Joe Walsh Tapes CMT Crossroads Special with Brad Paisley, Sara Evans and More!

Yesterday, I told you about the upcoming CMT Crossroads special coming up. Well, Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was joined onstage by some of country's hottest stars Wednesday night for his CMT Crossroads taping in Nashville. After opening the set with the title cut from his upcoming studio album, Analog Man, Joe welcomed Brad Paisley to perform "Rocky Mountain Way." Hunter Hayes traded licks with Joe on "In the City," and Luke Bryan joined him for a carefree performance of "Life's Been Good." Sara Evans sang a duet of the Eagles' hit "The Best of My Love," and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons helped Joe close out the show with "Life in the Fast Lane." Kenny Chesney will also be featured in the CMT broadcast. He taped his performance with Joe earlier. The show, titled CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh & Friends, will premiere June 23 at 11 p.m. Eastern time.

Are These the Sexiest Country Stars Over 40?

AOL put together a list of the 11 Sexiest Country Stars Over 40. Why 11? Who knows? I think it's flawed because they went heavy on artists in their 40s. Only two people past 50 made the cut. Anyway, here they are, in no particular order:
--Faith Hill, 44
--Martina McBride, 45
--Tim McGraw, 45
--Sarah Evans, 41
--Keith Urban, 44
--Reba McEntire, 57
--Chely Wright, 41
--George Strait, 60
--Rhonda Vincent, 49
--Lee Ann Womack, 45
--Trace Adkins, 50

What say you? Agree / Disagree? Who is missing?

A Nine-Year-Old Boy Made a Series of Trades, and Turned a Toy Soldier Into a Trip to Disney World for a Fallen Soldier's Family

Back in February, nine-year-old Brendan Haas of Kingston, Massachusetts heard about the famous website One Red Paperclip . . . which is the story of how a guy used a series of trades to turn one red paperclip into a house. Brendan decided he wanted to try something similar . . . but he wanted to use his trades to help out the family of a fallen U.S. soldier. So he set up a Facebook page to trade one toy soldier for a trip to Disney World. The trade offers he got were VERY generous. He traded the toy soldier for a $50 Walmart gift card. That got him an overnight spa trip. That led to Red Sox tickets. Those led to a snowmobiling trip. And from there, he got the Disney World trip. On Memorial Day, he randomly picked one of the families of fallen soldiers who had emailed him. He chose the family of a soldier named Timothy Steele and sent them to Disney World, including airfare, hotel, and $900 in gift certificates. Steele was killed in Afghanistan last August at age 25. He left behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter . . . who coincidentally lived pretty close to Brendan, in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

Here's the Facebook page link.

Click Here!

Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and More Performing with Joe Walsh on CMT's Crossroads!

Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes will join Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh for the special CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh & Friends premiering Saturday, June 23 at 11 p.m. Eastern. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top will also perform on the show. The stars will collaborate with Joe on his solo hits, as well as a few of his Eagles classics. Joe says, "Nothing beats country music with a little rock & roll sprinkled on top. We're going to mix up a batch and see what happens. I got a real good feeling about it." Joe's new solo album, Analog Man, is coming out June 5.

Folk & Bluegrass Music Legend Doc Watson Dies

Folk music legend Doc Watson died Tuesday at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where he was listed in critical condition last week after a fall in his home. He recently underwent abdominal surgery. He was 89 years old. Watson rose to prominence with the '60s folk movement with his often-emulated flat-picking technique on the acoustic guitar. His recordings kept vintage country songs alive for new generations of folk and bluegrass fans too. Watson was born March 2, 1923 in Deep Gap, NC. Blinded by illness before he turned one year old, he nevertheless began playing guitar, banjo and harmonica as a child. After leaving the School of the Blind in Raleigh, NC, Watson joined a local dance band. After recording a 1967 album with bluegrass legends Flatt & Scruggs, Watson appeared on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's seminal 1972 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, along with the likes of Roy Acuff and Maybelle Carter of The Carter Family. The appearance exposed Watson to a broader audience. Multiple Grammy wins led to Watson receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. He was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1997. Watson's son Merle played with him until his death in 1985 in a tractor accident on his North Carolina farm. Watson honored his son by founding the long-running Merlefest music festival in North Carolina

What Is Memorial Day?

Sadly, to some, Memorial Day is nothing more than a cool 3 day weekend. To those of us who served in our countrys military and to all the non military, everyday citizens, who are proud Americans, Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. It is these fallen heros that we should be remembering. Don't get me wrong, Memorial Day is a time of celebration, but it is also a time to show respect. If you have the opportunity to visit a veterans memorial, place some flowers or just take a moment to say a prayer for our fallen heros. As a veteran, I wish to say thank you to all of you for reading this and remembering our troops and their families. To my brothers and sisters who are still serving our great nation, God Bless You and God Bless America.

-Hammer

If you would like to read about how Memorial Day was founded, read below and click the link for the full story. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920).

Click Here To Read The Full History.

Tim McGraw and the Wounded Warrior Project Are Giving Away Free Homes to 25 Military Families!

Here's a great story to kick off your Memorial Day weekend. TIM MCGRAW is working with the Wounded Warrior Project to give away 25 mortgage-free homes to wounded American soldiers and service members in need. They'll be giving a home to one family in 25 different cities on Tim's "Brothers of the Sun" tour with KENNY CHESNEY. Tim is officially kicking off the project on Monday with a special concert in New York City for military personnel who are in town for the annual Fleet Week celebration. Here's Tim's statement: Quote, "My sister’s a veteran of the first Gulf War. My uncle was a Vietnam veteran and my grandfather was a World War II veteran. I've always felt a deep sense of respect and obligation to our troops. "Being able to reward them for their dedicated work with a new home will be even more rewarding for us. It feels so good to give back to them, and to have the opportunity to entertain them on Memorial Day is something I’m honored to do."