Clint Black
Photo: BMG

Following his performance on Sunday's Country Freedom Concert in Nashville, Clint Black will board a military jet to begin a tour of U.S. bases abroad. He'll join the Citizen Patriot Tour, which was organized by former Defense Secretary William Cohen's wife Janet Langhart Cohen. Taylor Dayne and others will be on the tour, details of which were not being released ...

George Jones will perform at Sunday's Country Freedom Concert as well as at his own concert. The Freedom Concert is at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center, just down the street from the Ryman Auditorium, where Jones' own concert will be held. Opening for Jones there will be Jim Lauderdale, who portrays Jones in the current musical "Stand By Your Man." ...

Suzy Bogguss is fulfilling a longtime ambition by finally putting out a Christmas album. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas will be released on November 1 on her Web site, at Amazon.com and at select record stores. The album includes collaborations with the late Chet Atkins, Ricky Skaggs and Delbert McClinton. ...

Country Music Hall of Fame member Earl Scruggs, Diamond Rio and Montgomery Gentry have been added to Sunday's Country Freedom Concert, bringing the total of confirmed live acts to 16. As the list of performers has grown, so has the length of the telecast. CMT will air the commercial-free concert from 8-11 p.m. ET. The benefit for the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund originally was slated for two hours (MTVi's parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT) ...

Toby Keith will guest star on the CBS TV series "Touched By an Angel" on November 10. The country star plays a performer at a 10-year high school reunion where a wealthy businessman and a famous football player revisit their past ...

Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn have a pair of nominations each for the 2001 Radio Music Awards, October 26 at the Aladdin in Las Vegas. They contend with Alan Jackson, the Dixie Chicks and George Strait for Country Artist of the Year. Country Song of the Year nominees include Brooks & Dunn's "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You," Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day to Be Alive," Diamond Rio's "One More Day," Jessica Andrews' "Who I Am" and McGraw's "My Next Thirty Years." Martina McBride will perform on the show, and Rascal Flatts will be presenters. The show will be telecast live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

The Dixie Chicks, who haven't played in public since their last tour ended in December 2000, plan to open the 2002 Houston Rodeo on February 12. George Strait will close the rodeo on March 3. It will be the last year for the rodeo in the Astrodome, which will be razed and replaced. ...

Sara Evans' husband's political ambitions are drawing scrutiny in his native Oregon. Craig Schelske announced on Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives now held by Democratic Rep. Darlene Hooley, who will seek a fourth term in the 2002 election. Democrats in the district have filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging that Schelske has been violating federal law by raising campaign funds from his wife's concerts, before he was an announced candidate. Schelske answered that his lawyers advised him that he was in the clear. Evans and Schelske maintain homes in Nashville and Aumsville, Oregon. ...

Buck Owens, 72, has placed a personal ad in several southern California newspapers in search of a fan he briefly met in September while taping an episode of "Family Feud," the Associated Press reports. The Country Music Hall of Fame member lost the woman's phone number and has placed ads that partly read: "Buck has lost contact, would like for you to call Mel Owens at (661) 326-1011. Please call, extremely important." The telephone number is for his offices in Bakersfield, California. The country legend, who is divorcing his wife of 22 years, admits his pursuit is a little unusual. "I know it sounds silly to some people, me looking for her this way," Owens told the AP. "But what if it works?" ...

Willie Nelson will sing with Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks will come out of hibernation to perform on the 35th annual CMA Awards, scheduled for November 7 in Nashville. Crow and Nelson team up on "I'll Be There for You," a duet from Nelson's next album, The Great Divide, due in January. The Dixie Chicks, reigning Entertainer of the Year, have not revealed their plans for the show. Also, Martina McBride performs "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues"; Jessica Andrews sings "Who I Am"; Phil Vassar chooses "Just Another Day in Paradise"; Blake Shelton croons "Austin"; and Cyndi Thomson sings "What I Really Meant to Say." The awards will be broadcast live from the Grand Ole Opry House from 8-11 p.m. ET. ...

The Grand Ole Opry will stage a Veterans Day (November 11) show at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville to raise money for the families of terrorist victims. Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Little Jimmy Dickens, Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson and Porter Wagoner are set to perform. More acts will be announced. In addition to the special Sunday show, regular Opry programs will be held at the Ryman — its former home — from November through February. ...

Martina McBride will put her brainpower to the test as a celebrity contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," taping this week in New York City. McBride's winnings, guaranteed to be at least $32,000, will be donated to a charity of her choice. An air date has not been announced. ...

Hank Williams Jr. and Trisha Yearwood have been added to the artist roster for the Country Freedom Concert on October 21. The show, to be held at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center, will benefit relief efforts by the Salvation Army. Other artists previously announced include George Strait, Alan Jackson and Lonestar ...

