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Another SXSW has come and gone and it has definitely been one to remember. As well as the usual display of all the best music to keep tabs on for the rest of the year, there were some brilliant films being premiered and some particularly interesting speakers at this year's SXSW Interactive. Plus, there were some major surprises which were, ironically, only to be expected.

Drake performed a surprise set at Fader Fort

First off, there were rumours all over the place that Drake was going to appear for a surprise set at SXSW this year and indeed we weren't disappointed. It wasn't long after Yo Gotti left the stage at Fader Fort on Saturday (March 19th) that the 'Hotline Bling' hitmaker appeared for his OVO Sound set. He wasn't the only one to take to the mic though as several other artists from his new label project including DVSN, Wood$, Majid Jordan and PartyNextDoor also joined him to showcase the Toronto based Warner Music Group imprint. Drake himself played six songs (sadly none of which were his aforementioned hit) such as 'Energy' and 'Know Yourself'.

Continue reading: Drake, Obama And Willie Nelson: Here Are The Highlights Of SXSW 2016

Willie Nelson's stuffed armadillo has been returned after it was taken from a concert in Las Vegas.

Willie Nelson's stuffed armadillo disappeared from a concert in Las Vegas.

The 80-year-old country singer allegedly has the stuffed armadillo as a mascot when he tours. Affectionately named Ol'Dillo, the mascot was seemingly stolen by one of the crowd whilst Nelson was performing at the Westin Lake Vegas resort in Henderson, Las Vegas. It seems a member of the audience, whilst Nelson was greeting fans on Monday night (31st March), took the opportunity to steal the armoured mammal. 

Continue reading: Willie Nelson's Stuffed Armadillo, Ol'Dillo, Returned After Kidnapping

If you’re the woman who stole Ol' Dillo, or the shady characters that bought it off her in a dark alleyway somewhere in New York, then you’re in trouble, because Willie Nelson is looking for you, and he’s enlisted his fans to lend a helping hand.

Willie Nelson - liked by every human on earth

“Someone stole Aaron's Armadillo from the sound desk backstage on Sept 19 at the Capital Theater (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY 10573) Did you go to the show? Did you work the show? Help us find the WOMAN in this video who stole him,” said a Facebook post accompanying a video of the suspect.

Continue reading: Right, Come On: Who Stole The Little Armadillo? Willie Nelson Is After You.

Paul McCartney fans at the Outside Lands festival were given a real treat on Friday evening (August 9, 2013) with the Beatles legend performing with the string virtuosos, the Kronos Quartet. The quartet are perhaps best known for their work with Tom Waits, David Bowie, Bjork and even the poet Allen Ginsberg, but the strings perfectly complimented McCartney's hit Yesterday - a track usually backed only by the musician's idiosyncratic guitar work, though rarely played live.

Though the former Beatle continues to sell out shows around the globe, he has on occasions been guilty of failing to change up his set - something that he's rectified in the past year or so. At Outside Festival, he played the more obscure Fab Four tracks Lovely Rita and Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite, as well as Yesterday, according to Rolling Stone magazine. 

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Plays 'Yesterday' With Kronos Quartet At Outside Lands Festival

Lauryn Hill, the Grammy-winners singer whose only solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains a classic of its generation, has begun a three month prison term for failing to pay taxes of around $1 million between the years 2005 and 2007, reports the Independent. 

The singer-songwriter will serve her time at a minimum security prison in Danbury, Connecticut where inmates live in dormitories and are expected to perform maintenance, landscape and serve food. Essentially, it's not really a prison.

The singer, who gained fame with The Fugees, always maintained that she was planning on paying the taxes but was unable when he dropped out of the music business. Before her sentencing, her lawyer said Lauryn had paid more than $970,000 of the owed cash. 

Continue reading: Lauryn Hill Begins Three Month Jail Term: Five Stars With Tax Problems

Garth Brooks has agreed to join the bill for the Oklahoma Benefit Concert, a bill that already includes the likes of fellow country stars Toby Keith and Willie Nelson to name but two. The performance will aim to raise money for those worse hit by the natural disaster and will take place July 6 at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Family Stadium at Owen Field.

Keith is organising much of the one-day festival and is an Oklahoma-native himself, growing up in the city of Moore, which was badly damaged by a twister. He told Tulsa World on Thursday; “Once we got the news that the tornado had hit Toby’s hometown, Miss Yearwood and I told Toby we were at his service for whatever he chose to do … I am amazed at the human spirit the tornado victims have shown. I am humbled by the giving of the volunteers. It is an honor to get to be a part of this healing process."

