NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (Aug. 7, 2014) — Delivering cool relief for everyone sweating out the long hot summer, EMI Records Nashville recording artist Eric Church will debut the new music video for his current hit single, “Cold One,” in three stages over the next few days.  

On Friday, Aug. 8, the music video will debut exclusively for members of his fan club, The Church Choir, at EricChurch.com. 

On Saturday, Aug. 9 and Sunday, Aug. 10, anyone who visits EricChurch.com and enters their e-mail address or social login will be able to unlock “Cold One” for viewing and be eligible to win a Church-branded Yeti cooler.

On Monday, Aug. 11, “Cold One” will be available on CMT, GAC, VEVO, and all other music video outlets.

“Cold One” features the CMA and ACM Award winner along with his band members Jeff Cease, Lee Hendricks, Jeff Hyde, Driver Williams and Craig Wright in both performance and acting roles. Directed by Peter Zavadil, the music video was shot at a beer warehouse and bar outside Nashville.  “Cold One” was written by Church, Hyde, and Lynn Hutton and is featured on Church’s current album The Outsiders. 

“Cold One” will undoubtedly be an audience favorite when Church launches his highly-anticipated The Outsiders World Tour at the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, LA on Sept. 11. The first leg of the tour will take place throughout Sept.-Dec. in the U.S. and Canada and is exclusively promoted by Louis Messina of The Messina Group/AEG Live. The dates for the first leg of The Outsiders World Tour with special guest Dwight Yoakam (#TheOutsidersLive) are as follows:  

Sept. 11 | Bossier City, LA | CenturyLink Center*

Sept. 12 | Little Rock, AR | Verizon Arena*

Sept. 13 | St. Louis, MO | Scottrade Center*

Sept. 16 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center*

Sept. 17 | Des Moines, IA | Wells Fargo Arena*

Sept. 18 | Omaha, NE | CenturyLink Center*

Sept. 25 | Louisville, KY | KFC Yum! Center*

Sept. 26 | Charleston, WV | Charleston Civic Center*

Sept. 27 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum*

Oct. 9 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena*

Oct. 10 | Cleveland, OH | Quicken Loans Arena*

Oct. 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | Consol Energy Center*

Oct. 16 | Charlottesville, VA | John Paul Jones Arena**

Oct. 17 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden**         

Oct. 18 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center**

Oct. 23 | Manchester, NH | Verizon Wireless Arena**

Oct. 24 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun**

Oct. 25 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun**

Oct. 30 | Knoxville, TN |Thompson-Boling Arena**

Oct. 31 | Memphis, TN | FedExForum**   

Nov. 1 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center**  

Nov. 13 | London, ON | Budweiser Gardens**

Nov. 14 | Hamilton, ON | FirstOntario Centre**

Nov. 15 | Ottawa, ON | Canadian Tire Centre**

Nov. 20 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center

Nov. 21 | Peoria, IL | Peoria Civic Center***

Nov. 22 | Evansville, IN | The Ford Center***

Dec. 4 | Wichita, KS | INTRUST Bank Arena***

Dec. 5 | Kansas City, MO | Sprint Center

Dec. 6 | Sioux Falls, SD | Denny Sanford Premier Center***

Dec. 11 | Atlanta, GA | The Arena at Gwinnett Center***

Dec. 12 | Greenville, SC | Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Dec. 13 | Birmingham, AL | BJCC Arena***

All dates with special guest Dwight Yoakam

*denotes Brothers Osborne

**denotes Brandy Clark

***denotes Halestorm

For more information, visit www.ericchurch.com. 

Eric Church (Cold One) 2 OC: …it’s fun. :22
“It’s light-hearted, and I feel like when you hear ‘[The] Outsiders’ and ‘A Man That’s Gonna Die Young’ [from the album], it can come across as, ‘This guy’s taking himself really seriously.’ And I think you need ‘Cold One’ to kind of have a chuckle and go, ‘Oh, it’s okay. This is music. We’re having a good time. Let’s laugh.’ It’s not so focused on the art part that you lose having a good time, and that’s what that song to me sets up is it’s fun.”

Friends of Georgia Music Festival, Inc. proudly announces the

36th Annual Georgia Music Hall of FameSM Awards Inductees!

Awards show scheduled for October 11, 2014 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

2014 Inductees include Danny Beard, Jeff Foxworthy, Lady Antebellum,

Francine Reed, Ed Roland, Wet Willie among others.

