Lil Wayne and Kid Rock perform at the 2008 CMAs in Nashville on Wednesday
Photo: Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images

The best rapper alive never got around to rapping Wednesday night in Nashville.

As he did at the VMAs in September, Lil Wayne joined Kid Rock onstage for a performance of the remix of Rock's "All Summer Long" at the Country Music Association Awards. But this time there was no verse from Weezy — in fact, he barely made a sound at all. He just acted as part of the band, bringing out his guitar and strumming the strings inaudibly alongside Kid Rock's guitarist.

Not having the New Orleans Fireman rhyme was a curious move, considering that Weezy's people put out a press release late Wednesday afternoon trumpeting the fact that Wayne was the first hip-hop act ever to perform on the CMAs.

A source close to the situation told MTV News on Thursday that Wayne didn't rap in order to keep things fresh — that the duo did not want to copy what they had done at the VMAs and figured Weezy playing guitar was a fly new take on their collaboration.

Watching on TV, you didn't even see Wayne until somewhere around the song's two-minute mark, when Kid came over and gave him five. Both performers wore Tennessee Titans jerseys: Kid with the number two on his, but instead of Rob Biranos' name on the back, Rock had his own name; Wayne sported a #28 Chris Johnson Jersey.

Big CMT winners included Kenny Chesney (who took home his fourth Entertainer of the Year award, tying Garth Brooks for the most wins in the category), George Strait (Single and Album of the Year, making him the biggest award-winner in CMA history) and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland (the group won Vocal Duo of the Year, and Nettles won Song of the Year for Sugarland's "Stay").

The show was hosted by Carrie Underwood (who won Female Vocalist of the Year for the third consecutive time) and Brad Paisley. Taylor Swift performed her hit "Love Story" (and borrowed Miley Cyrus' boyfriend for the performance), and Shania Twain made her first major public appearance after a long absence.

• Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, More At 2008 Country Music Awards

• Lil Wayne
• Kid Rock
• Sugarland
• Garth Brooks
• Carrie Underwood

"Twilight" Soundtrack
Photo: Atlantic

After two weeks at #1, AC/DC's Black Ice — which has already broken the 1 million-sold barrier — has been bitten by the "Twilight" phenomenon.

The vampire flick opens next Friday, but before hitting the local cineplex, fans of the much-anticipated adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel hit their local record stores to pick up a copy of the movie's soundtrack, which features tracks by Muse, Perry Farrell, Paramore and Linkin Park.

The "Twilight" soundtrack debuts at #1 on next week's Billboard albums sales chart, having sold about 164,700 copies in its first week on store shelves. It becomes the year's third soundtrack to top the chart, following this summer's "Mamma Mia" soundtrack and the "Juno" set, which was released in 2007, but climbed to #1 in January. According to the latest sales totals compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, AC/DC's latest falls one spot to #2, with 159,500 week-three scans reported.

"Twilight" was among 17 new releases impacting next week's chart, and one of four to enter in the top 10. Following the soundtrack to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which holds at #3 with just under 110,000 sold, Hinder's Take It to the Limit bows at #4, after selling 81,400 units. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli's Incanto opens at #8 with 62,200 copies scanned, and country star Brad Paisley's Play debuts at #9 with 53,700 sold.

Meanwhile, Pink's Funhouse drops three spots to #5, with 72,900 scans, while John Legend's Evolver falls two positions to #6, selling another 72,000 copies. T.I.'s Paper Trail holds for a second week at #7, thanks to almost 68,800 scans. Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1 rounds things out at #10, with 39,100 sold.

A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip enters the chart at #11, after selling 34,200-plus copies of his latest, Renaissance, while Sarah Brightman's Winter Symphony debuts at #38, with 13,500 sold. Shiny Toy Guns' Season of Poison follows at #47, with sales reported at 12,200, and rapper UNK's Second Season makes its debut at #104, with 5,200 copies sold. Travis' Ode to J. Smith follows at #122, with week-one sales reported at about 4,600, while Switchfoot's The Best Yet trails at #123, with 4,500 sold.

