BIG OL NEWS MONDAY MORNING ON THE BIG OL MORNING SHOW

Howdy Coal Country! It's time once again, for another blog from Ol Hop Along Rock. Just a couple of things before I get into the country music news...Be sure to check out the Big Ol Morning Show this Monday (4/21/08) for a huge announcement about the CMA Music Festival! I'm not at liberty to say a whole lot about it, but it's HUGE...so be sure to tune in for the big announcement! Also, I would like to thank the staff at Dollywood for being so kind to my co-host Tia last week. She went down for the tribute to Porter Wagoner, she brought back some great pictures and even a couple of things that you are going to be hearing during the Big Ol Morning Show. You will see pictured about Miss Dolly Parton and her huge......talent! Moving right along to Hillbilly Days, I have lived in Southern West Virginia all of my life but I never made the trip to Pikeville for Hillbilly Days. If you have never been, I highly recommend it. Good food, good music and PURDY women! What more can a man ask for? Now on to what makes the world go around... COUNTRY MUSIC!!! All hail, King George! George Strait's Troubadour tops both Billboard's country and all-genres album charts this week with first-week sales of more than 166,000 copies. That's quite an achievement for a guy who first began charting 27 years ago. Trade Adkins looms on the peak of the song chart for the second straight week with "You're Gonna Miss This." In so doing, he holds Strait's "I Saw God Today" at bay in the No. 2 niche. Five other albums make their first visit to the charts this period. Entering at a very impressive No. 4 is Josh Gracin's We Weren't Crazy, followed by Aaron Watson's Angels & Outlaws (No. 28), Willie Nelson's One Hell of a Ride (No. 46), Kathy Mattea's Coal (No. 64) and the various-artist assemblage, The Very Best of Outlaw Country (No. 65). Nelson, by the way, has been charting since 1962 and Mattea since 1983. Only two new songs crack this week's listing -- former Trick Pony member Heidi Newfield's "Johnny & June" (No. 46) and Lonestar's "Let Me Love You" (No. 60). After its quick on-and-off debut, Dolly Parton's "Jesus & Gravity" returns at No. 56.Among the week's remaining Top 5 albums, Taylor Swift's self-titled CD simmers at No. 2, Alan Jackson's Good Time at No. 3 and Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride at No. 5. Trailing Adkins and Strait within the Top 5 songs, in descending order, are Chris Cagle's "What Kinda Gone," James Otto's "Just Got Started Lovin' You" and Swift's "Picture to Burn." Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

PS Don't forget about the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT Monday morning on The Tri-States Coal Country & More 965!!!