NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 26, 2014) – George Strait rode into Music City’s Bridgestone Arena Friday on stop 16 of 26 on his two-year record-breaking The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, presented by Quicken Loans with special guest Sheryl Crow. The crowd, a raucous 16,652, welcomed the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and current ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee with overwhelming applause as he opened his nearly two-hour and 30+ song set with the Top 5 hit “The Fireman” – not even one of his 60 No. 1 singles. 

Crow, who joined Strait for Saturday’s Atlanta, Ga. show, too, accompanied Strait during his set on the hits “Here For A Good Time” and “When Did You Stop Loving Me.” Then, as an unannounced surprise to the crowd, Eric Church joined Strait halfway through the set for “Cowboys Like Us.” Upon exit, Strait said, “Eric Church, everybody – we’ll see you in Dallas!” referring to Strait’s tour finale on June 7 at AT&T Stadium.

As if that was not enough—being that it was Nashville—Kenny Chesney sauntered on stage to accompany Strait for the 1983 hit “Amarillo By Morning.” 

Earlier in the evening, UMG Nashville President Mike Dungan presented Strait, who is a 33-plus year veteran of the label MCA Nashville, with an RIAA Certified Platinum Plaque for his 60^th No. 1 single, “Give It All We’ve Got Tonight” from his latest album, Love Is Everything, which features his current Top 40-and-climbing single “I Got A Car.” 

Remaining 2014 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour dates are as follows:
April 4, 2014   INTRUST Bank Arena?Wichita, Kan.

*With special guests Lee Ann Womack and Merle Haggard
April 5, 2014   Pepsi Center?Denver, Colo.
*With special guests Lee Ann Womack and Merle Haggard
April 11, 2014   Moda Center?Portland, Ore.
*With special guest Chris Young
April 12, 2014   Tacoma Dome?Tacoma, Wash.
*With special guest Chris Young
April 18, 2014   Wells Fargo Arena?Des Moines, Iowa
*With special guest Ronnie Dunn
April 19, 2014   BOK Center?Tulsa, Okla.
*With special guest Ronnie Dunn
May 23, 2014   Tiger Stadium?Baton Rouge, La.
*Bayou Country Superfest
May 31, 2014   Gillette Stadium?Foxborough, Mass.
*With special guests Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
June 7, 2014   AT&T Stadium?Arlington, Texas
*With special guests Jason Aldean, Asleep At The Wheel, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Lee Ann Womack 

For more information on Strait’s forthcoming new music and Quicken Loans Presents George Strait’s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour 2014, please visit  www.georgestrait.com. 

Easton Corbin has been in the studio working on his follow-up to 2012’s All Over the Road album, when he hasn’t been on tour. “Clockwork,” the first single from the project, is climbing the country charts, and it’s a little taste of what’s in store for his fans. He was drawn to the song in a couple of different ways, including the fact that he felt most people could relate to it.

“The first time I heard that song, it really grabbed me melodically. I loved that melody, and for me, I guess, being a musician, a lot of times that’s the first thing that really, really grabs me,” says Easton. “Lyrically, it was just as strong, and the subject matter of that song, everybody goes through that at some point in their life, especially us guys…But usually when you think about that stereotypically, you think of the guy calling up the girl, but this time, it’s turned around. It’s a girl calling the guy, which I thought that was kind of interesting.”

In other news, Easton, who recently wrapped up his trek with The Band Perry, has also been performing ‘mini-concerts’ at high schools to help raise awareness for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization.

Easton Corbin (Clockwork) OC: …towards that. :40
“The first time I heard that song, it really grabbed me melodically. I loved that melody, and for me, I guess, being a musician, a lot of times that’s the first thing that really, really grabs me. And I guess second of all, lyrically, it was just as strong and the subject matter of that song, everybody goes through that at some point in their life, especially us guys. And also the subject matter, I hate to say it, but it’s kind of a booty call song – a little bit of that. But usually when you think about that stereotypically, you think the guy calling up the girl, but this time, it’s turned around. It’s a girl calling the guy, which I thought that was kind of interesting, and I just really gravitated towards that.”

