• NEWS AND NOTES: Jon, Chris, Lady A

    Jon Pardi’s video for his new single, “Heartache On the Dance Floor,” will premiere during CMT’s Hot 20 on Saturday (June 17th). The clip was shot in Venice Beach (California).

    Lady Antebellum will perform during NBC’s annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City. Brad Paisley is also scheduled to perform.

    Chris Stapleton’s From A Room, Volume 1 is the first 2017 released country album to be certified gold for more than 500,000 copies sold.

    https://twitter.com/RIAA/status/874998602531209217

     

  • LAUREN ALAINA JOINS LUKE BRYAN ON TOUR.

    Lauren Alaina is one of the opening acts on select dates for Luke Bryan’s Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day Tour, and she begins her run on Friday (June 16th) in Atlanta, Georgia. She is on the bill for the trek, which also features Brett Eldredge, for a handful of dates, including June 23rd in Hershey, Pennsylvania, June 24th in Mansfield, Massachusetts and June 25th in Columbia, Maryland, as well as some shows in July.

    Lauren says she’s so excited to be on tour with Luke, who previously toured together on Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour in 2012.

    “To be on the road with him and to be able to take notes, even though he’s a male and he’s got a very different path than me, I still look up to him in so many ways,” says Lauren. “nd it’s so cool that he’s recognized me as a talent again – after I’ve toured with him before – to go back on the road with him. That, I can’t even explain what that means to me. And I think that he could pick anyone and I’m one of the ones he picked, and that makes me feel pretty cool.”

    Lauren is making her way up the country charts with the autobiographical “Doin’ Fine,” from her Road Less Traveled album.

    Audio / Lauren Alaina talks about heading out on the road with Luke Bryan.

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    Lauren Alaina (Luke Bryan tour) 2 OC: …pretty cool. [laughs] :25
    “To be on the road with him and to be able to take notes, even though he’s a male and he’s got a very different path than me, I still look up to him in so many ways. And it’s so cool that he’s recognized me as a talent again – after I’ve toured with him before – to go back on the road with him. That, I can’t even explain what that means to me. And I think that he could pick anyone and I’m one of the ones he picked, and that makes me feel pretty cool.” [laughs]

  • FATHER’S DAY 2017: AJ, CANAAN, DARIUS, DIERKS, CHURCH, PASLAY, KEITH, LADY A, LBT, LUKE BRYAN, SAM

    Father’s Day is on Sunday (June 18th), and many of your favorite country artists will be celebrating.

    Audio / Alan Jackson allows his three daughters to live and learn.

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    AJ (parenting style) OC: …what they did.  :19
    “We try to be just not pushy hands-on parents. We let them live and be their own way. I’m not stern with them. You know, I’m funny and light, and try to give them guidance and let them live and learn their own ways. And that’s something, I think, my parents did. It was accidental, but that’s what they did.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says his father is a big inspiration.

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    Canaan Smith (Father’s Day) OC: …I love him. :35
    “My dad, I think is just the greatest man. He’s always provided for us. He was always there. He was always a great dad. He worked his butt off, you know, and showed me what it was like to work hard and provide for a family, and I just hope I can do that one day too. We’ve always had a special bond. He’s been a songwriter and a singer too for a long, long time, and so I got to grow up listening to him do his thing, sitting in the other room while they do band rehearsal. I’d be sitting on the couch in the other room just taking it all in, dreaming one day to be behind that microphone, so he’s definitely been an inspiration. I love him.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley says his dad is a great role model for him as he enjoys being a father to son Ward.

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    Charles Kelley (qualities as a father) OC: …tolerance. :24
    “I hope I’m a great father. My dad, I’ve always looked up to. He’s such a hard worker and an amazing man. He’s always showed me and the rest of my siblings a lot of love, and so yeah, I hope to instill a strong work ethic into Ward, but also a lot of love and a lot of tolerance.”

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his kids would say he was a fun dad, unless they did something wrong.

