Big Country Notes for Sept 26

DOLLY PARTON BRINGING NEW SINGLE TO “DANCING WITH THE STARS”

Dolly Parton's making an appearance on tonight's episode of ABC's “Dancing With the Stars. But the singer says fans shouldn't expect to see her taking a twirl on the floor. She notes that she'll be there to perform her new single “Better Get To Livin’.” It'll mark Dolly's TV debut of the song. Parton notes that she knows better than to take a spin around the ballroom, adding that she'll be wise to just stick to what she knows best. “Better Get To Livin'” is from Dolly's upcoming album, which she'll issue on her own Dolly Records after the first of the year.

JASON MICHAEL CARROLL STARTS HIS DREAM GIG TONIGHT

Jason Michael Carroll says he's excited about hitting the road with Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson. The singer is starting his stint on the trek with tonight's show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's the first on nine shows for which Carroll will serve as the opener. His run of dates includes stops in the Northeast, Rocky Mountain states, and Western U.S., and will come to a close in San Diego, California on October 14th.

A list of the dates follow:
September 26 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the Molson Amphitheatre
September 28 - Holmdel, New Jersey, at the PNC Bank Arts Center
September 29 - Albany, New York, at the Times Union Center
October 5 - Denver, Colorado, at the Pepsi Center
October 6 - Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Journal Pavilion
October 7 - Phoenix, Arizona, at Cricket Pavilion
October 12 - Concord, California, at the Chronicle Pavilion
October 13 - Irvine, California, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
October 14 - San Diego, California, at the Coors Amphitheater

THE EAGLES FLY ONTO THE CMA AWARDS STAGE

The Eagles will be joining in at the Country Music Association Awards this fall. The band, whose single “How Long” has been accepted by country fans, will perform at the event. The song is the first release from the group’s upcoming album “Long Road Out of Eden.” It'll be The Eagles first CMA appearance as a group, but the second time participating at a CMA ceremony for singer-drummer Don Henley. He was previously nominated in the CMA Vocal Event category with Trisha Yearwood for “Walkaway Joe.” The two performed the song on the 1992 awards show. The 41st Annual CMA Awards will be held in Nashville November 7th and air on ABC.

FAITH HILL TO GIVE FANS SPECIAL TREAT IN NEW YORK CITY

Faith Hill will release her first best-of collection next week. On the day the disc hits stores the singer will be in New York City for a special event. Hill will be onstage Lincoln Center’s famed Allen Room, where she'll offer a performance as well as talk about her life and her 15-year career in front of an audience of some of 250 lucky fans. In her discussion she'll be answering questions fans have submitted through her website. Hill's “The Hits” includes “This Kiss,” “Wild One,” Breathe” and “Piece of my Heart,” along with her new single “Red Umbrella.” The disc will be in stores Tuesday.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD SETS SINGLE DAY STREAMING RECORD ON CMT

Carrie Underwood has set another record. The singer’s newest music video, “So Small,” set single day streaming records for CMT.com during its exclusive debut last Thursday. CMT officials expect it to set full week streaming records as well. In its first week out the clip was available exclusively on CMT.com. The web site’s single day traffic on September 20th shot up ten-percent over the site’s daily average. During its debut week, “So Small” is projected to stream an estimated 200-thousand times. CMT.com's exclusive streaming of “So Small” will end on Friday.

TIM MCGRAW AMONG TOP EARNING MUSICIANS

A top selling tour and million selling albums have earned Tim McGraw a place in the “Forbes Top Earning Musicians” for 2007. McGraw is listed as having estimated earnings of 37-million-dollars. The Rolling Stones have the top ranking, with an estimated take of 88-million-dollars. Others on the list include Jay-Z, Madonna, Elton John, and Justin Timberlake. The list is based on artists' approximate incomes from June 2006 until June 2007. McGraw is the only country artist to make the “Forbes” list.

PAM TILLIS TO RELEASE FIRST HOLIDAY ALBUM

Pam Tillis’ first holiday release, “Just In Time For Christmas,” will be released just in time for fans to pick it up during their holiday shopping sprees. On the disc Tillis is said to balance a folksy country sound and “uptown torch.” The singer says, quote, “I just wanted to make a Christmas album as comfortable and familiar as your favorite winter sweater.” Tillis is well versed in holiday music, so it was easy to choose songs for the project. She notes that some of her favorite tracks are “Silent Night,” “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” and “Pretty Paper.” The CD also boasts three new songs. Pam's also made the record a family affair, as her father, Mel Tillis, and some of her nieces and nephews make guest appearances. “Just In Time For Christmas” will be released on November 13th.

COUNTRY CLIPS AMONG FANS' CHOICES FOR UPCOMING GRAMMY SPECIAL

Alan Jackson's performance of “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning,” Shania Twain singing “Man, I Feel Like A Woman,” and Faith Hill belting out “Breathe” are among the Grammy moments under consideration for an upcoming special about the annual awards event. Fan-voted clips will be featured in the show, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the ceremony. Another country segment in the running is a tribute to Southern Rock featuring Tim McGraw, Gretchen Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Keith Urban; while other performances with country connections include “Four Pianos,” showcasing Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Little Richard; and Whitney Houston’s rendition of the Dolly Parton classic “I Will Always Love You.” In total there are 50 clips from which the public can choose. Half of those moments will be included in "My Night At The Grammys." The two-hour special will air on CBS on November 30th.

QUICK BITES

Keith Urban has added another show to his extended “Love, pain and the Whole Crazy World” tour. He'll be playing second date in London, Ontario, Canada to close out the trek on December 16th.

Trent Wilmon’s video for “There Is A God” is currently streaming on CMT.com. It'll also be posted on his website - www.trentwillmon.com – this week.

One of the songs on Merle Haggard’s upcoming bluegrass album is titled “What Happened.” It’s the singer’s take on what he considers to be the damage done while George W. Bush has been president. Haggard tells “Rolling Stone,” quote, “I hope it’s not too late to fix things. But I don’t think it’s going to happen in our lifetime.”