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  • LUKE BRYAN’S HALL OF FAME EXHIBIT WILL OPEN MAY 22ND.

    Press
    Luke Bryan
    NASHVILLE, Tenn., – March 11, 2015 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the life and career of reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan with the summer exhibition Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary, which opens May 22nd and runs through November 8th. The exhibition will examine the singer-songwriter’s roots and rise to stardom. Since beginning his music career in the mid-2000s, Bryan has gone from co-writing songs for other artists to selling millions of records, filling concert arenas, and receiving prestigious music awards. With an emphasis on his phenomenal success in 2014, the exhibit will also look back at his life, from growing up the son of a peanut farmer in south Georgia to his poignant, leap-of-faith move to Nashville. Fans will see stage clothes, instruments, awards, photos, and other unique memorabilia from Bryan’s personal collection.
    “I remember bringing my parents to visit the museum and dreaming of something like this one day. Now to have an exhibit about my life that my family, friends, and fans can come and see is just so cool,” said Bryan.
    “In one of Luke Bryan’s songs,” said Museum Director Kyle Young, “he says: ‘If you want to know the real me / Just turn the page in my dirt road diary.'” In this exhibiton, Luke is an open book, sharing insights into his life and music with museum visitors. He joins Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert in the list of contemporary artists featured in special summer exhibits that look at country music stardom in the twenty-first century.”
    Since the release of his first album, in 2007, Bryan has placed 12 singles at #1 and sold millions of albums and digital tracks. He has been named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Bryan’s latest album, Crash My Party, is certified double platinum, for sales of over two million copies. The set generated six consecutive #1 singles: “That’s My Kind of Night,” “Crash My Party,” “Drink a Beer,” Play It Again,” “Roller Coaster” and “I See You.”  Bryan made Billboard chart history when he became the first artist to hold the top two positions on the trade publications Country Airplay chart since it began in 1990.
    Bryan played to 1.7 million fans last year, and in 2015 he will perform in Europe for the first time. Yesterday, he released his final Spring Break album, Spring Break…Checkin’ Out. The Georgia native embarks in May on a new tour, the Kick the Dust Up Tour.
    The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Bryan will co-host the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards with Blake Shelton on April 19.

  • DARIUS RUCKER ANNOUNCES SIXTH ‘DARIUS AND FRIENDS’ BENEFIT CONCERT.

    Press
    Darius Rucker
    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Wednesday, March 11, 2015) – For the sixth year in a row, Platinum-selling country artist Darius Rucker will host his annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert in Nashville, Tenn. on Monday, June 8 at the Wildhorse Saloon, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The event has received an overwhelming response in past years, with consistent sellouts and over $439,000 raised in total, and fans have come to look forward to kicking off CMA Fest with Rucker and his friends. Friends performing with Darius in past years have included Luke Bryan, Radney Foster, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Charles Kelley (Lady Antebellum), Dustin Lynch, Justin Moore, Jerrod Niemann and Kenny Rogers, among others. The lineup for this year’s event will be announced in the coming weeks.  

    An exclusive pre-sale for Darius Rucker Fan Club members will begin Wednesday, March 11 at 11 a.m. CDT with general on sale opening at 11 a.m. CDT on Friday, March 13.  A sixth consecutive sell-out is inevitable, so fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early.  Prices start at $35 for General Admission and go up to $100 for VIP table options.  Tickets will be available through the Wildhorse Saloon box office (615-902-8200 x1), www.WildhorseSaloon.com, andwww.DariusRucker.com.

    The Darius and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place June 9. Last year, the charity concert, auction and celebrity golf tournament raised over $120,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, shattering previous years’ records. Rucker hopes to top past year’s totals to further benefit the pediatric treatment and research facility.

    Darius and Friends Annual Tee-Off benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is sponsored by State Water Heaters. 

