Alan Jackson surprised Zac Brown with a 1966 white Cadillac El Dorado convertible prior to the Zac Brown Band's concert at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena last night (Dec. 29).
The country star told USA Today that the car was a thank-you present for being invited to sing on the Zac Brown Band's latest No. 1 hit, "As She's Walking Away."
Jackson also surprised the audience when he sang the Grammy-nominated song with the group during the show.
The Zac Brown Band will finish off the year with a Friday night concert at Phillips Arena in their hometown of Atlanta.
Darius Rucker is set to play a free show in New Orleans on Monday, January 3 - the day before the Sugar Bowl game between Arkansas and Ohio State.
The concert is part of the Allstate Fan Fest in the French Quarter.
Rucker will also perform the national anthem at the bowl game, along with volunteering with clean-up efforts in the city's Ninth Ward, one of the areas hat was greatly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The rock-turned-country star will resume touring with Brad Paisley on January 20 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Multi-Grammy award-winning singer LeAnn Rimes and actor Eddie Cibrian have announced their engagement.
The couple was engaged over the holidays and "had family and close friends in town who helped them celebrate."
Rimes and Cibrian met on the set of the Lifetime original movie Northern Lights at a time when they were both married to other people. The singer has admitted the difficulty in falling in love with Cibrian and ending her marriage to Dean Sheremet.
The couple has endured some public scrutiny regarding the affair, but Rimes says, "We make mistakes and we learn from them, but we're human. We fell in love. We're really happy in what we feel privately."
A rep claims that "the couple wanted an antique feel, but a new ring," and the platinum engagement ring features a 5-carat oval diamond set in rose gold fleur-de-lis connected to the band.
Rimes thanked fans for their support on Monday afternoon, writing on Twitter, "Thank you for all your well wishes!! We are extremely excited and look forward to a beautiful future. It's been an incredible last few days, I was shocked!!! We are blessed, our families are so happy and our lives are filled with love."
When the two tie the knot, Rimes will officially become stepmother to Cibrian's two children from his previous marriage with model Brandi Glanville - Mason, 7, and Jake, 3.
Country legend Merle Haggard will be featured in the two-hour CBS special, The Kennedy Center Honors, tonight (December 28) at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Haggard accepted the prestigious award at a star-studded gala event in Washington, D.C. on December 5. Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, lyricist Jerry Herman, and dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones were also recognized for their contributions to American culture.
During the ceremony, Haggard was honored with musical performances by longtime friends and fellow country icons Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, as well as Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley.
Be sure to tune into CBS tonight to witness the tribute and to see Merle Haggard take home the honor!
Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy welcomed home a baby girl on Christmas Day.
Bentley tweeted the news early on December 25th, writing, "say what you want about santa's physique, but no arguing his impeccable timing! evie wanted a little sis for Xmas & JORDAN just arrived!"
He added that his new daughter chose the banjo driven part of Mumford & Sons' "Awake My Soul" as her "walk-on music."
The country star is happy to report that baby and mother are happy and healthy, and hopefully we'll hear more about Jordan's arrival soon!
To hear the country cutie talk music, check out this exclusive interview and live performance with Dierks Bentley.
It's been a great year for Easton Corbin, but such a sudden success can sometimes be difficult to adapt to for an artist.
The country singer tells AOL's The Boot, "I feel like I've gotten a lot more comfortable and just growing and learning from all of this."
Rising fame and a demanding schedule can be a challenge for loved ones, as well. Regarding his wife, however, Easton reveals, "She's done very well. It's tough being away and traveling so much, but she's done very well and been supportive. It's really cool that all of our families are in one area down home, so when I'm gone, a lot of times she'll go down [to Florida] and hang out with the family. It's good that she has that support around her."
Corbin's third single is called "I Can't Love You Back." He claims that he hard the track and went, "Wow! That's a great song!" He goes on to explain that the song is the type that starts out slower and builds throughout the entire song to be bigger.
"I didn't know it, but I looked at the credits and who wrote it and Carson [Chamberlin], my producer, is actually one of the writers. I was like, 'Man, why didn't you bring me on this song?' But the cool thing about Carson is he's such a low-key guy. He doesn't push his own songs. And the other cool thing about this song is the ending. Whatever happens in the song, it can be left up to the interpretation of the listener, and whatever they think will happen; there's really no definitive ending to it."
Dolly Parton and Ramones will receive Lifetime Achievement Grammys.
The country singer and the rock group will be honoured for their contribution to music, alongside 'Mary Poppins' singer and musicals star Dame Julie Andrews in a special ceremony on February 12.
Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy which is handing out the awards said: "It is a great honor to recognize and celebrate such a distinguished and dynamic group of honorees.
"Their legendary work has left a lasting impression and will continue to influence generations to come."
Dolly - famed for her voluptuous figure -rose to fame in the 1950s, and has had over 41 different country albums enter the top ten in the US charts, and has penned worldwide hits such as '9 to 5'and 'I Will Always Love You'.
The Ramones - of which the three founding members are now all dead - were one of the defining bands of the US punk movement in the 70s, and continue to inspire generations of musicians with their simplistic approach to songwriting, exemplified on tracks such as 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker' and 'Blitzkrieg Bop'.
Stage and screen actress Julie - who also starred in 'The Sound of Music' - made her Broadway debut in 1954 and has a career which spans more than 60 years.
Other artists to be recognised with Lifetime Achievement Awards will be The Juilliard String Quartet, jazz drummer Roy Haynes, folk group The Kingston Trio and gospel singer George Beverly Shea.
Although the Lifetime Achievement trophies will be given out at a separate ceremony, a formal acknowledgment will be made during the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles the following day (2/13/2011).
Lee Brice's most special Christmas memory was a few years ago when he brought his guitar to Christmas dinner with his family for the first time. He shares, "I had been writing and singing since I was 10. I ended up sitting the family down and playing a few songs for everyone. I watched my grandpa tear up the whole time I was singing. And it had been along long time since I had seen a smile so genuine." Lee says his granddaddy died a couple months later, adding, "So instead of me regretting that I never shared my heart and songs with him, I was relieved and overjoyed that I had."
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