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On this day in 2008, British soul singer Duffy started a five-week run at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Mercy," from the Welsh singer's debut album Rockferry. "Mercy" was the U.K.'s best-selling single of 2008, and won Duffy a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Rihanna and Cee Lo Green Tour

Rihanna announced that Cee Lo Green will join her on the LOUD summer tour, which kicks off on June 4th in Baltimore.

Ten additional dates have been announced for a total of 17 confirmed dates for the North American leg of the LOUD tour thus far. Additional dates include Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque and Boston with more to be announced soon.

"I'm a huge fan of Cee Lo since his days with Goodie Mob and with Gnarls Barkley. He's a musical genius, continually reinventing himself and I'm thrilled to have him join me on tour," said Rihanna. more on this story

VH1 Storytellers Returns With New Shows

VH1 Storytellers is returning for a 15th season that will feature Cee Lo Green, Death Cab For Cutie, Kings of Leon, Maxwell, My Morning Jacket and Ray LaMontagne.

Hailing back to the show's early roots, the new season will aim to provide a truly personal showcase for some of the greatest songwriters of today. The "VH1 Storytellers" music specials focus on the anecdotes, artistic musings and stories that inspired the artists and their music. These performers aren't afraid to tell all as they expose the most intimate details of their creative process for the audience. Kings of Leon will kick off the new season of "VH1 Storytellers" beginning this May.

"With this new season we want to go back to the original idea of great singer/songwriters who you don't see on TV very often talking to a small audience about their inspirations – where the songs come from," said Bill Flanagan, Executive Producer. "'VH1 Storytellers' started with artists like Paul Simon, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits. It feels right to put the spotlight now on singer/songwriters like Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Ray LaMontagne. These are the greats of this generation." more on this story

Katy Perry N Kanye West

Katy Perry's new single, "E.T.," and its accompanying video, features Kanye West. The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi who has directed clips for David Bowie, Björk, and Marilyn Manson, among others.

"E.T." is the fourth single off Katy's Grammy-nominated No. 1 album Teenage Dream. The album's previous three singles, "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," and "Firework" all peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Katy the first female artist in 11 years to score three No. 1 singles from one album.

Katy also made headlines when she announced, via a live appearance on Facebook, the details for her 2011 "California Dreams World Tour." more on this story

Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Jill Scott, and Trey Songz Music Festival

Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Jill Scott, and Trey Songz are the initial artists announced for this year's Essence Music Festival.

The 2011 Essence Music Festival will take place this July 1, 2 and 3 in New Orleans, La.

These artists are a part of a group of established and emerging artists who continue to honor "The Roots of R&B" including Charlie Wilson, Fantasia, Boyz II Men, Stephanie Mills, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Macy Gray, Dwele, Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle, Mint Condition, Kelly Price, M.C. Lyte and New Orleans talent including Irma Thomas, Kourtney Heart, Rebirth Brass Band, Charmaine Neville Band, and TBC Brass Band. more on this story

Singled Out: Charlie Williams

Today Classical Crossover teen singer Charlie Williams tells us about the title track from his sophomore album "Dreams Comes True," which hit stores this week. Here is the story:

The idea for this song first came to me when I was flying. As a pilot (in training), I spend a lot of time up in the air- and I reflect on everything that's going on. I remember looking out the window, seeing just sky & air and (as corny as it sounds) thinking that anything is possible. I'm 16, navigating an airplane and writing a record. As soon as I landed, I booked studio time and began the process of recording, "Dreams Come True".

"Dreams Come True" is set to the tune of Pachelbel's Canon with original lyrics. I wanted it to be something really romantic so I based everything around my favorite line in the chorus, "A love I never knew until I found you." Then I combined violin, piano, and back up orchestration and the song was done in 2 hours. Sometimes, it just happens like that.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself as you watch a video of Charlie performing it right here!

Toby Keith Teams With NFL Stars To Form Pros 4 Vets

(PR) Toby Keith has announced the formation of "Pros 4 Vets" with fellow Co-founders and NFL superstars Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears, Roy Williams of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Mark Clayton of the St. Louis Rams.

