Country Standard Time reports that a lawsuit brought by a Key West, Fla. songwriter against Toby Keith for allegedly stealing one of his songs was thrown out of court earlier this month.

In a statement from Keith, he said, "It is an awful thing to be accused wrongfully of copyright infringement. It goes to the core of what you are as a man, a singer/songwriter and an artist."

The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Miami in December 2006 by Michael McCloud, of Key West., Fla., who alleged that Keith took "I Love This Bar" from him in a copyright infringement suit.

"You know it is being done to you by some greedy lowlife opportunist who just wants to get rich off you. In fact, Michael Snyder a/k/a Michael McCloud publicly bragged this lawsuit would make him a rich man, that I would buy him a comfortable life, retirement, house, car, 'big' boat, Harvard education for his children and other things."

McCloud is a songwriter and singer at a bar in Key West, Fla.

"While he was talking, I was put in the terrible position of not being able to defend myself until the trial and I just could not wait for that day to come. I knew it would take no time at all for the case to be dismissed and it was, of course, with prejudice which means: He had no case whatsoever."

"I don't have a problem taking heat for my politics or my music. You can like my songs or not, but they mean everything to me. I have always said that I may not always be a performer, but I will always be a songwriter. So when this lawsuit was filed, it pissed me off. And no matter what it took, I was going to fight it."

"It was just too wrong. This guy can't sue me again for copyright infringement according to the judgment, and I feel that maybe I landed a blow not only for myself, my reputation but for other artists as well. I hope so. As I said, the case was dismissed with prejudice. I didn't pay him or his lawyers a thing."

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Just in time for the holidays, 13 major recording artists have created a musical “Thank You” for the troops.

“CD for the Troops” will be available for anyone with a valid military identification card to download at no cost from the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Web site, www.aafes.com, beginning tomorrow.

“We’re thankful to all the artists who have agreed to lend their name and talent to this special CD,” said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and community liaison. “To have ‘CD for the Troops’ produced and dedicated in special honor to our active-duty military members and veterans is just another demonstration of the support so many people in our nation have for our troops.”

Mitch Bainwol, chief executive officer of the Recording Industry Association of America, agreed. “This is an historic project. It shows that a music community that has many voices speaks with just one when it comes to support for men and women in uniform,” he said in a news release from the Defense Department’s America Supports You program. “We are proud to come together to help offer a compilation with some of today’s best-selling artists and songs. We hope his album will be music to the ears of our troops.”

America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel serving at home and abroad.

Getting this project, which combined the music of Billy Joel, Brooks & Dunn, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Josh Groban, Los Lonely Boys, Melissa Ethridge, the Neville Brothers, Sarah McLachlan, the Lt. Dan Band, Montgomery Gentry, The Fray, and Five For Fighting, to troops’ ears took true teamwork. John Ondrasik, the singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name “Five For Fighting,” was intimately involved with making sure that happened.

“Beyond the artists and managers, all the record companies and publishers had to approve free downloads to over 1.5 million potential users,” he said. “(It) also could not have been achieved without the financial, logistical, and emotional support of (the Recording Industry Association of America), AAFES, TriWest Health Care Alliance, America Supports You, Media Base and Sony Manufacturing.”

Ondrasik spearheaded the CD after being asked to write a forward and contribute a song to a compilation of local bands sending music to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I thought it was a wonderful gesture,” he said, explaining his belief that music is a unique medium that can affect morale and mental health. “I started making a few calls to friends of mine, and six months later we have the CD for the troops.”

A staunch supporter of the nation’s troops, Ondrasik said he is grateful for the sacrifices of American servicemembers. He said he knows men and women who made and are making those sacrifices have ensured his family’s liberty and enabled him to pursue music as a profession.

“Let’s be honest, there would be no songs of consequence without the soldiers who allow us a voice,” he said. “I can’t speak for anyone but myself, (but) I think it’s important to recognize that artists from across the political spectrum came together to make this gesture of appreciation and thanks to our troops.”

While Ondrasik hopes the downloadable version of “CD for the Troops” will be available on the AAFES Web site through April, tangible versions also will find their way to the troops. Troops in theater, military hospitals and Fisher Houses will get a share of 200,000 hard CDs, he said.
 
Of those CDS, 50,000 will go to two care package groups that are supporters of America Supports You. Utah-based Operation Give will get 40,000 for its Operation Christmas Stocking program, and Operation Shoebox will get 10,000 for its holiday packages.

No matter how the troops hear the music, Ondrasik said he hopes it “inspires, motivates, provides an avenue for reflection, or simply distracts you from a mission few can imagine, much less undertake,” he said.

“If anything, let each tune be a small piece of home to carry you forward,” he said to the troops. “Thank you for all you do, and feel free to shoot me an e-mail with requests for ‘CD for the Troops II.’”

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Superstar duo Brooks & Dunn have sold more than 30 million albums, scored 23 #1 hits, and become the most-awarded act in ACM and CMA history, but this February, they’re embarking on a career first as they bring their high-powered concert energy to Australia for their first Down Under tour.

Tickets for their debut night (February 29) at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre sold out in a single weekend, prompting the addition of a second Brisbane show on March 1, followed by dates March 5 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and March 10 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, NSW.

Kix Brooks commented, “We were kinda nervous about going. We were afraid nobody ‘Down Under’ had heard of us!” Added Ronnie Dunn, “But once the first show sold out, we said, ‘Bring it on!’”

The duo is currently climbing the country airplay charts with “God Must Be Busy,” the powerful second single from their latest album, Cowboy Town.

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Here's the word on tickets for Garth's LA Concert to benefit the Southern California 2008 Fire Relief Campaign.

+Tickets go on sale Tomorrow (12/1) at 9AM Pacific Time.

+All Seats are $38.60 plus tax & handling.

+Limit 6 tickets per person

+Only available thru Ticketmaster.

In making the announcement, Garth said, "Please let everyone know I hate to ask so much for a ticket, but 100% of the money is going to victims of the recent fires and to the firefighters facing future fires."

American Express and the Los Angeles Times are sponsoring and donating $1 million each to the relief fund. AEG is donating use of the Staples Center for the night. 

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Faith Hill will join fellow multiple Grammy winners Melissa Etheridge and Alicia Keys to host "My Night At The Grammys," a new entertainment special celebrating the upcoming 50th Grammy Awards with the Top 25 favorite Grammy moments, as voted on by viewers.

The two-hour special also will feature the stories behind the moments as told by the artists themselves, and will be broadcast TONIGHT, Friday November 30, on CBS at 8 PM, ET.

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Gary Allan, whose new album, Living Hard, was released last month, keeps a relatively low profile. You don't often read about him in celebrity magazines or spot him on red carpets.

"That is me not liking to do interviews," he explains to The Tennessean. "I think everything in this industry works against you as an artist. I am introverted and in a business that forces me to be extroverted. I've avoided a lot of stuff. My management would disagree with me, but I think it gives more mystique to you. If people don't have complete access to you, they have to wonder more."

Gary is currently opening for Keith Urban on his Love, Pain and the whole crazy thing tour, and he has nothing but praise for the Australian headliner.

"He is a class act," says Gary of Keith. "We've gotten along so well. It's the best tour I've been on, just as far as how I've been treated. There are no insecurities — 'Hey, don't use this stuff of mine.' He is letting us do whatever we want."

Gary wraps up the tour on December 16 and is scheduled to make his first appearance the next night on The Late Show with David Letterman. "This is one of those great big things, like Madison Square Garden, that you've had on your list," he says. "Outside of that, it would be Saturday Night Live, and then I would have completed my list. I can quit." 

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