Dierks Bentley recently taped a new installment of CMT Crossroads One Republic where they shared vocals on each other’s songs. Dierks is a longtime fan of the band, and in fact, still considers their recent album one of his all-time favorites.

“People who know me know I’m a huge One Republic fan. I think their records are really great,” says Dierks. “I think Ryan’s a great writer, Ryan Tedder, and that Native album was like the album of 2013 for me. I mean it’s still in heavy rotation on my phone.”

The two acts met for the first time when they went in to rehearse for the show. They performed One Republic’s “Counting Stars” and “Good Life,” as well as Dierks’ current hit “I Hold On,” and his bluegrass offering “Up on the Ridge.”

The pairing happened in nearly record time. “It was just so weird for my manager to call me and say, ‘Do you want to do Crossroads with One Republic?’ I was like, ‘Yeah! Are you serious?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, but we have to do it quick because they’re going to Europe, so we’ve got about, we have to do it in about six days.’ And I was like, ‘Okay. [I’ve got to] start woodshedding.’”

CMT Crossroads featuring Dierks and One Republic will air on Friday (March 21st) at 10pm ET on CMT.

Dierks Bentley (CMT Crossroads) OC: …start woodshedding.” :54
“I love the CMT Crossroads concept. I think it’s amazing and there’s been amazing Crossroads, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of it, and John Hamlin and the CMT folks have always been pulling for me to do it, and asking me and throwing different artists at me and bands. There were a few that were really close, but ever felt like the right one, and I really wanted to hold out for just the right band. And then I just kind of forgot about pursuing it, you know? A couple of years go by and just hadn’t thought about doing it in a while, and in the meantime, I’m a huge, people who know me know I’m a huge One Republic fan. I think their records are really great. I think Ryan’s a great writer, Ryan Tedder, and that Native album was like the album of 2013 for me. I mean it’s still in heavy rotation on my phone. It was just so weird for my manager to call me and say, ‘Do you want to do Crossroads with One Republic?’ I was like, ‘Yeah! Are you serious?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, but we have to do it quick because they’re going to Europe, so we’ve got about, we have to do it in about six days.’ And I was like, ‘Okay. [I’ve got to] start woodshedding.’”

Luke Bryan just released his sixth Spring Break EP, Like We Ain’t Ever, and he says the songs featured on each release frees him up creatively. “I just started writing music without parameters…but with Spring Break, if we wanna drop a little cuss word in there or something, we don’t sweat it, and that frees us up more creatively to where we don’t get too bound by what’s goin’ on when we’re in the writing room,” says Luke. “My whole idea is that 10 years down the road, you know, we’ve done 10 Spring Break albums and two or three of those Spring Break songs went on to become big hits that were kind of quirky songs that were spawned from it, then this whole ride has been a success.”

Luke, who played to more than 230,000 people during his annual Spring Break shows in Panama City Beach last week, just released his new single “Play It Again” from Crash My Party.

Luke Bryan (Spring Break…music without parameters) OC: …creatively. :42
“This whole Spring Break album, I just started writing music without parameters that kind of controls with. But with Spring Break, if we wanna drop a little cuss word in there or something, we don’t sweat it, and that frees us up more creatively to where we don’t get too bound by what’s goin’ on when we’re in the writing room. My whole idea is that 10 years down the road, you know, we’ve done 10 Spring Break albums and two or three of those Spring Break songs went on to become big hits that were kind of quirky songs that were spawned from it, then this whole ride has been a success. It’s fun putting the songs out, so it’s a fun little thing to kind of free yourself up creatively.”

Jon Pardi has released his new single “What I Can’t Put Down,” and before it even made the album, fans would request the song in concert. The crowd response was even a deciding factor when finalizing the track list for his album, Up All Night.

“‘What I Can’t Put Down’…right when we started playing that, man, it was just like a different ballgame after that for the crowd on the live show,” says Jon. “Then guys and girls would be on Twitter [asking for] ‘(Pickin’ Up) What I Can’t Put Down,’ or they would remember it. That’s stuff you cannot ignore that for an album.”

