Randy Houser is back in the top 10 with his latest hit, “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” the follow-up to his #1 hit, “How Country Feels.” While Randy is thrilled his with his success at radio, he’s even more excited about the concerts he’s booking as a result of those hits.

Randy tells ABC News Radio, “The biggest thing is more people will care about actually hiring us to come play music, which is what we got into this in the first place for.”

The more concerts Randy plays, the more money goes into his band members’ pockets. He never forgets all those guys are feeding their families with that money.

“This is like a construction company that gets a job building something,” Randy explains. “We really have to think of it in those terms in a lot of ways, which is kind of pitiful, and kind of not what the public really wants to hear, but it’s very true. It’s just like any business.”

After years of playing concerts and working to be recognized, Randy has to admit having these hits is pretty sweet.  He says with a laugh, “The biggest thing is just the honor of having actually somebody givin’ a crap.”

Randy and his band take the stage in Hastings, NE this Thursday.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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Martina McBride and Pandora Jewelry have teamed up to give you the chance to win some pretty pricey jewelry. Pandora is sponsoring Martina’s tour this year, and they’re giving away 26 Pandora bracelets through December 27 at PandoraPresentsMartina.com.  Fans can sign up to enter the contest once per week.

The deal with Pandora was a natural fit for Martina, who often wears the company’s jewelry on stage.

She says of her concert wardrobe, “I just have to be really comfortable and a little bit edgy sometimes and what jewelry you choose is really a personal statement.  And Pandora, especially, since it is so personal, can really change the mood of your outfit.”

Martina adds, “Pandora’s so diverse that it can really fit any style for any mood I have.”

Martina takes her tour to Ralston, NE Friday, July 19.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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Brantley Gilbert doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or Wranglers like a lot of his fellow country stars, but don’t let his tattoos, chains and black baseball hat fool you. This Maysville, GA boy is country through and through.  

He tells Canada’s Leader-Post, “I don’t ride bulls.  I don’t try to be something that I’m not.  What you see is what you get.  A lot of people ask me the image question and I really don’t think that I have one.  I do wear the same thing I wear when I’m riding my motorcycle with my fiancée on the back.”

Of course, Brantley’s fiancée is country star Jana Kramer.  They’re expected to tie the knot pretty soon, though they’re keeping the actual wedding date a secret.

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Alan Jackson has finally recorded that bluegrass album he’s always wanted to make, and he’s calling it simply, The Bluegrass Album.  According to Bluegrass Today, Alan assembled some of the genre’s top pickers to accompany him on the project.  He recorded it last April in Nashville.

The track listing features covers of The Dillards‘ “There Is a Time,” John Anderson‘s “Wild and Blue” and a slowed-down take on the bluegrass staple, “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” harkening back to Bill Monroe‘s 1946 original recording.

Alan’s The Bluegrass Album will be in stores September 24.

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The Band Perry, Randy Houser and David Nail have signed on to perform at Dierks Bentley‘s Country Cares Concert in Arizona to benefit the families of the 19 fallen firefighters from the Granite Mountain Hotshots. The show takes place July 22 in Prescott Valley, AZ, and tickets for the concert sold out after going on sale Friday.

Dierks says, “Country fans are the best, and when their friends need help, they show up. This is my hometown, and I feel a huge pull to go back and be there with them and do what I can to help.”

All proceeds will go to the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities for direct distribution to the firefighters’ families.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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A new backstage tour at the Grand Ole Opry gives fans a chance to stand on that legendary stage, even if they can’t carry a tune.

The VIP Behind the Opry Curtain tour allows a few fans to stand onstage as the curtain goes up for an Opry performance. Those on the tour will also see the Opry’s themed dressing rooms, the Opry House Family Room with photos from major events in the show’s history, and Opry House Studio A, where shows like Hee Haw were filmed.

