THIS WEEK

2013 CMA Award Nominations

2013 CMA Award Nominations

| September 10, 2013

Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves lead the CMA nominations with six each.  Blake Shelton received five.  The awards will be presented on Wednesday November 6th on ABC-TV. The Final Nominees for  “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” (by ballot category order): ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Blake Shelton George Strait Taylor Swift SINGLE […]

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George Strait’s Final Tour Dates

George Strait’s Final Tour Dates

| September 9, 2013

GEORGE STRAIT ANNOUNCES 2014 DATES FOR FINAL LEG OF THE COWBOY RIDES AWAY TOUR Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, and Chris Young Announced as Special Guests on 2014 Tour Dates ARLINGTON, Texas – Musical icon George Strait has […]

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Sunday: Football, Carrie, & Strait

Sunday: Football, Carrie, & Strait

| September 8, 2013

Sunday is usually filled with professional football, with games airing all day, from noon to midnight.  But this week, the Sunday Night Football is kicking off in Dallas, so you know country music is part of the plan.  The Cowboys are playing the rival New York Giants in an NFC East showdown.  First up, Carrie Underwood will […]

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Keith Urban’s McGraw Near-Miss

Keith Urban’s McGraw Near-Miss

| September 7, 2013

Back in  April, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban performed their #1 hit “Highway Don’t Care” on the ACM Awards show.  When he co-hosted Country Countdown USA, Tim told Lon that it was “one of coolest moments he’s had on TV.”   But there was one important thing Tim left out of that story.  Keith told Lon […]

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Fuse Is “Keith Urban 2.0”

Fuse Is “Keith Urban 2.0”

| September 7, 2013

“Fuse” is Keith Urban’s first album of new music in almost 3 years.  The previous album, “Get Closer,” had 8 songs.  Keith doubles his output on the deluxe edition, with a total of 16 new songs!  But it isn’t just quantity, but also quality that marks this latest project.  Keith told Country Countdown USA’s Lon […]

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Keith Urban’s Hot Nashville Night

Keith Urban’s Hot Nashville Night

| September 7, 2013

Keith Urban loves to play.  And he really loves to play in his hometown.  So Friday night, Keith did a series of shows in Nashville to launch his new album “Fuse.”  The night began at a new riverfront amphitheater, where he did a 45 minute set featuring several songs from his forthcoming CD.  After giving what […]

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Keith Urban Shares Jagger’s Mic

Keith Urban Shares Jagger’s Mic

| September 7, 2013

Back in May Keith Urban shared the stage with The Rolling Stones.  The occasion was the Stones’ concert at the Staples Center in LA.  Keith told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton that he got the invitation while he was in a recording studio: “I was at Blackbird Studio here in Nashville recording ‘Little Bit of Everything,’ […]

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Keith Urban Co-Hosts 9/7-8

Keith Urban Co-Hosts 9/7-8

| September 4, 2013

Keith Urban joins Lon this week on the Countdown.  His new CD “Fuse” will be released on September 10.  It contains the Top 5 hit “Little Bit Of Everything.” Keith also talks about his “Light The Fuse” tour, featuring Little Big Town.  Keith will return to American Idol in 2014, and he talks about last […]

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Top 10 Labor Day Songs

Top 10 Labor Day Songs

| September 1, 2013

The history of country music is filled with songs about work and workers.  The Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers, wrote a dozen songs on the subject, mostly about trains and trainmen, but also about muleskinners, sailors, and farmers.    Recent history has continued the trend, with Merle Haggard, Alabama, and Alan Jackson each delivering several appropriate […]

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Lon Congratulates Brett Eldredge

Lon Congratulates Brett Eldredge

| September 1, 2013

There are many “firsts” in a career.  Scoring that first #1 song is a major accomplishment.  We have a tradition at Country Countdown USA when an artist gets their first #1, Lon Helton calls them to offer his personal congratulations.  This week, the call was made to Brett Eldredge, who topped the chart with “Don’t […]

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