    For more information on “Darius and Friends,” please visit www.DariusRucker.com.
    About State Water Heaters
    For nearly 70 years, State Water Heaters has built dependable, long lasting water heaters for commercial and residential applications. State offers over 500 water heater products, and has consistently developed new technologies to ensure longer product life. Based in Ashland City, Tennessee, State has seven water heater manufacturing plants. Hundreds of distribution centers across the United States ensure efficient service to State’s national customer base of residential homeowners, wholesalers, contractors, and other members of the engineering community. All State products are backed by customer technical support and durable tank and parts warranty. For more information, please visit www.StateWaterHeaters.com.
    About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
    Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.      

  • LUKE BRYAN ‘SNAPS’ AND FANS ARE LOVING IT!

    Press
    Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan has created his own Snapchat account. You can follow Luke at lukebryansnaps and watch his crazy antics, as well as what’s been happening at Panama City Beach during Spring Break, among other things. He’s the first country artist of his size to embrace the platform.

     

  • SHANIA TWAIN FREEZES TIME WITH HER LIVE FROM VEGAS RELEASE.

    Audio
    Shania Twain

    Shania Twain’s new Still the One: Live From Vegas collection features a CD of the songs she performed during her residency at Caesar’s Palace, but it also includes a DVD of the show, plus some behind-the-scenes footage of her preparing for her show. She says it givens you the whole picture, even if you saw it in person.

    “It’s very important to capture this type of thing on film because even when you go in person you’re never going to see everything,” says Shania. “It’s an exceptionally large stage, and you can’t take the whole show in all in one night. There’s too many things going on. It’s very multidimensional and hard to focus on everything all at one time.”

    That’s not the only reason – she also wanted to have it for herself. “I wanted my Kodak moment to last forever, and I wanted to be able to look back at it because I guess when you climb a mountain, when you get to the top, if you don’t take a picture, you’ve missed it,” she says. “You’ve missed it and you live it and it’s wonderful to live it, and of course, I lived it every night, the show. But I wanted to be able to look back at it in years from now and remember, not just remember how it was at the time, but look back in 20 years from now, 10 years from now, even 5 years from now and have a different perspective and a fresh eye.”

    In addition to releasing her CD and DVD package, Shania also announced that she will head back out on tour…for the last time. Tickets for her Rock This Country go on sale Friday (March 13th), but pre-sales begin on Tuesday.

    Audio / Shania Twain says the DVD part of her new collection, Still the One Live From Vegas, gives fans the whole picture of her Las Vegas show, even if they have seen it in person.

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    Shania Twain (DVD) 1 OC: …for me. :34
    “It’s very important to capture this type of thing on film because even when you go in person you’re never going to – you’re never going to see everything. It’s too – you’re looking – it’s too big of a stage. It’s an exceptionally large stage and you can’t take the whole show in all in one night. There’s too many things going on. It’s very multidimensional and hard to focus on everything all at one time. So yeah, it’s kind of luxury having it on DVD and being able to really see it from that perspective, the whole picture all at one time. So, that’s kind of a special part of it for me.”

    Audio / Shania Twain explains why she wanted to film her Las Vegas show and offer it to fans on DVD.

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    Shania Twain (DVD) 2 OC: …it, I guess. :42
    “I wanted the memory. It’s just about capturing the memory. I wanted my Kodak moment to last forever and I wanted – I wanted to be able to look back at it because I guess when you climb a mountain, when you get to the top if you don’t take a picture you’ve missed it. You’ve missed it and you live it and it’s wonderful to live it and of course I lived it every night, the show. But I wanted to be able to look back at it in years from now and remember, not just remember how it was at the time but look back in 20 years from now, 10 years from now, even 5 years from now and have a different perspective and a fresh eye. So I just wanted to freeze frame it, I guess.”

  • ERIC CHURCH HITS RADIO WITH ‘LIKE A WRECKING BALL.’

    Audio
    Eric Church

    Eric Church’s latest single, “Like a Wrecking Ball,” is probably one of the sexiest songs to hit the airwaves in a long time. The song is about the physical intimacy between two adults, and Church makes no apologies for telling you exactly what’s up…so to speak.

