Grammy Nominees Visit Kosovo

George Strait wins "Single Of The Year" at "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Association.

Jan. 5, 2009 — A troupe of songwriters, including two who are currently nominated for Best Country Song in the Grammy Awards, are in Europe in the midst of a two-week tour of American military bases that began the final week of December.

Thom Shepherd and the Nashville Songwriters Band is named, rather appropriately, for one of the writers responsible for the military-themed David Ball hit "Riding With Private Malone." Band mate Bob Regan is currently up for Best Country Song for Randy Travis’ recording of "Dig Two Graves," while fellow band member Wade Kirby is nominated in the same category for co-writing George Strait’s "I Saw God Today."

Other songwriters of note in the seven-piece ensemble include Todd Cerney, who wrote Restless Heart’s "I’ll Still Be Loving You"; and Jerry Vandiver, author of Tim McGraw’s "For A Little While."

The band’s played during its tour in Germany, Poland and Kosovo, where the base is located in the former Film City, named because it was once Eastern Europe’s porn-shooting district. They welcomed 2009 in Kosovo after three members of the Songwriters Band made a visit earlier in the day to play Nothing Hill along the Serbian border.

"Apparently it is called Nothing Hill because there is absolutely nothing there except 30 U.S. soldiers doing their job," Jerry worte in the Kosovo Or Bust blog. "We found out that Thom's little performance was the first show [for American troops] there."

The Nashville Songwriters Band’s trip, which began Dec. 26, is one of several recent overseas visits to perform for the troops made by country-associated performers. Aaron Tippin returned Dec. 1 from a Thanksgiving trip to the Middle East; Craig Morgan, Mark Wills and Keni Thomas concluded an 11-day trek on Christmas Eve; and Kellie Pickler, Kid Rock and Zac Brown likewise visited Iraq in mid December.

Click here to watch Kellie's GAC Special, My USO Diary.