One of the stars of History Channel's show Swamp People died yesterday. Mitchell Guist -- who starred on the show with brother Glenn -- was pronounced dead at a Louisiana hospital today, Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack tells AP. Guist would have turned 48 on Friday. He was loading something onto his boat when he slipped and fell around 9 a.m. on the Intracoastal Waterway, near Pierre Part, La. (about 90 minutes from New Orleans), according to WAFB. The sheriff says it appeared he had some sort of seizure, but it is uncertain if the seizure was caused from the fall. An autopsy will have to be performed before an official cause of death can be announced.

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Jason Aldean‘s “Fly Over States” reached the summit of the radio charts today, becoming his ninth career No. one and fifth consecutive single off his DOUBLE PLATINUM album My Kinda Party to climb to the top spot. “I’ve always loved this song, and I really hoped it would be a single eventually. I didn’t know we would get to put out five songs off this album, let alone have all of them go to No. one. It totally blows my mind,” said Aldean. “I’m really looking forward to the summer leg of the tour and getting some new music ready!” Aldean is currently headlining the record-breaking 2012 My Kinda Party Tour. He kicks off amphitheatre season this weekend with a sold out show in Birmingham, AL on Thurs. before heading to Atlanta, GA for a two-night stand at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood on Fri. and Sat.

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Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw are hard at work and started their first joint rehearsal Thursday (May 10) for their upcoming tour, “Brothers of the Sun.”  According to MSN.com the rehearsal lasted more than three hours. “Yesterday’s rehearsal with Tim and I and our bands was as electric and exciting as we anticipated,” said Chesney in a press release accompanying the photo. “It’s been a long time since we’ve played on stage together and the chemistry and excitement is just so natural. It’s going to be a dream come true to have our years of friendship come together on stage for what will be one unpredictable, loud, hell of a summer, and I can’t wait.” “Brothers of the Sun”  will play more than 20 stadiums across the country, and more than 700,000 tickets have already been sold. Opening acts include Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jake Owen.

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Imagine waiting nine months to see your favorite singer in concert, and then having to miss the show because you've been hit by a drunk driver on the way there. To say that would be heartbreaking is an understatement.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened to Michelle Schulze and her 13-year-old daughter Summer on their way to see Taylor Swift perform Sept. 3, 2011 in Sacramento, Calif. The tickets were a Christmas gift to the teen, who idolizes the country powerhouse. But during their two hour drive to the show, a man who'd passed out at the wheel slammed into them. Luckily, both mom and daughter survived, but they were badly injured.

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Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher are sitting down together in front of the cameras for the first time. Oprah Winfrey came to Nashville this week to chat with the couple for the next installment of her newest show, "Oprah's Next Chapter," which airs Sunday, May 20.  "@CarrieUnderwood is so darling. Everything you love about her, you will even more. Just finished interview," Oprah tweeted yesterday (May 14), which she followed with, "Her husband Mike is as lovely as she. So happy for both of them." The iconic talk show host even shared a slight glimpse into what she called "Mike and Carrie's cabin," when she posted this picture of the three from the interview. This may be the first interview for the pair, but Carrie isn't shy when it comes to talking about her hubby. She was recently on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" chatting about cooking for Mike, and tempting him to become vegan.

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Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, Jeff Foxworthy and Big & Rich will perform at the St. Jude Presents John Rich & Friends concert on June 5 at the Cannon Center in Memphis, Tenn. Rich will host the event that launches the 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic golf tournament. The hospital is celebrating its 50th anniversary of providing free treatment for children fighting cancer and other deadly diseases. To date, the tournament has raised more than $25 million for the charity. Tickets to the acoustic concert, including a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres and open bar, are priced at $100-$200 and are available via Ticketmaster.

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Toby Keith's annual Golf Classic in Oklahoma on May 18 and 19 promises to be one of the most memorable in the nine-year history of the event as the "Beers Ago" singer will also be breaking ground on his long-awaited OK Kids Korral in Oklahoma City as part of the two-day festivities. "It's gonna be something that Oklahoma City can be really proud of when we're done with it," Toby says of the center, which will provide a home environment for pediatric cancer patients and their families while treatment takes place at Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center. "Over the past few years, all these state-of-the-art cancer facilities have been coming to Oklahoma City," explains Juliet Nees-Bright, director of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority. "More kids are coming for treatment than ever before. We realized we needed to create a place, one that specializes in helping kids. They have special needs -- they have immune systems that are very weak."

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Jermaine Paul is officially "The Voice," having won Season 2 of the hit NBC show Tuesday night (May 8). The R&B/soul singer, who was coach Blake Shelton's leading team member, triumphed over opera singer Chris Mann (Team Christina), pop-rocker Tony Lucca (Team Adam) and rocker Juliet Simms (Team Cee Lo), in what network officials report to have been an extremely close vote.

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Hard at work on her upcoming new record, Lee Ann Womack pauses for a trip to Washington, DC. While in the nation’s capitol, the 7-time Country Music Association award-winner will perform at the Centennial First Ladies Luncheon at the Washington Hilton May 9th, then head to the White House that evening for the presentation of the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Award.
“When you’re asked by Congressman Green from Texas’s wife to help her, the collected spouses of Congress, the Supreme Court, President’s Cabinet and the Vice President to help honor our First Lady, you don’t say, ‘Well, I’m working on a record…’,” says the woman who was born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas. “To see all these people come together at a time when working together is gonna be the key to solving a lot of the issues facing our country, to me, that’s a wonderful place to start.”

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Fans are sure to be aglow when they check out Chris Young’s hot new video for his hit single “Neon,” premiering on Wednesday, May 9th. Directed by Ryan Hamblin and shot earlier this year at Melrose Billiards in Nashville, the video uses black lights and cool effects to paint Chris Young’s world with pops of bright NEON.

Fans can catch the video debut tomorrow at 5pm CT on LiveStream.com. Check out Chris’ Facebook (facebook.com/chrisyoungmusic) or his website (chrisyoungcountry.com) for complete information & links to the exclusive Live Chat. Look for Young’s “Neon” video at other online and broadcast outlets in the days following the premiere.

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Before Saturday (5/5) night’s sold-out concert at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville, Brantley Gilbert was surprised with a GOLD plaque to commemorate sales of over 500,000 copies of Halfway to Heaven. His label family,The Valory Music CO. (under the Big Machine Label Group umbrella), and booking agency, CAA, hosted a pre-show celebration for the accolade.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Brantley and are not only celebrating a GOLD record but that Halfway to Heaven is now officially halfway to platinum,” said Big Machine Label Group President & CEO Scott Borchetta.
The album features the GOLD-certified, #1 hit, “Country Must Be Country Wide,” as well as his current Top 15 single, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.”

Gilbert played a fiercely entertaining 45-minute set after the presentation that had the sold-out crowd on their feet with their fists in the air as he belted out his hits “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” Gilbert proved to the Nashville community that he is a force to be reckoned with, backed by thousands of passionate fans who proudly call themselves the “BG Nation.”

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Rodney Atkins debuts his new video for “He’s Mine” today exclusively on iTunes.  The music video for “He’s Mine” features a special cameo by Atkins’ own father, Allan Atkins. The story line follows multiple father /son pairs from the rambunctious rebellion of the children’s early years on into the honorable young men they become – the parents remain proud to claim them as their own. Preview the video here.

“He’s Mine” marks the second single off Atkins’ latest album, Take A Back Road. Take A Back Road has already produced the multi-week No. 1 title single and contains promise of more great hits to come.

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The new reality singing show, “Duets” premiers on May 24th on ABC, but “Good Morning America” has a sneak peak to show us what we’re in for. The show stars Sugarland‘s Jennifer Nettles, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Robin Thicke. Each celebrity will perform alongside their artist and the winner goes home with a record deal.

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Beginning today, fans of Gretchen Wilson will have the opportunity to purchase an exclusive VIP package when she hits the road with ZZ Top and 3 Doors Down on The Gang of Outlaws Tour. The highlight of the package will be an exclusive meet & greet with Gretchen on her tour bus.

In addition to the meet & greet and tour of Gretchen’s home-away-from-home, the VIP Package begins with an exclusive VIP-Only Laminate and includes a guaranteed ticket in one of the first 15 rows of the concert, one-of-a-kind Gretchen Wilson Box Set with an American flag and mini Constitution, personal photo taken with Gretchen, and an autographed copy of her critically-acclaimed I Got Your Country Right Here album. VIP Package purchasers will also be permitted to bring one additional Item to be autographed.