Willie Nelson has two, back-to-back albums set for release in 2009. The first, 'Willie and the Wheel,' is a collaboration of Western swing songs with Asleep at the Wheel. The second, 'Naked Willie,' puts a new spin on some old favorites.

"There's songs that I've had, good songs, that never got their due," the 75-year-old music icon tells Rolling Stone.

'Naked Willie' will include remixes of recordings from 1966-1970, stripped-down without orchestration or background vocals. It's being produced by Nelson's harmonica player, Mickey Raphael.

The choice of Sarah Palin as the Republicans' vice presidential candidate has evoked political aspirations in Rosanne Cash ... at least sarcastically. In an open letter to the Nation, Cash writes that she would like to replace Palin on the GOP ticket.

"I feel confident that John McCain will see that the very attributes he desired in his VP choice can be met, and even exceeded in some areas, by me," she writes.

The eldest daughter of Johnny Cash and a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter herself, Cash goes on to outline her resume, highlighting similarities and differences between herself and Palin on key political issues. For instance, on reproductive issues, Cash writes, "I also believe that a teenager's pregnancy is a 'private family matter.' In fact, I believe that every woman's pregnancy is a 'private, family matter.' (I bet the GOP never thought of making that leap!)"

Loretta Lynn apparently has some unwanted guests in her home -- ghosts. The country legend has enlisted the help of celebrity 'ghost whisperer' James Van Praagh to rid her Hurricane Mills, Tenn. mansion of spirits.

Van Praagh's visit to Lynn's home was filmed by the TV show, 'The Insider.' He confirmed on camera that the home is indeed haunted by several ghosts, telling Lynn, "I think people were killed here," and that he could see "blood everywhere." Van Praagh was so spooked, in fact, that he broke his promise to spend the night in the house.

"I was going to stay the night," Van Praagh explained. "But when they (spirits) said, 'Get out,' I thought, 'I should probably get out.' It feels like I'm in somebody's place and they don't want me to disrupt it."

Legend has it that 19 Confederate soldiers were killed on Lynn's property. It's also said to be haunted by the plantation's original owner, several of his slaves and a mysterious woman in white. Lynn purchased the home in the late '60s. You can see a photo of the mansion here and read the full story of its hauntings here.

Scan the list of winners at Thursday's Americana Music Association Honors & Awards show, and you might think you've stumbled into a rock 'n' roll time warp. Among the night's top honorees at one of Nashville's hippest, most genre-bending awards shows after all, were former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant and the Band drummer Levon Helm.

The three-hour ceremony, which also featured performances by lifetime achievement honorees Jason and the Scorchers, Joan Baez and John Hiatt, included actor/musician Billy Bob Thornton and his bandmates, the Boxmasters, presenting the Artist of the Year award to Helm. At the close of the show, Helm and several of the award recipients offered a musical tribute to President's Award winner Jerry Garcia, of the Grateful Dead.

The title of his new album is 'Meet Glen Campbell,' but the country legend jokes that he should perhaps add the word "Again" to the end of that. Campbell, the unmistakable voice behind such classics as 'Rhinestone Cowboy' and 'Wichita Lineman,' is diving into new territory on this project, covering an eclectic mix of fellow music icons, from the likes of John Lennon and Jackson Browne to U2 and Green Day.

The 72-year-old Campbell isn't worried that his longtime fans will be turned off by the different kinds of modern-day songs he's singing. Explaining that he simply looked for "songs with good lyrics" for this album, he is convinced of its universal appeal.

The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde recently unveiled new music from her band's first album in six years, and it may surprise longtime fans of the group's punk-fueled rock sound to learn that 'Break up the Concrete' finds Hynde in the country territory. As it happens, the shift shocks no one more that Hynde herself.

"I've avoided country music all my life," says the 56-year-old who has been living in England for the last 35 years, but has been spending more time lately in her hometown of Akron, Ohio. She quips that the geographical change has "perverted my sense of musicality," and adds, "It is odd though, isn't it, the way that country music and rock is such a separate industry here. It's nice to think we might f--- it up a little bit, and that they might not know where to play our records."

The Black Crowes are up in arms over country star Gretchen Wilson's new song, 'Work Hard Play Harder,' which is being used in an advertising campaign for the TV drama 'Saving Grace.' The rockers are accusing Wilson, Turner Network Television, Wilson's label Sony BMG and publisher J Money Music of copyright infringement. Their legal notice alleges that Wilson and her songwriters have wrongfully exploited the Crowes' 1991 hit, 'Jealous Again,' in their ads.

"We find the musical verses of Wilson's song to be such an obvious example of copyright infringement that I expect all parties to reach a relatively quick resolution to avoid litigation," reports Pete Angelus, longtime manager of the Black Crowes.

Can't get behind McCain or Obama? How about a Redheaded Stranger? There's a write-in movement under way, complete with campaign song, extolling the virtues of electing country music icon Willie Nelson as the next President of the United States.

The song, available on Blushtone Records, is performed by former Pirates of the Mississippi lead singer Bill McCorvey. Its humorous lyrics include, "Let's write in Willie Nelson for president/Someone we can trust to run the government /I'll bet he could fix this/And get rid of the IRS." The song also speculates that with Willie in the White House, "Air Force One would smell like weird cigars," and that President Nelson might be able to "keep the peace between the Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith."

The former home of Johnny Cash's parents will go to the highest bidder in an eBay auction. Nashville's Tennessean newspaper reports that the new owner of Ray and Carrie Cash's home, Floyd Robinson, is selling it to move to Florida.

Cash's parents lived in the Hendersonville, Tenn. house from 1969 until their deaths. It was then passed down to different members of the Cash family throughout the years, including Johnny and June, who lived there for a brief period while an elevator was being installed in their home just across the street. Robinson, a close friend of the Cash family, purchased the property four years ago.

According to his listing on eBay, Robinson is asking $1.4 million. The house includes four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a recording studio and a view of Old Hickory Lake. The lucky new owner will also get to keep a lot of Cash memorabilia inside the home, including a gold record of 'I Walk the Line,' several guitars, awards and a locket with pictures of Johnny and June inside.

A California man wants Eddy Arnold's body exhumed for a DNA test. 47-year-old Christopher Tanner is claiming to be the late country legend's son. An attorney for Arnold's estate confirmed to Nashville's Tennessean newspaper that the singer was made aware of Tanner's claim but vehemently denied his paternity.

"For one thing, what we've been told is that the petitioner is 47 years old, and it's pretty suspect that a someone who really thought Eddy Arnold was his father would wait 47 years," explained Bryan Howard, who went on to say that Arnold's family is "very upset about it and the fact that someone would try to damage his reputation.''