Atlanta, GA . . . . . An illustrious line-up of celebrated music VIPs and luminaries will be honored in to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 11, 2014 in the Georgia Ballroom at the Georgia World Congress Center, downtown Atlanta.

The awards telecast will be televised live by GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) and will showcase Georgia’s broad spectrum of talent all in one magical evening. The evening will begin with a VIP Red Carpet and Governor’s Reception, a seated Gala Dinner, followed by the main event filled with tributes, salutes and exclusive performances, and the highly anticipated GEORGY™ Awards Show. Posthumous inductees honored this year include: Sean Costello, Wally Fowler, Eddie Horst, Bobby Byrd and Frank Fenter.

Dr. Bobbie Bailey, President of Friends of Georgia Music Festival, Inc. went on record to say “This year’s show promises to be a great success. Multi GRAMMY® Award Winning” Lady Antebellum will be presented the Performer Award along with multi-platinum Collective Soul’s Ed Roland (Songwriter Award recipient), legendary blues songstress Francine Reed (Pioneer Award recipient), southern rock chart toppers Wet Willie (Group Award recipient) along with other inductees including multi-talented celebrity funny man Jeff Foxworthy (Spoken Word Award recipient) and important music industry game-changer Danny Beard (non-performer). We are excited to continue recognizing Georgia’s outstanding contributions to the music industry as we have done for 36 years”.

Performers, Presenters, Honorees, and Entertainment VIPs will walk the Red Carpet beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 11.  For early arrivals, a cash bar will open at 6:00 p.m.  The Dinner will begin at 6:45 p.m. followed by the live Georgy Awards Telecast at 8:00 p.m. The event is ON SALE NOW!  For ticket/table sales, advertising and/or sponsorship information call 770-491-9494 Ext 15 or gamusicawards@ers.us.com.

Non-Performer Award – Danny Beard Founder of Atlanta, GA based independent music record label DB Recs, has been a major player in the music scene in Georgia.  In 1978, he took it upon himself to help out his friends from Athens, GA.  He recorded their single “Rock Lobster”, and thus the B-52s were born on record, one could also say that DB Recs was born because of the B-52s. Other groups appearing on his label included Pylon, the Jody Grind, Fetchin’ Bones, Swimming Pool Q’s and Guadalcanal Diary. Through the ‘80s, DB Recs became known as a source of great southern regional music.  DB Recs headquarters still reside in the Wax N Facts record store in Little Five Points.

Spoken Word Award – Jeff Foxworthy One of the most respected and successful comedians in the country.  He is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple GRAMMY Award nominee, and the bestselling author of more than 26 books.  Jeff has starred in numerous television shows, most recently hosting The American Bible Challenge.  He was the creator of the wildly successful Blue Collar Comedy Tour and the three concert films and a television show of the same name.  Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature, a style that has been compared to Mark Twain’s. 

Performer Award – Lady Antebellum  Seven-time GRAMMY award-winning group Lady Antebellum is currently out on the road as part of their headlining 2014 TAKE ME DOWNTOWN TOUR, which will hit almost 80 cities in the US and Canada across the course of the year. The trio recently dropped their sultry new single “Bartender” that is climbing the charts, off their upcoming album, 747, out Sept. 30.  The new album follows over 11 million albums worldwide, eight trips to No. one on the country radio charts, five Platinum singles and Lady A has won the “Vocal Group of the Year” honor from both the CMA and from the ACM’s three years in a row.  In 2011, the city of Augusta opened the Lady Antebellum Pavilion in honor of the trio and its Georgia natives Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley. For more information, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

Pioneer Award – Francine Reed Known to most of the world as Lyle Lovett’s duet and back-up vocalist, Reed, has been singing professionally since she was a child. Reed’s two albums for Atlanta-based label, Ichiban, include I Want You to Love Me (1995) and Can’t Make It on My Own (1996). In 1999, on the Intersound label, she released Shades of Blue. In 2001, Reed recorded some of her best material live in the studio and released as I Got a Right!…To Some of My Best.  Reed has appeared on recordings with Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, and others.  Still residing in Atlanta, she frequently performs at Blind Willie’s in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood.

