• LAUREN ALAINA’S ‘ROAD LESS TRAVELED’ IS ONE OF ACCEPTANCE…OF HERSELF.

    Lauren Alaina’s new single, “The Road Less Traveled,” has already touched so many people who are going through a difficult time. Lauren says she has had trouble accepting herself the way she is, especially being in the public eye at a very formative and impressionable age.

    “It has been a struggle for me to kind of accept who I am, and I’m on stage every night, and I’m in interviews and I look super-confident, ‘cause I’m outgoing and whatever else, but I have insecurities just like everybody else. It’s been a process,” says Lauren. “I came into the spotlight at 15. I was a baby, I was a baby. [laughs] I was so young, and I was just thrown into this whirlwind of I had a record, and I was on tour with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, all these [things] that I ever dreamed about doing, I had in my hand. But I got caught up in what people had to say about me. I was 15 and kind of in that transitional phase of being a child and into being a woman and my body was changing, and people said things about my weight and the color of my hair and the freakin’ clothes I was wearing, and it ate me alive. I had everything I ever wanted in the palm of my hand, but I was sad and lost.”

    The song, which Lauren wrote with her friends Meghan Trainor and Jesse Frasure in the aftermath of recovering from an eating disorder, is on her current self-titled EP.

    Lauren is on the road with Alan Jackson’s Still Keepin’ It Country Tour. The trek stops in Toledo, Ohio on Friday (August 19th) and Elizabethtown, Kentucky on Saturday (August 20th).

    Audio / Lauren Alaina says it's been a struggle to accept herself.

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    Lauren Alaina (RLT-foundation) OC: …and lost. :59
    “It has been a struggle for me to kind of accept who I am, and I’m on stage every night, and I’m in interviews and I look super-confident, ‘cause I’m outgoing and whatever else, but I have insecurities just like everybody else. It’s been a process. I came into the spotlight at 15. I was a baby, I was a baby. [laughs] I was so young, and I was just thrown into this whirlwind of I had a record, and I was on tour with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, all these [things] that I ever dreamed about doing, I had in my hand. But I got caught up in what people had to say about me. I was 15 and kind of in that transitional phase of being a child and into being a woman and my body was changing, and people said things about my weight and the color of my hair and the freakin’ clothes I was wearing, and it ate me alive. I had everything I ever wanted in the palm of my hand, but I was sad and lost.”



    Audio / Lauren Alaina says she wrote “Road Less Traveled” as a reminder to herself.

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    Lauren Alaina (RLT-foundation) OC: …to share. :47
    “I had an eating disorder for four years. I struggled with an eating disorder for four years because I wanted to try to fit into what I thought someone else wanted me to be, and that is horrible. I mean, it’s still a process. I want to share this message because I don’t want other people to feel the way that I felt, and I still feel that way sometimes. It’s an everyday process to wake up in the morning and be nice to yourself. There’s always gonna be someone skinnier than me and someone more blond and someone that can sing better than me or write better songs, but they’re never gonna be me, and they can never offer what I can offer, and that goes for everybody. We’re all unique. I wrote this song as a reminder to myself that, ‘Hey! It’s cool to be different, and you can achieve your dreams and your goals, but you have to believe ‘em. You can’t achieve something that you don’t believe in and you’re scared of.’ So, that’s kind of what I want to share.”

  • KEITH URBAN LOVED ‘BLUE AIN’T YOUR COLOR’ IMMEDIATELY AFTER HEARING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

    Keith Urban recorded only a few songs from outside writers on his Ripcord, and his latest single “Blue Ain’t Your Color” is one of them. He immediately fell in love with the song, which was crafted by Steven Lee Olsen, Hillary Lindsey and Clint Lagerberg.

