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  • LITTLE BIG TOWN LAUNCH THEIR PAIN KILLER TOUR. (AUDIO)

    Audio

    Little Big Town kick off their tour Saturday (November 8th) in Youngstown, Ohio, and they’re taking along special guests Brett Eldredge and Brothers Osborne. The 13-city trek follows up the release of the band’s Pain Killer album and their third consecutive win for CMA Vocal Group of the Year. The band is really excited to hit the road with both Brett and TJ and John Osborne.

    “Brett Eldredge, he’s killing it right now, having some big hits. We did some shows with him with Keith a few months ago, and he’s got great charisma on stage. He’s a great entertainer, so we’re excited about that,” says LBT’s Jimi Westbrook. “I’ve been a fan of Brothers Osborne since, gosh, I think we did the label show back when Tornado was coming out, and we heard them play with just an acoustic guitar and were just blown away. They’re the real deal; super talented guys, and I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun out on the road.”

    The tour is not going to be all fun and games for them – they do plan on getting in a little workout time with their two special guests, as well.

    The good thing is we like to all play basketball, so we’ll stay in shape too,” says Phillip Sweet.

    Pain Killer Tour dates:

    November 8 – Youngstown, Ohio
    November 9 – Cincinnati

    November 13 – Roanoke, Virginia

    November 14 – Knoxville, Tennessee

    November 15 – Atlanta

    November 20 – Denver

    November 21 – Wichita, Kansas

    November 22 – Dallas

    December 4 – Detroit

    December 5 – Chicago

    December 6 – Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

    December 12 – Rochester, Minnesota

    December 13 – Rockford, Illinois

    Audio / LBT (Pain Killer Tour)

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    AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook is thrilled with the lineup on the band’s Pain Killer Tour.

    LBT (Pain Killer Tour) OC: (Jimi) …on the road. :41
    JIMI: “Yeah, I’m really excited about this tour with the people that are going to be out with us. Brett Eldredge, he’s killing it right now, having some big hits. We did some shows with him with Keith a few months ago, and he’s got great charisma on stage. He’s a great entertainer, so we’re excited about that. And I’ve been a fan of Brothers Osborne since, gosh, I think we did the label show back when Tornado was coming out, and [KAREN: “We heard them.”] we heard them play with just an acoustic guitar and were just blown away. They’re the real deal; super talented guys, and I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun out on the road.”

    Audio / LBT (Pain Killer Tour) 2

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    AUDIO: Little Big Town say they’re going to have a lot of fun out on their Pain Killer Tour.

    LBT (Pain Killer Tour) 2 OC: (Kimberly) …yeah. :18
    JIMI: “I got a video message from Brett the other night [laughs], and he was in a bar somewhere, and he was going, ‘This is gonna be awesome, man!’ [laughs] And I was thinking, ‘Oh Lord, this is gonna be a big party.’’ [laughs] PHILLIP: “The good thing is we like to all play basketball, [JIMI: “That’ll be fun.”] so we’ll stay in shape too.” KIMBERLY: “Yeah.”

     

  • SAM HUNT SCORES NO. 1 COUNTRY ALBUM! (AUDIO)

    Audio

    MCA Nashville’s Sam Hunt’s debut Montevallo debuted at the top of the Country Album Chart this week with nearly 70,000 albums sold. The album also is No. 3 overall on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and is the best-selling debut album for a country artist since 2011. Montevallo is also the No. 2 Digital Album overall.

    Sam’s platinum-selling lead single “Leave the Night On” is the current No. 1 song at country radio and is the first new artist debut title to top the charts in nearly two years. Rolling Stone includes Hunt as one of its “Artists You Need to Know,” and Associated Press tags Hunt as “a more sensitive and distinctive newcomer than most of his peers.”

    Produced by Zach Crowell and Shane McAnally, MONTEVALLO is earning praise across the board. Billboard gives the album four out of five stars and The Washington Post calls MONTEVALLO “the most seductive, deceptively original and flat-out best album released this year.”

    Hunt recently performed on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and tonight, he will be a presenter on the 48th Annual CMA Awards, airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena at 8pm ET on ABC.

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

    www.SamHunt.com | facebook.com/SamHuntMusic | twitter.com/SamHuntMusic | instagram.com/SamHuntMusic

    Audio / Montevallo expectations

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

    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.”

