Billy Dukes

'A' is for Alabama ... or is it for Aldean, Allan or Autry? 'B' could be for Brooks, but what about Brooks and Dunn, Black or the Bellamy Brothers? This list of 26 country superstars decides who the king or queen of each letter of the alphabet is. A few are easy (can anyone name two 'Q' artists?), but others like the letter 'C' ... that's a debate that is only beginning. 

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On Wednesday, 'Pieces' by Gary Allan cruised to another Showdown victory. Allan's fans were too much for James Wesley's supporters to take down in this daily song battle, so today and tonight on Taste of Country Nights radio the singer will go for a fourth straight win. His penultimate match before achieving Showdown immortality will be against another country newcomer in Joel Crouse. 

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Songs like Drake White's 'The Simple Life' end up inspiring scores of new singer-songwriters to bring their talents to Nashville. White makes it look so easy, singing about familiar pleasures we all know and usually under-appreciate. 

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It's how music fans imagine every album to be recorded, but rarely is it a reality. Instead of sequestering individual musicians in micro-studios or recording each layer of a song one by one, Ashley Monroe recorded 'Like a Rose' live and in the round. The result? A project that fans and critics are fighting to pile with praise, and one that's gathering her attention across the internet.

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Founding member Hannah Blaylock has left country trio Edens Edge. The 'Too Good to Be True' hitmakers announced the move, saying she left "on her own accord and with much disappointment" after playing a final show with the group at the Grand Ole Opry.

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Casey James' 'Cryin' on a Suitcase' video continues to roll as the No. 1 video in the Taste of Country Video Top 10, but the competition is catching up. Carrie Underwood has spent three weeks at No. 2. Could this be the week she overtakes her fellow 'American Idol' alum? Or maybe another of the more than two dozen videos listed below will catch fire and become the most requested video of the week? Fans decide in this weekly countdown. 

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Toby Keith's bass player of 25 years has been killed in a two-car collision in Oklahoma. Carl "Chuck" Goff Jr. was Keith's bassist, band leader, friend and the co-writer on two of his best known songs. He died on Wednesday (Feb. 27) at the age of 54.

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Not since their debut effort has the Band Perry released a song as fun as 'Done,' the second single from the trio's upcoming sophomore album 'Pioneer.' It's a track that makes the hair on your arms stand straight up as you pound along to the beat.

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Brad Paisley wasn't joking when he said he was working to push himself places never gone before on his upcoming album, 'Wheelhouse.' The second single, 'Beat This Summer,' is a double-take sort of record in that after it begins, you do a double-take toward your stereo or computer to try to make sense of what's going on. 

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Hunter Hayes kicked off 2013 with a performance at the Grammys and an eye-popping six ACM nominations. The 'Somebody's Heartbreak' singer also expects to have new music for fans this year, and he'll play the first-ever Taste of Country Music Festival this June. As for true romance? Well, he's still searching.

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Country stars like Reba McEntire and Rodney Atkins are leading NASCAR fans in prayer this evening after a horrific accident at the end of Saturday's (Feb. 23) race at Daytona which left over two dozen fans injured. One adult is in surgery with a life-threatening head injury, while a 14-year-old is in critical condition.

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Randy Houser was forced to miss a show in Ogden, Utah on Wednesday, but after being hospitalized and told to take a few days off, the 'Runnin' Outta Moonlight' singer is back on the road. The Ogden show has been rescheduled for April 3.

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