Songwriter Award – Ed Roland For the past two decades, Atlanta native Ed Roland has been the front man and heart of the platinum-selling rock band Collective Soul. He has written seven #1 radio hits and sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.   Ed’s newest musical endeavor, Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project released their debut album, Devils n’ Darlins in 2013. In 2014 Collective Soul is performing around the globe on an extensive world tour celebrating the band’s 20th anniversary and forthcoming 9th studio album, See What You Started by Continuing, due to release in spring of 2015. Roland studied guitar and songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is the recipient of several good will accolades including Usher’s 2013 New Look Foundation Youth Catalyst Award. He currently lives in Sandy Springs, GA with his wife and youngest of two sons and enjoys golf and contributing to local charitable organizations.

Group Award – Wet Willie Formed in Mobile, Alabama in 1969, but relocated to Macon, Georgia and signed with Capricorn Records in 1970. Their self-titled debut LP introduced listeners to vocalist Jimmy Hall’s brand of R&B-infused rock and roll swagger, and became a regional hit. The group’s national breakthrough came with 1974’s “Keep On Smilin’,” which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard singles chart. After five albums with Capricorn, they moved to Epic Records in 1977, carrying the singles “Street Corner Serenade” and “Weekend” to the Top 40. After a hiatus in the 1980s, Wet Willie regrouped, and continues to perform today.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A mega-selling country band, a Stockbridge-born rocker and a comedian who found a gold mine with redneck jokes are among those being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

The 2014 ceremony, slated for Oct. 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center, will honor Lady Antebellum, whose members Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley hail from Augusta; Jeff Foxworthy; Ed Roland of Collective Soul; Francine Reed; Wet Willie; and Danny Beard, founder of Atlanta-based DB Records.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had an honor like this before,” said Lady Antebellum’s Haywood. “I’ve never heard Lady Antebellum and hall of fame in the same sentence. It’s a unique feeling. What an honor.”

The much-lauded country band (seven Grammys, numerous Country Music Association Awards) is based in Nashville, Tenn. But Haywood said he and Kelley, friends since attending middle and high school in Augusta and college at the University of Georgia, feel that “so much of our group and sound has been formed” in Georgia.

The guys, whose families still reside in Augusta, have also christened bandmate Hillary Scott an “honorary Georgian.”

“She’s spent a lot of time there, in Atlanta and Athens. We’ve shown her the Georgia Theatre and Eddie’s Attic,” Haywood said.

Lady Antebellum will likely perform a couple of songs at the 36th annual ceremony.

The inductees are chosen each year by members of the nonprofit Friends of Georgia Music Festival organization, which celebrates individuals who have made a significant contribution to Georgia’s musical traditions.

Here is a look at the honorees:

Danny Beard, Non-Performer Award: Beard is the founder of the Atlanta-based independent record label DB Records. In 1978, he helped out some friends in Athens and recorded their single, “Rock Lobster,” and the B-52s were born. Other groups on his label included the Jody Grind, Fetchin’ Bones and Swimming Pool Q’s. DB Records is headquartered in the Wax ‘n’ Facts record store in Little Five Points.

Jeff Foxworthy, Spoken Word Award: The Atlanta native is the largest-selling comedy recording artist in history and is the best-selling author of more than 26 books. Foxworthy created the successful “Blue Collar Comedy” tour — with its penchant for Southern humor — and hosts “The American Bible Challenge” on the Game Show Network.

Lady Antebellum, Performer Award: Though the band is based in Nashville, members Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley are Augusta born. The Grammy-winning trio also includes Hillary Scott. Lady A has sold more than 11 million albums and will release its latest, “747,” on Sept. 30.

Francine Reed, Pioneer Award: Her stunning blues vocals are a thing of legend in Atlanta, where Reed resides (she frequently performs at Blind Willie’s in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood). She’s best known for her work with Lyle Lovett, but some of Reed’s own work (“I Want You to Love Me,” “Can’t Make It on My Own”) arrived via the Atlanta-based record label Ichiban.

Ed Roland, Songwriter Award: A native of Stockbridge, Roland is renowned for his passionate vocals as the frontman of Collective Soul. The band is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and plans to release its ninth studio album, “See What You Started by Continuing,” in the spring. Though known as the voice behind hits “Shine,” “December” and “The World I Know,” Roland also stays busy with his rootsier side band, Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project.

Wet Willie, Group Award: The band formed in Mobile, Ala., in 1969, but moved to Macon and signed with Capricorn Records in 1970. Their breakthrough came with 1974’s “Keep on Smilin’,” which showcased the R&B vocals of Jimmy Hall. Wet Willie went on hiatus in the ‘80s, but has regrouped and continues to perform regularly.