Martina McBridewill join Elton John, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and others performing on the 2001 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin in Las Vegas on October 26, to be televised on ABC ...

Ann-Margret adds guest vocals to the Light Crust Doughboys' upcoming CD, God Is Love: The Gospel Sessions. James Blackwood and the Jordanaires also appear on the album ...

Travis Tritt's Down the Road I Go has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of more than 1 million units. Released in 2000, the album marks his debut for Columbia Records following a long affiliation with Warner Bros. Down the Road I Go has yielded the singles "Best of Intentions," "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" and "Love of a Woman." In other RIAA news, Toby Keith's Pull My Chain, released August 28, has achieved gold status for shipments of 500,000 copies ...

Texas swing band Hot Club of Cowtown will give a free concert Wednesday at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. The Austin combo's performance is part of a year-long series of Texas-themed events supporting the museum's exhibit on music from the Lone Star State. ...

Dolly Parton will play a concert New Year's Eve in Nashville to provide scholarships for families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. "The Red, White and Bluegrass Concert" at the Grand Ole Opry House will feature Parton with an "all-star acoustic band." "I wanted to show my true colors, which are red, white and blue, by being a good American and a good Samaritan," she said in a statement. Money will go to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. Guest artists and ticket information will be announced later. Parton said she would like to do an ongoing series of concerts featuring talent from the bluegrass and roots music community to benefit the fund. Bill Clinton and Bob Dole head up a $100 million fundraising campaign to support the scholarship fund. ...

Charges against Trace Adkins for DUI, speeding and violating the open container law have been carried over to November 26 in Williamson County, Tennessee. The case went to the grand jury Monday (October 8). Adkins was arrested July 5 in Nolensville, Tennessee, while on his way home from his farm in Rutherford County. ...

William E. "Smoky" Dacus, the first drummer for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, died Tuesday at Kellmark Nursing Center in Rogers, Arkansas. He was 90. One of country music's first drummers, Dacus joined the Texas Playboys in 1935 and played on classic recordings such as "Maiden's Prayer," "San Antonio Rose" and "Steel Guitar Rag." He left the band in the early 1940s when Wills went to Hollywood. In his Wills biography, "San Antonio Rose," Charles Townsend points out that Dacus played an important role in western swing and country music history. "This was the first time drums were successfully used in a string band," he writes of Dacus' tenure. Dacus helped create the solid dance beat Wills was after, and his drumming "moved the band further from traditional fiddle or string band music and even closer to jazz." Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday (October 11) at Immanuel Baptist Church in Rogers. ...

Billy Ray Cyrus appears barechested and tattooed in the David Lynch movie "Mulholland Drive," which opens Friday at selected theaters nationwide. The movie, which was originally written as a television pilot for ABC, won the Best Director award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ...

Tim McGraw and Charlie Daniels are the latest additions to the lineup for the Country Freedom Concert. They'll join George Strait, Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Lonestar, Vince Gill, Sara Evans, George Jones, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black and Martina McBride in the October 21 show at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center. The concert will benefit the Salvation Army. ...

Jeff Carson has been named national spokesperson for NASO, the National Association of Slain Officers, a non-profit organization created in 1998 to provide support and encouragement for the immediate family members of slain police officers. Carson will record a series of radio PSAs for national distribution and will perform at a November 17 fund raiser for NASO in Portland, Oregon. ...

Doug Supernaw, known for his #1 country hit "I Don't Call Him Daddy," is behind bars in Houston for failing to pay $135,000 in overdue child support and for contempt of court, according to reports from a Houston media outlet. His official Web site, dougsupernaw.com, acknowledges the situation: "Doug was arrested on Oct. 4 for not paying back child support. After he has served 10 days for contempt he will go back to the judge. As it looks now, all shows appear to be on hold." Supernaw, 41, was held in contempt of court after allegedly lashing out at a Harris County court judge when she handed him a six-month jail sentence, Houston television station KPRC reports. ...

— sonicnet.com staff report

• Clint Black
• George Jones
• Suzy Bogguss

Clint Black
Photo: Kevin Winter/Image Direct

NASHVILLE — The world of country music remains almost totally shut down, as artists and industry workers in Nashville cancel normal activities and concentrate efforts on paying tribute to the victims of this week's tragedies.

Too many concerts to list have been canceled or postponed. Many are being hastily rescheduled as remembrances and/or benefits for victims and their families. One such is Clint Black's free concert at the Smirnoff Music Center in Dallas, which has been rescheduled for September 28. Originally set for Saturday (September 15) and billed as Free for All Concert 2001, the event has been renamed the Freedom for All Concert.

"We have the power to bring freedom throughout the world," Black said in a statement, "and the fight for freedom is knocking at our door. When we have turned the last stone in New York City in our recovery efforts, we will raise up our voices and celebrate the good fight that must come, so that the casualties of this war did not die in vain."

