Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton Announce Tours

Three of country music’s primetime players have announced upcoming tours for 2013. Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton will all hit the road this year.

Chesney has a new album in the works. The album, still untitled, is set for release on April 30 via Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville Records. The highly anticipated followup to last year’s Welcome To The Fish Bowl will come out during his upcoming “No Shoes Nation” tour, which boasts over 40 dates. “The fans are the foundation of ‘No Shoes Nation,’” says Chesney, “They built it from the ground up, and they built it with heart, passion and the love of life and music, and I can’t wait to feel that connection again throughout the summer of 2013.” He’ll tour from March 16 to August 24.

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Guest Blog: James Storm

Beer drinking, butt-kicking TNA IMPACT wrestling superstar “Cowboy” James Storm will head to Nashville this weekend for Lockdown, where he has his heart set on winning the heavyweight championship. Storm, who likes his music twangy and true, shared with us his top five favorite country songs.

Check them out here.

Lionel Richie Teams With Country’s Biggest Stars For Tuskegee

Click here to view the photo set for Lionel Richie’s upcoming album Tuskegee.

The Storyteller: A Q&A With Dave Barnes

Even though he’s known primarily as a contemporary Christian artist and writer to many, Dave Barnes’ greatest commercial success has come from a song that was recorded by an artist he wasn’t even pitching to. His song “God Gave Me You,” a single from his 2010 album What We Want, What We Get, ended up with a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song after it was recorded by country star Blake Shelton, who heard Barnes singing it on Christian radio. Shelton’s version of the song reached number one on the country charts, opening a whole new set of doors for Barnes, who has also had songs recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Billy Currington and Bebo Norman, among others.

Barnes’ influences are many, and various shades of R&B, rock, pop and contemporary Christian are all evident on his new CD, Stories to Tell. Even though he’s had chart success as both an artist and writer, and has toured with the likes of John Mayer, Taylor Swift and Jars of Clay, Barnes’ career has entered a new phase with the success of a number one country cut. American Songwriter was able to get a few minutes of his time before he embarked on tour dates in support of his new CD.

Click here to read the full interview.