The location itself was historic. A couple months ago, Dierks Bentley invited a small group of reporters to hallowed ground. When you say “Studio A” in Nashville, there is only one place. It’s RCA Studios, built by Chet Atkins in 1965. This was where Waylon Jennings recorded his first records. Where Dolly Parton recorded “I […]
Carrie Underwood spent the past year on the road with Hunter Hayes on her Blown Away Tour. It’s customary for practical jokes to fly during the final show. Carrie told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton what happened when the tour ended in May: “I’m not a huge prankster. I’m really not. We do our show, and […]
Carrie Underwood just returned from a 2-week vacation in Europe. She told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton that the trip took her to Northern Italy and Austria: “We went to Tuscany, did the whole wine country thing, Venice, Florence, and then went to Austria. We had to fly through there anyway, so I figured that […]
Last May, Carrie Underwood sang with The Rolling Stones during their stop in Toronto. Carrie had just wrapped up her Blown Away Tour, and was preparing for a few weeks off, when the offer came: “I was so excited to go home, it had been such a long tour, and I got a call from my manager. When […]
Brad Paisley invited Hunter Hayes to play guitar on his latest CD “Wheelhouse.” Hunter recorded his part at Brad’s home studio, located in an old farm house on Brad’s property. When Brad was on Country Countdown USA a couple months ago, he told Lon the farm house had been invaded by skunks. We played that clip […]
Hunter Hayes performed at the CMA Music Fest a couple months ago. The show was sold out at Nashville’s LP Field Football Stadium. Hunter told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton the whole experience was a bit overwhelming: “I’ll be totally honest with you, I was so caught in the moment, I forgot my own lyrics […]
It’s a long way from Paris Illinois to the Top 10, and Brett Eldredge knows the journey. It wasn’t a quick trip, either. He arrived in Nashville in 2008, was signed to a record deal a year later, and released his debut single in 2010. But it took three more years to come up with […]
Kip Moore had a terrifying moment at the CMA Music Fest last month. He shared it with Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton: “That was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had as a singer songwriter, playing in front of 70,000 people was overwhelming. But what people do not know about that night is it was […]
Kip Moore credits newcomer Thomas Rhett for rescuing him after a late night Nashville party. Kip told the story to Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton: “There was a party downtown, and I happened to have a few drinks, and I usually roam off by myself when that happens. So I was sitting on the curb […]
The Band Perry’s latest hit, “Done,” is the fastest rising song of their career. It was written by the two brothers, Reid & Neil. But Reid told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton that Kimberly made a contribution: “It’s funny, we spent weeks, days, months writing and recording this song, but the one part everyone talks […]
