Released this Friday October 21... Hit Country 2012 is the year’s ultimate Hit Country compilation release on CD and DVD. It features 22 of the year’s biggest country music hits from Australia and the world, plus a massive 28 music videos from your favourite country stars!

Included are recent chart topping hits from international superstars Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Ronnie Dunn, Brad Paisley, Doc Walker, Miranda Lambert, Joe Nichols and Emerson Drive as well as hits from the cream of the crop locally, including Kasey Chambers, The McClymonts, Jasmine Rae, Catherine Britt, Steve Forde, Shane Nicholson and McAlister Kemp. Hits and music videos from Australia’s best emerging talent are also included.

CD - 1. Honey Bee – Blake Shelton 2. Bleed Red – Ronnie Dunn 3. Little Bird – Kasey Chambers 4. Hunky Country Boys – Jasmine Rae 5. Am I The Only One – Dierks Bentley 6. Old Alabama – Brad Paisley 7. Hard Work – McAlister Kemp 8. Sweet Emmylou – Catherine Britt 9. From A Table Away – Sunny Sweeny 10. Songs Like This – Carrie Underwood 11. The Shape I’m In – Joe Nichols 12. Bad Machines – Shane Nicholson 13. Coming Home – Doc Walker 14. Let Your Love Speak – Emerson Drive 15. Tomorrow – Chris Young 16. A Woman Is A Flame – The McClymonts 17. This – Darius Rucker 18. Trail In Life – Dean Brody 19. What He Did To Me – Shea Fisher 20. How Long – Steve Forde 21. Girls In The Summertime – Peter McWhirter 22. West Australian Woman – Corey Colum

DVD - 1. Honey Bee – Blake Shelton 2. Bleed Red – Ronnie Dunn 3. Little Bird – Kasey Chambers 4. Hunky Country Boys – Jasmine Rae 5. Am I The Only One – Dierks Bentley 6. Old Alabama – Brad Paisley 7. Hard Work – McAlister Kemp 8. Sweet Emmylou – Catherine Britt 9. From A Table Away – Sunny Sweeny 10. The Shape I’m In – Joe Nichols 11. Bad Machines – Shane Nicholson 12. Coming Home – Doc Walker 13. Let Your Love Speak – Emerson Drive 14. Tomorrow – Chris Young 15. A Woman Is A Flame – The McClymonts 16. Trail In Life – Dean Brody 17. How Long – Steve Forde 18. Is That So Wrong – Julianne Hough 19. Playing The Part – Jamey Johnson 20. If I Die Young – The Band Perry 21. In Spite Of Ourselves – Kirsty Akers w/ Bob Evans 22. A Perfect Night – Markus Meier 23. I Wasn’t Gonna Cry – Katrina Burgoyne 24. Jetty Road – Serves You Right 25. Walked In Leaving – Victoria Baillie 26. This - Darius Rucker 27. Girls In The Summertime – Peter McWhirter 28. West Australian Woman – Corey Colum

US country star Dierks Bentley returns to Australia next March to perform at the CMC Rocks The Hunter festival. He's released the follow up to Bentley and Australian Lee Kernaghan's #1 single 'Scars'. It's called 'Home'. Check out the new music video...

It was one for the record books when the final list of nominees for The 44^th Annual CMA Awards were announced today with fresh faces layered throughout the field of finalists vying for a coveted crystal trophy on what they call "Country Music's Biggest Night." 

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live in Australia on CMC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at midday on Thurdsay November 11.  When the final nominations were tallied, Miranda Lambert led the list of finalists with nine nominations - the most for any female artist in the history of the CMA Awards. Alan Jackson received 10 nominations in 2002. Prior to that, Merle Haggard held the record with nine in 1970. 

Lambert received nominations for Entertainer; Female Vocalist; Album for Revolution; two for Single, 'The House That Built Me' and 'White Liar' Song for 'White Liar,' which she wrote with Natalie Hemby; Musical Event, for 'Bad Angel' with Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson; and two for Music Video of the Year for 'The House That Built Me' directed by Trey Fanjoy, and 'White Liar' directed by Chris Hicky. Lady Antebellum garnered the second highest number of CMA Awards nominations with five including Entertainer of the Year. Third on the list of nominees was Zac Brown Band and Blake Shelton with four nominations. 

In a major surprise, 2009 Entertainer of the Year and 2010 Grammy Album of the Year winner Taylor Swift was not nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award this time around.

Australia's Keith Urban received two nominations for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Urban won Entertainer in 2005 and Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004, 2005, and 2006).  The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA. They include international voters. 

Click Here To See The Full List of 2010 CMA Awards Nominees

Dierks Bentley's new bluegrass album, Up On The Ridge is released next month through EMI Music. Check out this preview from Dierks below...

Singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has said many times that if he hadn’t discovered bluegrass, he’d never have become a country singer or landed a record deal.

His love for country was kindled by the energy and artistry of bluegrass, and he’s never lost his passion for it. Now, seven years into his recording career, Bentley has plunged deeply into acoustic roots music. The results of that creative journey will come out this US summer as the very special new album Up On The Ridge.
 
Much more than just a bluegrass concept album with guests, Up On The Ridge features Bentley working with some of the finest acoustic musicians in the world, including long-time collaborators the Del McCoury Band and a magical new musical partner ship with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. The disc also features a number of vocal and instrumental contributions ranging from Alison Krauss and Miranda Lambert to Tim O’Brien and Sam Bush, among many others.
 
“This album won’t come as a surprise to my hard core fans,” says Bentley. “They've asked me: ‘when are you going to make a bluegrass record?’ And I was just waiting for the right time.” So with a grueling tour be hind him, Bentley felt liberated to pursue the project. And for his career home, Capitol Nashville, Up On The Ridge represents a rare and exciting opportunity to capture an artist working entirely from the heart.
 
“I didn’t want this to be ‘Dierks Bentley and friends’ or a ‘Dierks does bluegrass’ kind of album. I wanted each song to have something special about it, and in the end I think each song really does have its own thing going on.”
 
Those songs came from Bentley’s proven pen, as well as some unexpected sources, such as Bob Dylan. Working with an award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Randall Stewart and world-class recording engineer Gary Paczosa, Bentley has crafted an album with rooted familiarity as well as big surprises. “It’s my version of bluegrass music,” he says. “It’s not just banjos cranked up to eleven. It throws out a big net.”

Stay tuned for details on the album's release date in Australia.

Related Video: Dierks Bentley Talks To HitCountry.TV

Today Lee Kernaghan has released the lead single and title track from his highly anticipated new album, which is released on November 6, 2009. ‘Planet Country’ was written by Kernaghan, and song writing partners Garth Porter, Colin Buchanan and Matt Scullion.

Purchase Lee Kernaghan's new single 'Planet Country' now on  

The biggest counry music festival on the planet, the annual CMA Music Festival in Downtown Nashville has just finished up. 

Australian artists appearing at the festival included The McClymonts, Shea Fisher, Kirsty Lee Akers, Dianna Corcoran and Peter McWhirter.

Festival goers enjoyed four nights of stadium shows from many of US country's biggest stars.

The final night included performances from Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, John Rich, Sugarland and Miranda Lambert.

Check out some photos from the event and surrounding activities below...

Tickets are already on sale for next years event and accomodation in the Downtown Nashville area sells out fast. So start making plans now if your planning to get on a plane and travel to next years festival. 

US Country superstar Dierks Bentley last week performed for the very first time in Australia, as part of the second Brooks & Dunn Australian Tour.

Before his final performance at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Dierks took some time out to chat with Hitcounty.TV about his new album Feel That Fire and his Australian adventures. Check it out...

By Scott Stem.  © 2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

On the final stop of their hugely successful Australian tour, duo Brooks & Dunn (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn) and Dierks Bentley were both surprised with CMA International Artist Achievement Awards for their contributions to Country Music overseas.

CMA Board member Rob Potts, CEO, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, and Ray Hadley, Presenter, Radio 2GB Sydney, presented the Awards backstage at the Acer Arena in Sydney.

"Halfway around the world, it is easy to say, but it takes an amazing amount of coordination and commitment from so many people to pull it off - and ultimately, and most importantly, the support from the fans," said Brooks. "As usual, we get to just walk out on stage and do our thing. But it's hard not to stand there in Sydney or wherever and go, 'Wow, how did this happen?' Thanks so much to everyone who shared this experience with us."

"It's fantastic to be recognized by CMA after all my international touring in Japan, Europe and now Australia," said Bentley. "This is very cool."

"I can't think of any more deserving U.S. artists to win this award," Potts said. "Their tour here has had a huge impact on the profile of Country Music in this territory and it's fantastic that we were able to present the Awards to them in Australia. It's also terrific to have a former CMA International Broadcaster of the Year and Australia's No. 1 rating radio presenter, Ray Hadley, here to help us surprise the guys with their Awards." "It's fantastic that artists like Brooks & Dunn and Dierks make the effort to travel half way around the world to play to their Australian fans," said Hadley."They bring huge excitement to this market."

"Ronnie, Kix and Dierks have all impacted and expanded the international market place for Country Music," said CMA CEO Tammy Genovese. "As representatives for Country Music on a global scale, they are all very deserving of this prestigious award."

Formerly the International Touring Artist Award, the CMA International Artist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music outside of the United States.