MORE GOOD (STOCKING) STUFF…with Kellie, Jake, Chris, Brad, and more!
- The wonderful Kellie Pickler has long been a huge supporter of our armed forces and the USO, and Kellie recently tweeted, “Hello Loves, the BEST Christmas gift you could give me this year is to please help with this-> http://t.co/TXuN3l32.” Last week, Kellie kicked-off the USO’s You Make the Call initiative, with the goal of providing 10 million minutes of talk time for our far-away troops to be able to connect with their loved ones this holiday season. The target date to meet the 10-million-minute goal is December 20th. You can make a donation at the link in Kellie’s tweet, and learn more about You Make the Call on the USO website, here. And speaking of Kellie Pickler this holiday season, she’s one of the stars making Christmas bright as part of CMA Country Christmas, which re-airs this Saturday at 9pm, ET, on ABC.
- If you missed the recent FOX broadcast of the American Country Awards, forget the yule log, and tune-in for a re-airing as GAC premieres the show this Saturday, December 17th, at 10pm, ET! Hosted by Trace Adkins and Kristen Chenoweth, the big show features performances by Blake Shelton, Pistol Annies, Alabama, and a host of others, including (spoiler alert if you haven’t been paying attention!) two-time winner, Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist and show performer Chris Young!
- Another American Country Awards winner, Artist of the Year: Male Brad Paisley was profiled this past Sunday in a feature on CBS Sunday Morning. If you didn’t get to see it, you can catch it online here!
- And speaking of the good Mr. Brad Paisley, Brad joined forces with his friend, Joe Kindregan, when Brad recorded Joe’s song, “Hard Life.” Joe suffers from a condition known in layman’s terms as A-T, which sadly is a rare, fatal genetic disease that combines symptoms of cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, immune deficiencies, and cancer. Joe and Brad met at a fundraising event in 2005, and their longtime friendship led to Brad’s recording of Joe’s song about facing life with A-T. The song is available for purchase here — — and at all digital music outlets. The release of “Hard Life” marks a special initiative on behalf of the non-profit A-T Children’s Project, the yearlong beneficiary of Brad’s artist royalties from U.S. digital single sales of the song. You can learn more of the story behind the song on this page on the website of The A-T Children’s Project at www.atcp.org.
- Another good guy, Jake Owen, was disappointed this past weekend when heavy rains and safety concerns forced the postponement of his annual hometown charity concert at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Florida. Not to be deterred, Jake and concert special guest Chris Young delivered an impromptu show at one of Jake’s college hangs, the Riverside Café, playing into the wee hours for a standing-room-only audience. As we told you recently, Jake’s concert is the closing event of the annual Mardy’s Tennis & Jake’s Music Fest that he stages with his longtime buddy and number-one ranked U.S tennis player Mardy Fish. All tickets will be honored for the new concert date to be announced soon.
- December 17th double-birthday wishes to Ben Helton and Russ Caldwell, both members of new RCA Records band, Bush Hawg! Be listening for exciting music from them in 2012, and learn more about the band online at BushHawg.net!
