Country star Josh Turner digs deeper, goes “Haywire” (Reuters)

NASHVILLE (Billboard) – With his fourth album, “Haywire,” country singer-songwriter Josh Turner has scored his third straight top 10 chart entry.

Fueled by national TV guest spots, a hit video and a No. 1 single with “Why Don't We Just Dance?,” the February 9 releas debuted on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart at No. 2 and on the Billboard 200 at No. 5.

Turner says of the MCA Nashville album, “We chose

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Pickup hits bus carrying country singer’s band

Pickup hits bus carrying country singer's band

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Authorities in north Louisiana say two people in a pickup truck were killed when the truck ran head-on into a tour bus carrying members of country singer Trace Adkins‘ band.

Cindy Chadwick of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office says five band members were treated for minor injuries in the Saturday morning accident.

Adkins was not on the bus. Chadwick says he drove to the scene after

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“Window” opens for country singer-songwriter Buxton (Reuters)

NASHVILLE (Billboard) – In her self-penned biographical sketch, singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton says she “had a whole plan mapped out” when she signed with Lyric Street Records in 2005. Then reality revised her best-laid plans, as her bio further notes: “What's the old adage? 'If you wanna hear God laugh, tell him your plans?' Well … I told him. And he laughed!”

Buxton is thankful her career didn't take off

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US country singer Charlie Daniels suffers stroke

US country singer Charlie Daniels suffers stroke

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Fiddler-guitarist Charlie Daniels is recovering after suffering a mild stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Daniels, 73, suffered the stroke Friday and was treated at a hospital in Durango, 230 miles southwest of Denver, spokeswoman Paula Szeigis said. He then was airlifted to a Denver hospital and released on Sunday.

“It was a scary moment there

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White House goes a little bit country

White House goes a little bit country

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House went a little bit country Tuesday.

“Now, I know folks think I’m a city boy, but I do appreciate listening to country music,” President Barack Obama said to guests gathered in the East Room for a performance by country musicians Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Brad Paisley and country music legend Charley Pride also entertained the audience, which

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Kevin Costner Rules At Country Music Festival

Kevin Costner Rules At Country Music FestivalKevin Costner and his band Modern West were unlikely tent fillers during the first day of the Stagecoach country music festival in California on Saturday by rocking fans with tunes and heartfelt messages to the struggling and unemployed.

The Oscar winner dedicated one track, Five Minutes From America, to the people of Louisiana, where he was filming when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Costner won applause from the crowd when he recalled the decision he made to continue filming,

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John Lydon revives Country Life butter sales (Yahoo! Music)

The Sex Pistols' John Lydon has apparently helped to revive sales of the butter brand Country Life.

The punk frontman has been appearing in TV commercials for its makers Dairy Crest, who have claimed that the brand’s sales have risen by 83 percent, reports Reuters.

Lyndon has appeared in a series of adverts with the slogan: “It’s all about great butter.”

The advert received heavy criticism from

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Lily Allen, It’s Not Me, It’s You

Bigger, brighter and more danceable than predecessor Alright, Still, this autobiographical album is chock-full of double standards, crashing generalisations, and taunts, giving a handy update on Lily’s state of mind.

Opener Everyone’s At It is a wonderful ball of contradiction. Pointing the finger at everyone, from those taking sleeping pills to those on crack, Lily admits that she’s been there. Now, bored with all-nighters, it’s

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The Former Cat Stevens Performs Song For Gaza

The Former Cat Stevens Performs Song For GazaJERUSALEM (AP) - The musician formerly known as Cat Stevens released a charity song on Monday to help the children of Gaza.

The United Nations said the London-born Yusuf Islam recorded a rendition of the George Harrison song “The Day the World Gets Round,” along with the German bassist and former Beatles collaborator Klaus Voorman. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the U.N. agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and to the nonprofit group Save the Children (more…)

James Taylor, Covers

A revered singer/songwriter for over four decades, James Taylor has certainly earned the right to try his hand at a whole album of other peoples’ songs. The most surprising thing about Covers is how familiar most of the material is. And while not all of it is obviously – ahem – tailored to this artist, or really needs (re)covering, Taylor’s singing and the accompaniment are top notch.

His Band Of Legends are slick without

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