Encore

The 2014 ACM Awards are on Sunday (April 6), and the performance and presenter schedule is deep. Collaborations and planned cameos will be the norm during the CBS broadcast, but don't expect many surprises. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes says this year's show will be entertaining, but not shocking.

George Strait's campaign for 2014 ACM Entertainer of the Year asks fans to make him the Entertainer of a Lifetime. It's a deviation from most campaigns for fan-voted awards that list everything an artist has accomplished in that year. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes argues that Strait may be the only person capable of doing this.

There have been some wonderful country duets in recent years. Collaborations between Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson come to mind, but these songs (and others like 'Highway Don't Care') take some serious coordination.

Miranda Lambert's new album 'Platinum' will be available on June 3 and, with 16 tracks, there's a lot to know about the new studio project. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes has managed to cram it all into one, 30-second-long, video cheat sheet.

For 25 years, country radio has stepped up to raise money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and on Thursday and Friday (March 6 and 7), Taste of Country is joining that effort. Head writer Billy Dukes explains how artists like Dierks Bentley and Sheryl Crow jumped at a chance to help with the first-annual webathon, and how you can participate.

Turning a personal tragedy into a hit record is tricky, and not just for all the normal reasons that it's difficult to make a song into a hit. Artists who write a great personal song may be hesitant to record it for months or years. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes considers three powerful songs and three artists who dealt with the personal tragedies that inspired them in very different ways. 

Buck 22 recruited Billy Ray Cyrus to remix 'Achy Breaky Heart,' and together, they created a version of the song that those prone to dismissing the 1991 original find even more repulsive. However, there's a lesson to be learned from what Cyrus has done (or agreed to let happen). Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes argues that country music needs minds like his to stay sharp.

Nearly a dozen others refused, but Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson and Kid Rock have taken the stage to play SeaWorld's Bands, Brews & BBQ concert series, despite heavy protest from a controversy started after a documentary called 'Blackfish' aired. Should those who play be demonized?

In Nashville, the songwriter is king. This title is deserved, as the stories they provide are the heart that makes the country music industry beat. Artists that only record songs they write or co-write are making a big mistake, however. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes explains how one artist learned that when it comes to album space, it's best to share.

Why isn't a country superstar performing during halftime of the Super Bowl? It's a fair question, and one country fans have asked every year since Shania Twain took the stage in 2003. Surely there are stars big enough to draw the nation's interest, right? Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes argues that fans of Nashville's biggest names should actually be grateful for this missed opportunity.  Read