums, allowing for the possibility of an on-going relationship with the winner. Graham Thompson, Managing Director of Compass Brothers Records, said that his team was extremely excited to be involved and believed that their involvement would continue the guarantee to deliver the best, most exciting new talent to Australian fans. “Star Maker has been extraordinarily successful over the years,” he said. “With the depth of young talent out there, we believe that the combined enthusiasm of the teams at Compass Brothers, Capital News and Rural Press Events will significantly enhance the potential for the winner of Toyota Star Maker 2007,” he said. Previous winners include Lee Kernaghan (1982), James Blundell (1987), Keith Urban (1990), Gina Jeffreys (1991), Beccy Cole (1993), Darren Coggan (1996), Lyn Bowtell (1997) and Kate Ballantyne (1998), Brendon Walmsley (1999) and, more recently, with young stars Travis Collins (2004) and Samantha McClymont (2005).

04/09/06 - News: Melinda Gets Gold! Melinda Schneider's third album Family Tree, for which she won two CMAA Golden Guitar Awards in 2005 including Album Of The Year , has gone gold. Melinda was presented with her gold album by Richard Wilkins on the Today Show before flying out of Sydney for a festival appearance in France this weekend.This achievement coincides with the release of her fourth album Stronger which this week debuted at #4 on the ARIA Australian Artists Country chart. Big World Small World, the first single from Stronger, is currently #3 on the CMC Top 30 Countdown and # 12 on The Music Network HOT 30 National Country Airplay chart. Melinda has just completed the successful BROAD tour with Deborah Conway, Ella Hooper, Mia Dyson and Kate Miller–Heidke and continues her 'Stronger' tour of Australia when she returns from France in mid September. Read our review of her latest album here.

31/08/06 - News: CMA Awards Nominations Announced. The CMA Awards nominations have been announced with Australia's Keith Urban nominated in four categories; Song Of The Year (Tonight I Wanna Cry), Single Of The Year (Better Life), Male Vocalist Of The Year and Entertainer Of The Year. Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley led nominations with six each for while Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts also received four nominations. "Country Music is thriving on the talent and creativity of an outstanding group of artists and they are well represented with our nominees", said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese . The 40th Annual CMA Awards will be hosted for the third time by Arista Nashville super duo Brooks & Dunn at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville - Monday, November 6. See the full list of nominations at the official CMA Awards website.

29/08/06 - News: Trace Debuts On Top (Press Release). Dangerous Man, the new CD from multi-platinum country star Trace Adkins entered the Billboard Country Album Chart at No. 1, selling 114,706 copies in its first week. Adkins' also arrives on the Billboard 200 (for all genres) at #3, just behind pop stars Christina Aguilera and Lyfe Jennings, respectively. After hearing the news, a thrilled Adkins replied, "These days, you're lucky to even be in the game after 10 years - but to still be breaking my own records and having the fans still diggin' my music, is really a big deal to me." Dangerous Man, his 7th studio album for Capitol Nashville, will be released in Australia on September 30.

27/08/06 - News: SHeDAISY To Release New Album (Press Release). EMI Australia have announced that they will release the new album from SHeDAISY, titled Fortuneteller's Melody on September 23. Kristyn Osborn of SHeDAISY co-wrote eleven of the twelve songs on the new CD including the current Top 20 US hit single, I'm Taking The Wheel. Sheryl Crow, John Shanks, and Kristyn Osborn collaborated to write two of the tracks, Whatever It Takes and Healing Side. SHeDAISY worked with Grammy Producer of the Year, John Shanks, who has produced and/or co-written with Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, Melissa Etheridge, Keith Urban and many more. Fortuneteller's Melody was recorded with Shanks at Henson Studios in Hollywood and Reba McEntire's Starstruck Studios in Nashville USA. Expect to see the video for the first single, I'm Taking The Wheel from August 28 and the track on radio from September 4.

