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Levon Helm’s Battle With Throat Cancer Enters ‘Final Stages’
Levon Helm drummed and sang his way into the hearts of music lovers everywhere as a member of the Band. And while he came into the industry as a rocker, Helm also has a special place with country fans, as he is also known for his country-tinged voice and his role as Loretta Lynn‘s father in the 1980 film ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ which told the story of Lynn’s life. Sadly, after battling throat cancer since 1998, Helm is said to be in the final stages in his war with the disease.
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Jake Owen Dishes on ‘Timeless’ Engagement Ring on Fiancee’s Finger
When we watched Jake Owen propose to now fiancee Lacey Buchanan spontaneously at a show in Vero Beach, Fla., the one little missing detail was the ring. Since Owen made a bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision to seal the deal with Buchanan in front of his hometown audience on April 7, he hadn’t quite had the time to go out and pick out the perfect rock. Now that he and his bride to be have had a few days to let the excitement settle and make some decisions, Owen is opening up and dishing on the details of the ring.
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Miranda Lambert to RaeLynn: ‘You Don’t Have to Finish First to Win’
In a surprising turn of events on Tuesday night’s episode of ‘The Voice,’ celebrity coach Blake Shelton ended up eliminating his only remaining country act: blonde country cutie RaeLynn. And while Shelton admitted immediately after the live show that he had to go with his gut and judge her truly on her very last performance, he also acknowledged that his wife Miranda Lambert probably wouldn’t be too keen on his decision.
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Taylor Swift Is ‘Very Nice’ But Just a Friend, Harry Styles Says
It’s a swing and a miss again for Taylor Swift fans and media outlets who want to see the starlet latched on to a star. Harry Styles, member of the 5-piece British-Irish boy band One Direction, did in fact meet Miss Swift stateside, but though he even describes her as “nice,” it looks like diehard fans are going to have to throw the line back into the water and wait for another bite. No wedding bells (or even dating bells) here, guys.
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2012 CMA Music Festival Lineup Scores Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers + More
As the star-laced lineup for the 2012 CMA Music Fest is unrolled, it would seem the Country Music Association is saving the most legendary for last. The Association just announced the newest talent slated to set their boots on the stage of Nashville’s LP Field in early June, and they’re undoubtedly adding some of the biggest heavy hitters yet. Among them are legends like Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap and the Mavericks, who will be reuniting for the show after almost 10 years apart.
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George Jones Postpones Shows for Health Reasons
Just a few weeks ago, country legend George Jones was released from the hospital after a six-day stay for an upper respiratory infection. While Jones seemed to be on the mend at the time, and planned to dive back into his tour schedule starting April 20, the ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ legend just announced on his website that he’s postponing his shows this weekend — April 20 and 21 — due to an ongoing recovery.
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Carrie Underwood to Appear on ‘Live on Letterman’ Webcast
Carrie Underwood fans are waiting expectantly for May 1, when they will finally be able to snag a copy of the starlet’s upcoming record ‘Blown Away.’ But before her newest work hits the shelves, the ‘Before He Cheats’ singer is poised to hit the web as a part of a ‘Live on Letterman’ webcast. The award-winning concert series will feature Underwood performing a mix of her beloved hits and her new single ‘Good Girl‘ from her forthcoming record.
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Keith Urban’s All for the Hall Benefit Concert Raises $465K
Last Tuesday (April 10), Keith Urban and a host of celebrity acts took Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena by storm to play to a sold-out audience of nearly 14,000 fans. The event, the Urban-hosted We’re All for the Hall benefit concert, served to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This year, Urban was joined by Vince Gill, who helped him land on the theme to celebrate country duos, vocal groups and bands.
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Sugarland’s Tour Manager Becomes the Focus of Indiana State Fair Lawsuit
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Garth Brooks Sells Out Calgary Stampede Show in Less Than a Minute
As we reported earlier, Garth Brooks is headed up to Canada later this year to take part in the Calgary Stampede music festival, which will last from July 6 to July 15. Brooks will be bringing his show to the Calgary audience on July 12, and no sooner had tickets for his show gone on sale Saturday than they were gone. In just 58 seconds, according to the Calgary Herald, every single one of the 15,322 tickets for Brooks’ show had been purchased.
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Eric Church Tips His Hat to Simple American Life in New ‘Springsteen’ Music Video
His fans had long been waiting for it, and Eric Church finally premiered his ‘Springsteen’ music video on Friday, April 13. A direct tribute to the Boss, Church wears a vintage American flag around his neck and sports his aviator sunglasses in several of the shots as well.
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Blake Shelton’s ‘Drink on It’ Tops the Charts
We have to raise a glass to Blake Shelton today, as he just hit No. 1 with his single ‘Drink on It,’ marking the ACM and CMA Male Vocalist of the Year’s sixth consecutive No. 1 single. The song is Shelton’s 11th ever to hit No.1 on the charts.