• AC/DC
• Paramore
• Perry Farrell
• Travis
• Switchfoot

In the battle between booty-shaking and reckless driving, the edge still goes to rising star Carrie Underwood. For the fifth week in a row, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" clutches the No. 1 spot on Billboard's country airplay chart, as Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" apparently loses its shot at the top spot, falling from No. 2 to No. 3.

Both songs had a decrease in spins last week, which means that Brad Paisley's "When I Get Where I'm Going" -- No. 2 with a bullet -- is potentially poised to reach the summit next week.

Or maybe not. After 29 weeks on the chart, Josh Turner's "Your Man" continues its steady climb, now at No. 4 with a bullet. He's just ahead of Faith Hill's "Like We Never Loved at All" at No. 5, Keith Urban's "Tonight I Wanna Cry" at No. 6 and Sugarland's "Just Might (Make Me Believe)" at No. 7. Rounding out the Top 10 are Tim McGraw's "My Old Friend" at No. 8, Kenny Chesney's "Living in Fast Forward" at No. 9 and Billy Currington's "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" at No. 10.

George Strait claims the week's highest debut with "The Seashores of Old Mexico," a cover of a Merle Haggard song, splashing in at No. 48. Other new singles include Neal McCoy's "The Last of a Dying Breed" at No. 52, Martina McBride's cover of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone" at No. 53, Underwood's "Before He Cheats" at No. 59 and new artist Eric Church's "How 'Bout You" at No. 60.

Underwood returns to No. 1 on the country albums chart, trading places with Turner. The Legend of Johnny Cash lives on at No. 3, followed by the latest albums from Adkins, Rascal Flatts, Urban, Chesney and Sugarland. Walk the Line settles in at No. 9, followed by Miranda Lambert's Kerosene, at No. 10

New albums hitting the chart include Jamey Johnson's The Dollar at No. 20 and Alabama's three-disc boxed set, Livin' Lovin' Rockin' Rollin': The 25th Anniversary Collection, at No. 28. Kenny Rogers also makes several appearances on the chart: 21 Number Ones at No. 11, Golden Legends: Kenny Rogers at No. 57 and 42 Ultimate Hits at No. 75.

• Carrie Underwood
• Trace Adkins
• Brad Paisley
• Josh Turner
• Faith Hill

Hilary Duff
Photo: Alberto Tamargo

Hilary Duff's latest offering, a collection of hit tracks and new cuts appropriately dubbed Most Wanted, maintained its hold over the Billboard albums chart despite moving only half as many copies as it had the previous week.

Scans of just over 101,000 were all Duff needed to keep the top spot, as Most Wanted spends a second straight week on top, according to the latest SoundScan totals. Duff's disc outsold the 19th chapter in the Now That's What I Call Music! series — featuring the likes of Gwen Stefani, Ludacris, the Killers, Shakira and Coldplay — by just over 5,000 copies.

Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi sits tight at the chart's #3 slot with sales of close to 89,000, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business, up two spots to #4 with 85,000 copies leaving record-store shelves.

It wasn't an especially arresting week for debuts, with the highest-charting new entry, Harlem: Diary of a Summer from Diplomats' Jim Jones, opening as Billboard's #5 disc with sales of more than 74,000. British novelty act Crazy Frog's Crazy Hits was Jones' closest competitor in the debuts category, and takes the chart's #19 slot with scans of 40,000 and change; the album's single, "Axel F," started out as a ringtone and eventually blossomed into one of Europe's fastest moneymakers. Time will tell if the craze will sink or swim after crossing the pond.

Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon's side project, Jack's Mannequin, opens at #37, with sales for that band's debut, Everything in Transit, coming in at just over 22,000. The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema takes the chart's #44 with more than 19,000 scans. Fear Factory's latest, Transgression, comes in at #45 with sales of close to 19,000. Death Row's Kurupt finds himself at #60, with nearly 16,000 copies of his latest, Against Tha Grain, leaving stores. Every Time I Die's Gutter Phenomenon is in at #71, with more than 14,000 in debut-week sales. The Bled's Found in the Flood follows at #87, selling more than 12,000, while Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Howl finishes at #90 with just under 12,000 scans. All Star Smash Hits, a retrospective release from Smash Mouth, comes in at #96 with 11,000 plus copies sold.

Brad Paisley, who spent the previous week on Duff's heels, slips four spots to #6 with his Time Well Wasted. Young Jeezy's Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 climbs three spots to #7 with more than 61,000 copies of the disc sold. Demon Days, the latest from animated rock troupe and MTV Video Music Award winners the Gorillaz, checks in at #8 with sales just shy of the 52,000 mark, followed by fellow Moonman owner Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway, which became a million seller three times over with nearly 51,000 scans recorded this time out. VMA dominating punkers Green Day round out the top 10 with American Idiot, which inches its way up three spots with week-49 sales of nearly 51,000.

Staind's Chapter V drops five spots to #12, close behind Faith Hill's 11th place finishing Fireflies, while Coldplay's X&Y clings to the top 15, taking the chart's #13 with over 47,000 scans. Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree jumps three spots to #14 with 45,000 plus scans. And Gwen Stefani's Love, Angel, Music, Baby is in at #15 with more than 44,000 copies sold.

Check out "Hilary Duff: The Nicest Brat" for a closer look at the chart champ. And for a feature on the chart's #7 finisher, check out "Young Jeezy: Putting His Mouth Where His Money Is."

• Hilary Duff
• Mariah Carey
• Jim Jones
• Brad Paisley
• Staind

Hilary Duff's <i>Most Wanted</i>
Photo: Hollywood Records

Mmm ... Duff: Hilary Duff's Most Wanted comes clean with three new songs ("Wake Up," "Beat of My Heart," "Break My Heart") produced by the Dead Executives — OK, the secret's out, it's the Madden brothers — but if those tracks and a few remixes aren't enough to tide you over, a "signature collector's edition" has four additional cuts (an acoustic "Who's That Girl"; an alternate "Jericho"; a dance remix of "Party Up"; and another new song, "Supergirl"), four "autographed" photo cards, a different album cover and a wristband.

Click Here: Dapperly dressed Berklee College of Music grads the Click Five, who've played with everyone from Ashlee Simpson to Rod Stewart (?!), removed the cover of the Tiffany staple "I Think We're Alone Now," which appeared on promo versions of their debut, Greetings From Imrie House, and tacked on a sendup of the Thompson Twins' "Lies" instead. Other highlights: "Just the Girl" (first single), "Catch Your Wave" and "Angel to You (Devil to Me)," co-written by Kiss' Paul Stanley and Cars guitarist Elliott Easten, who also lends some licks.

A Funk Eternal: Rick James gets a few touching goodbyes on Rick James Forever, from Johnny Gil and Howard Hewitt on "Just Got Played," and from daughter Ty on the closing track, "My Life." Other tracks on the posthumous release include the vintage-James-titled "When Your Body's Mine," "Freak Baby" and "Sex Slave."

Because Platinum Isn't Enough: The Killers' "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" has thoroughly infected radio, prompting a limited-edition re-press of the band's successful debut, Hot Fuss, along with two more B-sides, "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" and "Under the Gun." This one's got a straight-black cover, so you have no excuse for getting confused.

The 411 on Tread: A few additional 311 tracks have been hitting the pavement along with the band's Don't Tread on Me. iTunes offered the album's 11 songs plus bonus track "Little Brother" and two live slices prior to the release date; subsequently, it's offering just "Little Brother." But there's more: Early birds can get a free vinyl 7-inch at participating stores. Album tracks include "Thank Your Lucky Stars," "Whiskey & Wine" and "Long for the Flowers," a revised outtake from Transistor that was originally called "Grifters."

