LUKE BRYAN TALKS FARM TOUR
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Luke Bryan kicked off his fourth annual Farm Tour and he says it’s the highlight of his year. It includes eight concerts in several southern states, including five in his home state of Georgia. The next one is scheduled tonight in Athens. Proceeds from the shows go to college scholarships for students from local farming families. Bryan says setting up speakers in a field and inviting fans to what he calls a “big old throw down” is a dream come true and helping kids go to college makes it even more special.

‘X FACTOR’
UNDATED (AP) – Willie Jones got a second chance to do “Nobody Knows” on the “X Factor.” The deep-voiced teen was in tears after forgetting the words in an earlier episode. But it turns out he wasn’t cut and performed it again on last night’s episode. He makes it into the top 24, as the field was further whittled down from 60. Another country standout Tate Stevens is still in it too.

JAMEY JOHNSON TO RELEASE HANK COCHRAN TRIBUTE ALBUM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Jamey Johnson says the man who wrote country classics including “Make the World Go Away” influenced him not only as an artist and songwriter, but also as a person. He is paying his respects by releasing “Living For a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran” on October 16. Cochran died at age 74 in 2010 leaving behind a long list of admirers, many of whom join Johnson on the album. Among them, Willie Nelson, who says Cochran “was the best writer up there” and Merle Haggard who says Cochran wanted to be the “Hemingway of country music” and was. Among the artists featured on the tribute are Elvis Costello, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Alison Krauss, Ray Price, Leon Russell, George Strait and Lee Ann Womack. Johnson will kick off the release of the album with a concert at Ryman Auditorium on the 16th, where he’ll be joined by several of his duet partners. He’s also expected to announce his fall tour sometime next week.

TICKETS FOR GEORGE STRAIT’S FINAL TOUR GO ON SALE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tickets for the 2013 leg of George Strait’s final tour go on sale this Friday. Strait announced last month that he is riding away – not into the sunset – but he plans to stop touring after he wraps his current The Cowboy Rides Away tour. Strait has 21 dates scheduled for 2013 and 20 more in 2014. In September he told the AP he just doesn’t want to get to the point where he shows up and nobody else does.

KENNY CHESNEY TO SERENADE SAMMY HAGAR
UNDATED (AP) – Kenny Chesney will once again be helping former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar celebrate his birthday. Chesney says he’s “fired up” about playing a one-night only concert at Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Hagar’s been hosting his Birthday Bashes there for over 20 years. This year marks Chesney’s second Birthday Bash performance and Hagar’s 65th birthday. The concert takes place tomorrow.

NEIL YOUNG PRAISES PISTOL ANNIES
UNDATED (AP) – Neil Young paid a compliment to the Pistol Annies in his recently released book, “Waging Heavy Peace.” Young says he listened to the Annies’ song “Takin’ Pills” and he knows they are writing their butts off. Angaleena Presley posted the excerpt from the book on her Twitter page and tweeted back to Young saying she “kindly and humbly” thanks him.

BRAD PAISLEY FULFILLS DYING MAN’S WISH
UNDATED (AP) – Brad Paisley’s next album will feature a special custom-made guitar. It was given to him by Pennsylvania resident Lee Feldman who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer last year. Feldman told Fox TV affiliate channel 43 in Harrisburg that he didn’t know what to do with the guitar, one of his most treasured possessions, but then he had a dream. It should go to Brad Paisley who he says could “play the frets off” of it. With the help of some friends in the music business Feldman, was able to personally hand over his guitar to Paisley who told him he’s planning on using it on his next album. Feldman says Paisley also revealed that his grandfather died from pancreatic cancer and that he was the one who taught Paisley “how to play guitar in the first place.” Feldman says he’s happy the guitar isn’t going to sit and collect dust. He says he wanted somebody to play it and now his wish will come true.