Halfway Through 2011

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

At noon on Friday, July 1st ... 182.5 days had passed in 2011 ...182.5 days to go, so we are on the downslope.

At halftime, it's a good time to relive brief highlights of the first half:

Reality talent shows got more talk than anything else! "The Idol" and "The Voice," with a scattering of others, brought in many new faces -- with a few getting a possible career.

Jason Aldean's rise may have been the big story among the guys, had it not been for the Blake Shelton's monster year. Big musically and every other way you can judge. Blake and Jason will battle it out for award season too.

The Band Perry overshadowed Lady A by not taking a break. As it was said to me more than once, The Band Perry is the real deal!

Nobody owned the CMA Music Festival, which is a story of its own. Someone seems to always suck up the most air and buzz. Not so much this time; it was spread out.

Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney are like two Roman Gods battling for the year's concert dominance. Taylor will win that fight because she will play more shows than anyone this year. Kenny grossed $4.9 million for one night in Green Bay recently. Taylor was playing the same night in Detroit and grossed $3.4 million. She actually played to a few thousand more people, but at a cheaper ticket rate.

The Blake/Miranda machine made them the couple of the year while Brad, Sugarland and Keith Uurban were in a first-of-the-year reload point.

Tim McGraw's battle with Curb is one of the two saddest stories of the year. No winners in this war! The other sad story was the economy and its effect on local newspapers like The Tennessean. Laying off more people. Sad!

The CMA Entertainer of the Year contest should be interesting. Brad won, as he should have last year. This year, does it go to Taylor Swift? Look at any stat you like: concert attendance, ticket sales, CD sales, TV appearances. You name it, she wins it. But will she get past the jealousy and politics of Music Row?

The back half of 2011 will see plenty of people on the road. Mother Nature has been cruel to the outdoor shows in the first half. The Rascal Flatts Mud Bowl at Country USA in Wisconsin is just one of many examples of that.

The Country Youth movement is in full swing. Not sure how the kids or the adults will do in the second half of 2011. The economy may sputter some more. Airlines are cutting back flights in the Fall, a normal slow period anyway. But we have Summer to really work on right now.

Let's go home ... 87-degree bath water in the Gulf doesn't do more than just look pretty. We don't need a hurricane after all the floods and tornadoes and wildfire the country was enduring in the first half.

George Strait gives us a new CD in the Fall. Who knows what surprises are still to come? The Lionel Richie CD with all the duets will be a heavy push.

Happy Birthday, America!