Country

Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Jake Owen have announced their  tour plans, and many more will surely follow in the coming weeks. If you’re paying attention, you can learn a little more than just where an artist will be, and they'll be there. Taste of Country’s Billy Dukes explains how you can find out a lot about your favorite artist by looking at the schedule.

This 9-year-old can bring a smile to anyone's face by just saying her name: Emi Sunshine. But when she grabs an instrument and begins singing -- or in her case, yodeling -- she'll make you smile and knock your socks off at the same time.

Forget daddy-daughter dances! Adorable little Mia and her father, Bryan (formerly of boyband LMNT), show country fans (and everyone else) that daddy-daughter duets are where it's at. The Las Vegas-based pair are hopelessly devoted to Taylor Swift, belting the words to '22,' 'Mean' and 'You Belong With Me' in one awesome medley.

This 1920s home was renovated before one country music superstar picked it up. It was among her early real estate buys -- and there have been a number of others since! Perhaps she needed more than a few months to turn a profit on this nearly 5,000 square-foot property, however. She took a loss when she sold in the summer of 2011.

Toby Keith is sticking with traditional, classic country songs. He isn't about to cave or bend to trends, like adding a little hip-hop flavor in order to increase sales, to gain more traction at radio or to attract new fans. He's having none of that, thank you very much.

Taylor Swift may have been born and raised in Pennsylvania, but the singer is pretty much a Nashville transplant who has adopted Music City as her hometown. Living in the area means she can cross paths with modern country music legends with frequency. Which ones are her ultimate idols? The answer shouldn't surprise you.

From 'Jesus Take the Wheel' to 'Something in the Water,' Carrie Underwood's hits have found themselves a comfortable home in country music, which the singer loves. She recently stood up for the genre, explaining why she adores it so much and even going into detail on what country music is really all about.

Alan Jackson knows there's plenty of great music to be found on country radio, but he misses the "real roots-y, traditional stuff" -- real country music. The legend admits he's sad about the lack of "country stuff" and finds himself wondering if it'll ever come back.

Through the encouragement of pal Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow crossed over to country music, which welcomed her with open arms. But even in 2014, it's a genre that's largely dominated by males, and Crow is hoping for a change to that pattern -- along with many other country gals.

Country fans are fiercely loyal about their favorite music genre -- sometimes to the point that they only want "true country artists" to identify themselves as country singers. But Luke Bryan thinks that there's room for blending genres in today's brand of mainstream country music.