Farm Aid concert Saturday, Sept. 22
This year’s Farm Aid concert is expected to welcome 30,000 people to Hershey, Penn., on Saturday, Sept. 22. Performers include Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews. Farm Aid has raised more than $40 million since its first concert in 1985. The organization is dedicated to assisting farmers across the U.S. by providing cash grants in order to help the farmers keep their land.
Ricky Skaggs to receive ACM award, release new disc and perform at Opry bash
Ricky Skaggs will be honoured in Nashville on Sept. 24 by the Academy of Country Music. Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam and producer Billy Sherrill will all receive awards for their work in country music. Skaggs will also release his new record, Music to my Ears, the following day. The album is Skaggs’s first all-new disc of country and bluegrass music in more than three years. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. On Oct. 6, Skaggs will headline a birthday bash at the Grand Ole Opry as it celebrates 87 years.
Country music is celebrated overseas
Toby Keith and Lady Antebellum won awards at the British Country Music Awards on Sept. 2. Keith won for international act of the year and international album for Clancy’s Tavern. Lady Antebellum won international song of the year for “We Owned the Night.”
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift is one of the top nominees at the MTV Europe Music Awards. She’s nominated for five awards, including best female, best pop, best live and best world stage. Swift is also nominated for a new award for personal style, called best look. The awards will take place on Nov. 11 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Rascal Flatts receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
In the span of 13 years, Rascal Flatts has gone from performing in bars in Nashville to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band has won more than 40 different major awards during its career, and sold more than 21 million albums. Producer David Foster joined the group at the unveiling in Los Angeles on Sept. 17. The star is located in front of Supply Sergeant on Hollywood Boulevard, and is the 2,480th star to be added to the collection.
Will Hoge releases protest EP
Will Hoge made a name for himself as the writer of “Even if it Breaks Your Heart,” the Eli Young Band’s number one hit, which is up for a 2012 Country Music Association song of the year award. Hoge has just released his own seven-song EP called Modern American Protest Music. “I have a feeling that Modern American Protest Music will instantly cause a reaction because these are hot button issues for a lot of folks,” Hoge said on his website (www.WillHoge.com). “I don’t want to fool people into thinking this is another Will Hoge country/rock record about girls … this is something very different. I’m not looking for people to agree or disagree, it’s a personal expression from me as a songwriter.” The disc contains “The Ballad of Trayvon Martin,” the 17-year-old who was allegedly shot by a member of a neighbourhood watch group.
Oak Ridge Boys release Christmas album
The Oak Ridge Boys are getting a jump on the Christmas season. They’re set to release Christmas Time’s A-Coming on Sept. 25, a mix of new and traditional songs. The band will feature some of the songs from it on their tour in November.
The Charlie Daniels Band is new voice of Monday Night Football
The Charlie Daniels Band is taking over where Hank Williams Jr. left off. They have re-recorded their hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” with new lyrics. The song will be used for ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Williams was dropped last year due to controversial remarks about President Barack Obama. Williams said his remarks were “misunderstood.”