With his infectious hits, lively stage shows and super nice-guy personality, Neal McCoy has been a staple in country music since the late 80s. The country singer is now wrapping up almost two decades of his career in 'The Very Best of Neal McCoy,' a compilation of 21 beloved hits and one new song that he hopes will keep him at the top of country fans' minds for years to come.

The Boot sat down with the Texas crooner to hear his personal stories about the new album. We also got McCoy's candid comments on today's young stars and what he fears is a lack of loyalty in the country music business.

Tell us the story behind the new track, 'Rednecktified.'

My producer and I were trying to come up with something that wasn't really a word but maybe a catch-phrase. So we came up with 'Rednecktified.' I love the lyrics, because that's pretty much what we grew up with here in east Texas.

So maybe it's the next Honky Tonk Badonkadonk!

Well that would make me some money! [laughs]

John Rich is celebrating lucky number-six. The country singer-songwriter-producer extraordinaire sits at the center of the judges' table on what is currently Monday night's most popular television show, 'Nashville Star.' The reality talent competition is in its sixth season but its first on a major television network, thus its first with enviable ratings. It's a popularity boost that Rich says does wonders for his own agenda, as well as for the music that he loves so deeply.

The Boot sat down with the notoriously opinionated Rich to talk about what exactly is at stake for him with the show and what he says makes it a more credible program than 'American Idol.' We also get his candid commentary on fellow judges Jewel and Jeffrey Steele, as well as his hints into the true personality of the show's host, Billy Ray Cyrus.

What makes 'Nashville Star' standout from other reality talent shows?

We're not looking for a great singer, we're looking for a great artist. There's a difference, in my opinion. Not many people consider Kris Kristofferson a great singer, but I think everyone considers him a great artist. He's a great songwriter; he connects with the audience; he knows how to emote -- to make a lyric kick you right in the chest. That's what I'm looking for.

Julianne Hough knows a thing or two about being on top. After all, the 'Dancing with the Stars' hoofer has snared two trophies on the reality show with partners Apolo Anton Ono and Helio Castroneves. Even though she's temporarily trading in a Pasa Double for a boot-scooting boogie, her winning ways continue: Her self-titled debut CD entered Billboard's country chart at No. 1 in May.

In person, Hough is as charming and unpretentious as she appears on 'Dancing.' The girl next door with the beauty-queen looks laughs easily and often at herself. Before her AOL Music Sessions rehearsal starts, a man stops Hough in the hall to tell her how great her long, flowing locks look and asks if that hair is all hers. She laughs and says, "Of course it is," before pausing for a playful beat and adding, "It's connected to it." As the cameras prepare to roll, she admits that even though she was practically born in high heels, her feet are killing her and she is happy to lighten her load during her chat with The Boot. Read the full interview after the jump.

Billy Ray Cyrus has another job he can add to his ever-expanding resume: TV host. With two widely successful careers under his belt, both as a singer and actor, he is currently hosting 'Nashville Star,' a job all the more daunting since it is now on network TV for the first time in the show's six-year run. And for Cyrus, it's a perfect fit.

"The fact that it's on NBC this summer, and the slogan with NBC is 'It's all about the music,' that's what turned me on. That's what I've always been about," Cyrus told The Boot backstage at Nashville's Roy Acuff Theater, where the reality talent show is being filmed.

You'll turn 50 in October. How do you plan to celebrate?

Might go to Cracker Barrel or something.

Who among the new crop of country artists impresses you?

Brad [Paisley] writes some good stuff ... and Josh Turner. Taylor Swift, I really haven't heard much of her stuff, but that song about the tears on the guitar ['Teardrops on My Guitar'], that's a good song. It's a well-written song, especially from a young girl like that.

What's your favorite country song?

'He Stopped Loving Her Today' is a simple classic. It says it all.

You are very quiet and reserved. How can someone be such a brilliant lyricist but not like to talk?

It's easier writing, because you think about what you're going to say and say it in ways that you won't be able to communicate to someone in person. I've been doing interviews forever. You just get tired of talking about yourself. If you want to talk about cars or boats, I'd be more excited about talking. I just don't like chit-chatting.

Do the girls' friends view you as a celebrity or just their friend's dad?

[I] don't act like a celebrity. I've never been a big showboat. We don't have big parties. We have a lot of nice things and do things that we wouldn't have otherwise, but other than that, we're just here. Denise is in the kitchen cooking, and I'm watching football. We're just regular people, and I think they don't get that celebrity feeling, really.

You have three daughters: Mattie, 17, Ali, 14, and Dani, 10. Do you try to intimidate their dates?

No, they might be a little scared, but I don't try to scare them. I'm pretty easygoing, and I don't worry about the girls. They make good choices. We just try to keep our eye on them a little bit.

Do you ever think about how life would have been if you hadn't been successful in music?

Denise and I wouldn't have known all this that we have now, so we wouldn't have missed it. I think we would have continued working and had kids, and we'd still be going to the lake on weekends. We probably wouldn't have a nice home and expensive boats, but we'd be doing the same kind of thing. I think we would have been happy and made the best of it.

Given your success, what do you indulge in?

Even when I didn't have money, I was always buying something -- some old car or an old motorcycle. I'd drive it for a while and then sell it and make some money. Now I buy things that I've always wanted, or something a little nicer or a collectible.

Did you play sports in school?

I did when I was young, up until about 12, and then I started working after school. I played basketball and football -- that's all we had back then. I played basketball some in a church league when I got a little older, but I never was that good. What I always told people is 'I'm tall, that's all.'

Describe your demeanor during your girls' games. Are you intense?

I cheer, but I'm not one of those screaming parents [who] scream at the referee or try to tell all the children what to do. I enjoy watching them play, and I try not to get too serious. It's just young girls playing sports. They probably will never play again once they get out of high school. I try to let them enjoy it and not be so serious about it.

The notoriously reserved Alan Jackson is not a big fan of interviews. He simply just doesn't like talking about himself! But in this candid chat, The Boot stretches the living legend out of his comfort zone a little bit, getting him to open up about life at home with his girls, the young stars who impress him and his surprisingly simple plans to celebrate turning the big 5-0.

If you're not on the road touring, what is a typical day like for you?

I get up with the girls [his three daughters] about 5:30 in the morning and get them off to school. I try to work out two or three days a week. We have a trainer come to the house and I walk a three-mile track around the property. I do stuff around the house, fiddle with my cars and boats. Typically, we're going to ball games two, three or four days a week -- basketball, volleyball or soccer.