Tickets for the original show will be honored at the event. Black's concert Friday (September 14) at the Horseshoe Casino Entertainment Center in Bossier City, Louisiana, has been rescheduled for January 25.

A benefit concert featuring Wynonna Judd and jazz guitarist Larry Carlton will raise money to assist victims of Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Jazz on the Lawn, an event mounted by the charity group Closer to Home, is set for 5 p.m. CT Sunday at 4107 Old Hillsboro Road in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, in Williamson County near Nashville. Also appearing are singer/songwriters Pat McLaughlin, Mike Reid and James Dean Hicks, and jazz trio Laurie Wheeler with Nash DeVille.

Reba McEntire's new sitcom, "Reba," will not debut Friday (September 14) on the WB television network as originally planned. The new premiere date has not been announced.

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame's induction ceremony, originally set for Saturday night (September 15) in Atlanta, has been postponed. Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers and R&B legend Clarence Carter were nominated for induction. Jackson was scheduled to perform at the event, which will be rescheduled. The Georgia Music Hall of Fame is located in Macon.

The roots-oriented Americana Music Association (AMA) has organized a Nashville benefit for the Red Cross after canceling its annual convention. The annual conference, which was set for Friday and Saturday (September 14-15), has been rescheduled to take place November 2-3 at the Hilton Suites in Nashville. Rodney Crowell was to deliver the keynote address, and dozens of other roots and alternative country artists were to participate in showcases and panel discussions.

The AMA will sponsor a benefit concert for the American Red Cross at 9 p.m. CT Friday (September 14) at the Exit/In in Nashville. Allison Moorer, Lonesome Bob, Greg Trooper and Phil Lee have been confirmed. Donations of $10 or more are suggested.

Garth Brooks' press conference scheduled for Monday morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame has been postponed. Brooks had scheduled the media event in Nashville to talk about his new single and upcoming album. His duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," was to be released to radio Monday but has been postponed "until a more appropriate time," according to Brooks' label, Capitol Records.

Doug Stone was erroneously listed on an early manifest of one of the downed jetliners. The singer reports he's safe at home in Nashville with his family.

Carolyn Mayer Beug, 48, a Santa Monica, California, filmmaker and video producer, was killed Tuesday when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Beug and Dwight Yoakam co-directed Yoakam's 1993 videos for "Ain't That Lonely Yet" and "Fast as You." Mayer has sole directing credit for another '93 video, Yoakam's "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere," and her Carolyn Mayer Productions produced "Fast as You." Beug also worked on the video for Van Halen's 1992 award-winning clip "Right Now." Beug's husband is John Beug, senior vice president in charge of filmed production for Warner Bros. Records. She was returning to Los Angeles after taking her twin daughters to begin school at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. Her mother, Mary Alice Wahlstrom, 75, of Kaysville, Utah, was with her.

Grand Ole Opry performances on Friday and Saturday will be dedicated to the victims and their families and will feature patriotic songs.

Diamond Rio's annual charity golf tournament was already under way Tuesday when the attacks occurred in New York and Washington and the group turned the tourney's focus toward paying tribute. Diamond Rio lead singer Marty Roe said the group considered canceling, but said, "I just think as a vote of confidence in our country and who we are as a people, we need to move ahead with this good work we're doing here today."

Several country artists stranded in Calgary, Alberta, after Monday night's Canadian Country Music Awards show performed at a benefit show. Carolyn Dawn Johnson, who won five awards, sang several songs at Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary on Wednesday night and Paul Brandt donated two guitars that brought in $13,000 for rescue efforts.

• Clint Black

Clint Black
Photo: RCA

Clint Black has postponed two concerts. His show Friday (September 14) at the Horseshoe Casino Entertainment Center in Bossier City, Louisiana, has been rescheduled for January 25. A new date has not been announced for Black's performance at the Smirnoff Music Center in Dallas, originally slated for Saturday. Chris Cagle, Cyndi Thomson and Kelly Willis were also booked on that show. ...

The roots-oriented Americana Music Association has organized a Nashville benefit for the Red Cross after postponing its annual convention. The conference, which was set for Friday through Saturday (September 14-15), has been rescheduled for November 2-3 at the Hilton Suites in Nashville. Rodney Crowell was to deliver the keynote address, and dozens of other roots and alternative country artists were to participate in showcases and panel discussions. The AMA will sponsor a benefit concert for the Red Cross at 9 p.m. CT Friday at the Exit/In in Nashville. Allison Moorer, Lonesome Bob, Greg Trooper and Phil Lee have been confirmed. Donations of $10 or more are suggested. ...

Doug Stone was erroneously listed on an early manifest of one of the downed jetliners. The singer reports he's safe at home in Nashville with his family. ... Keith Urban's Thursday (September 13) showcase in Nashville was canceled. ... CMT is airing "Prayer, Peace & Unity," a 90-minute special based on Wednesday's prayer vigil in Nashville. The show, running Thursday (September 13) at 5:30 p.m. ET, will be repeated Friday. ...