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Lady A, Dierks, Keith

    Video

    Lady Antebellum’s story and rise to fame will be profiled on a new episode of CMT’s Inside Fame, premiering Saturday (November 8th) at 8pm ET. The one-hour special follows the seven-time Grammy winners through the ups and downs and hard work of world-wide tours, four hit-filled albums and the pressures to push themselves out of their comfort zones as they continually challenge their approach to songwriting and recording. The show includes rare, behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews with Lady Antebellum, their families and fellow artists.

    Dierks Bentley     is set to headline the Krewe of Orpheus’ 2015 Orpheuscapade in New Orleans February 16th in New Orleans. The black-tie event begins with live music and dancing until the magic moment when the gigantic floats arrive. For more information, go here.

    Keith Urban is set to appear on HSN November 15th to debut his new Night Star URBAN Guitar Collection. 

     

  • KEITH URBAN AND DIERKS BENTLEY WIN EARLY CMA AWARDS. (NEWS)

    Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley have already picked up a CMA Award each this morning. Keith won for Musical Event of the Year for his duet “We Were Us” with Miranda Lambert, while Dierks (and “Captain Holden Johnson”) earned Music Video of the Year for “Drunk on a Plane,” which was directed by Wes Edwards.

    The two winners were revealed as ABC’s Good Morning America broadcast live from downtown Nashville outside the Bridgestone Arena.

    Keith performed several of his hits on the program including “Stupid Boy” and “Good Thing” from his CMA-nominated album Fuse.

    In other CMA-related news, more presenters have been added, including Darius Rucker, Kip Moore, supermodel Lilly Aldridge, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Brandy Clark, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Martina McBride, Nashville star Connie Britton, Lucy Hale, Tim Tebow and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.

    It’s also been revealed that Jennifer Nettles, Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott and Hunter Hayes will perform with the legendary Doobie Brothers during the show.

    The rest of the CMA Awards winners will be announced tonight during the 48th Annual CMA Awards, which will air live at 8pm ET from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on ABC.

     

  • VINCE GILL IS NAMED BMI ICON AT THIS YEAR’S BMI AWARDS. (PRESS RELEASE)

    Press

    [[1]]NASHVILLE, November 5, 2014 – Broadcast Music, Inc.®, (BMI®), a global leader in music rights management, presented the 2014 BMI Country Awards, honoring the prolific songwriting career of BMI Icon Vince Gill, as well as the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year last night in Nashville. The 62nd annual event, which is the genre’s oldest awards ceremony, also celebrated the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed country songs of the past year. BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill hosted the ceremony with Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville; and Clay Bradley, BMI Assistant Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville.

    Gill, who was named this year’s BMI Icon, joins an elite list of songwriters who have had “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” and was honored with a tribute from three fellow musicians: Keith Urban, Ashley Monroe and Michael McDonald. Ashley Monroe serenaded attendees with “Whenever You Come Around.” Urban performed “I Still Believe In You,” and Michael McDonald gave his heartbreaking rendition of “When I Call Your Name.” Urban and Monroe closed out the set with a raucous version of the perennial Vince Gill classic “Liza Jane.”

    Rhett Akins was named Songwriter of the Year, with writing credits on seven of the most-performed songs of the past year, including “Boys Round Here,” recorded by Blake Shelton featuring Pistol Annies, “Hey Girl” by Billy Currington, “I Can Take It From There” by Chris Young, “It Goes Like This” by Thomas Rhett, “Parking Lot Party” by Lee Brice, “Point at You” by Justin Moore and “When She Says Baby” by Jason Aldean.

    Darius Rucker’s hit “Wagon Wheel,” penned by Ketch Secor, won the coveted Song of the Year award. Published by Blood Donor Music, “Wagon Wheel” was one of the most-performed country songs of the year.

    Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville continued their winning streak of more than a decade, again taking home the Publisher of the Year accolade. Responsible for 28 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, Sony/ATV published megahits such as Luke Bryan’s “Drink a Beer,” Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck,” Cole Swindell’s “Chillin’ It,” and many more. During the ceremony, BMI also saluted the songwriters and publishers of the 50 most-performed country songs of the previous year.

    For a complete list of 2014 BMI Country Awards winners, please visit www.bmi.com/country. 

    Photo and video footage can be accessed via the official EPKlink early Wednesday morning: www.image.net/BMICountryAwards2014
    Media can also access high-resolution photos and event information at http://www.bmi.com/press/login– (username: bmimedia; password: songwriter).   

