On this day in 2002, Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn were surprised with the Humanitarian Award at the Annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.
The duo were given the award for performing at countless benefit concerts, their involvement with the Red Cross flood relief efforts in St. Louis, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, and other charitable organizations.
Some of country’s biggest stars will assemble in Nashville this spring for a special concert honoring the life and songs of the legendary Merle Haggard. Dubbed “Sing Me Back Home: The Music Of Merle Haggard,” the all-star concert will take place at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on April 6 in honor of what would have been Merle’s 80th birthday and the one-year anniversary of his passing. The night will include performances by artists such as Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Dierks Bentley, Hank Williams Jr., John Mellencamp, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many more.
· Tickets go on sale this Friday (3/3) at 11 AM local time at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, all Ticketmaster locations and the Bridgestone Arena box office.
· A portion of the proceeds will benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation.
· More details about the concert can be found here.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa group has devised a strategy to keep monarch butterflies off the national endangered species list.
The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/2luarvn ) that the 135-page plan issued Monday is aimed at helping farmers, backyard gardeners and others boost monarch butterfly habitat in Iowa. Nearly 40 agriculture, conservation, business, utility and government groups, calling themselves the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, pulled together the strategy.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act. Supporters of the protection say farming in the Midwest is among the reasons for monarch’s decline.
Steve Bradbury is an Iowa State University entomologist, and he says it’s unclear exactly how many habitat acres Iowa should add to help keep monarch butterflies off the national endangered species list.
On this day in 1996, Faith Hill’s album, It Matters to Me, was Certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album was her second studio album, and it produced five Top Ten hits, including the title track that hit #1.
The album has since been Certified 4× Multi-Platinum.
Brett Eldredge has released his brand-new single, “Somethin’ I’m Good At,” giving fans their first taste of his forthcoming studio album due out this summer. Written by Eldredge and Tom Douglas, “Somethin’ I’m Good At” is a song that Brett says matches his personality more than anything he’s ever written. Eldredge says, “It’s exciting to write and record a song that captures this side of me and this song is full of life and excitement. I hope everyone feels the way I do about it.”
· The song is already available on iTunes, Apple, Spotify and Google Play.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bills in the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature this session purport to enforce federal immigration laws, but academics say some proposals are redundant and could face legal challenges. Republicans dispute any suggestion that Iowa isn’t welcoming to immigrants, and emphasize that the measures ensure rules are followed.
In a new promo video for Season 12 of The Voice, Blake Shelton joined his fellow coaches Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys and Adam Levine to perform an acoustic rendition of TLC’s hit “Waterfalls.” The video shows the coaches sitting in a circle as they each take turns singing the song’s verses and come together to sing the chorus. The video can be seen here.
· Season 12 of The Voice will premiere on NBC tonight (2/27).
· Luke Bryan will serve as a mentor for Shelton’s team during the battle rounds portion of the show’s new season.
On this day in 2011, Lady Antebellum was back on top of the Billboard Country Albums Chart with Need You Know. Lady A had just come off winning five Grammy Awards.
Despite the album receiving mixed reviews, it produced three number ones with “Need You Now”, “American Honey”, and “Our Kind of Love”. Since then the album has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA.
Luke Bryan has spoken publicly for the first time since his infant niece, Sadie Brett Boyer, passed away on Tuesday (2/21). On Thursday (2/23), Bryan appeared at a Universal Music Group luncheon during Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, where he thanked everyone for praying for him and his family during this difficult week. Luke told the crowd gathered at the Ryman Auditorium, “I’ll tell you what, when I’m checking my socials and see so many of you guys that are kind of lifting my family up, I really appreciate it. It means the world to me.”
· The baby, affectionately known as Brett, was the daughter of Bo Boyer and his wife Ellen Wells Boyer. Bo is the brother of Luke’s wife, Caroline.
· According to a post Ellen’s Facebook page, Brett suffered from a congenital heart defect and her condition had declined overnight on Sunday (2/19).
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been sentenced for lying during the investigation of the 1985 killing of his estranged wife’s paramour.
Anthony Burtch of Iowa City initially was charged with murder for the slaying of Lance DeWoody. New testing of DNA evidence in the cold case didn’t implicate him, so the murder charge was dropped.
The 58-year-old Burtch was given six months in jail at his sentencing Thursday and given credit for six months already served. He’d pleaded guilty to obstructing prosecution. He acknowledged lying about being harassed by three men.
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