Covering the Bases: Madness go the way of the cover song on The Dangermen Sessions, Volume One, polishing off Diana Ross & the Supremes ("You Keep Me Hanging On"), the Kinks ("Lola") and Bob Marley ("So Much Trouble"). In the meantime, Cowboy Junkies use their Early 21st Century Blues to reinterpret Bruce Springsteen ("Brothers Under the Bridge," "You're Missing"), U2 ("One") and Bob Dylan ("License to Kill") — which could have qualified them for Drive-Thru's two-disc Listen to Bob Dylan, bristling with tips-o'-the-hat from Jason Mraz, Something Corporate and Rx Bandits.

Blood on the Tracks: "Blood on My Hands" (Todd Agnew's Reflection of Something), "Fist Wrapped in Blood" (Silverstein's Discovering the Waterfront), "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears" (Machine Head's "Elegies" DVD).

Four for the Road: BoDeans and Magic Slim recorded their live albums at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee and at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, California, respectively. Also, "Alcohol" is the first single on Brad Paisley's salute to the sauce, Time Well Wasted; and Waco Brothers cough up "Drinkin' & Cheatin' & Death" on Freedom and Weep.

Song Titles Of The Week:

"Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man's Bones," "Macaulay McCulkin" (The Fall of Troy's Doppelgänger)

Other Notables:

Taproot - Blue-Sky Research (Atlantic): Seeing as how it's been nearly three years since Taproot's Welcome, it may come as no surprise that the band came up with around 80 songs for Blue-Sky Research, with 13 cuts making the cut. Despite being on tour with Chevelle, they've managed to find time to shoot a video for the first single, "Calling." Other selections include "Lost in the Woods," "Violent Seas" and "Promise," all co-written by Billy Corgan.

Idlewild - Warnings/Promises (Capitol): The Scots seem to be snoozing on their fourth record, with songs like "As if I Hadn't Slept," "Too Long Awake" and "Goodnight," which ultimately puts the LP to rest. Released in March across the pond, this is the first album to feature the band's new bassist, Gavin Fox, and longtime touring guitarist, Allan Stewart.

Johnny Cash - The Legend: Limited Edition (Columbia/Legacy): The $329.98 price tag on this box-set-on-steroids might make you cry, cry, cry, but if you're a diehard fan, start filling up the piggybank. Unlike the standard set released earlier this month, this one has a 12-by-16-inch lithograph portrait and a hardback book of the same size. Plus there's a fifth disc, "Johnny Cash on the Air," featuring a 1955 recording of the Man in Black's first time on the radio, and a DVD containing a 1980 TV special.

Out Tuesday, August 16:

New releases:

• Todd Agnew - Reflection of Something (Ardent)
• Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring - The Battle: Live at Smoke (HighNote)
• Aly & AJ - Into the Rush (Hollywood)
• American Minor - American Minor (Red Ink/ Jive)
• Marc Antoine - Modern Times (Rendezvous Entertainment)
• Eddy Arnold - After All These Years (RCA Nashville)
  
• The Banner - Each Breath Haunted (Ferret)
• BEDlight for BlueEYES - The Dawn (Trustkill)
• David Benoit - Orchestral Stories (Peak/Concord)
• Elvin Bishop - Gettin' My Groove Back (Blind Pig)
• BoDeans - Homebrewed: Live From the Pabst (two CDs, Back Porch)
  Buy Now: Homebrewed: Live From the Pabst (Back Porch)
• Michael Brooks & Royal Priesthood - Michael Brooks & Royal Priesthood (Comin' Atcha)
• The Click Five - Greetings From Imrie House (Lava)
  Buy Now: Greetings From Imrie House (Lava)
  Read: "Click Five Winning Over Soccer Moms On Ashlee Simpson Tour"
• Shemekia Copeland - The Soul Truth (Alligator)
  Buy Now: The Soul Truth (Alligator)
• Cowboy Junkies - Early 21st Century Blues (Zoe/Rounder)
  Buy Now: Early 21st Century Blues (Zoe/Rounder)
• Joe Craven - Django Latino (Compass)
• Rodney Crowell - The Outsider (Columbia)
  Buy Now: The Outsider (Columbia)
• Cuban Link - Chain Reaction (Mob)
  Buy Now: Chain Reaction (Mob)
• Dirty - Hood Stories (Asylum/Rap-A-Lot)
• Hilary Duff - Most Wanted (Hollywood)
  Buy Now: Most Wanted (Hollywood)
  Read: "Cheaper By The Duo? Hilary Duff Teams Up With Madden Brothers For New LP"
• Aydin Esen, Anthony Jackson, Dave Liebman and Steve Smith - Flashpoint (Tone Center)
• The Fall of Troy - Doppelgänger (Equal Vision)
• Flotation Toy Warning - Bluffers Guide to the Flight Deck (Misra)
• Foghorn Stringband - Weiser Sunrise (Nettwerk)
• Gang Gang Dance - Hillulah (EP, Social Registry)
• Philip Gayle - The Mommy Row (Family Vineyard)
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Come on Back (Rounder)
• Goapele - Change It All (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Change It All (Columbia)
• Johnny Casino's Easy Action - We've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know (Steel Cage)
• Hanna-McEuen - Hanna-McEuen (DreamWorks Nashville)
• Harsh Krieger - Harsh Krieger (Megaforce)
• Idlewild - Warnings/Promises (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Warnings/Promises (Capitol)
• Rick James - Rick James Forever (Sanctuary Urban)
  Buy Now: Rick James Forever (Sanctuary Urban)
• Sheila Jordan and Cameron Brown - Celebration: Live at the Triad (HighNote)
• Madness - The Dangermen Sessions, Volume One (V2)
  Buy Now: The Dangermen Sessions, Volume One (V2)
• Magic Slim & the Teardrops - Anything Can Happen (Blind Pig)
• Bill Mays Trio - Live at Jazz Standard (Palmetto)
• Tony McManus & Alain Genty - Singing Sands (Compass)
• George McRae - Latest and Greatest Hits (Empire Musicwerks)
• Malcolm Middleton - Into the Woods (Chemikal Underground)
• Bart Millard - Hymned No. 1 (DualDisc same day; INO)
• Mira - There I Go Daydreamer (Projekt)
• Mr. Capone-E - A Soldier's Story (Thump)
• Nazarenes - Songs of Life (Heartbeat/Rounder)
• Salim Nourallah - Beautiful Noise (Western Vinyl)
• Oxes - Oxes EP (Monitor)
• Rocky Padilla - R&B Legend of the Underground (Thump)
• Brad Paisley - Time Well Wasted (Arista)
  Buy Now: Time Well Wasted (Arista)
• Papa Reu - Life & Music (Sanctuary Urban)
• Pras - Win Lose or Draw (Universal)
  Buy Now: Win Lose or Draw (Universal)
• Trevor Rabin - "The Great Raid" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
• Randy Rogers Band - Live at Billy Bob's (Image)
• Side Sixty Seven - Beyond Warped Live Music Series (DualDisc, Immergent)
• The Siegel-Schwall Band - Flash Forward (Alligator)
• Silverstein - Discovering the Waterfront (Victory)
• Sleeping People - Sleeping People (Temporary Residence)
• Stryper - Reborn (Big3)
• Taproot - Blue-Sky Research (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Blue-Sky Research (Atlanti)
  Read: "Taproot Tap Billy Corgan To Help Them Craft New LP"
• 10 Years - The Autumn Effect (Republic/Universal)
• 311 - Don't Tread on Me (Volcano)
  Buy Now: Don't Tread on Me (Volcano)
• 3rd Degree - The Pedestrian (Black Ice)
• Totalisti - Slaves to None (Magna Carta)
• Tren Brothers - The Swimmer EP (Western Vinyl)
• Unstable Ensemble - Embers (Family Vineyard)
• Waco Brothers - Freedom and Weep (Bloodshot)
• Jimmy Webb - Twilight of the Renegades (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Twilight of the Renegades (Sanctuary)
• A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner (Nitro)
• Windsor for the Derby - Giving Up the Ghost (Secretly Canadian)
• Abdel Wright - Abdel Wright (Weapons of Mass Entertainment/ Interscope)
• Xeronimo - Xeronimo (Universal Latino)
• Various artists - Hands Across the Water: A Benefit for the Children of the Tsunami (Compass)
• Various artists - Listen to Bob Dylan (Drive-Thru)
• Various artists - Luaka Bop Remix (Luaka Bop)
• Various artists - This Is Americana, Vol. 2 (American Music Association)
• Various artists - "Valiant" soundtrack (Disney)

Notable reissues:

• Johnny Cash - The Legend: Limited Edition (box set, Columbia/Legacy)
• Dr. Israel - Inna City Pressure (two bonus tracks, ROIR)
• Ahmad Jamal - The Legendary Okeh and Epic Recordings (Epic/Legacy)
• Killers - Hot Fuss: Limited Edition (Island)
  Buy Now: Hot Fuss: Limited Edition (Island)
• Taj Mahal - The Essential Taj Mahal (Columbia/ Private Music/ Legacy)
• Gerry Mulligan - Jeru (Columbia/Legacy)
• Tito Puente - The Essential Tito Puente (RCA/Legacy)
• Ramones - Weird Tales of the Ramones (box set, Rhino)
• Artie Shaw - The Essential Artie Shaw (Bluebird/Legacy)
• Woody Shaw - Live at the Village Vanguard (Columbia/Legacy)
• Horace Silver - Silver's Blue (Columbia/Legacy)
• Stooges - Fun House (deluxe edition, Rhino)
• Stooges - The Stooges (deluxe edition, Rhino)
• Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury, Fillmore East, Freak Out!, Läther (box set, Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All (remastered with mini album-jacket sleeve, Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - Roxy and Elsewhere (remastered with mini album-jacket sleeve, Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar (remastered with mini album-jacket sleeve, Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - Weasels Ripped My Flesh (remastered with mini album-jacket sleeve, Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - Zappa in New York (remastered with mini album-jacket sleeve, Rykodisc)

DVDs:

• Judy Collins - "Pop Legends Live" (SRO)
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Beyond the Beginning" (Sanctuary)
• Dizzy Gillespie - "Live in London" (Kultur)
• Benny Goodman - "At the Tivoli" (Kultur)
• Helloween - "Hellish Videos: The Complete Video Collection" (BMG)
• Herman's Hermits - "Pop Legends Live" (SRO)
• Chaka Khan - "Great Women Singers of the 20th Century" (Kultur)
• Abbey Lincoln - "Great Women Singers of the 20th Century" (Kultur)
• Machine Head - "Elegies" (Roadrunner)
• Magic Slim & the Teardrops - "Anything Can Happen" (live; Blind Pig)
• Randy Rogers Band - "Live at Billy Bob's" (Image)
• Sarah Vaughan - "Great Women Singers of the 20th Century" (Kultur)
• Nancy Wilson - "Great Women Singers of the 20th Century" (Kultur)
• Various artists- "The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons" (featuring David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, Janis Joplin and more; Shout! Factory)
• Various artists- "Jamboree" (Warner Bros.)

Coming Attractions:

August 23:

• Björk - "Drawing Restraint 9" soundtrack (One Little Indian)
• Jim Jones - Harlem: Diary of a Summer (Koch)
  Buy Now: Harlem: Diary of a Summer (Koch)
• Kurupt - Against the Grain (Death Row)
  Buy Now: Against the Grain (Death Row)

August 30:

• Death Cab for Cutie - Plans (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Plans (Atlantic)
  Read: "Death Cab For Cutie Living Up To The 'Death' Part On Next LP"
• Rihanna - Music of the Sun (Def Jam)
  Buy Now: Music of the Sun (Def Jam)
• Kanye West - Late Registration (Def Jam)
  Buy Now: Late Registration (Def Jam)
  Read: " 'Can He Do It Again?' — Kanye West Says New LP Backs Up His Bragging"

September 6:

• 50 Cent - The Massacre (re-release, Interscope)
  Buy Now: The Massacre (Interscope)
• Sarah McLachlan - Sarah McLachlan in Bloom (remix album, Arista)
• The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang (Virgin)
  Buy Now: A Bigger Bang (Virgin)
  Read: "Rolling Stones Announce World Tour, Unveil New Song"

• Hilary Duff
• The Click Five
• Rick James
• 311
• Taproot

Entertainer of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait

Female Vocalist of the Year
Terri Clark
Alison Krauss
Patty Loveless
Martina McBride
Dolly Parton

Vocal Group of the Year
Alabama
Diamond Rio
Dixie Chicks
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts

Vocal Duo of the Year
Bellamy Brothers
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Sons of the Desert
The Warren Brothers

Horizon Award
Gary Allan
Buddy Jewell
Joe Nichols
Blake Shelton
Darryl Worley

Vocal Event of the Year (Awards presented to artists and producer(s))

• "Beer for My Horses"
Artists: Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"
Artists: Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
Record Label: Arista Nashville

• "Picture"
Artists: Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow
Record Label: Lava/Atlantic

• "Tears in the Holston River"
Artists: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band featuring Johnny Cash
Record Label: Capitol Nashville

• "The Truth About Men"
Artists: Tracy Byrd (with Andy Griggs, Montgomery Gentry and Blake Shelton)
Record Label: RCA

Album of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s) and producer(s))

• American IV: The Man Comes Around -- Johnny Cash
Producer: Rick Rubin
Record Label: Lost Highway

• Home -- Dixie Chicks
Producers: Dixie Chicks and Lloyd Maines
Record Label: Open Wide/Monument/Columbia

• Man With a Memory -- Joe Nichols
Producer: Brent Rowan
Record Label: Universal South

• Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors -- Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors
Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw and Darran Smith
Record Label: Curb

• Unleashed -- Toby Keith
Producers: James Stroud and Toby Keith
Record Label: DreamWorks

Song of the Year (Awards presented to the songwriter(s) and publisher(s))

• "Beer for My Horses" -- Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Writers: Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick
Publishers: Tokeco Tunes and Big Yellow Dog Music

• "Celebrity" -- Brad Paisley
Writer: Brad Paisley
Publishers: EMI April Music and Sea Gayle Music

• "Have You Forgotten?" -- Darryl Worley
Writers: Darryl Worley and Wynn Varble
Publishers: EMI April Music, Pittsburg Landing Songs and Warner-Tamerlane Pub.

• "Red Dirt Road" -- Brooks & Dunn
Writers: Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn
Publishers: Sony and ATV

• "Three Wooden Crosses" -- Randy Travis
Writers: Doug Johnson and Kim Williams
Publishers: Mike Curb Music, Sweet Radical Music, Sony and ATV Tunes

Single of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s)and producer(s))

• Beer for My Horses" -- Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Producers: James Stroud andToby Keith
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "Celebrity" -- Brad Paisley
Producer: Frank Rogers
Record Label: Arista Nashville

• "Have You Forgotten?" -- Darryl Worley
Producers: Frank Rogers and James Stroud
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "Hurt" -- Johnny Cash
Producer: Rick Rubin
Record Label: Lost Highway

• "Three Wooden Crosses" -- Randy Travis
Producer: Kyle Lehning
Record Labels: Word, Curb and Warner Bros.

Music Video of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s) and director)

• "Beer for My Horses"
Artists: Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Director: Michael Salomon

• "Celebrity"
Artist: Brad Paisley
Director: Peter Zavadil

• "Concrete Angel"
Artist: Martina McBride
Directors: Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV

• "Hurt"
Artist: Johnny Cash
Director: Mark Romanek

• "Red Dirt Road"
Artist: Brooks & Dunn
Director: Steven Goldmann

Musician of the Year
Jerry Douglas -- Dobro
Paul Franklin -- steel guitar
Aubrie Haynie -- fiddle/mandolin
Brent Mason -- guitar
Randy Scruggs -- guitar

• Brooks & Dunn
• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Tim McGraw

Pat Green
Photo: Republic Records

Texas honky tonk phenomenon Pat Green sees his first national release chart respectably. Three Days debuts at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Green has sold over 200,000 independently made CDs at his shows in Texas ...

A TV movie inspired by Brad Paisley's 1999 #1 hit, "He Didn't Have To Be," is in the works for the TBS Superstation cable channel. Paisley will have a supporting role in the movie, and all the music in the program will be composed by the country star. Paisley also is one of three executive producers for the project. The song is a tribute to stepfathers from the perspective of a stepchild. "He Didn't Have To Be" recently spawned a book of the same name by Paisley and the song's co-writer, Kelley Lovelace ...

The Country Freedom Concert raised over $5 million for the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund. The all-star benefit concert was the highest-rated program in CMT history. Six million CMT viewers watched the live concert and its encore presentation on Sunday night. The concert was also broadcast on over 700 radio stations worldwide. The Country Freedom Concert included performances by George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and others. (MTVi parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT) ...

Delbert McClinton will sail to the Bahamas with the Del McCoury Band, the Derailers, Jeffrey Steele, ex-NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson, Marcia Ball, Bonnie Bramlett and other roots artists on his eighth annual cruise, January 12-19. The floating music festival sets sail on the Regal Empress from Port Manatee in Tampa, Florida, and stops in Nassau, Eleuthera and San Salvador. Passengers will be treated to up to 10 hours of live music a day ...

Although they were announced as being on the lineup for Sunday's Country Freedom Concert benefiting the Salvation Army, the Charlie Daniels Band did not appear at the Nashville event. Daniels dropped out several days before the concert because producers asked him not to sing "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag," an original song inspired by the September 11 attacks. "There was a creative difference of opinion," said CMT, which aired the concert live. "Charlie Daniels is an icon of country music and remains a fixture on CMT." ...

The Down From the Mountain tour, featuring many of the musicians on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album, is set to begin January 25 in Lexington, Kentucky, and will wrap up February 20 in Berkeley, California. Alison Krauss and Union Station, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, the Whites and Norman Blake comprise the 14-date tour's nucleus. …

Capitol Records has mined its vaults to compile United We Stand, a 14-track collection of inspirational and patriotic tunes. Chris LeDoux's "I Believe in America," Glen Campbell's "God Must Have Blessed America" and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" are featured alongside recordings by John Lennon, the Beach Boys, Al Green and others. Proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The set will be released November 6. ...

Merle Haggard has been added to the concert lineup for Swampstock 2001, happening October 28 in Tim McGraw's hometown of Rayville, Louisiana. "I'm thrilled to welcome Merle Haggard to Swampstock 2001," McGraw said in a statement. "I've been singing his songs for many years, and there's not a better artist in country music. I'm especially honored to have a Country Music Hall of Fame member on the Swampstock stage for the very first time." The eighth annual concert will also feature McGraw, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and the Warren Brothers. Proceeds from the concert and celebrity softball game will benefit New York fire and police funds as well as Rayville's little league baseball program and various other charities. ...

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack producer T Bone Burnett is working on an album with old-time mountain music patriarch Ralph Stanley. The album is being recorded in Nashville and will be released on Burnett's own new label, DMZ Records, which he is forming with the Coen Brothers, the "O Brother" movie producers. ...

Garth Brooks will launch his new album, Scarecrow, with a series of live radio specials on the album's release date, November 13. Brooks will guide listeners through the album and take caller questions live on the air. The specials will air during morning and afternoon drive times in all time zones, and will be offered to all country radio stations on a non-exclusive basis. "Wrapped Up in You," the album's first single, debuted at #22 this week on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. ...

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. ...

— sonicnet.com staff report

• Pat Green
• Brad Paisley
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Music City Jam With Brad Paisley at CRS 2008

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