• NEWS AND NOTES: LBT, Vince, Dierks

    Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman will appear on The Chew on Tuesday at 1pm ET on ABC to chat about her new cookbook, Oh Gussie!

    Vince Gill is the featured guest on The Big Interview With Dan Rather on Tuesday (April 21st) at 8pm ET.

    Dierks Bentley, as well as Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood were announced as headliners for next year’s ACM Party for a Cause Festival, taking place April 1st – 3rd, 2016.

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN PICKS UP ON SUPPORT FROM THEIR PEERS.

    Little Big Town went home with the trophy for Vocal Group of the Year at Sunday night’s ACM Awards. The group performed their latest hit, “Girl Crush,” which has drawn the support of the music industry at large.

    “It’s mind-blowing. It’s the most beautiful thing and you couldn’t create this out of thin air,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “It’s like, this is something that just happens and I think we feel really humbled by it.” Bandmate Karen Fairchild agrees, “Like Garth said, ‘Our Mamas raised us to do certain things, and we cultivate that in this little subculture that we’ve made,’ and it makes me really, really proud.”

    “Girl Crush,” from their ACM-Award nominated album, Pain Killer, is making its way up the country charts and is selling like hotcakes. Little Big Town has sold more than 95,000 just this week – 30,000 during the ACM Awards alone. The single should be close to being certified Gold.

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Karen Fairchild talk about having the support of their peers in the music industry.

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    Little Big Town (industry support) OC: (Karen) …really proud. :42
    PHILLIP: “It’s mind-blowing. It’s the most beautiful thing and you couldn’t create this out of thin air. It’s like, this is something that just happens and I think we feel really humbled by it.” KAREN: “I love this genre so much. I’ve never been in another genre, [laughs] but I’m pretty sure it’s the best. I love being backstage and seeing Thomas Rhett right before he goes on and him saying, ‘Say a prayer,’ and I say, ‘No, you say a prayer for me.’ I love that, and I love the nurturing aspect of, like Garth said, ‘Our Mamas raised us to do certain things, and we cultivate that in this little subculture that we’ve made,’ and it makes me really, really proud.”

  • SAM HUNT’S ‘TAKE YOUR TIME’ IS NO. 1 ON THE COUNTRY CHARTS.

    Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time” has taken over the top spot on both the Country Aircheck and Billboard country charts. The Georgia native says this song is really a pivotal point in his career.

    “It’s a song that when I wrote it, I really found like I found my direction as an artist, as opposed to writing songs for potentially other artists,” says Sam. “Hopefully, it can solidify a lot of the things that we’ve had going for us over the last several months and help us really go forward and put out more music from Montevallo and really help solidify the opportunity to make a second record here in the next couple of years. It’s a really pivotal point, I feel like.”

    It’s now his second straight No. 1 single, following “Leave the Night On” from his Gold-certified debut album, Montevallo.

    Audio / Sam Hunt says his new No. 1 hit, “Take Your Time,” is a pivotal point in his career.

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    Sam Hunt (Take Your Time pivotal point) OC: …feel like. :25
    “It’s a song that when I wrote it, I really found like I found my direction as an artist, as opposed to writing songs for potentially other artists. Hopefully, it can solidify a lot of the things that we’ve had going for us over the last several months and help us really go forward and put out more music from Montevallo and really help solidify the opportunity to make a second record here in the next couple of years. It’s a really pivotal point, I feel like.”

  • GEORGE STRAIT PICKS UP AN ACM MILESTONE AWARD.

    George Strait was honored with a 50th Anniversary Milestone Award for being an ACM winner for over four decades.

    “They were talking about all the things that had happened to me all through the years at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and it’s not that you forget, but sometimes getting reminded about it, you go like, ‘Oh wow! That’s pretty cool,’” says George. “And to see some of those old pictures (laughs), I love it.”

    Before accepting the award, he performed his 1987 No. 1 hit, “All My Exes Live in Texas,” as well as his new single, “Let It Go,” which hits radio on Monday (April 20th).

    Audio / George Strait talks about his ACM Milestone Award.

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    George Strait (Milestone Award) OC: …I love it. :23
    “I’m pretty excited about it. During rehearsal, I was going up there and they were talking about all the things that had happened to me all through the years at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and it’s not that you forget, but sometimes getting reminded about it, you go like, ‘Oh wow! That’s pretty cool.’ And to see some of those old pictures (laughs), I love it.”

  • DARIUS RUCKER, KEITH URBAN AND MICKEY GUYTON WILL PRESENT AT THE ACM AWARDS.

