When Hunter Hayes performed “Invisible” on the 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards, something very unusual happened. Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton told Hunter he spoke with the producer of the TV show. Rac Clark told Lon it was a tough performance, because they had Hunter’s face hidden from the audience for the first few […]
The year had barely begun, and Hunter Hayes met two of rock’s greatest legends. In January, at the Grammy Awards, Hunter debuted his current hit “Invisible.” That same day, he met Sir Paul McCartney. He tells Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton: “I was following around Lindsey Buckingham, because I wanted to meet him, so I was […]
Hunter Hayes spent all of last year on the road with Carrie Underwood. When she was Lon Helton’s co-host on Country Countdown USA, she told him a story about what happened at the end of the Blown Away Tour: “One of the last nights, I had a girl come into the meet & greet, and she said, ‘I just […]
A few weeks ago, Brad Paisley debuted his new single, “River Bank” at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas. He did the song outdoors at the MGM Grand Hotel pool. If you look closely, you’ll see a special tribute to his grandfather. Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton spoke with Brad about “River Bank:” (Lon) Why […]
Brad Paisley is working on a new album at his home studio south of Nashville. It’s the same place where he recorded his last album, “Wheelhouse.” Only this time, he’s added a few new features. Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton traveled to Brad’s studio this week and got a first-hand look. (Lon) A house is […]
For Eric Church, it’s an image he’ll never forget. It happened minutes into the ACM Awards TV show a few weeks ago. The Band Perry opened the show with a rousing performance of their hit “Chainsaw.” The song ended, and a couple of confetti canons went off. Eric told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton he was sitting […]
When Eric Church performed with George Strait in Omaha last January, it was one of the greatest nights in Eric’s career. But what most people don’t know is it almost didn’t happen. That’s because the night before the show, Eric severely cut one of his fingers. He told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton: “I cut […]
Jerrod Niemann is engaged to marry longtime girlfriend Morgan in October. He told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton that wedding plans are in full swing: “I told her she can plan the wedding. Of course I’ll help if she needs anything, but girls know what they want, and what they want is for us to get out of the way. […]
Frankie Ballard came to Nashville five years ago after winning a talent contest in his home state of Michigan. Five years later, he now has his very first #1 song: “Helluva Life.” That song sums up his long hard climb to the top of the chart. Last week, Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton called Frankie to […]
Dierks Bentley is a road warrior. He always has been. Whether he co-headlines, as he did last year with Miranda Lambert, or headlines his own show, as he’s doing this year, Dierks wants to give the best show possible. This year’s Riser Tour will begin on May 9th in Charlotte, but Dierks has already spent […]
