Shelly's Country Music Blog

This week's country music birthdays (even those no longer with us) include:

July 7 - Charlie Louvin (1927)
July 7 - Doyle Wilburn (Wilburn Bros.) (1930) (died 10/16/82)
July 7 - Michelle Branch (The Wreckers) (1983)
July 8 - Fred Young (The Kentucky Headhunters) (1958)
July 8 - Toby Keith (1961)
July 9 - Jesse McReynolds (Jim & Jesse) (1929)
July 9 - David Ball (1952 or 1953)
July 10 - Béla Fleck (1958)
July 10 - "Hawk" Shaw Wilson (BR5-49) (1960)
July 10 - Ken Mellons (1965)
July 10 - Gary LeVox (Rascal Flatts) (1970)
July 11 - Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) (1947)
July 13 - Louise Mandrell (1954)
July 13 - Victoria Shaw (1962)
July 13 - Neil Thrasher (Thrasher Shiver) (1963)

_{Photo © Mercury Nashville}

According to Nicole Kidman's representative, Nicole gave birth to a baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban on July 7, 2008 in Nashville, TN. The child is the first for Kidman and hubby Keith Urban. Kidman also has two children, who are now teenagers, which she adopted with former husband Tom Cruise.

Keith was at Nicole's side for the birth, and mother and baby are doing well.

Related Links:

• Keith Urban Profile
• Greatest Hits: 18 Kids CD Review
• Livin' Right Now DVD Review

_{Photo © Shelly Fabian}

Read my recap of the Nashville Star 6 show. This was the fourth episode of the show, where the finalists were suprised by visits from their family. Each finalist, other than the one eliminated, performed twice during the show, and Blake Shelton was the guest artist for the show. He performed his hit song "Home" with the Top 9 finalists backing him.

_{Photo of the Top 9 © NBC Universal}

Here are the latest reviews on our site:

• Emmylou Harris' All I Intended to Be
• Steve Azar's Indianola
• Cory Morrow's Vagrants & Kings
• Ryan Shupe & The Rubber Band's Last Man Standing
• Dan Tyminski's Wheels
• Roger Wallace's It's About Time

I've designed calendar wallpaper featuring a different country music artist for each month of the year. For the month of July I'm featuring country spitfire Miranda Lambert. Download your copy today by clicking the link above, scrolling down to July on the list, and choosing which resolution you wish to download. Enjoy.

_{Graphic © Shelly Fabian}

See which songs are topping the charts, and which song I think will be No. 1 for the following week. All chart rankings are based on the song's or album's position on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart or Billboard Country Albums Chart for July 5, 2008.

These are the 10 hottest Country songs of the week as determined by your AboutCountry Guide. This chart is compiled consulting data from various music industry charts and sources. It is intended to indicate the hottest rising country hits.

Find out what singles will be coming out on country radio this week. Read Jennifer's thoughts about the new music, including music from Rascal Flatts, Gretchen Wilson, Carolina Rain, Stephen Cochran, Darren Kozelsky and The Roys. Most of them have audio clips, so you can listen to the songs. When you find a favorite, call your local country station and make your request.

Did you ever wonder which country song really fits you? See which one of six country songs is most like your personality by answering the following 10 questions. At the end you will be directed to the page with the song that best fits you.

This week's country music birthdays (even those no longer with us) include:

June 30 - Dwayne O'Brien (Little Texas) (1963)
July 1 - Michelle Wright (1961)
July 3 - Johnny Lee (1946)
July 3 - Aaron Tippin (1958)
July 3 - Trent Tomlinson (1975)
July 4 - Ray Pillow (1937)
July 4 - "Wild Bill" McCorvey (Pirates of the Mississippi) (1959)
July 4 - Teddy Carr (Ricochet) (1960)
July 6 - Jeannie Seeley (1940) "Marilyn Jean Seely"

_{Photo © Jolene Downs}