Toby Keith sets date for next CD

2/9/2007

Toby Keith s always been one of those guys who enjoys new challenges and isn t afraid to take risks.

He s also a guy that knows what type of music he wants to make and doesn t like it when other people tell him what it should sound like. When he got tired of big-label politics, he walked away from DreamWorks and started his own label, Show Dog Nashville.

Now, his second album off the independent label is being completed, and Keith has control of all facets of this project. On "Big Dog Daddy," which will be in stores on June 12, Keith writes most of the songs, sings lead and background vocals, and is the sole producer.

If the first cut is any predictor of the album s success, the project could be a major hit. "High Maintenance Woman" enters the Radio and Records charts this week at No. 39, an almost unheard of lofty ranking for a first-week single.

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Talk about an interesting show. Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. are teaming up for a series of concert dates, beginning April 11 in Huntsville, Ala.

"Hank played with Skynyrd years ago, and it was one heck of a show. Since then, we ve been looking for the opportunity to tour together," Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd said last week when the tour was announced.

The tour will stop in Ohio on May 11 for a show at the Nutter Center in Dayton. Tickets go on sale March 3. The next night, the guys will stop at the Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit. Tickets for that show also go on sale March 3.

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Speaking of country music rockers, Montgomery Gentry has done something unique for their new single, "Lucky Man." Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry have recorded 81 different versions of the song, gearing each song for radio stations in more than 60 radio markets.

If you don t have the duo s new album, "Some People Change," you may not have heard the song yet. The second line reads: "Last Sunday when my Bengals lost, Lord it put me in a bad mood." However, in the edited versions, "Bengals" is replaced with every team in the NFL, major league baseball, some NHL teams, and a number of college teams, including Ohio State and Michigan.

Give the guys credit. They ve always said that they make their music for their friends, which is what they call their fans, and they were definitely thinking of them this time around.

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Trace Adkins recently performed a benefit concert in Austin for a family that includes five children with autism. The $75,000 raised will go toward paying off the family s mortgage. Portions of the concert will be included in the Feb. 18 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC s popular reality show.

In the episode, Ty Pennington and the design team renovate the family s home to make it more compatible for the children.

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Tomorrow night, Keith Urban will make his first appearance on "Saturday Night Live" on NBC at 11:30 p.m.

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Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black will be on the "Live with Regis and Kelly" show this morning, performing their single "When I Said I Do" during the wedding ceremony of a featured couple.

The Blacks will also perform the duet on the "Dr. Phil" show on Valentine s Day. The song is included on Clint s just-released album, "The Love Songs."

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And don t forget to vote for the CMT Music Awards. Voting is now under way to determine the final nominees for CMT s sixth annual awards show, which airs live on April 16 at 8 p.m. Voting runs through Feb. 23 at www.cmt.com. Fans can pick from eight nominees in each of the categories.