A benefit concert featuring Wynonna Judd and jazz guitarist Larry Carlton will raise money to assist victims of Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Jazz on the Lawn, an event mounted by the charity group Closer to Home, is set for 5 p.m. CT Sunday (September 16) at 4107 Old Hillsboro Road in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, near Nashville. Also appearing are singer/songwriters Pat McLaughlin, Mike Reid and James Dean Hicks, and jazz trio Laurie Wheeler with Nash DeVille. ...

Garth Brooks' press conference scheduled for Monday morning (September 17) at the Country Music Hall of Fame has been postponed. Brooks had scheduled the media event in Nashville to talk about his new single and upcoming album. His duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," was to be released to radio Monday but has been postponed "until a more appropriate time," according to Capitol Records. ...

Brooks was one of several country artists in New York on Tuesday (September 11) and stranded there following the terrorist attacks. Mary Chapin Carpenter was in town to tape the public television show "Live 360," which was canceled. Billy Gilman was in town for Monday's Michael Jackson tribute concert. Brooks had been in town to tape public service announcements for the Reading Across America program and had planned to leave for Washington, D.C., to attend an ASCAP tribute show, which was canceled. A number of country artists were also stuck in Toronto until flights resumed. Ricky Skaggs, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and others had been there for Monday night's Canadian Country Music Awards. ...

Due to Tuesday's events, the Oak Ridge Boys have postponed their celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Elvira" scheduled for Monday (September 17) at the Country Music Hall of Fame. ...

Lonestar will begin their I'm Already There tour October 6 in Salisbury, Maryland's Wicomico County Civic Center. The group will visit more than 30 cities before finishing in December. Jamie O'Neal will open a number of dates in October and November; Blake Shelton takes over opening duties in December. Announced dates include October 7 at Asheville, North Carolina's Ingles Food Festival; October 10 at Reading, Pennsylvania's Sovereign Center for Performing Arts; October 11 at Poughkeepsie, New York's Mid-Hudson Civic Center; October 12 at Buffalo, New York's Shea's Performing Arts Center; October 18 at Albany, New York's Palace Theater; October 19 at Norfolk, Virginia's Naval Base; October 20 at Jacksonville, North Carolina's New River Amphitheatre; and October 25 at Rama, Ontario's Casino Rama. …

Alan Jackson has been named opening-day headliner at the Texas Stampede rodeo at Dallas' American Airlines Center. Headliners include Jackson (October 25), Robert Earl Keen and Willie Nelson (October 26), Toby Keith and Sara Evans (October 27 matinee), Phil Vassar and Martina McBride (October 27 evening) and Clay Walker and Lee Ann Womack (October 28). … Connie Smith has missed a show for the first time in 27 years. The Grand Ole Opry member canceled three performances this month because her doctor directed her to rest her voice for three weeks. Smith began her recording and touring career in 1964. …

Billy Ray Cyrus underwent knee surgery Friday (September 7) in Nashville, but the operation won't keep him off the set of "Doc," his TV series. The singer's knee damage stems from years of stage and sports activity, according to a spokesperson. Cyrus expects to be in Toronto on Monday to begin work on the PAX series. …

Nashville's Broadcast Music Incorporated transformed its balcony into an outdoor Italian restaurant Thursday to welcome actor/singer Dominic Chianese. Chianese, who plays Uncle Junior in "The Sopranos" TV series, was in town to make his Grand Ole Opry debut Friday (September 7) and to promote his album, Hits, which was recorded in Nashville. After mingling with guests, Chianese mounted a small stage. He spoke wistfully of growing up in New York during the 1930s, hearing his grandfather sing to him and listening to an Italian-language radio station. "I got my first love of music from Grandpa Domenico and Gene Autry," he said. Chianese described his invitation to appear on the Opry as "the dream of my life." Although clearly a fan of traditional country music, Chianese made no pretense of being a closet "country boy." He poked fun at himself with a song called "Typical New Yorker," which appears on his album alongside other melodically gentle fare such as "For the Good Times," "Santa Lucia," "Guantanamera" and "Shady Grove." ...

"Unforeseen logistical challenges" have forced organizers to reschedule a benefit concert by the Dixie Chicks. Originally set for September 15 in Austin, Texas, the Texas Twilight Gala in support of the Pediatric AIDS League of Texas (PAL), would have marked the trio's first live performance of 2001. Shawn Colvin, Terri Hendrix and the Austin Symphony also were to appear. "The circumstances surrounding the postponement are beyond the control of PAL and the talent involved," said the organization's spokesperson. The concert will be rescheduled "as soon as logistically possible." ...