    Darius Rucker, Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton have been added to the list of performers at Sunday night’s (April 19th) ACM Awards, along with Clint Black, Lee Brice, Brett Eldredge, Kelly Clarkson, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Justin Moore, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Trisha Yearwood, Alabama, Dwight Yoakam and Big & Rich. Also presenting will be Modern Family’s Sophia Vergara, Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Two Broke GirlsBeth Behrs, former Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Troy Aikman, current QB Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten.

    The 50th Annual ACM Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, will be broadcast live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 8pm ET on CBS.

  • LUKE BRYAN THANKS HIS FANS FOR HIS SUCCESS.

    Vote #‎TeamLuke for Entertainer of the Year daily at http://www.voteacm.com and be sure to watch the ACM Awards on Sunday, April 19th at 8pm ET. #ACMAwards50

    Video / Luke Bryan Entertainer

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  • ERIC CHURCH’S THE OUTSIDERS WORLD TOUR IS NO. 1 ON BILLBOARD’S HOT TOURS.

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (April 17, 2015) – Add another milestone in a year full of them: Eric Church’s “The Outsiders World Tour” is No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Tours recap.

    Church scored the top slot – over some of music’s biggest pop stars.Billboard said Church has visited more than 60 cities and sold more than 725,000 tickets so far in support of the GRAMMY and ACM Award-nominated and widely acclaimed 2014 album The Outsiders.

    Church has set venue attendance records in three cities, including his hometown Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. More than 18,000 fans attended each rowdy show. Feel left out? Fans can still see what all the fuss is about through September.
    First up, the North Carolina native will perform on the CBS broadcast of the 50th anniversary edition of the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where he is nominated for four ACM Awards including Album of the Year for The Outsiders, Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year as both artist and co-writer for “Give Me Back My Hometown.”

    There are still more than 20 dates left on “The Outsiders World Tour.” For more information about Church or to buy tickets, visit www.EricChurch.com and follow @ericchurch on Twitter.

    Audio / Prior to kicking off The Outsiders World Tour, Eric Church talked about the trek and how he hopes that fans will feel it's a great experience.

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    Eric Church (The Outsiders World Tour) OC: …from the stage. 1:01
    “We’ve waited our whole career to make a record like The Outsiders. I felt like our entire career has been building up to that moment, to this record. Likewise, with this tour. This tour, we’ve waited our entire career to put on this tour. Anybody who’s seen us before musically, because of the amount of music we have, visually, and then as far as we want to do sonically. I think it’s gonna be something that people will say it’s the best they’ve seen. And we still want to make it about the music, but at the same time, we have some other things to make sure everybody, no matter what seat you’re in in the house, no matter where you are – front, back, side, top – we want to make sure it’s a unique experience for everybody in there and that everybody in there feels like they’re a part of the show, and there’s not a bad seat in the house. We’ve thought about that ad nauseam, to make sure that regardless of where you are, without giving too much away surprise-wise, that you’ll be able to experience it and be a part of the show and share in that feeling from the stage.”

  • LUKE BRYAN REVEALS HOSTING APPROACH FOR THIS YEAR’S ACM AWARDS.

    Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton are co-hosting the ACM Awards for the third time together (Blake’s fourth time), and while they’ve been known to make jabs at their famous friends and fellow country music stars in the past, this year, it’ll be more reverence than jokes in their approach with their hosting duties.

    “Our approach going in, the first two years, Blake and I would come in and we’d start trying to come up with funny stuff to roast people while we had the opportunity, but this year it’s a different vibe,” says Luke. “Once the show kicks off, we’ll be in different area codes running around making this happen. It is about relishing the 50 years and all of the icons that got us here, and I guess Blake and I, our approach will just honor the show the way it needs to be and have fun, have fun with it.”

    Luke is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, as well as Male Vocalist, Song for “Drink a Beer” and Vocal Event of the Year with Florida Georgia Line for “This is How We Roll.”

    The 50th Annual ACM Awards will be broadcast live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 8pm ET on CBS.

    Audio / Luke Bryan reveals his and Blake Shelton’s approach to hosting this year’s ACM Awards show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

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    Luke Bryan (ACM hosting approach 2015) OC: …have fun with it. :40
    “I think Blake and I, our approach going in, the first two years, Blake and I would come in and we’d start trying to come up with funny stuff to roast people while we had the opportunity, but this year it’s a different vibe…once the show kicks off, we’ll be in different area codes running around making this happen. It is about relishing the 50 years and all of the icons that got us here, and I guess Blake and I, our approach will just honor the show the way it needs to be and have fun, have fun with it.”

