Nashville Notes

Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockLuke Bryan gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his new Spring Break project, Like We Ain’t Ever, in a new CMT special airing Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

Gary Allan is set to perform on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman Tuesday.

Get well wishes go out to Country Music Hall of Fame member Mel Tillis, who underwent a routine heart procedure over the weekend. His daughter, Pam Tillis, says he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Nashville stars Charles Esten and Clare Bowen will headline the St. Jude Country Music Marathon post-race concert April 28 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Bruce Springsteen Tribute Concert Featuring McGraw and Chesney Coming to AXS TV March 30

Columbia RecordsTim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill and Zac Brown were among the stars performing at the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year concert honoring Bruce Springsteen. Now highlights from that concert will premiering on AXS TV Sunday, March 30. A DVD and Blu-ray release of the concert will hit stores on March 25 as well.

Elton John, Neil Young, Sting and Natalie Maines also performed at the show, which featured an all-star finale with the artists and Bruce himself. The gala not only celebrated Springsteen’s music but also his philanthropic work. Aptly, the show ended up raising more than $6.6 million for the Recording Academy’s MusiCares foundation, which helps musicians in times of need.

Keith Urban Dreaming Up Brand-New Show for Raise ‘Em Up Tour

Capitol NashvilleKeith Urban is creating a brand-new show for his Raise ‘Em Up tour, launching July 12 at the Calgary Stampede in Canada.

“The Raise Em Up tour will be a complete build from the sky down,” Keith says. “New staging, new production, a lot more songs from FUSE that the fans have been requesting, a different mix of previous hits, and some rarities from past albums that we haven’t played in a while if ever!!”

The 21-city tour will hit Boston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Atlantic City, Charlotte and Denver before wrapping up September 7 in Sacramento. Brett Eldredge and Jerrod Niemann are opening the show.

Here are Keith’s Raise ‘Em Up tour dates:

7/12 — Calgary, AB (CAN), Craven Country Jamboree
7/13 — Craven, SK (CAN), Craven Country Jamboree
7/17 — Atlantic City, NJ, The Borgata
7/18 — St. Clairesville, OH, Jamboree in the Hills
7/19 — Brooklyn, MI, Faster Horses
7/22 — Harrington, DE, Delaware State Fair
7/24 — Gilford, NH, Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
7/25 — Darien Center, NY/Darien Lake PAC
7/26 — Boston, MA, XFinity Center
7/31 — Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
8/1 — St. Louis, MO, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/2 — Indianapolis, IN, Klipsch Music Center
8/8 — Raleigh, NC, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
8/9 — Virginia Beach, VA, Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
8/15 — Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
8/16 — Hartford, CT, XFinity Theatre
8/17 — Bethel, NY, Bethel Woods Center
8/22 — Charlotte, NC, PNC Music Pavilion
8/23 — Birmingham, AL, Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
8/29 — Denver, CO, Fiddler’s Green
8/30 — Salt Lake City, UT, USANA Amphitheatre
9/5 — Irvine, CA, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9/6 — Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/7 — Sacramento, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Taylor Swift Dominates “Billboard” 2014 “Money Makers” List

Photo Credit: Ash NewellTaylor Swift‘s Red album and tour earned her a lot of green. She tops Billboard magazine’s annual Money Makers list, counting down the music performers who earned the most cash over the past year.

According to Billboard, Taylor raked in close to $39.7 million bucks over the past year, thanks to sales of her albums, singles and streaming royalties, plus ticket and merchandise sales for her tour, and that doesn’t include earnings from lucrative tour sponsorships with Keds, Diet Coke and Elizabeth Arden, or merchandise sales, which the magazine says together could be worth an additional $10 million.

Coming in at #2 the list is country superstar Kenny Chesney, who raked in just under $33 million last year with his album, Life on a Rock, and his No Shoes Nation tour.

Luke Bryan is in at #8 with earnings of $22.1 million thanks to his massive Dirt Road Diaries tour and new album, Crash My Party. Jason Aldean and George Strait take the #14 and #15 spots, respectively.

Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban Headlining ACM Party for a Cause Festival in Las Vegas

ACMRascal Flatts and Keith Urban are the headliners for the two-day ACM Party for a Cause Festival at The Linq in Las Vegas. The event takes place April 4 and 5, just before the ACM Awards broadcast live on CBS April 6. Florida Georgia Line, Brett Eldredge, Chris Young, Lee Brice, Justin Moore, Kip Moore, Tyler Farr, Danielle Bradbery, and Cassadee Pope are also on the bill. Proceeds go to ACM Lifting Lives and Outnumber Hunger.

The complete schedule is available at ACMCountry.com. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

Miranda Lambert Releasing New Album, “Platinum,” on June 3

Sony Music NashvilleMiranda Lambert is set to release her new album, Platinum, on June 3, featuring the lead single, “Automatic.” Miranda looks quite glamorous on the album cover, wearing a black dress with a high slit as she steps out of an Airstream trailer.

The album title Platinum was inspired by elements of Miranda’s own life. She says, “Platinum is my hair color, and my wedding ring, and the color of my Airstream and the name of one of my favorite beers. It’s about a lifestyle.”

Miranda, who wrote half of the album’s 16 songs, says the entire project reflects her current state of mind as a 30-year-old woman.

“I’m more settled in life, embracing the good and the bad, and that’s all reflected on Platinum,” Miranda explains. “I still blaze around, but in a less chaotic way.”

Several Platinum pre-order packages are available at MirandaLambert.com. You can also enter to win a trip to see Miranda perform on ABC’s Good Morning America as part of the album launch. Look for Miranda to perform “Automatic” on the ACM Awards April 6 on CBS.

Brantley Gilbert Building a Life with His New Best Friend, Sylo

Brantley Gilbert via Twitter

Brantley Gilbert has a new best friend named, Sylo. The country star got the puppy in December, and Brantley has been documenting Silo’s growth on social media.

Brantley tells ABC News Radio, “I’ll take selfies of my dog, like when he’s in the bed and stuff, and he’s knocked out. I think he tries to sleep exactly like I do.”

Sylo is hard of hearing, so Brantley had a hard time finding a trainer to get the dog ready for life on the road. A guy on Brantley’s road crew turned him on to a woman in Nashville who has become known as a “dog whisperer.”

“I’m thinking to myself, like, “What the hell is a dog whisperer gonna do for a deaf dog?’” Brantley says with a laugh. “This dude can’t hear me when I’m hollering at him. Seriously. That’s a legitimate question.”

As for why Brantley named the dog Sylo, he says, “I can’t tell you that. It’s personal. But he’s my buddy, man. He really is.”

Brantley’s latest hit, “Bottoms Up,” is the lead single from his upcoming studio album, due out in the coming months.

Country Star Trivia

Comstock/ThinkstockWhich country star had a hand in writing Jason Aldean‘s hits “My Kinda Party” and “Dirt Road Anthem?” ANSWER: Brantley Gilbert.

Nashville Notes

Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockFrankie Ballard will perform “Helluva Life” on NBC’s Today show April 3.

Danielle Bradbery and Cassadee Pope are set to perform a free concert at the Music City Center in Nashville as part of the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four on April 8.

Blake Shelton‘s upcoming shows at Madison Square Garden in New York and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles are both sold out.

George Strait Pondering Trip to Hawaii After Wrapping Final Tour in June

MCA NashvilleGeorge Strait will wrap up his touring career with a final show at AT&T Stadium in Dallas June 7. Once the trek is over, George plans to have a little fun in the sun.

He says, “I’m going somewhere. I don’t know where, but I’m going somewhere to celebrate.”

George was stationed in Hawaii when he served in the Army back in the ’70s, but he hasn’t been back there in years.

“I would love to see it again and try to find my old house over there and all that stuff. And I want to go back to scope the [Army] barracks, I think, too, and see all the old spots [where] I used to hang out.”

For a full list of George’s tour dates, go to GeorgeStrait.com.