24/08/06 - Keith Urban's Once In A Lifetime Makes Billboard History (Press Release). Keith Urban's Once In A Lifetime, the first release from his forthcoming as of yet untitled fourth studio album, made history today by debuting at #17 on Billboard's Hot Country Charts. According to the trade publication, it becomes the highest debuting single in the 62-year history of the chart, outpacing two previous singles, both of which debuted at #18. Once In A Lifetime will be at Australian radio and TV from September 4. Over the course of his career, ARIA Award winner Keith Urban has amassed 7 #1 singles, 11 Top 5's, several multi-Platinum albums, numerous accolades and recognition from The Grammy Awards, The American Music Awards (AMAs), The Billboard Music Awards and is the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, as well as the CMA and ACM Male Vocalist of the Year.   Listen to Once In A Lifetime here.

23/08/06 - News: Check Out Catherine Britt & The Baileys. One of Australia's hottest young bands, The Baileys (who will support Dwight Yoakam on tour later this year it was announced today) will perform at The Imperial Hotel in Tamworth this thursday. If your a local and haven't seen these guys perform before, I recommend you do. They are a very talented group of musicians who already have a major record deal. If your in Sydney however, the place to be tonight is The Vanguard in Newtown. Catherine Britt is doing a show there at 8pm with Jake Nickolai in support. It's going to be a fantastic night. Britt will perform at the Gympie Muster on Friday night before heading back to Sydney for a show at Blacktown RSL on Saturday night. She has now recorded seven songs for a new album expected to be released in the first half of 2007. The album is being produced by Brett Beavers who produced the most recent Dierks Bentley album in the US. See my recent interview with Catherine here.

23/08/06 - News: The Baileys To Support Dwight Yoakam (Press Release). Exciting new Australian band The Baileys have grabbed the prestigious support spot on Dwight Yoakam's upcoming Australian tour. The five-piece band, who have quickly built a reputation for their high-energy live concerts, will perform at all 11 concerts nationally. The Baileys - Charlene Bailey, Crystal Bailey, Kurt Bailey, Lindsay Dallas and Daniel Conway - are currently preparing to record their debut album for EMI Music Australia. The band is obviously thrilled to have won the highly contested support slot and look forward to showcasing their music. “We were just blown away when we got the news,” Baileys lead guitarist Daniel Conway said. “I've been listening to Dwight's music for years and it's just awesome for the band to get the opportunity to have such an experience. We're all really excited and can't wait to start the tour." The band – who range in age from 17 to 21 - is one of the youngest ever recipients of a prestigious MO, for excellence in live performance, which they won in 2006 by taking out the John O'Keefe Encouragement award. All five members are prolific songwriters, drawing on their love of country, bluegrass and pop music. Their live performances certainly have them pegged as “the next most likely”. The response to Yoakam's Australian tour has been fantastic, with a second concert added at Melbourne's Palais Theatre and many other shows close to sold out. Yoakam has just resumed his U.S ‘Blame The Vain' tour, after three weeks in the UK and Europe to rave reviews. The Australian leg of the tour is a rare opportunity for fans here to experience one of country's absolute masters at his very best. Check out the tour dates in our Tours Section.

23/08/06 - News: CMAA Awards Changes To Be Implemented In 2008 (Press Release).The Board of the Country Music Association of Australia announced today that all but 3 of the proposed changes to the Country Music Awards of Australia categories and nomination rules for the 2007  Awards eligibility period will be postponed and implemented in 2008. This decision brings into effect the practice of the CMAA that changes or alterations to Awards rules or criteria benefit from 12 months notice. This enables the industry to be fully prepared and understand the criteria when nominating. Chairman of the CMAA, Rod Laing, noted that the Board Of The CMAA has agreed that implementing such changes to the 2007 Awards would not have given the industry adequate notice. Rod Laing also noted that the proposed implementation of changes for 2007 sparked interest & debate from all sectors of the country music industry in Australia and that this feedback, which was from it's members on both sides of the debate, was and continues to be welcome. The Board of the CMAA reviewed all the feed back swiftly and, in line with traditional practices, felt that postponement was in the best interests of the industry as a whole. Changes that are deemed to be minor definition changes to the Country Music Awards of Australia and will go ahead for the January 2007 Awards are; Female and Male Vocalist Of The Year will be named Male and Female Artist of the Year; The awarding of an additional trophy to the writer of the Heritage Song of the Year where the song is an original piece of work.

