Darius Rucker’s Southern Style debuted at the top of the Country Album Chart this week. The collection, featuring his No. 1 single “Homegrown Honey,” sold nearly 52,000 copies during its first week of release to land at the top of the chart.

With this new album, Darius really wanted it to have a positive feel as the follow-up to his previous record, True Believers. ‘When I was starting to write for this record, I put [True Believers] on, and I was like, ‘Man, that’s deep.’ That was really a relationship record, ups and downs and all the bad places it can go,” says the South Carolina native. “With this record, I really wanted it to be up, ‘cause you’ve got songs like ‘Good for a Good Time’ that’s all about let’s go have a big party, and then all the sudden there’s a song saying tonight let’s not do that. Let’s just go out and hang out and sing songs and drink moonshine and sit by the water and have a great time…Where I come from in Charleston, it’s all about sitting by the water, playing some guitar, enjoying each other and just having a great time. So, I love the truly just upbeat nature of the record.”

Luke Bryan’s Spring Break…Checkin’ Out is No. 2, followed by Sam Hunt’s Montevallo at No. 3.

Luke Bryan is now a fixture at the ACM Awards, having won Entertainer of the Year in 2013 and New Artist of the Year in 2010, plus returning as co-host for the third year in a row.

Luke recalls attending his first ACM Awards – even before his first album was released, and it was a pretty emotional time for him because he and his family used to sit down and watch the awards together.

“My first year out here, Reba was hosting and Capitol [Records] flew me out, and this was like a year before my first album ever came out,” says Luke. “I just sat in the back and ate popcorn, and I think Reba walked out and I started crying, so that was an amazing moment. It’s just crazy that, fast-forward the clock and now Entertainer of the Year of the ACM Awards, and I’ve hosted it twice – it’s pretty, pretty crazy.”

Luke is nominated for Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Song of the Year for “Drink a Beer,” as well as Vocal Event of the Year with Florida Georgia Line on “This is How We Roll.” Luke has already picked up one ACM Award – the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award, which acknowledges “unprecedented, unique and outstanding individual achievement in country music.”

The 50th Annual ACM Awards airs live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 19th at 8pm ET on CBS.

ENCINO, CA (April 7, 2015) – The Academy of Country Music announced today the winners of awards that will not be televised during the 50^TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, due to time constraints. The 50^thACM Awards will be telecast LIVE from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April 19^th at 8:00PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Special Awards honorees will be feted during the 9^th Annual ACM Honors event on September 1, 2015 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

The Academy of Country Music Special Awards are voted on by the ACM Board of Directors and specific categories are awarded during years where the Board of Directors feels there are clear and deserving candidates. The Studio Recording Awards (formerly known as the Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist (MBI) Awards) ballot is voted on by professional members of the Academy who are classified in the Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist category and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager sub-category (contained within the Affiliated category). The Songwriter of the Year ballot is voted on by professional members of the Academy in the following categories: Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist, Composer, Music Publisher/PRO, Record Company, and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager sub-category (contained within the Affiliated category). Industry Awards are voted on by all professional members of the Academy and for the first time ever this year’s ballot included the ACM Festival of the Year category. The Academy wanted to recognize the growing festival industry, a platform that has helped raise awareness and appreciation for country music.

SPECIAL AWARDS

Career Achievement Award – Alabama has been chosen to receive the Career Achievement Award, honoring an individual artist, duo, group or multiple artist collaboration that has advanced the popularity and acceptance of country music through their endeavors in the entertainment industry in multiple areas during the preceding calendar year.

Alabama received the ACM Artist of the Decade award for the 1980s after winning the Entertainer of the Year award for five consecutive years. Combining their rock influences with Southern roots, the ensemble charted 51 Top 10 hits between 1980 and 1999, with 32 reaching No. 1. They also earned six consecutive ACM awards in the Vocal Group category. Alabama joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2011, original band members Randy Owen, Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry brought their mountain music back to country radio by singing on “Old Alabama,” Brad Paisley’s salute to them. In 2013, the band celebrated 40 years in country music with the “Back to the Bowery” Tour and the tribute album Alabama & Friends, which featured Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line and many others. Their 2013-2014 run culminated in the September 2014 releases of theAngels Among Us: Hymns and Gospel Favorites album and the Alabama & Friends At The Ryman live CD/DVD. Also in 2014, Alabama frontman Randy Owen celebrated the 25th anniversary of his call to country radio to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. To date, the “Country Cares for St. Jude Kids” initiative has raised more than $500 million for the hospital.

Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include John Anderson, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Milsap, Johnny Paycheck, Carl Perkins, Reba, and Kenny Rogers.

Crystal Milestone Award – Loretta Lynn has been chosen to receive the Crystal Milestone Award, which is given to an artist or industry leader to commemorate a specific, remarkable achievement.

Loretta Lynn remains one of country music’s most beloved and admired artists. Celebrated for her keen songwriting and down-home personality, she was named the ACM Artist of the Decade for the 1970s, an honor bestowed after she claimed four Female Vocalist awards, four Vocal Group awards (with Conway Twitty) and ultimately 1975 Entertainer of the Year – the first woman ever to earn that distinction. Lynn joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1962 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. The film version of her life, Coal Miner’s Daughter, is an Oscar-winning classic. Lynn has captivated a younger generation as well, collaborating with rocker Jack White on the Grammy-winning Van Lear Rose album and championing today’s female vocalists like Miranda Lambert. In 2014, Loretta celebrated her 50^th anniversary in country music. New music is expected in 2015.

Past recipients of the Crystal Milestone Award include Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard, Gayle Holcomb, Jennifer Nettles, and Taylor Swift.

Gene Weed Special Achievement Award – Luke Bryan has been chosen to receive the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award, which acknowledges unprecedented, unique and outstanding individual achievement in country music.

Luke Bryan is experiencing a career rush thanks to his double-platinum project, Crash My Party. The album ushered in a record-setting six consecutive No. 1 singles: “Crash My Party,” “That’s My Kind of Night,” “Drink A Beer,” “Play It Again,” “Roller Coaster” and “I See You.” In 2014, he performed for 1.7 million fans, marking his best year of touring yet. In January, he carried his music to Europe for the first time and announced a schedule of arenas and stadium concerts stateside. An exhibit on his stellar career will open at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum this summer.

Past recipients of the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award include Garth Brooks, George Burns, Jeff Foxworthy, Willie Nelson, Blake Shelton, George Strait, and Carrie Underwood.

Jim Reeves International Award – Eric Church has been chosen to receive the Jim Reeves International Award, which is presented to an artist for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world.

Eric Church is proving that modern country music translates across borders, even when his biggest songs reference iconic American imagery like “Springsteen” and “Talladega.” The North Carolina native introduced The Outsiders World Tour to Europe in early 2014, sharing his rugged, original music across 12 major markets and thousands of new fans. Church began his ambitious international trek in Dublin, Ireland, with dates following in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; Manchester, United Kingdom; London, England; Amsterdam, Holland; Cologne, Hamburg and Munich, Germany; Malmo and Stockholm, Sweden; and Oslo, Norway. His worldwide legion of fans is known as the Church Choir.

Past recipients of the Jim Reeves International Award include Garth Brooks, Dick Clark, Roy Clark, Merv Griffin, Alan Jackson, Charlie Nagatani, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, andRascal Flatts among others.

Mae Boren Axton Award – Barry Adelman and Tim DuBois have been chosen as the recipients of the Mae Boren Axton Award, which is given in recognition of years of dedication and service by an outstanding individual to the Academy of Country Music.

Barry Adelman, EVP of Television for dick clark productions, has been a tireless champion of the Academy of Country Music Awards as the show’s long-time writer and executive producer, and has served on the ACM Board of Directors. He is one of the most prolific producers working in Hollywood today, with credits including the Golden Globes, American Music Awards, So You Think You Can Dance and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, among many other high-profile live broadcasts. He has received multiple Emmy nominations in his role as a producer and has written speeches for Presidents Clinton, Bush and Reagan. Early in his career, he also wrote forThe Sonny & Cher Show and wrote the eulogy for Elvis Presley’s funeral.

