Actor/director Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) will release a country album, Private Radio, on Sept. 11. Thornton sings and plays drums on all 12 songs. Marty Stuart co-produced, and Dwight Yoakam and Holly Lamar co-wrote "The Starlight Lounge." Lamar, best known for co-writing the Faith Hill smash, "Breathe," also sings on the track. Thornton covers the Byrds' "He Was a Friend of Mine" and Hank Williams' "Lost Highway." In his younger years, Thornton performed in a ZZ Top cover band, Tres Hombres, which opened for Hank Williams Jr., among others. 07/11/01