Alabama headlined the “BAMA Rising Benefit Concert” in Birmingham, AL, in June 2011. The show raised more than $2 Million to help tornado victims in the southeast.
Jason Aldean released his first single, “Hicktown,” in 2005 as the lead-off to his self-titled debut album. The album also produced his first No. 1 hit, “Why.”
The Band Perry has released four singles from their Gold-certified debut album: “Hip to My Heart,” “If I Die Young,” “You Lie” and the recently released “All Your Life.”
Luke Bryan scored his first No. 1 hit in 2010 with “Rain Is A Good Thing,” the second single off his sophomore studio album, Doin’ My Thing.
In 2011, Kenny Chesney produced and narrated the film, "The Color Orange" about University of Tennessee quarterback, Condredge Holloway. The film premiered on ESPN-TV in February 2011.
Eric Church tops the all-genre Billboard 200 with the release of his third album, Chief, selling over 145,000 copies in the first week (more than four times what his gold-certified sophomore album, Carolina, sold its first week). Chief was certified gold nearly 10 weeks after its July 2011 release.
Although The Civil Wars released their debut studio album, Barton Hollow, on Feb. 1 2011, they made their television debut in November 2009 with their song “Poison & Wine,” which was featured on the hit ABC-TV show, "Grey’s Anatomy."
Kelly Clarkson’s fifth studio album, Stronger, will be released on October 24, 2011. The album’s first single, “Mr. Know It All,” was made available for digital download on September 5.
Sheryl Crow released her first cookbook in March 2011, titled "If It Makes You Healthy, which she co-wrote with chef, Chuck White.
The second single from Sara Evans' current album, Stronger, is a cover of the Rod Stewart 1988 hit "My Heart Can't Tell You No."
Alan Jackson performed his unforgettable hit, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 11, commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Jackson first debuted the song at the 2001 CMA Awards.
In 2011, Lady Antebellum garnered five GRAMMY® Awards, including all-genre awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the group's CMA Award-winning "Need You Now."
Miranda Lambert joins Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley in the all-girl Country group Pistol Annies. The trio released its debut album Hell on Heels in August 2011, where it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.
Little Big Town members co-wrote nine of the twelve tracks on their 2010 release The Reason Why, including the hit single, “Little White Church.”
Known as the “First Lady of Country Music,” Loretta Lynn has released 54 studio albums, 15 compilations and 88 singles in the course of her celebrated career. Loretta Lynn was the first female artist to win CMA's Entertainer of the Year (1972).
Eleven is a lucky number for Martina McBride, for on Oct. 11, 2011, the four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year will release her 11th studio album -- the fittingly titled Eleven. The album, which features singles "Teenage Daughters" and "I'm Gonna Love You Through It," is McBride's first release for Republic Nashville.
Montgomery Gentry’s first No. 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart came in 2004 with “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” the lead-off single from the duo's fourth studio album, You Do Your Thing. Eddie and Troy's current single "Where I Come From" is at Country radio now and is the first single from their album Rebels on the Run, due Oct. 18.
In August 2011, Brad Paisley completed an eight-show European tour, playing to audiences of more than 40,000 people in major cities including London, Stockholm, Dublin and Copenhagen.
In 2010, Vermont-bred Grace Potter and her band, The Nocturnals, became one of VH1-TV’s “You Oughta Know” featured artists. The band has since been selling out shows all over the country, including a two-night spot at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Rascal Flatts recently celebrated their 13th No. 1 single, "I Won't Let Go," plus Platinum-sales certification for their current album Nothing Like This. Lead singer Gary Levox expressed his appreciation saying, "...to sell a million in this environment is truly a blessing and mind-blowing. What a great day!"
2011 marks Blake Shelton's first nomination for CMA Entertainer of the Year. Shelton has previously earned CMA Awards in 2010 for Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for his Trace Adkins-collaboration, “Hillbilly Bone.”
Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones, of Steel Magnolia, got their start by winning CMT-TV’s talent competition series, "Can You Duet," in 2009. Soon after, the duo signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records and released their debut single, “Keep On Lovin’ You.”
Sugarland’s 2010 release, The Incredible Machine, was certified Platinum by the RIAA and has produced three singles for the group: “Stuck Like Glue,” “Little Miss” and “Tonight.”
Taylor Swift featured many special guests on her 2011 “Speak Now World Tour,” including Justin Bieber, Hot Chelle Rae, Nicki Minaj, Jason Mraz and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres, to name a few.
The fates shined on Thompson Square members Kiefer and Shawna Thompson when upon moving to Nashville from their respective hometowns in Oklahoma and Alabama within the same week the pair proceeded to meet days later at a singing competition.
Carrie Underwood joined legendary singer, Tony Bennett, on his August 2011 release, Duets II. The pair recorded a cover of the popular standard, “It Had To Be You” and perform the song in the 2011 season premiere of CBS-TV's "Blue Bloods."
This fall Keith Urban will grace the legendary stage of the Grand Ole Opry four times throughout October and November. Urban is set to perform Oct. 25, two times Nov. 12, and again on Nov. 26.
Chris Young co-wrote seven of the ten tracks from his latest studio album, Neon. The record earned Young his highest chart position to date, coming in at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
The Zac Brown Band will headline the “Southern Ground Music & Food Festival” Oct. 21-23 in Charleston, SC. Other performers include fellow CMA Awards nominees Eric Church and songwriter Levi Lowrey.