Tim DuBois enjoyed a significant songwriting career before developing Arista Nashville into a powerhouse label in the 1990s. His writing credits include ACM-nominated songs such as Alabama’s “Love in the First Degree,” Vince Gill’s “When I Call Your Name” and Jerry Reed’s “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).” Under his leadership at Arista, artists like Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and Pam Tillis picked up numerous platinum albums and industry awards. Despite his busy schedule, DuBois has given countless hours to the Academy of Country Music as an officer and a member of the Board of Directors for more than 30 years. His experience and wisdom have been instrumental in helping the Academy grow and transition. He currently serves as ACM board’s Sergeant-at-Arms. Following positions at ASCAP and Vanderbilt University, he is now a partner at Artist Management Partners.

Past recipients of the Mae Boren Axton Award include John Dorris, Rod Essig, Gayle Holcomb, Jack Lameier, Marge Meoli, Paul Moore, Ray Pilzak, Gaynelle Pitts, Gene Weed, Tommy Wiggins and David Young.

Poet’s Award – Felice and Boudleaux Bryant (awarded posthumously) and Bob McDill have been selected to receive the Poet’s Award, which honors songwriters for outstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their careers in the field of country music.

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant moved to Nashville in 1950 and helped established the city’s songwriting industry. Boudleaux Bryant matched his talent as a professional fiddler to his wife’s interest in poetry to create a winning formula. Their catalog includes the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” as well as Eddy Arnold’s “How’s the World Treating You,” Jimmy Dickens’ “I’m Little But I’m Loud,” Roy Orbison’s “Love Hurts” and the Osborne Brothers’ “Rocky Top.” Boudleaux died in 1987; Felice died in 2003. They were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991

Bob McDill weaves his incredible stories with vivid language, memorable melodies and a wise, relatable perspective. The Texas native has written 30 No. 1 country hits since moving to Nashville in 1970. His rich catalog includes Alabama’s “Song of the South,” Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country,” Waylon Jennings’ “Amanda” and Don Williams’ “It Must Be Love.” In addition, his ACM-nominated songwriting credits are Mel McDaniel’s “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” John Schneider’s “I’ve Been Around Enough to Know,” Dan Seals’ “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold),” Pam Tillis’ “All the Good Ones Are Gone” and Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”

Previous recipients of the Poet’s Award include Bill Anderson, Bobby Braddock, Guy Clark, Jack Clement, Hank Cochran, Dean Dillon, Merle Haggard, Tom T. Hall, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller, Buck Owens, Fred Rose, Don Schlitz, Cindy Walker and Hank Williams.

INDUSTRY AWARDS

• CASINO OF THE YEAR:
  • SMALL CAPACITY– Hard Rock Live – Biloxi, MS
  • MEDIUM CAPACITY– MGM Grand Casino – Las Vegas, NV
• FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR:Country Thunder USA: East – Twin Lakes, WI
• NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR:  Joe’s Bar – Chicago, IL
• VENUE OF THE YEAR:
  • SMALL CAPACITY– Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
  • MEDIUM CAPACITY – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
  • LARGE CAPACITY – Hollywood Bowl – Hollywood, CA
• DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR:  Sally Williams – Ryman Auditorium
• PROMOTER OF THE YEAR: Ed Warm – Joe’s Live

STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS (FORMERLY THE MBI AWARDS)

• BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Glenn Worf
• DRUMMER OF THE YEAR:  Greg Morrow
• GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Tom Bukovac
• PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Michael Rojas
• SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Ilya Toshinsky
• STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Dan Dugmore
• AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR:  Chuck Ainlay
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR:  Jay Joyce

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR:  Luke Laird

About the Academy of Country Music Awards

The 50th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will broadcast LIVE from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are executive producers.  Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.

Luke Bryan leads the list of country nominees for this year’s Billboard Music Awards with four, including Top Country Artist, Top Country Album for Crash My Party, Top Country Song with “Play It Again,” as well as for Florida Georgia Line’s “This is How We Roll.”