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    Darius Rucker (Father’s Day) OC: …loving dad. :41
    “I think if you asked my kids what kind of Dad I was they would probably say…Dani would say that I was a fun Dad. My little daughter would say that I was a fun dad; she thinks I’m a lot of fun. I think if you caught them at the right moment they would say I was mean [laughs] because when I’m home I’m not afraid to discipline them. I’m all fun until it’s not fun anymore and then daddy’s not the fun guy. I think that they’d say that I was a fun Dad, I’m a loving Dad and I think they would say that. I’m gone so much that when I’m home, I just shower love upon my kids. I say ‘I love you’ probably fifty times a day. We hug, we kiss all the time. I’m always wanting them to know how much I love them. So I’d hope they’d say that I was a loving dad.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley enjoys being both dad – to daughters Evie and Jordan and son Knox – and country music performer.

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    Dierks Bentley (dad & performer) OC: …to do both. :28
    “When I get home, it’s a totally different reality that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Just hanging with my girls and doing the things we do and seeing life through their eyes, it’s incredible. It takes a man to do it. It’s not a boys’ game. It takes a man to do it. I love the juxtaposition to be able to be that man and to also go on the road and act like I’m 13 years old and play video games all afternoon waiting for the fans to show up. So, it’s really a blessing to be able to do both.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains how being a father (to three children) has changed him.

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    Dierks Bentley (how fatherhood has changed him) OC: …different. :07
    “There’s a whole kind of different universe that has opened up that I never knew existed, and I’m not the center of it, which is really cool. It just makes you look at things totally different.”

    Audio / Eric Church admires his father, and will pass along some of those qualities he’s learned to his own children, sons Boone and Hawk.

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    Eric Church (his father’s influence) OC: …same thing. :32
    “My daddy’s always preached, and it’s something that rung true, he’s always preached authenticity. He’s always preached being honest and being true. My daddy’s from a small town, you know it’s a blue collar town, and he’s just always been pretty even-keeled; never too high and never too low. He’s always been honest and authentic. I think it’s a good template. It has been for me thus far, especially with this industry, ‘cause it’s really easy to get high and low. So, I think just keeping everything in perspective and trying to be real, and I think people can sense that, and I certainly will tell my kids the same thing.”

     

    Audio / Eric Paslay says his father taught him how to work hard and to do a lot of things himself, such as electrical work and other handyman tasks.

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    Eric Paslay (Father’s Day) OC: …ceiling fan. :23
    “He just taught me that working hard and sticking it out, even when you know things aren’t right, that if you stick it out, it’s worth it in the end. And he just taught me to work hard, and there’s a lot of things that you don’t have to pay someone else to do, and it feels more rewarding when you’re able to put in new light fixtures or paint your own walls or put in a new ceiling fan.”

     

    Audio / Keith Urban – father to daughters Sunday and Faith -- says there are a number of things that are at the top of the list of being a dad.

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    Keith Urban (Father’s Day) OC: …experience that. :36
    “The first thing is probably just having someone call you dad. I’m like, ‘Omigosh! I’m her dad! That’s amazing.’ That’s probably the first thing to me. I don’t know, I mean, the different personalities that our two daughters have, that’s amazing. It’s such a long list I think. I always say…I think for the people that haven’t had kids – which I hadn’t for a long, long time. I didn’t have kids ‘til later on, and being around it is not the same as having them, you know? I realize that it’s not something that can be explained until you actually sort of have it, so I’m glad I got to experience that.”

     

    Audio / Kip Moore talks about his LATE father’s influence on his music career, and how he’d play classics on their fishing trips.

    Download

    Kip Moore (Father’s Day-dad’s influence) OC: …of us singin’ ‘em. :29
    “He would just play all those classic records – Little River Band, Jackson Brown, Springsteen, Seeger, Willie Nelson, the Red-Headed Stranger, Kristofferson, Sam Cook – like classic music. He’d be singing the songs and telling us why it was such good music. And I looked up to him so much, that’s the music I gravitated towards and that’s what I continue to listen to. Whenever I think about those old fishing trips, that’s what I think about is on the way down there, him singing those songs and all of us singin’ ‘em.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott says her father is a great communicator.