    “I hate innuendo. I don’t like where people get cute. I’m 36 years old. I’m not 12. I don’t need people to disguise what we’re talking about. I think we can get so cute with stuff like that. Al Green didn’t get cute. Conway Twitty didn’t get cute. They said it. We’re adults, and this is an adult record. We’ve always made adult music,” Eric explained when The Outsiders album was released. “I like songs like that, and that’s what this song is. This song is about sex. It’s about not being home to see your wife or girl for a long time, and thinking about that, preparing for that and executing that [laughs] is what this song’s about. It has nothing to do with anything else.”

    Church, who became a father for the second time last month, continues The Outsiders World Tour this week. He takes his “Wrecking Ball” to Washington, D.C. Tuesday (March 10th).

    Audio / Eric Church says “Like a Wrecking Ball” is absolutely about what it says in the song.

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    Eric Church (Like a Wrecking Ball) OC: …their life. :49
    “I hate innuendo. I don’t like where people get cute. I’m 36 years old. I’m not 12. I don’t need people to disguise what we’re talking about. I think we can get so cute with stuff like that. Al Green didn’t get cute. Conway Twitty didn’t get cute. They said it. We’re adults, and this is an adult record. We’ve always made adult music. I like songs like that, and that’s what this song is. This song is about sex. It’s about not being home to see your wife or girl for a long time, and thinking about that, preparing for that and executing that [laughs] is what this song’s about. It has nothing to do with anything else. I mean…that’s what it is, and the honesty of that, I hope people find refreshing, because I’ve not found anybody that hasn’t felt that at some point in time during their life.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Like a Wrecking Ball)

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    LINER Hey everybody, this is Eric Church, and here’s my latest single, ‘Like a Wrecking Ball.’

  • LADY ANTEBELLUM RELEASE THEIR NEW SINGLE, ‘LONG STRETCH OF LOVE.’

    Audio
    Lady Antebellum

    Nashville, TN – March 9, 2015 – From the European leg of their headlining WHEELS UP 2015 TOUR, ACM “Vocal Group of the Year” nominee Lady Antebellum is releasing the up-tempo “Long Stretch Of Love” as the new single from their fifth studio album 747. With it’s hypnotically driving beat and Celtic-inspired instrumentation, the new track has already hit airwaves and arenas across Europe but is officially available at Country Radio in the US today.

    Written by the trio and Josh Kear, “Long Stretch of Love” has already resonated with critics, being hailed a “crisp, pulsating track that highlights Lady A’s knack for memorable song structure” (Billboard) and a “swirling rock opener with a Fleetwood Mac vibe” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

    “‘Long Stretch Of Love’ sounds like we feel right now…it’s bold, upbeat and fresh,” said Lady A’s Hillary Scott. “It’s the perfect song to go into a new tour with…in fact, we should kick our set off with it every night!”

    “What really makes this song special and different to me is how we used an uncommon instrument called a Woodrow, which brings an Appalachian feel into this high energy track,” said 747 producer Nathan Chapman.  “That unique sound combined with their vocals— which may be the most powerful Lady A has ever sounded— it just leaves the listener breathless.”

    The group’s universal appeal continues to resonate with fans and media overseas, prompting critics to proclaim Lady A is “responsibile for pushing country music around the world” (Entertainment Focus) and raving the trio’s live show is “inspiring” with “whopping singalong anthems” (London Evening Standard). Up next, the band will continue to trek across the globe for the Australian leg before returning to the states for their headlining WHEELS UP 2015 TOUR presented by Quicken Loans in time for the 50th Annual ACM Awards airing live from Dallas, TX on April 19th on CBS where they are currently nominated for “Vocal Group of the Year.” The North American leg of their WHEELS UP 2015 TOUR begins May 1 in Lubbock, TX. For a full list of upcoming tour dates and appearances, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott says “Long Stretch of Love” represents the band’s dedication to their music and their fans.

