Billy Dukes

The year has ended with a flourish of high-profile collaborations from top country music stars. Jason Aldean pulled two of the hottest males artists in Nashville into the same room to record 'The Only Way I Know' in 2012, while Kelly Clarkson convinced Vince Gill to lend his voice and guitar to 'Don't Rush.' These are the most recent, but hardly the only collaborations from the banner year. What was the best musical match-up from 2012?

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Rascal Flatts Jay DeMarcus admits he used to pay quite a bit of attention to the criticisms lobbed at his trio. In a clip from their new 'All Access & Uncovered' DVD, made available for online viewing exclusively at Taste of Country, the bassist says that in recent years he's become far less annoyed by people who want to call them a boyband. 

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Platinum certification for one million albums sold didn't begin until 1976, so while other recordings may have soared past this sales mark, 'Wanted: The Outlaws' became the first official platinum album that year. The project featured Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter and it would eventually go on to be certified double platinum.

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Five-year-old Ava Schipke wanted three things for her birthday: a Barbie mermaid doll, a Doc McStuffins doctor kit and a phone call from Jake Owen. Thanks to Twitter, she got all three -- even though one was far-fetched.

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Lee Brice fans have long wondered what took so long. The singer and 2012 CMA New Artist of the Year nominee has recently notched back-to-back No. 1 hits after six years of struggling to keep songs on the charts. During a recent conversation with Taste of Country Nights radio host Jeremy Robinson, Brice explained why his time is now. 

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Before a show in Allen, Texas, Taste of Country Nights host Jeremy Robinson found Lee Brice's trainer, Ed, standing outside the singer's bus, and saw two heavy ropes tied to a nearby park bench.

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Country legend Ray Price has confirmed he's been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The 86-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer says he has been undergoing chemotherapy for six months and is encouraged by the results. 

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It's not an overstatement to say Shania Twain's 'Come on Over' album is the most successful country album ever. It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide after separate versions were released in Europe. Twain spent over 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Country Album charts.

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Prior to the 2012 CMA Awards, fans, media and "experts" lined up to make predictions on who would win each award. Taste of Country staff made their picks as well, and asked readers to do the same in daily readers polls. It's time to look at how everyone did. Warning: It's not pretty. 

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Jana Kramer and Brantley Gilbert walked the red carpet at the 2012 CMA Awards separately, but that doesn't mean their young romance has fizzled. The 'Why Ya Wanna' singer says she and Gilbert are still hanging out, but stopped herself before putting a label on the relationship. 

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Thompson Square's Shawna Thompson says when she needs a break from husband Keifer, she flashes something she calls the "stank eye." He might have gotten it -- the "stank eye," that is -- after telling Taste of Country Nights radio host Jeremy Robinson how he planned to celebrate if the duo won the Vocal Duo of the Year award at the 2012 CMAs. 

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A new class of country heroes has taken over the Male Vocalist of the Year category at the CMA Awards. Once-familiar names like Chesney and Paisley have been purged from the list of nominees, with newcomers like Luke Bryan and Eric Church filling the spots in 2012. While one can argue for someone other than these five men, it's difficult to argue against any of them. Who do you think will win the Male Vocalist of the Year award at the 2012 CMAs?

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