Lauren Alaina is currently on tour with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, and the young star has nabbed the opportunity to sing the duet role in Aldean’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay“. This particular performance choice clearly delights fans, and I have to agree, its a great choice.

A fan recently caught their live performance on camera, and Alaina featured the video below on her homepage. The camera work is a little shaky, but Lauren’s obvious talent shines through anyway! Watch it and let us know what you think. Does she fill Clarkson’s shoes or not?

Lauren Alaina and Jason Aldean Live Duet of “Don’t You Wanna Stay”

The Houston Rodeo is a HUGE event in the country music community and it’s almost here! Take a look at the schedule below and plan your trip to the rodeo!

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - Alabama

Wednesday, Feb. 29 – Armed Forces Appreciation Day Kid Rock

Thursday, March 1 - Lady Antebellum

Friday, March 2 – Black Heritage Day sponsored by Kroger John Legend

Saturday, March 3 – Luke Bryan

Sunday, March 4 – Big Time Rush,

Monday, March 5 – Eli Young Band

Tuesday, March 6 – Enrique Iglesias

Wednesday, March 7 – Blake Shelton

Thursday, March 8 – ZZ Top

Friday, March 9 – Paint the Rodeo Pink Day Reba McEntire

Saturday, March 10 – Chris Young

Sunday, March 11 – Go Tejano Day sponsored by State Farm®. – Duelo, La Original Banda El Limon

Monday, March 12 – Zac Brown Band

Tuesday, March 13 – Miranda Lambert

Wednesday, March 14 – The Band Perry

Thursday, March 15 – Jason Aldean

Friday, March 16 - Train

Saturday, March 17 – RodeoHouston BP Super Series Championship: Brad Paisley

Sunday, March 18 – Cinch RodeoHouston Super Shootout: Alan Jackson

Several country stars, including Jason Aldean, Eric Church, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift are included in an upcoming multi-genre, compilation album, 2012 Grammy Nominations, which will release Tuesday, January 24th. For a complete list of country artist 2012 Grammy Nominations, see the list below!

The album features 22-tracks, and on it you will find Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s collab “Don’t You Wanna Stay“, Eric Church’s “Drink In My Hand“, Lady A’s “Just A Kiss“, Shelton’s “Honey Bee“, and Taylor Swift’s “Mean“. Portions of the proceeds from album sales will go to benefit the Grammy Foundation and the MusiCares Foundation, both founded by The Recording Academy.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on “Grammy Sunday“, February 12, 2012, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Complete List of 2012 Country, Bluegrass, Americana Grammy Nominations

Best Country Solo Performance
“Dirt Road Anthem“, Jason Aldean
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It“, Martina McBride
“Honey Bee“, Blake Shelton
“Mean“, Taylor Swift
“Mama’s Song“, Carrie Underwood

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Don’t You Wanna Stay“, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
“You and Tequila“, Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
“Barton Hollow“, The Civil Wars
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not“, Thompson Square

Best Country Song
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not“, Jim Collins & David Lee Murphy, songwriters (Thompson Square)
“God Gave Me You“, Dave Barnes, songwriter (Blake Shelton)
“Just Fishin‘”, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
“Mean“, Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“Threaten Me With Heaven“, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley & Dillon O’Brian, songwriters (Vince Gill)
“You and Tequila“, Matraca Berg & Deana Carter, songwriters (Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter)

Best Country Album
My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
Chief, Eric Church
Own The Night, Lady Antebellum
Red River Blue, Blake Shelton
Here For A Good Time, George Strait
Speak Now, Taylor Swift

Best Folk Album
Barton Hollows, The Civil Wars
I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive, Steve Earle
Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
Ukulele Songs, Eddie Vedder
The Harrow & The Harvest, Gillian Welch

Best Bluegrass Album
Paper Airplane, Alison Krauss & Union Station
Reason And Rhyme: Bluegrass Songs By Robert Hunter & Jim Lauderdale, Jim Lauderdale
Rare Bird Alert, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers
Old Memories: The Songs of Bill Monroe, The Del McCoury Band
A Mother’s Prayer, Ralph Stanley
Sleep With One Eye Open, Chris Thile & Micheal Daves

Best Americana Album
Emotional Jukebox, Linda Chorney
Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, Ry Cooder
Hard Bargain, Emmylou Harris
Ramble At The Ryman, Levon Helm
Blessed, Lucinda Williams

