Steve Wariner and The Nashville Symphony Pay Tribute to Chet Atkins; Steve Martin Pens Tunes for Shakespeare; New Music Videos

• The Grascals have released a digital version of their new album, Life Finds a Way, early. The physical album will be released in two weeks; this will be their first release on the Mountain Home label. You can watch a preview on YouTube.

• American Idol alum Lauren Alaina will be singing on the new Aerosmith album.

• Cinco de Mayo is not too far out. To help you get in that spirit, check out Will Ferrell singing “Yo No Se.” 

• Garth Brooks almost wasn’t Garth Brooks.

• Reba McEntire will be inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.

• The SteelDrivers? Doing just fine, thanks. 

• Proving that she has few country peers in the popular culture world, Carrie Underwood will debut the video for her new single “Good Girl” with an exclusive broadcast and online world premiere tonight on Entertainment Tonight, with an extended ET Online posting following the program, and on VEVO, including a 24-hour exclusive on VEVO.com and VEVO mobile applications.

• Proving that she has few country peers in the money making department, Taylor Swift is estimated to have made over 35 million dollars last year.

• Blake Shelton plans on shooting some stuff during ACM week.

• The Nashville Symphony and Steve Wariner will be doing a short concert series dedicated to Chet Atkins.

• Jana Kramer will be making her Opry debut on April 13^th.

• Sawyer Brown’s Mark Miller has written and is producing his first movie, called Ring the Bell.

• One of Disney’s greatest songwriters passed away this past week when Robert Sherman passed away at the age of 86. Not only did he pen such iconic tunes as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “It’s a Small World (After All),” but he also was behind the rockabilly song “You’re Sixteen” made famous as a number one hit by Billy Burnette.

• It’s worth a couple minutes of your time to hear this: Ashley Monroe’s version of Miranda Lambert’s ”Heart Like Mine,” which she co-wrote with Travis Howard and Lambert.

• Steve Martin will be penning original banjo music for the 50^th Anniversary season of Shakespeare in the Park in New York City.

• Bluegrass guitarist Jim Hurst is profiled on Kentucky.com.

• The manager of The Little Nashville Opry, a venue that burned down back in 2009, was finally charged with arson this past week.

• You can donate through Kickstarter to help fund the documentary The Porchlight Sessions, a musical exploration that travels from the music’s roots in Appalachia to the contemporary culture it has spawned in the high Rocky Mountains and beyond, the film offers one of a kind performances and fascinating interviews with many of the creators and innovators of the bluegrass “sound.” 

• Aaron Clark, formerly of the Clark Family Experience, is working on funding for a movie that will draw on some of the experiences and life lessons he and his five brothers learned the hard way when on Curb Records. “Basically, this rock band from a small town moves to Nashville on a whim to make it big, and is quickly faced with reality, the ups and downs of the music business.  So, of course, it’s a comedy, “ laughs Aaron Clark, noting he will also be able to take advantage of all the acting lessons provided for him during his pilot-shooting days. “I’m definitely able to draw on some personal experience, and hundreds of other aspiring singers and bands deal with a lot of these same issues in Nashville every year.” 

• TNA Wrestling star James Storm is making his country music debut with “Longnecks and Rednecks.”

• New music videos from the last week or so:

The Lumineers – “Ho Hey” 

Bruce Springsteen – “We Take Care of Our Own” 

Ray Wylie Hubbard – “Coricidin Bottle” 

Lady Antebellum – “Dancin’ Away With My Heart” 

Miranda Lambert – “Over You” 

Dean Brody – “Canadian Girls” 

Aaron Lewis – “Endless Summer”

Nikki Jensen – “Hypotheticals” 

The Wheeler Brothers – “Spent Time” 

Green River Ordinance – “Dancing Shoes” 

Natasha James – “My Country Has the Blues” 

Amelia White – “Beautiful and Wild” 

Kelly Willis – “Harper Valley PTA” 

Marlee Scott – “Train Wreck”