Brooks is the latest addition to a line-up that features Keith, Nelson, Trisha Yearwood and Ronnie Dunn, with more possibly to come. Tickets will go on sale for the event on June 21, each costing $35. The money raised from the benefit will go towards helping the United Way of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund.

Continue reading: Garth Brooks Will Appear At Oklahoma Hurricane Relief Concert

Willie Nelson may be 80-years-old now, but he recently showed that regardless of his age (or the years he's spend smoking God's lettuce) that he is still as sharp as a knife's edge when it comes to tickling our collective funny-bones. The veteran country singer made a fake audition tape for Conan, in which he pleads his credentials for the role of Gandalf in the upcoming Hobbit sequel, or The Hobbit 2 as Nelson refers to it as.

Willie Nelson isn't slowing down yet.

Nelson stars in the video along with his son, Micah, in which he tweaks some of Gandalf's more well known lines to suit his own style, producing a video that is genuinely funny. "You shall not pass an unlit joint, man," Nelson jests, waving a staff, before vacantly adding, "That's just not cool."

Continue reading: Willie Nelson Gunning For A Role InThe Hobbit? Faux-Audition Clip From 'Conan' Goes Viral (Video)

Next week (either April 29 or April 30, depending on who you listen to), Willie Nelson will celebrate a landmark birthday. The legendary country singer turns 80 but, as an Associated Press article reveals, he has shown no signs of slowing and still spends much of his time on the road, where his tour bus has become something of a secondary dwelling for him.

Reminiscing about his early days as a songwriter, he confesses that he only went to Nashville to see if anyone would buy his songs. Landing a $50 per week songwriting job, he never envisaged that – at the age of 80 – he would still be touring regularly, so far down the line. When asked what his younger self would have made of the life that he now leads, Nelson said “He’d probably wonder what’s that old man doing out there. He’s got a house. He’s not homeless. Why don’t he go home?”

Paying tribute to the singer, his friend and fellow musician Jamey Johnson explains “America is a bizarre place and Willie is our captain. Willie in every way represents all the greatest things about America to me." Such is the allure of Nelson’ powerful songs and endearing character, Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott even joked that she’d happily start smoking weed if it got her a coveted invite onto Nelson’s tour bus. “I've never smoked weed ever in my entire life," Lady A's Hillary Scott joked. "But if I got invited on the bus I might have to make a concession just because of purely what it is, what it represents." Whether or not that’s the secret to Willie’s enduring success remains to be proven. For now, it seems there’s just no stopping this roving troubadour. 

Continue reading: What's Your Secret? Willie Nelson Celebrates 80th Birthday, Country Singer Still On The Road

Blake Shelton went home after last nights (Nov 1) Country Music Awards with an impressive three trophies to add to his mantle, taking Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist and Song of the Year.

Shelton shared the honour of Best Song with his wife Miranda Lambert for their ballad ‘Over You’, with Lambert breaking down in tears on stage over their success. And as for Shelton’s Best Male Vocalist Award, it marked the third time in a row that the singer has received the coveted award.

As well as Shelton and Lambert, other winners on the night included Country legend Willie Nelson who was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony held in Nashville, Tennessee. Alabama quartet Little Big Town found double success as they collected the award for Vocal Group of the Year and Single of the Year for their song ‘Pontoon’. Eric Church took home Album of the Year for the smash hit Chief, whilst Toby Keith beat off competition to win Music Video of the Year for the novelty track, ‘Red Solo Cup’.

Continue reading: Blake Shelton Is The Man Of The Hour At CMA Awards

Rapper Nelly is making it crystal clear that he had no idea his bus was carrying heroin when it was searched by Sierra Blanca police in Texas this week. Authorities seized 10 pounds of weed, a loaded .45 caliber pistol and 36 baggies of heroin after a surprise drug bust on the tour bus.

According to TMZ.com, passenger Brian Keith Jones admitted the drugs and weapon were both his and was subsequently arrested on the scene. Nelly said in a statement, "It is my understanding a member of my staff made an unfortunate decision to bring unlawful materials onto our tour bus that resulted in his arrest this morning." He added, "Neither I nor anyone else on the tour bus was aware of his decision to bring these on board. Law enforcement officials did not press charges against anyone other than that individual." Strangely, Nelly still maintains that the drugs were in fact Molly, aka pure ecstasy, despite law enforcement sources confirming that it was most certainly heroin after field tests.

The rapper and his crew were the latest stars to be busted at the checkpoint in Texas, with Willie Nelson famously stopped in 2010 and found to be in possession of six ounces of marijuana. It didn't come as a huge surprise given the country star is a long-time advocate of the drug, though perhaps more surprising was actor Armie Hammer's arrest for weed, marijuana cookies and a brownie.

Rapper Nelly escaped the long arm of the law after a police raid of his tour bus allegedly found heroin, weed and a loaded gun on board, TMZ report.

According to Texas law enforcement sources, Nelly's bus was stopped at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca last night (October 11, 2012), where a police canine detected the presence of drugs. When the officers inspected the bus, they not only found a massive stash of weed, said to weigh around 10 lbs., but also came across a 36 small bags of heroin (totalling .64 ounces) and a loaded pistol.

Nelly and six other people were all detained after the search, but six of them – including the rapper – were allowed to go after one of the passenger, named Brian Keith Jones, admitted that the whole stash and the gun belonged to him. He was subsequently detained by the police is expected to still be in their custody. So far, Nelly’s PR team have not made any comment on the situation, despite being contacted a number of times since the news broke.

Continue reading: Busted In Sierra Blanca: Nelly Held By Police, Heroin Found In His Tour Bus

Nelly’s tour bus was searched at a border patrol in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Heroin was uncovered, alongside a loaded firearm, reports MTV.

The rapper was detained on Wednesday night (October, 9 2012) but wasn’t arrested, after Brian Keith Jones – a man on the bus with him – admitted to being the proprietor of the 0.64 ounces of heroin, more than 10 pounds of marijuana and a loaded .45-caliber pistol. He was, of course, subsequently arrested after the dogs sniffed out his batch of illegal stuff. “It is my understanding a member of my staff made an unfortunate decision to bring unlawful materials onto our tour bus that resulted in his arrest this morning,” NME reported Nelly as saying. “Neither I nor anyone else on the tour bus was aware of his decision to bring these on board. Law enforcement officials did not press charges against anyone other than that individual.”

Sierra Blanca seems like a honey trap for celebs that insist on smuggling narcotics: Willie Nelson, Armie Hammer, Snoop Dogg and, most recently, Fiona Apple have all been arrested for drug possession in the Texas town. "Most of the people were very nice to me," Apple said of her arrest. "There are four of you out there, and I want you to know I heard everything you did, I wrote it all down with your names and everything you did and said stupidly thinking I couldn't hear and see you."

Nelly, the multi-platinum selling rapper with a trademark band-aid on his cheek has had his tour bus raided by police, where they found heroin, a loaded gun and a huge amount of weed, so reports TMZ.com. Nelly was subsequently detained by police in Texas.

The bus was stopped for a routine check at a stop point in Sierra Blanca, and sniffer dogs were used to root out the contraband material. Apparently, according to law enforcement sources, 0.64 ounces of heroin were found in 36 different bags and over ten pounds of marijuana in a 'large green duffel bag'. There were 7 people on board the bus at the time of the rain, all of whom were detained during the search, but have since been let go after a man named Brian Keith Jones admitted to sole possession of the drugs and gun.

The Sierra Blanca checkpoint is a notorious place for celebs to be busted for drugs, most famously Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg. And being just 30 miles from the Mexican border the entire area is rife with drug smuggling.

Continue reading: Nelly's Whole New Dilemma As His House Is Raided, Drugs Seized

We're looking forward to seeing what long-winded song title Fiona Apple comes up with when she gets around to writing a song about this one. That's right, the singer songwriter who once held the dubious honour of writing the world's longest album title, was reportedly arrested on the Mexico border after being found to have marijuana on her persons.

Apple certainly isn't the first music star to be stopped on the border and found to have the green stuff on her. Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and Armie Hammer are three of the not-so surprising names to have found themselves in trouble with the law for possessing the banned substance. Apple was found to have hash on her as well as a small amount of weed and as such the 35 year-old is being held at Hudspeth County Jail.

It hopefully won't derail what's been a fairly promising comeback from Apple, who released her first album in seven years this year, giving it the typically long-winded title The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. The album went to number three on the US Billboard Charts, although it hasn't got anywhere near sales of her phenomenally received debut album Tidal. Released in 1996, that sold some 2.7 million in the US.