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers will present Garth Brooks with the ASCAP Golden Note Award at a dinner Tuesday in Washington, D.C. ASCAP president and chairman Marilyn Bergman will host the event, attended by members of Congress, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The award recognizes Brooks' contributions to American music as a performer and songwriter. Songwriters Pat Alger, Alan Bergman, John Bettis, Hal David, Dean Kay, Jimmy Webb and Paul Williams will be part of a musical tribute to Brooks. Past recipients of the award include Elton John, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder and Andre Previn ...

Willie Nelson collapsed onstage during a show at the Konocti Harbor Resort in Kelseyville, California, on August 28, according to the Fresno Bee. Shows subsequently canceled included California dates on August 30 at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore and the Pozo Saloon in San Luis Obispo on September 2. A spokesperson for Nelson declined to comment and said the singer is next scheduled to play the Farm Aid concert on September 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana ...

Mavericks lead singer Raul Malo has scheduled October 23 for the release of his first solo album. Today will include songs in both English and Spanish and will feature a duet with Shelby Lynne, "It Takes Two to Tango" ...

Martina McBride and folk singer Arlo Guthrie have been added to the Farm Aid benefit concert on Sept. 29 at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. The bill also includes Dave Matthews and Farm Aid founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp. ...

Garth Brooks has scheduled a September 17 press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville to talk about his duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," and his upcoming album. A Brooks spokesperson hinted the song will be delivered to country radio the same day. Brooks announced his retirement last year but promised one more record. The new track will appear on the album, his first collection of new studio recordings in four years (following 1997's Sevens). "Beer Run" also is slated to appear on Jones' upcoming CD, The Rock, now scheduled for October 2 release. …

Gail Davies says her labor of love — an album honoring the late Webb Pierce — is nearing completion and slotted for November 13 release. Profits will be split between the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Caught in the Webb: A Tribute to the Legendary Webb Pierce includes cuts by Dale Watson, Mandy Barnett, Charley Pride, Rosie Flores, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Robbie Fulks & Joy Lynn White, Allison Moorer, Matt King, Crystal Gayle, the Del McCoury Band, Lionel Cartwright, Guy Clark, BR549, Trent Summar & Chris Scruggs, Kevin Welch & Deborah Pierce, Billy Walker, Blue Highway and Pam Tillis. Pierce will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October. ...

Songwriter/performer Cecil Null, 74, died of cancer Sunday (August 26) in Bristol, Virginia. Null's most famous composition is "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know," a #1 hit in 1953 for the Davis Sisters. He was credited as the guiding force in uniting Chet Atkins and Merle Travis for their Grammy-winning 1974 album, The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show. Null wrote "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" in 1947. "It was turned down by nearly everybody in the business," he once said. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette covered the song on their 1993 album, Honky Tonk Angels. ...

With the four additional 2001 CMA Award nominations he received, Alan Jackson moves past Vince Gill in the career-nominations tally. Jackson now has 50, according to the CMA, while Gill, who received none this year, has 48. George Strait, with two nods this year, remains king with 66. Jackson has a long way to go to catch Gill in awards won, however. Gill rules that roost with 18 career honors, Strait follows with 14 and Jackson is well back in the pack with seven. …

Merle Haggard's next album, Roots, Vol. 1, features his hero, guitarist Norm Stephens, who played on a number of Lefty Frizzell recordings including "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways." Stephens has been retired from music for years, and Haggard recently discovered that they have long lived near each other in California. Haggard's pianist, Doug Colosio, noticed a classified ad Stephens placed in a local paper and called it to his boss' attention. After they reunited, they cut some songs. Recorded in Haggard's home, the album features Stephens with Haggard's band, the Strangers, romping through three new Haggard originals and songs by Frizzell, Hank Williams and Hank Thompson. Anti/Epitaph Records releases the LP November 9. ...

Lee Ann Womack has recorded a duet with Willie Nelson for his upcoming CD The Great Divide. They recorded the Bernie Taupin composition "Mendocino County Line." Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Rob Thomas and Kid Rock will also appear on the album, which was originally scheduled for a late September release, now moved to January. ...

A large crowd of music industry executives and artists crowded into the Country Music Hall of Fame's Ford Theater Wednesday for a preview of "Reba." The new TV sitcom, starring Reba McEntire, debuts September 14 on the WB TV network. At the party, MCA Nashville president Tony Brown said the company will release McEntire's Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor on October 23. The title track is also her sitcom theme and is now charting country. The album also includes a remake of Kenny Rogers' 1977 hit "Sweet Music Man," produced by Alison Krauss and featuring members of Union Station, drummer Jim Keltner and Chris Thile of Nickel Creek. Among those attending McEntire gala were Barbara Mandrell and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, as well as Martina McBride and newcomer Carolyn Dawn Johnson, both part of McEntire's support cast for the recent Girls' Night Out tour. McEntire donated seven costumes from her starring role in Broadway's "Annie Get Your Gun" to the Hall of Fame. The gesture, she said, tied together the worlds of Broadway and country music. The fringed leather outfit from the show's finale was on display during the party. "I want my fans to be able to see what I've gotten to do on Broadway by bringing a piece of it back to Nashville," McEntire said. "I'm bringing 'em home. This is the greatest place to display it, and I'm very proud to have some things here in the Hall of Fame". ...