Keith Urban has six nominations leading into next month’s ACM Awards, three of which are for “The Highway Don’t Care” with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift, including Vocal Event, Music Video and Single of the Year.

“When I got the call from Tim about playing a solo on this ‘Highway Don’t Care,’ that’s just one of those magical little moments, you know? I mean, when I heard the song, I went, ‘Gol’, this is a great song,’ and I heard it before Taylor was on it,” says Keith. “So, the first time I heard the whole thing completed was on the radio, and it sounded amazing, and I just thought, ‘Gosh, I think this song’s gonna do really well.’”

Keith gets a kick out of the fact he’s nominated for his guitar playing. “I’ve never been nominated so much for a guitar solo in my life,” he laughs.

He’s also up for Male Vocalist of the Year, and he’s competing against himself in the Vocal Event of the Year category with his duet with Miranda Lambert on “We Were Us.” Keith could win a pair of trophies if he won this category since he’s both the artist and producer.

The 49th Annual ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas beginning at 8pm ET/PT delayed April 6th on CBS.

Keith is currently flying up the country charts with his latest single, “Cop Car,” from his latest album, Fuse.

Keith Urban (Highway Don’t Care) OC: …in my life. [laughs] :25
“When I got the call from Tim [McGraw] about playing a solo on this ‘Highway Don’t Care,’ that’s is just one of those magical little moments, you know? I mean, when I heard the song, I went, ‘Gol’, this is a great song,’ and I heard it before Taylor [Swift] was on it. So, the first time I heard the whole thing completed was on the radio, and it sounded amazing, and I just thought, ‘Gosh, I think this song’s gonna do really well.’ I’ve never been nominated so much for a guitar solo in my life.” [laughs]

Nashville, TN – March 24, 2014 – Multi-Platinum artist Dierks Bentley has earned his first No. 1 hit off his seventh studio album RISER, as “I Hold On” tops both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase radio charts this week.

“I was just sitting in my truck looking over at the passenger seat where my dad sat almost 20 years ago when we drove from Phoenix to Nashville at the beginning of this honky tonk dream. He would love that a song inspired from that road trip made it to the top of the country charts,” said Bentley. “I’ve said from the beginning, if you want to know who I am in three minutes and thirty seconds, play this song. The fact that country radio and the fans got on board for this one, and that I’m getting such great feedback to the entire album is so overwhelming. There are a lot of songs on this album I want to get to as singles, and there is no better way to do that than to start off with a big hit. I am really grateful that country radio continues to like what I’m doing and supports me and my music.”

The “sterling anthem that serves as the album’s centerpiece” (American Songwriter) becomes the 11th song to reach the summit for Bentley as both an artist and songwriter and served as the introductory track to his seventh studio album RISER, which continues to earn praise from critics.

“He sounds gritty and time-tested…the catchiest choruses country has heard in a while. Even after seven albums, Bentley finds new ground on Riser, and it’s fertile.” – Billboard

“On his latest, Riser, Dierks Bentley again elevates himself above the rest of the country pack.” – People

“…an album that resurrects personal stories that once defined country music.” – Country Weekly 

Bentley will kick off his headlining 2014 RISER TOUR on May 9 in Charlotte, NC with special guests Chris Young, Chase Rice and Jon Pardi. For a full list of upcoming tour dates and appearances,visit www.dierks.com. 

CHECK OUT A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM DIERKS BELOW.

Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On” climbed to the top of both the Country Aircheck and Billboard country singles charts this week. The song, from his latest album Riser, is his 11th song to hit No. 1, and it’s deeply personal to the father of three.

“These verses are snippets about my life and just things about me, and it’s kind of a song of self-discovery too,” says Dierks. “Who am I after all these years? What’s important to me? Why do I do certain things that I do? Why do I hold on to certain things that I hold onto? It’s a little bit of me trying to figure out who I am.”