Best New Artist
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Best Song Written For Visual Media
“Where The River Goes” (From Footloose)
Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Drew Pearson & Anne Preven, songwriters (Zac Brown)
“Born To Be Somebody” (From Never Say Never)
Diane Warren, songwriter (Justin Bieber)
“Christmastime Is Killing Us” (From Family Guy)
Ron Jones, Seth MacFarlane & Danny Smith, songwriters (Danny Smith, Ron Jones & Seth MacFarlane)
“I See The Light” (From Tangled)
Alan Menken & Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi)
“So Long” (From Winnie The Pooh)
Zooey Deschanel, songwriter (Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward)
“You Haven’t Seen The Last of Me” (From Burlesque)
Diane Warren, songwriter (Cher)

BamaJam is back after missing the 2011 festival circuit, and the 2012 dates have been set! This year BamaJam will be from June 14th to June 16th outside Enterprise, AL in rural Coffee County. So far these are the only details available for this year, but with previous headliners including the likes of Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift, Hank Williams Jr., Kid Rock and others, we can be sure the line-up will be a good.

This will be the fourth BamaJam to take place since its beginning in 2008. It was canceled last year due to federal charges leveled at festival founder, Ronnie Gilley for bribing legislators. He is no longer a leader in the organization of the festival, but remains on staff with a company working with the festival’s entertainment venue, BamaJam Farms where the music event will be held.

Stay tuned for more details on 2012 BamaJam!

Over the past couple weeks, I have been hearing a lot of discussion about the most searched people through the obvious search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo…you get the idea. I am always surprised, well not surprised, but annoyed by who the “world” cumatively searches for the most. So, I thought, why not take a look at who country fans are searching for the most. That’s what we really care about anyway, right? So, I give you, YOUR top 3 most searched country artists of 2011! I am okay with these results, and I’m both surprised and not surprised. Take a look and let us know what you think.

1.Thompson Square
This duo is a definite up and comer, and they are rising fast. Everyone is completely in love with the hit “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?”, and it is clear you just can’t get enough! So, they are sitting here at number 1. They are an adorable couple and talented musicians, and we just love them! Clearly, you love them too!

2. Taylor Swift
No surprise here! Taylor has a massive following, finished up her hugely successful Speak Now World Tour, and released several hit singles. Oh yeah, and this is just a little thing, but she did also win CMA Entertainer of the Year. So, obviously there was a lot of information you needed to find out about her this year!

3. Jason Aldean
We have said it once and we will keep saying it, but 2011 was one heck of a year for Jason Aldean. He had a great summer tour, the fans love him, he was either nominated for or was winning an award left and right, and he released some amazing singles off his My Kind of Party album (my favorite is “Tattoos On This Town“). So, clearly you wanted to pay attention to Jason this year and we can’t blame ya!

Who is in your Top 3 for 2011? Be sure to comment below and let us know!

Jason Aldean has quite a bit to be thankful for, and appropriately he is sending out a shout-out to all of his fans who have supported him throughout his year of success after success! From releasing multiple hit singles off of his 2010 “My Kinda Party” to a successful summer tour to multiple award wins, Aldean has been on fire all year long. We have really enjoyed watching his rise from the side lines, and are proud fans of this talented artist! Check out the video below, and see Jason’s thank you to you and all his fans! Best of luck, Jason in 2012!!!

Watch the Special Thanks from Aldean!

Jason Aldean on WhoSay

Last night was the presentation of the CMT Artists Of The Year Awards, hosted by Rob Lowe. The honorees were Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley. The recipients were chosen based off of sales, radio airplay, concert grosses and activity on cmt.com.

Each artist was given a section of the 90 minute show that was dedicated to them with a performance, congratulatory words by others and a short acceptance speech.

Kenny Chesney had the special treat to have Gavin Degraw perform his hit “Somewhere With You“, where he did a fantastic job! A part of the show that ranks very high on my list was when Matthew McConaughey had a video message for Chesney that was too cute!

Lady Antebellum received kind words from many including their good friend Miranda Lambert and performed their brand new single “Dancin’ Away With My Heart.” It sounded great and by the reactions of Taylor Swift and the rest of the audience (including me at home), it looks like this will be another chart topper for them!

Jason Aldean performed his current single “Tattoos On This Town” and spoke of how this year was kind of a risk, but he was glad he did things on his terms. He wasn’t concerned about what people were telling him to do, he followed his gut and boy did it pay off! Nobody puts Jason in a corner!

Viewers were treated to a special treat with an energetic performance by The Avett Brothers. A band that is quite possibly one of the most cross-genre groups around (we aren’t quite sure what they are…folk, rock, indie, Americana, who knows)!

Taylor Swift also had someone else perform one of her songs, but this performance had a bit of a twist. The All American Rejects gave us their take on “Mean” while throwing in a little bit of their own hit “Gives You Hell!” It was great! She accepted her award from her good friend and fellow female country artist, Faith Hill.