Wynonna will marry her longtime security guard and road manager, D. R. Roach. Both have been married once before. Wynonna has two children, Elijah and Grace. Roach has one, Zachary. No date has been set. According to a news release announcing the couple's engagement, the proposal came on the second anniversary of their first date. Wynonna is at work on a new solo album, to be promoted by Universal Records New York. Plans are to release it in the first half of 2002. ...

George Strait plans to return to the biggest annual musical event in Texas, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The singer, who last played the rodeo four years ago, has agreed to headline the March 3, 2002 concert, which will be the last such performance in the Reliant Astrodome. Strait has also signed to play the first rodeo performance in the Astrodome's successor, the new Reliant Stadium, in 2003. The 2002 rodeo and concert series runs from February 12 to March 3. Country and pop artists perform daily. ...

Almost 18 months after it was announced, construction has yet to begin on a new Gilley's honky-tonk in Dallas. The new club is intended to be an upscale re-creation of the Pasadena, Texas, club that inspired the movie "Urban Cowboy." The new site, on 10 acres in downtown Dallas, is still awaiting city approval. Plans call for corporate suites, a large dance floor, several restaurants, two mechanical bulls, displays of country music memorabilia and a drive-in movie. The old Gilley's burned to the ground several years ago. ...

Trisha Yearwood will play Nashville's Ryman Auditorium October 14. The date was added recently to her 2001 tour, which began in June at the House of Blues in New Orleans and continues through October 21, when she plays Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Ryman has special significance for Yearwood. Aside from its country music connections, she was married onstage there, and in 1999, when the Grand Ole Opry returned to the Ryman, she was invited to become a member of the cast. ...

Singer/songwriter Bobby Bare and wife Jeannie will sell the Bobby Bare Trap, a shop in downtown Nashville specializing in stuffed animals and bear-related gifts. "Bobby's not retiring, slowing down some, but I am," said Jeannie Bare, who manages the shop. "I want to spend more time with my husband and children and my friends. I'll always love teddy bears." The Bares have had the Bare Trap since 1986. The store is home to "Big T," a 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high creature purported to be the world's largest teddy bear. ...

"Red Desert Sky," the story of Australia's musical Chambers family, will be released October 5 by Allen & Unwin, Ltd. The family — father Bill, mother Diane, daughter Kasey and son Nash — performed as the Dead Ringer Band. The band's U.S. manager, John Lomax III, who now manages Kasey as a solo act, wrote the book. Kasey Chambers has recently been in the U.S. to promote her award-winning album, The Captain, which made its debut in 1999. In October, Warner Bros. Records will release her second solo album, Barricades & Brickwalls, in the U.S. Nash Chambers produced both projects. "Red Desert Sky" is not being published in the U.S. but will be available through Allen & Unwin's Web site and from Amazon.com. ...

John Carter Cash, son of June Carter and Johnny Cash, has produced two new tracks for an album by the San Diego alternative country outfit known as The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. Led by Mark Stuart, the group recorded the tracks at the Cash Cabin studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, north of Nashville. "Nowhere Town" and "Spanish Eyes" will appear on a re-release of the group's 2000 release, Walk Alone. The younger Cash met the band in March at Nashville's Exit/In. His father, country's famed Man in Black, has given the group permission to use his name. "My father has always been open-minded, and he chose the right stars to use his name," said John Carter Cash in a statement. "The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are really good guys." The band appears Tuesday (August 21) in Bonner Springs, Kansas, and Wednesday (August 22) in Maryland Heights, Missouri, opening for Tim McGraw. Walk Alone will be released September 25. ...

Marking one his first public appearances after jail time and drug rehabilitation, Steve Earle appeared at Nashville's Bluebird Café in September 1995 to swap stories, jokes and tunes with his songwriting mentors Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Sixteen songs from the show will be released on October 9 by Koch Progressive under the title Together at the Bluebird Café. Earle's songs include "My Old Friend the Blues" and "Copperhead Road"; Van Zandt's selections include "Tecumseh Valley" and "Pancho and Lefty"; and Clark's numbers include "Dublin Blues" and "Randall Knife." Making a surprise appearance, Emmylou Harris joined in for group sing-alongs. Van Zandt, a hard-living troubadour, died of a heart attack at age 52, a little more than a year after the show. ...