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    Lady A (Long Stretch of Love) 2 OC: …on this road. :41

    “Not to sound really cheesy, but I feel like that song is kind of our heart’s cry as a band, too, of just wanting to be here and continue to build a career that’s gonna be here for decades, and have longevity. It’s something we’ve always talked about wanting and dreaming of as artists, is to not just be a flash in the pan. To be sitting here, 7 almost 8 years of the band… our first record came out in April of 2008… we’re just so grateful to be in this place. That song is just a great representation of how dedicated we are to continue on this road.”

  • LUKE BRYAN IS ‘CHECKIN’ OUT’ WITH A TRIBUTE TO HIS FANS FOR SPRING BREAK.

    Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan is releasing his latest — and final — Spring Break project, Checkin’ Out, this week. On the project, he includes a tribute to his fans titled, Spring Breakdown, which he co-wrote with Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell.

    “I’ve never really done a big time fan tribute song, and ‘Spring Breakdown’ really is the first time I’ve really went down that path with a song. It just talks about all the memories of how we built the Spring Breaks, the first years we got there and all the beers and all the years. And the chorus talks about I’m going to ‘Spring Breakdown.’ I’m going to have a breakdown up here because of all the good times we’ve had and all the memories, and a pretty cool way to write the title,” says Luke. “It’s true appreciation and kind of a gift to the fans thanking them for all the memories.”

    Luke will celebrate his final Spring Break with two shows in Panama City, Florida on the beach at Spinnaker. More than 230,000 folks came out for last year’s shows.

    Audio / Luke Bryan says “Spring Breakdown” is a tribute to his fans.

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    Luke Bryan (Spring Breakdown) OC: …the memories. :53
    “I’ve never really done a big time fan tribute song, and ‘Spring Breakdown’ really is the first time I’ve really went down that path with a song. It just talks about all the memories of how we built the Spring Breaks, the first years we got there and all the beers and all the years. And the chorus talks about I’m going to ‘Spring Breakdown.’ I’m going to have a breakdown up here because of all the good times we’ve had and all the memories, and a pretty cool way to write the title. Me and Ashley Gorley and Zack Crowell got together on it, and first time I’ve written with Zack, and I love how it turned out. And the second we got done with it, I was like, ‘Yeah, this definitely feels like it’s got to go on the Spring Break,’ but it’s true appreciation and kind of a gift to the fans thanking them for all the memories.”

    Video / Spring Breakdown

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  • LUKE BRYAN ‘CHECKS OUT’ SPRING BREAK ONE LAST TIME.

    Audio
    Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan releases his seventh and final Spring Break project, Checkin’ Out, Tuesday (March 10th), and he’ll follow it with two shows at Spinnaker in Panama City, Florida Wednesday (March 11th) and Thursday (March 12th).

    The two shows he does have been one of his favorite parts of the year, and they oftentimes inspire other songs and tour ideas.

    “Historically, if you go back, it’s always been one of the highlights of my year going down there and doing the show, just ‘cause it’s hard to turn down that much fun,” says Luke. “It’s been amazing to be able to go down there and do the Spring Break shows every year and get inspiration for new songs and new tours and tour ideas and stuff like that.”

    He also jokes about still being able to pull off his Spring Break shows. “I have been jokingly saying that it has been nice to continue Spring Break well into my ‘30s. I feel like I’ve done a lot better than my other buddies, because they certainly haven’t been going to Spring Break and partying with a bunch of college kids.”

    The full album includes all the songs from last year’s Like We Ain’t Ever EP, as well as several new songs, such as “Spring Breakdown” – an ode to his fans.

    Audio / Luke Bryan says one of his favorite parts of the year has been doing the Spring Break shows in Panama City.

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    Luke Bryan (Spring Break 7) 2 OC: …fun endeavors. :21
    “Historically, if you go back, it’s always been one of the highlights of my year going down there and doing the show, just ‘cause it’s hard to turn down that much fun. It gives me a sadness to have to let it go. But we feel it’s time, and I’ve got some fun stuff in order music-wise that will turn into other fun endeavors.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan says going to Panama City Beach to do his annual Spring Break shows has been such an inspiration on other parts of his career.