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    Lady A (Father’s Day-Hillary) OC: …my children. :33
    “I definitely got my Type-A personality from my dad. He’s the same way, but one thing I’m so appreciative of – especially from a father-daughter relationship – my dad always, always talked to me, even when I didn’t want to talk to him. He would force me to communicate and talk through things, and not always the easy stuff, which is such a rare quality in a man, truthfully. And so, I am very, very thankful for that. I think it helped me find the right husband for me, and I also know that it will help me be that much of a better communicator to my children.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood says his father was a big influence both personally and musically, and he wants to pass along those qualities to his own children.

    Download

    Lady A (Father’s Day-Dave) OC: …like that. :39
    “My dad was a really hard worker growing up and was always great, however hard he worked, he’d always make important time for family, important time to be home for dinner and be there for a lot of special moments for us growing up. For all the money he would make, he would always give a portion of it back to charity or to the church, and so that was always important for me to watch. We had a great relationship growing up. My dad plays guitar; he’s very musical. I learned how to play acoustic guitar with him playing ‘Day Tripper’ by the Beatles and all these old songs we’d play together when he’d show me how to play these James Taylor songs and things like that. So, definitely want to pass along music, of course, to my children, as well, like that.”

     

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook says fatherhood is absolutely beautiful. He and wife Karen Fairchild became parents to Elijah Dylan on March 5, 2010.

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    Little Big Town (Jimi-Father’s Day) OC: …beautiful. :32
    “It’s still such a new experience for us, and man, I’m telling you, people can tell you all day long how great it’s going to be, but it still never touches it. That little man looking back at me, it’s the most unbelievable feeling. And every day, for me who hates mornings [laughs], waking up to a slap in the face; he’s like pounding on me, then he’s like kissing on me and stuff. It’s unbelievable. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan says he likes to spend Father’s Day fishing with his boys.

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    Luke Bryan (Father’s Day) OC: …for me. :34
    “Father’s Day is certainly always really, really special. With the boys, just the simple things with boys. Caroline’s like, ‘Hey! Pick who you want to go fishing with and y’all just go fishing and have a little morning.’ It’s stuff like that and half the time I load the boat up with all the boys and it’s Father’s Day and I’m untangling fishing line all day. So, Father’s Day is really, really special, and Caroline’s always great about creating some fun stuff…she’s always really proactive in making days like that really special for me.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt says his father taught him a lot about being a man and knowing how to do the right thing.

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    Sam Hunt (Father’s Day) OC: …he’s great. :27
    “I’m obviously biased about my parents, but I’ve been around a lot of great men of integrity, but he is by far the best man that I know. He’s just taught me so much about being a man, doing the right thing, knowing the difference between right and wrong. And even though I don’t always follow his lead, I definitely know better because of him, and that means a whole lot to me. I was just really fortunate to have him as a dad, and he’s great.”

     

     

  • FATHER’S DAY LINERS 2017

    Father’s Day is Sunday (June 18th), and we have liners with many of your favorite country stars! Check them out and download below.

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Billy Currington, wishing you a very Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing all you fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up, guys? I’m Canaan Smith. Happy Father’s Day, Pops!”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (Father’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Easton Corbin. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Paslay. To all you father’s out there, Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan, and I want to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Happy Father’s Day)

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    “Jon Pardi here. Happy Father’s Day to all you father’s out there.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Josh Turner, and I just want to wish all you father’s out there a Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everyone! It’s Keith Urban, wishing all you Dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Father’s Day)

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    “What’s up all you Dads out there? It’s Lady Antebellum, and we just wanted to wish you all a good, Happy Father’s Day. Thanks for being great dads. Hope you get pampered and you don’t have to barbecue. And we hope you get some good ties this year.” [Hillary laughs]

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Lauren Alaina. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Father’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Little Big Town, wishing all you father’s a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Sam Hunt. To all you fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Father’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Vince Gill (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! It’s Vince, and I just wanted to wish you a Happy Father’s Day. Wish mine was still around.”