  • ALAN JACKSON RECEIVES THE PRESTIGIOUS ASCAP HERITAGE AWARD. (PRESS RELEASE)

    Press

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 4, 2014) Hit singer/songwriter and country superstar Alan Jackson was presented the first-everASCAP Heritage Award last night at the 52nd Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards in Nashville. Jackson earned the title of most performed country music songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years. The award was presented by ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board Paul Williams and special guest presenter Connie Bradley in commemoration of ASCAP’s first 100 years.

    The honor included a video tribute that highlighted some of Jackson’s career milestones, as well as interviews with music industry luminaries who were instrumental in launching his career including ASCAP Board member Barry Coburn, former Arista Records head Tim DuBois and longtime producer Keith Stegall.

    The EMI Nashville superstar, who attended with wife Denise, was markedly surprised and honored saying, “I don’t even know what to say. I’m just an old country boy that’s had a lot of blessings. Like I’ve said before, I’m just a singer of simple songs and came [to Nashville] to sing country songs and songwriting means more to me than anything.”

    He added saying to his peers of artists, songwriters and music industry colleagues in the room, “Try to remember it’s about the music. Try not to look at those charts.”

    Alan Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music.  He is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who’ve written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts.  Jackson is one of the best-selling artists since the inception of SoundScan, ranking alongside the likes of Eminem and Metallica.

    Jackson kicks off his 25th Anniversary KEEPIN’ IT COUNTRY TOUR on January 8 in Fort Myers, FL. The tour, sponsored by Kubota Tractor Corporation, includes Capitol Records Nashville’s Jon Pardi and Grammy/CMA/ACM nominated hit singer/songwriter Brandy Clark.

    Jackson’s tour is an extension of the already year-long 25th anniversary celebration which kicked off this summer with the opening of his exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, Alan Jackson: 25 Years of Keepin’ It Country, which will run through March 2015. Last month the multi-platinum selling Grammy winner played two record-breaking sold out shows at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater making him the first simultaneous artist-in-residence and major museum exhibit subject.

    In his 25-year career, Jackson has been steadfast in his love for traditional music while enjoying major chart success.  Since signing his record deal in June 1989, he has sold nearly 60 million albums worldwide and ranks as one of the 10 best-selling country artists of all-time. He has released more than 60 singles—registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboard #1s).  He has earned more than 150 music industry awards—including 18 Academy of Country Music Awards, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of Grammys and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards.  He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.  

  • KEITH URBAN GETS ‘FRONT AND CENTER.’ (PRESS RELEASE)

    Press

    November 3, 2014 (New York)… Front and Center will debut the sixth episode from its current season, with CMA Entertainer of The Year nominee and Grammy Award winning Country superstar Keith Urban, on Tuesday, November 4th on public television (check local listings).  The concert, filmed at New York City’s prestigious Highline Ballroom featured an electrifying set of #1 hits, as well as his most recent chart-topper “Cop Car” and his latest single, “Somewhere In My Car” from his CMA nominated Album of the Year FUSE.
    Front and Center is the critically-acclaimed concert series that was launched in the Spring of 2012.  The original one hour, commercial-free, all-music program airs nationwide on public television.  Through the years, it has presented an eclectic mix of Grammy and CMA Award winning, multi-platinum selling musical icons and chart toppers.
     
    Keith Urban’s fourth #1 album, FUSE, marked the first time that a Country artist has debuted atop the all-genre charts in three countries (United States, Canada, and Australia). This year Urban has been nominated for four Country Music Awards including the coveted Entertainer of the Year, along with Album of the Year for FUSE, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Musical Event for his duet with Miranda Lambert on “We Were Us,” a song that landed Urban his 16th #1 single.  He will be performing live at the 48th Annual CMA Awards airing November 5th at 8pm ET on ABC at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

    Front and Center is a production of Front and Center Entertainment, LLC in association with WLIW21 for WNET, and distributed by American Public Television.

    For more information on the     Front and Center music series please visit www.frontandcenter.com and check out the YouTube page at www.youtube.com/frontandcentertv.

  • SAM HUNT SCORES HIS FIRST NO. 1 SINGLE AS AN ARTIST AND HOISTS SOME HEAVY METAL TOO! (AUDIO)

    Audio

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Monday, November 3, 2014) – Sam Hunt’s lead single “Leave the Night On,” off his major label debut album MONTEVALLO, lands at No. 1 on both the Billboard and MediaBase charts this week making it Hunt’s first chart-topping single as an artist.  The song also becomes Hunt’s first RIAA-certified Platinum title, registering more than 1 Million in sales. Written by Hunt, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, “Leave the Night On” was the highest debuting new artist single in the history of Country Aircheck and quickly made its way to the peak position.