Dierks will definitely perform the chart-topping hit when he hits the road on his Riser Tour May 9th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dierks Bentley (I Hold On) 1 OC: …at the end. :33
“It’s so me. It’s so personal, and yet it’s universal at the same time. You know, these verses are snippets about my life and just things about me, and it’s kind of a song of self-discovery too, you know. Who am I after all these years? What’s important to me? Why do I do certain things that I do? Why do I hold on to certain things that I hold onto? It’s a little bit of me trying to figure out who I am, and then the choruses, it’s who we are as Americans, as a people, as human beings, I guess. There are things that we really value and that we hold on to ‘em really tight – faith, love and freedom. In a way, it’s kind of a love song too, kind of wrapping up at the end.”

Luke Bryan is set to take part in another event leading up to this year’s ACM Awards. It’s not a concert or a show, but an event the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year excels in, especially during the winter months. He is heading up his own team – and co-hosting – at Cabela’s Great Outdoor Archery Event at The LINQ in Las Vegas April 5th. His team includes former opening act, Florida Georgia Line, as well as Lee Brice, Tyler Farr, Dustin Lynch and songwriter Dallas Davidson. His fellow co-host Justin Moore is in charge of his team, consisting of Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett, Ashton Shepherd, Chase Rise and Chuck Wicks, among others. You can catch the event live at Cabelas.com/ACM Archery beginning at 12:45pm ET/11:45am CT.

Luke will co-host the 49th Annual ACM Awards with his buddy, Blake Shelton, Sunday, April 6th live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on CBS. In the meantime, you can vote for Luke for Entertainer of the Year at acmvote.com.

Gary Allan hit the top of the country charts last year with “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” which he wrote with Matt Warren and Hillary Lindsey, and the song still keeps resonating with fans and industry alike — the three are nominated for Song of the Year at next month’s ACM Awards. The nomination for “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” means a lot to Gary.

“[It’s] really cool just to be acknowledged as a writer, especially [for] that song,” he says. “That song is a lot of firsts for me. It was first time I’d written a No. 1, first time I’d produced, first time I’d produced something with my band, so there was a lot of personal things that went into that.”

Gary is currently climbing the country charts with his latest single, “It Ain’t the Whiskey,” which is also featured on his album, Set You Free.

Gary Allan (ACM song) OC: …people that you know. :19
“[It’s] really cool just to be acknowledged as a writer, especially [for] that song. That song is a lot of firsts for me. It was first time I’d written a No. 1, first time I’d produced, first time I’d produced something with my band, so there was a lot of personal things that went into that. And I wrote it with some tight friends, so it’s always fun to have success with people that you know.”

As the latest season of American Idol has trimmed down to the Top 10, Keith Urban checks in with us and chats about the synergy between him and the two other judges, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr., as well as how some of the contestants are progressing.

“I think there’s a good synergy between the three of us, certainly for me there is, and that was right there from the beginning. Really from even before we hit the desk on the first show, I just felt like the three of us clicked personality-wise,” says Keith. “I think this far into the show, what I really love is we are very different in how we respond to things and how we articulate what we liked and didn’t like, what needs work and what doesn’t, and I think it’s all valid.”

As far as the contestants go, he finds it very interesting how they’re progressing with the stage presence, artistic expression and vocal abilities. “I love how everyone’s starting to hone their look and the way they move, the way they perform. It’s really getting interesting.”

You can catch Keith on the radio with his latest hit, “Cop Car,” and on the small screen with American Idol, which airs Wednesday nights at 8pm ET and Thursday nights at 9pm ET.