"This is a subject very near to my heart," said Toby Keith. "Our soldiers leave their families to fight for us, and we want to fight for them. Long after the 'Welcome Home' parade, many soldiers face medical and legal challenges. It's our duty as Americans to take care of our men and women in uniform when they come home. We invite professionals from all fields to step up to this challenge and help American soldiers and veterans."

The mission of Pros 4 Vets is to raise awareness of the enormous needs faced by American service members, veterans and their families and to help them with those needs. The non-profit group will bring together the talents and skills of lawyers, doctors and other professionals to provide free professional services, such as legal assistance or medical care. more info

NOW Goes No 1

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 37 debuts at number 1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.

With first-week sales totaling 150,798, the collection featuring seven #1 hits and other chart standouts is the year's bestselling chart debut.

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 37 features 16 pop, hip-hop and crossover country hits, including Eminem featuring Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, P!nk, Ke$ha, Rihanna, Far East Movement featuring The Cataracs & Dev, Pitbull featuring T-Pain, Chris Brown, Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina, Willow, Waka Flocka Flame featuring Roscoe Dash & Wale, Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj, Mike Posner, The Ready Set, and Taylor Swift, plus "NOW What's Next" emerging tracks from Greyson Chance, Andrew Allen, Mindless Behavior, and Jacob Latimore. more on this story

VH1 Unplugged: Adele

VH1 Unplugged: Adele is set to premiere online on Thursday, March 3 at 7:00PM ET at Unplugged.VH1.com and on-air on VH1 Friday, March 4th at 11:00PM ET/PT.

Soulful songbird Adele has been capturing the hearts and minds of audiences across the globe. In the first of eight new Unplugged episodes, Adele's powerful performance includes, "Rolling in Deep," "Chasing Pavements" "Don't You Remember," "Someone Like You," and and Carol King's "Natural Woman" made popular by Aretha Franklin.

"Turning Tables," off of her sophomore album "21," will be available as an online-exclusive track. Starburst continues as the exclusive partner for the second consecutive season of Unplugged. The brand will be featured alongside each episode of "Unplugged" at Unplugged.CMT.com, Unplugged.MTV.com and Unplugged.VH1.com. "VH1 Unplugged: ADELE" will premiere on VH1 on Friday, March 4 at 11PM ET/PT. more on this story

Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles

(PR) Given the rousing artistic and commercial success of the first recorded collaboration of legendary country troubadour Willie Nelson and jazz statesman Wynton Marsalis on 2008's Blue Note album Two Men With the Blues, it's not surprising that the pair would rendezvous again. The New York Times called it "a smart and heartfelt record," while Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Willie and Wynton may seem like an odd couple, but this live disc makes the country legend and jazz master sound like natural partners with Marsalis' usual horn-fronted band doing the driving and Nelson settling in perfectly with his off-beat vocal phrasing."

The first meeting of these kindred spirits took place at The Allen Room at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center for two nights in 2007; their encore appearance was also staged at the heralded jazz house—this time for two sold-out nights at Rose Theater in February 2009 with special guest Norah Jones. Rather than rehash the previous material Nelson and Marsalis had first presented, the threesome paid homage to the music of the late Ray Charles, the iconic star of soul, r&b, country, jazz and pop.

On March 29, Blue Note will release the category-defying album from those shows, Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles, a 12-tune song cycle about the ups and downs of love. It features tunes that Charles put on the musical map, including "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Cryin' Time," "Hit the Road Jack," "Busted," "Makin' Whoopie" and arguably his greatest hit, "What'd I Say." more on this story

Herb Alpert & Lani Hall Add Dates

Herb Alpert & Lani Hall have added new West Coast dates to their 'I Feel You' Tour.

The trek kicked off last night at the Birchmere Theatre in Alexandria, Virginia.

New dates include stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Costa Mesa, California. The tour coincides with the release of their critically acclaimed "I Feel You" CD on Concord Jazz. more on this story