Forty years ago, Elvis Presley launched what became the second phase of his phenomenal career with a landmark television special which served to remind the general public of what a musical force he had been -- and was yet to become.

Officially titled "Elvis," the one-hour special is commonly referred to as 'The '68 Comeback Special,' because of the dramatically positive impact it had on Elvis' then-sagging image. On August 5, Sony BMG marks the 40th anniversary with the release of a four-CD set, 'Elvis: The Complete '68 Comeback Special,' featuring all the music he recorded in multiple shows and rehearsals for the program, including 20 previously unreleased tracks.

She's reverently referred to as the 'Godmother of Americana,' in part because she's influenced scores of contemporary artists in all musical genres. So when the New York Times asked Emmylou Harris to cite some of the music she's listening to lately, it's no surprise the list was just as eclectic as her 30-plus-year career has been.

Among those currently gracing the singer's iPod is her fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member, the late Porter Wagoner. "I've been listening to him for years, even when I didn't like country music," says Harris. "But because my brother had a record player. I didn't really get country music until I started working with Gram Parsons in 1972. Porter's one of the greats of country music, as a storyteller, a songwriter and as a duet partner with Dolly Parton. He was known for his Nudie suits. He was an icon."

After several successful gospel CDs, Randy Travis fans are set to rejoice as the traditional crooner has recorded his first new country music project in eight years. 'Around the Bend' releases July 15 and features the kind of poignant ballads and clever uptempos that have made Travis one of country music's most successful artists. The Boot sat down with the living legend to talk about his much-anticipated return to country.

What made you decide to go straight-up country for this record?

I've been wanting to make another country record for some time. It just seemed like the right time to do it.

What kinds of songs were you looking to record on this project?

I was looking for something I liked. When [my producer] Kyle Lehning and I started working together years ago, he said, 'I want to help you make the best record we can make. And remember, you are going to be singing these songs every night, so if you don't love it, don't do it.' And I've stuck by that. If we don't just truly love the song, we don't do it. One amazing thing is that Kyle and I [rarely] disagree on songs. I bet there have been less than 10 times that we've disagreed.

Georgette Jones, daughter of country legends Tammy Wynette and George Jones, will guest-star as the ghost of her late mother in an upcoming TV series called 'Sordid Lives.' The show is about a Texas family who takes in an ex-con, played by Olivia Newton-John. It also stars Rue McClanahan (of 'Golden Girls' fame) and comedienne Caroline Rhea, among others.

In addition to playing the ghost of her mother, Jones will also sing several Wynette songs in her episode. A budding musician, Jones is most recently featured on her father's upcoming album. George and Georgette duet on an autobiographical song she co-wrote, 'You, Me and Time.'

'Sordid Lives' premieres July 23 on the Logo network at 10 PM ET.

Patty Loveless' first album in three years promises to please every classic country enthusiast. 'Sleepless Nights,' produced with her husband Emory Gordy Jr., is a collection of 14 of the genre's greatest songs, including Webb Pierce's 'There Stands the Glass,' Hank Williams' 'Cold, Cold Heart' and George Jones' 'Color of the Blues.'

"I felt like I could dip into my own soul," Loveless says of the George Jones classic. "It grabs a hold of you and won't let go . . . and when you're feeling down and out, that may be all you have to hold onto."

The legendary Ricky Skaggs has recorded bluegrass versions of his biggest country hits for a new album called 'The High Notes.' The CD includes ten of Skaggs' No. 1 hits from the 80s, such as 'Crying My Heart Out Over You,' 'Heartbroke,' 'Cajun Moon' and 'Country Boy.' The 12-time Grammy winner's new album is being sold exclusively in Cracker Barrel Country Stores.

Skaggs has another album coming out July 7, as 'Ricky Skaggs: Best of the Sugar Hill Years' is set to hit stores. The album is a hand-picked anthology of hits from Skaggs' early career, including 'I'll Stay Around' and 'Little Cabin Home on the Hill.'

No wonder Jessica Simpson made a commitment to country music! She had two of country's biggest superstars give her encouragement on her way up.

When Simpson was first mulling over the switch from pop to country back in 2005, she talked to her 'Dukes of Hazzard' co-star Willie Nelson about making the move. Her gave her a wholehearted thumbs up. Then recently, while working on her country debut, Dolly Parton gave Simpson her invaluable support.

"We were out here in Nashville writing and we set up this meeting with Dolly," Simpson told 'GAC Nights: Live From Nashville' radio show. "I went to her adobe, which is so cool. You walk in and she has a chapel and a beauty salon and ballet bars. I just loved being there in her presence. She listened to the album, and she was encouraging. She goes, 'I have to be a part of this record.' And so she gave me a handful of songs and she said, 'I got better ones!' And then days later, she sent me 12 more songs, and I chose the very first song -- it's called, 'Do You Know.' She wrote it, and it's such a great song, and I'm so blessed to be able to sing with her on it and have her be so much a part of my career."

