Country People

Crowell and Gill bring Cherry Bombs to Leno
Country supergroup the Notorious Cherry Bombs will make their network television debut Aug. 4 on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. The band includes Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Tony Brown, Hank DeVito and Richard Bennett. The Cherry Bombs supported Crowell when he toured in the 1980s. "The first time we were just playing music, playing clubs and playing around," said Crowell. "The process was the end result. We were so busy having fun and making music, we didn't think too much about the rest of it." Brown, a successful Nashville producer and record executive, plays keyboards in the group. DeVito is the Cherry Bombs' steel guitarist, and Bennett, also a successful producer, plays guitar. For their appearance on the Leno show they'll have drummer Eddie Bayers Jr., bassist Michael Rhodes and keyboardist John Hobbs. "We said when we got together that we wanted it to be fun," Gill said. "And if it stopped being fun, we'd stop. Thing is, we're still here."

Janette Carter receives CMA honor
Janette Carter is the 2004 recipient of the Country Music Association's Joe Talbot Award, for "outstanding leadership and contributions to the preservation and advancement of country music's values and traditions." Carter is the daughter of A.P. and Sara Cater of country music's pioneering Carter Family. Janette Carter performed with her parents and her Aunt Maybelle Carter in the 1930s and has recorded with her brother, Joe Carter. She hosts traditional music performances weekly at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Va. "The Carter Family has given so much to country music and the world," said CMA executive director Ed Benson. "It is a privilege to honor Janette for not only preserving, but continuing the traditions that her parents and aunt pioneered." Janette Carter has performed at the Carter Family Fold almost every Saturday night since 1974. The non-profit Carter Family Memorial Music Center, which includes a Carter Family museum, is dedicated to the preservation of old-time, traditional country and mountain music.

Hughes and Yoakam among artists honoring Parsons
Rock and country artists will pay tribute to the late Gram Parsons Friday and Saturday (July 9 and 10) in concerts at the Santa Barbara Bowl and the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, respectively. The concerts are titled Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons. Among those scheduled to take part are new country artist Jedd Hughes, Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle, Raul Malo of the Mavericks and Jim Lauderdale. Parson's daughter, Polly Parsons, invited Hughes after seeing him play a show in Los Angeles and hearing his cover of her father's song "Luxury Liner." Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams and Kathleen Edwards also are among the artists on tap to pay tribute to Parsons, who died in 1973 after making seminal recordings with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and as a solo artist. Hughes releases his debut album, Transcontinental, Aug. 31 on MCA Records.

Alan Jackson's name to go on hometown highway
The Alan Jackson Highway will be dedicated Friday (July 9) in a ceremony at The Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts in Jackson's hometown of Newnan, Ga. Georgia governor Sonny Perdue recently signed a bill naming a portion of interstate highway 85, outside Newnan, after Jackson. The stretch of road runs from exit 51 (Highway 154) to exit 57 (Palmetto). After the dedication, Jackson will join state and local dignitaries for the unveiling of the roadside sign, located about an hour southwest of Atlanta. The ceremony begins at noon EDT.

Gretchen Wilson takes worldwide junket
Gretchen Wilson may be a "Redneck Woman," but she's got international flair. The new country singer just finished four days of performing and media appearances in Australia, where her Here For The Party album made an impressive debut on the country charts, registering at #2. Wilson moved on to Sweden on Monday (July 5) where she was to promote her album on radio and television. Wednesday, Wilson was slated to be in Oslo, Norway, with further stops scheduled in Berlin and London before returning to the U.S.

Kenny Rogers has twin boys
Kenny and Wanda Rogers are proud parents of identical twin boys, born Tuesday (July 6) in Atlanta. Justin Charles arrived at 8:25 a.m., measured 19 ½ inches in length and weighed 6 lbs., 10 oz. Brother Jordan Edward followed at 8:26 a.m., measured 18 inches long and weighed 5 lbs., 8 oz. Twins run in Kenny Rogers' family, and wife Wanda is an identical twin herself.

Evans celebrates the Fourth in Nashville and Missouri
Sara Evans postponed her arrival at her family's annual Fourth of July fish fry so she could entertain in Nashville on Independence Day. Singing with the Nashville Symphony, Evans did her hits "Born to Fly" and "I Could Not Ask For More" and her current single, "Suds In The Bucket" as part of the city's riverfront celebration. After the event, Evans, her husband and children went by bus to her hometown, Boonville, Mo., in time for the delayed fish fry. Cable channel the Food Network was on hand for the family feed. "Our annual family fish fry was wonderful as always," Evans said, "and it was fun to let the Food Network peek inside our family tradition."