  • GLOBAL SUPERSTAR SHANIA TWAIN RELEASES NEW SINGLE AND REVEALS NEW ALBUM ‘NOW’ – AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 29TH.

    International superstar Shania Twain is set to release her brand-new album NOW on September 29th. Three decades into her storied career as the “top-selling female country artist of all-time,” Shania confidently embraces the moment on her triumphant fifth full-length album on Mercury Nashville and her first album since 2002. Assuming the role of sole songwriter for the first time and overseeing production as a co-producer, this is the woman the world knows and loves at her brightest, boldest and best. NOW, offered as both a 12-track standard and a 16-track deluxe, is available for preorder now and includes an instant download of the album’s lead single “Life’s About to Get Good.” The joyful new tune premieres today on country radio platforms around the globe.

     

    • Shania is set to rock New York City tomorrow morning as part of NBC’s TODAY Show Summer Concert Series. Fans can expect to hear new music including her latest single along with a few of her most-popular hits. While fans got a taste of the highly-anticipated new song in an exciting NBC Winter Olympics ad, the TODAY Show appearance will only be the second time Shania has performed “Life’s About to Get Good” for a live audience. The first came recently when she performed to a high-spirited crowd of over 75,000 fans as one of the three headliners of this year’s Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif.
    • In addition to the upcoming new album, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. opens its Shania exhibit later this month as part of the museum’s 50th anniversary celebration. Scheduled to run through mid-2018, the exhibit will feature some of Shania’s iconic outfits from the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” music video (including her top hat, top coat, corset, shirt, necktie, gloves, and skirt), as well as her memorable 2003 Super Bowl halftime performance outfit — the Marc Bouwer-designed black pleather-duster coat and velvet skirt with rhinestone embellishments and many more.
    • Shania is a five-time GRAMMY Award-winner and the reigning Queen of Country Pop. With more than 75 million albums sold worldwide and U.S. sales topping 34.5 million, Shania remains the top-selling female country artist of all time. Shania’s albums include her Platinum-selling 1993 debut, Shania Twain; the GRAMMY Award-winning, Double Diamond-selling 1995 release, The Woman in Me; Come On Over, the best-selling studio album in Soundscan history by a female artist in any genre and the best-selling country album of all time with over 40 million units sold worldwide; and UP!, Shania’s third consecutive Diamond-selling album release.
    • Recognizing her indelible impact and achievements in music, Shania is the first and only female artist to receive CMT’s Artist of a Lifetime Award. She was also honored with the Icon Award at Billboard’s Women in Music ceremony. Shania’s hits include “Any Man of Mine,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “You’re Still the One,” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”.
    • NOW album preorder packages are available now at Shania’s official store. Fans can find exclusive items only available through preorder including a sequin leopard print bomber jacket and a vinyl record with a personalized voice greeting from Shania. Fans can also hear Shania’s NOW playlist HERE. For more information, please visit com.

    Audio / Shania Twain talks about her new single, "Life's About to Get Good."

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    Shania Twain (LATGG) OC: …stylistically. :49
    “This song is very, it’s got a lot of conflict where it’s very true to my life and my story and my thinking at the time of the very first lyric – ‘I wasn’t just broken/I was shattered’ – like this just doesn’t get any worse, you know, in mind my mind, emotionally. But then the chorus is really catchy, and there’s the irony of all these happy, cheerful voices in there and the craft of the song itself. I mean, ‘Life’s about this, life’s about that, life’s about to get good,’ and that’s just a play on words and that’s just me as a song and that’s just me, the songwriter, having fun. I think this is just a more complete picture of me as an artist. It’s a more complete picture. There’s an extra element there that is deeper into my story, my personal story, but it’s the same songwriter stylistically.”

