Australia's king of country Lee Kernaghan has received across the board media support for his latest single 'Dirt'. It has topped all the major Australian country airplay charts.

'Dirt' has topped the CMC Top 30 Countdown, the Country Tracks Chart, and now The Music Network's National Country Airplay chart as well.

The track is the fourth single from the Golden Guitar winning and ARIA nominated album Planet Country.

Check out the music video for 'Dirt' below...

Last night the winners in the CMC Music Awards 2011 were annoucned at a special event held at The Great Cask Hall, Hope Estate Winery in the Hunter Valley. 2011 was the first year that the annual CMC Oz Artist of the Year award was expanded into an award series and the winners of the four categories were voted entirely by CMC viewers.

Adam Brand's, position as one of Australia’s leading country music artists was solidified with him being crowned CMC Oz Artist of the Year for the fifth time in a row. Unable to attend the awards as he is in Nashville, Brand said that he was humbled to win the prestigious award again. “This award is the most special of all awards because it’s voted by the most important people in the world; the fans,” Brand said in a video acceptance.

Darling of country music, Taylor Swift was voted CMC International Artist of the Year. In a special video she thanked her Australian fans for their ongoing support and sent a message of encouragement to those who have been affected by the recent natural disasters in this country. Swift also hinted that she would be visiting Australia very soon.

Taking home CMC Music Video of the Year was Australian mega star Keith Urban for the video 'Til Summer Comes Around' from his fifth studio album Deying Gravity. Urban thanked his fans and CMC via a video acceptance.

Rising Australian stars, McAlister Kemp were awarded CMC New Oz Artist of the Year. The duo were scheduled to perform at the event, but had to pull out at the last minute after they were added to the Alan Jackson line up when Miranda Lambert cancelled her Australian tour earlier in the week due to illness.

The awards ceremony included performances by Canada’s Dean Brody and the evening’s hosts O'Shea. Guests included, Rob Hirst, The Sunny Cowgirls, Victoria Baillie, Amber Lawrence, channel host Steve Forde, Headline Country's Storme Warren and Jayne Denham.

Carrie Underwood has tied the knot with professional hockey player, Mike Fisher. They were married last weekend in what is surely one of the secretive celebrity marriages in a long time. We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!" the newlyweds told US magazine People.

250 guests were reportedly flown by private jets to ultra-private ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton lodge in Greensboro to the festivities, not knowing where they were headed until they showed up at the airportCarrie and Mike met backstage at her March 2008 concert in Ottawa, Canada. He plays for the National Hockey League's Senators.

Mike popped the question on December 20, 2009, at his home in Canada after calling Carrie's father to ask for her hand in marriage. The happy couple will reside in both Nashville and Ottawa, with a long-distance relationship being something they've certainly mastered over these last two years together.

Check out a live performance of Carrie Underwood's latest single 'Undo It' below...

Australian Boy’ is the second single from Lee Kernaghan’s critically acclaimed new album Planet Country, which surpassed Gold sales before Christmas last year.

The track, which celebrates great Australian heroes, was written by Kernaghan, and song writing partners Garth Porter and Colin Buchanan.

"This song is about growing up down in the Riverina, cars, mates, girls and the footy. It’s about blokes from different walks of life with one thing in common - we’re all Australian boys. As this song was being written, our troops were on active service in Afghanistan and this song goes out to all who serve, along with their family and loved ones at home,” says Lee Kernaghan.

Purchase Lee Kernaghan's new album Planet Country      

Keith Urban has received four nominations for the 52nd Grammy Awards to be held on January 31, 2010 (February 1 Australian time) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Urban's nominations are in the following categories: 

* Best Male Country Vocal Performance: 'Sweet Thing'

* Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: 'Start A Band' w/Brad Paisley

* Best Country Album: Defying Gravity

* Best Long Form Music Video: 'Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour Live'

“I wrote and recorded Defying Gravity to touch upon the power of the human spirit,” said Urban.  “I had no idea it would’ve connected the way it did.  We saw it night after night on the Escape Together Tour and to now end the year with these nominations is pure magic", said Urban on his official website.

Congratulations Keith! 

Taylor Swift has continued to break records with the release of her music video for 'Fifteen'.

