Blake Shelton, ‘Sure Be Cool If You Did’ Tops Charts; Trace Adkins ‘Pins’ the Red Cross + More: Country News Roundup

The Boot rounds up today's country music news from around the web.

Yesterday, we announced that Blake Shelton's "Sure Be Cool If You Did" was the No. 1 most downloaded song of the week, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Well today, it's at the top of Billboard's country singles chart, too! It only took eight weeks for the sexy song to reach the pinnacle, making for the country superstar's fastest-rising single to date. "Sure Be Cool If You Did" is the first song released from Blake's upcoming Based on a True Story... album, due in stores March 26.

MusicRow magazine's annual CountryBreakout Awards were handed out this week, honoring success at country radio in 2012. Male Artist of the Year honors went to Dierks Bentley, while his tourmate Miranda Lambert was named Female Artist of the Year. Zac Brown Band is MusicRow's Duo/Group of the Year. Kip Moore was named Breakout Artist of the Year. Taylor Made is the Independent Artist of the Year, and the CountryBreakout Reporter of the Year is WDNB's Paul Ciliberto. Capitol Records Nashville was named Label of the Year. [MusicRow]

Greg Bates, Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Dustin Lynch, Ashley Monroe, Scotty McCreery, Kacey Musgraves, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Josh Turner helped make Grand Ole Opry history Wednesday night at the annual Country Radio Seminar. Playing for the Opry broadcast in the Nashville Convention Center, the artists performed what was a very rare show for the coveted country music institution, given it was not at the Grand Ole Opry House nor Ryman Auditorium. "Welcome to the Grand Ole Convention Center," Josh Turner laughed before his set. [Country Weekly]

The surprises kept coming late into the night Wednesday at the Country Radio Seminar. Warner Music Nashville's annual CRS party, this year dubbed "That 70's Showcase," featured performances of current country hits and 70's classics by the label's artists, including Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Sheryl Crow, Ashley Monroe and Charlie Worsham. Miranda Lambert made a surprise appearance during both hubby Blake's and buddy Sheryl's sets, while pop legend John Oates (Hall & Oates) performed his classic hit, "Rich Girl" with Charlie.

There's plenty to do if you arrive in Las Vegas a few days early for the ACM Awards. The annual Freemont Street Experience serves as a two-day musical pre-party for the show. Set for April 5-6, this year's event will include performances by Joe Nichols, Gary Allan, Chris Janson, Jana Kramer, Kip Moore, Randy Houser, Sunny Sweeney and Jake Owen. [ACMCountry.com]

The premiere of "Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars" is this Sunday (March 3), with Trace Adkins competing to win money for the Red Cross. The country superstar's dedication to the charitable organization stretched beyond the show Wednesday, as he helped launch Hard Rock's Red Cross pin in Los Angeles. The limited-edition pin will raise funds and awareness for the American Red Cross. "As a Red Cross spokesperson, I would like to thank Hard Rock for getting involved in creating a cool, and meaningful, accessory that will help raise funds for this esteemed organization," says Trace. "The pin serves as a reminder that the work of the American Red Cross is ongoing, far beyond emergency relief and disaster response." See a photo from the event below. [TraceAdkins.com]

American Red Cross spokesman and country star Trace Adkins, center, appears with Red Cross representatives Boo Gonzalez, Jackie Nelson, Selma Bouhl, and Hard Rock representative, John Pasquale, left to right, to launch a partnership between Hard Rock and the American Red Cross in support of American Red Cross Month, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.