• DARIUS RUCKER THANKS THE GRAND OLE OPRY ON HIS ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY. (VIDEO)

    It has been exactly one year since Darius Rucker was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Today, he’s thanking everyone for their support, as well as those who’ve been inducted after him.

    Darius is currently scaling the country charts with his latest single, “Radio.”

    Video / Darius Rucker Thanks Grand Ole Opry

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  • KIP MOORE ANNOUNCES A FLAMING HOT HEADLINING TOUR.

    Nashville, TN- October 16, 2013- CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Kip Moore locked in headlining dates for his BURN THE WHOLE WORLD DOWN Tour kicking off Nov. 15 in Jacksonville, FL and going through Dec. 14 with Drake White and Joey Hyde opening on select dates.  The first round of tickets go on sale this Fri., Oct. 18.  For more information, visit www.kipmoore.net

    “‘Burn The Whole World Down’ is actually one of the new songs I’ve been working on for the next album.  It just seemed to fit and was something fun we could call this last run of dates…we’re going to go down in flames here at the end of the year,” joked Moore.  “The best way to test out new songs is always to play them live for the fans, so I’m excited to get some feedback direct from them.”

    BURN THE WHOLE WORLD DOWN Tour
    11/15/13    Jacksonville, FL    Mavericks Rock N’ Honky Tonk
    11/16/13    Tampa, FL             The Dallas Bull
    11/21/13    New Orleans, LA    Civic Theater
    11/22/13    Baton Rouge, LA    Texas Club
    11/23/13    Mobile, AL              Soul Kitchen Music Hall
    12/4/13      Oxford, OH               Brick Street Bar
    12/6/13     Sioux Falls, SD        The District
    12/7/13     Madison, WI             Orpheum Theatre
    12/12/13    Indianapolis, IN       Egyptian Room
    12/13/13    Detroit, MI              The Fillmore
    12/14/13    Cleveland, OH        House of Blues

    Up next for Moore is the 47th Annual CMA Awards airing live Wed., Nov. 6 at 8:00P CT on ABC where he is nominated for “New Artist of the Year.”  Last year, Moore shot out of the gate with the best selling debut country album of 2012, UP ALL NIGHT, which spawned the PLATINUM, two week chart-topping hit “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck,” followed by two more No. one singles, “Beer Money” and “Hey Pretty Girl.”  Moore has relentlessly toured the country coast to coast this year with Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert and Toby Keith amid selling out his own headlining shows, often in just minutes.   In January, Moore will join Lady Antebellum for their TAKE ME DOWNTOWN TOUR.  For a full list of tour dates and more information, visit www.kipmoore.net

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks, Little Big Town, Robertson Family, Shania Twain

    Dierks Bentley is set to perform during the Pearl Jam tribute week on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon October 23rd. He’ll be joined by Soundgarden‘s Chris Cornell, The Avett Brothers and Fleet FoxesRobin Pecknold to celebrate the release of the band’s new album Lightning Bolt.

    Little Big Town will perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Wednesday (October 16th) while The Robertson Family is set to make an appearance on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

    Shania Twain made her triumphant return to the stage at Caesar’s Palace as her new Vegas run began Tuesday night (October 15th) for a run of 22 shows through December. A new string of dates has also been announced for January and February of 2014.

  • ERIC CHURCH — IT’S COMING! (VIDEO)

    Eric Church is getting ready to release new music, and we have a cool preview below.

    Video / The Outsiders Radio Teaser

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  • SCOTTY McCREERY CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY IN NYC. (VIDEO)

    Scotty McCreery celebrated the release of his new album, See You Tonight, with fans at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City on Tuesday (October 15th), and they celebrated his recent 20th birthday by singing “Happy Birthday.” Check out the quick clip below.

    Video / IMG 1899

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  • BILLY CURRINGTON’S ‘HEY GIRL’ IS NO. 1 ON MEDIABASE COUNTRY CHART. (AUDIO)

    Billy Currington’s “Hey Girl” climbs to the top of the Mediabase country chart, following his reign at No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart last week. As we’ve mentioned before, the song’s title is the perfect pickup line. We’d use that line over and over on the beach, ‘cause we went every weekend during the summer,” recalls Billy. “And I would go, ‘Man, you say something to her.’ And my buddy would go, ‘No, you say something.’ ‘Alright – Hey girl!’ And it always started a conversation.”

    “Hey Girl” is the first release from Billy’s new album, We Are Tonight.

