• James Taylor, Tony Bennett and Tom Petty: Longest Streaks Before A No. 1 Album

    James Taylor is a legend. The dude's been around for nearly 50 years. He's seen fire and he's seen rain. But there was one thing that the songwriter never saw during his lengthy career in music: A no. 1 record. That finally changed this week when 'Before This World,' his first album of original material in more than 13 years, peaked at the top of the Billboard 200. That got us at Music Times wondering...what performer took the longest to get their first no. 1 album? We ranked the Top 5, from "least" years to most..including Tom Petty, Tony Bennett and more.
  • Brad Paisley Performs 'Dead Flowers' With the Rolling Stones in Nashville [WATCH]

    In the midst of the Rolling Stones' Zip Code Tour, the legendary group stopped by Nashville for a 20-song set highlighting their country-favored sounds in a gesture to Music City. Stone's classics including "Wild Horses," "Dead Flowers" and "Faraway Eyes" were performed with a bit more twang while Mick Jagger paraded around in a cowboy hat.
  • Branding Study Finds Country Women Like Carrie Underwood Resonate Most with Buyers

    A country radio DJ recently made headlines when he declared that if broadcasters were to feature less female-fronted music in their rotations, listener numbers would increase. That statement struck most decent human beings as stupid, and now a study from Creative Artists Agency—a company that specializes in branding—has given some solid proof that the statements were legitimately stupid. Turns out that three of the biggest six names among advertising's six biggest stars are country performers: Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Faith Hill.
  • Carrie Underwood Wins 3 CMT Music Awards; Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean Place

    A good way to win a CMT Music Award might be to just stick Carrie Underwood in your video and run with it...nearly every nomination including the American Idol winner took home a prize on Wednesday night. Underwood herself won for Video of The Year with "Something In The Water" and Female Video of The Year for the same song, while her appearance helped Miranda Lambert to win the Collaborative Video of The Year with "Somethin' Bad." Underwood was also nominated for Female Video for her clip "Little Toy Guns," and alas, she couldn't win twice.
  • Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean among CMT Awards Performers

    The Country Music Television Awards has announced the first wave of performers that will appear at the show on June 10, including Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum are also slated to appear. The show will continue to announce performers up until the broadcast, and the actual host is expected to be revealed soon.
  • NBC Names 'The Wiz' as Next Live Adaptation, but Who Will Fill Diana Ross and Michael Jackson's Shoes?

    NBC has announced the newest installment of its live musical broadcasts, declaring that 'The Wiz' will be the next target of its ambitions, following the performance of 'Peter Pan' during 2014 and 'The Sound of Music' during 2013, starring Carrie Underwood. As Music Times previously reported, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the original Broadway treatment of the urban 'Wizard of Oz' adaptation.
  • Grand Ole Opry House Added to National Register of Historic Places, Joining Ryman Auditorium

    The current home of the Grand Ole Opry franchise has been added to the National Register of Historic Place. It might come as a shock to country music fans that the Grand Ole Opry is juts now being added to the Register but relax: This is actually the sixth home that the foundation has had in its nearly 90-year run in Nashville, and the Opry House has served as the host longer than most, having now operated for 41 years.
  • Grammys 2015 Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Who Should & Will Win: Tight Race Between The Band Perry and Little Big Town

    Bringing in featured talent for a country tune has increased in popularity over the past few years. This year's nominees in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category are split between solid solo acts calling in their buddies and groups that conquered the charts with no assistance. Keith Urban and Eric Church collaborated on "Raise 'Em Up" while Tim McGraw brought in his wife, Faith Hill, for "Meanwhile Back at Mama's." Then there's the power duo of Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood on "Somethin' Bad." But the two big contenders here are Little Big Town and The Band Perry.