Country Music News

TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY

(Thursday, Dec. 5)

Jim Messina of the Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins & Messina, born in Maywood, Calif., 1947.

Gary Allan born in Montibello, Calif., 1967.

George Morgan, Don Gibson, Billy Grammer, Johnnie Wright, Kitty Wells, The Jordanaires, Faron Young, Ferlin Husky, Justin Tubb, Stonewall Jackson and Ray Price are dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry, 1956.

Lorne Greene's single "Ringo" charted, 1964.

MUSIC AND MORE

TWAIN'S 'UP!' TOPPING BILLBOARD CHARTS

Shania Twain's "Up!" stayed atop Billboard's all-genre 200 and the Billboard Country Album charts in its second week.

It sold another 623,000 copies, Billiboard says, citing figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

Tim McGraw's "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors" (Curb) sold 602,000 copies and debuted at No. 2 on both charts.

Faith Hill's "Cry" got a nice bump from her Thanksgiving night TV special, rising from No. 15 to No. 7 on the all-genre list.

ACTOR DUVALL PRODUCES DOCUMENTARY ON SHAVER

The life of singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver is being made into a documentary produced by Oscar winning actor Robert Duvall.

Shaver had an acting role in Duvall's 1997 film "The Apostle" and recently finished work on another movie starring Duvall, "Second Hand Lions."

Shaver tells CMT.com former first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, insisted the documentary premiere in Austin, Texas, and that she introduce it. Its tentative release date is June 2003.

TRITT, MCBRIDE BOOKED FOR WATERSHED FEST

Country artists Travis Tritt and Martina McBride are among the first acts booked for the 2003 Watershed Four Festival in Walkerton, Ontario. See watershedfestival.com for more information.

The outdoor event, set for Aug. 30-31, was first held three years ago to help the town raise money for its recovery from an E.coli bacteria outbreak in 1999 that killed seven people and made thousands ill.

Last year's festival raised $200,000 for community improvements and activities in Walkerton.