    Audio / Billy Currington (Hey Girl pickup line)

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    AUDIO: Billy Currington says ‘Hey Girl’ as a pickup line worked every time.

    Billy Currington (Hey Girl pickup line) OC: …a conversation. :18
    “Man, the ‘Hey Girl’ pickup line, it worked every time. [laughs] We’d use that line over and over on the beach, ‘cause we went every weekend during the summer. And I would go, ‘Man, you say something to her.’ And my buddy would go, ‘No, you say something.’ ‘Alright – Hey girl!’ And it always started a conversation.”

  • ERIC CHURCH, KACEY MUSGRAVES, ALAN JACKSON AND GEORGE STRAIT ADDED TO THIS YEAR’S CMA AWARDS. (PRESS RELEASE)

    NASHVILLE – Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and Florida Georgia Line have joined the list of performers for this year’s CMA Awards. Alan Jackson and George Strait, the two top nominees in CMA Awards history, will perform together in a tribute to the legendary George Jones, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992 and remains one of the most recognizable and evocative voices in the history of the genre. Jones passed away in April of this year.

    Paisley and Underwood will host the ceremony for the sixth consecutive year live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

    Reigning CMA Album of the Year winner Church is nominated this year for Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. Church is an eight-time CMA Awards nominee who earned his first nomination in 2011

    Jackson is the second most nominated artist in CMA history, with 81 nominations and 16 trophies. He is a three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and two-time CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Jackson earned his first CMA Awards nominations in 1990 when he was up for the Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year), Album of the Year for Here In The Real World, and Single and Song of the Year for the album’s title track.

    Musgraves – who is also a first-time nominee – is tied as the year’s most nominated artist. She collected six nominations including Female Vocalist, New Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Same Trailer Different Park, Single and Song of the Year for “Merry Go ‘Round,” and Song of the Year for Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart.”

    Strait is not only the top CMA Award nominee of all time, but also the top CMA Award winner with 22 trophies and 82 nominations. He is nominated this year for Entertainer of the Year, an honor he has taken home twice before. Strait is a five-time CMA Male Vocalist and Album of the Year winner.

    Tickets for “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” are officially sold-out, marking the fifth year in a row the ceremony has sold out in advance. This is the earliest tickets have sold out.

    Winners of “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends Monday, Oct. 28 (5:00 PM/CT).

    The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by more than 7,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was formed in 1958 as the first trade organization to promote an individual genre of music. The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time – making it the longest-running, annual music awards program on network television. The CMA Awards moved to ABC in 2006, where it will remain through 2021.

  • SCOTTY McCREERY RELEASES NEW ALBUM ON TUESDAY. (PRESS RELEASE AND AUDIO)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Platinum-selling singer-songwriter Scotty McCreery releases his much-anticipated sophomore album, See You Tonight, Oct. 15 on Mercury Nashville / 19 / Interscope Records.  In celebration of the new album, McCreery will perform on several national TV shows in addition to hosting album release events in Nashville, New York and North Carolina.

    McCreery begins street week with an album release party in New York City Oct. 15th at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square – including an intimate concert by McCreery, signing and Q&A with the crowd.  He will then perform on NBC’s “TODAY Show” on Oct. 16 and FOX News’ “Fox & Friends” on Oct. 17 before heading down to Nashville to continue the celebration at the home of country music, the Grand Ole Opry.  McCreery performs on the famed stage Oct. 19 with an in-store signing with fans afterwards. 

    Next, McCreery returns to Raleigh, N.C. for a special homecoming album release event at the North Carolina State Fair on Oct. 21 and 22 before culminating the festivities in Los Angeles, Calif. with an Oct. 25 performance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

    “This album is a big step from the first one, and I can’t wait for everybody to hear it,” says McCreery, who co-wrote five songs on the project, including title track, “See You Tonight” (co-written with Zach Crowell and Ashley Gorley).  Entertainment Weekly describes the current single as “fresh, youthful [and] romantic;” a great indication of what can be expected on the new album, which Rolling Stone calls “bright, polished pop country.” 

    McCreery teamed up again with Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan), who produced his 2011 record-setting Platinum debut Clear As Day, and also enlisted producer Frank Rogers (Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley) for See You Tonight, resulting in 13 tracks of radio-ready music.

    “We’ve been working on this [See You Tonight] for the better part of a year,” shares the McCreery, “so Tuesday has been a long time coming. With this album, I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to sound like and say.” 