Brad Paisley wrapped the night up for us, first by saying that Country Music was the best industry to be in because everyone was so nice and then by collaborating with Joe Walsh on “Camouflage!”

It was a great night for everyone, wish I could have been there! Congratulations again to all five of the talented acts!

The initial line-up for the 20th annual Wisconsin Country Thunder in Twin Lakes, WI has been announced, and you can check out who is slotted to perform so far below! The camping and concert festival will take place Thursday, July 19th through Sunday, July 22nd, and so far, it is looking like this is going to be one awesome weekend. Headliners include, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Blake Shelton and Big & Rich with additional performances by Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes, Brantley Gilbert, Steve Holy, Wade Bowen, The Farm, and Neal McCoy.

Tickets are available for four day passes or individual days, and concert goers can camp onsite or stay off site and just purchase a ticket to gain entrance to the festival grounds. Whether you’re a camper or just want to check out the music, you are bound to have one heck of a time! Stay tuned for more details as they are released!

Current Announced Line-Up

Thursday, July 19th
5:30-6:30pm The Farm
9:00-10:30pm Big & Rich

Friday, July 20th
4:00-5:00pm Wade Bowen
5:30-6:30pm Steve Holy
7:00-8:30pm Luke Bryan
9:00-10:30pm Jason Aldean

Saturday, July 21st
9:00-10:30pm Blake Shelton

Sunday, July 22nd
4:00-5:00pm Hunter Hayes
5:30-6:30pm Neal McCoy
7:00-8:00pm Brantley Gilbert
8:30-10:00pm Toby Keith

Lauren Alaina has been offered a spot on her very first official country tour with fellow Georgia natives Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. Aldean’s 2012 “My Kinda Party” Arena Tour will start January 20 in Greenville, SC and ends March 24 in East Rutherford, NJ.

“I am so excited to be a part of the Jason Aldean tour with Luke Bryan! I am a huge fan of both of them. I mean – if I wasn’t part of the line up, I would want to be in the front row! I am honored that my first major country tour will allow me to share the stage with two fellow Georgia artists. That is definitely my kind of party!” -Alaina

The 17-year-old will be supporting her debut album Wildflower and current single “Georgia Peaches” which is in the Top 40 on the country singles chart and rising!

Fox tried out its original awards show, American Country Awards, for the second year in a row Monday, December 5th. The fan-voted show which awards winners to scale guitar shaped trophies was a spectacular event hosted by Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenowith and featuring performances by Pistol Annies, Thompson Square, Eli Young Band, The Band Perry and more.

I’m happy to say that in the list of award shows we’ve already seen this year, this one stands out at least because of the winners (see full list below). Some of the winners include artists who have yet to be recognized with wins this year like Thompson Square and Chris Young. Others though have been winners, big winners actually, like Blake Shelton. However, Shelton was recognize for a work that hasn’t gotten quite as much attention from the industry as his other singles (guess that’s the bonus of a fan voted show!). Jason Aldean was another big winner, and really, no surprise their. He produced a great album, and clearly knows how to put on a show for his fans! Well-deserved all around!

All in all it was a good evening, but Fox probably still has a long way to go if it wants to compete for fans and viewers with the likes of the CMA Awards or even the CMT Awards.
Be sure to let us know what you thought about the show and the winners!

Complete List of 2nd Annual ACA Awards

Artist Categories

Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean

Artist of the Year: Male
Brad Paisley

Artist of the Year: Female
Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Duo/Group
Lady Antebellum

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough
Chris Young

Artist of the Year: New Artist
Scotty McCreery

Album

Album of the Year
My Kind of Party, Jason Aldean

Singles Categories

Single of the Year
“Voices“, Chris Young

Single of the Year: Male
“My Kinda Party“, Jason Aldean

Single of the Year: Female
“Mama’s Song“, Carrie Underwood

Single of the Year: Duo/Group
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not“, Thompson Square

Single of the Year: New Artist
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not“, Thompson Square

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
“Don’t You Wanna Stay?“, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

Music Video Categories

Music Video of the Year
“Who Are You When I’m Not Looking“, Blake Shelton

Music Video: Male
“Who Are You When I’m Not Looking“, Blake Shelton

Music Video: Female
“Mama’s Song“, Carrie Underwood

Music Video: Group/Duo/Collaboration
“Don’t You Wanna Stay”, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

Music Video: New Artist
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not“, Thompson Square

Tour

Tour of the Year
Jason Aldean

Noteworthy

Artist of the Decade
Toby Keith

Greatest Hits Award
Alabama