Posthumous Inductees are Sean Costello, Wally Fowler, Eddie Horst, Bobby Byrd and Frank Fenter.

Lady Antebellum is lending a hand as the Grand Ole Opry kick off their Birthday Bash Weekend October 10th. Trace Adkins and Craig Morgan will also perform.

Easton Corbin is set to perform at the Chicago White Sox’s “Country Music Night” August 15^th as they feature the Grand Ole Opry. The acoustic performance takes place prior to Chicago’s home game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

TUBE CHECK: Luke Bryan performs during Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series Friday (August 8th).

Kacey Musgraves is enjoying some heavy metal – her debut single, “Merry Go ‘Round,” has been certified platinum, “Follow Your Arrow” and her album, Same Trailer Different Park, have been certified gold, selling more than 500,000 copies.

“Man, I’ve been so lucky from day one to be able to just do what I do and follow my gut and my instincts,” says Kacey. “I’m very excited to be able to represent country music right now.”

The Texas native recently took to her Twitter account to show her excitement about all of the certifications.

“Wow!! Just found out about Same Trailer going gold and Merry Go ‘Round going PLATINUM!! I can’t believe it. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!”

“Does this mean a gold tooth is now appropriate?”

Kacey is closing in on Top 30 with her latest single, “Keep It To Yourself.”

Kacey performs in San Francisco on Friday (August 8th) and then heads to Grand Rapids, Michigan to join the Prismatic World Tour Sunday (August 10th).

Kacey Musgraves (excited about making music) OC: …right now. :24
“Man, I’ve been so lucky from day one to be able to just do what I do and follow my gut and my instincts. And I’m lucky to have a team around me that trusts me and I trust them, and that’s such a huge part of this. Nobody’s trying to change anybody here. We’re just kinda trying to make music, and I’m very excited to be able to represent country music right now.”

Time really flies – would you believe that Dierks Bentley’s daughter, Evie, is going to be six-years-old in a couple of months? And sister Jordan is already three! Their proud papa tells us they’re active kids, something most parents can identify with. “My girls are playing soccer,” he says…but they’re also showing some musical leanings! “They’re playing the piano and fiddle – it feels good,” he says with a smile.

Of course, Dierks and his wife, Cassidy, are also parents to 10-month-old son, Knox. “Three’s a lot,” he admits. “I tell anyone who has two, two is a fine number. Three is…is a lot.”

Dierks has climbed into the Top 3 on the charts this week – headed to No. 1 – with his latest, “Drunk On a Plane.”

Newcomer Sam Hunt is making waves with his debut single, “Leave the Night On” – the song is about to crack the Top 20 and is just the latest example of Sam’s skills as a writer, as well as a performer. Though it does incorporate what Sam describes as “a little more of a progressive sound,” he explains that his songwriting is nothing but “country.” “What I’m drawn to as a songwriter is the storytelling and the images and the lyrics that are more prevalent in country music,” he explains. “Even though musically I might experiment…I think the lyrics and the storytelling and the songwriting are pretty well anchored in traditional country music.”

“Leave the Night On” is the first taste of what’s to come on Sam’s forthcoming debut album.

Want more evidence of Sam’s songwriting skills? This week he’s celebrating another milestone: Billy Currington’s “We Are Tonight,” which Sam co-wrote, is the number-one country song in America!

If you’ve been waiting for some new music from Sam, you won’t have to wait long. He’ll release X2C to all digital partners on August 12th. X2C, a four-track preview to his major label album debut due out October 27th on MCA Records Nashville, includes his current Top 25 and climbing single, “Leave The Night On.” 

Billy Currington scored his ninth No. 1 single with “We Are Tonight” this week, as it tops both the Country Aircheck and Billboard country charts. The song is from his latest album of the same name, and it was co-written by MCA Nashville’s Sam Hunt.

Billy says performing the song has become his favorite moment in the live show. “When I first heard ‘We Are Tonight,’ I thought was, ‘Man, here’s a song I can take to the arenas and play it and get that arena-effect of people chanting the song and singing it back, and it just be a huge moment in the show,’” he says. “But now that it’s been a hit, it’s right now the favorite moment in the show. I mean it’s going really great.”

This weekend, Billy’s taking his No. 1 hit and the rest of his songs to the West Coast.