    Audio / Shania Twain says “Life’s About to Get Good” is a little bit different from the rest of the songs on the album.

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    Shania Twain (LATGG) 2 OC: …of the song. :41
    “Well, the song is a little bit of a departure of its own on this album. It’s definitely one of the more chirpy songs on the album, that’s what I would say, but it still has that melancholy story to it in the verses. We’re not quite there yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel type of the thing. That’s what the song is about obviously, and it’s a little bit of a satire this song. I’m kind of making fun of that and I’m having fun with like, ‘Oh boy, [I] can’t wait for things to get better. I can see the light. I’m going to head there toward that.’ And then I just sort of make fun with that in the musicality of the song.”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (new single LATGG)

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    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (here's LATGG)

    Download

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (here's LATGG right here on)

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    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (about to hear LATGG)

    Download

    Video /

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  • JOSH TURNER CELEBRATES HIS GRANDMOTHER-IN-LAW’S 100TH BIRTHDAY.

    Josh Turner’s grandmother-in-law (his wife Jennifer’s grandmother) Lois Cunningham just celebrated her 100th birthday on June 12th with a big celebration with family and friends in attendance.

    “My grandmother-in-law, the one that is pretty famous right now for playing ‘How Great Thou Art’ spontaneously on the Grand Ole Opry stage a few years ago just turned 100 back on June 12th, and we went down there and had a bigtime shindig for her,” says Josh. “We played a lot of music and ate a lot of food, good clean fun and fellowship and we had good weather for it and everything and she was feeling good, so we had a great time.”

    https://twitter.com/joshturnermusic/status/875064265669062657?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
    You may remember Ms. Cunningham was 98 when she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry in 2016 playing piano on “How Great Thou Art” during Josh’s set.

    Josh is making his way up the  country charts with his latest single, “All About You,” the follow-up to his recent No. 1 hit, “Hometown Girl.”

    Audio / Josh Turner talks about the celebration for his grandmother-in-law’s 100th birthday.

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    Josh Turner (grandmother-in-law 100) OC: …good for 100. :41
    “Yeah, my grandmother-in-law, the one that is pretty famous right now for playing ‘How Great Thou Art’ spontaneously on the Grand Ole Opry stage a few years ago just turned 100 back on June 12th, and we went down there and had a bigtime shindig for her. We played a lot of music and ate a lot of food, good clean fun and fellowship and we had good weather for it and everything and she was feeling good, so we had a great time. She was even up there playing several songs on the piano so she’s still doing pretty good for 100.”

    Video / Josh Turner's grandmother-in-law performs on the Opry

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  • LADY ANTEBELLUM RELEASE CINEMATIC HEART BREAK VIDEO.

    With the release of their sixth studio album HEART BREAK (Capitol Records Nashville), multi-PLATINUM trio Lady Antebellum has woven the album’s 13 tracks into a cinematic video experience for fans. Lady A enlisted director Hodges Usry to visually share the album, where behind each door at the Madonna Inn on California’s Central Coast, a different story unfolds. To watch HEART BREAK come to life, in each different and unique room of the hotel, watch below or click here: http://bit.ly/2rwC60T
    With a new sense of history and possibilities, Lady Antebellum’s sixth studio album HEART BREAK that “bursts with refreshed energy” (Entertainment Weekly) had the group on a new mission — setting aside time to put themselves in new surroundings, and concentrate on writing and exploring musical endeavors with no distractions. With busbee in the producer’s chair, the trio had a hand in writing eleven songs on HEART BREAK, resulting in their most intimate and heartfelt work to date. HEART BREAK follows more than 18 million units, nine No. One hits, ACM and CMA “Vocal Group of the Year” trophies three years in a row, and countless other honors including Billboard Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

    With “big production and sound” (OC Register) along with “a fresh twist with the addition of a live horn section” (CMT) the seven-time Grammy award winning trio is in the midst of their YOU LOOK GOOD WORLD TOUR, featuring special guests Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young. For more information about new music and upcoming tour dates, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

    Video / Heart Break Hotel

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  • LADY ANTEBELLUM PERFORM ON THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON.

    Lady Antebellum performed the title track of their new album, Heart Break, on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week.

    Video / Lady Antebellum perform "Heart Break" on Tonight Show.

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  • DARIUS RUCKER HITS THE TOP OF THE CHARTS WITH ‘IF I TOLD YOU.’

    As Darius Rucker scores yet another No. 1 at Country radio with “If I Told You,” the first single from his forthcoming fifth studio album on Capitol Records Nashville, he looks back on a banner week. “If I Told You” is the eighth No. 1 single for Rucker since his debut in country music in 2008 and comes just a week after another milestone moment for the three-time GRAMMY Award winner, who reached the $1.2 million mark with his yearly kickoff to CMA Fest, the “Darius and Friends” concert and golf tournament to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Friends including Brooks & Dunn, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, John Oates of legendary pop duo Hall & Oates were among those who helped the event reach its record-breaking achievement.

    DR_IITY_AircheckFull_LOres_2

    On Wednesday morning Rucker visited TODAY’s Kathie Lee and Hoda at Honky Tonk Central in Nashville, presenting two worthy recipients of new homes through his partnership with Ply Gem and Habitat for Humanity’s Home Builders Blitz and serenading the crowd with a performance of “If I Told You.”

    “If I Told You” marks Rucker’s first collaboration with producer Ross Copperman. The song was written with Copperman’s co-writers Jon Nite and Shane McAnally.

     

    “I love this time in country music,” Rucker said. “It’s so wide in range and to have this song — a ballad and one I’ve loved and related to since first hearing the worktape — is pretty incredible.”

    On Wednesday evening the CMT Performance of the Year nominated star helped kick off the awards show as he joined Jason Aldean and Charles Kelley for a rendition of “Midnight Rider” in tribute to Gregg Allman, as well as reprising his role as CMT president for the second year in a skit airing at the top of the show. Acting as CMT president follows a long list of acting accolades Rucker has collected this year, including playing Johnny Bragg, lead singer of the Prisonaires on CMT’s Sun Records and a career criminal on Hawaii Five-0.

    Rucker closed out 2017’s CMA Music Fest with performances dedicated to the fans that make the week so special, performing at the HGTV Lodge on Sunday morning and Nissan Stadium Sunday evening. In celebration of the imminent No. 1 status of the first offering of his fall 2017 album, Rucker welcomed Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild for a compelling duet of “If I Told You,” expressing to the crowd, “Thank you for believing in this song!” The emotional rendition had the crowd on their feet and in tears as Rucker and Fairchild crooned “I’ll love you anyway” to each other from either side of the stadium stage.

    Rucker’s as-yet-untitled fifth Capitol Records Nashville album will be released later this year with Copperman at the helm. He’s never been busier while working on his new album with a slate of television appearances this spring and summer that show just how popular he is, including his own CMT Crossroads episode with John Mellencamp. He also appeared in Adam Sandler’s Netflix original, Sandy Wexler, and his own episode of Celebrity Undercover Boss on CBS.

    For more information about new music, appearances and tour dates, please visit www.dariusrucker.com.

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about "If I Told You" hitting the top of the country charts.

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    Darius Rucker (If I Told You No. 1) OC: …really awesome. :19
    “Oh, it’s always, that’s always awesome. It never gets old. Every time, you know, it gets late in the week and you realize you get in there, it’s an amazing feeling. This song has been out 46 [47] weeks, and for the label to stick with it that long and for it to finally catch on [at radio] and get to No. 1 feels really awesome.”

    Video / If I Told You video

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  • COUNTRY ARTISTS SHOW UP FOR THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS.

    Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and many other of your favorite country artists are huge Nashville Predators fans and have performed the National Anthem, along with Trisha Yearwood, Kelly Clarkson and Martina McBride  and Faith Hill (for Game 6). Not only is it exciting that the Preds are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that this run has really brought people together.

