Jordan Davis will perform his Top 5 “Singles You Up” on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (March 27th).
Kacey Musgraves is set to perform on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert Thursday (March 29th) on CBS.
Little Big Town recently received the CMA’s International Artist Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant growth, development and promotion of the Country Music industry outside of the U.S.
I.D. (L to R): Doug Miller, Former Texas State Representative and 52nd Annual Texas Legislative Conference Chair; Texan of the Year George Strait; Mary Jane Nalley, an owner of Gruene Hall; and Robin Jeffers, New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce Board Chair.
Photo Credit: Rick Diamond for Getty Images
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Iconic entertainer George Strait has been named “Texan of the Year” by the Texas Legislative Conference. At the 52nd annual statewide forum taking place at the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce on Friday, March 23, Strait joined an array of prominent honorees including former U.S. Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, Governors and innovators.
Strait was recognized for his many contributions to the state of Texas throughout the years, particularly within the last year for his role leading recovery efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. The Category 4 hurricane ties Hurricane Katrina as the costliest storm to impact the U.S., inflicting damage of over $125 billion and displacing more than 30,000 residents.
Strait immediately set out organizing relief efforts beginning with the “Hand in Hand” Texas benefit concert and telethon. Calling on friends Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen, the concert, broadcast live from The Majestic Theater in San Antonio last fall, helped directly raise over $22 million towards hurricane recovery.
“I’m so proud to have grown up in the great state of Texas and so proud to be here today to accept this unbelievable honor,” shared Strait who accepted the award in person. “Texas is a big place filled with amazingly talented, smart people. How’d I end up here?” a humbled Strait asked the crowd. “Last year was a tough one for our great state. We’re still continuing to recover and with the help of the many loyal, kindhearted Texans, we will get these communities back on their feet again. It’s never surprising, but always amazing how in times of need, how generous the American people can be.” Strait continued, “I’ve had a great career and always been supported by the people here in Texas. This great honor is the tip top of my list.”
Robin Jeffers, New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce Board Chair then surprised Strait with a proclamation crowing the King of Country with a new title, “A Prince of the City of a Prince” for his dedication to the betterment of their community.
Mary Jane Nalley, a longtime friend of Strait’s and an owner of Gruene Hall noted, “George Strait’s elite work is still ongoing and he sets a fine example of what Texas and Texans are all about.”
In addition to spearheading the benefit concert relief efforts last September, Strait also joined Gov. Greg Abbott in Rockport-Fulton to bring attention to the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey in the Coastal Bend Area.
This May, the reigning Texan of the Year is set to perform to over 50,000 fans at the New Orleans Superdome.
For more information, visit www.GeorgeStrait.com.
the Academy of Country Music revealed its New Female Vocalist of the Year Award-winner, Lauren Alaina. Lauren received the special news with a surprise phone call from one of her heroes and this year’s ACM Awards host, Reba McEntire. View HERE.
“This award is for so much more than just me,” says Lauren. “This award is for all the people who want to give up- Don’t. This award is proof that you can achieve what you want to achieve and get where you want to go. Today, all of my dreams have come true.”
This marks the first-ever ACM Award for Lauren, who is also nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for “What Ifs,” a collaboration with her childhood friend, Kane Brown. Additionally, Lauren is scheduled to perform on the 53rd Annual ACM Awards broadcast airing LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15 at 8pm ET on CBS.
Lauren released her Road Less Traveled album last year and it became the top-streamed female country release of 2017. Lauren is also the only female vocalist to land two No. 1 country radio singles in 2017 with her empowering hit, “Road Less Traveled,” and with the Double Platinum-selling Brown collaboration, “What Ifs.” Currently climbing country radio’s Top 30 is Lauren’s latest, “Doin’ Fine.”
Fans can find Lauren out on the road now with Cole Swindell’s Reason to Drink Tour and this summer, with Jason Aldean’s High Noon Neon Tour.
For more information, visit www.LaurenAlainaOfficial.com.
Click here to go to Jordan Davis’ Home State Album Audio Toolkit.
MCA Nashville’s Jordan Davis releases his highly anticipated debut album, Home State, today. In support of the album release, Jordan will make his national TV debut with NBC’s TODAY on Tuesday, March 27th during the 10AM hour followed by “Late Night With Seth Meyers” Wednesday, April 4th.
The Louisiana native co-wrote every track on Home State, which was produced by Jordan’s good friend Paul DiGiovanni.
“I wanted there to be some type of thread tying everything together and all these songs came from Louisiana, my home state,” says Jordan. “For me, Louisiana was the common thread whether it be the idea, the relationship I was writing about or even meeting my wife in New Orleans. Home State just popped into my head and from that moment I knew that’s what the name of the record needed to be.”
Today is the release of Home State & I couldn't be more proud of this record…Thanks to the fans that have been there from day 1 & to new fans we gained along the way. I hope y'all enjoy this record as much as we enjoyed making it. https://t.co/Rs2d8dI6VY pic.twitter.com/Xu3NvcsFz8
— Jordan Davis Music (@JordanCWDavis) March 23, 2018
Jordan’s debut single “Singles You Up” currently sits at No.5 on the country airplay charts and was recently certified Gold by the RIAA. “Singles You Up” continues to accumulate impressive streaming numbers after staying on Spotify’s US Viral Chart for over a month and even reaching Spotify’s Global Viral Chart. Earlier this year Jordan landed on several “Artist to Watch” lists including Billboard, Rolling Stone, The Tennessean, Pandora, CMT, Sounds Like Nashville, Whiskey Riff and more.
Jordan is currently touring with Jillian Jacqueline on his first headlining “White Wine and Whiskey Tour.” The singer/songwriter is set to hit the road this summer with Jake Owen and Chris Janson as part of the “Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour” stopping at minor league baseball parks across the country. For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit www.jordandavisofficial.com
Fans can click HERE to listen to Home State.
During Little Big Town’s version of “Rocket Man” – featured on the new tribute album Restoration – you will notice some interesting space sounds, which are from NASA’s Mission Juno to explore the planet Jupiter. The project unlocked some of the secrets of the planet and the sounds from Juno’s Waves radio instrument were weaved throughout LBT’s harmonies on the song. Dr. Scott Bolton, the Principal Investigator for the Juno mission assisted the band in working the Juno data into the music.
“One of the main reasons why we chose ‘Rocket Man’ was because we were so intrigued by not just, of course, Elton John, but by using the sounds from the Juno project so we had all these Jupiter noises,” says LBT’s Karen Fairchild. “We were like what if we did the acapella version of ‘Rocket Man’ on the Elton record, and [producer] Frank Liddell loved that idea, and we were off to the races…” Bandmate Kimberly Schlapman adds, “…or Jupiter.”
“Rocket Man” is just one of the songs from the new album, Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The compilation, available April 6th, also includes songs from Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and many more.
Little Big Town will help honor Elton’s illustrious career spanning five decades with a TV tribute – Elton John: I’m Still Standing A Grammy Salute – which will air April 10th at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.
LBT (Rocket Man) OC: (KAREN) … :31
KAREN: “One of the main reasons why we chose ‘Rocket Man’ was because we were so intrigued by not just, of course, Elton John, but by using the sounds from the Juno project so we had all these Jupiter noises. We were like what if we did the acapella version of ‘Rocket Man’ on the Elton record, and Frank Liddell loved that idea and we were off to the races (KIMBERLY) or Jupiter.” PHILLIP: “Space race.”
Jordan Davis releases his debut album, Home State, on Friday (March 23rd). The collection includes his NOW gold-certified song, “Singles You Up.” Prior to a show last night at Nashville’s legendary Exit/In, he was surprised with a plaque signifying more than 500,000 copies sold/digital downloads of the song.
Photo Credit: Graham Dodd
Pictured L to R: UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe, UMG Nashville COO Mike Harris, Jordan Davis, UMG Nashville EVP A&R Brian Wright, MCA Nashville VP Promotion Katie Dean, UMG Nashville VP A&R Stephanie Wright, UMG Nashville Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan
The Shreveport, Louisiana native co-wrote all 12 tunes on the album, including a few with his producer Paul DiGiovanni, who’s worked with Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes and Dan + Shay. Jordan hopes people get to know who he is through his music on the album.
