Holly Williams, Randy Houser Drop by GAC’s Top 20

Holly Williams photo by Autumn de Wilde, courtesy of Mercury Nashville.

June , 2009 — Two of country music’s most promising newcomers, Holly Williams and Randy Houser, are on deck to join host Nan Kelley on this weekend’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Randy, who co-wrote the Trace Adkins hit "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," got his recording career off to a strong start with his ballad "Anything Goes" and his current release "Boots On." The soulful tinge in his voice is mindful of Ronnie Dunn, and it’s propelled "Boots" into this week’s Top 20.

Holly is building a name for herself as a singer-songwriter behind her sophomore album, Here With Me, which is getting excellent advance notice in anticipation of its June 16 release. Holly is the daughter of Hank Williams Jr., providing her a genetic depth of musical understanding. Still, she was unaware for years just how deep those roots ran.

"I grew up knowing that Dad was famous obviously," she says in the final issue of Performing Songwriter magazine. "But Hank Sr.? I just thought he had written a couple of songs back in the ‘50s. When I heard Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen talking about him, I said, ‘Wow, he influenced the people I’m influenced by!"

Holly plays the Grand Ole Opry — a radio show her grandfather was intimately familiar with — this Saturday, alongside Crystal Gayle, Mark Wills and Little Jimmy Dickens, who knew Hank Sr. personally. She’ll perform July 3 at the Country Music Hall of Fame, where the elder Hank is enshrined.

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. Kellie Pickler "Best Days Of Your Life"
2. Taylor Swift "You Belong With Me"
3. Carrie Underwood "I Told You So"
4. Lady Antebellum "I Run To You"
5. Billy Currington "People Are Crazy"
6. Alan Jackson "Sissy’s Song"
7. Miley Cyrus "The Climb"
8. Kenny Chesney "Out Last Night"
9. Rascal Flatts "Here Comes Goodbye"
10. Dierks Bentley "Sideways"
11. Jason Aldean "She’s Country"
12. Rodney Atkins "It’s America"
13. Taylor Swift "White Horse"
14. Trace Adkins "Marry For Money"
15. Gloriana "Wild At Heart"
16. Darius Rucker "It Won’t Be Like This For Long"
17. Zac Brown Band "Whatever It Is"
18. Joey+Rory "Play The Song"
19. Billy Ray Cyrus "Back To Tennessee"
20. Randy Houser "Boots On"