Lorrie Morgan speaks at McCready's memorial (Photo: Rick Diamond)

The world can finally put to rest Mindy McCready, whose short and troubled--but often exhilarating --life was celebrated Wednesday by friends, fellow musicians, and family in Nashville.

A memorial was held at Music City's Cathedral of the Incarnation at 4 p.m., just a little over a week after the singer's official funeral in her hometown of Ft. Myers, Fla. Her musical colleages Bryan White, Lorrie Morgan and Bekka Bramlett sang at the gathering, which was attended by many close to her prior to her tragic suicide that took place in February.

According to E!, the service featured a flower-filled room and portraits of McCready, as well as a heartfelt opening tribute from her longtime friend Kat Atwood, who told the crowd, "Mindy was both invincible and vulnerable. With all that was laid before her in such little time, I know I could not have walked in her shoes...Music was her life, her therapy, her victory, her escape and her tragedy."

Jack White has a story about his first impressions of country singer Ashley Monroe. “When I first heard her,” he told me recently, “it was years ago”—back around 2006, to be specific—"when I was driving around and I heard her on the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. I actually pulled over, because I was going into a shop but I was like, ‘I gotta wait and hear what this girl's name is, because I really love her voice.’ And they finally said Ashley Monroe, so I tried to remember that.”

Ashley MonroeWhite continues the tale. “A couple weeks later I'm at the airport and these two girls come up to me and they want an autograph. And I said, 'Okay, what's your name?' And she goes, 'Ashley.' And I said, 'Ashley what?' 'Ashley Monroe.' And I said, 'You're not the singer Ashley Monroe, are you?' And she said, 'Yeah, I am.' I said, 'Oh, I heard you on Grand Ole Opry a couple weeks ago.' 'You're kidding me.' And I see this other girl getting a little bit miffed you know. And' I said, 'Yeah, I really love your

Sheeran and Swift (Photo: D Dipasupil)Okay, okay. We know Ed Sheeran has already denied that he's dating Taylor Swift (although, from the looks of certain gossip sites around the web, the chatter is still out there). However, whether the two musicians are really an item or not, one thing is for sure--they're totally enamored of each other's music.

Sheeran, who will join Swift on her 2013 Red Tour, stopped by an Australian radio show this week and performed a partial rendition of Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble." Take a listen and see what you think--we think he does a pretty amazing job.

Wouldn't it be fun to see Sheeran perform this with Swift live on stage? We're keeping our fingers crossed something of the sort will happen, although it's more likely he'll duet with her on the song he actually had a collaborative hand in--"Everything Has Changed," which he co-wrote and provided vocals for on Red.

The Red Tour kicks off March 13 in Omaha, Nebraska. For a full list of dates, check here.

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Hundreds gather at

If one of the vocalists in new pop/rock/Americana trio Blue Sky Riders sounds, well, not-so-new to you--don't worry, you're not out of your mind. The founding member of the band happens to be Kenny Loggins, who's responsible for some of the biggest hits of the past few decades. Suffice to say: You have heard him before.

It's this very familiarity that sets the stage for Blue Sky Riders' aural magic, however. Loggins, accompanied by veteran Nashville songwriters/performers (and, incidentally, happily married couple) Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr, grabs listener's attention immediately with his recognizable tenor, allowing the others to vocally soar energetically over and under and around--creating a whole new blend. It's easy to hear on their debut album, Finally Home, that this is a collaboration that puts a premium on truly enjoying its work.

Loggins met Burr--who's written a massive catalog of hits for country stars ranging from Juice Newton to Faith Hill--while working on his own solo album in Nashville. The pair met up to do some songwriting, and, as Loggins explains, "Gary and I first started singing together to make the demos for the songs we were writing. I noticed that our vocals were really close in the sound. We had a sibling quality that was rare. And I wanted to pursue that."

In the late 1990s, the Country Music Hall of Fame published an authoritative encyclopedia that staked out Patsy Cline as "the most popular female country singer in recording history." Outdated, you say?