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    Luke Bryan (SB inspiration) OC: …stuff like that. :26
    “I have been jokingly saying that it has been nice to continue Spring Break well into my ‘30s. I feel like I’ve done a lot better than my other buddies, because they certainly haven’t been going to Spring Break and partying with a bunch of college kids. It’s been fun. It’s been amazing to be able to go down there and do the Spring Break shows every year and get inspiration for new songs and new tours and tour ideas and stuff like that.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Mickey

    Press

    Keith Urban is scheduled to perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday (March 10th), and his fellow American Idol judges Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr., as well as host Ryan Seacrest, will also appear.

    UPDATE 03/09/14: Mickey Guyton‘s performance on ABC’s Good Morning America, which did not air as planned on Friday (March 6th), has been rescheduled for  Monday (March 16th). Breaking news prevented the network from airing her performance last week.

  • LUKE BRYAN WILL RELEASE A NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR ‘SPRING BREAKDOWN’ TODAY.

    Press
    Luke Bryan

    Nashville- (March 6, 2015) – Just before kicking off his final Spring Break shows in Florida next week Luke Bryan will release a new music video for “Spring Breakdown,” one of the new tunes off his Spring Break…Checkin’ Out album in stores March 10.  VEVO and CMT.COM will exclusively premiere the clip today, Friday, March 6 with CMT’s HOT 20 show airing it as a bonus video this weekend, March 7 and 8.  Watch it here: http://vevo.ly/TOyEQ4

    Michael Monaco, longtime videographer for Luke, produced the video which features footage from the past six Spring Break shows highlighting some of the favorite moments.  It also features Luke recording the song in the studio earlier this year.

    Luke’s Spring Break concerts are set for next week on March 11 and 12 at Spinnaker Beach Club in Panama City, Florida where over 230,000 fans attended last year’s shows.

    Spring Break…Checkin’ Out will be available in record stores as well as digitally on March 10 and contains five *new, original songs all co-written by Luke plus all six songs from last year’s EP. Pre-order the album at http://umgn.us/LBSBCO .

     

    Spring Break…Checkin’ Out

    1. My Ol’ Bronco
    2.  Games
    3. She Get Me High
    4.  Spring Breakdown
    5. Good Lookin’ Girl
    6. Checkin’ Out
    7. You And The Beach
    8. Night One
    9.   Like We Ain’t Ever
    10. The Sand I Brought To The Beach
    11. Are You Leaving With Him

     

    Luke’s collection of all six previous Spring Break releases combined have over 1.1 million sales to date.

     

    Since the debut of his first album in 2007, Luke Bryan has placed 12 singles at No. 1 and sold nearly 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.  Luke’s latest album Crash My Party was 2013’s best-selling country album which sold over two million copies with 8 million digital downloads, is certified Double Platinum, won the Billboard Music Award for “Top Country Album” and contains six consecutive No. 1 hit singles- “That’s My Kind of Night,” “Crash My Party,” “Drink A Beer,” Play It Again,” “Roller Coaster” and “I See You.”  Luke made Billboard chart history last year by reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Play It Again” and “This Is How We Roll” with Florida Georgia Line claiming the No. 2 spot.  Luke became the first artist to ever hold the two top positions since the chart began in 1990.  Luke Bryan achieved the best touring year of his career in 2014 with 1.7 million fans attending his concerts.  In 2015, Luke will play his first-ever shows in Europe, release his final Spring Break album on March 10, be honored with a summer exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and will embark on a new tour in May, “Kick The Dust Up Tour.”

    Luke is the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and will co-host the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards with Blake Shelton for a third consecutive year on April 19, 2015.  Luke has four nominations for this year’s ACM’s – Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, Song of the Year for “Drink A Beer” and Vocal Event for “This Is How We Roll” with Florida Georgia Line.

     

    Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook.