Country Music News

TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY

(Tuesday, March 4)

Minnie Pearl dies in Nashville, 1996.

George Jones married Nancy Sepulveda in Woodville, Texas, 1983.

Grand Ole Opry legend Ernest Tubb records first song for Decca, 1962.

The film "Coal Miner's Daughter" starring Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn premieres in Nashville, 1980. Spacek won an Oscar for the performance.

Waylon Jennings' and Willie Nelson's "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" begin four-week run atop Billboard's country chart, 1978.

Hank Williams Jr.'s "24 Greatest Hits" goes platinum, 1994.

Lonestar's "Smile" hits top of Billboard country chart, 2000.

Montgomery Gentry's debut album, "Tattoos and Scars," goes gold, 2000.

MUSIC AND MORE

TOBY KEITH 'AGAINST WAR', BUT...

Toby Keith, whose hit single "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)" sparked plenty of controversy, says he's opposed to going to war with Iraq but sometimes, he believes, it's the only option.

"War is bloody, ugly," Keith tells Country Weekly. "And I'm against war, to the extent I don't want it to happen to anybody -- but sometimes war has to be."

And if that happens, he continues, then "annihilate the enemy, make the changes that need to be made for the free world and be done with it. We obviously should have taken care of Saddam Hussein a decade ago."

SWEETHEART OF A COMEBACK?

Country duo Sweethearts of the Rodeo is considering a comeback, the group's longtime manager Monty Hitchcock tells CMT.com.

"They're talking about doing another record together," Hitchcock says.

In what would be their first album since "Beautiful Lies" in 1996, sisters Kristine Arnold and Janis Gill have pulled together several songs and are talking about reuniting, he says.

The duo debuted on the country charts in 1986 with "Hey Doll Baby," and recorded several Top Ten songs over the next five years including "Since I Found You" and "Chains of Gold."

LEANN, JENNIFER JOIN DICK CLARK TO ANNOUNCE ACM NODS

Country stars LeAnn Rimes and Jennifer Hanson Tuesday will announce nominations for the 2003 Academy of Country Music awards.

They join executive producer Dick Clark in announcing the nods for the 38th annual ACM awards show on May 21, which will be carried by CBS. The show is to be hosted by country star Reba McIntyre.