Hardly. Since that claim was published, it's true, Taylor Swift and Shania Twain have surpassed Cline's overall record sales. But if you want to make the case that they've eclipsed her in every way, or that her impact has diminished in the 50 years since Cline perished in a March 5, 1963 plane crash, prepare to have music historians call you... crazy.

One indicator that she's gotten bigger even in death than in life: Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits is still the only album by a solo artist ever to sell 10 million copies in America entirely posthumously. (For the record, the Doors also had a best-of sell 10 million after Jim Morrison's death, and while posthumous releases by 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. were certified diamond, as double-albums they only had to sell 5 million each to reach

We’re all thoroughly in love with Miranda Lambert’s new video for “Mama’s Broken Heart”—as if we could love her any more? The famously fiery songstress is known for going off the rails in her songs and videos, but she reaches new heights in this particular clip, both visually and dramatically.

Lambert portrays her best Stepford Wife in the beginning of the video, perfectly coiffed and gowned…but quickly degenerates into a reasonable facsimile of—dare we say it?—Courtney Love, complete with ripped fishnets, tangled blond hair, cigarettes, and smeared makeup.

But, aside from the fun of seeing Lambert unravel into a punk-rock mess, most notable is how the singer’s acting skills have expanded considerably with this project. She displays a pitch-perfect balance of humor with drama in the clip, right down to the forced/crazed smile she sports while examining a carving knife at the dinner table.

Kellie Pickler (Photo: Jason Kempin)The drummer for Kellie Pickler's band is currently hospitalized in serious condition as a result of a four-vehicle wreck in Kentucky that occurred Saturday morning.

Gregg Lohman, who is 36, suffered head and neck injuries in the crash, which took place just minutes after another separate crash nearby on Central Kentucky's Interstate 65. Six people died as a result of the first wreck, including two school-age children. Lohman was caught in the multi-car pileup that took place shortly after. He was reportedly the only one hospitalized in that incident. Police are investigating the causes of both collisions.

Pickler took to her Facebook page to plead with fans to keep Lohman in their thoughts. "Gregg is not just my drummer, he is family," she noted. "I believe in miracles and the power of prayer, so it would mean the world to me, my band, and Gregg's family if you would please keep him in your prayers. Thank y'all so much."

Pickler, who will join the upcoming season of Dancing With The

Trace Adkins (Photo: Christopher Polk)Who's ready for another season of Celebrity Apprentice...and, better yet, one composed of some of the most colorful former contestants? Trace Adkins--who competed in Season 7 and lost to Piers Morgan--admits that he didn't think he'd ever put himself through "anything like that" again, citing the rigors and pressure of the show's schedule. However, it took a worthy cause to put the deep-voiced country star back in the Trump vehicle for yet another round, which starts March 3 on NBC.

Back in 2011, Adkins's Nashville-area residence caught fire and was destroyed as a result of a random electrical misfire. The singer was out of town and his wife was running errands when the blaze struck; luckily his children, pets, and houseguests who were visiting at the time all got out safely. American Red Cross volunteers were among the first on the scene to help the family through the traumatic experience until Adkins could arrive home.

Adkins, who hadn't realized the scope of the Red Cross's efforts prior to the catastrophe, was profoundly grateful and has pledged to help them in return however he can. First off, he's chosen the organization as his charity on this season's All-Star Celebrity Apprentice. He's also partnered with the Hard Rock franchise to support American Red Cross month with the sale of a limited-edition pin designed to raise funds for the organization. He appeared at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood on Wednesday to unveil the fundraiser and discuss his dedication to the cause.

We had the opportunity to talk to Adkins about his upcoming appearance on Apprentice, and true to form, he gave us the straight scoop with absolutely no B.S.--and few words wasted! Be sure to tune in to the season premiere Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

Our Country: Being on Apprentice is, by all accounts, an incredibly grueling experience--long hours, lots of pressure. What made you decide to join the cast for a second time?

Absolutely, it is everything that everybody else has told you. It is an exercise in restraint, it's time consuming...it's trying. I didn't think I'd ever do anything like that again. I felt that I owed a debt to the American Red Cross for them being on the scene when my house burned in June 2011--I wasn't there. And when this came along, I thought, here's an opportunity for me to try to get some money.