  • SAM HUNT EARNS SOME HEAVY METAL.

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 17, 2015) – Country music standout Sam Hunt released his debut album MONTEVALLO in October 2014, when it became the No. 1 and best-selling debut album from a country artist since 2011.  MONTEVALLO remains the best-selling country album of 2015 and is now RIAA Gold-certified with sales topping 500,000.  Hunt is the fastest debut country artist to earn a Gold album since 2012, and the first debut country artist to reach the benchmark since 2013.

    MONTEVALLO includes Hunt’s Platinum-selling, No. 1 hit “Leave the Night On” and his current smash, “Take Your Time.”  In an impressive 12-week run, “Take Your Time” remains the No. 1 country download in the nation and is now Hunt’s second consecutive Platinum-selling single. “Take Your Time” also leads the Hot Country Songs chart for its tenth week becoming only the 16th single of all time to hold the No. 1 slot for at least ten weeks since the chart’s inception in October 1958.

    In addition to his impressive sales stats, Hunt continues to make waves in the digital space racking up over 175 million streams across all partners since his debut, more than any other new country artist.
    Hunt is nominated for New Artist of the Year and will be performing on this year’s 50th Academy of Country Music Awards airing live on CBS this Sunday, April 19 at 8/7c.

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

    Audio / Sam Hunt explains what he hopes for when people listen to his new album, Montevallo.

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    Sam Hunt (Montevallo expectations) OC: …makes them feel. :43
    “I hope that people, if the give the full album a chance, will have the ability to see what I want to represent as an artist, they will be able to get out of this music what I get out of music that I love, you know? The record is hopefully diverse enough to reach people of several different tastes. If there is something I could say to someone that was about to listen to this record for the first time, I would hope that they could put aside any preconceived notions or any direction that whatever they have stumbled across before has given them, they could open their mind and just listen to the music with an open mind and open heart and just see how they feel about it; see how it makes them feel.”

  • DAVID NAIL PARTNERS WITH UBER FOR A POST-AWARDS SHOW ON SUNDAY.

    Nashville, TN – April 17, 2015 – MCA Nashville and GRAMMY®-nominated recording artist David Nail is the first country artist chosen to partner with Uber for the company’s #UberCOUNTRY powered by Ram Trucks promotion. Uber is offering its riders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area an opportunity to score an invite to an exclusive post-awards show concert on Sunday, April 19 with Nail. Location and details of the concert will be revealed only to the Uber fans who win tickets. These #UberCOUNTRY winners will be treated to some of Nail’s biggest hits including his No. 1 hits “Let It Rain,” “Red Light,” and “Whatever She’s Got” and may also have the opportunity to hear some of the new music he has been recording.

    Starting today through Saturday at Noon, CT, fans who enter the promocode “UBERCOUNTRY” into the promotions section of the Uber app will be eligible to win free tickets to Nail’s show. Winners will be notified by Saturday at 5 p.m. and will then be given details including the location of the show.  Must be at least 21 to enter. Uber riders who don’t win tickets with the promo code will have a second chance to win tickets beginning Sunday at 10:30 PM.

    For more details on this #UberCOUNTRY powered by Ram Trucks exlusive concert with ACM and Grammy-nominated David Nail click HERE.

    MCA Nashville recording artist David Nail, considered to have one of the most distinct and powerful voices in country music today, released his third album, I’m A Fire, to massive acclaim. I’m A Fire landed on many 2014 BEST OF lists including Rolling Stone Country, NPR, iTunes and Billboard. And the album’s first single, “Whatever She’s Got,” was a No. 1 certified PLATINUM hit and was named one of the Top 3 country songs of 2014 by Billboard.

    The Missouri native’ first No. 1 hit, “Let It Rain” (featuring Sarah Buxton), from his second album The Sound of a Million Dreams, was nominated for ACM Vocal Event of the Year in 2013 and for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2014 CMT Video Music Awards.

    No stranger to the road, Nail’s own headlining tour I’M A FIRE TOUR was named one of the Fall 2014’s Must See Concert Tours by Rolling Stone Country. He has toured with Taylor Swift, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Gavin DeGraw and Kenny Chesney. In June, he joins GRAMMY®-winning group Little Big Town’s Pain Killer Tour. For all tour dates go to http://www.davidnail.com.

    Follow @DavidNail on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidnail

    Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidNail