Lady Antebellum kicked off their Golden Deluxe release day with a performance on NBC’s Today Show for a special Veterans Day concert. The Grammy award winning band performed their new single, “Compass,” “Need You Now” and “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Gary Allan has been tapped to perform on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Wednesday (November 13th) on NBC. He’ll premiere his new single “It Ain’t The Whiskey,” off of his Billboard 200 chart-topping album SET YOU FREE. Allan also performed his #1 smash “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)” on the show earlier this year. 

The verdict is in, the readers of Country Weekly have voted and named Allan “the Sexiest Man In Country Music.” Gary appears in the Sexiest Man issue, on stands now nationwide. 

Allan recently wrapped his co-headline “Free And Easy” tour with Sheryl Crow. Additionally, Allan just earned two American Country Award nominations.  Both nominations are for his smash hit “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain),” including: Single Of The Year, Male and Video Of The Year, Male.  Voting for the ACA Awards is now open at http://theacas.com/signin.aspx.  Fans can vote every day until Nov12th for their their favorite artists and watch to see who wins live Dec 10 at 8pm on FOX.

Gary Allan (It Ain’t the Whiskey) 1 OC: …wrote that one. :21
“That’s one of my favorite ones on there. ‘It Ain’t the Whiskey’ – I love like heart-wrenching songs and songs that really make you think; they’re my favorites. It’s a 12-step song, but it’s so poignant. I’ve been playing that one live by myself. We take a break in the show, and I just play that acoustically. We’ve been doing that one forever, way before we cut it. [It’s] just a great song. I wish I wrote that one.”

Nashville – (November 8, 2013) –  As tickets for Luke Bryan’s 2014 “That’s My Kind of Night Tour” are beginning to be available, news came this morning that his January 25th show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden sold-out in five minutes.  Due to the overwhelming popular demand a second show at Madison Square Garden will be added later on into the tour on Friday, September 12th.  The first leg of the tour will feature Lee Brice and Cole Swindell when it launches January 16th.

Tickets for the Friday, September 12th show will be on sale to the general public on Saturday, November 16th at 10:00am at www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.  If tickets remain, they will be available at Madison Square Garden, Beacon Theatre and Radio City Music Hall beginning Sunday, November 17th.

Luke wrapped his sold-out 2013 tour, the “Dirt Road Diaries Tour,” in late October but fans can see him perform on ABC’s American Music Awards on November 24th, on the Tonight Show on November 26th, The Ellen Show on November 27th as well as the CMA Country Christmas special on December 2nd.  On December 3rd, Luke will be honored on the fourth annual CMT Artists of the Year special.

Luke’s career now boasts over four million in album sales with eight #1 singles.  His recent album, Crash My Party, sold 527,783 units in its first week of release in mid-August, making it the largest sales debut for a Country male artist since 2004.  It also topped both the Billboard 200 and Country sales charts and is the fourth highest album to debut across all genres this year.  Additionally, Luke is one of only two country artists that have sold more than a half-million copies of an album in a single week since 2008. This is Bryan’s second consecutive Top 200 #1 album.  Crash My Party has now sold over one million copies and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. 

For additional information on the tour and ticket on sale dates please go to www.lukebryan.com or www.livenation.com. Fan club presale will begin Tuesday, November 12 at 10am.  

Kacey Musgraves took home the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year on Wednesday night, when she performed her latest single, “Follow Your Arrow,” which she describes as a “really positive anthem.”

“[The song is] just encouraging people of all kinds to do whatever makes ‘em happy across the board. If that’s your thing, great, if that’s not, then that’s our right.”

This year’s CMA Awards was much different from last year’s for Kacey. “I was really happy to be up there performing with my band and just being a part of this,” she says I mean, Last year I had really crappy seats with my roommate, just as a fan. And now here I am holding this thing. It’s really fun.”

Kacey Musgraves (Follow Your Arrow CMA performance) OC: …really fun. :28
“Honestly, to me, ‘Follow Your Arrow’ is a really positive anthem, just encouraging people of all kinds to do whatever makes ‘em happy across the board. If that’s your thing, great, if that’s not, then that’s our right. I was really happy to be up there performing with my band and just being a part of this. I mean, Last year I had really crappy seats with my roommate, just as a fan. And now here I am holding this thing. It’s really fun.”

NASHVILLE – The music and traditions of the holidays are center stage for “CMA Country Christmas,” a two-hour special hosted by Jennifer Nettles airing Monday, Dec. 2 (9:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The special is a celebration of the season featuring Country’s top stars and non-format favorites performing holiday songs and sharing their personal holiday traditions and memories. The special tapes in front of a live audience Friday (7:00 PM/CT) at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Joining the previously announced star-packed lineup of performers is Mary J. Blige, Lady Antebellum, and beloved Peanuts characters Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus van Pelt, and Snoopy. 

Performers already announced include Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Lucy Hale, Nettles, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie Robertson, and Michael W. Smith.

“The lineup for this year’s special keeps getting better with the addition of Mary J. Blige and Lady A,” said CMA Board President Ed Hardy. “And the icing on this Christmas cookie is the Peanuts gang. Talk about two great holiday traditions coming together to celebrate the season.”

For the second year, audience members are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the taping to help make the holidays brighter for Nashville area children. The Nashville-based, non-profit group Generosity will have volunteers on site with specially marked bins to collect the toys, which will be distributed to homeless families this holiday season. In 2012, the group collected more than 5,000 toys.

Volunteers from Generosity will start accepting toys Friday at 1:00 PM/CT at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza (corner of Fifth Avenue and Demonbreun). You do not have to have a ticket to the show to drop off a toy.

For updates and information visit CMAchristmas.com.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum talk about their favorite Christmas albums.

Lady A (Christmas music) OC: (Charles) …a good one. :21
CHARLES: “Christmas albums live on for such a long time, and an album that we listen to a lot is Martina McBride’s and a lot of those kinds of albums, and recently the Michael Bublé record is really great. And it’s funny that we might be that record for people, that, putting the tree up listening to Lady Antebellum On This Winter’s Night.”  HILLARY: “Ours is Trisha Yearwood at our house.” CHARLES: “That’s a good one.”

Little Big Town, who picked up the Vocal Group of the Year award for the second year in a row, performed their latest single, “Sober,” on Wednesday night’s CMA Awards, which they call a very special song. “It’s a great way of saying, first of all, we’re all in beautiful relationships in our lives, and we don’t want to live without that,” says LBT’s Kimberly Schlapman. “It’s a wonderful way of saying, ‘I’m drunk on your love and I don’t ever want to be without it.”

You can catch Little Big Town performing “Sober,” along with many of their other hits, as they resume touring with Keith Urban on his Light the Fuse Tour 2013.

LBT (Sober) OC: …without it. :19
JIMI: “That’s a beautiful song and a beautiful lyric.” KIMBERLY: “It’s just so special, you know? It’s a great way of saying, first of all, we’re all in beautiful relationships in our lives, and we don’t want to live without that. It’s a wonderful way of saying, ‘I’m drunk on your love and I don’t ever want to be without it.’”

George Strait was presented with the Entertainer of the Year award during Wednesday night’s 47th Annual CMA Awards. The legendary singer looked rather surprised as he took the stage to accept the award from ABC’s Robin Roberts. Backstage, he told reporters that he might reconsider going back on the road.

“When I first started out this year, the first few shows, I about lost it every single night leaving the stage, not going up, but leaving the stage thinking, ‘This might be the last time I ever play on this stage again,’” says George. “I’m not totally quitting, I’m just slowing a little bit. But, I don’t know, this gets me fired up again. [laughs] The Cowboy might be riding back in. I don’t know.”

George, who just released his latest single “I Got a Car,” will return to the final leg of his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour after the first of the year.

George Strait (CMA Entertainer) 1 OC: …I don’t know.” [laughs] :27
“When I first started out this year, the first few shows, I about lost it every single night leaving the stage, not going up, but leaving the stage thinking, ‘This might be the last time I ever play on this stage again.’ Like I’ve said before, I’m not totally quitting, I’m just slowing a little bit. But, I don’t know, this gets me fired up again. [laughs] The Cowboy might be riding back in. I don’t know.” [laughs]

George Strait (CMA Entertainer) 2 OC: …it totally. :20
“I was just really, really happy to be nominated again for entertainer this year. That meant a lot to me. I thought there was an outside shot, but not really, seriously. Obviously, I didn’t prepare anything to say, but I’m blown away by it totally.”

Get a first look at the new season of American Idol featuring Keith Urban, along with fellow judges Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. Season 13 premieres Wednesday, January 15th and Thursday, January 16th at 8pm ET.

Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas debuted at the top of the country albums chart. The collection of holiday tunes sold nearly 70,000 copies during its first week of release to land at No. 1 on the country chart and No. 4 overall!

“When I look back as a kid, my fondest memories are all around Christmas time – singing, sharing, laughing, not much crying, just having a big time, playing dominos,” says Jase. “It’s during hunting season, so we all gather around for that, so why not have a Christmas album celebrating this special time?”

The family’s first Christmas album features many classics, including “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” plus some new tunes, such as “Hairy Christmas” and “Ragin’ Cajun Redneck Christmas.” George Strait, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner and Alison Krauss make special appearances on the collection, as well.

DD Jase (Christmas album) OC: …special time?  :30
“Look, we have always celebrated Christmas in a big family way. When I look back as a kid, my fondest memories are all around Christmas time – singing, sharing, laughing, not much crying, just having a big time, playing dominos. It’s during hunting season, so we all gather around for that, so why not have a Christmas album celebrating this special time?”

Darius Rucker, who’s nominated for Single of the Year for “Wagon Wheel,” will perform during a tribute to Kenny Rogers on Wednesday night’s CMA Awards.  Jennifer Nettles and Rascal Flatts will also perform to honor The Gambler, who will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Darius is thrilled to honor one of his idols. “I always thought that Kenny was the biggest star in the world. I mean, because he was everywhere. You know, I used to listen to so much radio, I’d just flip through the channels until I heard a song I liked,” he says. “You flip through and you hear a Kenny Rogers song and right after that would come a Buck Owens song. Then you’d flip to another channel where you’d hear a Kenny Rogers song and then right after that there’d be a Cheap Trick song. Radio, he was on pop stations, he was on rock stations. He was everywhere. I just thought Kenny was the ultimate.”

The 47th Annual CMA Awards air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday (November 6th) at 8pm ET on ABC.

Darius Rucker (Kenny Rogers) OC: …ultimate. :20
“I always thought that Kenny was the biggest star in the world. I mean, because he was everywhere. You know, I used to listen to so much radio, I’d just flip through the channels until I heard a song I liked. You flip through and you hear a Kenny Rogers song and right after that would come a Buck Owens song. Then you’d flip to another channel where you’d hear a Kenny Rogers song and then right after that there’d be a Cheap Trick song. Radio, he was on pop stations, he was on rock stations. He was everywhere. I just thought Kenny was the ultimate.”