Taylor Swift Announces Opening Acts for Speak Now North American Tour 2011

Taylor just wrapped the sold-out Asian leg of her TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR 2011, and the European tour kicks off this week with a March 6 show in Brussels, Belgium. This year, she will play 90 shows in 19 countries spanning four continents, and she announced today that Frankie Ballard, Danny Gokey, Hunter Hayes, Josh Kelley, Randy Montana, James Wesley and Charlie Worsham will each open selected shows of the North American leg of the tour, which starts May 27th in Omaha.
As previously announced, featured artist NEEDTOBREATHE will perform on all North American SPEAK NOW tour dates. 

Two guest artists will perform on each of Taylor’s stadium dates, in addition to NEEDTOBREATHE.

Hailing from Battle Creek, Michigan, guitar-slinger Frankie Ballard broke through the country music charts with his debut hit single, “Tell Me You Get Lonely” and debut music video landing in the Top 5 on GAC’s fan-voted Top 20 Country Countdown. Ballard's new feel-good single "A Buncha Girls" is off his forthcoming Warner Bros. Records debut album produced by Michael Knox (Jason Aldean). www.frankieballard.com

19 Recordings/RCA Nashville recording artist Danny Gokey became a favorite of millions of fans as a finalist on Season Eight of American Idol. Last year, Gokey released his debut album, My Best Days, which delivered the best first-week sales of any debut country male in 18 years and included the hits “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” and “I Will Not Say Goodbye.” www.dannygokey.com

Hunter Hayes already has a list of accomplishments beyond most artists’ wildest dreams – he’s performed with Hank Williams Jr in front of 200k people with 11 million YouTube views, at a BBQ with Johnny and June Cash and Charlie Daniels, a film role with Robert Duvall, and appearances on CNN, ABC Nightly News, and Regis and Kelly, to name a few. This singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, at just 19 yrs old, is now poised to make the world take notice with his debut album on Atlantic Records. www.hunterhayes.com

MCA Nashville recording artist Josh Kelley is slated to release his first country album, Georgia Clay, on March 22nd and his first single from the album, also entitled "Georgia Clay," is currently Top 25 at country radio. Kelley has appeared on numerous national TV shows including Live! with Regis & Kelly, Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. www.joshkelley.com

Mercury Nashville singer/songwriter and Nashville native Randy Montana’s music combines his raspy voice and rocking guitar-driven sound with compelling storytelling and vivid imagery that critics from USA Today, Southern Living, CMT.com and People are raving about. Montana's recognized for the single "Ain't Much Left Of Lovin' You," and his second single “1,000 Faces,” is currently climbing the charts. www.randymontana.com

With a whiskey-smooth voice and a timelessly winning way with a great country song, Broken Bow Records recording artist James Wesley sings directly to real people about real things that profoundly affect real lives—and from his small-town upbringing to his blue-collar work ethic, he has a deep understanding of what those folks are longing to hear. www.jameswesleymusic.com
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25-year old independent artist Charlie Worsham is a natural talent who made his Grand Ole Opry debut at the age of 12, but his relentless drive as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter wouldn’t let him stop there. He’s taken a life-long passion for music and turned it into an organic, radio-friendly sound that rolls country, pop rock and bluegrass into something all his own . www.facebook.com/thecharlieworsham, www.twitter.com/charlieworsham
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The guest artists will open the following shows:
May 27 & 28 – Omaha, Nebraska – Frankie Ballard        
May 29 – Des Moines, Iowa – Frankie Ballard
June 2 & 3 – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – Frankie Ballard
June 4 – Orlando, Florida – Frankie Ballard
June 7 – Columbus, Ohio – Frankie Ballard
June 8 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Frankie Ballard
June 11 – Detroit, Michigan – Frankie Ballard & Randy Montana
June 14 & 15 – St. Paul, Minnesota – Randy Montana
June 18 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Randy Montana & Danny Gokey
June 21 – Buffalo, New York – Randy Montana
June 22 – Hartford, Connecticut – Randy Montana
June 25 & 26 – Foxboro, Massachusetts – James Wesley & Randy Montana
June 30 – Greensboro, North Carolina – James Wesley
July 1 – Knoxville, Tennessee – James Wesley
July 2 – Louisville, Kentucky – James Wesley
July 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Danny Gokey
July 9 & 10 – Atlanta, Georgia – Danny Gokey    
July 14 – Montreal, Quebec – Danny Gokey    
July 15 & 16 – Toronto, Ontario – Danny Gokey    
July 19, 20, 23 & 24 – Newark, New Jersey – Danny Gokey
July 28 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – Hunter Hayes
July 29 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Hunter Hayes
July 30 – Cleveland, Ohio – Hunter Hayes
August 2 & 3 – Washington, DC – Hunter Hayes   
August 6 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Hunter Hayes & James Wesley
August 9 & 10 – Chicago, Illinois – Hunter Hayes
August 13 & 14 – St. Louis, Missouri – Hunter Hayes
August 18 & 19 – Edmonton, Alberta – Josh Kelley
August 23, 24, 27 & 28 – Los Angeles, California – Josh Kelley
September 1 & 2 – San Jose, California – Josh Kelley
September 3 – Sacramento, California – Josh Kelley
September 6 – Portland, Oregon – Josh Kelley
September 7 – Tacoma, Washington – Josh Kelley
September 10 & 11 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Josh Kelley
September 16 & 17 – Nashville, Tennessee – Charlie Worsham
September 21 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Charlie Worsham
September 24 – Kansas City, Missouri – Charlie Worsham
September 27 – Denver, Colorado – Charlie Worsham
September 28 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Charlie Worsham
October 4 – Little Rock, Arkansas – Charlie Worsham
October 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana – Charlie Worsham
October 8 – Dallas, Texas – Charlie Worsham

The TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR 2011 kicked off February 9th in Singapore, and the European leg starts this weekend in Brussels, Belgium. The North American leg of the tour is sponsored by COVERGIRL®, and produced and promoted by The Messina Group (TMG). Ticket prices start at $25.

Log on to: www.taylorswift.com for a complete list of tour dates and up-to-date onsale information.