Loretta Lynn will join an elite list of tunesmiths when she is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday in New York. Lynn wrote many of her hits, including 'You Ain't Woman Enough,' 'Fist City' and 'Coal Miner's Daughter.' Already inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame 15 years ago, the living legend is now is part of a select group that encompasses all genres of music, including pop, Broadway and classical icons.

Past Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees include Cole Porter, Carole King, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and James Taylor. Country songwriters bestowed with the honor include Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.

Charlie Daniels is celebrating a milestone few entertainers reach -- his 50th anniversary in music. From his humble beginnings in North Carolina to worldwide fame, the music icon has enjoyed a career that has earned him hits on the rock, country and Christian charts and has collected him an impressive list of accolades. He has appeared in movies, authored books and released 50 albums.

The Boot sat down with the 71-year-old Daniels to talk about his new album, 'Deuces,' which features collaborations with Gretchen Wilson, Vince Gill, Brenda Lee, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton and Darius Rucker, among others. We also chat with the famed fiddler about everything from rap to religion.

What keeps you still making music after all these years?

I love what I do. People say, 'Why don't you retire?' For what? You're supposed to retire to do something you want to do, and I'm doing what I want to do . . . I love being able to get up in the morning and think, 'I'm going to do something today that I thoroughly enjoy.'

One of Eddy Arnold's last wishes was to have another hit record. That happened for the singer, who passed away May 8, when his song 'To Life' was released on what would have been his 90th birthday, May 15. The country legend's 147th single, 'To Life' climbed into the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart this week, making Arnold the only country artist to have chart success in each of seven decades.

Arnold's first chart record, 'Each Minute Seems a Million Years,' entered the charts on June 30, 1945. During his career, the Country Music Hall of Famer had 90 top ten hits and 28 number ones, resulting in album sales of more than 85 million units. Billboard ranks him as the No. 1 country artist of all time.

Garth Brooks will be the Academy of Country Music's first-ever recipient of the Crystal Milestone Award. Brooks will be honored during the live ACM broadcast next Sunday in Las Vegas. The living legend says he is "flattered and humbled" by the award.

"The ACM has always taken care of me and my music," said Brooks. "The fact that they have never awarded it before makes me feel the respect and the faith they have in me as an artist, and I will continue to work my butt off to make sure they are happy with their choice."

Brooks also plans to perform a medley of some of his greatest hits on the live broadcast. He has won a whopping 18 ACM Awards throughout his career, including Artist of the Decade in 1998.

Eddy Arnold, one of the pioneers of 'The Nashville Sound,' died Thursday morning, just days before his 90th birthday. The legendary country singer was second only to George Jones in the number of songs that made the country charts, with 145 radio hits -- 28 of those making it all the way to No. 1. Some of his many classics include 'Make the World Go Away,' 'Bouquet of Roses,' 'Lonely Again' and 'Cattle Call,' just to name a few. Many of those hits also made it onto the pop charts, as Arnold became one of the first crossover successes to come out of Nashville, paving the way for future country-pop acts like Kenny Rogers and Charlie Rich.

George Jones is planning a new album of old duets that never saw the light of day, until now. 'Burn Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets' is set to hit stores in July. It will be comprised of collaborations that were recorded for various projects, but were never released.

In addition to two duets with his late ex-wife, Tammy Wynette, Jones also sings with his daughter, Georgette Jones, on the album's first single, 'You, Me and Time.' The song was penned by Georgette and tells the true story of her feelings of abandonment as a child.

Jones' new project also includes collaborations with such fellow legends as Keith Richards, Mark Knopfler, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Jim Lauderdale. The duets span Jones' illustrious 50+ year career.

Glen Campbell is planning a new album that's a little bit country and a whole lot of rock 'n' roll. The legendary singer will release 'Meet Glen Campbell' on August 19. The CD will include 10 cover songs that Campbell says strike both musical and personal chords with him.

Those songs range from the 1969 Velvet Underground hit 'Jesus' to the Foo Fighters' 2003 smash, 'Times Like These.' Other rockers Campbell covers on the disc include John Lennon, U2, Green Day, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne and more.

"While I didn't write these songs, this sounds like a Glen Campbell album, which is important to me," says the 72-year-old music icon, best known for his classic hits 'Witchita Lineman' and 'Rhinestone Cowboy.'

Legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt has been tapped to receive the Americana Music Association's 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.

"It's a privilege to honor John Hiatt," says AMA Executive Director Jed Hilly. "He is the essence of what the Americana Songwriter award is all about -- a true artist, a performer and songwriter whose work is steeped with integrity."

Hiatt's songs have been recorded by a diverse list of artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Aaron Neville, Iggy Pop, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson and Roseanne Cash. Through his 30-year career, Hiatt has also recorded 18 studio albums of his own and has received 11 Grammy nominations.