Billy Dukes

After discussing songs from her new album ‘Blown Away’ in detail and sharing her on-stage anxieties, country superstar Carrie Underwood took a moment to answer the truly pressing questions that all fans want to know.

The summer heatwave comes a with a splash of country music before the days grow shorter and the kids return to school. The new country music releases for August 2012 are no exception. While July had so many country superstars with new country music releases that it was difficult to decide where to spend your money, August has just four that look promising.

Kellie Pickler was in the stands watching Luke Bryan sing the National Anthem on Tuesday night, but she wasn’t aware of the ‘Drunk on You’ singer’s use of “key words” which helped him get through the song. She says she understands what Bryan was going through at the All-Star Game, and the anxiety that comes with singing in front of millions of television viewers, and can’t understand the criticism

Viewers were quick to call out Luke Bryan for appearing to check his left hand at moments during his performance of the National Anthem at the MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo. on Tuesday night. Now, the singer has come clean, admitting to have written “key words” down to ensure he did his best.

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher are celebrating their second wedding anniversary today, July 10, 2012. The couple snuck away to a plantation in Georgia for the July ceremony back in 2010. They had to fit the date around both the hockey star’s NHL schedule, and the country queen’s touring schedule — that’s no easy task.

Andy Griffith never had a No. 1 hit or a gold record, but he was a voice generations of country music artists and fans revered and respected. The actor, best know as the star of ‘Matlock’ and ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ died Tuesday morning at his home in eastern North Carolina.

Longtime duet partners Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn are on the same ballot for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Both are nominated in the Songwriter/Artists category, but only one can be inducted. There’s no guarantee either will be picked, however.

When Wynonna Judd married Cactus Moser this month, her famous mother and sister weren’t in attendance. The singer now explains that was intentional. In an interview with Us Weekly, Judd admits her relationship with Naomi and Ashley Judd is strained, and that their presence would have made her nervous.

Tim McGraw‘s final album on Curb records was far from his best, yet the singles keep coming months after the singer was granted his release. ‘Better Than I Used to Be’ was an impressive Top 10 record — it’s difficult to gather airplay with no support from the artist — but ‘Right Back Atcha Babe’ will be lucky to crack the Top 40.

Country superstar Carrie Underwood has spoken up in support of gay marriage. During a lengthy interview with British newspaper the Independent, Underwood admits she and husband Mike Fisher attend a gay-friendly church in Nashville, and that she believes two people who love each other should be able to do so without scrutiny.

Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker and Willie Nelson all have one thing in common: country music (Hey — if there’s something else, we don’t know about it). The country supergroup took the stage halfway through the 2012 CMT Music Awards to perform Nelson’s ‘Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.’

The 2012 CMT Music Awards began with a batch of country and pop collaborations before settling into a Nashville-based broadcast, featuring Music City’s best. Rascal Flatts closed the show with one of the all-time greatest mainstream rock bands however, inviting Journey on stage to sing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.’