Singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw arrive to the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the Staples Center on February 10, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
Each week country music expert Neil Haislop answers your questions!
Q: Why have Tim and Faith not recorded a duet CD yet?
(Rene, Anchorage, AK)
A: Rene, I get this question from time to time and the answer is simple. According to Tim and Faith, it’s not that easy to find strong duets that they can sing together. When they do find enough great duets, they then will have to coordinate their separate careers on different record companies to find a time when a duets album would hurt the sales of their individual solo album releases. It’s not that they don’t want to do it. It’s just a matter of time, finding enough great songs and timing.
Q: I know a little 5 yr. old boy that just loves Sugarland. I went to their website but it doesn't have anywhere on there to send a question. How can we get either a letter from them or an autographed photo for this little boy? If you can help me with this I would certainly appreciate it. There isn't a concert near us to attend.
(Wendy, Ringgold, VA)
A: Wendy, as you can imagine, there are thousands of fans young and old trying to reach Sugarland directly for personal favors. The best way to get a bit closer to an artist is to join their fan club and begin such requests through them. Otherwise, since the boy is only 5 years-old, you might visit sugarlandmusic.com, their official website, and check out the store. They have all kinds of things for him that you can buy that might satisfy him, such as a knit cap, T-shirt, a picture of the duo, etc., all at affordable prices that you might order.
Q: I recently read an article about "Dancing With The Stars." It said that one of the contestants on this year's season is 18, the youngest celebrity to ever be on the show. Wasn't Julianne Hough 18 or so when she was on the show? She's only about 20 now, and she was the champ 2 years in a row.
(Micala, Halifax, PA)
A: Micala, the idea of the show is to bring in known celebrities and pair them with professional dancer/choreographers to see if they can turn the celebrities into champions. When the show began, Julianne was not a country singing celebrity, just the dance pro, and would not qualify to be the youngest "celebrity" champ. Even now, in this season of "Dancing With The Stars," she’ll compete as a dance pro, not a celebrity.
Q: Could you please tell me why I haven’t been seeing videos of Joe Nichols? I heard he went through rehab, but so did Keith Urban and we still see him all the time.
(Sherri, Gray, GA)
A: Sherri, you must remember that Joe Nichols is a big star, but still on the rise. Keith Urban is a superstar who kept scoring hit songs even during his time in rehab. Joe has been in a career lull and has not scored enough big hits or released enough videos to sustain his image while he rebuilds his career. All he needs now is to begin stringing several big hits together.
Q: I know George Strait is considered today's King of Country. What female artist is considered the Queen of Country right now?
(Julie, Halifax, PA)
A: Julie, George Strait is the "King of Country" because of his long, sustained career and his continued ability to score hits songs and sell records. For the same reasons, Reba McEntire remains the "Queen of Country." She’s had more success longer than anybody out there and she still sells records and scores hit songs. No other female artist has been so dominant for so long in all categories as Reba.
Q: Why didn't Carrie Underwood get nominated for CMA Entertainer of the Year? She joined the Opry, continued her string of No. 1 singles and videos, and began her first headlining tour. Plus, Carnival Ride has got to be nearing double-platinum status.
(Steven, Houston, TX)
A: Steven, I’m sure that Carrie was up there high on the list of semi-finalists for Entertainer. But you may have given the answer in your own question. Up until recently, Carrie was touring mostly as a great opening act for other artists. If she does well as a headliner this year and next, and continues to score big hits and sells records, she might well be nominated next year.
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