Big Country Notes for JULY 30

Little Big Town Get Big Surprise On The Road

Little Big Town's Kimberly Roads has a daughter with a mind of her own. Daisy Pearl surprised everyone Friday when she made an early arrival in Phoenix, Arizona. Bandmates Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet accompanied Roads and her husband to the hospital for the special delivery. Kimberly says, quote, "Sweet little Daisy Pearl wasn't due for another three weeks, but it seems life on the road is just too exciting to be missed." After making sure mom, dad, and Daisy were okay, the other three band members headed for their next concert in Las Vegas. Westbrook notes it's the first time Little Big Town has performed as a trio, but adds, quote, "This is a special situation and we all decided that's what needed to be done." The band has five more dates left on Martina McBride's tour. They'll be in Paso, Robles, California tomorrow night. The other remaining stops for Little Big Town include in Portland, Oregon; Everett, Washington; Marietta, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho.
After Little Big Town returns to Nashville group members will go back in the studio to finish their sophomore album, which is scheduled for a fall release. The band will also get to repeat the excitement of welcoming a new one into their ranks this winter. Sweet and his wife Rebecca are expecting their first child, who's due in January.

“Six Degrees of Martina McBride" Debuts Tonight

Are there really only six people separating you and Martina McBride? Six potential stars will find out tonight on ABC's "Six Degrees of Martina McBride." The challenge for the would-be singers is to find someone who knows Martina. Once they reach her, they have to prove they can sing. Finally, one of them will receive a recording contract. Miranda Lambert serves as a judge for the performance portion of the competition. She can relate to the hopefuls, as she's been on the other side of the table before. Lambert got her break as a finalist on "Nashville Star." "Six Degrees of Martina McBride" also tells McBride's story, from her roots as a small town Kansas girl to her rise as a country superstar. Martina says she thinks the show has, quote, "a fascinating concept," and adds that she enjoyed being part of it.

Toby Keith Adds To Tour

Toby Keith is extending his time on the road. LiveDaily.com says the singer has added a handful of stops to his "Big Dog Daddy" tour, which will now include shows in Las Vegas, Nevada; Columbus, Ohio; and Corpus Christi and Hidalgo, Texas. Keith is on tour supporting his latest release, for which the tour was named. Miranda Lambert and Flynnville Train are also on board as opening acts. Their next performance will be in Morrison, Colorado on Thursday.
Toby Keith Tour Dates
August 2 - Morrison, Colorado, at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 3 - West Valley City, Utah, at the USANA Amphitheatre
August 4 - Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, at the We Festival
August 6 - Sturgis, South Dakota, at the Buffalo Chip Campground
August 9 - Atlanta, Georgia, at the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
August 10 - Tampa, Florida, at the Ford Amphitheatre
August 11 - West Palm Beach, Florida, at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre
August 16 - Hershey, Pennsylvania, at the Giant Center
August 17 - Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
August 18 - Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, at the Post-Gazette Pavilion
August 23 - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, at the Blossom Music Center
August 24 - Darien Center, New York, at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
August 25 - Saratoga Springs, New York, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 30 - Mountain View, California, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 31 - Irvine, California, at the Irvine Meadows/Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 1 - Stateline, Nevada, at Harveys Outdoor Arena at Lake Tahoe
September 2 - Kelseyville, California, at the Konocti Amphitheatre
September 6 - Albuquerque, New Mexico, at Journal Pavilion
September 7 - Phoenix, Arizona, at Cricket Pavilion
September 8 - Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
September 9 - Chula Vista, California, at the Coors Amphitheatre
September 12 - Allegan, Michigan, at the Allegan County Fair
September 13 - Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Riverbend Music Center
September 14 - Noblesville, Indiana, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 15 - Tinley Park, Illinois, at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
September 16 - Columbus, Ohio, at the Germain Amphitheater
September 22 - Mansfield, Massachusetts, at the Tweeter Center
September 23 - Hartford, Connecticut, at the New England Dodge Music Center
September 28 - Corpus Christi, Texas, at the American Bank Center
September 29 - Hidalgo, Texas, at the Dodge Arena

Alan Jackson's Wife Credits Him For Helping Her Rediscover Herself

Denise Jackson says she found herself after her husband, Alan, left her. In her book "It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life," the country star's wife tells Nashville's "Tennessean" newspaper that she changed from a confident, determined go-getter with a tomboy attitude after she and Alan married. She explains, quote, "He is a very strong personality, and the bigger his career became I evolved myself into him and really lost my identity." Jackson notes that it wasn't something Alan wanted, and admits that it was the singer who left her after he tried to talk to her about their relationship. In the book Denise addresses how the couple reconciled, and how their life together has changed since she turned her life over to the Lord. She adds that these days Alan has more respect for her, which is reflected in his actions. Denise Jackson's "It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life" will arrive in stores tomorrow.

Kenny Chesney Sets New Chart Record With Current Single

Kenny Chesney holds the new record for a chart-topping single with "Never Wanted Nothing More." It only took seven weeks for the song to hit number one on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs chart. That breaks the previous record of nine weeks, which Chesney also held with "When The Sun Goes Down" and "There Goes My Life." Kenny says he believes one reason his songs do so well is because his fans can identify with them. He explains that the fans seem to connect with the songs he writes, and he's also been successful at finding material written by other people that also resonate with his listeners. "Never Wanted Nothing More" is from Chesney's upcoming album "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates," which will arrive in stores on September 11th.

Montgomery Gentry Follow "Lucky Man" With Another Single About Values

Montgomery Gentry's Eddie Montgomery says the duo's new single, "What Do Ya Think About That," reflects the way he and partner Troy Gentry live. He notes that like their previous number one, "Lucky Man," "What Do Ya Think About That" talks about values and topics that are important to both of them. The song is the latest single from Montgomery Gentry's album "Some People Change."

Miranda Lambert Proud Of Texas Honors

Miranda Lambert says she's proud to have been recognized by her home state. The Texas House of Representatives recently passed a resolution honoring the singer-songwriter for her success in the music industry, which was the second time the state has acknowledged her accomplishments. Lambert says being awarded by Texas officials is special to her, in part because there are a lot of famous people from the state. Miranda continues to live in her hometown of Lindale, where she has a home not far from where her parents live. She also has a store where fans can stop by to chat while they look at some of her favorite memorabilia and pick up Lambert souvenirs.

Quick Bites

Big & Rich celebrated their first number one single Wednesday with a party in Nashville. "Lost In This Moment," penned by John Rich, Keith Anderson, and Rodney Clawson, was also the duo's first multiple week chart topper.

Kenny Chesney's "Flip Flop Summer" tour is outpacing every other country tour of 2007. According to "Pollstar" magazine, in the first 28 shows he played Kenny was seen by more than half-a-million people and grossed more than 33-million-dollars. That ranks his trek as the biggest country tour of the year to date and one of the top five tours of any music genre.

Songwriter Lawton Williams, who wrote Bobby Helm's "Fraulein," Gene Watson's "Farewell Party," and Bobby Bare's "Shame On Me," has died. This is the 50-year anniversary for "Fraulein," which went to number one in 1957. George Jones is remembering him as a very nice and talented man. Songwriter Bobby Braddock says Williams, quote, "was writing songs that were unique and original and that were hard country at a time when so much country was being influenced by rock and roll and rockabilly. He was a great songwriter." Williams was 85.




Simpsons Takes Box Office With Huge Opening Weekend

Homer, Marge and the kids have taken over the box office. "The Simpsons Movie" clocked in a whopping 71-point-eight-million-dollars, nearly getting back all of the estimated 75-million it cost to produce the film. The opening nearly doubled the studio's weekend expectations. Homer and his animated crew were also tops internationally, pulling in an estimated 100-million-dollars worldwide. Last week's leader, the Adam Sandler-Kevin James comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry," fell to a distant second place after taking in just over 19-million-dollars. Third place belonged to "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," with a 17-point-one million take. Rounding out the top five were "Hairspray" with 15-point-six-million dollars, and "No Reservations" with eleven-point-eight million.

Here are the top ten movies at the weekend box office:

1. "The Simpsons Movie" (71-point-eight-million-dollars)
2. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" (19-point-one-million-dollars)
3. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (17-point-one-million-dollars)
4. "Hairspray" (15-point-six-million-dollars)
5. "No Reservations" (Eleven-point-eight-million-dollars)
6. "Transformers" (Eleven-point-five-million-dollars)
7. "Ratatouille" (Seven-point-two-million-dollars)
8. "Live Free or Die Hard" (Five-point-four-million-dollars)
9. "I Know Who Killed Me" (Three-point-four-million-dollars)
10. "Who's Your Caddy?" (Two-point-nine-million-dollars)