The current hits ...

Top 10 for the Week of February 22nd-28th

#1 Dierks Bentley ... Feel That Fire
#2 Toby Keith ... God Love Her
#3 Kenny Chesney ... Down The Road
#4 Keith Urban ... Sweet Thing
#5 Blake Shelton ... She Wouldn't Be Gone
#6 Brooks & Dunn ... Cowgirls Don't Cry
#7 Darius Rucker ... It Won't Be Like This For Long
#8 George Strait ... River Of Love
#9 Billy Currington ... Don't
#10 Taylor Swift ... White Horse

Top 5 Canadian Country Songs
JOHNNY REID ... A Woman Like You
ROAD HAMMERS ... Homegrown
GORD BAMFORD ... Little Guy
DOC WALKER ... One Last Sundown
DERIC RUTTAN ... California Plates

JB

The Rankins ...

The Rankin Family CD - These Are The Moments - is the # 3 selling country album in Canada ... just behind Taylor Swift and Allison Kraus / Robert Plant ... and AHEAD of Dierks Bentley! ... and the first single from the album is called Never Alone ...

JB

On this date ...

On this date in country music history ...

2002 ... LeAnn Rimes marries dancer Dean Sheremet at the Perkins Chapel in Dallas. The couple met when both appeared on the Academy of Country Music awards the previous May

2000 ... Sara Evans picks up her first gold album, for "No Place That Far"

1985 ... Mel McDaniel realizes his only #1 single in Billboard with "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On"

1959 ... Johnny Cash earns a #1 country single in Billboard magazine with "Don't Take Your Guns To Town"

JB

Clothes and Pop ...

Toby Keith has launched his own TK Steelman fashion line ... no idea yet if it will make it into any Canadian retail stores

Chuck Wicks and Dr Pepper do it together! Wicks has signed a year-long sponsorship deal with Dr Pepper to support the soft drink's Academy of Country Music Awards promotion. He says, "I’m a huge fan of Dr Pepper. We share a similar fan base and the same passion for country music".

JB

The Latest ...

Josh Turner and his wife, Jennifer, are expecting their second child sometime this summer. The couple's first, son Hampton Otis, was born Oct. 6, 2006. "I am so excited about the newest member of our family," says Josh. "I can't wait to hold him or her for the first time."

LeAnn Rimes is happy to see Carrie Underwood nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. She says, "We're a very male-dominated world, so to have her nominated is an exciting time."

Taylor Swift's new video for White Horse is the first video ever to debut at # 1 on CMT's "Top 20 Countdown. Meanwhile her album, Fearless, is the top selling album in North America for the 9th week. And the song Love Story a recent #1 country song on the Eagle is now the # 1 pop song across the dial.

Taylor Swift is on the cover of The Rolling Stone! And she is featured in an eight page spread in the magazine.

JB

Welcome ...

Welcome to my new music blog!

As Music Director of 1035 The Eagle, I am regularly in touch with the artists, record labels and music trackers. I will try to keep you up-to-date with information about new releases, concert schedules, emerging Canadian artists and more! And I welcome your comments.

Thanks, Jay Bedford

JB