It brought record numbers to US country website CMT.com when it was world premiered last week. In the first 24 hours of streaming, the video gave CMT.com a +147% boost from its average number of total day streams. The premiere of Swift’s latest music video debut also broke total previous debut streaming records, with a +9% increase over the prior record-holder, 'Thug Story', also featuring Taylor Swift. 

Tickets for Swift's Australian tour in February 2009 go on sale very shortly with another new emerging US act set to join Swift on tour.  

On October 2, 1999, Deniliquin wrote itself into history claiming the Guinness World Records title for the largest parade of legally registered utes in the world.

Reba McEntire is just about to release her new album titled Keep On Loving You. It's her first Valory Music Company release and will be released through Univeral Music in Australia on August 21.

You can hear samples of the new album, which includes a cover of Jasmine Rae's 'Pink Guitar', at www.reba.com.

Check out Reba's 2009 ACM Awards performance of her new single 'Strange'...

Shea Fisher recently began her US career and has been keeping very busy – appearing at major festivals, awards shows and visiting radio stations across America.

Back home in Australia, Shea Fisher's latest single ‘Suitcase'hjust hit #1 on the Country Music Channel (CMC) Top 30 Countdown.

Shea has established herself as one of the most popular new artists on CMC. All four of her music videos have now topped the CMC Chart.

‘Suitcase' has also appeared on Video Hits and has aired on Austereo's “Australia First” program.

Shea Fisher has two tracks in The Music Network's National Top 20 Country Airplay Chart – “Don't Chase Me' at #4 and “Suitcase' at #11.

 CMT also asked Shea to film some segments at the CMA Music Festival. Check them out…

The 37th CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, were held tonight in Tamworth. The awards were hosted by Troy Cassar-Daley and Felicity Urquhart.

Big winners on the night were husband and wife duo, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, taking home a total of 5 “Golden Guitar” trophies for their No. 1 Album Rattlin’ Bones.

The couple swept the Awards, winning in the categories of Album of the Year (co-produced by Shane Nicholson & Nash Chambers), APRA Song of the Year, Video Clip of the Year (directed by Helen Clemens), Single of the Year and Top Selling Album Of The Year.

Adam Brand was awarded Male Artist of the Year for the second time, bringing his total career tally to 12 Country Music Awards of Australia.

Being announced Female Artist of the Year capped off a successful year for Catherine Britt. Her album Little Wildflower has received critical acclaim and has scored her three No. 1 airplay singles. Catherine can now add her first Golden Guitar trophy to her mantle.

The McClymonts continued their reign taking out once again the Group or Duo of the Year title, 2009 marks the third consecutive year Brooke, Mollie and Sam have won this Award. They join Bullamakanka in taking out the Group/Duo title over three consecutive years.

The Gibson New Talent Award went to 2008 Toyota Star Maker winner, Talia Wittmann, for Reckless Side of Me.

Melinda Schneider and Paul Kelly won the Vocal Collaboration of the Year Award for Still Here and the Davidson Brothers, Lachlan and Hamish, took home the Fender Instrumental of the Year Award for Left Hand Drive.

For a full list of winners please see below.

Winners in the 2009 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia

APRA Song of the Year
Rattlin’ Bones - written and recorded by Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson

Vocal Collaboration of the Year
Still Here - Melinda Schneider & Paul Kelly

Bush Ballad of the Year
Australia Is Another Word For Free - written by John Williamson,
recorded by John Williamson, Warren H Williams & Amos Morris

Video Clip of the Year
Rattlin’ Bones - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson,
directed by Helen Clemens

Single of the Year
Rattlin’ Bones - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson

Fender Instrumental of the Year
Left Hand Drive - Davidson Brothers

Group or Duo of the Year
Finally Over Blue - The McClymonts

Heritage Song of the Year
Too Dark For The Light Horse - written by Darren Coggan & Ken McBeath,
recorded by Darren Coggan

Highest Selling Album of the Year
Rattlin’ Bones - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson

Gibson New Talent of the Year
The Reckless Side Of Me - Talia Wittmann

Female Artist of the Year
Catherine Britt - What I Did Last Night

Male Artist of the Year
Get On Down The Road – Adam Brand

Album of the Year
Rattlin’ Bones - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
Produced by Nash Chambers & Shane Nicholson

CMC Oz Artist of the Year
Adam Brand

Source: Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA)