Craig Morgan on the Opry stage. 2007 Copyright Grand Ole Opry® Photo by Chris Hollo, Hollo Photographics.
Oct. 17, 2008 — Two performers set to release important albums in the coming weeks will join host Nan Kelley this week on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown: Craig Morgan and Taylor Swift.
Taylor’s self-titled debut album has gone triple-platinum since its release in October 2006, and now she’s got Fearless slated for a Nov. 11 street date, one day before she appears on "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards." In the meantime, Taylor’s on the cover of Redbook, has completed a "Got Milk?" ad and is ready to vote for the first time.
Craig meanwhile has a huge week coming up. Tuesday he releases That’s Why, his first album in a new deal with BNA Records. On Saturday, Oct. 25, he’ll join the Grand Ole Opry, and on Saturday, Oct. 18, the moment when he was invited to become an Opry member is part of GAC’s Craig Morgan: Back To Bragg. The special — part of a four-hour "Hot Guys Of Country Music" programming block that also features Trace Adkins, Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney — revolves around a concert Craig gave at an Army base where he was once stationed.
"It was probably one of the most emotional experiences I’ve had in the industry — going back to Fort Bragg, a place that I had served for so long, where I had such deep-rooted relationships," Craig told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "Some of my very best friends are there still. I talk about it in the show. Our oldest son was born at Fort Bragg. So it was very emotional to go back and experience that and see the changes. It’s really neat to see how they’ve improved the area and the installation."
Top 20 Country Countdown counts down the week's top country videos from No. 20 to No. 1 as voted by viewers on each week on GACTV.com. A new countdown premieres every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on GAC and airs again Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET; Sundays at 1 p.m. ET; and Mondays at 10 a.m. ET. Viewers can vote for their favorite videos, as well as purchase Top 20 artists' albums and ringtones at GACTV.com.
THIS WEEK’S CHART:
1. Blake Shelton "She Wouldn’t Be Gone"
2. Carrie Underwood "Just A Dream"
3. Kellie Pickler "Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful"
4. Heidi Newfield "Johnny And June"
5. Keni Thomas "Shreveport 2 LA"
6. Keith Anderson "I Still Miss You"
7. Taylor Swift "Love Story"
8. George Strait "Troubadour"
9. Lady Antebellum "Lookin’ For A Good Time"
10. Darius Rucker "Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It"
11. Luke Bryan "Country Man"
12. Sugarland "Already Gone"
13. Jimmy Wayne "Do You Believe Me Now"
14. Keith Urban "You Look Good In My Shirt"
15. Blake Shelton "Home"
16. Montgomery Gentry "Roll With Me"
17. Brad Paisley "Waitin’ On A Woman"
18. Kenny Chesney "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven"
19. Patty Loveless "Crazy Arms"
20. Reba McEntire "Every Other Weekend"