Cindy Kalmenson, the founder of Nashville’s "Girls with Guitars," has toured the U.S. and Europe as a solo act, and has knocked ‘em dead every step of the way. Her sometimes quirky, sometimes quiet and always deep and moving catalog of songs never ceases to amaze. Southern California’s answer to Nashville’s question, "Where have all the good times gone?" www.cindykalmenson.com

Can you say THUMB? Thom Bresh is an international star who has perfected a truly unique guitar style. Talk about talent, this guy is drenched in it. From Merle Travis to Jerry Reed, from Music Row to Bordeaux, and from his heart to yours, this gentleman is entertainment at its finest. Thom’s been breaking the rules in Nashville since the rules were made. www.bresh.com

Dale Watson is the greatest friend traditional country music ever had. Straight out of the honkytonks of Texas, Dale comes rip-roaring into town with a customized telecaster strapped across his soul. Playing every single night for months at a time, Dale Watson earns his title as the reigning King of the Texas Troubadours. www.dalewatson.com

Like a sizzling-hot branding iron, Annie Mosher's music sears through layers to the very soul of the listener. As passionate as any artist has ever been, Annie pours her talent into every word, every note, until her child - the song - is born. Tales of tragic, tortured souls meld with upbeat quirkiness and bouncy melodies to form songs that leave their mark like a tornado in a small town. On stage she is beyond high-voltage, and her audience doesn’t ever stop listening, even after the show has ended. Toes tap, tears fall, heads turn and hearts break when Annie does her thing. Kerrville’s New Folk Favorite for 2002, Annie Mosher is bound for the stars ‘cause she was born to the stage. www.anniemosher.com

Cheley Tackett is one of Nashville’s sure things. If you’ve got money and want to make it into more – a lot more – then invest it in Cheley, ‘cause she’s going places. Tearful ballads, rousing foot-stompers, and everything in between. Cheley’s a deserving Chris Austin Songwriting Contest winner, as well as a Kerrville New Folk winner, and a Nashville Girl with Guitar. She’ll rock ya’! www.cheleytackett.com

From dirt roads to railroads, penitentiaries to pistols, the songs of Chris Knight will take you on a journey you won’t forget. Hailing from Slaughters, Kentucky, Chris has a perspective on life that is similar to Faulkner and William Gay. Darkness covers his music like a dammed river floods a forgotten valley. Chris Knight is a songwriter’s songwriter, a poet’s poet, and a story song’s closest friend. www.chrisknight.net

Maybe it’s the way her boots hit the floor like a cannon on the first note of a song. Maybe it’s the way she breathes life into a microphone. Maybe it’s Lisa Carver's never-ending string of seedy and seductive characters who inhabit her songs like tenants of a sharecropper’s shack. Whatever it is, you’ll flip for Carver. Nashville needs a writer like this. www.lisacarveronline.com

Bruce Kunkel has crafted phenomenal Gibson art guitars for years, and now the super-talented luthier strikes a new trail with his own line of custom instruments. Kunkel’s ornate carvings and intricate inlays, as well as his trademark heart-shaped sound hole add true magic to his beautiful handmade guitars. www.kunkelguitars.com

Imagine a hundred pre-1960 antique cars, traveling the back roads of America on the greatest road-rally of all time. Then imagine thousands of enthusiastic fans, young and old, pouring into the streets to welcome them to town each night. You’ve just painted a mental picture of the Great Race, a 4000 mile, coast-to-coast automobile extravaganza. This huge slice of American pie has been taking place for over twenty-years, crisscrossing the countryside and rejuvenating the nostalgic hearts of folks from nine to ninety. You might think old cars have little to do with music, but remember that most of these vintage machines were built when radio was the people’s connection to the world, when the Grand Ole Opry reigned supreme. And like country folks and the music they love, these cars were made to last. www.greatrace.com