If you think Miley Cyrus -- aka the hottest teenager on the planet -- is the only one of Billy Ray's children who aspires to greatness in the land of entertainment, think again. The Boot wondered how the country star and his wife Tish make Miley's siblings feel special in their fish-bowl existence, with the pressure of measuring up to their insanely famous sister. Billy Ray was quick to point out to us that his other children are doing just fine, thank you very much.

"You've got to keep in mind that my son Trace (20) is in Metro Station, which has a hit album all around the world," Billy Ray explains to The Boot. "He's in Switzerland today as we speak, and got all the way in the last month from Japan to the Philippines across Canada. Metro Station are huge worldwide. Trace is living his dream."

Brad Paisley has a lot to smile about these days. He's happily married to the girl of his dreams with two adorable sons, and professionally he's on quite a roll. He won the last two Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year awards and the last three consecutive Male Vocalist honors from the Academy of Country Music. He's sold more than 10 million albums and has scored 14 No. 1 singles, including his most recent hit, 'Then,' which spent three weeks at the summit. Today, he unleashes his eighth album, 'American Saturday Night.' Before heading out on tour with openers Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne, Brad previewed the new record for The Boot at Blackbird Studios, shared some photos on his iPhone of his boys and pal Little Jimmy Dickens, and talked about music, married life and why you can never have too much mustard.

What was on your mind as you were making 'American Saturday Night'?

I was looking for some uncharted territory as an artist, because six albums in -- not counting a Christmas and an instrumental album -- that's a lot of ground that's been covered. So what am I doing? How can I make that even better? Where can I go that I haven't gone? And what are people feeling? What am I feeling? These times are fairly uncertain, but at the same time I have this really hopeful outlook that comes from having two little boys now -- both of them, in some way or another, spitting images of me. Songs are certainly influenced by how I see the world now through a couple of other sets of eyes. On top of that, I'm touring the country at a time when I'm seeing different things on the faces of people, and one thing I'm seeing is how important it is that I'm telling their story. They deserve that kind of honesty out of me.

"If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me." --Anonymous

Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler certainly embrace that friendship philosophy. When The Boot caught up with the best buds and touring partners backstage at a concert in Columbia, Md., the two talked about each other as if they were related. Kellie, abandoned by her own mother when she was just two years old, even refers to Taylor's mom as 'Momma Swift.' She returns the favor by being the older sister Taylor never had.

We pick this talented twosome's brains about what being "BFFs" means to them.

How did you two meet?

Taylor Swift: Kellie and I met and got to know each other on the Brad Paisley tour. I was 17 and she was 20, and we were both on our first albums and one of our first tours. The way that the Paisley tour worked was that he had three opening acts, and it would alternate in rotation every night. One of us would go on first, one of us would go on last. So, one of the first things that bonded us was she got a kitten -- the cat that she has now, Pickles -- and she needed someone to look after her kitten when she would go on to play. She would leave the kitten with me or my mom. Then we started hanging out all the time, talking about boys, and just became fast friends.

Kellie Pickler: I officially adopted her as my little sister. She's so smart. She's very talented. It was really cool to be able to write together, record together and shoot a video together.

Listen to Charlie Robison's new album, 'Beautiful Day,' and you might feel bad for the guy. Talk to him, though, and you'll realize he's doing just fine.

"I guess you might call this my divorce record," Charlie, who split last year from the Dixie Chicks' Emily Robison, told The Boot, all the while maintaining a sly grin. The singer/songwriter often dubbed "country's bad boy" invited us for a chat on his tour bus just before opening for his buddy Robert Earl Keen at a sold-out New York City show. While we were a bit hesitant to open old wounds by asking about the divorce, Charlie nonchalantly brought it up before we did, explaining that the breakup of his marriage forced him to explore new creative horizons.

"When you go through something like this, it results in very fertile writing. It's very much me, yet a departure from anything I've done before," Charlie explains. "It's my first relationship-type record ... You can really tell where I was emotionally when I wrote it."

The Boot has teamed up with Gloriana to give fans a chance to play reporters, getting up close and personal with this hot new band as they open for Taylor Swift on her Fearless tour. The second winners of our Fan Correspondent Contest are Erin and Danielle, who went on the group's tour bus in Bakersfield, Calif., to grill the band about funny fan stories and guilty pleasures.

They're music royalty in Nashville and seem to be the picture of marital bliss. Vince Gill and Amy Grant, longtime friends before they married in March 2000, certainly know the secret to a happy marriage and managing a blended family. (Theirs includes Vince's daughter Jenny with first wife Janis Gill, Amy's three children with first husband Gary Chapman: Matthew, Gloria and Sarah, and Vince and Amy's 8-year-old daughter Corinna.) When The Boot ran into Vince, sitting on a folding chair inside Studio A at the Grand Ole Opry, we asked him to share his insights on marriage and family.

If you could offer advice to a newlywed couple, what would it be?

I'd rather be forgiven than to be right. It's not that big a deal to be right. It took me a while to figure it out. Respect will go further than anything you can ever do.

There's a lot you'll learn about singer-songwriter Holly Williams from listening to her just-released album, 'Here with Me.' She's got a loving and supportive mom; she's intrigued by international men; and she knows she's blessed to be alive.

But there's one thing that isn't quite as obvious in the deeply introspective music and lyrics of this 28-year-old: Holly Williams is country-music royalty -- the granddaughter of Hank Williams and the daughter of Hank Williams Jr. And while those are facts she's not trying to keep from anyone, achieving success on her own terms was far more important than trading on those famous – and impossible to live up to – names.

The Boot sat down with Holly to discuss her family legacy, the life-changing car accident that nearly took her life, and her own "wilder" days that led to getting busted at a Hank Jr. concert.

When did you first realize how important your father and grandfather were in country music?

I didn't really get aware of who Hank Sr. was until I was much older, because my dad was so famous that it really overshadowed the Hank Sr. thing growing up. All my friends I went to high school with were Hank Jr. fans and would come out and drink beer at the shows. So everyone knew [who he was] at my school. The only time people would really freak out was if I was on spring break in Panama City and one of my friends would tell some of the guys down there. They'd be like in shock.