CMT Blog: Tim McGraw

Celebrities visiting Nashville usually proclaim their love of country music, but they're often hard-pressed to cite any artists beyond Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton or maybe Johnny Cash. That's why Justin Bieber's apparent knowledge of country is so surprising. The teen heartthrob is in Nashville for a Wednesday night (Aug. 11) concert at the Bridgestone Arena. According to a report from his afternoon soundcheck, somebody asked him about his favorite country artists, and he immediately reeled off the names of Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride and Alan Jackson. Then, in an impromptu move, he sang the entire first verse of Jackson's "Chattahoochee." Regardless of your opinion of Bieber, you've got to respect any teenager who can sing part of a country song that topped the chart a year before he was born. I'd have been even more impressed had he chosen Jackson's "Here in the Real World," but that's beside the point. I wonder how many of today's newer country acts know the words to "Chattahoochee."

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In the latest issue of People Country, you can find out exactly where country stars find the best barbecue. But I have to warn you, if you don't live south of the Mason-Dixon Line, it's kind of depressing. Tim McGraw likes Podnuh's in Baton Rouge, Jason Aldean picks Fincher's Bar-B-Q in Georgia and Jake Owen names a spot in Florida. Dolly Parton chooses Couser's Southern Restaurant in Nashville (and also serves up quite a spread at her Dollywood theme park). I'm sure all those meals are just fine. But for those of us who live up north, what about us? Even though it didn't make it to the top of anyone's list, Memphis-based Corky's is my personal favorite. Not just because it's tasty, smoked and hand-pulled, but because they will deliver it to your door. You can get three pounds of their pulled pork and a bottle of sauce for around $70 and eat like a star no matter where you live.

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Nashville Lifestyles magazine has just issued their Hot List for 2010 and it has a little bit of everything, from iPads and cars to art and celebs. But the one I agree with the most? Faith Hill. Because, well, duh. Look at her. She's nice to look at, for sure, but she's also on the list because of what she did this summer when she hosted the Nashville Rising benefit concert with her husband, Tim McGraw. But the magazine also cites her always-classy and never-trashy styles to prove that "some things really do get better with age." Another hottie on the list? Heather Ann Heatherly, from Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Nashville's lower Broadway. She's apparently been behind that bar for 15 years and will be missed when she moves to California. But like Brooks & Dunn say, you can take the girl out of the honky-tonk but you can't take the honky-tonk out of the girl.

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Tim McGraw has been officially recognized as the most-played artist of the last decade across all formats. I had a feeling this was the case. It seems like whenever I get in my car, there's some song of his on the radio. Old ones like "Everywhere" and "Don't Take the Girl," and all the new ones like "Southern Voice" and "Still" -- and every single single in between. But I didn't realize it was happening that much and that he was literally the most-played artist overall. Nielsen BDS has been keeping track, though, and their research determined that he had 7,965,000 radio spins from Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009. This total includes huge hits like "Live Like You Were Dying," "Something Like That" and "Real Good Man." And that's all good news for McGraw, for sure. But it's even better news for fans who have loved him since "Welcome to the Club."

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Gwyneth Paltrow sang Nashville's praises while she was in town filming a movie, Country Strong, earlier this year. Now she's singing a new tune -- and it's coming to country radio. Paltrow recorded "Country Strong" for her lead role as Kelly Canter, a faded country star with a drug problem and an eye on a comeback. If you're curious to hear it, the single is streaming on a brand new website, KellyCanter.com. Paltrow appears to be a pretty decent singer, allowing herself to wail a bit toward the end, while the message of resilience should fit in neatly to the country format. The movie, which also stars Tim McGraw as her husband and manager, will be released nationally on Dec. 22.

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This story makes me think, what would a country artist do? Did you hear about what happened at the Kings of Leon concert on Friday night (July 23) in St. Louis? The band members were three songs into their soulful set when they had to end it because some crazy pigeons unleashed their excrement all over the musicians. (Guess they are the only ones who don't like the band's big hit, "Use Somebody.") But bassist Jared Followill got hit hardest with the poop, even on his face. "I was hit by pigeons on each of the first three songs. We had 20 songs on the set list. By the end of the show, I would have been covered from head to toe," he said. I'm sure the band felt bad. I'm sure the fans were pissed. But the venue knew there was a problem, so why they didn't set up some sort of awning or canopy is beyond me. Doesn't it make you wonder what would've happened if that had been a country star up there? If Carrie Underwood was under attack, would she have canceled? If Tim McGraw was up on stage, would he have grabbed an umbrella and gone on with the show? What do you think?

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Other than a few vintage Tim McGraw songs about barbecue sauce on a white T-shirt and getting down on the farm, I definitely tend to play his deeper songs more often. Like "You Had to Be There" or "Whiskey and You." And it sounds like those are the kind of tunes he likes best, too. Promoting Friday's (July 23) concert in Charlotte, N.C., he told the Charlotte Observer newspaper, "I do like the heavier material, stuff that leans to the heavy side, gets inside you and stays there. I just record songs I gravitate toward. And as you get older, you have a little more life experience and can do those songs with some credibility. Whereas if you're 22, they won't quite resonate." Later on, though, he jokes that mentally he's only about 16. He also explains the connection between singing and acting. "So in that moment of singing a song, you're trying to create a character that people will want to walk through the song with to see what happens. Same with a movie. Whether you're the good guy, the bad guy or just a guy, you're trying to get people interested in what happens and the end result," he says.

Have you seen these colorful elastic bands that kids are wearing by the dozens up and down each wrist? These Silly Bandz are shaped like animals, letters, signs and in Tim McGraw's case, musical instruments. A 9-year-old girl, Megan Robertson, who was at his concert in Bristow, Va., set one aside just for him. She had seen him jog right by her on her walk into the venue and she was later moved toward the front of the stage during the show. According to the local news, McGraw reached down to Robertson at one point and she slipped a guitar-shaped Silly Band onto his wrist. Then, as if that was not enough thrill for one night, McGraw had her join him onstage when he sang "Tiny Dancer." She told Fredericksbrug.com, "He's my dream, and I just got to live it! It's just so amazing." I hope McGraw thinks of how he made that girl's night every time he sees his Silly Band.

It's a pleasure doing business with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Now that the $2.2 million in ticket sales were all added up, the proceeds can be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help flood victims still trying to overcome the tragedy that hit back in May. (You can make that number even higher by grabbing some post-concert merch like T-shirts and posters.) So the Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery show was more than just a fun night full of country's best and brightest stars, including Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift. It was a no-brainer way for celebs and fans to make sure Music City gets back on its feet. "We cannot thank Faith Hill and Tim McGraw enough for stepping up and marshalling the gifts of all who were both onstage and back stage during this once-in-a lifetime event," said Ellen Lehman, the head of the organization.

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Carrie Underwood and hockey player Mike Fisher are now married, if you believe the tweet of an agent from Uptown Sports Management, the Canadian company that represents Fisher. So congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Mike Fisher. They are probably in their love bubble now in Greensboro, Ga., giggling over guests forcing them to kiss with the ol' tap of their fork on their champagne flutes. And you know who's probably enjoying the reception? Family and friends and, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, an odd assortment of celebs like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and former American Idol pals David Cook and Lindsey Cardinale. And I think I speak for all the friends and fans who aren't there when I say we all wish the happy couple a lifetime of happiness. Let the honeymoon begin.