Georgia country music stars continue putting out new releases that climb the music charts.
Lady Antebellum is having success with its new single, Need You Now , and has just released a music video of the song. It also is the title track of the group's second and just-released Capitol Records CD.
The trio consists of Lakeside High Class of 2000 graduates Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley, and Hillary Scott, of Nashville, Tenn.
The video, which can be seen at ladyantebellum.com or on YouTube, was filmed in Toronto in late August. The trio has been opening shows in Switzerland for Kenny Rogers and, most recently, was in Canada with Keith Urban.
Luke Bryan, of Leesburg, Ga., near Albany, is promoting his new Capitol Records CD, Doin' My Thing , which is set for release Tuesday.
He will perform at 7 p.m. Monday at Hurricane Branch Plantation near Claxton, Ga. A portion of the proceeds go to a scholarship fund for students at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. Tickets cost $20 and can be ordered at lukebryan. com. Click on the tour link.
He will be in Augusta performing at 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Country Club nightclub, 2834 Washington Road. Tickets cost $17, which includes a copy of Mr. Bryan's new CD.
Jason Aldean, of Macon, Ga., has a new single, The Truth , the third release from his Broken Bow Records CD Wide Open . See jasonaldean.com.
Mr. Aldean has said of the song, "It's about a relationship going bad and the guy just losing it over this girl. He's basically begging ... saying, 'Make up whatever story you want, tell 'em I left town or whatever you need to say ... just don't tell 'em the truth.' I don't know a guy who hasn't been through that before."
His previous singles off the CD, She's Country and Big Green Tractor , both were No. 1 hits.
Billy Currington, of Rincon, Ga., near Savannah, is touring in support of his new single, That's How Country Boys Roll , off his year-old Mercury Records CD, Little Bit of Everything .
It looks like the closest he's performing to Augusta in the near future is at the Blind Horse Saloon in Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 20.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE: Many thanks to the kind readers of Augusta Magazine who voted yours truly as Best of Augusta Columnist, my first time winning that award.
I really don't feel that I'm that much better than my great friend Bill Kirby, who won in the category last year, or many other superb writers in the area whose literary creations I much admire.
However, if you happen to be at the annual Best of Augusta Bash on Oct. 8 at the National Science Center's Fort Discovery, at Seventh at Reynolds streets on the levee, drop by my table and say hello.
The event starts at 6 p.m. and will offer lots of music and food samples. Tickets cost $12 in advance or $17 at the door. They're available at The Chronicle's cashier's office, 725 Broad St., The Columbia County News-Times office in the Publix Shopping Center on Washington Road in Evans; Fort Discovery's ticket counter, 1 Seventh St., and online at augustamagazine.com.
Don Rhodes has written about country music for 38 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or don.rhodes@morris.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Congrats, Don! Enjoy your column every week!