“I really hope that through this album you get a better glimpse into who I am as an artist, you know a glimpse into not only my country influences, but some of my rock influences, some of my R&B influences, and just my love for songwriting. I really feel like we’ve done a good job with the production [and] with the writing of this record, and I hope you feel like you know a little bit more about who I am after listening to it. That’s kinda what I hope you take away with from the Home State album.”
Home State Track List:
Jordan is on the road in St. Louis this weekend wrapping up his White Wine and Whiskey Tour.
Jordan Davis (Singles You Up) 1 OC: …lot to me. :29
“‘Singles You Up’ was written with two buddies of mine back in Nashville. One of ‘em had just gotten engaged, and when he came in we were congratulating him on it, and the saying ‘You’re smart enough not to single her up’ was thrown up, and I think we all kind of knew that we needed to write that. We actually wrote it really, really quick, I mean right when we got done, we knew we had something special. So, we have a blast playing it, and I can’t be happier that it’s my debut single. It’s a song that means a lot to me.”
Jordan Davis (album expectations) OC: …Home State album. :27
“I really hope that through this album you get a better glimpse into who I am as an artist, you know a glimpse into not only my country influences, but some of my rock influences, some of my R&B influences, and just my love for songwriting. I really feel like we’ve done a good job with the production [and] with the writing of this record, and I hope you feel like you know a little bit more about who I am after listening to it. That’s kinda what I hope you take away with from the Home State album.”
Jordan Davis (album title) 1 OC: …Home State. :39
“When it came time to name the record, you know, Louisiana is a big part of who I am and I love the fact that I’m from Louisiana and I call Louisiana my home state. One of the main reasons that it’s called that is that this record, the ideas for these songs, the inspiration behind these songs can all be traced back to Louisiana. All those songs [on the record] started in Louisiana, and I thought what better way than to kinda put a line through all of them and tie a bow on this whole record. I thought Louisiana was too much, and I’ve always loved that title, Home State.”
Today marks the release of a brand-new track, “Coming Home,” from Keith Urban’s forthcoming, highly anticipated album GRAFFITI U. “Coming Home” builds upon a musical exploration that was apparent on both his previous #1 albums FUSE and RIPCORD. In fact, “Coming Home” not only features the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum artist Julia Michaels, but credits Merle Haggard as a co-writer.
Buy/Stream Link: http://smarturl.it/KU-ComingHome
Lyric Video: http://smarturl.it/ComingHomeLyricVideo
As Urban explains, “Coming Home” started with an idea I had of using the intro of one of my favorite Haggard songs “Mama Tried” – to build an entirely new song around it. Then, I took the idea to J.R. Rotem and he put some chords around it. I jotted down the first words that the music made me feel, jumped on a mic and sang the chorus.”
“Hearing that rolling Haggard guitar lick sparked memories of my childhood – and my dream to come to America.” added Urban. “I knew right then the story (of the song) was about the struggles of being in a city where your dreams have brought you, but far from your home – wherever, whomever and whatever that is for each of us.”
Of Julia Michaels Urban said, “Julia’s writing contribution extended into the idea of the need to want to physically be home. She summed up the whole story in one sentence. “Yeah, I know it’s only one call away, but it’s not the same.” For me, that simple phrase said so much, especially when she sang it!
Added Urban, “I called Theresa Haggard and Ben Haggard to play them what we’d been working on. It was important to me to have their blessing- and I’m so grateful that they love the song.”
“Coming Home” was written by Urban, J.R. Rotem, Julia Michaels, Merle Haggard and Nicolle Galyon and was co-produced by Rotem and Urban.
The 58-city “GRAFFIT U WORLD TOUR 2018,” kicks off on June 15th at St. Louis’s Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
For more official Keith Urban news and information go to www.keithurban.net.
Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum have been added to the list of performers at this year’s ACM Awards. They’re joined by Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton, as well as previously announced performers, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Bebe Rexha and Thomas Rhett. Presenters include New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, actress Rebecca Romijn, ET host Nancy O’Dell and Olympic Alpine Skier Lindsey Vonn.
Keith is nominated in five categories, including Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year.
The 53rd Annual ACM Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.
While in Las Vegas for the 53rd Annual ACM Awards, EMI Nashville’s Brothers Osborne is set to perform at a special FRYEDAYS event as part of their ongoing partnership with the authentic and timeless lifestyle brand Frye. The event will be held downtown at the Zappos Headquarters on Friday, April 13 at 4pm PT. Fans can enter for a chance to win tickets by going to brothersosborne.com. Additionally, fans at home will be able to watch a live stream of the event at Zappos.com/brothersosborne and thefryecompany.com
The Maryland natives are nominated again for “Vocal Duo of the Year” as well as “Music Video of the Year” for their Top 10 rowdy hit “It Ain’t My Fault” at the upcoming 53rd ACM Awards. In 2017, the singer/songwriter siblings added their name to the record books as the only duo besides Brooks & Dunn to win both ACM “Vocal Duo of the Year” and ACM “New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year” Awards in the same year.
Brothers Osborne recently released their new single “Shoot Me Straight” off their upcoming sophomore album Port Saint Joe available April 20. Critics are praising the “epic rocker” (Rolling Stone) with industry critic Bob Lefsetz noting, “Brothers Osborne could single-handedly bring back the art of guitar.” To view in-studio video footage of “Shoot Me Straight” click HERE.
Last month, Frye announced their most recent Hometown Pride campaign featuring the GRAMMY-nominated duo. The partnership includes in-store activations such as exclusive “first listen” events for Brothers Osborne’s music and vinyl copies of the new album Port Saint Joe will be sold in select Frye stores starting April 20th. As original craftsmen, The Frye Company continues its tradition of honoring makers and valuing community – connecting quality and craft to the music that is so deeply rooted in the brand’s history. The brand’s music series, FRYEDAYS, is a homegrown original program that features intimate live performances from established and emerging artists.
As one of the largest online retailers well known for their award-winning customer service, Zappos is a longtime supporter of downtown Las Vegas. Since moving its headquarters to Las Vegas in 2004, Zappos has championed countless initiatives, events and partnerships to help revitalize downtown and the surrounding area. At its heart, Zappos is a customer service company constantly seeking new ways to give back and provide a service to communities across the country, especially in their hometown of downtown Las Vegas.
Brothers Osborne recently announced their first headlining UK tour set to launch May 4 in Dublin, Ireland with additional stops in Belfast, London, Manchester, Glasgow and more. The duo will then join Dierks Bentley on the “Mountain High Tour” kicking off May 17 in Columbia, MD. Tickets and additional information can be found at www.brothersosborne.com
ABOUT THE FRYE COMPANY
In 1863, John A. Frye opened the doors to his very first store, paving the way for
countless generations of artisans. As the original craftsmen of American footwear, Frye
continues to honor a passion for creating iconic styles using the finest leathers. Rooted
in tradition, Frye was originally inspired by our everyday American heroes over the
decades. Cavalry infantrymen. World War II soldiers. Fighter pilots. Factory workers.
Word of Frye’s uncompromising quality and reputation spread. Frye has since become
an American icon, worn by the courageous and the cool, from John Lennon to Jackie O.
About Zappos
Established in 1999, Zappos.com has quickly become a leading destination in online apparel and footwear sales by striving to provide shoppers with the best possible service and selection. Zappos currently showcases millions of products from over 1,000 clothing and shoe brands. Zappos is also proud to be rated ELITE by STELLAService and was named a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion, one of only 40 companies so named in the U.S. More information about the customer service philosophy, unique culture and job openings can be found at http://about.zappos.com. More information about Zappos Insights, and its business membership program can be found at zapposinsights.com. Zappos.com, Inc. is a subsidiary of (AMZN) Amazon.com, Inc.
For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit: www.BrothersOsborne.com
Fans can purchase a unique Record Store Day version of the new album Port Saint Joe HERE