Joe Nichols Drops By "Top 20"

Joe Nichols on the Grand Ole Opry stage in April 2008. 2008 Copyright Grand Ole Opry® Photo by Chris Hollo, Hollo Photographics.

May 8, 2009 — Joe Nichols is in the midst of a new arc in his career, and he’ll get a chance to talk about it when he hangs with host Nan Kelley on this weekend’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Joe has a new single, "Believers," that’s moved rather quickly into the Top 50 on the Country Aircheck singles chart, and he’s also making plans to appear next year on Broadway taking the lead role in a stage production of the former George Strait movie Pure Country. Joe was able to get the lowdown on the process from Reba McEntire, who played Broadway in a much-heralded presentation of Annie Get Your Gun, and Reba told him to expect a challenge.

"She looked me dead in the eye and said, 'That's the hardest thing I've ever done,’" Joe told Dial-Global. "No smile or nothing. And she was dead serious. And I kind of took a step back like, 'Wow, this is... Okay, I need to listen to this.' And she said, 'Now on your day off you think you're gonna go to [the] Statue of Liberty or to go to this museum or do that... You know, all that kind of fun stuff.' She goes, 'You're not. What you're gonna want to do is sleep and do laundry. And that's about it.' But she did say it was a very rewarding experience, it was well worth the hard work. So, I'm looking forward it. You know, I love a good challenge and I think this sounds like a pretty big one."

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. Carrie Underwood "I Told You So"
2. Kellie Pickler "Best Days Of Your Life"
3. Dolly Parton "Backwoods Barbie"
4. Sarah Darling "Jack Of Hearts"
5. Trace Adkins "Marry For Money"
6. Darryl Worley "Sounds Like Life To Me"
7. Darius Rucker "It Won’t Be Like This For Long"
8. Eric Church "Love Your Love The Most"
9. Heidi Newfield "Cry, Cry (Til The Sun Shines)"
10. One Night Rodeo "Alive And Living"
11. Rascal Flatts "Here Comes Goodbye"
12. Billy Ray Cyrus "Back To Tennessee"
13. Miley Cyrus "The Climb"
14. Lady Antebellum "I Run To You"
15. Taylor Swift "White Horse"
16. Holly Williams "Keep The Change"
17. John Rich "Shuttin’ Detroit Down"
18. Alan Jackson "Sissy’s Song"
19. Jake Owen "Don’t Think I Can’t Love You"
20. Jason Aldean "She’s Country"