Sam Hunt is also nominated in the Top Country Song category with “Leave the Night On.”

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards will air live from Las Vegas May 17^th at 8pm ET on ABC.

Top Country Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line
Brantley Gilbert
Blake Shelton

Top Country Album
Jason Aldean Old Boots, New Dirt
Garth Brooks Man Against Machine
Luke Bryan Crash My Party
Brantley Gilbert Just as I Am
Miranda Lambert Platinum

Top Country Song
Jason Aldean “Burnin’ It Down”
Luke Bryan “Play It Again”
Sam Hunt “Leave the Night On”
Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan “This Is How We Roll”
Florida Georgia Line “Dirt”

Nashville, TN – April 7, 2015 – MULTI-PLATINUM selling artist Kip Moore completely disrupts a throwback style wedding, and does it with a smile, in the raucous new music video for his anthemic single “I’m To Blame,” premiering on VEVO today.  The video for the lead single of Moore’s upcoming sophomore album was directed by Peter Zavadil, with Moore coming up with the concept himself.

“I was picturing those terrible powder blue old school tuxedos,” said Moore. “The idea started there and we really wanted to have some fun with it, I try not to take myself too seriously all the time!   This song is the beginning of new music from me and I have been so excited to get it out there for everyone to hear.  We’ll be playing a lot of new stuff on the road this summer.  My band probably hates me because I change up the set list so much.  I love sharing as much new music as possible with the fans who have been coming to see me play year after year.  It’s a great way to test out songs too because you’ll find out right away if something is working or not, they aren’t shy about letting you know! ”

To watch the video click here.

“I’m To Blame,” the lead single from Moore’s upcoming sophomore album, is steadily climbing the radio charts and has already become a fan favorite during Moore’s live shows. Currently gearing up to head out on the road on Dierks Bentley’s 2015 Sounds Of Summer Tour,  the singer-songwriter has earned critical acclaim for his “high energy” (Rolling Stone) live show with Chicago Sun Times heralding him as “carving his own niche in country music…that sets him apart from the flock of country music rockers.”  Named American Country Countdown Award’s “Breakthrough Artist Of The Year,” Moore earned PLATINUM certification for his No. One smash hit “Hey Pretty Girl,” and DOUBLE PLATINUM status for his chart-topping breakout hit “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck.”  For the latest updates, visit www.kipmoore.net.

CMT Hot 20 Countdown captured “A Day In The Life” with Little Big Town on the road with their Pain Killer Tour. They check them out on stage and backstage in “The Pharmacy,” as well as goofing off right before they’re set to perform.

NASHVILLE, TN – (April 6, 2015) – Last month, Luke Bryan performed for 400,000 fans during his two-day concert event in Panama City Beach, Florida.  Now he is bringing the beach concert experience to more fans as AXS TV airs “Luke Bryan Spring Break Checkin’ Out” on Sunday, April 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The television special, which includes exclusive interview content and performance footage from this year’s spring break concerts as well as all seven previous years, was filmed by Fly High productions and directed by Michael Monaco.

Luke’s spring break albums and concerts began in 2009 as a way to get new music out to Luke’s fans between studio releases.  This year’s release, Spring Break…Checkin’ Out, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart and No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 200 with sales near 89k, making it his second consecutive spring break album to debut at No. 1.  Sales of Luke’s combined seven spring break releases now exceeds 1.2 million.

Luke heads into the 50^th Academy of Country Music Awards this month as a co-host and with four nominations- Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, Song of the Year (“Drink A Beer”) and Vocal Event (“This Is How We Roll”) with Florida Georgia Line.  This is his third consecutive year to co-host with Blake Shelton, broadcasting live on April 19 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on the CBS Television Network.

