Former Hootie & The Blowfish star Darius Rucker took to Twitter.com on Sunday night (19May13) to attack a racist who took aim at the singer for covering a classic Bob Dylan song at country music mecca the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rucker performed his rendition of Wagon Wheel over the weekend, prompting many fans to applaud him for taking on Dylan and reworking the tune that was a hit for Old Crow Medicine Show a decade ago.

But one music lover, identified as pqkullman on Twitter.com, wasn't impressed and tweeted, "@dariusrucker Leave country to the white folk."

Rucker was ...

Justin Bieber's foray into country music has paid off - his collaboration with Rascal Flatts has earned him a top nomination at the 2011 CMT Music Awards.

The stars' duet, That Should Be Me, will compete for Collaborative Video of the Year - going up against multiple nominee Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's track, Don't You Wanna Stay.

Aldean leads all nominations with four mentions - three for his hit song My Kinda Party, which will battle for Video of the Year, Male Video of the Year and Best Web Video of the Year.

Keith Urban (Without You) and Blake Shelton (Who Are You When I'm N...

An auction of exclusive personal items and memorabilia donated by EMI’s family of artists and songwriters has raised $940,000 in funds to help the Red Cross support people affected by last month’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The charity auction, which launched on eBay’s worldwide sites on April 5, attracted bids totaling $470,000 from music fans around the world. All the money from winning bidders will be doubled through a donation by EMI.

EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon commented: “What a wonderful result!! It was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of so many members of the EMI...

The 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards belonged to Miranda Lambert after she scooped four trophies at the ceremony in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The country star was crowned Female Vocalist of The Year, while her track The House That Built Me received honors for Song of The Year, Single Record of The Year and Video of The Year.

Brad Paisley took home the Male Vocalist of The Year trophy and trio Lady Antebellum accepted awards for Top Vocal Group and Album of The Year for Need You Know.

Picking up their prize, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley joked, "Thank you, Miranda Lambert, for winnin...

Rock guitar phenom Slash released his solo debut effort this week titled Slash. Though time has proven how the journey of the solo artist of a formerly hugely successful band can be a wary one, there have been a few musical acts however that have garnered success individually with debuted efforts like below. The following list is a few artists who have had recent success. Let us know your favorite solo music release, and artist.

Fergie

The female lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas, "Fergie" Ferguson was so successful with her solo debut The Dutchess in 2006 that it's a refreshing to see...

What happens when Hip Hop & R&B stars lives are changed by fame and fortune? Now finding themselves in a different place most opt to crossover, which involves a marked change in artistic direction, to find new life in the world of popular music. Do you agree, or disagree? Let us know how you feel when your favorite musicians cross over into other musical styles.

Kanye West

Hip Hop entertainer Kanye West may have left many fans quite surprised with his last release, 808s & Heartbreak, which by the given the title was really more an Electronica release, non arguably one of the best in...

Taylor Swift broke down in tears after receiving the Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards - becoming the youngest person ever to win the top prize.

It was Swift's night as the 19 year old dominated the 43rd annual event in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, taking home gold in every category she was nominated in, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Fearless and Music Video of the Year for Love Story.

Accepting the Entertainer of the Year trophy, the Association's top prize, Swift teared up as she told the crowd, "Every single perso...

The American Music Awards (AMAs) will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Sunday, November 22(8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC. Taylor Swift leads the nominations race this year with six total nominations, Michael Jackson follows with five nominations. Eminem follows with four nominations and Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon and T.I. collected three nominations, respectively.

For the third year, winners will be determined by online voting at www.ama.abc.com, www.amavote.com and www.mycokerewards.com, the official voting location starting today. Artists will be...

Country couple Vince Gill and Amy Grant are planning to raise awareness of the plight of wounded soldiers - by hosting a star-studded musical extravaganza.

Singers including Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker and Melinda Doolittle will take to the stage in Washington, D.C. on June 8th to launch Challenge America, a national initiative to connect existing programs for disabled veterans.

Grant tells People.com, "It's going to be a very relaxed, comfortable evening. We're going to sit in a semi-circle and go around the circle taking turns doing songs. It'll feel like sitting in a living ...

Hootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker has assured fans his country music success doesn't mean the end for his rock band - they're already making plans for a new album.

The singer has become only the third African-American to top the country charts - a feat he has achieved twice with tracks from his new solo album Learn To Live - but the switch to his new roots sound hasn't made him turn his back on his bandmates.

But he doesn't have plans to hit the road with Hootie & The Blowfish anytime soon.

Rucker says, "We're still together. We'll make a record and do another tour...

The early 90's pop hit "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" is perhaps the same sentiment the keeps some musicians in the music industry from packing it all in to keep on truckin'. While many leave to live normal lives, there are others who still have some impact on today's music scene. Check out our 40/40+ club of musicians who's careers are still rockin'. Should musicians over the age of forty give it a break? Let us know what you think!

Metallica / 40+

Since the band's inception in the 1980's, with a career spanning nearly three decades, Metallica are still magnetic as far ...