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Country Music News: AP-AMPrep-Country
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KENNY CHESNEY MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE ON GRAND OLE OPRY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Kenny Chesney wowed some lucky fans at
the Grand Ole Opry on Friday. He made a surprise appearance in
support of Tim Hensley, one of his band members. The pair performed
the classic ``Workin‘ on a Building‘‘ that is included on Hensley‘s
new bluegrass CD. Chesney co-produced the record.
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KENNY CHESNEY BRINGING HORN SECTION ON THE ROAD FOR HIS ENTIRE TOUR
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Kenny Chesney says he‘s upping the fun
factor on his upcoming ``Poets and Pirates 2008 Tour.‘‘ He‘s added
a horn section for the entire run of the tour. Chesney says,
``Songs everybody knows get a new shine, some more punch...and it
just really takes things up a notch.‘‘ Chesney‘s tour kicks off in
Uncasville, Connecticut, on April 18th and 19th.
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TOBY KEITH TO OPEN NEW RESTAURANT IN ARIZONA
MESA, Ariz. (AP) _ Toby Keith is expanding his restaurant chain
to Arizona. He‘s opening one of his I Love This Bar and Grill in
Mesa, Arizona. It‘s going to have an 80-foot guitar-shaped bar.
Keith opened his first I Love This Bar and Grill in downtown
Oklahoma City in June 2005. Since then, he‘s opened restaurants in
Harrah‘s casino in Las Vegas and in North Kansas City, Missouri.
The restaurants are named after Keith‘s 2003 hit, ``I Love This
Bar.‘‘
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Myra Lopez
Toby Keith is opening a new restaurant in Arizona. ((wrap opens
with music))
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JEWEL SAYS HER MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN COUNTRY-TINGED
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Jewel doesn‘t think the fact she‘s
coming out with a country album is going to give her fans whiplash.
She says, ``I‘ve been who I am my whole career. I didn‘t wake up
suddenly one day and change what I‘m doing and take a left turn.‘‘
She says she‘s been writing and singing country songs her whole
career. Jewel says she feels a lot of her past pop songs, like
``Foolish Game,‘‘ ``Hands‘‘ ``You Were Meant For Me,‘‘ and
``Standing Still‘‘ could work on country radio. Jewel‘s new country
album ``Perfectly Clear‘‘ hits stores June 3rd. Fans can see the
album cover and track list on Jewel‘s MySpace page.
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Jewel
Jewel says she doesn‘t feel she‘s doing anything drastic by
coming out with a country album.
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Jewel
Jewel says she feels a lot of her past pop songs could pass as
country songs.
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reference)‘‘
Jewel
Jewel says she doesn‘t think the fact she‘s embracing country is
going to give her fans whiplash.
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Jewel
Jewel says her intention was always to be a country singer.
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CARRIE UNDERWOOD ADDS MORE SHOWS IN JUNE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Carrie Underwood is continuing her
``Carnival Ride Tour‘‘ with more dates added in June. The June
shows will feature opening act Jason Michael Carroll. Underwood‘s
tour launched February 18th and all shows to date have been
sell-outs. Underwood wraps her co-headline dates with Keith Urban
April 26th in Lexington, Kentucky.
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HOST AND JUDGES ANNOUNCED FOR CBS‘ ``SECRET TALENTS OF THE STARS‘‘
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Debbie Reynolds will be passing judgment on
Clint Black and Jo Dee Messina when they appear on the new CBS
reality celebrity competition ``Secret Talents of the Stars.‘‘
She‘s among the judges who‘ll evaluate the weekly performances. The
others are Grammy-nominated singer Brian McKnight and
Emmy-nominated TV and film producer Gavin Polone. ``Seinfeld‘‘
actor and ``Dancing with the Stars‘‘ champ John O‘Hurley will host
``Secret Talents of the Stars,‘‘ which premieres live tomorrow
night on CBS. Among the celebrity contestants are Clint Black,
who‘s trying his hand at standup comedy and Jo Dee Messina, who
will perform an urban dance, blending hip hop and step. Black will
appear on tomorrow night‘s show.
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TRENT TOMLINSON HITS SOME BUMPS ON THE WAY TO THE ALTAR
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ A bumpy start to wedded bliss for Trent
Tomlinson and his new wife. The two wed in North Carolina on March
22nd, but all was not smooth. He tells The Nashville Tennessean
that the flowers were MIA. He says, ``There were thousands of
dollars spent on flowers that didn‘t make it to the church.‘‘ He
says the wedding planner dropped the ball and that ``there were a
lot of things that were missing.‘‘ But the most important part of
the day, the ceremony, went off without a hitch. Tomlinson says it
was really beautiful. Unfortunately, the hits didn‘t stop there.
The pair ran into airline troubles while trying to return from
their honeymoon in Mexico. He says their return flight was
overbooked, then they got bumped and the following day‘s flight was
canceled. The airline then put them up in what it described as a
five-star hotel. But Tomlinson says ``it was so nasty we took
showers in our flip flops. It was a complete lie.‘‘
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DARRYL WORLEY JOINS LONESTAR & FRIENDS TO STRIKE OUT FOR THE KIDS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Darryl Worley is joining Lonestar to
bowl strikes and spares for charity. The group is taking part in a
bowling party to raise money and awareness for St. Jude Children‘s
Research Hospital. The event will be held at the Hermitage Lanes in
Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, June 2nd. Fans attending the event
have a chance to bowl with the artists.
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ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON KRAUSS ADD MORE DATES TO THEIR WORLD TOUR
UNDATED (AP) _ More dates have been added to Robert Plant and
Alison Krauss‘ world tour. The new dates include a show in Dallas
on July 7th, Philadelphia on the 12th, Toronto on the 14th and
Cleveland on the 15th. The pair will also play in Nashville on July
19th. The tour also features T Bone Burnett.
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TODAY‘S BIRTHDAYS:
Singer Cal Smith is 76.
Singer Bobby Bare is 73.
Drummer John Dittrich of Restless Heart is 57.
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By Myra Lopez
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(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-04-07-08 0751EDT<