15/08/06 - News: TIARA Awards Nominations Now Open. If you are an Independent Country Music recording artist who has released a totally self-funded commercial release CD in less than two years and you are 18 years and over you are eligible to enter in the 2007 award categories for the Tamworth Independent Artist Recognition Awards (TIARAS). The awards presentation evening will held on Tuesday 23 January 2007. More information on the Anniversary Awards evening and change of venue will be distributed shortly. You can download the Entry Form and entry rules from www.tiara-awards.org.

14/08/06 - News: The McClymonts Achieve ARIA Singles Debut. ARIA tongiht confirmed that The McClymonts self titled EP has debuted in the ARIA Singles Chart at #45 and #12 in the ARIA Australasian Singles Chart . This is a fantastic result for the girls who have been touring across Australia with Lee Kernaghan. The EP features the single Something That My Heart Does which remains close to the top of The Music Network Country Hot 30 National Country Airplay Chart this week. Australian country albums in the ARIA Albums Chart this week are What A Life (Adam Brand) at #38 , Be Here (Keith Urban) at #42 and The New Bush (Lee Kernaghan) at #41.

04/08/06 - News: Keith Urban's New Single Title Announced. Keith Urban's official website has announced that Keith's new single, due for release in September, will be titled Once In A Lifetime. It has described as another of his "upbeat, infectious rockers" and was written by Urban and co-writer John Shanks. Dan Huff is the producer of the track and Urban's new new album which we'll hear more about shortly. There is no world on an official radio date as yet for the track, so stay tuned for more details. Several media outlets have reported that Urban will venture back to Australia for a promotional visit later this year, but again this is to still be confirmed.

03/08/06 - News: Big Names Release New Albums. Sony BMG Australia have announced album release dates for some of their biggest US acts. Kenny Chesney's new live album titled Live Those Songs Again will be released on September 19. Alan Jackson's new album will follow the week after (September 26) with his new album titled Red Like Red On A Rose. Brad Paisley will also release a Christmas album in October and Lonestar have an album in the works as well. Other international acts expected to bring out albums before the end of the year include Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill and George Strait.

01/08/06 - News: Travis Collins Re-releases Start The Car. ABC Music will be releasing Travis Collins' Start The Car Bonus Edition on the August 19 .It will feature his new single, Full Tank. The song has been written as a sequel to Travis's latest single, I Was Wrong . To launch the release of this album and new single, Travis will be taking it to the road for some live shows in NSW and QLD. Travis recently returned from a three-week trip to the United States, where he performed at three bluegrass festivals in Missouri, as well as venues in Nashville and Austin. It has been confirmed that he will tour Europe and the UK in 2007. He also plans to start recording his second album later this year.

01/08/06 - News: Tamworth Fanfest Is No Longer. It was announced today by the Chair of FanFest, Meryl Gross, that the highly successful series of concerts held in Tamworth each January known as Toyota FanFest, will no longer be staged. “There have been significant changes in the record industry during this period and few new artists have been signed to major companies outside of the Star Maker and Telstra Road To Tamworth winners in recent years. This, coupled with the ever increasing number of free multi-artist shows around Tamworth during the Festival, the repercussions from the change of dates of the Festival and the Golden Guitar Concert two years ago, the failure of the Festival to attract a younger audience, and the ever increasing workload created as each of the major companies withdrew their support, has left me with no alternative” said Meryl. "I know many artists, musicians and some areas of the media will be disappointed that the FanFest concerts will no longer be presented as it was considered one of the premier events of the Festival. As clear evidence of its popularity and support from country music fans, during the past eight years FanFest has distributed in excess of $120,000.00  to Support Act Limited (the music industry benevolent fund www.supportact.com.au ), the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) and the Contemporary Country Music Coalition (CCMC)." Gross has not ruled out staging Fanfest in some other form in the future but says that it's simply no longer viable at the Tamworth festival.

