Miranda Lambert‘s Mutt Nation Foundation donated more than $250,000 to animal shelters in each state as a result of the “50 States/50 Shelters” initiative. Criteria for choosing shelters included high adoption success rates, low euthanasia rates, high volunteerism, fiscal responsibility, fundraising, specialization and community presence. “We are thrilled to be able to reach out to every state and recognize shelters and organizations working at a grassroots level to help animals,” Lambert says. “It’s those people on the ground, day in and day out, who really make a huge difference.” More here.

 

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Luke Bryan will headline the Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-race Show Feb. 23. Ticket packages including grandstand seats, Fanzone access and VIP access to Bryan’s performance are available. The performance will be televised on FOX-TV. More here.

 

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The Band Perry will perform at the NFL Tailgate Party Feb. 2 before the Super Bowl. The official pre-game show will also include performances by American IdolPhillip Phillips and casts of the Broadway musicals Jersey Boysand Rock of Ages. Part of each performance will be televised on FOX-TV. More here.

 

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Garth Brooks will return to Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, to perform two shows this summer before embarking on his previously announced worldwide tour. The Garth Brooks Comeback Special Eventwill take place July 25 and 26 in the same venue that hosted his sold out shows in 1997. “Before we go back on tour in the Fall of 2014, I want to challenge myself, the band, and crew,” Brooks says. “In ’97, we were lucky enough to play Croke Park, the stadium was under construction – 130,000+ of some of the greatest fans in the world. I was quoted then as saying, ‘When this stadium is finished, I would love to come back and try to fill it again…this time to the brink.’ And we’re back to do just that.” Tickets go on sale Jan. 30.

 

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – He’s done baseball, Vietnam, and the Gettysburg Address. Now it’s country music that is getting the Ken Burns treatment. The PBS documentary maker’s newest project will see him dig into the roots of country music – tracing its history to where it is today. Among those who will be profiled will be the Carter Family, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and others. Don’t go rushing to check your local PBS listings for it just yet. It isn’t due out until 2018.

 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – They are celebrities in their own right. But the most honest musicians will acknowledge they get hyped too when they see other musicians at the Grammys. Lee Brice is sure that when he’s at the Staples Center on Sunday there will be – as he put it – “some starstruckness going on.” He says he has met and hung out with many of his fellow country music artists – like Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks and George Strait. But he says he’s a fan of all music and is excited that he might get to see someone like Steven Tyler – or one of his favorite musicians, John Mayer.

 

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Luke Bryan will reschedule Friday night’sconcert in Lexington, KY to Feb. 21 following damage to a piece of the stage sustained during load out after the tour opener in Columbus, OH. The damage occurred after the show ended and no fans were in the building. Local news reports a forklift was involved and four crew members were injured; see it here and read the official statement here.

 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – It’s taking care of two things with one performance. Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts are headlining the Academy of Country Music’s Party for a Cause Festival in April. And at the same time, they will be helping to open a new entertainment district at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Rascal Flatts will play the festival on April 4, while Urban takes the stage the following day. The ACM Awards will cap the weekend April 6. Others scheduled to perform include Chris Young, Thomas Rhett, Jerrod Niemann and Joe Nichols.

 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Looks like Trace Adkins has had a setback in his sobriety. The singer is back in rehab after getting into the bottle during a country music cruise trip. His publicist confirms the reports about Adkins’ leaving the ship to check into a program. But People.com indicates the incident that led Adkins to seek help was more involved than just him knocking back a few. People says an intoxicated Adkins got into a fight with a Trace Adkins impersonator who was singing karaoke at a ship bar. Adkins is 52 – and back in 2001, went into alcohol rehab after his family staged an intervention. He’s been open about how his abuse of booze has hurt himself – and those around him.

 

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Keith Urban and Kacey Musgraves will perform at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Musgraves and Taylor Swift are each up for seven awards, and Urban has one nod. They join previously announced performers Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Blake Shelton. The show will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles Jan. 26 on CBS-TV.

 

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Justin Mooreand wife Kate, who are expecting their third child this summer, joining big sisters Ella Kole (3) and Kennedy Faye (2).

 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Last week, his friend and fellow country star Jason Aldean announced he was doing a some gigs at baseball stadiums this summer. Now, Luke Bryan taking things up a notch – by doing three shows at football stadiums as part of his “That’s My Kinda Night” tour. The shows will be in Pittsburgh in June – and in Philadelphia and Chicago in August. Few acts these days have the drawing power to fill a stadium. But there’s been a growing trend for country acts to sell out stadiums in the right markets. Bryan says he’s happy to follow stars like Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift who have done stadium shows.

 

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