Keith Urban (AI judges 2014) OC: …that we bring. :56
“I think there’s a good synergy between the three of us, certainly for me there is, and that was right there from the beginning. Really from even before we hit the desk on the first show, I just felt like the three of us clicked personality-wise. And I think this far into the show, what I really love is we are very different in how we respond to things and how we articulate what we liked and didn’t like, what needs work and what doesn’t, and I think it’s all valid. You know, ‘cause Harry grew up, and he’ll be the first to talk about this, he grew up in that jazz environment where when people give their comments on what they think of you, it’s not sugar-coated in any way. It’s quite forthright, and that’s how Harry got better and better and better at what he does. So, he delivers his comments the way he would receive them, and I do the same, and Jen does the same, and they’re all very different. So, I love the balance that we bring.”

Keith Urban (AI contestants) OC: …interesting. :27
“I think the large majority of them have improved exponentially. The way they perform and the confidence level. But the confidence level is tricky, ‘cause you can be overconfident too, and that can have its own detrimental result. I love how everyone’s starting to hone their look and the way they move, the way they perform. It’s really getting interesting.”

Billy Currington gives you a behind the scenes look into the We Are Tonight Tour as it kicks off in Tulsa, Oklahoma and makes it’s way through Arkansas and Mississippi.

Dierks Bentley recently taped a new installment of CMT Crossroads One Republic where they traded vocals on each other’s songs, including Dierks’ current hit single, “I Hold On,” and the band’s huge hit “Counting Stars.”

Dierks says he really enjoyed – and misses — the intense studying sessions (which he calls “woodshedding”) a few days prior to filming the show. “You’re digging into someone’s music. It’s one thing to sing it all the time in the gym, working out, but it’s another thing to get down, looking at the lyrics, really studying the music and studying Ryan [Tedder]’s voice and realizing how high he truly sings, you know, like how are we gonna make this work,” says Dierks. “Our two voices are so different. He’s singing up in the rafters, and I’m down here. Is it gonna work? How will it work? Just trying to figure out who’s gonna sing what and splitting the songs up and then thinking about music, and how can we add banjo and fiddle to ‘Counting Stars?’ And how can his guys, he’s got a cello player, can he play on ‘Home?’ You know, just mixing up the music. It was just a week-long of massive musical studying, and now it’s over and it’s like a big, ‘Aw, I miss that.’”

The Phoenix native hopes to work with One Republic again soon. Well, maybe “work” is not the right word to use in this case. “We’d have so much fun on tour. I’ve tried to plant that seed,” says Dierks. “They get a chance to tour in Europe a lot, so I was like, ‘Hey take us to Germany. Let’s go to all the great pubs of Europe tour.’” [laughs]

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

Dierks Bentley (CMT Crossroads) 2 OC: …that project. :54
“I kinda miss it because it reminds me of when I studied to get my instrument rating for my private pilot’s exam. It’s just all the book work going into it. I love that, and that’s the same way it feels like with this. You’re digging into someone’s music. It’s one thing to sing it all the time in the gym, working out, but it’s another thing to get down, looking at the lyrics, really studying the music and studying Ryan [Tedder]’s voice and realizing how high he truly sings, you know, like how are we gonna make this work? Our two voices are so different. He’s singing up in the rafters, and I’m down here. Is it gonna work? How will it work? Just trying to figure out who’s gonna sing what and splitting the songs up and then thinking about music, and how can we add banjo and fiddle to ‘Counting Stars?’ And how can his guys, he’s got a cello player, can he play on ‘Home?’ You know, just mixing up the music. It was just a week-long of massive musical studying, and now it’s over and it’s like a big, ‘Aw, I miss that.’ It was really fun working on that project.”

Dierks Bentley (CMT Crossroads) 3 OC: …of Europe tour. [laughs] :21
“It was so fun, man. I have so much, it’s so cool to actually meet a guy and have him be as cool as how you hoped he’d be and the band One Republic just great dudes. I mean, we’d have so much fun on tour. I’ve tried to plant that seed. They get a chance to tour in Europe a lot, so I was like, ‘Hey take us to Germany. Let’s go to all the great pubs of Europe tour.’” [laughs]