    “This is what we’ve all been hoping for as hockey fans in this town that we’d make it this far in the playoffs, ‘cause the further you go, the more people come in. I mean, making it to the playoffs like this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a lot of teams,” says long-time season ticket holder Dierks. “I’ve got some friends who work for the NHL, and they said they’ve never seen an atmosphere like the one here in Nashville. They said it’s like collegiate – the chants, the way everyone chants together and the volume is the loudest they’ve ever heard it anywhere in the country. It’s not so much about what the Stanley Cup means to Nashville, it’s more about what Nashville is doing for hockey. I mean we’re doing a lot more for the NHL is doing then what the NHL is doing for us. We’re showing really the NHL what a really great hockey town looks like.”

    “For the city of Nashville specially, and I think our entire state, there’s such an electricity about the Preds and what’s going on and how hard they have worked and how incredible they are doing,” says Lady A’s Hillary Scott.

    Luke performed a pre-show concert today (June 11th) prior to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup game, and his No. 1 single, “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” was shown live on NBC.

    https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/status/874060270338887680

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about excitement Nashville is feeling for their NHL Predators during the Stanley Cup playoff run.

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    Dierks Bentley (Preds Stanley Cup) OC: …hockey town looks like. 1:10
    “This is the time to get into it. This is what we’ve all been hoping for as hockey fans in this town that we’d make it this far in the playoffs, ‘cause the further you go, the more people come in. I mean, making it to the playoffs like this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a lot of teams. So, you’ve got some guys on the team like Vernon Fiddler, those guys were out  buying season tickets 10 years ago to keep the team here, so you have players that  actually invested [their] own money to keep the team in Nashville. There will never be another year like this one where there’s so much excitement, and it’s so raw. It’s one thing to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it’s not until your team gets there do you really realize how much it takes to get there, how much heart. We lost a lot of people to some serious injuries and these guys keep stepping up and going in. Just to see what’s going on here, it’s just weird. I’ve got some friends who work for the NHL, and they said they’ve never seen an atmosphere like the one here in Nashville. They said it’s like collegiate – the chants, the way everyone chants together and the volume is the loudest they’ve ever heard it anywhere in the country. It’s not so much about what the Stanley Cup means to Nashville, it’s more about what Nashville is doing for hockey. I mean we’re doing a lot more for the NHL is doing then what the NHL is doing for us. We’re showing really the NHL what a really great hockey town looks like.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum, who performed the National Anthem during the Western Conference final, talk about the Nashville Predators and the excitement that the entire town is feeling during the playoffs.

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    Lady A (Nashville Predators) OC: …there, yeah. :41
    HILLARY: “For the city of Nashville specially, and I think our entire state, there’s such an electricity about the Preds and what’s going on and how hard they have worked and how incredible they are doing.” CHARLES: “It’s very unifying feeling that is happening, because after what I would consider a very divided political campaign and election year, it was nice to like feel all these people come together (HILLARY: “Our whole city”). It’s what we all hope for and wish for just in live to have that feeling. I’ve never felt anything like being in that arena during a Preds game. (HILLARY: “Our fans are loud.”) It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard. I think they broke a decibel level one of the nights that we were there, yeah.”

    Audio / Prior to putting on a pre-game show on the roof of Tootsies in downtown Nashville, Luke Bryan talks about the energy and excitement Music City is enjoying because of the Nashville Predators NHL team.

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    Luke Bryan (Nashville Predators) OC: …so fun. :48
    “This atmosphere that we’ve had the whole playoffs in Bridgestone [Arena] has, I don’t know if you can mimic it anywhere. The only thing I could compare it to is the SEC Championship type moments and the National Championship type moments [in college football]. You see furniture stores around here selling Preds gear [laughs]. So, I mean, totally it’s that vibe, certainly that crazy, energetic vibe in Bridgestone. And I was at that game where they clinched the finals and I mean we had people in our suite, I mean, crying. It was really emotional and a lot of energy. It’s been an amazing ride, so fun.”