    “Leave the Night On” is Hunt’s third No. 1 as a songwriter following “Come Over” recorded by Kenny Chesney and “We Are Tonight” recorded by Billy Currington. Additional writer credits include Keith Urban’s recent Top 10 “Cop Car.”

    On his latest No. 1, Hunt shares, “I’m really excited that folks have connected to ‘Leave the Night On’ the way they have. This past year has been a wild ride and I can’t wait to see what the future has to hold.”

    The No. 1 single leads the way for Hunt’s recent Oct. 27 album release, MONTEVALLO, on MCA Records Nashville. In support of last week’s release, Hunt performed on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “Live with Kelly & Michael,” as well as an exclusive in-studio performance for iHeart Radio.

    Identified as the “next big artist,” Hunt is the current talent focus of VEVO’s LIFT program and he was recently named winner of Spotify’s Emerge program, a first for a country artist.

    Fans can find Hunt out on the road with Kip Moore and Charlie Worsham on the CMT ON TOUR: UP IN SMOKE Tour.

    For more information, tour dates, images and music, please visit www.SamHunt.com. 
    facebook.com/SamHuntMusic | twitter.com/SamHuntMusic | instagram.com/SamHuntMusic

    Audio / Sam Hunt (Leave the Night On) 1

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    AUDIO: Sam Hunt describes what’s happening in his debut single, “Leave the Night On.”

    Sam Hunt (Leave the Night On) 1 OC: …the night. :15
    “It’s a song about a guy who’s with a girl, and they’ve had a good evening and they’re creeping up on the normal time to go separate ways, but neither of them want to end the night yet. So, they continue their adventure on into the late hours of the night.” 

     

  • LUKE BRYAN RELEASES NEW SINGLE TODAY. (AUDIO)

    Audio

    Luke Bryan releases his new single, “I See You” on Monday (November 3rd). It’s the sixth single from his CMA-nominated, platinum-selling album, Crash My Party. 

    When choosing the first single from his Crash My Party album, Luke and his team went back and forth on whether to release the title track or “I See You.” They’re both huge songs, and Luke says he always thought it would be a huge single for him.

    “I do believe that ‘I See You’ is a huge single. It has everything of that emotion of it’s got that youthful lyric, kind of almost a hip-hop lyric and then that big ole chorus that really kind of jumps off the speakers at you,” he says. “And then that ‘jumping up and down with the band,’ that’s so melodic and hooky and catchy.”

    Luke is nominated for Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year at this week’s CMA Awards. The48th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 5th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Audio / Luke Bryan (I See You)

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    AUDIO: Luke Bryan talks about “I See You,” a song he co-wrote that appears on his CMA-nominated album, Crash My Party.

    Luke Bryan (I See You) OC: …riff. :36
    “‘I See You’ and ‘Crash My Party’ were the two that we were going back and forth with on what should be the [first] single, and we chose ‘Crash My Party,’ and I do believe that ‘I See You’ is a huge single. It has everything of that emotion of it’s got that youthful lyric, kind of almost a hip-hop lyric and then that big ole chorus that really kind of jumps off the speakers at you. And then that ‘jumping up and down with the band,’ that’s so melodic and hooky and catchy. And then the one thing that stands out is that big guitar riff.”  

     

  • LADY A, KACEY, LUKE, KEITH AND DIERKS HELP ROBIN ROBERTS COUNT DOWN TO THE CMA AWARDS. (ABC NEWS RADIO)

    From ABC News Radio:

    The new ABC special, Countdown to the CMA Awards: 15 Songs That Changed Country Music, premieres Monday night (November 3rd), and will feature performances from Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Kacey Musgraves and Martina McBride. Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw will also appear during the special talking about what makes these 15 songs so essential to the evolution of country music.

    While the complete list is being kept under wraps until the show airs, we can tell you Alan Jackson‘s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” made the cut along with Kenny Rogers‘ classic, “The Gambler.”

    Luke Bryan talks about that track on the special. He says, “I remember having an 8-track player in my room listening to the “The Gambler” as a kid. Kenny Rogers was just the man. Nobody was cooler. Nobody was smoother. Nobody had it figured out quite like Kenny Rogers did.”

    In compiling the list, host Robin Roberts and her team consulted with country music insiders and today’s country stars on which songs should be included. Things got pretty heated as they decided on the final 15 songs.

    Lady Antebellum sings the #15 song on ABC’s Countdown to the CMA Awards: 15 Songs That Changed Country Music, airing Monday night at 10 ET. The 48th Annual CMA Awards air live Wednesday, November 5th at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.