Country 107.1

 Entertainment Weekly has picked Brad Paisley as its Must Country Crooner, in part because upcoming album American Saturday Night is more revealing than past works. "I feel like I'm in open-heart surgery on the Health Channel,'' laughs Brad. ''The new frontier for me is digging in and saying, 'I mean it.'" EW also highlights upcoming single "Welcome to the Future" as a "hope-fueled anthem" that Brad calls "my favorite thing I've ever put on tape."The new Cd drops june 30th , keep an eye on the country store for your copy .

Sugarland will precede the Aug. 4 release of their upcoming live DVD/CD set by appearing in their first ever TV special the night before. Punch up ABC at 8 p.m.to witness Sugarland: Live on the Inside, which features footage from 20 cameras , of a show given by the duo in Lexington, Kentucky.

Dierks Bentley was named by Forbes.com as one of 10 media and entertainment personalities who seem primed and ready for breakout success. The list centers around those people who have a strong likability factor, but a low audience-awareness score.

Get ready for a new Keith Urban tune. The third single off Keith Urban's Defying Gravity album will be Only You Can Love Me This Way. Listen for the tune starting June 29, two days before that, Keith will film a video for the song at his show in Des Moines, Iowa.

 Southern Blend by Tim McGraw, the singer's second fragrance, will be available in August. The cologne will feature notes of a number of aromas, including amber, lavender, grapefruit -- even tobacco and whiskey! It is expected to be a little lighter than his other scent, McGraw by Tim McGraw, but still retain a masculine feel.

 Head to Wal-Mart or just fire up your computer and hit the 'Wally Worlds  website, on Aug. 4, in order to snag yourself a copy of Sugarland's Live on the Inside. The two-disc set includes a DVD that contains more than an hour of performances from Jen and Kris, plus a 10-song CD that features covers of tunes originally made famous by the likes of R.E.M., Beyoncé, B-52's and Pearl Jam.

 Kellie Pickler, a fairly new convert to the world of meat-free dining, has taken the top spot in the 2009 edition of an annual poll that seeks to identify the world's sexiest vegetarian. The singer, who shuns animal flesh because of cruelty concerns, beat out a stacked field that also counted Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain as nominees.

 Miranda Lambert will release her third album, Revolution, on Sept. 29. Three of the recording's songs were composed solely by Miranda. "It's a compilation of everything I have ever listened to and fell in love with," says Miranda of Revolution. "I hope people have as much fun getting to know me through listening as I did getting to know myself in recording it."

 Gary Allan revealed a number of interesting pieces of information during his annual fan club party. For one, his next album, which will be released sometime in the fall, could very well feature a duet with LeAnn Rimes on a cover of "Gasoline and Matches." In addition, Gary intends to issue a live set sometime in the future, as well as a live DVD and perhaps a holiday recording

Taylor Swift  will be involved in the opening segment of Tuesday's CMT Music Awards. The singer is expected to team up with hip-hop artist T-Pain, although it's not yet known exactly what the pair will be doing, or singing, while onstage.A number of other country stars have been named as presenters during the ceremony, including Billy Currington, Martina McBride, Rodney Atkins, Julianne Hough and Lee Ann Womack

 Country has a strong presence on the latest edition of the Forbes Celebrity 100, which is based on pretax income and exposure on a variety of platforms (online, TV, radio and print) from June 2008 to June 2009. Three names Rascal Flatts #. 42, Toby Keith # 59 and Taylor Swift # 69are new, while the other three (Miley Cyrus # 29 Kenny Chesney # 31 and Carrie Underwood # 75 are C100 "veterans."

 Dierks Bentley could have ben on Dancing With The Stars .There's a reason why I play guitar," says Dierks  "I have no dance moves. I was asked to be on the first season of 'Dancing With the Stars,' and whether I wanted to or not, it was like, 'Ah, sorry. There's just no hope for me. I don't care if you get the best trainer in the world.' There's a reason why I picked up the guitar to meet girls: Dancing was never gonna work. I do a really bad version of the running man, but after that, it's pretty bad!"

 Tuesdat morning John walked into Cafe Coco,  near downtown Nashville, and ordered a beer. The bartender told him that he would have to finish the beer by 3 a.m., as required by Tennessee state law. John then asked to borrow a guitar, and began playing a few songs for the remaining patrons. As John was singing, a server asked him to give up his beer, which he was apparently unwilling to do. As the server prepared to take the bottle, John allegedly grabbed it from the server's hands and threw it over a fence. A police officer, who was in the club, advised John to leave immediately, which he did. A citation was not issued.

 Troubadour, George Strait's CD that was released April 1, 2008, has just been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. That gives King George  his 33rd career full-length to top the 1 million mark, which leads all country artists

Will Jason Aldean's new single, "Big Green Tractor," follow "She's Country" into the No. 1 slot on the country charts? Time will tell. "There's nothin' more romantic than a tractor," quips Jason. "If you live in South Georgia, a Saturday night out on the tractor with your girl is probably not that far-fetched of what could be considered a good 'date night.'"

 Sugarland are one of the dozen-plus country artists who are decorating a series of acoustic guitars that will be auctioned off to benefit the Opry Trust Fund at a June 12 event in Nashville. Others who will contribute designs include Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Jamey Johnson, Kellie Pickler and Craig Morgan

 Taylor Swift feels fortunate to call fellow country stars Kellie Pickler and Miranda Lambert her friends. "I'd have a lot less friends if I was competitive," she says. "I feel like it's so much more fun to think of these girls as friends and hang out with them than to feel like there is constant competition.

Mark Aug. 11 on your calendar that's when Sara Evans will publish her very first novel, which is titled The Sweet By and By. Co-written with Rachel Hauck, the book tells the story of young bride-to-be Jade Fitzgerald, who must deal with her family's troubled past when her mother and younger sister arrive for the wedding

Carrie Underwood earned an estimated $14 million last year, making her the year's top earner among American Idol contestants, according to Forbes magazine. The tally reflects her touring income, recording royalties and endorsement deals. Jennifer Hudson comes in second with an estimated $5 million, followed by Kelly Clarkson with $4.2 million. Kellie Pickler came in fifth, with $2.3 million, due to strong album sales and her Sexy Hair product endorsement deal.

Martina McBride has proven that she can sing her way through all kinds of country songs. But does she have what it takes to be successful in the world of winemaking? We'll soon find out, as Blackbird Vineyards Napa Valley has teamed up with Martina to launch the 2006 Martina McBride Signature Series Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine, which will be made available to the public later this year