MCA NashvilleKip Moore and Frankie Ballard helped raise $17,000 for Musicians on Call by performing at the Country Weekly Kick-Off Party last week in Nashville. The event took place at Mercy Lounge in Music City, with proceeds going to Musicians on Call's efforts to bring live and recorded music to patients in healthcare facilities. Chuck Wicks hosted the event.

The fundraising continues through next month with the eighth annual Summer of Music auction benefiting Musicians on Call. Concert ticket packages, meet-and-greet experiences and memorabilia from Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and more are on the auction block. Go to MusiciansonCall.org to bid.

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Sony Music NashvilleKenny Chesney is back with a brand-new single, "American Kids," hitting the airwaves June 20. The song celebrates the spirit of youth and also speaks to the resiliency of Kenny's fans.

He says, "If there’s one thing I’ve seen over the last ten years, looking out at the faces in the crowd: you can’t keep my fans down. These are people who no matter what are in love with life, and they’re gonna find the good times no matter what."

You can download "American Kids" starting June 23. It's the lead single from Kenny's upcoming studio album, due out this fall.

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Capitol NashvilleLady Antebellum has released a new webisode for their fans almost every week since they first hit the country scene in 2007 with "Love Don't Live Here Anymore." The group recently posted their 300th webisode, so they celebrated the milestone by giving away 800 cake pops to everyone who came by to see them at the CMA Music Festival's Fan Fair X over the weekend.

Band member Dave Haywood says, "That's a lot of calories."

As for their webisode series, Lady A's Hillary Scott adds, "We've had a video camera following us around from the very beginning back to when we were behind the camera, and now having a really amazing professional, [Adam Boatman], putting it all together."

Look for highlights from Lady Antebellum's CMA Music Festival experience in an upcoming installment of their Lady A TV webisodes.

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Comstock/ThinkstockWhich instrument does Hillary Scott's husband Chris Tyrell play in Lady Antebellum's band? ANSWER: Drums.

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Southern GroundZac Brown Band just released "All Alright" as the latest single from their EP, The Grohl Sessions, and a they'll begin work on a new full-length project this fall.

Zac says, "We'll be in the studio for a few solid months planning for a spring release. Spring or early summer."

The guys are taking a different approach to making the new album, too.

"We're taking more time to record this year than we ever have and working with several different producers as well within the same project," Zac explains. "So, we're really excited about that."

Look for more announcements from Zac Brown Band in the next month or so.

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Sony Music NashvilleChris Young is on the mend following surgery to repair tendons that were injured when he accidentally cut his left hand last week in a kitchen accident.

In a post on Facebook, Chris's mother, Becky Harris, said he can still move his fingers and will be in a soft cast for another two weeks, then a hard cast for four weeks after that. She also says Chris has a lot of stitches, and they're not sure if he will be able to play his shows this weekend.

Becky adds, "Thank you again for all the prayers."

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Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockCountry newcomers Sam Hunt, Natalie Stovall and the Drive and David Fanning are among the artists playing the Next from Nashville stage at the Faster Horses Festival July 18 through 20 in Brooklyn, MI.

Josh Turner will appear on the fourth hour of NBC's Today show Tuesday to talk about his book, Man Stuff: Thoughts on Faith, Family and Fatherhood.

Keith Urban keeps the car theme going with his new single, "Somewhere in My Car," the follow-up to his latest hit, "Cop Car."

The country tribute to Motley Crue, Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Motley Crue, is now due out August 19. Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line are among the stars contributing songs to the project.

Frankie Ballard had a party at Pour House in Nashville Monday to celebrate his #1 hit, "Helluva Life."

Cassadee Pope will headline FOX News's FOX & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series this Friday morning. She's also signed on as a new spokesperson for skin care line ProActiv+.

Jana Kramer's new video, "Love," was filmed in El Progreso, Honduras. It's now airing exclusively on CMT.

John Legend's country duet version of "All of Me" with Jennifer Nettles  premiered on last week's CMT Music Awards, and a recorded version has now been released to iTunes. Hunter Hayes arranged, produced and played on the track along with his band.

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Photo Credit: Darrin DickersonJerrod Niemann will headline his first show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Friday, September 12. Playing that historic venue has been a dream of Jerrod's since he moved to Nashville from Ft. Worth, Texas in 2000.

He says, "I remember when I first moved to town, my buddies and I would hang out in the honky tonks off Lower Broadway and the Mother Church of Country Music would always smile down at us from her perch. It's a rite of passage for all musicians to grace her stage as the main act, and I am very much looking forward to having that honor."  

Tickets for Jerrod's Ryman show go on sale this Friday morning at Ryman.com. He's also joining Keith Urban on the Raise 'Em Up tour this summer.

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Republic NashvilleCountry's top stars raised a lot of money for charity last week during the CMA Music Festival. Florida Georgia Line's appearance at the Stars for Second Harvest benefit concert brought in more than $142,000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. The concert is now in its 10th year and has raised more than $750,000 to help feed the hungry in the Nashville area.

Darius Rucker's fifth annual Darius and Friends benefit concert and golf tournament brought in more than $122,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, to help them offer free care to children fighting cancer. Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, Dustin Lynch, Thompson Square, David Nail, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope, and Kenny Rogers were among the stars taking part in Darius's events during CMA Music Fest week.

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