30/07/06 - News: Dixie Chicks Australian Tour Dates Announced. Chugg Entertainment have announced dates for the Dixie Chicks' Accidents & Accusations Australian tour, scheduled for October this year. Shows have been confirmed in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide. Tickets for all shows go on sale this thursday August 3. Check our Tours Section for concert dates.

29/07/06 - News: The Wreckers To Release Album In Australia. New country duo The Wreckers, comprising of former pop sensation Michelle Branch and her former backing singer Jessica Harp will release their debut album Stand Still And Look Pretty in Australia on August 25. Their single Leave The Pieces has been a massive hit in the US (currently #8 on the R&R US Country Airplay Chart) and could very possibly end up being a cross-format hit in Australia. Branch has had several hits in Australia which all goes well for the duo's new venture. Visit their website here.

28/07/06 - News: Carrie Underwood Makes It 2 out of 2 #1's. Carrie Underwood's second single, Don't Forget To Remember Me - from her debut album Some Hearts, has hit the top of the R&R US Country Airplay Chart. This makes it 2 out of 2 country airplay number #1's from that album for her. Her award winning single, Jesus Take The Wheel also topped the charts earlier this year. Carrie is the most successful Idol winner anywhere in the world in terms of debut album sales following a competition win. She has even out-sold Kelly Clarkson first time up with album sales now over 3 million. Carrie's next single in the US is the upbeat Before He Cheats which entered the R&R Chart at #50 this week.

26/07/06 - News: Corcoran To Hit The Studio. Compass Bros Records artist Dianna Corcoran heads to Nashville shortly to record her new album. The album is expected to be released in January next year during the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival. Dianna's single Why Do I Cry was a CMC hit back in 2004 and I'm looking to hearing her new stuff. Her label mates at Compass Bros Melinda Schneider and The Sunny Cowgirls are also releasing new albums, but a lot sooner. Melinda's new album titled Stronger is out on August 8 while The Sunny Cowgirls new album will hit retail on August 26. In other Compass Bros news, Adam Brand is at #28 on the ARIA Album Chart this week with his new album What A Life. Remember that you can see our interview with Adam here.

24/07/06 - News: Jedd Hughes Joins Keith's Band. Australia's latest major international signing Jedd Hughes has joined label mate Keith Urban's band - replacing Chad Jeffers on guitar. Hughes, who is also working on material for a new album, joined Urban on stage during his headlining opening night set at a country music festival at Twin Lakes, Wisconsin in the US. Urban faced some challenges during the set with water pouring off his guitar during performances of Where the Blacktop Ends, Raining on Sunday and You Look Good in My Shirt. However, he simply responded by launching into Creedence Clearwater Revival's Who'll Stop the Rain for the reported crowd of over 30,000 people. Carrie Underwood also performed a 15 song set at the festival dressed in what CMT.com described as "pinstriped short shorts paired with high black boots, layered gray tanks and skull-and-crossbones bling". I'm sorry, but Carrie is going to have to come to Australia sooner rather than later if she keeps that sort of thing up!

23/07/06 - News: Hawksley Gets First #1. Sam Hawksley is celebrating for two reasons this weekend. Firstly, it's his birthday today (happy birthday Sam!) and secondly he's hit the top of CMC's Top 30 Countdown with his single Come Back Baby. It's his first #1. The track was written co-written with Brooke McClymont and the video filmed by Glen Wilson. Sam now heads out on the road to support Adam Brand who is ironically at #2 on the CMC chart this week with Open Ended Heartache. Check out our tours section to see where they are playing.