Jon is on the road playing as many dates as he can squeeze in before he hits Las Vegas for the ACM’s Party for a Cause performance April 5th. He’s also been tapped to open for Dierks Bentley on his Riser Tour kicking off May 9th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jon Pardi (What I Can’t Put Down) 2 OC: …album, I think. :22
“‘(Pickin’ Up) What I Can’t Put Down’ – that was our new song to bring to the Justin Moore Outlaws Like Me Tour, and right when we started playing that, man, it was just like a different ballgame after that for the crowd on the live show. Then guys and girls would be on Twitter [asking for] ‘Pickin’ Up What I Can’t Put Down,’ or they would remember it. That’s stuff you cannot ignore that for an album, I think.”

Gary Allan shot the video for his latest single, “It Ain’t the Whiskey,” in a real church in Nashville, and he said it’s probably the favorite video he’s done over the course of his career. “The twist of the video is I tried to make it look like you were going to a funeral like somebody that died, and that’s what your heartaches’ about,” says Gary. “But when you get to the funeral, it turns out it’s a wedding and it’s the girl that you loved, and your heartache is marrying somebody else.”

The California native says it’s actually his “go-to song” when he’s playing acoustic shows. “I didn’t write it, but it’s a powerful song,” says Gary.

Gary has a few dates on the books before he heads to Las Vegas for this year’s ACM Awards next month. He’s nominated for Song of the Year for his No. 1 hit “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).” The 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 6th at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Gary Allan (Whiskey video) OC: …twist in that. :19
“Inside [the church] it almost looks Egyptian, a very funky church. Anyway, I guess the twist of the video is I tried to make it look like you were going to a funeral like somebody that died, and that’s what your heartaches’ about. But when you get to the funeral, it turns out it’s a wedding and it’s the girl that you loved and your heartache is marrying somebody else. So, that was kind of the twist in that.”

Gary Allan (Whiskey song & video) OC: …of a song. :26
“I think the video really fit the song. A lot of times it’s kinda hard, it doesn’t make some sense, but this, I felt like it was right in there with the song. And the song, I didn’t write it, but it’s a powerful song. I’ve had it for about probably three years and I played it by myself in my shows. I played it acoustically. It was my go-to song in the guitar pulls over a hit. I think it’s that powerful of a song.” 

Eric Church, Lady Antebellum with legendary performer Stevie Nicks and Toby Keith have been added the list of performers at this year’s ACM Awards. They join previously announced performers, including Luke Bryan, George Strait, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line and The Band Perry.

Lady A, who are up for four ACM Awards including Vocal Group of the Year, met Stevie Nicks when they paired up for CMT Crossroads last fall.

The 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 6th at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

AUDIO: Hillary Scott explains how Lady Antebellum getting together with Stevie Nicks to film their CMT Crossroads episode was a very natural and organic process.

Lady A (Crossroads-Stevie Nicks’ idea) OC: …her idea. :33
“We had a conference call with her and I was floating afterwards. I mean, this woman is amazing. I mean, she was so kind, so excited, and the way that this all came about is gonna be in the show because it’s a really cool story that we’re gonna sit down and let her kind of tell how it all came about because this wasn’t her management calling our management or CMT trying to call each of us because they had the idea. This was her idea and the way it came about was just very organic and beautiful, but it was her idea.” 

Kacey Musgraves has been having a good time on the road as part of Lady Antebellum’s Take Me Downtown Tour, and she is feeling the love from the trio. “The tour with Lady A has been incredible so far. Those guys and gal are really, really good to me, and they’re champions of not only me, but Kip Moore,” says Kacey. “It’s just a low-key, chill vibe backstage, and Hillary [Scott] has been really, really cool to hang out with, so I’ve been enjoying it.”

