Rita Ballou joins Radio Texas, LIVE! each week to keep us up to date on all the 'Dirt' in the Texas and Red Dirt Music scene. Here's what she brought us this week.

Hear the "Dirt" here.

Smith Table of Four.

I don’t know crap about sports. I married a dude that played football in college and I never went to a single one of his games. I just don’t get sports. I think it is because I have the athletic ability of a rutabaga. By now we’ve all seen Granger Smith’s new video starring Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel and wide receiver Ryan Swope, right?

So enough with all this boy stuff, the REAL story here is Granger and Mrs. Granger are expecting. Yup! According to Amber’s Facebook page the Smith Family will become a party of 4 in January 2014. These two supermodels do make some pretty damn cute offspring.

Congratulations!

Sunny Sweeney's New Gig.

Im so happy! My non-lesbianic lesbian crush Sunny Sweeney done went and got her a cushy famous person job. She will join veteran country personality Blair Garner for the all new America’s Morning Show on Nash FM in New York. Joining Garner and Sweeney are co-hosts Terri Clark, Chuck Wicks and Lee Ann Womack, with news anchored by HLN’s Robin Meade..

If you don’t remember, Sunny has an Improv comedy background as well as a huge country music knowledge background so I have no doubt she can “bring it”. I have no idea how ANYONE can do this before a studio audience starting at 6 a.m. The best part of radio for me is coming to work everyday in my pajamas and ball cap and NOT having to see other humans.

Josh Abbott Tells Haters to Shove It -- More or Less.

Did you see this? Kelly Dearmore from the Dallas Observer sat down with My Pudding Pop (Josh Abbott) recently for a very candid interview. My fav JAB quote:

I hear songs like Jason Aldean’s “1994,” then I think about all the [crap] that a guy like Casey Donahew or myself take from the people in our scene. We’re a hundred times better than that stuff! We’ve got such a great scene that we’ve become cynical about some of our own bands, and we forget about how it’s so much better than much of the stuff that’s out there.”

Cynical? Us? Never.

Sean McConnell Comes to Texas.

I hope you’ve got your face guard handy, if not it’s fxin to be melted and taken to church and all those other music snobbery terms because Sean McConnell is heading back to Texas in September. If you're listening tonight to Radio Texas Live in Abilene, Lubbock or Wichita Falls take special note of this. He is coming your way.

McConnell puts on a pretty amazing show, especially with a full band. Mark your calendars TODAY because you don’t want to miss “The Big Noise” tour. If he IS coming to your town (Abilene, Lubbock, Wichita Falls), go and enjoy all things McConnell before he zips up his carpetbag full of cash and heads back up to Nashville. Trust me.

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