Easton Corbin is hitting the road with Blake Shelton on the Ten Times Crazier Tour, which kicks off Friday (July 19th) in Virginia Beach. The trek will also play to Bristow, Virginia on Saturday (July 20th) and Wantagh, New York on Sunday (July 21st). The tour is currently scheduled to wrap October 5th in Wichita.

This isn’t the first time Easton has been on tour with Blake – he actually opened for him on the CMA Entertainer of the Year’s first headlining tour a couple of years ago. “He’s just a great, great guy,” says Easton. “He ain’t scared to sit down and have a drink with ya, and his crew’s great, and ever since then, I’ve always looked forward to going back out with those guys. And we’ve got that chance now.”

Easton is currently sitting inside the Top 10 with his latest hit, “All Over the Road.”

Easton Corbin (Blake Shelton tour) OC: …chance now. :21
“This summer I’m going to be out on the Blake Shelton Ten Times Crazier Tour, and I am just looking really, really forward to it. I got the fortunate opportunity to tour with Blake on his first headlining tour. We did about 12 shows. He’s just a great, great guy. He ain’t scared to sit down and have a drink with ya, and his crew’s great, and ever since then, I’ve always looked forward to going back out with those guys. And we’ve got that chance now.”

Catch up with Luke Bryan and the guys on their four-day run on the road on the Dirt Road Diaries Tour in the latest episode of LBTV. Luke invited some special guests out on stage with him in Atlanta.

In the meantime, Luke is celebrating three weeks at No. 1 with “Crash My Party,” which is the title cut from his forthcoming album, due August 13th.

Keith Urban kicks off his Light the Fuse Tour tonight (July 18th) in Cincinnati, and he’s taking Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch along for the ride. He was recently hoping to put together some collaborations with both acts on the road. “I’m trying to find a song I could do with them in my set with them, and I want to find something to do with Dustin as well because he’s a great singer and a really good guy,” says Keith. “I like collaborating with them. I mean we are the show. All three of us are the show so we should play together.”

Keith performed Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” with Little Big Town on last month’s CMT Music Awards, and he mentioned that song as one he’d like to do every night.

Keith is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “A Little Bit of Everything.”

Keith Urban (collaborations on tour) OC: …together. :13
“I’m trying to find a song I could do with them in my set with them, and I want to find something to do with Dustin as well because he’s a great singer and a really good guy.  I like collaborating with them. I mean we are the show. All three of us are the show so we should play together.”

Keith Urban (last-minute tour ideas) OC: …moment’s notice. :14
“Historically, we put something together and I’m like, ‘That’s the tour. It’s perfect.’ And a week before the tour, I get something crazy idea and am like I want to do that and this.  I’ve learned that it’s best to have a malleable production that can accommodate those things at a moment’s notice.”

Scotty McCreery is set to put on a free, exclusive USO concert for troops and military families at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota July 24th. This will be McCreery’s first USO concert.

“It’s because of the men and women who defend this country, and the sacrifices of their families, that we are able to wake up everyday with the freedoms that we often take for granted,” says Scotty. “I’m grateful to the USO for allowing me the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to our troops and their families.”

As part of his first USO tour experience, McCreery will spend some time learning about the history and mission of Minot Air Force Base and the men and women who serve there.

Sugarland‘s Kristian Bush gives fans a severe weather warning — sharks + tornado = Sharknado.

He meshed Little Big Town‘s No. 1 hit, “Tornado,” with the SyFy Original movie, Sharknado.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  (July 17, 2013)  Country music superstar Alan Jackson will release his first bluegrass album – appropriately titled The Bluegrass Album – on September 24th. Jackson wrote eight songs for the album, which also includes other originals and a couple of well-known standards of the genre. The Bluegrass Album will be released on ACR (Alan’s Country Records)/EMI Records Nashville and is produced by Keith Stegall and Jackson’s nephew, Adam Wright.

Jackson has openly expressed his desire to record a bluegrass album for years. This spring, a group of some of the best players and singers in bluegrass came together, emerging in a matter of days with the completed acoustic album. He enlisted Scott Coney (acoustic guitar), Sammy Shelor (banjo), Adam Steffey (mandolin), Tim Crouch (fiddle), Tim Dishman (bass), Rob Ickes (dobro) and Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby (vocals). 

Originals that Jackson penned for the album include such titles as “Blacktop,” “Blue Ridge Mountain Song” and “Mary.” Covers on The Bluegrass Album include The Dillards’ “There Is A Time,” John Anderson’s “Wild and Blue” and a ¾-time version of Bill Monroe’s seminal “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” 

The Bluegrass Album track listing:
1.) Long Hard Road – Alan Jackson

2.) Mary – Alan Jackson

3.) Appalachian Mountain Girl – Alan Jackson

4.) Tie Me Down – Alan Jackson

5.) Way Beyond The Blue – Mark D. Sanders/Randy Albright/Lisa Silver

6.) Ain’t Got Trouble Now – Adam Wright

7.) Blue Ridge Mountain Song – Alan Jackson

8.) Blacktop – Alan Jackson

9.) Blue Side of Heaven – Alan Jackson

10.) There Is A Time – Rodney Dillard/Mitch Jayne

11.) Wild and Blue – John Scott Sherrill

12.) Knew All Along – Adam Wright/Shannon Wright

13.) Let’s Get Back to Me and You – Alan Jackson

14.) Blue Moon of Kentucky – Bill Monroe

About Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music.  He is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who’ve written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts.  Jackson is one of the 10 best-selling artists since the inception of SoundScan, ranking alongside the likes of Eminem and Metallica.  His most recent album, Thirty Miles West, topped the country chart when it was released in June 2012 – the album features the Grammy®-nominated song, “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore.” 