    “I think I was trying to find songs and write songs to what I had done in the past, just that felt different for me. This song called ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ came along, and it was just one of those that I loved immediately,” says Keith. “I loved the lyric. I loved the melody, the feel, and it’s basically a waltz, you know, like a one, two, three, two, two, three, a one, two, three, two, two, three. But I didn’t want it to feel like a waltz, you know? So, when we recorded the song at Starstruck Studios here in Nashville, we kept it a little more robotic sounding, so it wasn’t a straight band. It was a little more machinery, rhythmically, and I think it kept, hopefully for me at least, it kept it in a unique place that allowed the story to have a lot of space.”

    The official clip for “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” the follow-up to three No. 1 songs from Ripcord, should hit video outlets in the coming weeks.

    Keith will definitely perform the song when he makes his next stops on his ripCord World Tour on Friday (August 19th) in Raleigh and Saturday (August 20th) in Virginia Beach.

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about recording the song, “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” from his new album Ripcord.

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    Keith Urban (Blue Ain’t Your Color) OC: …of space. :50
    “With this record, I think I was also trying to find songs and write songs to what I had done in the past, just that felt different for me. This song called ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ came along, and again, it was just one of those that I loved immediately. I loved the lyric. I loved the melody, the feel, and it’s basically a waltz, you know, like a one, two, three, two, two, three, a one, two, three, two, two, three. But I didn’t want it to feel like a waltz, you know? So, when we recorded the song at Starstruck Studios here in Nashville, we kept it a little more robotic sounding, so it wasn’t a straight band. It was a little more machinery, rhythmically, and I think it kept, hopefully for me at least, it kept it in a unique place that allowed the story to have a lot of space.”

    Video / Keith Urban Blue Ain't Your Color on GMA

    Video / Behind the Scenes of "Blue Ain't Your Color"

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  • KEITH URBAN AND LITTLE BIG TOWN WILL ‘STAND UP TO CANCER.’

    Keith Urban and Little Big Town have been tapped to perform at this year’s Stand Up to Cancer telethon. The two acts will be joined by superstar Celine Dion; all three have recently lost a loved one to the ravaging disease.

    The annual fundraising event, produced by Bradley Cooper, will also include appearances by Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, Eric Stonestreet, Alison Sweeny and SU2C Co-Founder Katie Couric, among others.

    Stand Up to Cancer is set to air live from The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA September 9th at 8pm ET on several channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, TBS, Bravo, HBO, Great American Country, STARZ and VH1.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Eric Paslay, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton

    Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman appears on the Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay show tomorrow (August 18th). See if Kimberly can take down the celebrity chef beginning at 10pm ET on The Food Network.

    embed]https://twitter.com/littlebigtown/status/765937243504738304[/embed]

    Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley has been tapped as the NSAI Song Contest Grand Prize Mentor this year.

    Eric Paslay will appear on GAC Playlist August 29th at 12p and 3p ET.

    Luke Bryan welcomes friend and his former ACM Awards co-host Blake Shelton as a headliner for the third year of Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa, an all-inclusive concert vacation set for January 19-22, 2017 in Riviera Maya, Mexico. After two sold-out years, the hottest country music destination event keeps getting better and better. The Caribbean beach vacation will also feature Luke headlining two of the four nightly concerts. Additional performers to be announced soon.

    Chris Stapleton‘s “Parachute” is being used in Dodge Ram commercials. Check them out below.

    Video / Parachute -- Dodge Ram 1

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    Video / Parachute -- Dodge Ram 2

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  • KIP MOORE BECAME A FAN OF BROTHERS OSBORNE IMMEDIATELY AFTER HEARING THEIR ALBUM.

    Kip Moore is out on the road with Miranda Lambert and her Keeper of the Flame Tour, along with Brothers Osborne, and he’s pulling for TJ and John Osborne to make their mark in country music.

    “Brothers Osborne is definitely one of my favorite new bands. There’s true musicianship in that band,” says Kip. “I’ve been a fan of theirs for quite a while, and I heard the record that’s out now long before it came out and I was just such a fan immediately. I’m definitely pulling for those guys to become big stars in the game.”

    The next stop on the Keeper of the Flame Tour is Friday (August 19th) in Hartford, Connecticut, followed by a show on Sunday (August 21st) in Bangor, Maine.

    Kip is making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Running for You,” which is from his Wild Ones album.

    Audio / Kip Moore talks about Brothers Osborne.

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    Kip Moore (Brothers Osborne) OC: …in the game. :18
    “Brothers Osborne is definitely one of my favorite new bands. There’s true musicianship in that band. I’ve been a fan of theirs for quite a while, and I heard the record that’s out now long before it came out and I was just such a fan immediately. I’m definitely pulling for those guys to become big stars in the game.”

  • GARY ALLAN, THE PEACOCK, STIRS UP TROUBLE IN TUTTLE, OKLAHOMA.

    Gary Allan is causing a little bit of trouble in Tuttle, Oklahoma. It seems there’s a neighborhood feud with “Gary” at the center of it all. A peacock nicknamed after the country singer by Amber Motley is causing quite a ruckus with her neighbor across the street. “He’s kind of almost the mascot of the neighborhood,” Amber tells News 9. She insists the peacock is wild and just likes her house because she has “all the food.” Her neighbor, Linda Rutz, claims the bird is constantly on her roof, in her yard and in her garage and has called the police several times to complain about the bird.

    Motley says police have told her if they have to come out another time because Gary has gone wandering, they’ll remove the peacock unless the Motleys can build an enclosure for the bird.

    The real Gary Allan is making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Do You Wish It Was Me?”

  • THIS DAY IN HISTORY: August 16th

    On August 16th, 2012, Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” is certified double-platinum.

    Audio / In 2012, Luke Bryan talked about the success of “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” – the first single from his then new album, tailgates & tanlines.

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    Luke Bryan (Country Girl) OC: …It shows. :59
    “That’s the most amazing part out of the business is to get a song idea and to write it and dream it up to become this big fun thing that you pray it’s gonna be. For it to happen that way is such a pleasure. Me and one of my best friends, Dallas Davison wrote it and we kind of felt like it was going to be what it is. I think that the song, I kind of compare it to ‘I Like It, I Love It.’ It’s not going to change the world, but people are never going to get tired of hearing it and getting up and dancing and having a big old time to it. And that’s what the song’s about, I felt like when we recorded it, I felt like it was always going to need to be the first single. And it’s fun to have it go this way and to be a big old fun up tempo song that people are wanting to go dance and make up dance routines and party down and have fun with it, it shows.”

  • VINCE GILL CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS A MEMBER OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY.

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    Multi-Grammy award winner and MCA Records Nashville recording artist Vince Gill celebrated his milestone 25thAnniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry® with two memorable shows ‪Saturday night, claiming “This is a pretty sweet night.” Gill, one of the Opry’s most beloved and frequent players, was inducted as an Opry member on August 10, 1991.

    Gill celebrated the special night he claimed was “the best night ever” doing what he loves most- performing, collaborating and sharing the stage with family and close friends including Amy GrantRodney CrowellPatty LovelessThe Time JumpersAshley MonroeAndrea ZonnBill Anderson, Jenny Gill, Paul Franklin, and Charlie Worsham. After opening the night with his classic hit “One More Last Chance,” an emotional Gill welcomed everyone saying, “This evening is filled with people I hold more than dear. They have made my entire life.” 

Gill and friends had so much fun reminiscing and playing music that the first show ran almost an hour over its two-hour schedule, treating the audience to almost three hours of music. “Sorry we made you late,” Gill said to a packed audience at the top of the night’s second show. “We were having a blast in here.” The fun included both Amy Grant and Rodney Crowell joining in the Saturday night tradition of dancing with the Opry Square Dancers.

    Throughout the night, Gill’s friends and family told stories and reminisced. Daughter Jenny Gill told the audience of the time when she was in first grade and her dad finally got the call he had been waiting for– the Grand Ole Opry calling to invite him to make his Opry debut. However, he had to decline the long-awaited opportunity, saying he was already booked. He had promised Jenny he would accompany her on guitar on “You Are My Sunshine” for her school’s talent show. She remarked, “It’s a great thing they called him back, don’t you think?”

    Longtime friend Patty Loveless said before the two performed Gill’s iconic classics “When I Call Your Name,” and “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” “It’s always been an honor to sing with Vince Gill.”

    “Vince has truly become family to all of us at the Opry,” said Pete Fisher, Vice President and General Manager, Opry. “Like Mr. Acuff before him, his dressing room door is always open, and he’s often ready to pick one backstage and catch up with friends in the wings as well as to collaborate with them musically on the Opry stage.”

    “It is obvious in watching clips from Vince’s Opry induction 25 years ago that Opry patriarch Roy Acuff was a big Vince Gill fan and that he was hoping Vince would help carry on the magic of the Opry for future generations,” added Fisher. “Though Roy died the next year, there is no doubt he would be proud tonight of all that Vince has accomplished and everything he has meant to Mr. Roy’s beloved show.”

    About Vince Gill:
    Combining unequaled musicianship and creativity with a strong sense of tradition — and a personality that has won him a reputation as one of the nicest people in country music — Vince Gill is one of the most honored artists in the music’s history, and one of the youngest to earn membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

    A talented guitar picker by the time he was in his teens, Vince began his career playing with bluegrass bands — first in his native Oklahoma, then in Kentucky with the Bluegrass Alliance and, briefly, Ricky Skaggs’ Boone Creek. Moving to Los Angeles, he signed on with fiddler Byron Berline’s Sundance before joining the pop-country-rock Pure Prairie League. He followed that with a stint in the Cherry Bombs with Rodney Crowell and work backing Rosanne Cash. In 1984, he moved to Nashville and signed his first recording contract as a solo artist, occupying himself with work as a sideman in studios and onstage.

    Though several of his songs flirted with Top 10 status, Vince’s real breakthrough came in 1990 when “When I Call Your Name” reached No. 2. For the next decade, he was a steady presence in the Top 10, racking up several dozen hits that ranged from soulful country ballads (“I Still Believe in You,” “Tryin’ to Get Over You”) to feel-good country rockers (“Liza Jane” and “What the Cowgirls Do”).

    Rewarded by his peers with a long list of Country Music Association awards and Grammy trophies (the most for a male country artist), he’s sold more than 26 million albums while being hailed as a soulful singer, innovative instrumentalist, and creative force who showed a strong grasp of country traditions from bluegrass to honky tonk.
    In more recent years, Vince has settled into a unique role as one of country music’s youngest “elder statesmen.” An eloquent spokesman for the Grand Ole Opry and for the Country Music Foundation, he has headed all-star casts at prestigious venues around the country, hosted the CMA Awards for multiple years, made guest appearances onstage and on recordings with artists ranging from the world-famous to the obscure, and toured extensively.
 Vince is also a member of the 4-time Grammy-nominated band, The Time Jumpers.

    Vince’s current album on MCA Records is Down To My Last Habit and on September 9, The Time Jumpers will release their third album, Kid Sister.

    About the Grand Ole Opry
    : The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®.  Opry performances are held every Friday and Saturday of the year, with ‪Tuesday Night Opry shows ‪through December 13 and Wednesday shows through August 10.  To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or visit opry.com. The Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn.  Celebrating nine decades of entertainment, the Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP).  For more information, visit opry.com.

    PHOTO CREDIT:

    ©2016 Grand Ole Opry
    Photo By: Chris Hollo
  • JON PARDI TOPS THE COUNTRY CHARTS WITH ‘HEAD OVER BOOTS.’

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    Jon Pardi lands his first No. 1 radio single on both the Billboard and MediaBase country airplay charts with “Head Over Boots.” Additionally, the smash hit is the No. 1 most-Shazamed country song of the year so far and has tallied more than 100 million streams across all platforms. Written by Pardi and Luke Laird, the RIAA-certified GOLD “Head Over Boots” is the lead single off Pardi’s recently released, critically-acclaimed, No. 1-debuting album, California Sunrise.

     

    As evident in this “Head Over Boots” live video, fans across the country gravitate towards Pardi’s authenticity, working-man relatability, and ready-to-cut-loose spirit.

     

    “We’ve come a long way,” shares Pardi. “To have the support of country radio and everyone at Capitol Records, it’s amazing! I’m thankful and excited for what’s next.”

     

    Leading into the weekend, Pardi headlined “Buck’s Birthday Bash” at the world-renowned Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, Calif. Friday night (Aug. 12) where he was presented by the Palace and local country station KUZZ with a Red, White and Blue special limited edition Buck Owens signature guitar. As a fellow Californian, Owens was one of Pardi’s most significant country music influences. The first time Pardi played the Palace was sadly after the passing of Owens, but longtime Palace talent buyer Jerry Hufford affirmed, “I wish Buck were here to see this kid. He’d love him.”

     

    “The Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace is like the Grand Ole Opry of California,” explains Pardi. “People don’t always know how big of a star Buck was, but you get to the Palace and see the pictures on the wall of him with Dean Martin, with Ray Charles, with The Beatles – this guy was huge in his day and his impact on country music was huge. This guitar represents California and I’m proud to help make people aware of Buck’s legacy.”

     

    Pardi stands among impressive company as recipients of these rare guitars include superstars Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley and Garth Brooks.  Fittingly, Pardi named the newest addition to his guitar collection “Buck.” “Buck” joins “Waylon,” “Loretta,” “Hollywood” and “Sunset” as Pardi stamps his name in country music history.

     

    In addition to upcoming shows in Fla.; Ill.; Va. and N.C., Pardi hits the road next month on the Me and My Kind Tour with Kip Moore.

     

    For more information, images, music and tour dates, please visit www.JonPardi.com.

     

    Photo Credit: Mal Hall

  • DIERKS BENTLEY READIES BLACK VINYL RELEASE.

    Dierks Bentley will release his latest album, Black, on vinyl on Friday (August 12th). Before the night’s Somewhere on a Beach Tour stop, he’ll visit Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis for an intimate in-store performance to celebrate the release with fans.

    “When we created this album, I kept imagining the flow of this record being told with an ‘A’ side and ‘B’ side,” Dierks says in a press release. “We’ve released vinyl before, but I’ve never had the chance to really master it properly and didn’t really put the time in before that it deserved. With Black, every little detail has mattered to me…Sterling Sound in New York really gave the mix a warmth that you don’t hear on MP3 or CD, and I can’t wait for fans to hear the whole album this way.”

    In May, Dierks went by New York City’s Sterling Sound as the album began its first pressing. Get a behind-the-scenes look with American Songwriter here: http://bit.ly/2at5iQD

    Dierks is currently making his way up the country charts with the second single from Black, “Different for Girls,” featuring Elle King. The album, which bowed at the top of both Billboard’s Album Chart and the Country Album Chart, also features the No. 1 single, “Somewhere on a Beach.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says the song “Black” kicked off the entire theme of his new album.

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    Dierks Bentley (Black) OC: …it all out. :28
    “I wrote the song ‘Black.’ I loved the song and it had this kind of relationship, sexy thing going on. My wife’s maiden name is Black, and so it has these layers to it. Our 10th anniversary has come and gone, so it kind of sparked an idea of a relationship-type record. I think she heard the song and she really liked it, and then as the album started growing, it became less of just about her and more just about this journey in general – this guy going through these ebbs and flows in different relationships and trying to figure it all out.”