Watch some of the outtakes of the “High Class” video below with Eric Paslay and his special guests, Charles Kelley, Kristian Bush and Maddie and Tae.
We had a little too much fun creating this video. Check out a few of the bloopers from the filming of #HighClass. #MusicMonday http://bit.ly/HighClassVid
Posted by Eric Paslay on Monday, March 21, 2016
Keith Urban performed at a private 40th birthday celebration in L.A. on Saturday (March 19th) for Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon. He teamed up with Taylor Swift on her hit “Shake It Off,” and later accompanied Reese and the rest of the party-goers on a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” the same title as her 2002 film. Other guests included Jennifer Aniston and her husband, actor Justin Theroux, Matthew McConaughey, Katie Hudson, Courtney Cox, Robert Downey, Jr. and Keith’s wife, Nicole Kidman.
Lady Antebellum, Sam Hunt and Kacey Musgraves will perform during the Windy City LakeShake festival June 17th – 19th in Chicago. Joining them will be Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett and Martina McBride, among others.
Mickey Guyton, Canaan Smith and Lauren Alaina are featured in the new issue of NASH Country Weekly magazine in their Spring Fashion article. They, along with Granger Smith, modeled different looks for spring and talked about their style on and off-stage.
Darius Rucker will host his seventh annual Darius and Friends benefit concert at the Wildhorse Saloon June 6th (as the unofficial start to the CMA Music Festival). Tickets for the show, with proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, go on sale Thursday (March 24th).
David Nail was in South Carolina over the weekend for the NeedtoBreathe Golf Classic. NeedtoBreathe is a Christian Rock band, who’ve won numerous Gospel Music Awards and topped the Christian charts.
The members of Little Big Town were apparently hanging out with superstar Justin Timberlake, writing songs . He shared a photo on his socials of him with LBT’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman and wrote, “NBD… Just writing with @littlebigtown This band is the truth!! So good!!!!”
Go behind-the-scenes with Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley as they get acclimated to the Vegas air in the Neon Sign Graveyard.
Superstars Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will co-host the 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, returning to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast LIVE April 3rd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS. The show will mark reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan’s fourth consecutive turn hosting the Awards, and Bentley’s first time hosting a LIVE televised event.
Keith Urban’s eighth studio album Ripcord, the follow up to his record- breaking #1 album FUSE, will be released Friday, May 6th. The album coincides with the release of a brand new single (Tuesday, March 29th) and the June 2nd launch of his ‘ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016’ with Brett Eldredge and special guest Maren Morris.
“Ripcord is almost done – and it’s been an exhilarating journey,” said Urban. “Getting to work with so many new musicians and writers and co-producers has been a divine experience for me – and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!”
Ripcord has already produced two No. 1 songs, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Break On Me”, the four-time Grammy Award winner’s 20th chart-topper.
For more Keith Urban information go to www.keithurban.net.
Keith Urban (Ripcord album) OC: …this record. :37
“There’s songs on the record that probably feel, having not skydived myself, but my wife has done it many, many, many times. There’s definitely songs that sound like that free falling at an incredibly rapid speed. The adrenaline rush of that. The pulling of the cord and suddenly just sort of cruising and coasting and floating and the combination of all those speeds, energies, exhilarations, euphoria, the view, how that changes, all of it, I think, hopefully will be captured in the diversity of songs on this record.”
George Strait made a surprise appearance/performance during this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas to celebrate the 65th birthday of Asleep at the Wheel‘s Ray Benson. The two singers traded vocals during several of Strait’s hits on a small stage set up in a tent. Check out the video below.
Luke Bryan was forced to cancel his show on Saturday (March 12th) during his Kill the Lights Tour in Bossier City, Louisiana, due to flooding in the area. It’s been rescheduled for May 18th.
Jon Pardi is taking part in March Madness by teaming up with The Big Time syndicated radio show with his own bracket. Check out who he picked here.
Many country stars were starstruck backstage at the Kris Kristofferson tribute show in Nashville on Wednesday night (March 16th). Actor Kevin Spacey (House of Cards, The Usual Suspects, etc.) was in attendance. Check out some of the photos below.
(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media)
Darius Rucker will return to host the ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic for the fifth consecutive year at TPC Las Vegas on Saturday, April 2nd. Presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate, the “scramble” style golf tournament was created out of the need for a charitable event to connect fans, sponsors and donors with industry insiders and artists. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need within the music industry.
Established by former Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives Board Chair Gayle Holcomb, in honor of her mother, the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund responds quickly to unforeseen, immediate financial needs of music related organizations and individuals. Since its inception in 2007, the Fund has distributed more than $400,000 and supported 60+ cases covering a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality.
The ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic and the 4th Annual ACM Party for a Cause® Festival are just two events benefitting the charities during the highly-anticipated “The Week Vegas Goes Country®,” leading up to “Country Music’s Party of the Year®.” The 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.
About ACM Lifting Lives®
ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives develops and funds music-related therapy and education programs, and serves members of the community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. Through generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives is able to fund everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities and supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors ease back into life. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.
Darius Rucker (Golf) OC: …love that. :09
“First of all, I love being outside. I get outside so little, you know, really when you look at the whole thing. I just love me against the course. I love that.”
If you haven’t had a chance to see Chris Stapleton in concert, never fear. He’s added several more shows to his touring schedule this spring and summer. In addition to his dates with Luke Bryan and Hank Williams, Jr., he’s also got several headlining gigs with Jason Isbell, Aubrie Sellers, Anderson East and Sam Lewis on select shows. Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday (March 18th).
Go to Chrisstapleton.com for more information on tour dates or to see when he’s coming to your town.
In other news, Chris, who’s up for seven ACM Awards next month, has announced he’s returning to his homestate of Kentucky, the town of Paintsville, to be exact, to perform a FREE concert at Johnson Central High School Gymnasium. The show, sponsored by Ram Trucks, will take place March 24th; tickets were handed out on a first come, first serve basis.
Chris is sitting inside the Top 10 on the country charts with “Nobody to Blame.”
Dierks Bentley jumped at the chance to co-host this year’s ACM Awards with his pal, Luke Bryan. It seems the Phoenix native is always up for a challenge, such as when he was learning how to pilot his own plane or taking chances with his music or seizing new opportunities to stretch himself, like hosting a major awards show.
“I’m constantly picking things up just to see if I can do them, and I view music that way in some ways. I try to challenge myself to make better records,” says Dierks. “The idea of hosting the ACMs – that’s pretty crazy. Yeah, let’s give it a shot and see what happens. So, it should be a lot of fun. I feel pretty comfortable with Luke, obviously, being around him, and I’ve watched those guys the last couple of years, and I think I can get up there and take a shot at it.”
The 51st Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 3rd at 8pm ET/PT delayed on CBS.
Dierks is making his way up the charts with “Somewhere on a Beach,” his fastest rising single to-date.
Dierks Bentley (ACMs challenge) OC: …shot at it. :26
“You know, I love challenges. It’s, I’m always up for a challenge, anything. I’m constantly picking things up just to see if I can do them, and I view music that way in some ways. I try to challenge myself to make better records. The idea of hosting the ACMs – that’s pretty crazy. Yeah, let’s give it a shot and see what happens. So, it should be a lot of fun. I feel pretty comfortable with Luke, obviously, being around him, and I’ve watched those guys the last couple of years, and I think I can get up there and take a shot at it.”
“Hey! I’m Dierks Bentley. Join me and my pal, Luke Bryan, for this year’s ACM Awards April 3rd on CBS. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
“Hey! I’m Dierks Bentley. I’m hosting the ACM Awards. Join me and that other guy…I think his name is Luke Bryan…April 3rd for the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS.”