BILLY RAY CYRUS SETS NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATE
UNDATED (AP) – Billy Ray Cyrus’s new album “Change My Mind” will be out on October 23. Cyrus says the 10-song CD is a personal one and he’s lived through every emotion expressed in every song. They come to him, he says, when he’s “dealing with heavy stuff.” And if he’s “going through something emotional” he says the songs “pour out.” The only way he knows how to express himself he says is to “write it all down.” “Change My Mind’ the album’s title track is already climbing the charts.

KELLY CLARKSON CELEBRATES 10 YEARS WITH GREATEST HITS
UNDATED (AP) – It’s been over a decade since Kelly Clarkson won the first season of “American Idol” and then watched her career skyrocket. And to celebrate her 10-year anniversary she is releasing a greatest hits album. Clarkson made the announcement on her website last week. She says the last decade “has been tough, but inspiring” and admits in a message to her fans that it was a lot of pressure for a 19-year-old girl to handle. But now she’s 30 and Clarkson says she is smart enough to know it’s time to stop, catch her breath, and be proud of what she’s accomplished. With that in mind, she also announced she’ll be releasing a new song this month. It’s called “Catch My Breath.” It will be included in “Greatest Hits – Chapter 1” which is set for release November 19. On November 1 Clarkson performs at the CMA Awards where she is nominated in the female vocalist of the year category – her first solo nomination.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD CONFESSES TO HAVING A THING FOR BIG HAIR
UNDATED (AP) – Carrie Underwood’s look has evolved and become more sophisticated since her debut on “American Idol” back in 2005, but she tells People magazine she’s not giving up her big hair. Underwood says “the number-one thing” she does when someone fixes her hair, is put her fingers back in and “make it look bigger.” She attributes her fondness for statuesque styles to her childhood idols – Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.

BRAD PAISLEY TO HELP OUT A TRIBE IN AFRICA
UNDATED (AP) – Brad Paisley is planning to donate a cow to a Massai tribe in Kenya. In 2007 Paisley bet a Detroit morning show radio producer that he couldn’t travel to 10 countries in 10 days. That producer headed to Africa with a big Brad cardboard cutout that became a hit in a Massai village near Mt. Kilimanjaro. Last week, Steve Grunwald, the roving radio producer, received a request from the Massai tribe for a cow. Grunwald reached out to Paisley for some help. During a radio interview that aired last week Paisley said he’s “totally game” and “all in.” It’s a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help out” he says and offered to send Grunwald back to Kenya with a cow. The cow has already been named Paisley.

RAILROAD REVIVAL TOUR CANCELED
UNDATED (AP) – Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson and Band of Horses are among the performers whose appearances on The Railroad Revival tour have been canceled. The artists were planning to travel by train from Georgia to California later this month, with concerts in various cities along the way. But, a statement posted on the tour’s website Friday says the tour has been canceled. The statement says it was a difficult decision but it was determined that “certain complications would not permit them to host the shows in the manner intended and that the bands and fans deserved.” Railroad Revival Tour will be giving ticket holders a full refund.

LEE BRICE GETS POLITICAL
UNDATED (AP) – Lee Brice is facing some stiff competition for the best New Artist trophy at the upcoming CMA Awards. In an effort to boost his chances the “Hard to Love” singer has put out some videos – humorous spoofs of political campaign videos that have gone viral. In one ad he defends his position as the leading CMA nominee – and says that “quite frankly” he doesn’t understand why Obama and Romney have to blast each other’s records because as he points out he’s “never heard a record from either of them.” Brice’s opponents in the November 1 “election” for best new artist are Hunter Hayes, Brantley Gilbert, Thompson Square and Love and Theft.