Jackson has sold nearly 60 million albums worldwide, topped the country singles charts 35 times, and scored more than 50 Top-10 hits.  He has written or co-written 24 of his 35 #1 hit singles.  Jackson is an 18-time ACM Award winner, a 16-time CMA Award recipient, and a two-time Grammy-winning artist whose songwriting has earned him the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award and an induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame as a 2011 Songwriter/Artist inductee.

AWARD-WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER DIERKS BENTLEY SHARES “I HOLD ON”
FOR SOUNDTRACK OF GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY’S #DearAmerica CAMPAIGN

 Viewers’ Inspiring Photographs and Letters Vividly Illustrate What They Love About Their Country

NASHVILLE, TENN. (July 17, 2013) – Great American Country asked viewers to write or show in pictures what they loved most about America and they’ve been more than happy to respond with heart-felt sentiments and amazing photographs. Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On,” a track from his forthcoming Riser LP, provides the soundtrack for the network’s on air and online #DearAmerica campaign. Co-written by Bentley and Brett James, the song’s lyrics speak to the types of letters and photographs that continue to come in through Twitter, Instagram and email.

“This song is probably one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written or recorded, but at the same time it hits a lot of universal themes that I think we can all relate to,” said Bentley. “I’ve really been able to sense that from the fans when I play ‘I Hold On’ out on the road and am really looking forward to seeing what country fans tuning in at home will share.”

From vacation photos that illustrate the scenic natural beauty of the mountains, ocean and rural back roads to heart-tugging family reunions, many of the viewers’ inspiring submissions are featured in on-air commercials as well as online at gactv.com.  Photos can be shared by using #DearAmerica at both Twitter and Instagram or by emailing dearamerica@gactv.com. Photos can also be uploaded to the fan wall on the Great American Country mobile app.  

“’I Hold On’ is perfect, we knew it immediately!” said Jen Leitman, GAC SVP Marketing and Creative. “The Dear America campaign is about what we, as Americans, hold onto and believe in about our country and the response as been terrific.  Since photos are very much how we communicate now, it was important to find just the right song for the campaign, one that would tie thousands of pictures together and provide a soundtrack.” 

From “I Hold On:”

To the things I believe in
My faith, your love, our freedom
To the things I can count on
To keep me going strong
Yeah I hold on, I hold on 

Hallmark Gives Keith Urban Fans a Reason to “Shine”
with new Sound Cards

A new collection of 12 Hallmark greeting cards will feature music
from Keith Urban 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 16, 2013) — Following the start of country superstar Keith Urban’s first outdoor summer tour, fans in cities across the country also will be able to hear his music in a new line of sound cards now playing in the aisles of select Hallmark Gold Crown^® stores. 

The collection includes 12 cards and ranges from celebrating birthdays and friendship, to lending support, love, encouragement and more. Priced at $4.99, each card in the line features a 15-second sound clip from some of Urban’s top songs such as “Long, Hot Summer” and “Sweet Thing” — two of his 14 No. 1 singles.

“For me, a card, like music, has the ability to make an emotional connection” said Keith Urban. “I love knowing that these cards, and my music, will mark such meaningful moments in so many people’s lives!” 

“Keith’s songs are often about enjoying the here and now,” said Angela Ensminger, editorial director at Hallmark. “We loved using those messages of taking time to stop, reflect and feel good about how far you’ve come. Using his lyrics as inspiration, we aimed to write cards that would solicit the same emotions as their soundtracks.”

Like Urban’s musical collection, Hallmark writers incorporated a range of styles and sounds into the cards that reflect a variety of life’s moments from celebrating birthdays to supporting loved ones during difficult times. The cards feature warm colors on textured backgrounds highlighted with simple images.

Hallmark Keith Urban sound cards are available at Hallmark Gold Crown^® stores. Visit hallmark.com/stores to find the nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store.

Nashville, TN – MCA Nashville singer/songwriter Drake White made his Grand Ole Opry on Friday night. The Hokes Bluff, AL native performed his single “The Simple Life” with the legendary Opry band and an acoustic version of “Always Want What You Can’t Have;” both songs will appear on Drake’s debut album due out early next year.

About his special night, Drake says “I am so incredibly honored and humbled to play a stage in which many of my heroes have graced with their presence. I assure you my family was the loudest in the crowd,” adding “Thank God for this opportunity, God Bless country music and God Bless the legendary Grand Ole Opry.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Hollo, 2013 Copyright Grand Ole Opry

Nashville, TN – MCA Nashville’s David Nail released his new video for his single “Whatever She’s Got” today to all video partners. The video was directed by Chris Hicky features Nail and his band performing to friends on top of skyscraper in downtown Nashville.

“Whatever She’s Got” (written by Jimmy Robbins and Jon Nite) is the lead single off Nail’s third album which MCA will release early next year. “Whatever She’s Got,” is a song that Nail proudly admits is for his wife, Catherine.

“I still to this day don’t know what she has,” Nail says, “but I know that I like it….whatever it is.” 

Check out the official video and the behind-the-scenes below!

For more information on David Nail and for a full list of tour dates visit www.davidnail.com

Follow @DavidNail on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidnail

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidNail