Condolences to Sammy Kershaw, whose brotherMinos Cashat, Jr. passed away Friday afternoon (9/27). “The world lost a good-hearted guy today,” Kershaw posted on Facebook. “But heaven gained an awesome soul.” The funeral service was Monday.

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PORT CHESTER, New York (AP) – Willie Nelson’s shoulder wasn’t the only thing that had a quick recovery in recent days. Last week, it was reported that a stuffed armadillo that belonged to a member of Nelson’s audio crew had been stolen from a theater in New York State. You’ll be pleased to know that the toy has been returned – unharmed. The toy animal known to the band as Ol’ Dillo disappeared after a September 19 show in Port Chester, New York. Security video showed a woman taking it. An official with the theater says a different woman returned the toy this past Friday in a sealed box. The theater manager says staffers believe they know who stole the stuffed armadillo – but the Nelson’s crew member won’t press charges. Last week, Nelson was told to rest his ailing shoulder – but later announced that he would perform this past Saturday at a music festival in Nashville.

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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Billy Currington has skipped being hit with a jail term after pleading no contest to a run-in with a boat skipper. The country singer copped the no contest plea to a charge of abuse of an elderly person. The charges stem from an incident where the tour boat came near Currington’s waterfront home. The singer chased the tour boat captain with his own boat and after the tour boat reached its destination, Currington threatened to kill him. He gets five years of probation and a $1,000 fine. He has also been ordered to undergo anger-management counseling and to steer clear of the boat captain. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors have dropped a charge of making terroristic threats. Each count had a possible sentence of up to five years in prison. The court action comes as Currington dropped a new album, “We Are Tonight,” last week.

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Jason Aldean will engage fans via Facebook, Instagram,CMT and Palladia during the premiere of his concert film Night Train To Georgia. The DVD will be available in stores Oct. 15, but on Oct. 14 Aldean will stream a “special version” on his Facebook page, allowing comments to create a live chat. In advance of the stream, fans will be encouraged to use Instagram to post videos of themselves dancing marked with #JasonAldeanDVD. CMT will premiere the film Oct. 19 and Palladia will air it Oct. 20. More here.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Jennifer Nettles says she loves hosting “CMA Country Christmas” because it’s the closest she gets to those old classic TV variety shows. Nettles will host for the fourth time. Performers include Nettles, Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Lucy Hale, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Michael W. Smith. The show will tape in Nashville on November 8 and run in December on ABC.

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ASPEN, Colo. (AP) – A larger-than-life bronze statue of John Denver is being relocated. It’s being moved from a property the singer donated for a foundation near Aspen to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in the city of Denver. The foundation is selling the land – so the statue had to go. Denver was the first person inducted into the Colorado Hall of Fame when it was formed in 2011.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Don’t know what Willie Nelson was taking or doing for his sore shoulder – but he sure has gotten better in a hurry. A day ago, he was supposed to be laid up a week because of his shoulder – and among the gigs he would miss was a music festival tomorrow in Nashville. But now comes word that Nelson will do Zac Brown Band’s Southern Ground Music & Food Festival after all. Warren Haynes will sit in with Nelson and his band for part of the performance. Just as there was no explanation about the details of the shoulder injury, there was no explanation for how Nelson was able to get back to work so soon. He apparently isn’t 100 percent though. He will still miss three other dates he was to do – but will make those up.

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Luke Bryan will begin hisFarm Tour 2013 in Statesboro, GA Oct. 2. Eight dates run through Oct. 12 and will feature openersChancie Neal, Cole Swindell and the Peach Pickers (Rhett Atkins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip). More here.

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The 2013 Pandora Jewelry Presents Martina McBride: The Joy Of Christmas Tour kicks off in Huntington, WV Nov. 29. Backed by a 12-piece band, McBride will play 12 dates through Dec. 21 featuring Christmas classics like “Let It Snow” and “O Holy Night,” and will participate in an audience Q&A each night. More here. 

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