Keith Urban goes into next week’s ACM Awards with a pair of nominations, including Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. Keith, who is the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, loves to perform and entertain his fans.

“I know the criteria isn’t purely about live performance, but I’ve always felt that that’s what it is, otherwise I thought it probably should be called Artist of the Year, but I always thought it’s called Entertainer of the Year,” says Keith. “I’ve always loved putting on concerts and tours and shows and really tried to put on something that’s incredibly entertaining and engaging. I probably obsess about that part of what I do equal to making records.”

The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 7th at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Darius Rucker will return to the historic Ryman Auditorium on Monday, June 3 for his 10th Annual Darius and Friends concert benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The event, which unofficially kicks off CMA Music Fest in downtown Nashville and has raised $1.6 million to date, will celebrate hitting the decade mark with an all-star roster of friends to be announced in the coming weeks.

Rucker, who has always prioritized philanthropic work, was honored with the ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award last year for his efforts and will receive the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award at the upcoming 2019 Music Biz Awards. He made a commitment to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital specifically in 2008 after touring the facility known around the globe for treating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

“This event is always special because I love seeing my friends come together to support St. Jude and the amazing work they’re doing for families,” shares Rucker. “When we were planning the upcoming Hootie & the Blowfish tour, it was important to me that we kept this show on the schedule. Of all the exciting things to come this year, this night will still be a highlight.”

Friends performing with Rucker in past years have included Lauren Alaina, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Randy Houser, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Brad Paisley and Kenny Rogers, among others. The lineup for this year’s event will be announced soon.

Tickets to the 10th Annual Darius and Friends benefit concert start at $50 with VIP options up to $150, available at www.ticketmaster.com. Pre-sale access begins tomorrow, April 9 at 10 a.m. CT and runs through Thursday, April 11 at 10 p.m. CT, with tickets on sale to the general public this Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. CT.

The event is made possible with support from generous sponsors PGA TOUR, CDW, Hendrix Enterprises, UMG, CAA, A. O. Smith, AMD, Arrow and Intel.

For more information, please visit www.DariusRucker.comand follow on social media @DariusRucker.

About Darius Rucker
Rucker first attained multi-Platinum status in the music industry as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of GRAMMY award-winning Hootie & the Blowfish. Since releasing his first country album in 2008, he has celebrated four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart and nine No. 1 singles at Country radio, earning a whole new legion of fans. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY award for Best Solo Country Performance with his 4x Platinum-selling cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker is a continuous supporter of the MUSC Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, and has raised millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament, as well as for more than 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation. This year, he will hit the road with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates for theGroup Therapy Tour as they celebrate the 25th Anniversary of mega-hit Cracked Rear View as well as a forthcoming album with new label home Universal Music Group Nashville.

Kacey Musgraves appears on the cover of the new issue of Glamour magazine on newsstands now. Check out the cover story here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvkBcvCnIq6/

Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae and Josh Turner are among the artists performing at CMT’s Sweetest Summer Celebration presented by DQ on Sunday (March 31st) at Nashville’s Cumberland Park.

Don’t forget to tune in to the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday. Brothers Osborne are set to perform their latest song, “I Don’t Remember Me [Before You]” on the show.

Lauren Alaina will perform at this year’s Nashville Meets London Music Festival July 27th.Nashville Meets London is an international entertainment brand providing opportunities and supporting the globalization of Americana and Country music. The brand’s mission is to expand on the cultural and economic exchange of music while driving more synergy between the recording and live performance industries in the United States and the United Kingdom. It takes place at Canary Wharf in London.

Kacey Musgraves picked up three awards — Female Artist and Album of the Year (Golden Hour) as both artist and producer — at this year’s ACM Awards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHZbskdzEDI

This is the Texan’s second win in the ACM Album of the Year category. She first won in 2013 with Same Trailer Different Park.

“I don’t think I have the depth of words to describe just how exciting and fun and memorable and meaningful this entire album process has been for me. Of course, accolades are amazing, but this album is very personal for me. It was born out of finding the love of my life, my eyes and heart kind of opening to humanity and to the world and in turn, my songwriting changing a lot. Some wonderful people made this record with me, and my team and I have so much fun working together and working hard. I don’t know. I think when I’m an old lady someday I think with a rhinestone oxygen tank, it’ll probably, it’ll hit me, but I haven’t really had much time to stop and think about everything, you know.”

After taking home four Grammy Awards earlier this year, Kacey is the first artist to win Album of the Year at the CMA Awards, Grammy Awards and ACM Awards since Taylor Swift took home those honors in 2009/2010.

Kacey also picked up her first Female Artist of the Year Award at the ACM Awards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yiE9wcNNBo

Kacey takes Golden Hour and the rest of her songs to Indio, California for Coachella April 12th and 19th, before heading Down Under with her Oh, What a World Tour, which kicks off in Brisbane May 10th.

Jon Langston has released a lyric video for the fan favorite “Dance Tonight.” Check it out below.

Jon will hit the road with Luke Bryan on his Sunset Repeat Tour, which kicks off May 31st in Philadelphia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJNKObJNGU0

Keith Urban picked up his first ACM Entertainer of the Year award during Sunday night’s (April 7^th) show, following November’s CMA Entertainer of the Year win.

When he heard his name, he took a moment with his wife Nicole Kidman before hugging his fellow Entertainer nominees and heading to the stage to thank his team and his fans.

“I’ve been nominated nine times, so at some point I come to terms and accept that the nomination is the award,” Keith says backstage. “I don’t know how things go that way sometimes, but I love what I get to do and I put everything into it, but I know all the others do too. It’s just…thank you, God, really.”

Having wrapped up his recent Graffiti U World Tour, Keith is set to play a handful of festivals this summer, including the Sun Fest in West Palm Beach, Florida May 5th.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-tPaxlDTj/

Adam Hambrick has released a new 1 Mic 1 Take from the famed Capitol Studios in L.A. Here’s “Kill a Man.”

Adam is making his way up the country charts with “Rockin’ All Night Long.”

“‘Burden’ is a song that I wanted to capture and shape in the way that I was feeling it in my heart – and if we did that, to share it straight away,” said Urban. “It’s not like it’s a brand new single, it’s a song that moved me, that I decided to record, with the hope that other people might like it too.”

Keith Urban performed “Burden,” on the 54^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards tonight, a song originally written and recorded by well-known Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance.  The four-time GRAMMY Award© winner’s emotionally charged impassioned performance marks the digital-only release of a song as Urban says “came together really fast.”  He adds, “so in this situation, with technology as it is today, and with the ability for artists to share music in real-time, I decided to get this song out there.”

“Burden” can be streamed now at http://strm.to/Burden.

Recorded in Nashville with co-producer Dave Cobb, the song is a “beautifully written, minimalist prayer” that Urban says spoke to him.  “Like the paint that’s drying on a heart that’s broke.  Let me carry your burden.”

“The brevity of the song spoke to me,” added Urban.  “As someone that has needed to hear that song in my life and needed to hear that offered to me and as someone that wanted to offer that thought to someone else. I love songs that speak to the human condition of struggle and the idea that ‘it’s okay, I can help you…let me carry your burden.”

For more official Keith Urban news and information, go to or follow him at www.keithurban.net or follow him at www.facebook.com/KeithUrban, www.twitter.com/KeithUrban, or www.instagram.com/KeithUrban

Iconic entertainer George Strait continues his reign as the King of Country Music with the release today of his 30th career studio album Honky Tonk Time Machine. The brand-new album, which includes Strait’s latest radio single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar,” is now available for download HERE.

Los Angeles Times notes, “George Strait calls his new album Honky Tonk Time Machine, but it’s hard to think of a country star less in need of one of those.” While Rolling Stone calls it “a signature set of Texas soul and swing.”

Produced by George Strait and Chuck Ainley, Honky Tonk Time Machine includes 13 tracks, eight of which were written by Strait himself. Stand-out tracks include “Sing One with Willie” featuring Willie Nelson and Strait’s version of the Johnny Paycheck classic “Old Violin.” Yet, perhaps the most notable and sentimental highlight of the album is “God and Country Music.” Written by Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Lori McKenna, the song features a very special vocal guest, Strait’s grandson, Harvey Strait.

To further celebrate the release of Honky Tonk Time Machine, the Texas native will travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday (March 30) to play in front of a sold-out crowd alongside openers Chris Stapleton, Chris Janson and Ashley McBryde. The performance will serve as Strait’s first visit to Atlanta since his 2014 Cowboy Rides Away Tour.

Honky Tonk Time Machine track list: 

1. “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar”
Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon

2. “Two More Wishes”
   Written by Jim Lauderdale and Odie Blackmon
3. “Some Nights”
   Written by Bubba Strait, Brice Long and Phillip White
4. “God and Country Music” (with Harvey Strait)
   Written by Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Lori McKenna
5. “Blue Water”
   Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon
6. “Sometimes Love”
   Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon
7. “Código”
   Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon
8. “Old Violin”
   Written by Johnny Paycheck
9. “Take Me Away”
   Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon
10. “The Weight of the Badge”
    Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon
11. “Honky Tonk Time Machine”
    Written by Bubba Strait, Brice Long and Bart Butler
12. “What Goes Up”
    Written by George Strait, Bubba Strait and Jeff Hyde
13. “Sing One with Willie” (featuring Willie Nelson)
    Written by George Strait, Willie Nelson, Bubba Strait and Buddy CannonWith an unmatched 60 singles hitting the top of the charts – more than any other artist in any genre – during the span of his 30-year career, Strait is the undeniable “King of Country Music.” He has collected 33 Platinum or multi-Platinum-selling albums, more than any country artist and ranking third across all genres behind only The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades and has sold nearly 70 million albums and earned more than 60 major entertainment industry awards, including induction in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

    The Country Music Hall of Famer recently played his 21st and 22nd sold-out shows at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The “Strait to Vegas” series began with six shows in 2016 and extended with 10 more in 2017. In 2018, Strait headlined Bayou Country Superfest to a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Superdome crowd in New Orleans, Louisiana, two nights in Tulsa, Oklahoma and one night in Austin, Texas. This year, fans can catch Strait at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on June 8, two additional engagements of “Strait to Vegas” at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 23 and 24 and Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on November 22 and, due to overwhelming demand, has added a second show on November 23, with tickets on sale now at ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.GeorgeStrait.com.

Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne picked up the ACM Award for Music Event of the Year for their collaboration on the No. 1 hit, “Burning Man,” from Dierks’ latest album, The Mountain.

Earlier on the red carpet, @DierksBentley and @BrothersOsborne celebrated their win for Music Event of the Year! Was it the beard or the guitar solo? We'll never know! #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/q7qceHZ3NZ

— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) April 8, 2019