Big Country Notes for AUG 6

LITTLE BIG TOWN SINGER ARRIVES IN NASHVILLE WITH NEW DAUGHTER

Little Big Town's Kimberly Roads and her daughter Daisy Pearl have arrived safe and sound in Nashville. Young Daisy was supposed to be born in Nashville the end of August but she decided to make her debut a few weeks early, when the band was in Phoenix, Arizona on July 27th. Kimberly and her husband, Stephen Schlapman, are happy to be home with Daisy. Clint Black, who owns the group’s record label, says he loves the name Daisy Pearl. Black notes that they, quote, “both got a couple little flowers and pearls.” He and his wife Lisa Hartman Black have a daughter they named Lily Pearl. Black adds that even though Kimberly and Stephen are excited now, it’ll be nothing compared to when Daisy Pearl starts talking. Clint says, quote, “Any kind of communication, whenever they can start telling you what they want or think or asking you questions, it’s priceless.”

RODNEY ATKINS NEW COLLEGE GRAD

When Rodney Atkins left Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee and headed for Nashville to pursue a career in music, he was just a few credits short of earning his degree. Now the school offers a new major, Interdisciplinary Studies, and when officials there did research on students who qualify for that degree, Rodney’s name popped up. Atkins says he's thrilled, noting, “It’s very satisfying to finally have the degree in hand, especially after paying back all those student loans!” The singer, who was going for a major in psychology, jokingly adds, quote, “My parents must have thought I was trying to become an astronaut with the way I was just taking up space!” On a more serious note Rodney says, quote, “I think going to college was definitely a benefit to me.” The singer was presented with his degree last Monday at the Rodney Atkins Celebrity Golf Classic in Cookeville.

DIXIE CHICKS' NATALIE MAINES TAKES MOVIE ROLE

Natalie Maines will be taking on a different role in the coming months. According to Nashville's “Tennessean,” the Dixie Chicks frontwoman will portray a prison nurse in the upcoming movie “Stealing Cars.” Maines got the part after director Michael Skolniksaw her in the Dixie Chicks documentary, “Shut Up and Sing.” Natalie says she’s getting a few pointers from her husband, Adrian Pasdar, who stars in the NBC series “Heroes.” The singer tells “People” magazine that he's been, quote, “a huge help and very supportive.” Maines adds that he's offered her advice in the past on auditions, but the process, quote, "still makes me nervous because I'm inexperienced when it comes to acting." Filming on the project is scheduled to begin in September.

KENNY CHESNEY SAYS NEW ALBUM WILL REFLECT ALL SIDES

Kenny Chesney is known for his light-hearted songs, but he has a more introspective side, too. The singer says that aspect of his personality will also be heard on his upcoming album, “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates.” He cites as an example the song “Demons,” written by Grand Ole Opry star Bill Anderson and singer/songwriter Jon Randall. The track, which includes Vince Gill on lead guitar, is about the things that continue to haunt people long after the experiences are over. Chesney says, quote, “I feel like if I didn't sing songs like 'Demons' I wouldn't be pushing myself as an artist - or as a person.” He adds that some of the material on the new album helped him realize just who he is and understand he's at in life right now, and notes, quote, “I'm lucky, because I think my fans not only accept that level of honesty completely, I think some of them face the same thing in their own lives.” The album, due to be released September 11th, will be his first set of new music in over two years.

EMERSON DRIVE WRITING SONGS FOR NEXT ALBUM

Emerson Drive has barely had time to celebrate the group's first number one single, “Moments,” before having to start writing and looking for new songs. Lead singer Brad Mates says the band already has a couple possibilities. He explains that the group doesn’t just write a song and immediately go in and record it, but instead, quote, “we like to take songs on the road and work them up.” He adds that it’s important that everyone in the band like the song, so, quote, “we have to find music that relates to me as a singer and stuff that the guys enjoy playing that shows off their instrumentation.” Mates also admits that “Moments” has also opened new doors for the band. The guys in Emerson Drive now have the chance to write with different songwriters and have other hit songwriters pitch them tunes.

FAITH HILL TO RELEASE “THE HITS” THIS FALL

Faith Hill has a best-of collection in the works. “Faith Hill: The Hits” will cover the singer's 14-year recording career, and include such tracks as “Breathe,” “The Way You Love Me,” “Stronger,” “Cry” and “Piece Of My Heart.” Hill has been working on the disc while she’s been on the Soul2Soul tour with husband Tim McGraw, and she's received a lot of reassurance from fans that they want to hear these tunes. Hill's received hundreds of e-mails from fans telling her how much they’ve enjoyed hearing her sing their favorite songs when they come to see her perform. The album is scheduled to be released this fall.

JACK INGRAM RECALLS LESSONS OF CHILDHOOD

Jack Ingram says there are many moments from his childhood that come to mind when he sings his current single, “Measure of a Man.” The song chronicles the maturing of an individual from boyhood to manhood. One incident in particular that stands out for the singer is when, as a teenager, he and a couple friends wanted to find out what it would be like to smoke a cigarette. They decided to sate their curiosity in a fort they had built in the woods behind his house. Ingram continues, quote, “So we do our thing and as we’re leaving, we turn around a see these flames about six feet high coming up from the fort!” They tried to put the fire out but realized it was too big, so they called the fire department. Jack says, quote, “We tried to disguise our voices to the dispatcher, just like on ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’.’ The fire department came and put out the fire, and we thought we were off the hook.” But that wasn't the case. About five weeks later Jack’s dad asked him if he had something to tell him, and Jack notes, quote, “I remember thinking there are tons of things I probably could tell him! And after going back and forth, he finally asked me about the fire and I confessed I did it.” The result? Jack was grounded for a very long time.

TRACY LAWRENCE FINDING OUT HIS FRIENDS ARE NUMEROUS

Tracy Lawrence is celebrating his number one hit “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with several parties in Nashville. At the first one, held last week at the popular restaurant Cabana, a few of his friends dropped in to say congratulations. Kenny Chesney, who contributed vocals to the track, and Tracy’s hero George Jones were among those who stopped by, while Joe Diffie, Trent Tomlinson and Wade Hayes also showed up for the festivities. Friend Jason Aldean – who also counts himself a fan of Tracy's -- couldn’t make the party but still sends his best. Jason says, quote, “Tracy and Alabama are probably the two biggest influences that I have in my career. I couldn’t believe it when I found out he knew who I was and also was a fan of mine.” Tracy will celebrate again this week at a party for the song’s writers, Casey Beathard and Ed Hill.

ALAN JACKSON HAS A SOFTER SIDE

While Denise Jackson's book, “It’s All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life,” is not specifically about her husband Alan, she has been revealing a good deal about the singer as she promotes the project. In a recent interview with “Country Weekly,” Denise says there’s a softer side to Alan that his fans will probably never see. She offers, quote, “We have a little four-pound Yorkie that wears clothes and a barrette and has this pink fuzzy fur bed.” Denise notes that she thinks fans would be surprised to see Alan carefully removing the dog’s barrette before they go to bed because, quote, “He thinks it’s going to hurt her head while she sleeps.”
Jackson will release a new best-of collection tomorrow. “16 Biggest Hits” includes “Chattahoochie,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” I’ll Go On Loving You” and other fan favorites.

QUICK BITES

Big & Rich's John Rich has his 2005 Corvette on the auction block. The singer will donate all proceeds above the 50-thousand-dollar starting price to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. The car has just under 18-thousand miles on it and comes fully loaded. For those who want an additional star factor, Gretchen Wilson and Kid Rock have both been behind the wheel.

Country Music Hall of Famers Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs had a very successful television show in the 1960’s. Now fans who weren’t around to see the show in its first run -- or viewers who just want to reminisce -- can get two more volumes of “The Best of the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show” from Schanachie Entertainment and the Country Music Hall of Fame. The shows in this volume were taped in 1961 and 1962. One of their guests was a seven-year old Ricky Skaggs.

Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles says Jack Ingram has, quote, “the most fantastic, mischievous smile ever.” Ingram was likely smiling when he recently met Country Music Hall of Famer Glen Campbell. Here's another reason for Ingram to smile – he's been tapped to perform the national anthem when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Miami Dolphins in a pre-season football game on August 16th.

"THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM" DEBUTS AT TOP OF BOX OFFICE

Jason Bourne's quest to solve his the mystery of his past has taken out an animated dysfunctional family. "The Bourne Ultimatum" rocketed to the top of the box office charts in its debut weekend, with a take of more than 70-million-dollars. That knocked Homer, Bart and the other stars of "The Simpsons Movie" to second place. The "Simpsons" made just over 25-and-a-half-million-dollars in its second weekend. The canine caped crusader "Underdog" debuted in third place with 12-million. Rounding out the top five were "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" with ten-point five million and "Hairspray" with nine-point-three million-dollars.