An Opry House Post-Show tour with video host and Opry star Darius Rucker, and a daytime tour with video host Blake Shelton, are also available. Go to Opry.com for booking information.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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Jason Aldean still can’t believe he’s the headlining act for two sold-out shows at Boston’s Fenway Park Friday and Saturday night. He’s already played a sold-out show at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA this year, and he’ll follow those gigs up with a concert at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on July 20. Before this year, Jason had only attended these kind of stadium shows as a fan or an opening act.

Jason recalls, “I was the guy going to all those stadium shows looking around, going, ‘God, this must be awesome.’ You know, and now [I’m at] at a point in my career where we’re able to go do that is just incredible.”

There aren’t many country artists that can attract crowds big enough to fill these stadiums, and Jason thinks it’s crazy he’s now in that elite group.  “The couple that come to mind are George Strait and Kenny Chesney. Garth obviously could do it, but there wasn’t a lot of guys that could go out and do those things,” says Jason.

Miranda Lambert is on the bill with Jason for his shows in Boston, and his “Don’t You Wanna Stay” duet partner Kelly Clarkson will perform a set before his Chicago show. Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett will be featured on all the shows.

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Reba‘s exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Reba: All the Women I Am, opens Friday, August 9, and the country superstar will be there in person on Saturday, August 10.  Reba will sit down for an interview that afternoon at the Hall of Fame’s Ford Theater to discuss her life and career.  A program pass is required to attend the interview.  It will also be streamed live at CountryMusicHallofFame.org.

Reba has loaned the exhibit a ton of stage costumes, awards and personal items for display.  Her infamous, low cut red dress from her performance of “Does He Love You” at the 1993 CMA Awards will be there along with costumes she wore on Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun and in the movies North, Is There Life Out There? and The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.

Other fun items in the exhibit include a Reba Barbie, a Reba lunchbox and a bag of Fritos featuring Reba’s likeness. A 104-page book commemorating the exhibit is also going on sale in the Museum Store and at CountryMusicHallofFame.org.

Reba was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Chris Young has revealed the album cover and track listing for his new album, A.M., due out September 18.  The project kicks off with the lead single, “Aw Naw.”

Chris says, “I couldn’t be more excited to share this with my fans.  We just finished the cover last week and got the songs sequenced so this is truly ‘hot off the press.'”

Chris had a hand in writing six of the album’s 11 tracks.

Here’s the A.M. track listing:

“Aw Naw”
“Hold You to It”
“Lonely Eyes”
“Goodbye”
“A.M.”
“Nothin’ but the Cooler Left”
“Who I Am with You”
“Text Me Texas”
“We’re Gonna Find It Tonight”
“Forgiveness”
“Lighters in the Air”

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While The Band Perry‘s latest hit, “DONE.,” seems to address the abrupt end of a relationship, the group has heard stories of fans applying the lyrics to a lot of different scenarios.

“It’s cool, it really taps into a sentiment more than a story,” Kimberly Perry tells the Tahoe Daily Tribune. “We’ve seen a lot of feedback from our fans that says ‘All I want to be is done with school so I can get on to the summer,’ or ‘All I want to be is done with my diet so I can get back to eating chocolate.’ So it’s been really cool to see them take the song and use it for whatever they need it for.”

The Band Perry has a different reason for celebrating their latest single from their sophomore album, Pioneer.  Kimberly says, “It was the very last one written for Pioneer. So it was very fitting that the title was called ‘DONE.'”

The Band Perry will perform “DONE.” and several other songs from Pioneer at their show in West Fargo, ND on Saturday.

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Luke Bryan had a small party in Nashville Wednesday night to toast his first double platinum album, tailgates & tanlines. With two million copies sold, that project is Luke’s biggest-selling yet. Nine million tracks from the album have been downloaded overall, and he’s sold a total of four million albums over the course of his career. Luke received a few plaques at the party to commemorate his achievements.

Before the event got underway, Luke said of tailgates & tanlines, “It was just a huge album, and it’s time to celebrate being blessed and the fans making the album sell like crazy. I mean, it’s still hard to believe that two million albums have been sold on it, and we love every second of it.”

Luke hopes to rack up even bigger sales numbers with his next album, Crash My Party, due out August 13. The title track is already a massive hit at country radio.

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