Billy Currington (WAT favorite moment in show) OC: …pretty nice. :21
“When I first heard ‘We Are Tonight,’ I thought was, ‘Man, here’s a song I can take to the arenas and play it and get that arena-effect of people chanting the song and singing it back, and it just be a huge moment in the show.’ But now that it’s been a hit, it’s right now the favorite moment in the show. I mean it’s going really great. It’s pretty nice.”

Little Big Town will once again host ABC-TV’s special, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, for the second year in a row.  While the band felt a little more at ease this year, there was one aspect that made them a little bit nervous. “We had to interview people this time,” says LBT’s Karen Fairchild. “Kimberly [Schlapman] and I were so bad with the Tim McGraw interview. I don’t know how they’re gonna edit that. We just turned into giggly schoolgirls.” Kimberly agrees – “I think they’re gonna overdub us. They’re gonna bring somebody else in.” KAREN: “We just turned into giggly schoolgirls.”

The band says the “hardest part” of hosting this year’s special were the interviews. “There’s something that happens when you say, ‘Okay, interview someone,’” says Jimi Westbrook. “I guess the thing to do is to get to the point where you’re comfortable and it is just like you’re hanging out, but it’s hard to get to that because it just feels so formal, like me with the microphone. I’d put it out there at the wrong time. It was so awkward and awful.”

The show will feature performances by Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Eric Church with Lzzy Hale, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley and Keith Urban, as well as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, Jake Owen, The Band Perry, Hunter Hayes, Cole Swindell, Zac Brown Band with Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) and Justin Moore with Vince Neil and Nikki six of Motley Crue.

CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock was filmed during this year’s CMA Music Festival in June, and it’ll air Tuesday (August 5th) at 8pm ET – 11pm ET on ABC.

LBT (CMA Music Fest-hosting 2nd year) OC: (Kimberly) …there is none. :40
KAREN: “We felt a lot better about it this year (PHILLIP AND KIMBERLY: “Yeah.”), ‘cause we knew kind of what to expect. Last year we were so nervous, ‘cause it’s one thing to sing, but it’s another, like we had to interview people this time.” KIMBERLY: “Oh, forget it!” KAREN: “Kimberly and I were so bad with the Tim McGraw interview. I don’t know how they’re gonna edit that.” KIMBERLY: [JIMI LAUGHS] “I don’t know. I think they’re gonna overdub us. They’re gonna bring somebody else in.” KAREN: “We just turned into giggly schoolgirls.” KIMBERLY: “Yeah, we did. We giggled too much.” KAREN: “We measured his body fat. That was the highlight.” JIMI: [laughs] “See, that’s just abusing your power. That’s what that is.” KAREN: “We asked Faith [Hill] first, like what to ask him, and she gave us a little insight. She said he didn’t have any body fat. [laughs]” KIMBERLY: “Yes, she did. She said, ‘There is none.’”

LBT (CMA Music Fest-interviews) OC: …interviewers, I mean. :49
KAREN: “I think the hardest part was interviewing our friends. I don’t know why it was so hard.” JIMI: “There’s something that happens when you say, ‘Okay, interview someone.’ I guess the thing to do is to get to the point where you’re comfortable and it is just like you’re hanging out, but it’s hard to get to that because it just feels so formal. Like me with the microphone, I’d put it out there at the wrong time. It was so awkward and awful.” [laughs]  KAREN: “You interviewed Luke, and then he signed the People’s sexiest man cover for you, didn’t he?” [laughs] JIMI: “He gave it to me. He said, ‘Keep working. You’ll get there.’” [laughs] PHILLIP: “We tried to put in as much humor as possible, just to keep it, because we can’t take ourselves too seriously as hosts or interviews, interviewees or interviewers, I mean.”

Lady A (Fan Fair memory-Hillary) OC: …extra special. :28
“I have memories of it being at the fairgrounds with no air conditioning and actually helping take photos of the fans with my mom. I would help, I would like stand and take everybody’s camera. So, I was a part of it. And I actually, in high school, volunteered at the City of Hope softball game for a couple of years. Born and raised in Nashville, this has been a part of my life my whole life, so now to be a part of it as an artist is extra special.”

Darius Rucker (CMA Music Fest) OC: …part of it. :10
“The way the fans are so close and you get to see the fans all week, and then you come here [to the stadium shows], and you’re on a bill that would cost a million dollars somewhere, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”