Trick Pony have two nominations for Billboard Music Video Awards, and they may not be too happy about it. The new trio will compete against themselves, as both their nods are in the Best Country New Artist Clip of the Year category. Others in that division are Cyndi Thomson, Clark Family Experience and Tammy Cochran. Nominated in the Best Country Clip of the Year category are Steve Earle, the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina, and Dwight Yoakam. Cochran and Billy Gilman are nominated in contemporary Christian categories. The awards will be presented November 2 in Beverly Hills, California. ...

Pieces supposedly from the wreckage of Patsy Cline's death plane will be offered for sale on the eBay auction site. Two brothers from Jackson, Tennessee, own the pieces, ostensibly from the wreckage of Cline's Piper Comanche, which crashed March 5, 1963, killing her and three others. Scott and Eric Mills drove the wreckage in their pickup truck to Nashville on Wednesday to show to curators at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Curator Mark Medley said the Hall of Fame will not bid on the pieces, to be offered on eBay beginning August 31 with a floor price of $100,000, but would ask any potential buyers to loan them to the Hall, which already has parts of the plane in its archives. The Mills brothers say they bought the wreckage from a man who collected it shortly after the plane crash. ...

Longtime Wilco member Jay Bennett has left the group, a spokesperson for the band told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Creative differences" were cited as the reason for his split. Shortly before the news of Bennett's departure, Wilco separated from their longtime record label, Reprise, also over creative differences. In an earlier interview, bandleader Jeff Tweedy had said that Bennett did not play a big part in the band's latest LP, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which Reprise refused to issue in its present state. Wilco begin a fall tour in September as a quartet, with Tweedy joined by bassist John Stirrat, new drummer Glenn Kotche and multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach. ...

Chicago roots rock band Wilco, favorites with alternative country fans, have split with Reprise Records after three studio albums, founding member Jeff Tweedy said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. Reprise asked Wilco to make changes to their recently completed album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and the band refused. Wilco retain rights to the album and are looking for another label to release it. Tweedy was a member of the influential early '90s alt-country group Uncle Tupelo. Wilco will begin a fall tour September 21 at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas. ...

Following in the footsteps of his hero, Johnny Cash, Mark Collie will record a live album in a maximum-security prison. With producer Tony Brown at the helm, Collie will record at the Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex in East Tennessee in October. Collie is writing new songs for the project, tentatively set for release next spring by MCA. Collie recorded for MCA in the early '90s before moving to Giant. His last album of original material appeared in 1995. Cash, whom Collie has portrayed in an independent film, recorded landmark albums at Folsom and San Quentin prisons in California in the late '60s. Collie wraps up his national tour with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney on Aug. 25 in Nashville. "Private Radio," a song Collie co-wrote with actor/director Billy Bob Thornton, is the title track for Thornton's upcoming debut album, in stores September 25. ...

The Dixie Chicks and Emmylou Harris have agreed to perform at an all-star concert to benefit a breast cancer awareness campaign. The Women Rock! Girls & Guitars concert will be taped at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre on October 18 for airing on the Lifetime channel on October 26. Also performing will be India.Arie, Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Nashville songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, Nelly Furtado and Shea Seger. Allison Janney of "The West Wing" will host. Although the Dixie Chicks are taking a year off from performing and recording, they have also agreed to play a pediatric AIDS benefit in Austin, Texas, in September. …

The new album from Hank Williams Jr., The Almeira Club & Other Selected Venues, has been delayed. Originally scheduled for release September 11, the album has been pushed back to January 8, according to Williams' publicist. The roots-oriented project was recorded in locales of personal and historic significance for Hank Jr. and his late father and mother, Hank and Audrey Williams. Meanwhile, Hank Jr. is at work in the studio, recording his "Monday Night Football" drop-ins for the upcoming season. …

— sonicnet.com staff report

• Clint Black

Destiny's Child's Beyoncé
Photo: MTV News

Presidency has its advantages.

Case in point: George W. Bush assembled some of pop music's finest — including Ricky Martin, 98 Degrees, Jessica Simpson and Destiny's Child — in Washington, D.C., over the weekend to help mark his move into the White House. Country stars Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Marcia Ball, Reckless Kelly, Asleep at the Wheel, Tanya Tucker, Mark Chesnutt, Lee Greenwood and appropriately Southern-fried rockers ZZ Top also contributed to the soundtrack for the nation's 54th inaugural.

Martin became the focus of the national press corps' attention on Thursday, offering a version of his World Cup anthem "Cup of Life" during a rally at the Lincoln Memorial. The Bush campaign used the song to cap off the then-governor's campaign appearances during the final months of the election, and Martin drew Bush out to the memorial steps for a little jig that will undoubtedly be played and replayed on "The Daily Show." But the pop-star wattage reached its peak at Friday's Inaugural Concert Celebrating America's Youth, at D.C.'s MCI Center, with the emphasis on the word "youth." Guest MCs ranging from "Jerry Maguire" cute kid Jonathan Lipnicki and "Real World: San Francisco" housemate Rachel Campos to Secretary of State Colin Powell and Bush were greeted by a crowd that might have been more at home at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. Each MC gave a quick speech, usually about citizenship or the greatness of the American dream, between brief musical sets, usually of two to five songs. Of course, that made for some tough segues ("Thank you, Destiny's Child! And now, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development-designee Mel Martinez!"). And while the ceremony itself felt a little like a hybrid between a pep rally and a high school dance, the pop royalty who took the stage definitely played it up for the fans.

The stage at the MCI Center, which was a simple frame of lights and an enormous screen running psychedelic animation, was unpretentious and complemented the quick carousel of performers well. 98 Degrees, who performed at the special request of one of the new first daughters, played the quickest set of the evening, burning through speedy renditions of "The Hardest Thing" and "My Everything" before scampering offstage. Meanwhile, Destiny's Child emerged as three well-choreographed balls of energy, blowing through "Independent Women, Part 1" and "Jumpin', Jumpin' ". Despite an ambitious schedule that would see the trio jet off for Los Angeles for an early-morning engagement the next day, Destiny's Child worked the crowd into a decent lather. Destiny's frontwoman Beyoncé Knowles abandoned her usual repertoire of stage banter and anthemic pep routines, instead offering the more event-appropriate "I wanna hear you say Bush!" Jessica Simpson capped off the evening's longest set by performing a version of "I Think I'm in Love With You," in which she substituted the word "boy" with "George," yielding a somewhat contrived result ("George, I think I'm in love with you! I'll be doing silly things when I get next to you").

When Bush took the stage around 5:30 p.m. to thank the "pretty good darn set of entertainers," he used the opportunity to encourage the audience to "be good citizens," a theme he echoed with much greater flourish during his inaugural address the following day. After Friday's Concert Celebrating America's Youth, the inaugural festivities became a circuit of state balls, where most of the musicians were such marquee Texas talent as Loretta Lynn and ZZ Top. Despite rumors of a protest concert filled with headliners from Nader's Green Party road show, there was nothing in the streets but an occasional drum circle.

• Ricky Martin
• Jessica Simpson
• Destiny's Child
• Lyle Lovett
• Clint Black

Ricky Martin
Photo: Sony

As George W. Bush moves into the White House, he'll receive house-warming gifts in the form of performances by such artists as Texans ZZ Top, Lyle Lovett and Clint Black as well as pop stars Ricky Martin and Destiny's Child.

The festivities kick off January 18 at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin will perform "The Cup of Life." "I am honored to be a part of the first inaugural celebration of the 21st century," Martin said in a statement. Van Morrison, Destiny's Child and Andrew Lloyd Webber will also perform that night.

Meanwhile, ZZ Top will headline a private party across town that evening billed as the Best Little Ball in D.C.

"'That little ol' band from Texas' is excited and delighted to be invited to perform [and] celebrate the inauguration," ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons said. "We're going to bring a rock 'n' Bush night to D.C., Texas style." It's not the first time the president-elect has crossed paths with the group — on May 15, 1997, then-Governor Bush honored the band by declaring it ZZ Top Day in a special ceremony.

On January 19 the Texas State Society will throw its Black Tie & Boots Ball, forgoing traditional big-band music in favor of country stars Lovett, Black with Lisa Hartman, Marcia Ball, Reckless Kelly and Asleep at the Wheel, Tanya Tucker, Mark Chesnutt, and Lee Greenwood, who also played at the elder George Bush's inaugural.

"I've been with the Bush family for many years. They called, and I'm coming," Greenwood said. "There's just so much pageantry, it's really wonderful to be a part of it." Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel played at Bill Clinton's first inauguration. Guitarist Ray Benson said the worst part about playing such shows is the tight security — their drummer was sequestered by the Secret Service, and they didn't find him until they were nearly ready to play.

"Washington, D.C., is its own Hollywood," Benson said. "Between the security measures and the pecking order sometimes the bands get lost. We're usually the top of the heap and now we're backseat to these politicians." As for whether he's excited that a fellow Texan is going to be in the White House, Benson said, "I'm keeping my vote a secret, but no matter who you voted for, he's our president. Whether I agree with him or not, I will show him the respect the office deserves. ... For us, it's a Texas thing." On January 20, Bush will be sworn in at the Capitol building, followed by a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue featuring six U.S. military bands and 38 school and other marching bands.

That evening, several venues around town will be throwing big parties, including the Hard Rock Cafe. The lineup for their bash, co-sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America, has not been finalized yet, a spokesperson for the restaurant said.

• Ricky Martin
• ZZ Top
• Clint Black
• Destiny's Child