Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley to "Austin City Limits"

Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley will perform on "Austin City Limits." Click here for the story.

Lily Tomlin Records for Dottie Rambo Tribute Project

Lily Tomlin recently recorded a song for a Dottie Rambo tribute project and spent some time with Dottie and Lulu Roman. Click here and scan to the bottom for the story.

Ronnie McCoury Hangs Out with Led Zeppelin

Ronnie McCoury has been spending time with Led Zeppelin. Click here for the story.

Gary Allan Writes with Jim Lauderdale and Odie Blackmon

Before recording his latest album, Gary Allan took a songwriting trip to Costa Rica with Jim Lauderdale and Odie Blackmon. Click here for the story.

Vince Gill Kathy Mattea, and Hal Ketchum To Sing for Alive Hospice

Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, and Hal Ketchum will perform at a series of benefit shows for Alive Hospice in Nashville. Click here for the story.

Update: Click here for the Tennessean story.

Collector's Choice To Reissue Early John Anderson Albums

On January 8th, Collector's Choice will reissue five early John Anderson albums. Click here for the story.

Country Music Deaths of 2007

A list of this year's deaths in country music is available at CMT.com. Click here to check out the list.

Midnite Jamboree: December 29, 2007

Jett Williams will host this weekend's Midnite Jamboree. This week's radio show will be the 3,177th broadcast. Click here to check out the live feed on Saturday at midnight.

Grand Ole Opry Line-up: Saturday, December 29, 2007

6:30 – 7:00
Jeannie Seely
Mel McDaniel
Dailey & Vincent*

7:00 – 7:30
Jimmy C. Newman
Connie Smith
Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys
Chris Young*

7:30 – 8:00
George Hamilton IV
Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
T. Bubba Bechtol*

8:00 – 8:30
Jean Shepard
Jan Howard
Restless Heart*
Opry Square Dancers

8:30 – 9:00
Riders in the Sky
Jett Williams*
The Grascals*

_______________

9:30 – 10:00
Jeannie Seely
Jimmy C. Newman
Connie Smith
Dailey & Vincent*

10:00 – 10:30
George Hamilton IV
Jett Williams*
Chris Young*

10:30 – 11:00
Jean Shepard
Ray Pillow
Restless Heart*
Opry Square Dancers

11:00 – 11:30
Riders in the Sky
T. Bubba Bechtol*
The Grascals*

NY Times Names Joe Nichols' 'Real Things' One of 2007's Best

The New York Times has named Joe Nichols' latest CD Real Things one of the best albums of 2007. Click here for the story.

Keith Urban Guests on Rhonda Vincent's New Album

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Keith Urban is a guest on Rhonda Vincent's latest album, which will be released on January 8th. Click here for the story.

Christmas Releases Bring in Bucks

Christmas music apparently sells fairly well. Click here for the story.

Hall of Fame Scales Back Its Hours for the Winter

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has scaled back its hours for the winter. Click here for the times.

Tyminski Set to Sing at Station Inn

Dan Tyminski will perform at the Station Inn on January 2nd. Click here for the story.

Nashville Continues to Pave Over Its Past

This is not a country music-related story, but the Starwood Amphitheatre outside Nashville was closed and demolished last month. Click here for the story.

Update Your Bookmarks

75% of the visitors here type our www.takinthecountryback.com address directly into their browser address bar. But if you have a bookmark or IE favorite that points to the www.hillbillybeat.com address, you will need to change it to the www.takinthecountryback.com address. Thanks!

Radio Station Updated

I have removed the Christmas music from the radio station and have added a bunch of new songs to the rotation. Check out the station at Live365.com.

Joe Nichols To Perform on Leno

Joe Nichols will perform his new single "It Ain't No Crime" on "The Tonight Show" on January 3, 2008. Click here for the story.

Willie Nelson Donates $40K to Vancouver, Washington

Willie Nelson has donated $40,000 to Vancouver, Washington, where he worked as a disc jockey in the late 1950's. Click here for the story.

Rising Star: Star De Azlan

Check out Star De Azlan's new single on Curb Records. It's country. Click here to listen to the song on her MySpace page.

The Christmas Music Will Be Removed Later Today

For those of you who are sick of the Christmas music playing on the online radio station, it will be removed later today (December 26th) and will be replaced with songs from CD's Santa brought for Christmas (Dwight Sings Buck, The Wagonmaster, Joe Nichols' Real Things, and Josh Turner's Everything Is Fine, and gospel CD's by the Statler Brothers and Lulu Roman).

Thanks for rating the Christmas tunes. We think we have some of you figured out. Any Christmas music by Buck Owens, Gene Autry, George Jones, Hank Snow, Merle Haggard, Stonewall Jackson, and Tammy Wynette is obviously great. You like some Patty Loveless and Randy Travis Christmas music, but not all of it. Apparently, the Christmas music we added by Alabama, Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Jim Reeves, Joe Nichols, and The Forester Sisters was not your cup of tea. Surprisingly, even Ernest Tubb's "Blue Christmas" got low marks. The moral of the story: If you like a song on the station--or if you don't--rate it. Songs with low ratings will be removed and not be added in the future unless they are specifically requested.

Last Chance to Spend Christmas with Pam Tillis

Today is the last chance to spend Christmas with Pam Tillis. Click here for the story.

Nancy Jones Offers Aid to Family

Nancy Jones has offered to foot the bill to restore water service to a disabled man and his wife. Click here for the story.

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed holiday with their loved ones and remembers the true reason for the season. Merry Christmas!

Radio Station Updated

More Christmas music has been added to the radio station. I delete songs with fewer than five stars, so if you like a song you hear, please rate it to keep it from being deleted.

Radio Station Updated

The radio station currently contains a mix of classic country, modern traditional country, and Christmas music by country artists. Check it out at Live365.com.