About Luke Bryan
Since the debut of his first album in 2007, Luke Bryan has placed 12 singles at No. 1 and sold 7 million albums with 27 million digital tracks from his four studio albums and has been named Entertainer of the Year for both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

About AXS TV
AXS TV is the cable industry’s leading general entertainment network for live event programming, and the premier destination for some of the nation’s biggest music festivals in 2015. Launched in July 2012 by visionary entrepreneur Mark Cuban, AXS TV is dedicated to providing groundbreaking music programming, stand-up comedy performances from today’s top comedians, and hard-hitting mixed martial arts promotions. Boasting over 70 hours of exclusive live broadcasts of premier music festivals in 2015 (featuring Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Stagecoach Country Music Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Rock on the Range Music Festival and Firefly Music Festival), the HD channel heavily concentrates on bringing the industry’s biggest names directly into their viewers’ homes, for the ultimate front row experience. Other hit network franchises include THE X FACTOR UK and original programs such as THE BIG INTERVIEW with Dan Rather; THE WORLD’S GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS, GOTHAM COMEDY LIVE, ART MANN PRESENTS, AXS TV FIGHTS and INSIDE MMA.

AXS TV is a partnership between Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. The network is available in the United States via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also distributed in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information, visit the website, www.axs.tv; go to the Facebook page here and follow the company on Twitter, @axstv; on Instagram; Tumblr; Cyber Dust and YouTube.

April 6, 2015 – Mrs. Nell Brown Jackson, the mother of Denise Jackson and mother-in-law of Alan Jackson, passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, April 3. Her life was a simple love story for her God, her family, her church and her friends. She was happiest when she was with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mrs. Nell Brown Jackson was 94 and survived by her three children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Visitation with the family will be tonight, April 6, in Newnan, GA. Funeral services will be held in Newnan on Tuesday, April 7.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift may be sent to Unity Baptist Church (311 Smokey Road Newnan GA 30263) or to Emory Chapel United Methodist Church (2677 Highway 34 West Newnan, GA 30263.)

Darius Rucker appears on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday (April 7th) to perform his recent No. 1 hit, “Homegrown Honey.”

Darius Rucker and Sam Hunt are expected to perform at the 11th Annual Drive for Show, Rock Fore! Dough in Evans, Georgia on Tuesday (April 7th) before the Masters. Proceeds from the show benefit The First Tee of August, which provides young people of all ethnic and economic backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.

George Strait released his new single, “Let It Go,” on Monday (April 6th). He wrote the song with his son, Bubba Strait, and Keith Gattis.

Lady Antebellum will perform, along with Kris Kristofferson and Jason Isbell, on Skyville Live Tuesday night (April 7th) at 8pm ET. The show will be streamed exclusively online at skyvillelive.com.

Lady Antebellum have re-launched their successful 7FOR7 campaign, in which they surprised seven different people by granting their wishes.  This time, seven lucky fans will have their mortgage paid for a year by Quicken Loans, plus they’ll win a trip to a future Lady Antebellum concert and a chance to meet the band.  You have a chance to win through August 20th.

Luke Bryan not only returns as co-host of the ACM Awards, but he will also once again captain a team to compete against Justin Moore and his group in the 2015 ACM & Cabela’s Great Outdoor Archery Tournament, taking place Saturday, April 18th at the Texas Rangers Youth Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Dustin Lynch, Tyler Farr and Willie and Jep Robertson (Duck Dynasty) are among the members of Luke’s Team, while Justin’s Team will feature Eric Paslay, Brantley Gilbert, Chase Rice and Jamie Lynn Spears.

Kip Moore’s latest single, “I’m to Blame,” is setting the tone for his forthcoming album, due out later this year. Kip co-wrote the gritty tune with Westin Davis and Justin Weaver, and he says it is the product of his growth as a writer and an artist.

“I just think it sets the tone for not afraid to go to different places as an artist, as a writer,” says Kip. “A lot of times when things are successful, people want you to stay in one spot. They’re used to you doing one kind of thing. ‘You’ve got to keep doing this thing over and over.’ It’s like, ‘Nah.’ You grow as a person; you grow as an artist. That was what kind of sparked the whole idea was my growth as a writer and as an artist.”

Kip joins Dierks Bentley on the Sounds of Summer Tour, which kicks off June 5th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The trek will also feature Canaan Smith and Maddie & Tae.