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Morgan Wallen tells fans not to defend his racist language

FILE - Morgan Wallen arrives at the 54th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Wallen fans are buying up his latest album after he appeared on a video shouting a racial slur. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country star Morgan Wallen asked fans not to downplay the racist language he was caught saying on camera and said that he accepted the punishments he faced. TMZ posted a video last week of Wallen saying a racial slur and Wallen apologized at the time. It is the first country album to spend four weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart since 2003, when Shania Twain’s album “Up!” spent five weeks at the top.

Album sales surge for Morgan Wallen after racist comment

FILE - Morgan Wallen arrives at the 54th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Wallen fans are buying up his latest album after he appeared on a video shouting a racial slur. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLLE, Tenn. – Fans of Morgan Wallen are buying up the country star's latest album after a video showed him shouting a racial slur last week. Billboard reports that his latest album sold 25,000 copies during the week ending Feb. 4, an increase of 102%, according to MRC Data. His album was already setting streaming records and is the first country album to spend four weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart since 2003, when Shania Twain's album “Up!"

Whitney Houston makes history with 3rd diamond album

This cover image released by Arista Records shows "Whitney" by Whitney Houston. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Legacy Recordings announced Wednesday that Houston's 1987 sophomore album, Whitney," has reached diamond status, which is equivalent to selling 10 million albums. (Arista Records via AP)NEW YORK – The late Whitney Houston has earned her third diamond-certified album, becoming the first Black artist to achieve the feat. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Legacy Recordings announced Wednesday that Houston's 1987 sophomore album, “Whitney," has reached diamond status, which is equivalent to selling 10 million albums. Others with three or more albums that have reached diamond status include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Shania Twain and the Eagles.

Carrie Underwood named top artist at CMT Music Awards

In this video image provided by CMT, Carrie Underwood accepts the female of the year award for Drinking Alone during the Country Music Television awards airing on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (CMT via AP)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carrie Underwood already had the most CMT Music Awards of any artist, but she'll need to make more room on her shelf. The superstar picked up two more trophies for video of the year and female video of the year in a remotely shot awards show. "I am so proud to be a part of this legacy of women in country music with you. Singer Granger Smith won for his on-the-nose music video called “Don't Cough On Me!"

Shania Twain reflects on breakout album that changed country

FILE - Shania Twain appears during a portrait session in New York on June 14, 2019. (Photo by Christopher Smith/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The record that turned Shania Twain from a struggling singer-songwriter from Canada into a global superstar also changed country music for years to come. But her life changed after “The Woman in Me,” her Grammy-winning second album released in February 1995, which was the best-selling release by a woman in country music at the time. But she was also taking a risk as a country artist to be so forward with her sexuality and her classic supermodel looks. Despite taking a long break from recording between 2002’s “Up!” and 2017’s “Now,” Twain is still the best-selling female country artist, according to the Recording Industry of America.

Apple Music launching shows with Snoop Dogg, Shania Twain

NEW YORK – Apple Music is launching several new radio shows hosted by A-list musical acts, including Snoop Dogg, Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood. The streaming service announced that it will debut two new radio stations Tuesday: Apple Music Hits, focused on popular songs of the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s, as well as Apple Music Country, dedicated to the country music genre. Both channels will have daily on-air hosts but will also include several shows hosted by well-known musicians. Apple Music Hits will include shows hosted by Snoop Dogg, Twain, Alanis Morissette, Backstreet Boys, Meghan Trainor, Ciara, blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Huey Lewis. Apple Music also announced Tuesday that its popular Beats 1 radio station — featuring shows hosted by Billie Eilish, Elton John and Lil Wayne — will be renamed to Apple Music 1.

At home with kids, pets and spouses, country stars play on

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country music’s biggest stars should have been on the carpet of the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday in Las Vegas, but like most of America, they were homebound because of the coronavirus. Still, the musicians played on, surrounded by spouses, kids and — in one case — a horse. “ACM Presents: Our Country,” a TV special aired on CBS in lieu of the delayed awards show, featured acoustic performances, special duets, clips from previous ACM Awards telecasts and a tribute to the late country icon Kenny Rogers. Brad Paisley’s wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, played the role of camera operator as Paisley and Darius Rucker played together via video conference. “Lean into your guitars and your pianos and your voices and let that heal you.”___Online:ACM Awards: https://www.acmcountry.com/___Follow Kristin M. Hall at http://twitter.com/kmhall