Brad Paisley‘s new album, Wheelhouse, is due out April 9 featuring the hit single, “Southern Comfort Zone.”  That first single threw a curveball to country fans with the gospel choir and clips from The Andy Griffith Show peppering the track.  Brad has a few more surprises in store for fans on Wheelhouse, including a collaboration with rapper-turned actor LL Cool J.  Brad had met LL before, but he got a mutual friend to hook them up in the studio for this project.

Brad says of LL Cool J, “He’s a great songwriter, and more importantly, he’s a great human being.  He’s a really nice man, and he is a class act.  And I am lucky to associate with him at all.”

Brad also tapped Charlie Daniels for a guest appearance on Wheelhouse in a way fans won’t expect.  All of this experimentation is an effort on Brad’s part to test the limits of country music.

“The stuff is really meant to say things that I didn’t think you could say,” Brad says of his new material.  He points out that in other genres, like rap, artists can’t really shock their listeners because the fans have heard it all before.

Says Brad, “I’m a little envious of that.  In country music, there’s quite a few boundaries, and I think there should be boundaries, but I also wonder what those are.  And that’s what I set out to explore with this.”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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Here are the winners of the 55th Grammy Awards, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night:

Album of the Year
Mumford & Sons, Babel

Record of the Year
Gotye featuring Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”

Song Of The Year [awarded to songwriter]
“We Are Young,” Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (fun. featuring Janelle Monae)

Best New Artist
fun.

Best Pop Vocal Album
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Set Fire To The Rain (Live),” Adele

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Somebody That I Used To Know,” Gotye featuring Kimbra

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Kisses On The Bottom, Paul McCartney

Best Rock Performance
“Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
“Love Bites (So Do I),” Halestorm

Best Rock Song
“Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys

Best Rock Album
El Camino, The Black Keys

Best Alternative Music Album
Making Mirrors, Gotye

Best R&B Performance
“Climax,” Usher

Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Love On Top,” Beyoncé

Best R&B Song
“Adorn,” Miguel

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Channel Orange, Frank Ocean

Best R&B Album
Black Radio, Robert Glasper Experiment

Best Rap Performance
“N****s In Paris,” Jay-Z & Kanye West

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“No Church In The Wild,” Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream

Best Rap Song
“N****s In Paris,” Jay-Z & Kanye West

Best Rap Album
Take Care, Drake

Best Country Solo Performance
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Pontoon,” Little Big Town

Best Country Song
“Blown Away,” Carrie Underwood

Best Country Album
Uncaged, Zac Brown Band

Song Written For Visual Media
“Safe & Sound” (From The Hunger Games), Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams

Short-Form Music Video
“We Found Love,” Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

Long-Form Music Video
“Big Easy Express,” Mumford & Sons

Best Spoken Word
Society’s Child: My Autobiography, Janis Ian

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are teaming up to help salute Bruce Springsteen as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Person of the Year at a star-studded gala tonight in Los Angeles. The couple, who will duet on Bruce’s song “Tougher than the Rest,” has gotten to know The Boss personally in the past few years, and they still look up to him as a true music icon.

“He’s one of those guys that there’s only been a handful of throughout the history of music,” Tim tells ABC News Radio, adding, “The great thing about music and what Bruce is able to do is it describes situations and describes feelings and emotions that you didn’t realize that you had or you didn’t know how to voice those opinions or voice those emotions.”

Tim goes on to describe Bruce as a “great,” “solid” guy saying, “His image is one of those of a guy who just sort of knows how to walk the road with everybody, and he really is that kind of guy.”

In addition to Tim and Faith, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown and Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks are also paying tribute to Bruce at tonight’s event.  The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart, a huge fan of The Boss, will host the event, which takes place two days before the 55th Grammy Awards ceremony.

Proceeds from the MusiCares gala, which celebrates not only Springsteen’s artistic achievements but also his charity work, will go to help musicians and those in the music industry who need financial, medical or personal help.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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George Strait will receive the Career Achievement Award at the Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony February 26 in Nashville.  The honor recognizes musical acts that have made significant contributions to country music and country radio, and Strait certainly meets that requirement.  He has scored 85 top 10 hits on Billboard‘s Country Songs chart since his 1981 debut single, “Unwound.”  That number puts him second only to Eddy Arnold, who has 92 top 10 hits on the same chart.

Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Reba are among the acts who have received this honor in the past.

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Eric Church is taking a break from his runs of shows in Canada to attend the Grammy Awards this Sunday. He’s up for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance with “Springsteen,” and Eric tells the Winnipeg Sun, “I’m excited. I mean the Grammys are the holy grail. If you make music and you want to be recognized for anything, the Grammys are the ultimate, musically.”

Though Eric is honored with this recognition from the Grammys, he says, “I have no control over any of those things.  All you can do is make the best music you can make and play the best show you can play.  That’s what I can control.”

Eric adds, “Either way, win or lose, it won’t change what we do.”

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will be handed out Sunday night at 8 Eastern time on CBS.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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Tim McGraw talked about his decision to quit drinking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday, but he got even more personal when discussing his underwear, or lack thereof.  Tim was spotted wearing his Ellen underwear while on a jog in an impromptu picture with a fan, but he admitted he wasn’t wearing any underwear at all while sitting across from Ellen on the set.

He said, “These pants were too tight to put underwear on.  Now I’ve really embarrassed my daughters.”

Ellen shot back, “Well, you look good.”

After that exchange, Ellen presented Tim with a whole collection of Ellen underwear.  Tim was on the show to promote his new album, Two Lanes of Freedom, now in stores.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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The nominees for the 48th Annual ACM Awards will be announced Wednesday, February 13 through the Academy of Country Music’s Twitter and Facebook feeds.  Ryan Seacrest, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, 2 Broke Girls star Beth Behrs and a few surprise guests will read the nominations list in YouTube videos posted that morning on Twitter.com/ACMAwards and Facebook.com/AcademyofCountryMusic starting at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.

Fans can also get in on the act by going to YouTube.com/ACMCountry to learn how to post videos announcing the names of the Entertainer of the Year nominees.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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You may never be able to chill out with Brantley Gilbert cruising down the road in his truck, but now you can at least own Brantley’s truck.  He’s been driving a 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn for the past year, and that truck is now up for bid at Ebay.com/RoadtoRamJam as part of the Road to the Ram Jam All-Star Country Music Series.

Brantley made sure to take good care of the truck, though he tells ABC News Radio, “We’ve had it in a mud hole or two, and it’s done some donuts.  But it’s still in perfect condition.”

In order to keep the truck in great shape, Brantley wouldn’t allow smoking or dogs in the vehicle.

He says, “You know, I’ve got a pitbull.  I may or may not have kept that rule, but I hope I broke it in well for ’em.”

Proceeds from the sale of Brantley’s truck will go to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, or IAVA.  That organization helps soldiers find work and education when they get out of the service, and Brantley supports military-related causes like this because of his cousin, who is currently serving as a Marine.

“I definitely, definitely support ’em,” Brantley says.  “I miss my boy too.  I’m ready for him to come home, so this is my way of kind of keeping in contact.”

Brantley is one of five country stars auctioning off their Ram trucks for a good cause.  Kellie Pickler raised more than $36,000 last week for the USO Warrior and Family Care program.  Billy Currington, Easton Corbin and Zac Brown Band are also taking part in the Road to the Ram Jam campaign.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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