COUNTRY QUICKIES: 11/20/12

~~Trace Adkins will release a brand new, Celtic-infused version of the Christmas classic, "We Three Kings," on iTunes and all digital retailers next week. He'll debut the song for a national television audience on NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Plaza on Nov. 28 (8:00pm ET).

First though, Trace will perform on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC (9am-12pm in all time zones, re-airing at 2:00pm). He'll also headline Macy's Great Tree Lighting at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, GA where he'll perform "We Three Kings" and other songs of the season.

~~ GAC is spotlighting Blake Shelton in a 90-minute episode of "Backstory: Blake Shelton" that is set to air at 4 p.m. Thursday on the network.

Trace Adkins, "The Voice" co-star Adam Levine, Shelton's mother and sister and wife Miranda Lambert are all featured on the episode.

Shelton also will host a Christmas special on NBC. "Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas" will air Dec. 3 on the network and feature special guests including Lambert, Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire.

~~Darius Rucker is hosting a Holiday Toy Drop that will deliver $10,000 worth of toys to the city that gets the most "demands" via Eventful.com.

Darius will personally make the delivery to a Toys For Tots collection station in the winning city.

~~ Martina McBride hits the road with The Joy of Christmas Tour Nov. 23 in Atlanta. The 16-city run concludes Dec. 21 in Chicago.

http://www.martinamcbride.com/events

~~Randy Travis shares the stage with folk artists The Avett Brothers when CMT presents an all-new episode of "CMT Crossroads", premiering this Friday night at 11:00 (Eastern).

Travis and The Avett Brothers will perform some of Travis' most famous hits along with some of The Avett Brothers' most memorable tunes.

~~Guitar hero Eric Clapton announced today a major U.S. tour culminating in his fourth Crossroads Guitar Festival, taking place April 12-13 for the first time at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden.    Country Music's own Keith Urban and Vince Gill are included on the list of artists performing.

Clapton and his band will visit more than a dozen cities across the U.S. beginning March 14th. The tour will end with the two-night Festival where Clapton will gather the past, present and future of guitar music onto one stage. All profits from the Festival will benefit The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons. 
 www.crossroadsguitarfestival.com