Kacey, who just released her new single “Keep It To Yourself,” will have a busy summer. After the Take Me Downtown Tour, The Grammy winner will be opening for Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss, as well as Katy Perry on her Prismatic Tour in August.

Kacey has five nominations at the ACM Awards, including for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (as artist & producer), Song of the Year (“Mama’s Broken Heart” songwriter) and Video of the Year (“Blowin’ Smoke”). The 49th annual ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 6th at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.

Kacey Musgraves (Lady A tour 2014) OC: …enjoying it. :19
“The tour with Lady A has been incredible so far. Those guys and gal are really, really good to me, and they’re champions of not only me, but Kip Moore. It’s been really fun. It’s just a low-key, chill vibe backstage, and Hillary [Scott] has been really, really cool to hang out with, so I’ve been enjoying it.”

Luke Bryan played two free shows at Spinnaker’s Beach Club in Panama City earlier this week to celebrate the release of his new Spring Break 6…Like We Ain’t Ever EP, and more than 230,000 fans came out for the concerts.

He was joined by a correspondent (Jeannie) from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which aired on Thursday (March 13th). He performed “She Get Me High” for the show and for the 110,000 fans who were in attendance for the first of the two concerts.

Luke has been Ellen’s red carpet correspondent on the show a couple of times, as well as appeared on her show over the past few years. “Ellen’s always been a great friend, a great person to work with, and she’s always done an amazing job promoting Country Music,” says Luke.

Luke, who just released his new single “Play It Again,” will also appear on CMT this Saturday (March 15th) with a special showcasing his new Spring Break 6 EP at 1pm ET and Sunday at 10:30a ET.

GAC’s Headline Country was out to cover the happening’s yesterday with Luke and their new entertainment host Stacy McCloud.  Fans can tune in to watch the fun on Thursday, March 20th. He’ll also appear on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown airing Saturday (March 29th).

Luke Bryan (PCB) OC: …into town. :22
“I grew up three hours from Panama City Beach. I think everyone has an attraction to wate and the beach, a lake and rivers and that stuff, and I’ve always been that way. I think the beach just makes you feel good, being out on the water, the salt air and all that stuff. As a boy, we went on vacations there, and there’s nothing like rolling the windows down and smelling the beach when you’re rolling into town.”

Luke Bryan (Ellen DeGeneres) OC: …Country Music. :08
“Ellen’s always been a great friend, a great person to work with, and she’s always done an amazing job promoting Country Music.”

Nashville, TN — March 12, 2014 — MCA Nashville’s Gary Allan has teamed with the Bethesda, MD based Yellow Ribbon Fund and a group of students from Clarksville Academy by sponsoring the Little Heroes Ball in Clarksville, TN this weekend.  The event is designed to replace a bad memory with a great memory while providing wounded warriors and their families with a special evening to remember.

The idea of the Little Heroes Ball resonated with Allan who said, “I’ve met a lot of Wounded Warriors over the years,” says Allan, “but I don’t think people think enough of the impact their injuries have on the whole family, especially their children. I saw an article on this event and it brought that into focus and made me want to help these kids have a night where they could put all the worry behind them.”

The ball is being held at the Clarksville Country Club this Friday.

Those wishing to make donations of money or giveaway items can contact Jessica Allen by email at jessica@yellowribbonfund.org or call 240-223-1180.

To find out more about Yellow Ribbon Fund, visit the website at http://www.yellowribbonfund.org.

Allan is currently on tour and will be attending the ACM Awards in Las Vegas on April 6^th, where he is nominated for ACM Song of the Year for his song, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).”  For more information on Allan, please visit www.garyallan.com.

Check out the latest Webisode Wednesday to find Lady Antebellum‘s Dave Haywood enjoying the annual “Apple Throw” in Calgary. Does he make it? Click on the video below to find out.

Gary Allan performs his latest single, “It Ain’t the Whiskey,” on The Late Show With David Letterman on Tuesday (March 11th), and the show’s host fawned all over him due to the fact that Gary’s nominated for Song of the Year at next month’s ACM Awards.