Country Music Herald

This past weekend, the country music star with the deep, rich voice, Josh Turner, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He was introduced by Vince Gill and performed his current hit “Firecracker” and the song that propelled him to stardom, “Long Black Train”. Josh broke onto the scene back in late 2001 on the very same Grand Ole Opry stage on which he was inducted into the fraternity this past weekend. He joins other current country stars in the Grand Ole Opry like Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, and is currently the youngest member at the age of 29. His induction was broadcast live on GAC’s program “Opry Live” and will be rerun periodically on the network. Turner’s new album, “Everything is Fine” was released yesterday.

Speaking of “Opry Live”, the show has a brand new theme song, courtesy of Grand Ole Opry member Brad Paisley. Paisley and his band, the newly monikered Drama Kings, wanted to create a theme that would span the generations of music the Grand Ole Opry has showcased. The title is “From Uncle Jimmy to Justin” in honor of Jimmy Thompson, the first fiddle player on the inaugural broadcast and Justin Williamson fiddle player for the Drama Kings.

Unfortunately, not all of the Grand Ole Opry news is as happy as Turner’s induction. Legendary country artist Porter Wagoner lost his battle with lung cancer on Sunday night at the age of 80 at the Alive Hospice in Nashville. His flashy rhinestone suits and melodic voice will be missed on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and in the world of country music in general. Wagoner’s visitation will be tonight (October 31st) and the funeral is tomorrow. All memorials in Porter Wagoner’s name can be made to the Alive Hospice or the The Opry Trust Fund. Porter had celebrated his 50th anniversary in the Grand Ole Opry earlier this year.

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This year’s CMA Awards ceremony is shaping up to be full of great live performances. The show will be broadcast on Wednesday November 7th on ABC. Previously announced artists slated to perform include Brad Paisley (who leads the pack with 5 nominations this year), Sugarland, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, and the show’s hosts Brooks & Dunn.

Another huge announcement was made today about the CMA live performances. The Eagles, who have never performed live on an awards show, will reunite to play a song at the CMAs. Their current single “How Long” was released to country radio and has been well received by fans. While The Eagles have never performed live at the CMAs, they have had some previous success with the awards:

In 1993, Eagles drummer Don Henley was nominated for CMA Vocal Event of the Year with Trisha Yearwood for “Walkaway Joe,” which the two performed together during the 1992 CMA Awards. In 1994, Common Thread: The Songs of The Eagles won CMA Album of the Year. The project featured top Country artists performing Eagles’ hits including Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Yearwood.

See all of these great artists on “Country Music’s Biggest Night” starting at 8:00 PM ET on Wednesday November 7th.

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