    Including multiple fan-driven album release events this month was a top priority for McCreery.  “All of my success goes back to the fans,” explains McCreery, winner of “American Idol” Season Ten. “I try to put in all of the hard work I can, but it means nothing to me without the fans, which have been there by my side since day one. It’s all about saying thanks to the fans.” 

    See You Tonighttrack listing:
    1.   Now
    2. 
     See You Tonight
    3.   Get Gone With You
    4.    Feelin’ It
    5.    Feel Good Summer Song
    6.   Buzzin’
    7.   Can  You Feel It
    8.   The Dash
    9.    Blue Jean Baby
    10.
      Forget to Forget You
    11.  I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend
    12.  Carolina Moon
    13.  Something More

    Deluxe versions of See You Tonight will also be available featuring three additional tracks, plus a Wal-Mart Exclusive Deluxe Edition with two more bonus tracks.

    For information on any of the album release events, tour dates, images and more, please visit www.ScottyMcCreery.com.  View the official “See You Tonight” video HERE.

    Audio / Scotty McCreery (evolving)

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    AUDIO: Scotty McCreery explains how he’s evolved as an artist.

    Scotty McCreery (evolving) OC: …good for me. :29
    “You know every artist throughout their career, they’re evolving, they’re changing, they’re honing their craft. For me, I started really young. At 17, I had my first album in the works. Now I’m 19, 20 – still pretty young, but I’m doing some growing up and so is my music, and my writing has changed. I’ve gotten to write with some of the best guys in Nashville – and girls –  and really hone my craft there. I’ve really had more of an opportunity to figure out what I wanted to say as a person and an artist on this next record. I think just these couple years I’ve spent making this record have been really good for me.”

  • A ROBERTSON FAMILY CHRISTMAS STORY – PART 1. (VIDEO)

    Check out Operation: Willie Claus — the first webisode from The Robertson Family to announce their holiday album, Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, which hits stores October 29th.

    You can see episodes 2, 3 and 4 at their website, duckthehalls.com.

    Video / A Robertson Family Christmas Story - Part 1

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  • GEORGE STRAIT SELLS OUT FIVE MORE DATES ON ‘THE COWBOY RIDES AWAY TOUR.’ (PRESS RELEASE)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 11, 2013) – Ticket sales are still going strong for the last leg of George Strait’s final, two-year The Cowboy Rides Away Tour as the third round of concert dates went on sale this morning. Tour stops in Chicago, Ill.; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas, Nev. and Tulsa, Okla. sold out within a half-hour. A limited number of tickets is still available for concert dates in Louisville, Ky.; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia, Penn.; Portland, Ore. and Tacoma, Wash.

    Additionally, Strait is auctioning off two pairs of front row seats, plus meet-and-greet passes, to each 2014 tour stop with the help of VIP partner CID Entertainment. Proceeds benefit The Jenifer Strait Foundation, which focuses its donations on various children’s charities including Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio and St. Jude’s Ranch.

    Limited VIP packages are available for purchase for each show on The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. The “Ace in the Hole” package, priced at $499, includes a top-tier ticket in the first 15 rows of the floor or lower bowl, an invitation to an exclusive pre-show party in “The King’s Tavern Lounge” with complimentary food and cash bar, a tour of “The King’s Exhibit” (a private exhibit of George Strait memorabilia from his own collection), a VIP parking pass, VIP laminate, limited merchandise gift and tour poster, private merchandise shopping, and an on-site event host.

    A limited number of “The Troubadour” VIP packages are also available for purchase at $1,299 and include all of the pre-show events and access listed above, as well as one front row seat and a guitar signed by George Strait. Travel packages for two people include a choice of VIP, “Ace in the Hole” VIP or Premium Reserved tickets for the show, hotel accommodations at top-quality properties near the venue, George Strait merchandise, and shuttle transportation to and from the show. Travel packages are available for tour stops in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Foxboro, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, San Diego and Tacoma.

    For more information about the auctions, travel packages or VIP tickets, please visit www.cidentertainment.com/georgestrait.

    Tickets for the following tour dates will go on sale beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the venue’s respective local time zone on Friday, October 18:

    January 10, 2014 Frank Erwin Center│Austin, Texas

    *With special guest Jason Aldean
    January 30, 2014 SAP Center│San Jose, Calif.
    *With special guest Martina McBride
    April 4, 2014 INTRUST Bank Arena│Wichita, Kan.
    *With special guests Lee Ann Womack and Merle Haggard