 Hit List -
The CMA and the public television concert series Front and Center will present two hour-long concerts leading up to The 48th Annual CMA Awards . The first show airs Oct. 14 and features Dierks Bentley along with songwriters Jim Beavers , Ross Copperman , Brett James and Jon Randall . The second show airs Oct. 28 and features Lady Antebellum singing their hits and songs from their upcoming album 747 . Writers Rodney Clawson , Tom Douglas , Josh Kear , Luke Laird and Abe Stoklasa join them to share stories behind the songs. Birthdays Friday (9/5): Jamie Oldaker (The Tractors). Saturday (9/6): Mark Chesnutt, David Allan Coe, Buddy Miller, Joe Smyth (Sawyer Brown), Jeff Foxworthy, Sylvia Hutton, Michelle Poe, Mark Luna, the late Mel McDaniel. Sunday (9/7): Angela Kaset, the late Buddy Holly. Monday (9/8): the late Patsy Cline, the late Harlan Howard, the late Milton Brown, the late Jimmie Rodgers. On TV Monday (9/8): Blake Shelton, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated). Upcoming Album Releases Sept. 8 Alabama Angels Among Us: Hymns & Gospel Favorites Sep. 9 Lee Brice I Don't Dance Dustin Lynch Where It's At Brothers Osborne Self-Titled Sept. 16 Tim McGraw Sundown Heaven Town George Strait The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium Sept. 23 Kenny Chesney The Big Revival span> Lee Ann Womack The Way I'm Livin' Big & Rich Gravity Sept. 30 Lady Antebellum 747 Blake Shelton Bringing Back The Sunshine Marty Stuart Saturday Night & Sunday Morning Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Hearts Like Ours Oct. 7 Jason Aldean Old Boots, New Dirt Old Dominion Self-Titled Oct. 14 Florida Georgia Line Anything Goes Oct. 21 Little Big Town Pain Killer Oct. 28 Stoney Larue Aviator Nov. 4 The Doobie Brothers Southbound | 
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Not only did Garth Brooks release his new single "People Loving People" Wednesday (9/3), at 
Nominees for the 48th Annual CMA Awards were announced Wednesday (9/3) and Miranda Lambert tops the list with nine. She's up for Entertainer, Female Vocalist, Album, two for Video (one with Carrie Underwood ), two for Muscial Event (with Underwood and Keith Urban , respectively), Single and Song. Lambert ties her own record for the most nominations of any female artist in CMA history, which she set in 2010. She's followed by Dierks Bentley with five; Urban and Eric Church with four each; and Kacey Musgraves , Blake Shelton , Luke Bryan and Underwood receiving three nominations. George Strait received his 83rd nomination and 19th for Entertainer. The winners will be crowned live when the CMA Awards air Nov. 5 on ABC-TV . See the full list of nominees 
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He wakes up with a few espressos and has been known to chug five Mountain Dews a day. Hunter Hayes is addicted to caffeine. But what really gives him the shakes is being without a guitar. In an exclusive interview, Hayes tells us what happened when he recently tried to quit his strongest addiction cold turkey. "I once spent a couple of days somewhere without a guitar," he said. "I thought, 'Oh it'll be a short trip' and didn't take one with me. And I felt uncomfortable the entire time, like I could not relax. It was so weird because I couldn't figure it out. I was like, 'What is with me?' But now I have a little Martin that travels with me everywhere. Even if I don't play it, just knowing it's there makes me feel better." 
Nothing says "summer" like a Kenny Chesney song on the radio and a cold cocktail in your hand. And even though the fall season is near, Chesney has found a way to make the good times last. He and his company Blue Chair Bay Rum have partnered with Logan's Roadhouse for the Everlasting Summer promotion, currently running through mid-November. Until then, you can get a signature Blue Chair Bay rum-glazed salmon or steak entree and a cocktail made with the rum, including the new Blackberry Mojito. 
It's only September but it's pretty safe to say 2014 will go down as one of Cole Swindell 's best years yet. He had the highest-selling debut country album since 2011; opened for Luke Bryan ; and was a writer on hits including Florida Georgia Line 's "This Is How We Roll," Thomas Rhett's "Get Me Some Of That" and Bryan's "Roller Coaster." He'll cap it off by launching the Down Home Tour Nov. 17 in Davie, FL with opening act Kelleigh Bannen . 
