New Artist Spotlight: Brett Eldredge

By Bob Doerschuk © 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. Some people were born Country. Brett Eldredge came to it a little late — but once he got there, he dug in deep and made it his home. Growing up in Paris, Ill., Eldredge spent a lot of time hanging [...] Read More

Kenny Chesney to Play CMA Songwriters Series in Boston

Kenny Chesney will take part in the popular CMA Songwriters Series when it makes its debut in Boston on August 25. Kenny will appear with songwriters Matraca Berg (“You and Tequila,” “Strawberry Wine”), Brett James (“Jesus Take The Wheel,” “When The Sun Goes Down”), Wendell Mobley (“I Melt,” “There Goes My Life”), Craig Wiseman (“Live [...] Read More

Jamey Johnson: The Insider’s Outsider

By Robert K. Oermann © 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. Jamey Johnson has a way of defying our expectations. At a time when it is harder than ever to sell full-length albums relative to single digital tracks, he has followed his Mercury Nashville Gold-certified That Lonesome Song with a [...] Read More

Sara Evans Offers Advice to Nashville High School Singers

Sara Evans took time out from her day last Friday to visit eight anxious choir students at Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville to help them prepare for the upcoming Keep The Music Playing All-Stars Concert. Expecting to come in and offer career advice and performance tips, Sara was blown away by the group. Senior DeOndrea [...] Read More

Some of Country’s Biggest Stars Score a CMA Hat Trick!

It was three cheers for three No. 1s at the annual CMA Songwriters Luncheon with the presentation of the CMA Triple Play Awards, which honor songwriters who pen three chart-topping hits in a 12 month period. The Triple Play Awards were presented at the Second Annual CMA Songwriters Luncheon, which was held at the Pinnacle [...] Read More