Billy Dukes

Trace Adkins upset some viewers during his performance of 'We Three Kings' and 'The Christmas Song' at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting Wednesday night, which was broadcast nationwide on NBC. The actual performance was stirring and elegant, however, Adkins' Confederate flag earpiece is what people have been talking about since.

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The year has ended with a flourish of high-profile collaborations from top country music stars. Jason Aldean pulled two of the hottest males artists in Nashville into the same room to record 'The Only Way I Know' in 2012, while Kelly Clarkson convinced Vince Gill to lend his voice and guitar to 'Don't Rush.' These are the most recent, but hardly the only collaborations from the banner year. What was the best musical match-up from 2012?

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Tim McGraw could make a pretty strong Christmas album if he chose to do so. His new release 'Mary and Joseph' is a creative -- but not too creative -- interpretation of the story of Jesus' birth. McGraw tells it like he's told the best stories of his two decade-long career, with a sweet reverence for the struggles his characters are living through.

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Frank Dycus, the man who helped write hit songs like 'Marina del Ray' for George Strait and 'Gonna Get a Life' for Mark Chesnutt, has died. The songwriter had over 500 songs published during a 45-year career that included many works with frequent Strait songwriter Dean Dillon.

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LeAnn Rimes might be making some of the best music of her life, but songs like her new single 'Borrowed' won't help her threadbare tie to radio. The first single from her upcoming 'Spitfire' album tells the story of the early days of her romance with Eddie Cibrian. A more caustic subject may not exist.

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Country duo Thompson Square needed every vote to get past Craig Campbell on the Showdown yesterday and last night on Taste of Country Nights radio. A strong push at the end proved to be the difference for their new single 'If I Didn't Have You.' Today, the ballad will face off against 'Somebody's Heartbreak' by Hunter Hayes. It's a match-up of reigning ACM and CMA New Artists of the Year. 

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Country stars shined on stage and on the red carpet at the 2012 American Music Awards on Sunday night. The ABC broadcast featured performances by Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, and moments to celebrate for fans of Underwood, Swift, Luke Bryan and Lady Antebellum. These four artists were just a few of Nashville's best that turned heads on the AMAs red carpet.

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In 'Party Like Cowboyz,' Big and Rich once again become the wild-eyed, brash, cowboy rockers that originally attracted so many fans to their diesel-powered style when they debuted in 2003.  No one is going to accuse John Rich and Big Kenny of excessive versatility, but they do what they do with genuine conviction and passion.

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Five-year-old Ava Schipke wanted three things for her birthday: a Barbie mermaid doll, a Doc McStuffins doctor kit and a phone call from Jake Owen. Thanks to Twitter, she got all three -- even though one was far-fetched.

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Lee Brice fans have long wondered what took so long. The singer and 2012 CMA New Artist of the Year nominee has recently notched back-to-back No. 1 hits after six years of struggling to keep songs on the charts. During a recent conversation with Taste of Country Nights radio host Jeremy Robinson, Brice explained why his time is now. 

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Josh Abbott Band's new release to radio isn't as much of a single as it is a statement. The signature track from his 'Small Town Family Dream' album paints Abbott as a champion of outlaw country or a cantankerous whiner envious of greener grass, depending on one's personal view of music coming out of Nashville.

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