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Toby Keith established his own record company, Show Dog Nashville, in September 2005, and that’s created a unique situation in which Toby will be releasing three full albums this year. One of them is intended to fulfill an obligation to his former label. It will end up a little similar to Garth Brooks‘ The Ultimate Hits package, bolstered by a retrospective of his career through ‘05. “I’m giving them one [new] single, and then they’re going to put on every hit song that we had from ‘93, ‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy‘ on up to ‘As Good As I Once Was,’” Toby tells Neil Haislop’s Nashville IQ. “That’ll be out in the spring.” Also coming in 2008 are two albums on Show Dog: a new studio album and the soundtrack to the movie “Beer For My Horses“.

Country newcomer, Chuck Wicks joins Brad Paisley for his Bonfires And Amplifiers Tour which kicked off in Denver last night. “I am so excited to be on the road with Brad Paisley, and I know that I will learn so much from him,” said Wicks. “To go from playing for small audiences to opening an arena show in such a short time is incredible. I don’t know what to expect, but I expect great things.” Wicks single, “Stealing Cinderella,” is currently a top 15 hit and continues to climb the country music charts. It was the fastest rising single from a debut artist in 2007.

Gary Allan’s new album, “Living Hard” is received well by fans worldwide. The positive reviews are flooding in, like this one from “As Long As You’re Looking Back tells the listener to move forward, don’t dwell on the past. If you can’t quit reliving the past, you don’t have much of a future, getting your heart broke is not the end of the world, there is more out there. “Wrecking Ball” reminds me of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, it has the southern rock feel, great song to dance to, try to stay in your seat and not tap your foot to the beat. Talks about a woman that just catches his eye and that is it, he is putty in her hands, he knows she isn’t good for him, but just can’t help himself.”

People.com reports that country music superstar Tim McGraw joined former Saturday Night Live star Jimmy Fallon in an impromptu, late-night, sing-a-long. The pair reportedly took over the mostly empty lounge around 1 a.m., and, with a female friend pounding away on the piano, sang their way through such standards as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind.” The only audience was a booth of four women, but the singing duo, standing on opposite sides of the piano, belted out lyrics, as laughter flooded into the hotel lobby. When asked about the noise by a curious hotel patron, the desk clerk reportedly apologized, saying, “Jimmy Fallon and Tim McGraw singing together … Only at the Beverly Hills Hotel.”

How do Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith and other stars balance home life and music?

Country Weekly asked some of country’s top stars to share their secrets for keeping both their careers and families going strong. Alan Jackson reveals that it’s important to simply stay grounded. “[Wife] Denise and I started dating when we were in high school,” explains Alan, “so for the first 10 years of our marriage I was an ‘average guy.’ And Denise has reminded me over the years, ‘No one was throwing themselves at you when you worked second shift at the Kmart warehouse.’ That has been a good thing to remember.” Trace Adkins follows a similar path with his family. “My children have always kept me grounded, because to them, I’m just dad,” says Trace. “They’re not impressed by my celebrity, which keeps it in perspective.” Also featured in this cover story are Rodney Atkins and his family, Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman, and the families of Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry.

To read this story, pick up the Nov. 5 issue of Country Weekly, on newsstands now.

~Courtesy of Country Weekly